<Transformation Active: Crystal Ape (Mid-Silver)>

Power erupted around Ethan in a silver tempest, the air crackling with energy as his transformation took hold.

His body expanded explosively, muscles swelling to inhuman proportions while crystalline structures erupted across his skin, hardening into an impenetrable armour that the Ape once had.

The transformation completed in milliseconds, timed perfectly to counter the Panther’s attack.

The beast was already mid-leap, its body a blur of deadly intent, when Ethan’s transformation finished.

The Panther’s claws, sharp enough to slice through steel, raked across Ethan’s crystal-plated chest with a sound like diamond on glass.

Sparks flew from the impact, and Ethan staggered back two steps—the beast’s strength was considerable, even against his transformed state.

Pain lanced through him where the claws had left shallow gouges in his armor.

“Damn it, it’s still painful,” Ethan growled through a crystalline jaw.

The Panther recovered instantly, its silver eyes narrowing as it registered the unexpected threat. It circled warily, muscles bunching beneath its sleek hide, analyzing this new opponent.

‘How? The Ape is at the northern wall…’ The creature’s thoughts betrayed its confusion.

It lunged again, this time activating its Speed talent. The world seemed to slow for the beast as it darted forward, becoming a silver streak aiming for Ethan’s throat.

Ethan pivoted, slower than the Panther but anticipating its movement. His massive fist swung in an arc, missing the creature’s head but connecting with its torso. The impact sent the Panther crashing into a nearby tree, splintering the trunk.

The beast recovered mid-air, twisting with impossible grace to land on its feet. It snarled, revealing fangs like silver daggers, then launched itself at Ethan’s legs, seeking to topple the transformed human.

Ethan braced himself, but the Panther feinted at the last second, leaping over his guard to land on his back. Claws dug deep furrows between his crystalline plates, finding the softer tissues beneath

. Ethan roared in genuine pain, reaching back to dislodge his attacker.

The Panther clung tenaciously, its jaws seeking purchase on Ethan’s neck where the crystal armour was thinnest. It found a vulnerable spot and bit down hard.

“FUCK!” Ethan bellowed, the pain galvanising him.

He slammed his back against a boulder, crushing the Panther between unyielding stone and his armored body. The impact loosened the beast’s grip enough for Ethan to seize its foreleg and wrench it violently away.

Bone snapped audibly as Ethan’s crystal-enhanced strength bent the limb at an unnatural angle. The Panther shrieked, a sound that mingled rage and agony in equal measure.

Blood—both his and the beast’s—slicked Ethan’s fingers as he maintained his grip on the injured Panther.

The creature thrashed wildly, its unbroken claws scoring deep grooves in Ethan’s arms and chest. Each strike sent shock waves of pain through him, but Ethan refused to release his hold.

The Panther’s Speed talent activated again, its movements becoming a frenetic blur as it sought escape. Its remaining claws found Ethan’s face, creating a jagged crack across his cheek that nearly reached his eye.

Ethan staggered, momentarily blinded by his own blood. The Panther seized the opportunity, breaking free and creating distance between them. It circled again, favouring its broken limb but still lethal, measuring its opponent with newfound wariness.

Ethan’s chest heaved as he drew painful breaths.

The Panther seemed to sense his fatigue. It gathered itself for another attack, muscles coiling like springs beneath its silver-flecked hide.

Ethan didn’t wait for it to strike.

He rushed forward, using his superior mass to overwhelm the beast’s defences. The Panther darted aside, but Ethan had anticipated this, pivoting faster than his bulk suggested possible.

His massive fist closed around the Panther’s throat in mid-leap, halting its momentum with brutality. The creature’s remaining claws slashed desperately at his arm, digging furrows in the crystal plating, drawing more of Ethan’s blood.

Its hind legs kicked frantically, seeking to disembowel him with razor-sharp claws. One connected, opening a gash across Ethan’s abdomen that would have killed a normal human instantly.

But Ethan was no longer merely human.

Ignoring the pain, he tightened his grip incrementally, feeling bone and cartilage begin to give beneath the inexorable pressure. The Panther’s struggles intensified, then gradually weakened as its oxygen supply dwindled.

Its silver eyes, fixed hatefully on Ethan’s face, slowly dimmed. The beast had fought for hours before encountering him, and its injuries from their battle had sapped its remaining strength.

With a final convulsive movement, Ethan closed his hand completely. The sound of crushing vertebrae was lost beneath the Panther’s final, choking growl. Blood gushed between Ethan’s fingers as the monster’s struggles ceased abruptly.

Death came quickly—more mercy than the beast would have shown him.

Ethan lowered the carcass carefully, aware of the value it still contained. The Panther’s core pulsed beneath the flesh, a silvery light visible through the matted fur.

He deactivated his transformation, his body shrinking back to human proportions. Crystal plates receded into his skin, leaving him momentarily disoriented as perspective shifted.

<Transformation Deactivated>

Pain flooded him as his human form registered the injuries sustained during battle. Blood seeped from multiple lacerations, and his ribs ached where the Panther had kicked him. But he was alive, victorious, where many would have fallen.

His trembling hand found the beast’s core, still warm with residual energy. Two silver cores in one day—a fortune beyond calculation for most awakeners.

For Ethan, merely the next step in an accelerating progression.

<Mid-Silver Rank Core> <Devour>

“Devour,” he whispered through blood-flecked lips.

Energy surged through him, healing the worst of his wounds as his body assimilated the core’s power.

<Ding! Your Agility has advanced to Low-Silver Rank>

After devouring the core, Ethan examined the corpse of the panther, appreciating the deadly grace of the creature that had nearly ended him.

<Ferocious Beast: Panther>

<Speed Talent: D Grade> <Devour>

<Rank: Mid-Silver>

Without hesitation, he devoured the panther’s body, absorbing its remaining essence.

<You have devoured the Panther>

<You have gained the E+ Talent: Speed>

<You have gained +8 Agility>

<You have gained the transformation: Panther(Mid-Silver)>

Ethan checked his status, noting the changes with grim satisfaction.

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