Ethan barely had time to register the warmth spreading through his body before everything shifted.

The steady, controlled flow of energy from Beast Recovery was still coursing through him - his breathing slow, deliberate, his focus sharpened to a razor’s edge - when he suddenly received another couple of notifications.

{Congratulations on completing the Objective: Clear all D Tier Floors}

{Reward: Race Crystal (B)}

’Another B Rank Race Crystal? I mean, I’ll definitely take it, but it’s not really something I can use now.’

He had two of them now, so he could potentially increase the potential of two of his beasts to B Rank. That was an exciting prospect, but Ethan knew the real reward was the skill itself, which was B Rank, and what it meant for him.

’I created Variable Beast Impact on a whim to reduce the backlash. This one was made out of curiosity. Does that mean I can copy everyone’s abilities into skills?’

His abilities were based around beasts and being the so-called Lord Of Beasts, but that was so broad. Beasts encompassed most abilities, from flight to external hardening; they could almost do it all.

’Everything is mine for the taking.’

Ethan could replicate anything that wasn’t unique to the individual with enough time and insight. Once that was picked up by the system, he would immediately gain complete mastery of it.

Of course, there would be nuances and other variables, but he was excited to see what other skills he could create himself.

’But I can’t help but feel like the system is still in control of everything.’

It always felt like things were going to its will, and even the fact he gained this skill and completed this objective - was that its plan all along?

Beast Recovery was already part of the Skill Tree on the Skills Tab, so it existed before he supposedly created it.

’So am I really making it, or just unlocking something that I was already going to be able to use at some point?’

Either way, he wasn’t complaining.

He had just gained an incredible skill and been rewarded for it.

And before he could dwell on it any further, something happened that snapped him out of his deep thought.

The floating man suddenly dropped, his feet hitting the ground with an audible thud.

Ethan’s eyes snapped open, surprised by what he saw.

Before, the guy had been like some untouchable monk: detached, silent, floating above everything as if the world didn’t concern him.

Now?

He was the exact opposite.

"Hey!"

The voice that came out was so jarringly different from what he was expecting that Ethan was visibly taken aback. It was high-pitched, almost squeaky, and completely at odds with the man’s eerie, all-white eyes.

"You’re stealing all the energy! And how did you copy me like that? And what are those flames? And how did you not only replenish your mana core, but recover your body?!"

The words came out in a rapid, almost panicked stream, each question stacking on top of the last without pause.

Ethan stared at him, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

’Mana core... so that’s what that thing is called,’ was his immediate thought.

Then, instead of answering the man’s questions, he decided to tease him instead.

"Is that why you don’t speak?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

The effect was immediate, and the man’s glowing white eyes flared dangerously.

Ethan’s hands shot up instantly.

"Alright, alright. Relax," he said quickly. "It’s just a joke."

There was a brief pause, tension hanging thick in the air.

Then, slowly, the glow dimmed.

The man exhaled, though it sounded more like a restrained huff than anything else.

"You’re strange," he muttered.

"Funny," Ethan replied, lowering his hands, "I was just thinking the same thing."

Up close, the guy was... underwhelming.

He had little to no presence when not meditating, and his appearance didn’t help.

The man was shorter than Ethan expected, noticeably so, with a simple buzz cut and an unremarkable face that looked like it belonged to someone you’d forget seconds after seeing them. He looked to be in his early twenties, dressed in plain, almost cheap-looking clothes that didn’t match the battlefield they were currently standing in.

If it weren’t for the glowing white eyes and the fact that he had been floating cross-legged in midair moments ago, he would’ve looked painfully average.

Ethan had to physically stop himself from making a short joke.

"What are you?" the man asked bluntly, his curiosity bordering on suspicion. "There’s no way your Title is Attack Dog."

Ethan smiled casually.

"I’m just a C Rank," he said. "Same as you."

The words were simple, but the implication wasn’t.

’There’s no way this dude is a C Rank with that firepower, and if he is, there’s something special about him.’

There was a moment of silence before he said, "My name’s Ethan, and yours is..."

"Dave," he answered plainly.

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"That your real name?"

"It’s the one you’re getting."

Ethan chuckled under his breath.

"Fair enough."

The tension didn’t disappear, but it shifted into curiosity and a strange, unspoken understanding. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

They began walking, the three of them falling into a loose formation: Ethan at the front, the grey-skinned Bulldozer slightly behind him, and Dave... drifting somewhere in between walking and floating, his posture already returning to that meditative stillness.

Though this time, his eyes remained open, studying the man before him.

"So," Ethan said casually, glancing back slightly, "those beams of yours... you need a lot of mana for that, right?"

Dave hesitated.

"Yes..."

"And that’s why you’re always doing that meditation thing?" Ethan continued. "Constant intake so that you are always ready."

Dave’s gaze sharpened.

"You figured that out just by watching?"

Ethan shrugged.

"I’ve got good instincts."

That wasn’t entirely a lie.

For a supposed C Rank to be able to unleash such an attack, it made sense for him to do such a thing. He was making the most of his restricted abilities, which was both admirable and impressive.

But Dave didn’t exactly share Ethan’s good feelings.

"You didn’t just copy my method," he said slowly. "You improved it!"

He smirked slightly.

"Did I?"

"You’re annoying, you know that?"

Ethan nodded as they casually continued their conversation while exploring together.

That was until they couldn’t any longer...