Boom.
Ethan shot out of the cavern mouth and slammed into the ground like a cannonball.
Crack, crack, crack…
The sharp sound of something breaking echoed through the air. His defensive skill, Iron Hide, had activated instinctively, only to shatter in an instant from the impact. Yet to Ethan's surprise, when his feet struck the earth, the pain he expected never came. Instead, a brilliant pulse of multicolored light rippled across his bones, leaving him completely unharmed. He stood there, bewildered, with a dawning realization of just how far his body had grown. The Quintessence Bone within him still concealed depths he had yet to truly awaken.
"Ethan?"
Several voices rose from below. His landing had drawn attention, and the few figures gathered there finally recognized the person they had been waiting for all this time. Ethan, however, had no idea anyone was expecting him. Their fixed gazes left him at a loss.
"Uh… what exactly are you all doing here?" he asked cautiously.
