Lord Of Beasts

Phase Three was the hardest and so naturally took the longest to depict for Harold and Holt in detail. Each of them looked shaken as they recalled what they had experienced in their nightmares, some opting not to speak.

But Harold had heard enough and slowly leaned back.

"So..."

He glanced between everyone.

"The Gate almost seemed to be testing you."

Most of them nodded.

Every phase had escalated naturally, going from individual survival to team coordination against varying creatures with a range of abilities to mental resilience at the end.

Detective Holt finally spoke.

"Interesting..."

His calm voice drew everyone’s attention.

"This Gate Takeover was even more intricate than the last."

He looked down briefly before adding,

"Almost as though something wanted to see how far each of you could go."

His eyes locked back onto Ethan, who had barely spoken through the entire discussion, which was strange for the man usually full of sarcastic remarks. Elara and Dave had also remained silent, but that was the norm for them.

"Anything you’d like to add?"

Ethan shrugged.

"They already covered everything."

He genuinely meant it.

All the details about the gate had been covered, many of which centred around him.

From using flames in combat and flying to eating beast meat and even seemingly acquiring the Odonata Boss Beast, nothing was missed. His most notable feat was breaking out of the mental illusion with Elara’s help and landing the killing blow against the Golden Flutterer.

Everyone around the table had described it all, and he definitely didn’t feel like filling in any gaps.

Holt held Ethan’s gaze for several seconds before giving a slow nod.

"I see."

Ethan’s expression revealed absolutely nothing, which only increased the detective’s curiosity and suspicion.

Harold cleared his throat, feeling the tension.

"That will suffice, and will all be put into an official report by Joane and Stacy."

He nodded towards the two figures standing silently in the corners of the room with tablets in hand before turning back to the others.

"I have some good news, some more good news, and some bad news.

A few people exchanged tired looks.

"Just spit it out!"

Kaela was one of the few people in the world brazen enough to speak that way to him, in response to which Harold smiled faintly.

"What would you like me to begin with?"

Ethan answered before anyone else could, joining Kaela as one of those few people.

"We aren’t kids in school, so you can stop with the bullshit theatrics."

Harold didn’t seem offended by the blunt response.

"If that’s your preference, then I’ll begin with the good news. The Association has decided to revise emergency compensation."

That immediately caught everyone’s attention.

Harold continued.

"Effective immediately, every C Rank Titled and above who volunteers for emergency deployment will receive a permanent retainer, scaling with rank. This is regardless of whether you receive an assignment that week or not."

"The Association will ensure your financial stability."

"In simple terms..."

He looked around the room.

"Money should no longer be a concern for any Titled willing to answer emergency calls and willing to work for the Association."

That certainly sounded appealing.

Though Ethan wasn’t exactly a fan of Harold’s wording, neither was Kaela.

"I don’t work for anyone," she muttered beneath her breath while taking another sip from the bottle she’d somehow smuggled aboard.

Harold didn’t acknowledge it directly, but he smoothly added, "As valued contractors."

Ethan almost laughed.

’Nice save.’

There was a subtle distinction between being an employee and a contractor, but one sounded considerably more appealing. And before they could dwell on it further, Harold carried on without missing a beat.

"For your performance in today’s operation, substantial bonuses will also be awarded that can be received at any of our bases as usual. In addition, you may all submit any special requests through the Black Suits."

"Be it equipment, training, or resources, if they’re reasonable, the Association will do its best to fulfil them."

One immediately came to Ethan’s mind, one that alone made surviving the Gate worthwhile, but before he could say it, Harold’s attention shifted directly to him.

"As for you, Ethan."

Every head turned towards the man who sighed.

’Here we go.’

"The good news."

Harold folded his hands once more.

"Based on your performance, abilities demonstrated, combat effectiveness, and current threat assessment..."

"The Association is officially promoting you to B Rank."

"Seriously?" Ethan blinked.

Harold nodded.

"You have allegedly demonstrated combat ability comparable to an experienced B Rank Titled, and also supposedly possess a B Rank summon. You also eliminated an A Rank Beast first-hand and played a major role in clearing this gate."

"The promotion has already been approved."

Ethan scratched his cheek.

’Technically, I’m not even a B Rank yet, at least according to the system.’

That required all four of his beasts to have been evolved to B Rank, which included Storm, which was still an E Rank Infant.

’But I will be very soon.’

He smiled to himself and didn’t mind being considered a B Rank already; if anything, it meant more money and benefits. Though, of course, things weren’t all good, as Harold’s expression hardened slightly.

"Unfortunately, the bad news also only relates to you."

Harold looked Ethan directly in the eyes.

"Until further notice, you are prohibited from entering any further Gates."

Everyone was taken aback by the bad news, but logically, it made sense. And the man himself didn’t react at all, simply leaning further back in his chair.

"Is that it?" he questioned, as if he didn’t care at all.

"You aren’t angry?"

Kaela expected more of a reaction and thought the blue-eyed lunatic enjoyed the chaos just as much as she did.

Ethan shrugged casually.

’I’ve got more than enough money, and if I want to get stronger and face beasts...’

He smiled to himself.

’...I can just sleep and go into the Tower.’

And hypothetically, if he did receive an objective or wanted to enter a Gate, he would just do so.

’Who’s going to stop me?’

Ethan clearly didn’t always follow the rules.

’If I really wanted to, I could just enter a Gate alone, and even if it was taken over by the system, it’ll only give me something that I can handle somehow.’

Despite that thought, he had no intention of doing so for the time being.

’I’ve still got a lot of floors to grind through.’

Meanwhile, Detective Holt never looked away from Ethan, just like he hadn’t throughout the entire exchange. He had remained silent and hadn’t written anything in his performative notebook either.

His amber eyes were constantly studying Ethan, as if trying to read his mind.

They locked eyes in another intense, silent staring contest, and that’s when the detective stood up and signalled for Ethan to follow him. The discussion was finally over, and the blue-eyed man did exactly that...

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