Lord Of Beasts

{Objective 1: Kill the hostile Titled}

The words hung in the air, heavy and unmistakable.

Ethan stared at the notification, his mind taking a moment longer than it should have to process what he was reading.

"Now that’s a wild objective..."

A slow breath left his lips as his eyes narrowed slightly.

’It’s asking me to kill a... human?’

That was new.

Up until now, everything the system had pushed him toward involved survival, growth, or combat against beasts. That was natural, as the system for the Lord Of Beasts.

But this was unusual, to say the least.

Ethan’s expression hardened.

Whoever it was had just tried to kill him without hesitation, so he wouldn’t hesitate, either. And, as always, the objective he received seemed rooted in something he would have done regardless.

That’s when he heard a faint sound of footsteps.

It was from the opposite side of the cavern, a figure slowly revealing herself, as if peeling away from the shadows themselves. The air shimmered faintly around her before settling, her form becoming fully visible.

Ethan’s eyes locked onto her instantly, and recognition hit just as fast.

"Rina...?"

She was one of the 4 C Ranks within their clearing squad, whom he had bothered remembering the names of. Rina had green eyes, light brown hair, and was short.

In her hand was a bow, and from what he heard, her abilities had something to do with forming and enhancing the projectile speed of arrows using the surrounding air.

She seemed young, likely early twenties, late teens even, but that didn’t mean she was to be underestimated.

Earlier, she had come across as distant and haughty, the type who kept her distance, spoke only when necessary, and never wasted energy on anything she didn’t deem worth it.

But now she felt dangerous.

How could she not?

She was here, alive after everything that had happened in this damned gate.

’Not to mention she literally just tried to kill me!’

Ethan didn’t take kindly to having an arrow fired at him, but why did she undo her concealment? He was confused, but more than anything, on edge, so much so that he even flinched slightly when she broke the silence.

"You’re one lucky fucker, aren’t you?"

Her voice was casual, but her eyes were sharp, observing, and calculating.

’Was it just luck? Or did he actually dodge that arrow?’

Ethan could almost hear the questions bouncing around her mind, but he remained silent.

Instead, he prepared himself.

’Beast Assimilation: Talon.’

The shift was subtle, but immediate, his vision sharpening and his body feeling lighter. With arrows like hers coming his way, he needed every fraction of speed he could get.

But even then, it still likely wouldn’t be enough.

"And how did you just suddenly heal like that?" she continued, pacing slowly from side to side, her bow loosely held but never lowered.

Rina was relaxed, but not careless.

Far from it.

Even now, she maintained distance, staying across the cavern, never once stepping into a range where he could reach her easily. She was cautious, even of a supposed E Rank.

Ethan almost laughed.

’Guess she saw more than I thought.’

Watching his instant recovery had clearly changed how she viewed him. And it was the uncertainty around his abilities that made him most dangerous in her eyes.

"Not planning on talking?" she tilted her head slightly. "Fine. I will."

Ethan said nothing, but he listened carefully.

"This Gate’s been crazy, hasn’t it?" she began, her tone almost conversational. "There was no way any of us were surviving those tunnels with the groups we had."

She stopped walking, turning slightly.

"I just did the smart thing."

Rina paused, as if treating this like a confession.

"I turned invisible and sacrificed the weak in my group to survive."

Ethan’s eyes didn’t change, but something behind them did.

"That’s just another ability of my Title," she continued, almost proudly. "Something I’ve kept to myself. And it worked perfectly. Those ant beasts? They didn’t even notice me."

Her lips curled slightly.

"I walked right through everything... and made it here."

Ethan stayed silent, but his mind moved quickly.

’So that’s how she did it...’

From what he knew, her ability had something to do with manipulating air itself.

’She uses that to mimic invisibility.’

Not that it mattered to Ethan; her concealment ability wasn’t nearly as alarming as her arrows.

"That final fight..." she let out a small breath, almost amused. "That was something else."

Her gaze flicked briefly toward where the battlefield had been.

"To think that useless A Rank was hiding abilities like that. I think she even saw through my invisibility and made eye contact with me."

Ethan’s eyes flickered.

"But... she didn’t seem bothered by me."

That interested Ethan remotely, adding another piece to the puzzle of the enigmatic entity within the red-eyed A Rank.

"And Darius..." Rina shrugged lightly. "He did alright, better than I expected."

Then her smile widened.

"But now they’re both unconscious."

Her gaze locked onto Ethan.

"And everything here... is mine."

There it was, the truth laid bare without any pretences.

Ethan finally spoke.

"So what... you’re going to kill all three of us and take the rewards?"

Her smile didn’t fade.

"I only told you all this because in my mind..."

She raised her bow.

"You’re already dead!"

Rina formed an arrow in an instant while pulling her bowstring, then fired it at Ethan. It shot forward like a bullet, cutting through the air with terrifying speed.

Ethan dodged narrowly.

Or rather, he thought he did.

He felt it pass by him, and relief flickered on his face, but then there was pain. The shift was sharp and violent, as the arrow that had missed turned around, returning like a boomerang.

It slammed straight through his left shoulder.

"-!"

A wet, sickening sound echoed as it tore through flesh and bone, leaving behind a gaping hole as it burst out the other side. Ethan staggered, his breath hitching as white-hot pain exploded through his body.

’For fuck’s sake...’

’My shoulder just recovered!’

Ethan’s teeth clenched hard enough to creak, but he didn’t scream or look away. His eyes remained locked onto her, while his mind raced, starting to gauge her character.

After that cliche villain-like monologue before she went to kill him, it was clear that Rina was ruthless.

She had already tried to kill him once.

But she then revealed herself and even now only went for his arm and not a kill shot.

’She’s either a sadistic bitch, or maybe I can talk my way out of this.’

Ethan, hoping that the latter was the case, did something that surprised her and even himself...