Chapter 349: Sad Reality

As Ethan continued chatting away with Darren, Mark had slowly begun warming up to the large, tattooed man. Darren had an awkward, almost innocent charm about him that made it surprisingly difficult not to like him despite his exterior.

And across from them, Elara and Kaela were laughing together.

Ethan picked up pieces of their conversation, partly because of his sharp hearing and partly because the two women weren’t exactly quiet. Naturally, Kaela was doing most of the talking and laughing, somehow with a bottle in hand.

’They’re getting really close to each other.’

Ethan smiled to himself.

He was genuinely happy to see Elara getting along with Kaela. Kaela was one of the few people Ethan considered a friend, and seeing the two women connect meant Elara was finally opening up to someone outside of him and Mark.

That was something Ethan hadn’t even realised he had been hoping for.

Meanwhile, it wasn’t long before Mark and Darren had taken over the conversation themselves. And, unfortunately for Ethan, they had discovered that they shared an interest.

Talking about him.

"I remember he tried to take on ten buff Mexican dudes at once just for the sake of it," Darren said, laughing. "After that, I didn’t see him for like a month. Those infirmary nurses really did wonders for him."

Mark chuckled.

"That’s nothing. Back in the day, he used to roam around at night just to pick fights with anyone else who was stupid enough to be out that late."

"Hey, hey," Ethan interrupted, pointing at them. "You guys are making me sound like some violent lunatic."

Mark and Darren exchanged a glance.

"Are you not?"

Ethan opened his mouth to refute, before closing it with a sheepish smile.

Even he couldn’t deny that one.

But eventually, even he laughed at himself along with them.

As they casually chatted away after all that craziness, the rough-looking black suit had approached his more refined peers.

The contrast between them was comedic.

His worn appearance and rough demeanour made him look more like a recovering alcoholic than an Association operative, though the real recovering alcoholic was the head of the Enforcement Unit.

The others looked like they had stepped straight out of a corporate boardroom. Despite that, his position within the region made him technically senior to most of them.

He found one of the squad leads and began asking what had happened.

The answer he received was vague.

There were plenty of details missing, but he didn’t particularly care.

Not after hearing what came next.

"Thank you for accommodating the Enforcers and their companions so well. They even personally mentioned that you did a good job. As such..."

"Am I finally getting assigned somewhere better?!"

He couldn’t hold it in, and the hope in his voice was almost painful.

Unfortunately, the squad lead continued.

"Ahem. Not exactly. Your assignment will remain here in Arkansas, but you will be allocated a larger budget and a number of subordinates to assist with operations. Your promotion to squad lead will also be made official."

The rough-looking operative stared at him.

Technically, it was everything he had once wanted, and yet, somehow, he still wasn’t pleased.

He forced himself to smile and nodded.

’I mean, it’s a free promotion, so I’ll take it.’

His expression flattened.

’But I’m sure it’s only because they need me to do even more work now.’

He sighed internally.

’Sounds like a headache.’

For a brief moment, his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

’Maybe I should just quit and open that bakery I always dreamed about.’

He imagined it for a second.

The peaceful life of doing what he enjoyed, where the biggest danger was the heat of an oven. No Gates or Titled, just him, some customers, and the smell of freshly baked goods.

Then reality returned.

’In these crazy times, who gives a shit about my bread?’

It was a sad reality.

The supernatural had overshadowed almost everything.

Even sports had lost much of their popularity. The right E Rank Titled could already dominate most professional athletes through sheer physical ability, never mind what someone at a higher rank could accomplish.

There were still events such as the Titled Olympics, but most self-respecting Titled had little interest in participating.

To them, it was little more than an Association publicity stunt.

But that was enough of that tangent.

The various operatives soon returned to their work, leaving Ethan, Mark, Elara, and Kaela to prepare for the journey back to New York. Their random visit to Arkansas had gone spectacularly wrong, which, in its own strange way, meant it had also gone spectacularly right.

But thankfully the journey back to New York was considerably quieter.

They were driven back to that barren airfield where an aircraft was waiting for them.

But on the way over, Ethan finally remembered the reward he had received for completing his objective inside the Gate. He had been so distracted by everything that had happened afterwards that he hadn’t even had the chance to properly check it.

Now, with nothing immediately demanding his attention, Ethan finally closed his eyes.

’Come on, System. What was it?’

Almost as though it had been waiting for the exact moment he was ready, the familiar notifications appeared.

{Congratulations on completing the Objective: Clear the Gate alone.}

{Reward Granted: Complete Link (B)}

Ethan’s eyes widened.

’Complete Link!’

The sub-skill of Beast Link was exactly what its name suggested.

Unlike Partial Link, which allowed him to temporarily share senses and physical capabilities with one of his summoned beasts, Complete Link allowed Ethan to take full control of a selected beast’s body.

And the fact that it was a B Rank Skill made it immensely valuable.

Ethan immediately wanted to test it.

How could he not?

There was only one problem.

He couldn’t exactly experiment with every beast he owned while sitting inside a moving vehicle full of people. There were two he could probably get away with summoning without drawing too much attention.

Even then, one of them was pushing it.

Ethan summoned Spark above the vehicle, the flaming tattoo on his forearm flaring to life. The small beast hovered above the vehicle, whizzing around excitedly, almost as if knowing what its master was about to do.

’Complete Link: Spark.’

Elara and Kaela had immediately sensed the sudden presence above them, but neither reacted with alarm. The presence was familiar, and they could both see Ethan concentrating as though he were testing something.

Whatever he was doing, it clearly wasn’t hostile.

But that’s when Ethan’s body suddenly went limp, his consciousness disappearing without warning.

He collapsed sideways.

Elara barely caught him before he could fall to the floor.

His head landed directly on her lap, resting between her thighs.

Elara’s entire face turned bright red.

"E-Ethan..."

She looked down at him.

There was no response, and there was no faking the state he was in.

Her embarrassment slowly gave way to concern.

After confirming that he was actually breathing normally, Elara relaxed. Then, almost instinctively, she reached down and gently ran her fingers through his hair.

Kaela stared at the scene.

"Does he always just knock out like that?"

Elara looked at her and chuckled.

"You know what?"

She glanced back down at Ethan.

"He actually does."

She shook her head with a small laugh.

But unlike his usual visits to the Tower Of Beasts, he was about to experience something new for the first time...