After standing up to part ways, Ethan and Mark locked eyes with each other, a silent understanding in their eyes.

"I’m going to be staying here tonight, like usual," the large man said, nodding toward the house beneath them. "So make sure you lock up properly when you get back."

Ethan gave a small nod.

Then Mark’s gaze shifted to Elara, softening slightly.

"You can stay here with us if you’d like," he offered. "Plenty of space. And... well, it’d probably be more comfortable than wherever he’s dragging you."

Elara blinked, then glanced at Ethan.

Mark hadn’t even bothered asking the blue-eyed man, knowing he preferred his own space. There was no changing his mind once it was set, but it seemed as though the red-eyed woman was considering it.

The warmth inside the house, the laughter, the sense of belonging - it had clearly left an impression on her.

But then she shook her head, stepping a little closer to Ethan instead.

Whatever the reason - whether it was the strange pull she felt toward him, the promise of power from the demon within, or something she didn’t fully understand yet - her choice was clear.

Mark huffed lightly.

"Suit yourself."

He didn’t push or question their odd relationship.

He just watched as the two of them jumped down from the roof with ease and headed off into the night together.

’I almost forgot that they’re both Titled.’

A faint smile tugged at his lips before he climbed down and headed right back into the chaos of his family, who immediately bombarded him with questions the second he stepped through the door.

"Is he really a Titled? Is the girl one too?"

"How long have they been together?"

"What are their abilities and ranks?"

"Why did he really disappear for this long?"

Mark just sighed and answered the questions cryptically.

-

Meanwhile, Ethan and Elara were on their way together.

The streets were quieter now, dim streetlights flickering overhead as they made their way back to the Black Howl. It looked the same as always: closed shutters, worn exterior, nothing about it particularly inviting, but it was theirs.

It was as close to "home" as Ethan was willing to call anything.

He unlocked the door, stepped inside, and locked it behind them.

"Come on," he said, already heading toward the back.

They moved downstairs into the basement, a space that was, at best, functional. Bare concrete walls, the faint smell of alcohol and old wood, with a single light bulb hanging overhead.

Ethan grabbed the deflated air mattress from the corner and began breathing air into it for the first time in weeks.

’I never really bothered for myself, but this is the last I can do after how much she paid.’

Elara watched him, her expression blank.

"You take that," he said.

She looked at it, then back at him.

*What about you?* she signed.

"I’ll sleep on the floor."

He shrugged like it didn’t matter, because to him, it didn’t.

’I’ve slept in worse places; the hard floor is the least of my worries.’

Elara lifted her hands, reluctantly signing, *We can share if you’d like?*

Ethan smiled, amused by her flustered and innocent expression.

"Nah, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it."

She nodded, shyly settling down onto the air mattress, which wasn’t exactly luxurious.

"I’ll sort this place out soon," he added, glancing around briefly. "Beds, furniture... I’ll make it look less like a storage room."

He paused.

"But this’ll do for now."

Elara nodded slowly, seemingly unbothered.

’I know she already came down here earlier, but no reaction at all? She’s making it hard for me not to feel a little guilty.’

"Don’t you feel scammed?" he questioned aloud.

Her response made him feel even guiltier.

*I’ve always been alone, so having nice people around me is worth any amount of money. Plus, it might help with understanding my Title and its abilities.*

Ethan nodded, and though he wanted to question her on the life she had lived, he had had enough of dealing with emotions for one day. He also didn’t bother asking about her Title, remembering what happened last time she tried to reveal it to him.

’Boy, has this been a crazy day.’

The gate felt like a distant memory, but it had only been a matter of hours ago. He had already put everything that had happened there beside him and was only focused on getting stronger.

With that in mind, he went to lie down.

But before he could bring up the system interface, Elara scurried over to him and shook him to get his attention.

Ethan lazily sat up, "What is it? The mattress deflating already?"

She shook her head before signing quickly.

*I forgot to mention it earlier, but when we first got here, there was a man who seemed to be looking for you.*

That instantly caught his attention, as he sprang up and questioned, "What did he look like?"

Elara paused, unsure how to describe him, but then her hand lifted to her face, and Ethan instantly caught on.

"Broken nose?" he questioned.

She nodded, surprised he made sense of her attempt to describe it.

Ethan’s expression darkened instantly, so much so that it almost frightened her.

"That fucker."

He didn’t need any more details and knew exactly who it was.

Mace.

For a brief moment, something cold flickered in his eyes, but just as quickly, it faded. He wasn’t the same person he had been when they first crossed paths again.

’I’m not your average E Rank anymore, and I’m only going to get stronger.’

Still, he didn’t like the idea of that man sniffing around.

"Whatever," he muttered, waving it off as he lay back.

He wasn’t going to lose sleep over it, which was ironic, considering he wasn’t actually going to sleep.

Elara nodded and walked back over to her air mattress.

He was sure her mind was full of thoughts, and she probably wasn’t used to sharing a room with another, let alone a man she had just met. But she had nothing to worry about, since Ethan would literally be in another world overnight.

His eyes stared up at the ceiling, focused on something only he could see as a faint smirk tugged at his lips.

"Get some rest," was the last thing he said to Elara before reaching out with his hand.

{Enter The Tower}

-

The world shifted instantly.

Just like that, Ethan opened his eyes and found himself standing once again in those same worn rags and sandals.

{Welcome back to the Tower Of Beasts!}

His body was in perfect condition, with no lingering pain from the day before. It was one of the few perks of this place, this dreamlike realm where his body reset every time he entered.

But that wasn’t what caught his attention.

It was the cold, a sharp, biting chill that cut straight through him the moment he became aware of his surroundings.

"Fuck me."

His breath fogged in front of him as he exhaled.

It was freezing, and yet he wasn’t standing on some snow-covered mountain peak like he would’ve expected.

No, this was something else entirely.

A forest of sorts.

Tall, skeletal trees stretched endlessly in every direction, their branches bare and coated in frost. The ground beneath his feet crunched softly with each step, a thin layer of ice and snow covering what looked like dead leaves and frozen soil.

The silence was oppressive.

There were no birds or insects, just the faint whisper of wind weaving through the trees. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he took it all in.

’A frozen forest...’

It didn’t feel natural, almost like something had stripped the life out of this place and left only a hollow shell behind.

Then, a prompt appeared before him.

{Floor Eleven: Frostbitten Forest (D)}

Ethan let out a slow breath.

’My first D-tier floor.’

And yet, a small grin spread across his face.

Despite the environment, despite the unknown, he felt confident.

"With what I’ve got now..." he muttered, rolling his shoulders slightly. "A D-tier floor should be a breeze, pun intended."

The regular beasts wouldn’t pose much of a threat, and the only real danger would be the boss, likely some sort of C Rank Elite Beast. Still, beasts were unpredictable and savage, so he wasn’t stupid enough to drop his guard.

Nothing in the Tower was ever guaranteed to be easy, he had learnt that the hard way.

But before starting to explore, there was something he had been waiting for, something he had been itching to try ever since he unlocked it.

His mind flickered back briefly to the reward he received after killing Rina.

A slow breath left him as his gaze sharpened.

’Partial Assimilation.’

The words echoed in his mind.

The first part of the skill description, the 50% stat inheritance, was straightforward. But the second part...

’A Partial Transformation - what does that even look like?’

Ethan’s lips curled into a faint, anticipatory smile.

"I guess there’s only one way to find out..."