Chapter 372: Aquatic Expanse

{Floor Thirty-One: Aquatic Expanse (B)}

Ethan’s vision shifted.

The scorched black landscape of the Ashen Wasteland vanished, replaced by something completely different.

Water.

An enormous expanse of deep blue water stretched in every direction, forming what looked like an endless ocean beneath a vast, pale sky.

Small islands of rock and vegetation broke up the surface here and there, while larger chunks of land floated strangely above the water, suspended several metres in the air. Some were little more than rocky platforms, while others were large enough to support entire clusters of strange trees and plants.

Waterfalls poured from some of the floating islands, their streams falling impossibly far before eventually disappearing into the ocean below.

The entire floor was calm.

Almost peaceful.

’Of course it’s something water-based right after I evolve Spark.’

It didn’t feel like a coincidence, and it rarely ever was with the system.

Still, Ethan couldn’t deny that it felt rather nice.

After spending so long in the heat and ash of the previous floor, the cool breeze rolling across the water was refreshing. The constant movement of the waves created an almost relaxing atmosphere, and for a moment, Ethan could understand why someone might mistake this place for a paradise.

’It’s like a gentler version of Floor Twenty-One, my first C Tier Floor. That Acidic Swampland felt like hell.’

But Ethan didn’t let the scenery fool him.

He knew better by now.

B Tier Floors were completely different from everything below them, the same way D Tier and C Tier Floors had been big jumps.

C Tier Floors were massive, but Ethan could already tell that this place was on another scale entirely. The horizon seemed impossibly distant, and the enormous body of water stretched far beyond what he could see.

Countless islands, floating landmasses, underwater caverns, and other environments lay beyond his current position.

And somewhere within it all were dangerous, powerful beasts.

Plenty of them.

Ethan remained partially assimilated with Spark and suspended in the air using Flame Flight as he began moving across the floor.

It wasn’t long before he came across his first one.

Something sliced through the water below him, and his enhanced senses immediately picked up on it.

He looked down.

A long, silver shape suddenly erupted from the ocean.

The creature resembled a massive swordfish, but its body had been twisted into something far more monstrous. Its sleek silver scales were covered in dark blue markings, while its elongated snout had developed into an enormous blade-like horn.

Four powerful fins protruded from its body, allowing it to move through the water with terrifying speed.

But the strangest part was its legs.

Two muscular limbs extended from its lower body, ending in webbed claws that allowed the beast to move across land almost as easily as it could swim. The creature landed on one of the nearby rocky islands before immediately charging toward Ethan.

’It’s a man-fish!’

He eagerly studied its stats, curious to see what level it was on.

{Common Beast Status}

{Race: Tidepiercer

Growth Stage: Prime

Beast Rank: B

Strength: 35

Speed: 74

Stamina: 53

MP: 41/41}

Ethan’s eyes widened.

’That’s a fucking Common Beast?!’

He couldn’t help but stare.

This thing was almost as powerful as the Boss Beast he had just defeated, and it was supposedly common.

The Tidepiercer lowered its blade-like snout and charged.

Ethan immediately burst forward.

The two collided.

A wave of heat erupted from Ethan’s body as the Tidepiercer thrust its horn toward his chest. Ethan twisted aside, barely avoiding the attack as the creature’s blade tore through the flames surrounding him.

He countered with a burst of fire.

The Tidepiercer didn’t retreat.

Instead, its fins suddenly snapped outward.

Tidal Edge!

A compressed blade of water formed around its horn.

Then the beast swung.

The water blade tore through Ethan’s flames and slammed into him, sending him skidding across the rocky ground.

Ethan’s eyes widened.

’Okay. That’s new.’

The Tidepiercer followed immediately.

It moved with frightening speed, its body practically becoming a blur as it crossed the island and glided across the surface of the water on its front.

Ethan activated Flare Drive and shot sideways.

The creature changed direction just as quickly and was faster than Ethan had expected from something so large and abnormally shaped.

Ethan unleashed Ember Pulse, sending dozens of burning sparks toward it.

The Tidepiercer dove into the surrounding water, the flames striking the surface instead.

Then the beast vanished.

Ethan’s enhanced mana senses searched for it.

But there was nothing.

’That’s not normal water...’

Something was blocking his ability to perceive deeper than the surface, and he could barely see into it either, which was even more unnerving.

’Shit!’

The ocean suddenly erupted beneath him, and the Tidepiercer launched itself upward like a missile, its blade surrounded by compressed water.

Ethan threw both hands forward.

A burst of flame collided with the attack.

The explosion rocked the beast, but the Tidepiercer landed gracefully.

Neither had taken decisive damage.

The beast’s abilities were almost the perfect counter to his current fighting style.

Its water-based attacks could tear through his flames, while its incredible speed made it difficult for Ethan to maintain distance or land an attack with his flames. Worse, it could freely move between land and water, allowing it to attack from practically anywhere.

Ethan could have simply switched to another beast.

But because he was stubborn and also wasn’t sure he had a better option, he wanted to beat it with Spark’s power alone.

’I’m not switching.’

Ethan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, the impact of their earlier clash and the prior floor starting to catch up to him.

’I’m gonna burn this smug, ugly fucking thing.’

The Tidepiercer charged again.

Ethan met it head-on.

Their battle became a back-and-forth exchange.

Ethan used Flare Drive to dodge the beast’s thrusts, responding with blasts of concentrated flame. The Tidepiercer repeatedly vanished beneath the water before launching surprise attacks from different angles.

He countered with Blazing Arc.

The enormous crescent of fire swept towards it, forcing the Tidepiercer to leap away.

Fsssh!

It sizzled into steam as it struck the ocean, and Ethan immediately followed with another burst of flame.

The creature answered with another of its water-based skills.

Fire and water collided in another explosion of steam, one so dense Ethan would have barely been able to see if it wasn’t for his unique sight while assimilated with Spark.

The Tidepiercer came from his left.

Ethan turned, but he was slightly too slow.

The creature’s horn grazed his side, sending him tumbling across the rocky ground.

’Fast bastard.’

Ethan burst higher into the air, but the creature was already charging again.

His flames roared.

’Inferno Core!’

The fire around him intensified, but it didn’t faze the Tidepiercer in the slightest.

It struck in a water torpedo-like attack.

Ethan had no time to evade, barely managing to catch the blade-like horn with both hands before it impaled him.

’Fuck! That hurts.’

It had pierced his flesh through his shroud of flames, and it was still driving its blade in further.

’Flare Drive.’

Ethan burst away, his wound being sealed shut by the sheer heat emanating from his own body. Then he prepared to counterattack while the beast was mid-air, completely ignoring the pain he was in.

But before he could, the Tidepiercer used its torpedo-like movement while encased in water to dive back into the ocean.

"What a slimy fucker!"

The beast was almost taunting him and escaping into the endless expanse each time it felt threatened.

But Ethan wasn’t going to miss his next opportunity.

The two creatures of opposing nature struggled against one another.

Water hissed against flame.

’I’m starting to run low on mana, and at this rate, I’m fucked.’

In hindsight, he should have taken some time for himself to recover, but there was no time for regrets.

’I just have to make this next attack count.’

Ethan had just the skill in mind.

Their exchange continued, and the next time it burst out of the water to pierce him with its blade, he faced it head-on.

’Flare Drive.’

Ethan burst forward, closing the distance before the Tidepiercer could recover.

Instead of preparing another ranged attack, he clenched his right fist.

’Beast Impact.’

Rather than forcing the technique into a blast, Ethan reverted to the way he had used it before, concentrating Spark’s power directly into his fist.

Orange flames erupted around his arm.

The Tidepiercer lunged.

Ethan flew into the attack and punched.

BOOOOOOM!

His flaming fist smashed directly into the swordfish-like creature’s head, intentionally sending it crashing onto a small island. It struck with enough force to shatter the ground beneath it.

The Tidepiercer twitched once before going still.

{Beast Eliminated!}

Ethan flew over to its corpse, breathing heavily.

He stared down at the defeated beast before letting out a tired laugh.

"That’s one fucking powerful Common Beast."

If this was what the Common Beasts were like, he could only imagine the Elite Beasts.

Not to mention the Boss Beast.

His smile widened.

’This is the perfect place to find my fifth beast once I can finally evolve that damned Griffling.’

And the stronger the beasts, the more Evolutionary Shards he could obtain.

That alone made this floor worth exploring.

Ethan then summoned Wolfy and Storm, leaving Talon alone.

"Who wants some fish?"

Compared to everything else he had eaten in the Tower, this looked oddly appetising. After shredding into the Tidepiercer alongside his beasts, Ethan instructed them to stand guard while he used Beast Recovery.

Once his wounds and mana had recovered enough, he was ready to go.

Even with his increased MP, his reserves weren’t infinite like Elara’s seemed to be, and he had learnt that the hard way. Ethan rose and looked toward the seemingly endless ocean, then he headed deeper into the enormous and dangerous Aquatic Expanse.

As he travelled farther into the landscape, however, he couldn’t help but wonder what the others were up to...