Chapter 150: The Sovereign Beast Sanctum

That evening, everyone gathered around the dining table. Aisha had prepared enough food to feed a dozen people, personally cooking the dishes Ethan liked along with the ones he had requested for Rune. Rune’s plate was filled with his favourite dishes, one after another, until even the cub’s stomach seemed unable to take any more.

Amelia talked through the entire meal, telling Ethan everything that had happened back home while he was in Northwatch, and about the new adventure she was planning once she grew up, to which Ethan could only smile. He had missed his sister’s chatter more than he had realised. After so long, it felt as though the whole family was together again. Ethan’s thoughts drifted to Adrian, and he wished his father could have been here with them, though he knew Adrian must have wanted to be present just as much.

Once dinner was over, Marcus excused himself. A great deal of work had piled up while Ethan was unconscious, since he hadn’t been able to focus on anything properly, and as the Commander of Northwatch, he couldn’t leave it waiting any longer. Elena and Amelia returned to their rooms soon after with Aisha, though not before Elena made Ethan promise to rest properly and walked him to his room herself.

The room had grown completely quiet by the time he sat down on the bed. Rune had already curled up beside him, looking up at Ethan. Ethan gently patted his head, and Rune gave a small yip before drifting into a deep sleep. Leaning back against the headboard, Ethan let out a slow breath. Only now, with no one else around, did he finally have the time to sort through his thoughts.

Even though Marcus had yet to tell him anything, Ethan calmly went over the events, trying to piece together who the perpetrator behind the Beast Tide could be. His suspicion first fell on the Eclipse Conclave, the only one among the four great evils that meddled with forbidden magic and ancient beasts. But the purple mist that had corrupted Mythralis, and the Demonic Dragon in those memories... everything pointed towards demons instead. And among the four great evils, only one group dealt with demons.

The Abyssal Pact.

The moment the thought surfaced, his fingers clenched tightly. From his previous life, he knew their Vice-Leader was a cautious and calculating man, and he had been certain he wouldn’t act for now. Yet he couldn’t confirm whether the Vice-Leader had given the order himself, or whether someone else had done it of their own free will. Still, with no more information than this, there was nothing he could do yet.

His attention shifted to the Unknown Energy, which had played a massive role during the Beast Tide. Without it, he would have lost Mythralis, and the consequences that would have followed didn’t bear thinking about. He had known the energy was unusual ever since it began absorbing mana and aura, not to mention the destructive power it carried, but as he thought back now... he doubted he truly understood anything about it at all.

Ever since he had acquired it, it had behaved like a greedy child, rewarding him with that familiar warmth over and over again whenever he fed it. Now, it had become yet another mystery he had to uncover... along with the silver-haired man, whose words still echoed in Ethan’s mind.

Grow stronger...

From the memories, Ethan was certain of one thing: the man had been teaching him. Had he wanted to, he could have ended the battle the moment it began. Instead, he had deliberately drawn the fight out, showing Ethan the minute details, the intricate principles behind each movement, and how efficiently he used his physical strength... until he finally cleaved the Demonic Dragon apart with the Mountain Cleaving Strike.

Ethan still had no idea how the man knew the Northern Heaven War Art. His thoughts then turned to the Mercenary King’s legacy, which Severus had said would be inherited by the Ravencrest bloodline.

Both the silver-haired man and the Mercenary King were somehow connected to Ravencrest. Why were there so many mysteries surrounding his family? Since his regression, he had changed a lot of things himself, but many others had diverged from what he knew without him doing anything at all.

For now, none of these were questions he could answer, but he promised himself he would uncover everything one day. His goal remained the same as it had always been: to protect his family, his friends, and the people who depended on House Ravencrest. For that, he would go to any length...

Okay, let’s see what I gained this time.

Just as he was about to call the System, the familiar golden glow appeared before his eyes, as if it had been waiting for this very moment.

Ding!

Emergency Mission: Save the Ice Dragon Mythralis

Status: Completed

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Objectives

? Save the Ice Dragon Mythralis

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Reward

War Merit +500,000

Choose one of the following:

[Evolving Raven Armour] Grade: Epic (Growth Type), Potential: Divine

[Divine Grade Cultivation Art: Starfall Sword Art]

[Sovereign Beast Sanctum]

Note: Host, these rewards cannot be obtained from the System Store.

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"..."

Ethan smiled bitterly. Whenever he wanted to ask it something, it remained silent most of the time, yet now it had appeared before he had even called it. Putting his complaints aside, he focused on the screen.

Back then, Ethan hadn’t paid any attention to the mission’s reward, as they had been in a dire situation, and he had known the System would reveal it later. But now, looking at the choices before him, he couldn’t help but be amazed.

The Divine Grade art caught his attention first. Anyone in the Empire would have fought to the death for an art of that grade. There were only a handful of Divine Grade arts in the entire Empire, barely enough to count on one hand... and Ethan couldn’t deny that he wanted to know what it held. But he already had the Northern Heaven War Art, a Legendary Grade art, while the Mercenary King War Art surpassed even that. He still didn’t know its actual grade, as its forms, breathing techniques, and along with the rest of the legacy, had never been completely unlocked, in his previous life.

Even so, he was certain that the parts he had learned alone rivalled the Northern Heaven War Art. On top of that, there were the insights he had gained from the silver-haired man’s memories, and adding another art right now wouldn’t help him in any way. For now, he wanted to focus on comprehending those insights, which would take a while on their own.

The armour made him hesitate a little longer. A growth-type armour that could evolve alongside him was something most knights could only dream of, and with Divine potential, it would have remained useful in every battle to come. But in the end, it wasn’t what he needed most right now.

His gaze drifted to Rune, who was sleeping soundly beside him.

Rune had fought alongside him this whole time, yet apart from the Forest Troll’s core and blood essence, the cub had gained very little since they first met. Ethan had already been thinking of buying something for him, and he had even considered asking Iris, or another high-ranking mage, to build a realm for Rune later on.

Noble families with contracted beasts usually did the same. The Dukes, the Marquises and the wealthiest houses of the Empire spent enormous sums on high-ranking mages to create isolated realms where their beasts could grow faster, though even then, the quality depended entirely on the mage who built it.

He had never expected the System to offer one to him, and anything the System offered was always of the highest quality. And since none of these rewards could be found in the store, he didn’t know when, or even if, he would ever get another chance.

Ethan didn’t think twice.

Ding!

[Reward Selected: Sovereign Beast Sanctum]

An isolated realm bound to the Host’s bonded beast. Its mana density far exceeds that of the outside world, greatly accelerating the beast’s growth. The Host’s consciousness may enter the realm. The realm can be upgraded by spending War Merit and resources.

Requirements:

Bond Trust: 100/100 (Fulfilled)

Mage Core: Unawakened

Status: Locked

Ethan read the requirements and let out a quiet breath. A Mage Core... Even knights could form beast contracts and have realms built for their beasts, so he didn’t understand why the System specifically required a Mage Core. But he let it be. He was already tired, and he knew it wouldn’t answer even if he asked... and even if it did, it would probably tell him the same thing the silver-haired man had: to grow stronger.

Then another notification appeared, one that brightened his mood.

Ding!

[Special Mission: Monster Extermination (Continuous)]

Wild Beasts Eliminated: 500 × 40 = 20,000 War Merit

Elite Beasts Eliminated: 2,000 × 100 = 200,000 War Merit

Dire Beasts Eliminated: 3,500 × 450 = 1,575,000 War Merit

Apex Beasts Eliminated: 600 × 5,000 = 3,000,000 War Merit

[Beast Lord Eliminated — Forest Troll (Initial Beast Lord)]

32 Slain × 15,000 = 480,000 War Merit

[Beast Lord Eliminated — Orc General (Intermediate Beast Lord)]

20 Slain × 16,000 = 320,000 War Merit

[Beast Lord Eliminated — Shadeblink Falcon (Intermediate Beast Lord)]

30 Slain × 16,000 = 480,000 War Merit

[Beast Lord Eliminated — Glacier Troll (Advanced Beast Lord)]

22 Slain × 20,000 = 440,000 War Merit

[Beast Lord Eliminated — Orc General (Advanced Beast Lord)]

15 Slain × 20,000 = 300,000 War Merit

[Beast Lord Eliminated — Ice Claw Bear (Peak Beast Lord)]

3 Slain × 25,000 = 75,000 War Merit

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Total War Merit Gained: 6,800,000

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Ethan stared at the number for a long moment without moving.

He had known the War Merit would be considerable... but he hadn’t imagined it would be this much. Yet as his thoughts went back to the sheer scale of the Tide, and how recklessly he had fought without a care for himself, it seemed it had all been worth it.

Had it been an ordinary Tide, he doubted he would have earned even a third of this. But he had always known that the greater the risk, the greater the reward.