Chapter 164: Gift Or Curse?
Most Titled didn’t progress in rank simply because they couldn’t.
From the moment a person received their Title and underwent their initial assessment, a ceiling was more or less set. It wasn’t absolute, but it was close enough that most treated it as fact.
An E Rank almost always stayed an E Rank.
A C Rank might sharpen their skills, refine their abilities, even push the limits of their power, but they would rarely, if ever, cross into B Rank territory.
At most, they would progress within the same rank, going from C- to C+.
That was just how the world worked.
Though, just like with most things, there were exceptions.
A handful of cases existed where someone climbed a full rank above their initial evaluation. Those individuals were already considered anomalies, rare enough to be studied, monitored, and quietly remembered.
And then, there were the absurd cases of people who jumped two ranks, which were almost unheard of.
Ethan fell into that category.
From E Rank to C Rank, and it hadn’t taken years, but a matter of weeks.
Which was exactly why, ever since receiving his unique Title, Ethan remained cautious and hesitant to reveal the extent of his abilities.
’If people knew what I could grow into...’
His gaze lowered slightly as he walked the sterile hallway outside the testing room.
’Who knows what they might do.’
Humans were difficult creatures to understand, and as much as he was a useful weapon to deal with gates, most were wary of anomalies like him. Ethan had the potential to become one of those beings above the law and comprehension, so many would vie to control him.
When that wasn’t possible, it would become suppression instead.
’And I would do the same thing.’
Of course, they didn’t know his true potential yet, but it was only a matter of time before his progress was impossible to overlook. Though after his reassessment, he wasn’t captured suddenly or interrogated, and if anything, it didn’t seem as big of a deal.
Ethan exhaled quietly.
’Maybe I’ve been overthinking it.’
Jumping from E Rank to C Rank, it felt massive to him and hadn’t come easy.
But in the eyes of the Association?
In a world where A Rank gates were appearing more frequently?
Where Titled were treated like living weapons?
Maybe it wasn’t that shocking.
But Ethan didn’t latch onto that false sense of security.
’What happens when I hit B Rank? A Rank. Or even...’
His eyes darkened slightly.
’S Rank.’
He needed to always keep cards up his sleeve and also continue building this network of Titled.
’As strong as I become, you can never have too many people on your side. Of course, I’ll always watch my back and will become stronger than them all, but they’ll be useful.’
He could see it, being a powerful S Rank with seven, overpowered beasts at his command and dozens of skilled companions.
But he couldn’t help but have a bad feeling as he thought back to the only person who seemed to know what his Title was, excluding the demon within Elara. It unnerved him that they seemed to know more about his own source of power than he did.
And though he hadn’t seen him since his previous reassessment, he couldn’t get that man out of his head...
’I wonder what that creepy fucker is up to.’
-
Moments after Ethan’s reassessment, in a dimly lit office filled with screens and quiet hums of data, Detective Lucas Holt received a notification that intrigued him.
The Association’s Bloodhound leaned back slightly in his chair, eyes scanning the notification with quiet interest.
"C Rank already..." he murmured.
There was no surprise in his voice.
"Impressive."
His gaze lingered on Ethan’s results.
"He definitely has a Conditional Title, one of the few Titles that has reappeared hundreds of times around the world looking for a suitable host."
He paused.
"We might have our country’s second S Rank soon."
A faint smile formed on his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes, because beneath that intrigue was caution.
"I just wonder if he’s a gift or curse?"
-
Back in the facility, Ethan stepped out of the testing room, feeling lighter and more relaxed.
’That went smoother than expected.’
But the moment he stepped into the hallway, he stopped.
Leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed, was the one person he had been trying to avoid since spotting him.
Darius, the Explosive Spear.
"Of course," Ethan muttered under his breath.
Darius pushed himself off the wall and walked over without hesitation, his presence heavy but not hostile.
"Got a minute?" Darius asked.
Ethan shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets.
"Do I have a choice?"
Darius didn’t answer.
Instead, he gestured toward a quieter corner of the hallway.
Ethan followed, casually on the outside but remaining alert.
’If he saw everything... this could get annoying.’
They stopped.
Darius looked at him for a moment, measuring and thinking, before coming out with it directly.
"I saw what happened with Rina."
Ethan didn’t react, blink, or even shift, surprising himself with his composure.
"Did you?" he replied casually, as if they were discussing something trivial.
But inside, his thoughts sharpened instantly.
’So he saw that? I doubt the association will care, will they?’
At least that’s what he hoped.
’But Mace was an unregistered Titled, unlike Rina. That might make it more difficult.’
Despite that, he didn’t bother trying to deny it, seeing how sure Darius was about what he had seen.
But then the man did something he wasn’t expecting at all.
He bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you."
Ethan blinked.
"...Huh?"
"I always knew she was a ruthless bitch," Darius said bluntly. "But I underestimated just how far she’d go."
His jaw tightened.
A flicker of something darker passed through his eyes.
"If it weren’t for you... she would’ve killed me in there. And you carried me out. Me and my spear."
He looked Ethan directly in the eye.
"I owe you my life."
Ethan stared at him.
"Really?"
He couldn’t help but be genuinely baffled.
This was genuine gratitude, the opposite of the hostility and suspicion he was expecting.
"Even though it was your friend who nearly killed me in the first place," he added under his breath, lifting his shirt to show his chest that was still partly caved in.
Ethan winced slightly at the sight, to which Darius just chuckled.
"I guess that makes us even," he then said, putting his hand out.
The spear wielding Titled with calloused hands shook Ethan’s hand, and it was a pleasant moment of mutual respect.
"So... you’re a C Rank now, huh?"
Ethan nodded his head proudly, "I’ll be able to rival you soon."
It sounded like a joke, but looking at his piercing blue eyes, it didn’t feel like one to Darius.
"Sure."
There was a subtle competitive tension as they parted ways.
A potential problem for Ethan had turned into a skilled B Rank feeling indebted to him, so he couldn’t complain.
A small grin tugged at his lips.
’He really is a cool guy.’
From his leadership, spearmanship, refined control of his abilities, and his upstanding character, Ethan couldn’t fault the man.
-
Not long after, Ethan was escorted by another woman and handed his new Titled ID.
"Congratulations on your reassessment," one of the black suits said.
Ethan flipped it between his fingers.
It felt good and was definitely a step in the right direction.
Then came something else, a smartwatch-like device that appeared very high-tech.
"This is your Association-issued device," she explained. "All C Rank Titled and above are equipped with one."
Ethan raised an eyebrow as he slipped it onto his wrist.
It synced almost instantly.
"Emergency alerts. Location tracking. Mission requests. Direct communication with the Association. And several additional functions."
"So basically, you’re watching me," Ethan said bluntly.
The female black suit smiled politely.
"We prefer to call it support."
"Right."
Ethan smirked faintly.
Still, it was leagues better than the clunky phone he’d had before, and it wasn’t like he had much to hide. What he did in the Tower was in his dreams, so there was no way for them to track that.
’And now that I think about it, like she said, everyone’s got one of these.’
Even Titan had one.
Though, once again, there were exceptions.
Kaela, for one.
’Yeah... she definitely just outright refused.’
Elara also didn’t have one, but that was probably because she had been unstable and very weak for her rank. Now, of course, that had changed, and she had also been issued a similar device.
Then, before long, the entire squad was gathered again, and they were moved, but not to the gate just yet.
There was a sequence of preparation stages.
The first stop, a recovery room.
It was bright, sterile, and filled with specialists and support staff.
Some Titled were immediately attended to: healing abilities, restorative techniques, and even potions being handed out.
Ethan watched someone down a glowing liquid that smelled faintly metallic.
"Yeah, I’m good," he said, waving off an attendant.
He didn’t need it, at least not now, though those potions seemed to do wonders for Liora and Elara, who were still recovering from the drainage of last night.
Next up was the armoury.
Weapons lined the walls: blades, bows, and heavy melee equipment.
Everything was designed to function reliably within gates, unaffected by their interference.
Ethan glanced around.
He was tempted, but ultimately didn’t take anything.
Most also didn’t.
Darius had his spear, while others either had a weapon already or were the weapons themselves, just like Ethan was.
That left the final stop before the gate...
