I Am a Hero With A Hundred Abilities-Chapter 20: Ch 19. A Thousand Deaths

As soon as Ethan swallowed the Hollow Goremite's core, the battlefield fell silent.

The towering remains of the Goremite—massive blackened bones that once exuded an overwhelming presence—collapsed all at once. They crashed to the ground in a chaotic heap, no longer bound by the core's power.

But Ethan was not faring any better.

A searing agony erupted within him, his entire existence rejecting the core.

The Hollow Goremite had been forged from the remains of all the dead creatures within the Runeborn Expanse.

Its core was not simply an energy source—it was a condensation of countless deaths.

A paradox.

A being whose life was derived from death itself.

And now, that very essence was flooding Ethan's mind, drowning him in an ocean of suffering.

Then, it began.

A thousand deaths.

He was suddenly Impaled. He felt the sensation of a blade tearing through his chest, his breath stolen as blood poured from his mouth.

His head was then crushed. His skull caved in like a melon, the sheer pressure obliterating his senses in an instant.

He was also burned alive. The fire consumed him, his flesh peeling away as the flames devoured him whole.

Then he was skinned alive. Every inch of his body was stripped, layer by layer, until only raw nerves remained.

When he came back to live he was immediately buried alive. Darkness pressed in from all sides, the suffocating weight stealing every last breath.

Each death was more excruciating than the last.

It was not physical—his body remained intact. But his mind was being assaulted relentlessly.

Any normal person would have been reduced to nothing more than a hollow shell.

A mere spectator in their own lifeless body, forever broken by the sheer torment.

But Ethan was different.

To him, this was nothing but a test.

A game.

A lesson in understanding death.

The pain was real, yes. The suffering, undeniable.

But it was not enough to break him.

Not now. Not ever.

One death.

Ten.

A hundred.

A thousand.

And then, it ended.

The trance shattered.

The suffocating aura of death vanished, the lingering whispers of the countless souls within the core fading into nothingness.

The first thing Ethan felt was warmth.

A weight pressing against him. A familiar presence.

Gray.

The wolf's rough tongue was lapping at his face, trying desperately to wake him.

Ethan's eyes fluttered open.

A look of relief crossed Gray's face, his ears perking up before he resumed licking Ethan even more fervently, his tail wagging wildly.

A small, tired chuckle escaped Ethan's lips as he weakly reached up, ruffling Gray's fur.

"It's alright, boy..." he muttered, voice hoarse. "I've been through worse. I won't let a little food poisoning take me out."

But if anyone else had experienced what he just went through, they wouldn't have called it 'food poisoning.'

Then, a notification appeared before his eyes.

[You have obtained 500,000 points.]

[You have obtained 0.001 Ability Fragments.]

As Ethan was still recovering from the ordeal of consuming the Hollow Goremite's core, another system notification flashed before his eyes.

[You have killed a thousand beasts.]

[You have obtained 1 Ability Point.]

The fragments he had gathered from his previous kills had all combined to form an Ability point—a tangible resource that allowed him to acquire a new ability.

The conventional method of obtaining abilities was through Meta Essence accumulation—a slow and unreliable process where one would sit in place, absorb energy, and hope that it formed an ability cortex.

But this?

This was different.

Fragments could be gathered through battle, so he no longer needed to waste time in meditation, hoping for a breakthrough.

Then, another notification appeared.

[You can now exit the Sanctum of Beasts once you select an ability.]

[Good luck.]

The system fell silent.

Before him, a list of abilities materialized, resembling the shopping function of the Altar of Rebirth.

Ethan's gaze sharpened.

He knew exactly what to look for.

As he recalled his knowledge of abilities—how they were categorized into three distinct classifications.

1. Area of Effect Classification

Intrinsic: Affects only the user's body or internal state.

Extrinsic: Influences the surrounding environment or external targets.

2. Usage Type Classification

Instant: Activates briefly, performing a single action before deactivating.

Constant: Stays active for an extended period, continuously affecting the user or surroundings.

3. Function Type Classification

Physical Enhancement – Strengthening the body beyond natural limits.

Energy Manipulation – Generate or control of various forms of energy.

Elemental Abilities – Fire, lightning, water, and beyond.

Space-Time Abilities – Warping dimensions, bending time itself.

And countless more.

Ethan took a deep breath, sorting through his priorities.

All his experience gotten in the sanctum shaping his choice to pick a suitable ability.

Then, his eyes landed on something.

A smirk formed on his lips.

"This one..."

Without hesitation, he selected it.

As soon as Ethan confirmed his ability selection, a final system notification appeared before him.

[You have 1 minute before you are ejected from the Sanctum of Beasts.]

His heart clenched.

His eyes shifted to Gray, the massive wolf that had fought alongside him, bled beside him, and survived the brutal trials of the Sanctum together.

For the first time, Ethan truly processed what this meant.

He was leaving.

But Gray would remain.

The two had spent months fighting, growing, and evolving together. And now, after all that, Ethan would simply vanish, leaving Gray behind in this world.

Gray sat in silence, his golden eyes locked onto Ethan's.

Though the beast couldn't speak, his thoughts raced—a storm of emotions crashing against one another.

Ethan wasn't just his master.

He was family.

After his father had died and the new alpha took over, no one had cared for him the way Ethan had.

It wasn't just the meals Ethan provided. It was more than that.

Ethan had given him purpose.

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A reason to grow stronger.

A reason to keep fighting.

And now, he could sense it—his only family was about to leave.

Ethan slowly stepped forward, pressing his forehead into Gray's thick mane.

Gray responded by rubbing his head against Ethan's cheek.

A silent farewell.

A bond unbroken.

"No matter what," Ethan murmured, his voice steady despite the emotions surging inside him. "Just know I'm going to come back. Don't think I'll abandon you."

Gray didn't reply.

He understood the words, but deep down, he didn't care.

He didn't want Ethan to leave.

He wanted them to keep hunting.

To keep defying the odds.

To keep growing stronger together.

But he knew he was being greedy.

Ethan had his own path to walk.

And it wasn't like he'd be gone forever.

Slowly, Gray pulled away, distancing himself.

His golden eyes held acceptance.

He would wait.

He believed in his master.

Ethan exhaled sharply, his chest tightening, but he smiled.

Then, Gray threw his head back and howled—a deep, powerful sound that echoed across the Sanctum.

And without hesitation, he turned and sprinted into the distance, disappearing into the wild.

Ethan clenched his fists, watching until his companion was gone.

"Thank you, Gray," he whispered.

Then—his body vanished.

---

The moment he reappeared, a wave of disorientation hit him.

His vision blurred for a split second before he steadied himself, suddenly feeling the familiar weight of his battle armor around his body.

In his right hand, the Striker-V1 rifle was back in his grip.

His senses recalibrated.

The cold, air of the real world replaced the wild, untamed atmosphere of the Sanctum.

Then—he exhaled.

A smirk formed on his lips as he adjusted his grip on the firearm.

"I'm back."

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A/N will release an extra Chapter if I get 50 power stones.

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