{Welcome back to the Tower Of Beasts!}
The world snapped into place around Ethan, who staggered slightly as his feet hit solid ground.
He looked down to find himself in the same rags and worn sandals as he had been during the trial on Floor Zero.
"Of course," he muttered. "No upgrade, no drip, nothing."
He lifted his head and immediately began scanning his surroundings.
Rocks.
There were rocks everywhere.
He stood in what looked like a vast, uneven plain made of cracked stone and jagged outcrops. The terrain rolled upward in rough inclines, forming small mountain-like ridges in the distance. Not tall enough to be true mountains, but high enough to break visibility.
The air was dry.
And it was hot - very hot.
Heat radiated from the stone beneath his feet like it had been baking all day. Sweat began forming at his temples almost instantly.
At least 30°C, maybe even more than 35°C.
'That's like… 95°F,' he calculated automatically.
'Maybe that would be nice for a short while on a beach day in Miami, but here...'
He was dreading having to fight beasts in this heat, as he looked up to something that shook him to his core.
Above him, there was no sun, no clouds, or even a sky as he understood it.
There was just a blinding yellow expanse stretching infinitely in every direction. It was unnaturally bright, like a star had been rolled out over this entire realm.
And it didn't feel like it would ever dim: no sunset, no night, no respite from the heat.
That unsettled him even more than having to face beasts in the night.
"This place is fucked up," he muttered.
A notification appeared.
{Floor One: Rocky Plains (E)}
He snorted softly.
"Yeah. No kidding."
The name fit perfectly - this truly was a brutal, sun-scorched, rocky wasteland.
He rolled his shoulders, tension building.
'I wonder what kind of beasts live in this oven.'
He wasn't exactly excited about getting mauled.
But the rewards?
Those he was looking forward to.
Before he could take a single step, more notifications began flooding in.
{Congratulations on completing the Objective: Return to the Tower Of Beasts}
{Reward: 5 Stat Points}
His eyes lit up.
"Oh?"
{New Objectives have been issued}
{Objective 1: Survive a total of 24 hours on Floor One}
{Objective 2: Kill 100 E Rank Beasts}
{Objective 3: Evolve one Beast to D Rank}
Ethan's grin widened into something borderline unhinged.
He could feel it.
The addictive pull of progress, of watching his stats increase, of being rewarded for his effort.
'So you're telling me every time I complete an objective, I get a reward?'
{Yes, that is correct.}
That was all he needed to hear.
A soft laugh escaped him.
"Say less."
He was planning on doing all of that anyway.
Now he was getting a bonus for it?
Perfect.
'I guess I didn't get a reward for the first objective in the trial since…'
His smile faded slightly.
He didn't want to think about Floor Zero or relive the feeling of being torn apart and eaten alive.
"Yeah. Let's not revisit that."
He looked down at his outfit again.
The rags weren't so bad in this heat, so he couldn't exactly complain about that.
But the sandals?
He wiggled his toes against the thin sole and frowned.
'Couldn't you at least give me some decent sneakers?' he asked internally.
Then another thought hit him.
'And since this is basically a game… am I getting an inventory? Equipment? Weapons? Please tell me I don't have to fistfight everything.'
The system responded calmly.
{Each time the host returns to the Tower Of Beasts, you will appear in base attire.}
{The host will not be provided with weapons or equipment - you and your Beasts are the weapons.}
Ethan stared at the notification.
"…That's cold."
But he couldn't argue.
'Once Wolfy grows up and even evolves…'
His lips curled slowly.
'If I can start commanding multiple higher rank beasts…'
Now that?
That was terrifying, but also exciting.
He had more questions, a lot more. Thankfully, the system seemed to be in an answering mood.
"So, how many floors are there? And how exactly does this all work?"
There was a pause, then...
{There are a total of 69 Floors.}
Ethan froze.
Then a grin broke out across his face.
'Haha. Nice.'
He squinted slightly at the message.
"That's a joke, right?"
But the lack of response made it clear the system was anything but joking as it continued.
{Each floor corresponds to a Tier aligned with Titled Ranks. Every floor contains Common Beasts, Elite Variants, and a Floor Boss.}
{This is an E Tier Floor. Common Beasts are young or weak E Rank beasts. Elite Variants are stronger E Rank beasts. The Boss Beast is a D Rank beast.}
Ethan nodded slowly.
'So it really is like a game.'
Common beasts were mobs.
Elite variants were stronger mobs or even mini-bosses.
And the boss?
That would require planning, preparation, and probably a ridiculous amount of luck.
The system resumed its explanation.
{This pattern repeats at higher tiers. Common Beasts will be of the lowest threshold of that rank or potentially of the rank below. Elite Beasts are strong representatives of that tier. Boss Beasts are usually of the rank above.}
"Usually?" Ethan frowned.
He didn't like that word.
Usually meant exceptions, exceptions meant surprises, and surprises meant death.
Still, he did the only thing he could do and filed it away.
{The host may remain on each floor indefinitely. Upon defeating the Boss Beast, typically located near the centre of the floor, the host may ascend.}
{There are 10 Floors per Tier. Upon clearing all 10 Floors, the host demonstrates qualification for the next Tier.}
Ethan began doing mental math.
"Wait."
He held up a finger.
"Ten floors per Tier. E, D, C, B, A, S…"
His eyes narrowed.
"That's 60."
He looked up at the yellow sky.
"What are the last nine for?"
There was a brief delay.
{The host will learn upon officially attaining S Rank and clearing all initial 60 Floors.}
He stared at the message.
"Of course," he sighed. "Mystery floors. Fantastic."
But something clicked.
'That means it's confirmed...' he smiled. 'I can become S Rank.'
It wasn't theoretical anymore or impossible; it was structured and achievable.
Then a final notification appeared.
{Reminder: Death within the Tower is absolute.}
{The host's soul will perish permanently.}
Ethan blinked.
"You just had to kill my vibe, huh?"
There was no response, and it seemed like the system was done talking.
He exhaled slowly and now had a much clearer understanding.
It was all structured progression, and he could literally play a game in this tower during his sleep and get stronger by clearing the floors. The risk was his life being lost at any moment, but the reward was incredible.
'I doubt the other S Ranks had to go through all this bullshit, but since their Titles are also Conditional, they probably had some form of trial.'
With that thought in mind, maybe it was better to just be A Rank, since most of them received a Title without cost. All they had to do was master them through some training, and their abilities were practically handed to them.
Still, if Ethan had the choice of the two: struggle for S Rank, or easy A Rank.
'S Rank every time.'
The gap between them seemed large enough that the effort would pay off in the long term - at least that's how he rationalised it, since he didn't actually have a choice.
As such, he was ready to begin, but before he made a move, there was one last thing.
The Stat Points he received.
'I'd be an idiot not to use them immediately.'
He pulled up his Status, and there were glowing plus signs hovering beside his stats.
When he saw MP listed as adjustable, he didn't hesitate.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
All five went into MP.
'I'm not trying to be a mage,' he reasoned, 'but my skills are everything. No MP means no summoning or assimilation, and without them, I'm pretty much fucked.'
His updated panel appeared.
{Current Status}
{Name: Ethan Crowe
Title: Lord of Beasts
Titled Rank: E
Strength: 9
Speed: 11
Stamina: 8.5
MP: 16/16
Beasts: 1/2
Skills: Beast Assimilation (D), Beast Summoning (S)}
"Not bad."
He rolled his neck once, scanning the rocky horizon.
Heat shimmered in the distance, jagged stone formations cast sharp shadows, and the land looked empty.
Almost too empty.
He took his first step forward, and it wasn't long before the Rocky Plains reminded him exactly where he was...