Lord Of Beasts

Ethan stood in the middle of the Acidic Swampland, the faint bubbling of corrosive pools and the stench of decay lingering in the air. Even after hours spent here, it still felt disgusting. The ground shifted underfoot in places, slick with sludge and rot, while distant creatures stirred beneath the surface.

But his focus was elsewhere.

His eyes moved between the three beasts in front of him.

Spark or Talon seemed like the logical choices for the beast to try to evolve. But even as he thought that, his gaze kept drifting back to Wolfy.

The Ulfen sat there quietly, its golden eyes fixed on him.

’I still feel like Wolfy’s the right choice.’

Ethan frowned slightly.

He couldn’t explain why other than a gut-feeling.

Maybe it was because Wolfy had been with him from the start. Maybe it was because it was the most well-rounded. Maybe it was simply because he was the most reliable.

He let out a small laugh under his breath.

"Or maybe it’s because you’re literally closest to my heart, huh?"

Wolfy tilted its head slightly, as if it understood something but not quite everything.

Ethan scratched the back of his neck.

"It’s not even a bad choice," he muttered. "You’ll get stronger, bigger... probably scarier too."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"And I can ride you."

That sealed it.

He straightened up, clapping his hands once.

"Alright. Fuck it."

The decision was made.

No more overthinking or hesitation.

He was going with Wolfy.

Ethan had two B Rank Race Crystals.

That alone made this decision even more significant.

And no matter what beast he decided to try to evolve, it wasn’t guaranteed that the Race Crystal would work. Even if he had the Evolutionary Shards needed, it all once again depended on his luck.

"So let’s not celebrate too early."

He started by exchanging one of the B Rank Race Crystals directly.

The system responded instantly.

{The host has now exchanged a B Rank Race Crystal for 10000 Evolutionary Shards}

{Evolutionary Shards: 13442}

Ethan’s lips curled into a grin as he looked at the number.

"That’s more like it."

To think it was that easy, and he didn’t have to worry about being stuck with Evolutionary Shards he couldn’t use if the Race Crystal wasn’t successful either.

’I can just exchange them back and forth.’

That thought alone relaxed him until the system spoke again.

{That was your first exchange and thus was free. But from now on, with each exchange, there is a 10 percent fee.}

Ethan blinked.

Then his expression twisted.

"You just made that up now, asshole!"

A ten percent loss was one thousand shards.

That definitely wasn’t insignificant and was equivalent to killing ten C Rank Beasts or a single B Rank Beast.

Neither of them was easy to do.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, but it wasn’t like he could do anything to change it.

"Whatever. It doesn’t matter."

His gaze hardened as he looked at Wolfy again.

"I’ll just make sure this works."

Though, despite appearing confident, he knew it was a gamble.

He took a deep breath and looked up toward the dark, murky sky above the swamp.

’Come on... I need this.’

He clasped his hands together briefly, muttering under his breath.

"I know I’ve been a bit of a bastard this life, alright? But I’ll donate money or something. I’ll even quit smoking."

He paused.

"No, I won’t quit. But still. Help me out here."

Ethan wasn’t sure who he was calling out to and if God could even hear him while in the Tower Of Beasts, but if they could, he needed all the luck he could get.

But after praying, he couldn’t help but laugh.

’My life really is fucking crazy when you think about it.’

Even in such a make-or-break moment, Ethan was still relaxed.

{Race Crystal Usage Notice: Outcomes are not guaranteed. The target beast’s race and or potential may change, remain the same, or both. In certain cases, a successful activation may also trigger a Beast Metamorphosis.}

Ethan exhaled slowly.

"You told me that last time."

But this time it was under entirely different circumstances.

"I’m basically gambling my life here."

And yet he didn’t hesitate and used the Race Crystal on Wolfy.

As soon as he did, everything changed.

The space in front of him distorted, and the usual system interface expanded outward, but this time it felt different. It was more vivid, as if the world itself was responding.

Light gathered, and energy condensed around Wolfy.

The Ulfen immediately stiffened, its body locking in place as if bound by invisible chains. Its golden eyes widened slightly, turning toward Ethan, confused and curious.

"Sorry, buddy," Ethan said quietly. "Just wait."

There was a brief moment of stillness.

Then, everything erupted.

Light exploded outward in a blinding flash, swallowing Wolfy entirely.

The energy was violent and unstable.

It surged and twisted around the Ulfen’s body, spiralling like a storm made of pure power.

The ground trembled, and the air vibrated.

Even Ethan instinctively stepped back, shielding his eyes as the intensity spiked.

"What the..."

This was far more dramatic than he expected.

The energy continued to build, layers upon layers compressing inward before expanding again in pulses.

Wolfy let out a low, distorted growl from within the light.

It was deeper and heavier than usual.

Meanwhile, Ethan’s heart was pounding.

’Please... let this work.’

Seconds stretched into what felt like hours until...

{Race Crystal Successful}

{Potential Increased to B+ Rank}

Ethan froze.

"YES!"

"I knew you were the right choice, boy!"

He practically jumped into the air, fists clenching tightly.

’It worked. It actually fucking worked.’

As much as Ethan was annoyed that the system hadn’t told him about being able to exchange Race Crystals and Evolutionary Shards to begin with, he was just glad it had worked out.

’I know you love me deep down, system,’ he thought to himself.

Relief flooded through him, washing away the tension that had been building in his chest after that rollercoaster of emotions. But that relief quickly turned into curiosity once Wolfy’s transformation continued.

And what eventually emerged from the light afterwards was not the same Ulfen he had raised, not even close.

"What the fuck did you turn into?"