Chapter 453: Beast Inventory Part 2

Ethan turned his right hand over and examined it carefully.

This form he was in reflected his physical body, likely because he subconsciously wanted it that way.

‘Or maybe our souls and physical bodies are intertwined?’

Either way, there was a new engraving that had appeared on his skin.

It resembled a cage, formed from intricate lines that curved around one another in a pattern that reminded him of bars enclosing an invisible creature.

He flexed his fingers.

The engraving remained.

It didn’t hurt, nor did it feel like an ordinary tattoo. He could sense the mana flowing through it, connecting the mark to the strange space within his soul.

‘So this is the physical manifestation of Beast Inventory?’

He rubbed his thumb over the engraving.

‘Well, at least it looks cool.’

Looking at it, most would probably assume it was from his time in prison.

But he had enough strange markings on his body already that another one hardly seemed worth worrying about. And besides, if the skill was as useful as he suspected, he’d happily take a dozen more.

Then another notification appeared…

{Note: Inventory capacity is currently limited to one beast at Stage One. Stage Two allows two beasts to be stored, while Stage Three allows three beasts to be stored.}

Ethan’s smile faltered.

‘One?’

He read the message again.

‘Two at Stage Two. Three at Stage Three.’

He stared at the notification as he slowly lowered his hand.

‘…That’s it?’

For a moment, he felt genuinely offended.

He’d just obtained an S Rank skill that could potentially revolutionise the way he fought, only to discover that its inventory capacity was limited to three beasts even after reaching its highest currently described stage.

Three.

He had five beasts already.

If the inventory could only accommodate three, then he wouldn’t even be able to store his entire current team.

‘How is that supposed to be an inventory? That’s barely a cupboard!’

He almost laughed at the absurdity of it.

But the disappointment didn’t last long, since he wasn’t required to keep the same beasts stored inside it forever. Unlike the beasts connected to his Title, the beasts stored in Beast Inventory could be swapped out whenever he wanted or even consumed.

That changed everything.

Ethan leaned back, considering the implications.

He didn’t need to build a permanent collection of beasts inside the inventory. He could capture a beast, use it when necessary, and replace it with another one whenever the situation demanded.

It was less like owning a collection of permanent companions and more like carrying a selection of specialised tools. And unlike his current beasts, the inventory beasts didn’t need to occupy one of the slots connected to his Title.

‘This’ll make clearing the Tower so much easier.’

Every floor had its own ecosystem, its own monsters, and its own dangers. Some beasts were perfectly suited to certain environments, while others struggled against particular enemies.

He’d already experienced that firsthand many times.

But now he could adapt to the floor instead of forcing his existing beasts to handle every situation.

‘This would have made my life so much easier.’

He’d spent so much time finding ways to overcome the limitations of his available beasts that the thought of having additional options was almost intoxicating.

But then he remembered something important.

He was still operating under the assumption that he could store any beast he wanted.

The system seemed determined to correct him.

{Additional Note: Beasts captured within Beast Inventory must submit before they can be stored. Beasts of the same rank as the host usually need to be defeated before they submit.}

Ethan’s smile faded slightly.

‘Ah. There it is.’

Of course, there was a condition.

He couldn’t simply walk up to a powerful beast, open his inventory, and shove it inside.

The beast had to submit.

And if it was the same rank as him, he would usually need to defeat it first.

Ethan considered that for a moment.

He should be able to acquire a B Rank Beast without much challenge, but there was still no guarantee that a defeated beast would immediately submit.

Still, the restriction made sense.

If Beast Inventory allowed him to collect powerful beasts without any effort, it would be absurdly broken.

‘It’s useful enough.’

He glanced at the engraving on his palm.

Ethan would need to experiment with the skill before he could properly understand its limits.

‘Maybe I can tame the beasts without force…’

He pondered how that might work.

‘Would the beast even listen after I capture it in my inventory?’

For now, he would have to make do with what the system had revealed.

Then, a thought occurred to him.

‘Where does this skill sit in my skill tree?’

Ethan opened his Skill Tab.

The familiar web of interconnected abilities appeared before him, with his existing skills branching out from the main pathways.

He scanned the display until he found Beast Inventory.

As expected, the new skill wasn’t isolated.

It was connected to Beast Assimilation, Beast Summoning, and the third main skill at the centre of his skill tree.

‘All of them…’

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

‘And when am I going to unlock that third skill?’

He leaned closer to the display, as though doing so might reveal what was hidden behind the greyed-out padlock.

Nothing changed and the system remained silent.

Ethan sighed.

‘Of course.’

He’d just acquired an S Rank skill, so complaining about the next one being locked felt a little greedy.

Still, he couldn’t help being curious.

If Beast Inventory was this powerful, what could the third main skill possibly be?

He shook his head and dismissed the skill tree.

‘One thing at a time.’

Besides, he had a feeling that the three-stage limit wasn’t necessarily permanent. His abilities had a habit of developing beyond what their initial descriptions suggested, and his Title was anything but ordinary.

He’d already broken through expectations that should have constrained him.

Why should this skill be any different?

‘Three beasts for now,’ he thought. ‘We’ll see about that later.’

He glanced down at the cage-like engraving on his palm one last time.

A new skill.

A new way to use beasts.

And an entirely new aspect of his Title to explore.

The parasite had nearly destroyed him, but its removal had revealed something that could change how he approached every battle from here on out.

It was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to waste.

However, as the excitement settled, Ethan couldn’t shake the feeling that gaining this ability wasn’t without consequence…