Sss level Talent :The Infinite Hivecurse

Oh?

That was a strong start—not only was the battle quick, but a piece of equipment dropped too.

> Bronze-Grade Sandstone Leather Armor: Constitution +18, Strength +8. Requirement: Level 5.

The stats weren't amazing, but Ethan wasn't disappointed. At worst, he could sell it for materials later.

The whole fight had lasted just 10 seconds. And that was with Anti-Bone Boy clearly holding back.

He hadn't yet adjusted to his rapid overnight transformation. His instinct was still to nibble slowly, waiting for backup or trying to wear enemies down over time.

Creak creak—

Ethan watched as Anti-Bone Boy started devouring the remains of the Sandworm, chewing loudly.

Huh? Ethan tilted his head. "He didn't even get hurt. Why's he eating?"

Then it hit him.

"Oh, right! Even summoned beasts have to eat."

Ethan quickly checked on the Poisonous Fire Ant Queen inside his Beast Space. She looked weak and sluggish. "Phew, good thing she didn't starve to death."

He tossed a hunk of the Sandworm corpse into the space to feed her.

Just thinking about that terrifying scene yesterday—when he nearly got dragged into an ant tunnel—was enough to make Ethan shiver. "Never again," he muttered.

Suddenly, Anti-Bone Boy stopped chewing. He walked over and nudged Ethan's leg, then looked over at the leftover meat on the ground.

Ethan blinked. "Wait... are you asking permission?"

He realized the beast thought Ethan might want the food—so it stopped eating, waiting for approval.

"I'm not eating that. Go ahead," Ethan said, amused.

Anti-Bone Boy froze for a moment, as if confused, then happily turned around and continued munching.

In just moments, the giant, worm-like body was gone. Devoured completely.

Oddly enough, the eating process took longer than the battle itself.

Thankfully, Anti-Bone Boy wasn't a bottomless pit. Once he was full, Ethan ordered him to begin hunting again.

---

> "System Notice: Killed Bronze-level Sandworm. Experience gained!"

"System Notice: Killed Bronze-level Sandworm. Experience gained!"

After defeating three more Sandworms, another pop-up appeared:

> "Level Up! LV0 → LV1. Gained 50 assignable attribute points!"

Yes!

That was the power of an SSS-rank talent. The bonus stats from leveling up were far greater than what a normal Professional received.

Ethan was leveling faster than most and quickly climbed to Level 10.

But that's when he hit a wall.

Leveling became noticeably slower.

Even though the monsters were Level 10, and both Anti-Bone Boy and the Queen were mature and didn't split experience, the gains started slowing down.

"No wonder people say hitting Level 20 in a month is enough to get into a top university."

Ethan hadn't even assigned his new stat points yet.

Tanky builds didn't suit his style. He wanted pure offensive strength.

All fear in battle stemmed from lack of firepower. Ethan believed that.

He could go the damage-dealer route… or maybe even specialize as a support healer?

But his passive ability "Blue Heart" already protected his summoned beasts to some extent.

And if, one day, he had multiple summoned beasts being attacked at once, healing wouldn't be enough.

Ethan glanced over at Anti-Bone Boy, who was dragging another Sandworm out of the ground and tearing it apart quickly.

"Speed is fine, but his size slows him down against fast enemies."

If the enemy escaped, Anti-Bone Boy couldn't keep up. That meant Ethan needed to think long-term.

"Maybe I should focus on control… traps… slows… debuffs…"

As a Beast Master, he had access to trap skills, snare fields, buffs for his summons, and debuffs for enemies.

With high mental stats, those abilities would also deal decent damage.

"Yeah… that could work."

With that in mind, Ethan dumped all his attribute points into Spirit—the stat used for controlling skills and traps.

It was already his highest attribute pre-job-change, and now, he'd turn it into a weapon.

---

The hunt continued.

> "System Notice: Killed Bronze-level Sandworm. Experience gained!"

…again and again…

By midday, Anti-Bone Boy had killed nearly 60 Sandworms.

Some were saved as food. Ethan dismantled the rest, gaining:

> 40 pieces of Bronze-Grade Sandworm Skin.

A few more pieces of gear dropped too, but nothing worth using. Most were basic Bronze-tier items, all inferior to what Ethan already had equipped.

---

By then, Ethan had reached Level 5, just a few steps away from Level 6.

And this was with most of the time spent just searching for Sandworms.

While Anti-Bone Boy dug nearby for the next prey, Ethan sat down to eat a light lunch, enjoying the brief rest.

He opened his phone and checked the class group chat.

---

> "Hit Level 2 this morning. Easier than I thought!"

"Don't get cocky. Leveling slows down hard later. Let's grind while our instructor still has time to protect us."

"Too bad Charles isn't with us. Wonder what level he's at now?"

"It's your fault! You scared him away with your fangirling."

"We're missing Charles, Lily Winters, and Ethan today. Are they in a team?"

"They're the top awakeners in class. Makes sense they wouldn't bring us along."

"No way. I saw Lily this morning. She went into a dungeon alone—I think it was Level 10."

"Alone?! That's suicide! We need a team of three to even survive."

"Not everyone is as weak as you. She's SS-rank. She might be Level 5 already."

"Wait, so that means Charles is probably with Ethan right now?"

"With how close they are? Totally possible."

"Waaah, I wish they'd take me along! Just seeing Ethan's face all day would make me happy!"

"If I could be hugged by Ethan while watching Charles slay monsters, I'd die smiling!"

"Emily! Put your phone down and heal the front line! This isn't a picnic!"

"Oh! Sorry, Mentor!"

"Instructor's watching—stop chatting!"

---

The instructor's arrival immediately silenced the group.

But the students were wrong—Ethan wasn't with Charles at all.

---

Meanwhile, Charles was locked in a fierce fight in a different dungeon.

He gripped a Silver-tier broadsword in one hand and a healing potion in the other, slashing at a half-human-sized creature called a "Jungle Boar."

Blood stained his armor, but none of the wounds were serious.

That was by design.

His natural ability made him stronger the lower his health dropped—so Charles had stabbed himself as soon as he entered the dungeon to activate his passive buff.

With careful control, he maintained just the right balance between danger and power.

One final blow—he slayed the boar.

He tossed aside the now-empty potion and grinned as his level increased.

> "Level Up! LV4."

"Haha! Ethan, I'm catching up fast. I'm gonna win this!"

He raised his sword to the sky.

"Now… what request should I make when I beat him?"

---