Lord Of Beasts

Ethan stared at the number hovering in front of him, the faint glow of the system interface reflecting in his eyes.

{Evolutionary Shards: 3442}

It was... impressive.

Considering how recently he had evolved all of his beasts to C Rank and officially stepped into that tier himself, gathering over three thousand shards in such a short time was far more than he had expected. That was more than it had taken to evolve all of his beasts to C Rank previously.

Still, impressive didn’t mean enough.

He exhaled slowly, then pulled up the information panel again, forcing himself to look at the numbers clearly rather than relying on vague hope.

{Evolutionary Shards (on Kill):

E Rank: 1 | D Rank: 10 | C Rank: 100 | B Rank: 1,000 | A Rank: 10,000 | S Rank: 100,000}

{Beast Evolution Costs (Potential-Capped):

E → D: 100 shards | D → C: 1,000 shards | C → B: 10,000 shards | B → A: 100,000 shards | A → S: 1,000,000 shards}

"Yeah," Ethan muttered under his breath. "That’s not happening."

He was barely over a third of the way to evolving even one of his beasts to B Rank. Ten thousand shards might as well have been a mountain, and despite everything he had just done, he had barely climbed the foothills.

Even with what he had proudly dubbed auto-hunting, it was an impossible target.

The idea itself had been brilliant.

Letting Spark and Talon do the hunting while he sat in deep meditation, continuously using Beast Recovery to replenish his MP, stamina, and even minor injuries. It was efficient, safe, and far less taxing than running around himself.

In theory, it should have been the perfect grind.

And it was.

But there was only so much you could do in twenty-four hours, most of which had already passed, the timer on the System Interface still painfully counting down.

Ethan sighed.

The swamp came back into focus, the distant sounds of creatures, the faint sting of the air, the oppressive atmosphere pressing down on him.

"Is this it?"

There was no excitement in his voice.

Only disappointment.

Spark and Talon reappeared in front of him as he resummoned them, both looking relatively unharmed, though clearly having been through constant combat. Wolfy remained at his side, unwavering as ever.

Ethan looked at the three of them.

"What do I do?" he asked quietly.

It was almost instinctive, like asking a question he already knew they could not answer.

He needed something big, and right away.

Because once he left this place, he would return to that gate, to that battlefield, to three B Rank beasts that would tear him apart without hesitation.

And right now, he had gained... nothing that could change that outcome.

The silence stretched.

Then the system suddenly chimed in.

{The host can exchange a B Rank Race Crystal for the required Evolutionary Shards to evolve a Beast to B Rank.}

Ethan froze.

"...What?"

For a moment, he thought he had misheard.

Then his eyes widened.

"Really?!"

He shot to his feet so fast it startled even Wolfy, who shifted slightly in response.

"That means..." he muttered, pacing slightly, his mind racing. "That means there’s another way I can get a B Rank beast right now."

The realisation hit him like a surge of adrenaline.

He had a real path forward.

But then, just as quickly, the drawbacks followed.

"If I do that..." he continued, thinking aloud, "I’ll lose another Race Crystal. That means one less beast with increased potential."

It was a trade.

Immediate power versus long-term potential.

He clenched his jaw.

"I might not even get another B Rank Race Crystal anytime soon," he admitted. "Could be weeks or even months until I get an objective that rewards me one."

He hated that uncertainty.

But then again...

He glanced at the system interface again, seeing that timer ticking away.w

’I don’t have time.’

Ethan had no choice but to try to evolve one of his beasts to B Rank, no matter the cost, but as if sensing his hesitation, the system added another line.

{Race Crystals of any rank can be purchased with the equivalent required Evolutionary Shards for that rank.}

Ethan blinked.

"You’re kidding."

Then a grin slowly spread across his face.

"That’s fucking perfect."

It changed everything.

Yes, it meant he would need double the shards if he wanted both evolution and a Race Crystal.

Yes, it meant more grinding.

But it also meant certainty and a guaranteed path.

No more waiting for random rewards.

No more hoping the system decided to be generous.

"And with auto-hunting, it doesn’t matter how many Evolutionary Shards I need; I can gather them."

That just made him even more confident, and there was no longer any reason to hesitate.

But now came the harder part.

’Which beast?’

He looked down at them.

Spark zipped around, flicking small flames at Wolfy, clearly enjoying itself. Wolfy huffed in annoyance, trying to ignore it, though its tail flicked in irritation. Meanwhile, Talon sat perched proudly atop Wolfy’s back, completely unbothered, as if it owned the position.

Ethan chuckled softly.

"Yeah, you lot are something else."

His gaze sharpened.

"If I evolve one of you to B Rank..."

The benefits were obvious: a massive stat increase, a new skill, a transformation influenced by the Race Crystal, and potentially another Beast Metamorphosis.

His mind immediately went to the logical choice.

"That place..." he muttered, his mind flicking back to the void-like environment of the gate in his memory. "Floating islands. Open space. No real ground advantage."

Flight and mobility mattered.

As such, Spark and Talon were the obvious candidates.

"Spark will probably become some kind of flaming nightmare," he said, watching the little creature buzz around. "With even more MP and another skill."

The small Cinder Wisp unleashed some flames like a firework, as if understanding what he was saying.

"And Talon..." Ethan’s gaze shifted.

The griffin-like creature tilted its head slightly, meeting his eyes.

"You could evolve into a full-blown griffin," Ethan continued. "Faster and maybe even big enough to carry me."

That thought alone was tempting, extremely so.

Both options made perfect sense and were optimal and logical.

And yet...

Ethan scratched the back of his head, letting out a small, almost amused sigh.

His eyes drifted back to the massive Ulfen that stood there, steady, reliable, always at his side. It was his first beast, and the one that had fought beside him through everything and grown with him from the very beginning.

"Wolfy..."

Despite all his thinking and calculations, Ethan didn’t always follow logic. And while his mind was telling him one thing, his heart was telling him something very different...

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