Wein mulled over the thoughts swimming in his mind.
But… that couldn't be right, could it?
He remembered clearly—when he first arrived in this world, he had still been wearing the clothes from Earth. The pajamas he wore weren't native to this world. That had to mean something.
Maybe… just maybe, he thought, this other presence—this persona that could take control of my body—wasn't a curse, but a cheat? Something granted to me when I was brought into this world?
After all, it hadn't done him any harm. In fact, it had helped him survive in a critical moment inside the Beast Tower.
He clenched his hands lightly into fists, feeling the tremble in his arms. His body was still sore, fragile. But beneath the pain… there was life. He was still breathing because something had saved him. His body had been badly injured, yet despite that, it had managed to defeat those beasts.
That "other presence" had protected him, fought in his place when he was too weak to stand. If it weren't for it, he would have died back in Level 2—all because he had been careless.
Wein sat up slowly, groaning as pain immediately lanced through his side.
Right! The doctor, Aster, had said he had cracked ribs—injuries that could be mended with the healing pill granted by the Tower.
The Tower had given him three items after he cleared Level 2: a sword, a healing pill, and a Beast Contract.
Aster said that he needed to take a healing pill. Among the rewards he got, he was most curious about that pill. Aster had claimed it could even heal cracked ribs—how amazing was that? If this existed on Earth, it would be considered a miracle medicine only the wealthy could afford. But here, it was simply a reward for surviving a level.
He knew that the steel sword, which was only Level 2, was just a basic weapon with a sturdier frame. The Beast Contract could be used to bind a beast—but it too was low level and easily available on the market.
Only the healing pill couldn't be imitated by humans.
Terr had already explained how to retrieve items from the Tower Mark. A living sigil that served both as proof of one's progress and as a portable storage space for the Tower's rewards.
He had practiced this before with Terr's guidance, back when he'd only cleared Level 1. It had worked then, even though his storage was empty.
Excited and curious, Wein closed his eyes and focused.
He reached out mentally, visualizing the mark that had been on his upper left arm—the elegant sigil written in ancient, flowing script, gently pulsing with silvery light.
He waited.
Nothing happened.
Wein's brows furrowed in confusion. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.
"That's odd. It had worked before. Why wasn't it connecting now?"
He tried again…but still nothing.
"Okay… what the hell?"
He sat up straighter, wincing again as his ribs protested. Gritting his teeth, he pulled up the wide sleeve of the robe he wore, exposing the skin of his upper arm.
His heart skipped a beat.
"What?" he whispered, stunned. He pulled the fabric back further. "Where… where is it?"
He hastily rolled up the sleeve of his right arm. But there was nothing there either.
He scanned his body again, eyes darting in confusion.
"My mark is gone?" His face crumpled, voice filled with disbelief. He raised a hand, as if to rub his eyes—hoping it was just a trick of the light.
Then, something shimmered in the corner of his vision.
He paused.
He was holding his right shoulder with his left hand—and there, on the back of his left palm, something faintly glowed.
He slowly lowered his hand, holding it up before his face.
Etched into his skin, on the back of his left hand, was the Tower Mark.
It glowed softly with golden light, the elegant lines and whorls of the sigil pulsing like it was alive. The number was imprinted in a curving, ancient text, shimmering with golden threads:
[10]
Wein's breath caught.
"No way…" he whispered.
The mark would only move to the back of the hand after a challenger cleared Level 10. Because that was the sign of a challenger's spiritual awakening. He had reached the first milestone. Thus, the spiritual core within his body had been activated.
He now had access to Beast Energy and he had obtained the Title.
He was now officially a Beast Fighter.
He touched the mark gently with trembling fingers. It was warm to the touch, as if alive. Beneath it, he could feel a faint thrum—a current of energy coiling deep within, hidden under his skin.
This… this was real.
He closed his eyes again, this time with intention. His mind surged outward—instinctively this time—linking to the mark on his hand.
He felt it respond. A low hum that resonated deep in his bones.
Then—
A golden panel shimmered into existence before his eyes, suspended in the air like a hologram.
—
[Title: Beast Fighter
Level: 10
Spirit Beast: None
Skills: None
Inventory:
• Silver Sword (x9)
• Healing Pill (x9)
• Beast Contract (x9)]
—
Wein stared at it, eyes wide, his mouth slightly agape.
It was similar to the in-game panel.
He had really cleared ten levels of the Beast Tower.
He leaned back against the wall, staring at the glowing interface in front of him. A part of him wanted to celebrate. Wanted to be proud. After all, he had skipped nine levels—something most challengers spent months training and grinding to achieve.
But the truth was sobering.
It wasn't him who had done it.
It was the other presence. The one who lived within him—who had fought in his place. The same presence that had seized control of his body.
His mind flashed back to those various scenes that appeared in his thoughts.
So it wasn't just his mind being jumbled that time… Those were real memories of what happened after that presence took over.
For a moment, Wein didn't know how to feel about this.
"Just who… are you?" he muttered to the empty room. "And what do you want from me?"
No answer.
He let out a sigh.
Whether this was a blessing or a curse… one truth remained: he had survived. As long as this presence didn't try to harm him, he could live with it.
Well, for now…
After all, he didn't have much of a choice—especially when he was this weak.
He looked again at the panel and willed a healing pill into his hand.
A small green pill materialized, surrounded by a faint golden glow. Carved with the impression of a long leaf, it radiated subtle warmth.
Wein placed the pill on his tongue and swallowed.
Warmth bloomed within him almost immediately. His ribs stopped aching. The tightness in his chest eased. The bruises on his skin—though still visible—no longer hurt.
Finally… relief.
He exhaled, then glanced again at his inventory.
Now that his spiritual core had awakened, it was time.
The pursuit of a Sacred Beast could finally begin.