Chapter 444 Griffin

Ethan opened Talon’s status.

{Name: Talon

Race: Griffin

Growth Stage: Prime

Beast Rank: A

Beast Potential: A

Strength: 39

Speed: 150

Stamina: 41

MP: 63/63

Skills: Gale Rend (D), Skyshatter Cry (C), Wild Whirlwind (B), Wind Barrier (A), Tempest Blade (A)}

He stared at the numbers and compared them to its previous stats.

‘Its Strength used to be 20, its Speed 87, its Stamina 33, and its MP was 30.’

Ethan couldn’t help but be amazed.

“Holy shit.”

He’d expected Talon’s stats to increase significantly after evolving, particularly its Speed. It had already been absurdly fast before its breakthrough, and now it possessed a Speed stat of one hundred and fifty.

That was ridiculous.

However, the most surprising change wasn’t its Speed.

It was its mana.

Talon’s MP had more than doubled. Considering how heavily it relied on wind-based abilities, that increase was probably just as significant as its physical improvements.

‘I guess all those fancy wind techniques aren’t cheap.’

Ethan grinned and examined the two new skills.

{Wind Barrier (A) – Creates a rotating barrier of compressed air that deflects most projectiles and redirects external forces. It can convert incoming pressure into movement, allowing the user to change direction or accelerate. Stronger attacks consume more mana and may overwhelm the barrier.}

{Tempest Blade (A) – Compresses wind into a devastating cutting wave capable of cleaving through powerful defences and splitting large-scale attacks. Its size, range, and cutting power scale with mana input, but stronger attacks rapidly deplete mana and increase physical strain.}

Ethan’s eyebrows rose.

He recognised both immediately.

Wind Barrier was the ability Talon had used to defend against some of the Leviathan’s attacks. Rather than simply blocking the water, the Griffin had manipulated the incoming force, redirecting it through compressed air and using it to change direction.

It explained how Talon had managed to evade some of the Leviathan’s attacks despite the sheer scale of the water dragon’s control.

Then there was Tempest Blade.

The attack that had severed the Leviathan’s head.

Ethan remembered the moment vividly.

The enormous cutting attack had torn through the ocean, overwhelming the Leviathan’s remaining defences and ending the battle. He’d known the attack was powerful, but seeing its description made him appreciate just how terrifying it could become.

‘An A Rank cutting technique that scales with mana…’

Talon had barely mastered these abilities, yet they’d already allowed it to defeat an opponent of equal rank.

What would happen once it learned to use them properly?

Ethan’s imagination immediately ran wild.

And that was without factoring in the fact that this was just the start, with Wild Whirlwind being proof of the infinite possibilities. If a skill created on a whim could become so effective, then the possibilities with two A Rank abilities were immense.

Wind Barrier could potentially be used for more than defence.

Depending on how Talon manipulated the compressed air, it might improve its acceleration, change direction instantly, or even turn an enemy’s attack against them.

And Tempest Blade?

Ethan could only imagine the results of experimenting with different amounts of mana, changing the shape of the cutting wave, or concentrating its power into a smaller area.

Of course, there were limitations.

Both skills consumed mana, and Tempest Blade seemed to have placed considerable strain on Talon’s body.

‘But that’s what we’re training for.’

As he reviewed the descriptions again, something else caught his attention. Both the skills had varying effects that depended on how much mana was invested and how it applied the ability, similar to Water Manipulation.

In fact, that seemed to be becoming a recurring theme.

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

‘Almost all my beasts’ and my own new skills have scaling effects.’

He couldn’t help wondering if the System had finally grown tired of his habit of turning everything into a variable skill.

‘Did it seriously change all my new skills just to patch that?’

He snorted.

The System wasn’t exactly known for accommodating his personal preferences.

Even so, the thought amused him.

He couldn’t wait to return to the Tower and start experimenting. Unfortunately, he’d have to wait for his Tower token to reset before he could enter again.

But for once, he didn’t mind.

He had other things to look forward to that morning.

Namely, spending some time with Elara.

After everything that had happened in the Tower, he was just grateful to be alive, and he suspected she was concerned about him. She’d been beside him when he’d returned, and although his body had been restored, there was no telling how much of his ordeal she’d noticed.

He closed the System Interface and headed to her.

Elara was awake now, sitting against the headboard with her hair slightly tousled.

Her eyes immediately settled on him.

“You seem happy.”

“Do I?”

“You’ve been grinning at nothing all morning.”

Ethan shrugged innocently.

Elara studied him for another moment before her expression turned thoughtful.

“You got a new beast, huh?”

He blinked.

“How did you figure that out?”

She laughed.

“You’re practically bouncing around like a child who just got a new toy.”

“That’s a perfectly reasonable reaction to acquiring what I just did.”

“I see.” Her smile turned mischievous. “And here I thought you were just happy to see me.”

Before he could answer, she reached forward and lifted the hem of his shirt.

Her gaze settled on the new tattoo coiled around his abdomen.

“Oh,” she murmured. “That explains it.”

Ethan smirked.

“You can’t just lift my shirt and stop there.”

Elara looked up at him, amusement sparkling in her eyes.

“Who said I was stopping?”

The conversation quickly went sideways from there…

Literally.

By the time they finally made it downstairs, Ethan had acquired a second shower for the morning and a thoroughly satisfied smile. He found Mark sitting at the dining table, eating eggs, while Kaela was sprawled across the sofa like someone had drugged her unconscious and thrown her there.

“Morning,” Ethan said.

Mark deliberately avoided eye contact, and it was clear that he had heard something from upstairs.

“…Morning.”

Ethan grinned and slung an arm around his shoulders.

“You made some for us, too, right?”

“I was considering eating it all myself.”

“That’s cold, man.”

“I’m cold? You’re the one who woke me up with all the noise.”

Ethan coughed.

“Anyway, how’s everyone doing?”

Mark gave him a flat look.

Ethan pretended not to notice.

They eventually managed to drag Kaela away from the sofa and convince her to join them for breakfast. She shuffled to the table, dropped into a chair, and pressed a hand against her forehead.

“Never drinking again.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

“Hangover?”

“My head is killing me.”

“That’s impressive,” Mark remarked. “Considering you can regenerate from practically anything.”

“Shut up.”

Kaela glared at him.

Despite her recovery abilities, she looked genuinely miserable.

Ethan grinned.

‘She’s probably just imagining it.’

That was very possible considering Elara had once blasted her into nothingness, and Kaela had still been able to reform herself.

She suddenly stood up.

“The Riot Valkyrie won’t be defeated by a mere hangover.”

And so she stumbled across the kitchen and brought out a giant bottle of vodka, the kind that was shared by dozens in a club all night. Before anyone could stop her, she flicked it open and began chugging away.

Its entire contents were gone in seconds.

“The best way to cure a hangover is to get drunk again,” she said after wiping her mouth.

Mark nearly choked on his eggs.

Meanwhile, Elara and Ethan just burst out into laughter, long used to her insanity.

‘Liver failure’s probably the only thing that can kill her.’

For a while, breakfast continued in that fashion, filled with teasing, complaints, and the sort of ordinary conversation Ethan cherished more than he cared to admit. Eventually, though, the elephant in the room became impossible to ignore…

Chapter 444 – feels like a weird milestone.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you are enjoying the story and continue to support.