I Am a Hero With A Hundred Abilities

After cleaning up, Ethan emerged from his room, now freshly showered and dressed in a plain shirt and sweatpants. The tension from earlier had melted from his shoulders, replaced by a rare calm as he joined Lisa at the dinner table.

The aroma of home-cooked food filled the air—roasted meat, seasoned vegetables, and warm bread. Simple, hearty. The kind of meal that anchored Ethan in reality.

"Smells amazing," Ethan said, sitting down.

"Of course it does," Lisa replied with a smirk. "I made it."

They ate together in comfortable silence at first, the kind only shared by people who didn't need to fill every second with words. Afterward, Ethan got up to help wash the dishes, sleeves rolled up as he worked beside his sister, their movements falling into an easy rhythm while discussing talking about how they spent their days. With Ethan telling Lisa about the Crownspire Ascension but not in full details to prevent her from getting a panic attack.

When they were done they told each other goodnight before returning to their rooms with a shared smile.

---

Moments Later

As the door clicked shut behind him, Ethan exhaled, the warm normalcy of family life finally giving way to the weight of everything he had yet to face.

"Now… I can check the upgrades the Sanctum got after I ranked up."

He sat on his bed, his hand hovering as he brought up the Aethermark Interface.

A shimmering screen projected in front of him, its deep blue glow casting eerie shadows across the room.

---

Aethermark Interface

Name: Ethan Cross

Rank: E (Forsaken)

Level: 4 (Elite)

Ability Limit: 1 (Unlocked: 100+)

Abilities:

[Force Might]

[Vital Bloom]

[Withering Verdict]

[Chrono Pulse]

[Manifest Armament]

[Abyss]

Innate Talent: Sanctum of Beasts

Meta Essence: 0 / 500

Tenbris Evolution Counter: [728 / 10,000]

---

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Looks like I need to hit a Den soon to farm Meta Essence and push Tenbris closer to evolution..."

He sighed.

"So much for getting a break."

With that, he navigated to the Innate Talent tab. A fresh glow pulsed across the screen.

---

Sanctum of Beasts – New Feature Unlocked

Feature: Challenge Stack – Upgraded

Description:

User can now activate up to 25 Entry Passes simultaneously when entering the Sanctum.

Increases the difficulty of Sanctum challenges based on number of passes used.

Grants +1 Ability per pass used upon successful clearance.

(Current Limit: 25 passes = 25 Abilities)

---

Ethan's eyes widened.

"Twenty-five… That's five times the previous limit."

His mind raced, calculating.

"At this rate… I could hit a hundred abilities in just one or two more Sanctum clears."

A grin tugged at his lips, excitement buzzing just beneath his skin. But after a moment, he steadied himself with a breath, eyes scanning the cooldown timer.

Still ticking down.

"So it's decided… Tomorrow, I'll head to a Den. I need Meta Essence and Tenbris needs to evolve."

He leaned back onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I shouldn't ask Sophia to help me with finding a den… Not with her father's condition. She might've found out by now."

His voice was low, thoughtful.

"Guess I'll just take a mission from the Hero Association. Like normal."

The room darkened as he flicked off the lights.

Outside, a faint breeze rustled the trees. Inside, the room fell into stillness.

And with that, Ethan closed his eyes, drifting off into sleep—his next steps already forming in his mind.

****

The sun had barely risen when Ethan finished breakfast with Lisa, a quiet yet fulfilling start to his day. He stood by the front door, a fresh resolve in his eyes, as he adjusted his jacket. Lisa, already busy with her own routine, glanced up at him.

"You're off already?" Lisa asked, wiping her hands on a towel after cleaning the dishes.

"Yeah, gotta take care of some things at the Hero Association." He paused, his expression softening. "I'll be back before dinner."

She nodded, not pressing further as she understood the demands of his work, even if she didn't fully grasp the weight of his responsibilities.

With that, Ethan stepped out into the cool morning air and made his way to his hover car. The vehicle hummed to life with a low purr as he slid into the driver's seat. Before contacting Agent 777 to help him find a den, he noted that since he was Level 4 now, he could only get Meta essence from an Abyss ranked den.

He listened for a moment, nodding as the agent gave him some brief instructions about the process. Agent 777 was shocked at first by how fast Ethan had leveled up, but he got over it quickly, probably due to the side effect of his ability and his strong mental capacity from years of experience.

Agent 777 then made it clear that with his new rank, Ethan would need to register it with the association to be allowed into certain restricted areas, including an Abyss ranked den.

Ethan sighed, rubbing his temples at the extra workload before saying, "Maximum Effort" as he drove the hover car and left the Lancaster estate.

The hover car glided effortlessly through the city streets, the speedometer pushing higher as he made his way to the towering building of the Hero Association. His thoughts wandered to the last few months—ranking up three times in such a short span. To most, it would have been impossible. But not to him. Ethan had proven time and again that the rules didn't apply when he was determined.

Arriving at the Hero Association building, Ethan parked his hover car and took a deep breath. The building loomed above him, its sleek, futuristic design a testament to the world's ever-growing reliance on heroes.

He stepped inside, his boots clicking softly against the polished floor as he made his way to the counter.

And there she was.

The guide. The same one who had given him his first mission. Ethan noticed her instantly, her head snapping up from her desk, eyes widening at the sight of him.

"Well, if it isn't Ethan Cross…" She said, her voice carrying a mixture of surprise and professionalism. She quickly recovered, straightening up. "It's been a while, sir."

"I've been busy lately," Ethan replied with a half-smile, leaning on the counter.

The guide, still looking a little stunned, quickly composed herself, tapping away at her holographic desk interface.

"How can I assist you today, sir?"

"I need to register my new level," Ethan said casually, but there was an edge to his tone.

Her fingers paused mid-air, and she glanced up at him in disbelief.

"Register… your new level?"

Ethan nodded.

"Yes I want to register as a new Level 4"

The guide blinked. She had heard of heroes that level up fast, but this was beyond anything she had expected.

Most heroes took years to level up even once, and some never made it past Level 2. For someone to level up in just 3 months of their awakening was unheard off.

'I guess he received a trigger after the Duality pit incident that's the only reasonable explaination for his fast level'

"Okay, Level 4…" She muttered to herself as she typed in the necessary data, still lost in thought. But then, her fingers froze, as the information finally clicked.

"Wait… Did you just say… Level 4?"

Ethan's lips curled into a slight grin as he saw her reaction.

"Yes, you heard me. Level 4."

The moment the words left his mouth, the guide's professionalism vanished and before Ethan could stop her, she stood up from her chair, her eyes wide and her face flushed. She completely forgot her training and proper etiquette, her voice breaking through the silence as she screamed.

"WHAT?!"