Chapter 390: Locked In Part 1

Ethan had been locked in.

Since arriving on Floor Thirty-One, he had barely given himself time to breathe. The Aquatic Expanse had immediately proven to be one of the most troublesome environments he had encountered in the Tower, despite its serene appearance. The appearance of the Tidepiercer had only confirmed his suspicions.

B Rank Floors were different.

The beasts were stronger, the environments were more dangerous, and even moving across them was a challenge in itself. The endless ocean stretched farther than Ethan could see, broken only by scattered islands, floating platforms, and occasional chunks of land suspended in the sky.

There were simply too few places to stand.

And it didn’t help that he couldn’t see or sense through the ominously calm water that was filled with beasts.

Still, Ethan had continued hunting.

Aside from the Tidepiercer, he had encountered three more types of Common Beasts and one Elite Beast. Every single one had forced him to adapt his approach, especially while he remained partially assimilated with Spark.

It was the only beast with whom he could fly, and the increased mana was invaluable.

The first beast he encountered had been called a Razorfin Skimmer.

It resembled a massive manta ray, though its body was narrower and far more aggressive. Its dark-blue hide was covered in overlapping plates that shimmered like wet metal, and two long fins extended from its sides like sharpened blades. The creature moved through the water with astonishing speed, cutting through the ocean without creating much of a wake.

Its most dangerous feature, however, was the pair of razor-edged fins attached to its head.

The Razorfin Skimmer could launch itself out of the water and glide through the air for several seconds, using its fins to slice through anything in its path. It had attempted to use that ability against Ethan more than once, each attack coming from a different angle.

Fortunately, Wolfy had proven to be far more capable in the water than Ethan had expected.

The giant Ulfen moved through the ocean with surprising grace. His powerful limbs drove him forward with enough force to keep up with the Razorfin Skimmer for short periods, and his predatory eyes remained locked onto the beast even beneath the surface.

Wolfy couldn’t match the creature’s speed indefinitely, but he didn’t need to.

He only needed to keep it occupied.

While Wolfy chased the beast through the water, Ethan remained above the surface with orange flames swirling around his body. Spark’s new skills and destructive potential were incredible, but the moment he tried to attack the Razorfin Skimmer directly, the creature would dive beneath the waves.

That was when Storm became useful.

The Lightning Dragonfly hovered above the water, its thin wings beating so quickly that they became little more than a blur. Blue-white electricity crackled around its body as it followed the Razorfin Skimmer’s movements.

Ethan raised a hand.

"Storm. Now!"

The dragonfly released a bolt of lightning.

The attack struck the water with a violent flash, but the ocean dispersed much of its potency. The electricity spread outward through the surrounding water instead of concentrating entirely on the beast.

It was weaker than it would have been if it had hit directly.

But it was nearly impossible to miss.

The Razorfin Skimmer spasmed beneath the surface as the current passed through its body. Wolfy’s thick black fur made it resistant to Storm’s attacks, and it immediately took advantage of the opening, lunging forward and clamping its jaws around one of the creature’s fins.

It thrashed violently, sending waves crashing in every direction.

Ethan descended through the steam rising from the water and drove a flaming fist into its exposed underside.

The Razorfin Skimmer attempted to retreat, but Storm struck it again.

The creature’s movements slowed.

Wolfy dragged it toward the surface, and Ethan finished it with a concentrated burst of flame, burning it to a crisp. Then, before it could sink beneath the endless blue, Wolfy bit down on it and swam over to a small plot of land where they all tore into it.

"One down."

The next beast had been called a Shellback Mauler.

It was a hulking amphibious creature with the body of a crocodile and the thick, rounded shell of a monstrous turtle. Its shell was covered in barnacle-like growths and jagged ridges, while its wide mouth contained several rows of blunt, crushing teeth.

The Shellback Mauler wasn’t particularly fast, but it possessed incredible strength and durability.

Its speciality was simple.

It could withdraw its limbs and head into its shell, then spin through the water like a living battering ram.

Ethan had learned that the hard way.

The creature had smashed through one of the smaller islands, destroyed a section of rock, and nearly caught him in the resulting debris. Even Spark’s flames had struggled to damage the shell. The heat spread across its surface, but the creature simply retreated inside and waited for the attack to end.

Ethan had been forced to use Wolfy differently.

Rather than having him attack the shell directly, he ordered Wolfy to draw the creature away from the island and keep it moving. Wolfy was surprisingly effective at this, swimming around the Shellback Mauler and biting at its exposed limbs whenever it attempted to change direction.

The beast naturally became increasingly frustrated.

That was when Storm entered the fight.

Lightning struck the water around the Shellback Mauler, forcing the creature to retreat into its shell. The current spread across its body, and although the water weakened the attack, Storm could continue striking it from above without needing to aim precisely.

Every bolt forced the beast to remain defensive.

Ethan waited.

The moment the Shellback Mauler emerged to attack Wolfy, Ethan used Flare Drive to launch himself across the water. He appeared above the creature and brought a flaming fist down onto its exposed head.

Beast Impact!

It cracked the shell around its neck.

Wolfy followed immediately, biting into one of its limbs and wrenching it sideways. Storm released another bolt, and Ethan finished the creature with a concentrated blast of fire through the damaged section of its shell.

The battle left him exhausted.

It had also left him with several minor injuries and a growing appreciation for how difficult it was to fight something that belonged in the water. Still, working together with his Fenrir and Lightning Dragonfly allowed him to overcome it.

And it was the same for the third Common Beast...