Ethan recovered what would take an average untitled person days in a matter of minutes and was already ready to get back to facing beasts.
'It's not like I'm here on vacation.'
It should be relatively safe here after defeating the Skyrend Hawk that likely oversaw this territory, but he couldn't be certain of how long for. Staying stagnant also wasn't an option, but progression, both for himself and his beasts, required one thing...
Killing.
As dark as it was, Ethan had already come to terms with it and was after the next beast he could claim as prey.
Making a move through the Rocky Plains, he headed back in the same direction he had spawned on Floor One. There were two reasons for this: to avoid powerful beasts he might struggle against, and to have a rematch with that damned rock worm.
It was hard to find his bearings in this scorching place that all looked the same, but it wasn't long before the ground began to shift.
As soon as Ethan felt a rumble beneath his feet, he smiled before jumping out of the way.
Boom!
The stone cracked open, and a thick cylindrical body erupted upward.
"You again... I think?"
Another Lithoserpent Larva, or maybe the same one he had faced - he couldn't exactly tell, but its stats were identical.
{Common Beast Status}
{Race: Lithoserpent Larva}
{Growth Stage: Juvenile}
{Beast Rank: E}
{Strength: 15}
{Speed: 10}
{Stamina: 10}
{MP: 4/5}
"Fuck it," Ethan growled.
"If these are the common mobs here, I might as well learn how to deal with them."
The evolutionary shards, beast meat, and experience would only come by facing such creatures.
He studied it carefully: its body was thick and cylindrical, its outer layer resembled hardened stone plates, and its mouth split vertically, revealing rows of blunt, crushing teeth.
Even if its stats weren't insane…
It was a living rock, and seeing it again, he was starting to regret seeking it out.
"How the hell do I even kill this thing?"
His strength, even with Assimilation, wasn't that impressive yet. Without some form of heavy tool or weapon, he had no hope of damaging it with his fists.
Ethan sighed.
'I guess I'll just have to figure it out.'
He activated Beast Assimilation, but this time not with Wolfy...
With Talon.
The world sharpened instantly, and power coursed through his veins. It felt different from Ulfen assimilation: less feral and instinctive, but more precise and calculating.
He flashed up his improved Status.
{Name: Ethan Crowe
Title: Lord Of Beasts
Titled Rank: E
Strength: 9 + 1.25
Speed: 11 + 5
Stamina: 8.5 + 1.75
MP: 16/16 + 0
Beasts: 2/2
Skills: Beast Assimilation (D), Beast Summoning (S)}
His speed had practically increased by fifty percent.
A stat of 11 already placed him in the range of highly trained athletes with a top sprinting speed of around 15 to 20 mph.
Add fifty percent?
He was no longer just "athletic" - he was monstrous compared to untitled.
His body felt light and coiled like a spring waiting to burst. Matched with Talon's eyes, he could see every subtle twitch in the Lithoserpent's stone body as it prepared to move.
Ethan stood upright and balanced on the balls of his feet, head held high, not hunching like when assimilating with his Ulfen. His eyes were glowing orange rather than yellow, and his aura was sharp and almost regal.
It was predatory in an entirely different way.
'Everything can be killed,' he reminded himself, before ushering the beast forward.
The Lithoserpent lunged, but Ethan saw it coming before it even moved.
He zipped sideways, his movements swift and elegant.
The beast's tail whipped around like a stone club.
He ducked gracefully as the wind pressure brushed through his hair.
Unlike the crude and instinctive movements he made as an Ulfen, he now came across more at ease and dignified.
He circled it rapidly.
The beast kept its midsection planted against the ground, slithering like a fortified snake as it continued its attempts at attacking Ethan.
He grabbed a rock and swooped in, smashing it against the Lithoserpent Larva.
Crack!
His hand was shaking from the impact, yet it barely left a scratch on the beast's rocky exterior.
"Of course."
He didn't even bother punching or kicking; that would just hurt himself.
As fast as he was, the tail of the beast still caught Ethan as he was backing away after one of his failed attacks.
He raised his arms in time, but the impact rattled him to his core, launching him several metres back.
Pain flared across his forearms, and his back scraped against stone, but his arms weren't broken, and he had endured much worse.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, being literally eaten alive had increased his already high pain tolerance. How could it not? Ethan had experienced one of the most excruciating things possible.
He rolled back onto his feet immediately.
"This isn't working."
He couldn't brute force it, nor could he out-damage it.
But maybe he didn't need to....
His eyes flicked to the terrain: jagged rocks, uneven cliffs, sharp drops.
A plan formed in his mind, and for once, it wasn't too risky like most of his borderline suicidal ideas.
"Alright… let's weaponise gravity."
Ethan made a break for it, but not at full speed, making sure that he remained in range and it continued to change. He would dart in just within its striking range, then retreat over and over again as it followed him.
'This definitely isn't the smartest beast.'
Eventually, he led it towards a rocky incline near a cliff edge.
The Lithoserpent grew more aggressive, almost as if frustrated.
It lunged harder, and its tail struck wildly, but Ethan remained just out of range and evaded all of its attacks. Then, dancing around on the cliff's edge, he waited for it to thrust towards him again.
As soon as it did...
Swoosh!
He whipped around it at the last second with incredible speed.
The creature had no legs to brake or claws to grip as its massive body slid towards the edge. To top it off, Ethan kicked it as hard as he could, recalling a scene from one of his favourite movies.
"This is Sparta!"
That was it, the beast was pushed over the edge and fell from a drop a dozen metres in the air with a heavy thud. A cloud of dust erupted below as Ethan walked to the edge calmly.
Through the dust, his hawk-enhanced vision pierced everything.
He saw it clearly.
The Lithoserpent lay twisted awkwardly against the rocks below, with cracks running along its plating.
Its body spasmed for a couple of seconds before it went still.
{Beast Eliminated!}
He let out a slow breath.
"That was actually pretty easy."
With that, Ethan had a renewed sense of confidence and headed over to the beast's corpse to reap the rewards of his efforts...