Level 5. Going Back Home.

The cry of beasts resonated in the vicinity as a red-haired boy with a slightly paled face clashed against different Bronze Rank beasts. He was pushing himself to the limits. If an outsider were to see this, he would think the boy was overpowered but that wasn't the case. The use of the aura skills was Ethan's main aid in his hunts. Without it, he would be just a normal mage without a Spirit Beast. That was the harsh truth and Ethan was aware that if he didn't get the Aura Control skill, he was just a weakling. Even with that, he was suffering. The first beasts he fought earlier could be said to be weaker and less experienced including the Silver Rank Wolf Drake. The more he ventured into the forest, the weirder the place became. It was like, the beasts he met previously were the domesticated dogs and cannon fodder guards of this huge fortress. Even the Silver Ranked Wolf Drake was nothing much compared to what he was facing now. It was like, a rookie swordsman challenging an experienced swordsman.

Ethan was covered in blood from head to toe. His blood made the minority but his fatigue both physically and mentally were enough to send him unconscious. Yet still, he fought. He was now fighting with everything in his arsenal and had even exhausted his usage of the aura skill. He was currently using the last dose. He would have stopped to rest but there was still 30 minutes to go. He had managed to level up to level 5 and filled 20% of the quota for level 6. He gained some rewards, but he couldn't even use them considering the battles he was facing. 

At the moment, he was facing off against a four-armed monkey with unusual white fair and black horns. It was a Silver Rank beast, the second Silver Rank beast he had faced since he came for this picnic. It was scarier than the Silver Ranked Wolf Drake and used an affinity Ethan found hard to fight against. It was one the rare affinities, the Arsenal affinity which gave the mage the ability to use all weapons they come across, control over weapons no matter the type and a very strange ability to even give weapons consciousness. They could even take control over other weapons, but the beast possibly couldn't use it. It was still in the early stages where they could mostly use 2 to 3 weapons at most 5 to 6 if the person was talented enough. The beast could be said to be a prodigy as it wielded four weapons in each hand. It was 6 feet tall. Its rank could be determined by its eyes which changed color and sometimes shape when it ascended a rank higher. Its eyes were silver as it looked coldly at Ethan who had managed to not die under its barrage of attacks. Its lower arms wielded a long dagger and a short sword each while the upper hands wielded two bone clubs. There was also a black war hammer strapped on its back. It fought crudely just like a beast, but its attacks were strong and relentless like it had infinite energy.

Ethan had been fighting it for half an hour and hadn't even injured it once. Its fur was like an armor. As Ethan was thinking of a way to at most injure as he couldn't kill, the system notified him that it was time to almost time to go. He had only 5 minutes. Ethan wanted to give his new friend a gift it would never forget, and he was presented with the perfect opportunity. 

The Pandion Monk roared and put its weapons away. It then took the hammer of its back and charged at Ethan. The hammer was black all over with red markings on the handle. The head which was shaped like a gavel was black with red claw patterns on it and a shiny beast fang in the middle as a symbol. The weapon glowed with a faint golden light as the monkey prepared a to launch a strong skill, but Ethan wasn't going to let that happen. He wanted to make the stupid monkey remember even if he couldn't beat it. He used the last energy in boost to flash to the beast's back and hastily climbed it. As he could stack up aura skills, he used almost every skill he had. He had reached the beast's head. He then used Razor to poke one of its eyes. He could have killed but he was currently too fatigued, and the beast's eyeball even put up a bit of resistance when he attacked. But the pain was real. The beast cried out in pain and let go of its hammer. Ethan quickly used Clutch to catch the weapon and jumped high to catch it again as he had reached his limits. He didn't know why but he had a certain feeling towards the hammer. It was like, he just loved the hammer at first sight. The moment he touched the hammer, He felt a sudden rush of energy and excitement as he used the last of his strength to deliver a heavy hammering blow to the beast's head. It instantly fell, unconscious. It was a bit far from death. Ethan wanted to end it, but he was too fatigued. The timer was also up as his vehicle was already appearing. Ethan held the hammer firmly as he was sucked into the black portal. He gave no resistance; not like he could give any. Everything returned to calm in the forest for just a few seconds before the black portal appeared again throwing, more like spitting the beautiful hammer away towards the unconscious Pandion Monk. Everything returned to calm again.

...

Ethan didn't know whether to cry or laugh as his prized reward was taken forcedly from him and thrown away like the most the disgusting garbage away. 

With no time, he was back to his room as series of notifications rang out, but he ignored all of them. He then pushed himself to remove his tattered clothes, hide them and took a bath. The system had rewarded him with a healing pill earlier which he used. He then walked to his bed like the clean zombie he had become and instantly fell asleep. If he knew what was on the screen right now, he would have pushed himself further to stay awake but alas, the small boy was already asleep though not peacefully as he found himself back in the forest, but it was just a dream. The only consolation was the next morning was the start of the weekends and he could sleep as much as he wanted. The system also gave him some grace period as it didn't issue and daily quests. 

Zark was even slightly shocked by the boy's determination. He had pushed himself to the brim, mostly mentally, further reinforcing his mental power. This action had caused some slight changes to the plan for the system, but it was acceptable as it will help the host. 

Zark couldn't wait to see the boy's expression and even anticipated his next exploration in the Beast Plane.

...

In the Beast Plane...

"My lord. I sensed one of our own on the pest who invaded Tilem. Should I take action?" 

"Don't you dare if you don't want our whole clan to die. Just leave it be."

"But..."

"No buts! You are still too young and naive to know many things. That boy is someone we can't afford to offend even if the empress candidate is with him. If it were anyone, I would have personally intervened but the power behind that boy is something or someone we can never provoke. Not even till the end of the world."

"Hiss.... Is--is hhe that st--rong?"

"No not him but his protector. Just a word from him or her is enough for the whole of Tilem to become his or her slaves whether we like it or not."

"What?!"

"Yes. We won't even be able to resist. Now forget this. Grow stronger, Brad."