Chapter 371: Ashen Magmahide Part 2

With Inferno Core still active, Ethan launched himself into the air.

Flames erupted from his body as he flew around the Boss Beast, forcing the massive creature to constantly turn and track him. Whenever it attempted to attack, Ethan simply accelerated away, leaving the beast’s burning attacks to pass harmlessly through the space where he had been before circling around for another pass.

He tested Ember Pulse next.

The attack was far more potent than before.

The volatile sparks clung to the Boss Beast’s body, burning into its thick hide and spreading across its surface. Even though Ember Pulse was only a D Rank skill, the flames were noticeably more destructive with Inferno Core active. The Boss Beast tried to scrape them away, only to have the flames continue burning into its body.

Ethan followed it with Flare Drive.

The moment he activated it, he disappeared.

Boom!

The explosive propulsion launched him across the battlefield so quickly that even he struggled to control it. Ethan twisted through the air, changing direction almost instantly before firing another burst of flame.

Then another.

And another.

Flare Drive felt almost effortless now.

His increased mana reserves allowed him to use it repeatedly without giving much thought to the cost, while Inferno Core made every burst of flame more powerful. With every activation, Ethan felt faster and more mobile, his movements almost becoming an extension of the flames surrounding him.

’This is ridiculous.’

Ethan finally stopped in midair, hovering above the battlefield as he looked down at the battered Boss Beast.

’Inferno Core is definitely worth fifteen MP. It’s like I’m on fucking flame roids.’

The Boss Beast was barely standing.

Its volcanic hide was cracked and scorched, ash pouring from its back as it struggled to remain upright. The creature had been the strongest beast Ethan had encountered in the Tower so far, yet it had been completely overwhelmed by his newly acquired power.

’This is as good as over.’

But there was only one more thing Ethan wanted to try.

Beast Impact.

So far, the ability had always manifested as a flaming physical attack. However, the system had never actually stated that was the only way Ethan could use it. It didn’t specify how the power needed to be unleashed, but rather that it would unleash the partial power and traits of the beast he was currently assimilated with.

And even though this was only Minor Impact, Ethan definitely wasn’t going to underestimate it.

’A mini-ultimate attack.’

That was how he thought of it.

And this time he wanted to try something different.

Instead of forming a flaming fist, which hadn’t been fun when he had used it against the Golden Flutterer, he extended both hands toward the Boss Beast.

Mana surged through his body.

Flames gathered around his palms, rapidly growing denser as Inferno Core continued to amplify their heat and destructive power.

Ethan’s grin widened as he released it.

BOOOOM!

A massive blast of fire erupted from both hands.

It was inspired by Elara’s Crimson Flash, except instead of red energy, Ethan unleashed a roaring torrent of concentrated orange flames. One that was heightened by the lingering effects of Inferno Core.

The blast swallowed the Boss Beast whole.

For several seconds, the entire basin disappeared beneath the blaze.

The surrounding obsidian formations reflected the intense orange glow as the flames consumed everything within their path. The Boss Beast’s roar echoed through the wasteland before being drowned out by the deafening roar of the fire.

Eventually, the flames faded, and once they did, the Boss Beast collapsed.

Its enormous body slammed into the ground with a heavy crash, completely decimated.

{Congratulations on defeating the Boss Beast!}

Ethan hovered above it, flames still flickering around his body.

He stared down at the corpse.

It was a B+ Rank Boss Beast, and yet Ethan couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed. He had fought far more dangerous things outside the Tower, powerful Titled, and enemies in Gates that had pushed him to his limits.

Compared to those battles...

’That felt easy.’

Ethan slowly looked toward the endless Ashen Wasteland.

His newly evolved Ember Wraith had given him an absurd amount of power. More mana, greater firepower, incredible mobility, and resistance to the very thing that made this floor dangerous.

It was difficult not to feel confident.

But Ethan also knew better than to assume this level of dominance would last forever. There were still stronger floors, stronger beasts, and stronger enemies waiting outside the Tower.

For now, though, Ethan had only just discovered what his new power could do.

He looked down at himself and laughed.

Ethan was completely naked, his trusty rags completely incinerated the moment he activated Partial Assimilation.

"Can’t you upgrade the clothes?" he asked the system aloud.

{Beasts do not wear clothes.}

He laughed again at the direct response he received, and honestly didn’t care. In the Tower, there was nobody around except him, his beasts, and his prey. There was hardly any reason to worry about something as trivial as clothing.

Still, Ethan couldn’t help but consider the problem from a practical perspective.

’I should probably invest in some fancy fireproof clothing outside this place. I’m sure Greg could sort something out for me.’

He turned his attention back toward the remains of the Boss Beast.

As scorched and unusual as it was, Ethan was sure his beasts could make use of it. He summoned all of his beasts except Spark, who was still assimilated with him.

The moment they appeared, they immediately noticed the enormous corpse. Ethan had so much mana in this form that even after this battle, summoning them all barely felt like a cost at all.

"Go on."

That was all the encouragement they needed.

Wolfy immediately lunged forward.

Storm wasn’t far behind.

The massive Fenrir and the Lightning Dragonfly collided almost immediately as they fought over the best pieces of meat. Storm darted through the air, snatched a chunk, and flew away before Wolfy could bite down on it.

Wolfy’s red eyes narrowed.

The Fenrir launched itself at the crackling dragonfly.

Storm accelerated.

Wolfy did too, using Predator’s Frenzy to increase its speed.

The two beasts tore across the battlefield, turning what was supposed to be a meal into some kind of competition.

Eventually, they began trying to outdo each other.

Whenever Wolfy swallowed a large piece, Storm would find an even larger one. Whenever Storm finished his portion, Wolfy would tear into another chunk as though personally offended by the challenge.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a full-blown fight.

Their clashes had become more playful, the two beasts beginning to view each other as rivals rather than enemies.

Ethan watched them with an amused smile.

’I think they’re starting to get along in their own beastly way.’

Talon, however, didn’t seem interested in the food at all.

The Griffling remained high above them, circling lazily through the sky while watching the others eat.

It still hadn’t recovered from failing to evolve.

Ethan almost pitied it.

’From that small Skyrend Hawk to a powerful Griffling. I’m sure it won’t be long before you’re a giant Griffin.’

He looked up at his flying beast.

’You just have to be patient.’

Talon would have its moment; Ethan was certain of it.

{The host has now met the requirements to ascend to Floor Thirty-One.}

{Would you like to move to the next floor of the Tower Of Beasts?}

{Yes / No}

Ethan stared at the notification.

Floor Thirty-One would be his first B Tier Floor.

He had no idea what awaited him on the other side, but he was certain it would be on another level compared to everything he had encountered so far.

And that was exactly what he wanted.

He wanted something stronger, something that could actually push his newly acquired power and let loose against.

Ethan looked down at his flaming hands.

’Well, officially I’m not a B Rank until I manage to evolve Talon, but I’ll be able to handle it.’

With that thought, Ethan smiled to himself.

"Yes."