Alvin had no option but to release it after it was discovered that the rabbit had the All for One skill.
As soon as his grip released, the small creature fell to the ground, landing without much noise on its hind legs. It stood erect with its diminutive body quivering and let out a very tiny squeak.
It didn't run. Not because it lacked survival instinct - far from it - but the creature was Ethan, and he was too stunned to move.
He had heard that name.
That cursed name.
All for One.
Damn.
He knew exactly what it meant.
He knew how powerful - how broken - those skills were.
In Blizzard Online, the skills One for All and All for One were never meant for players. They were skills utilized exclusively by NPCs -- to the bosses, the monsters that ruled dungeons and brought despair to guilds.
Ethan knew their legend by heart.
These were the most powerful abilities in the game's history.
All for One - the forbidden version - was stronger but had a fatal curse: when the beast died, the tamer died too.
The developers had deliberately locked both skills away from players; it was too dangerous, too unbalanced, too absolute.
Of course, that didn't stop the community from craving it.
To satiate their hunger, devs eventually created weaker spin-off versions-nerfed copies of the original, which imitate the same essence but allow players to summon up to five beasts instead of being bound to one.
Ethan remembered the day he first encountered All for One in the game.
It was in the duel against the NPC Beast Tamer who used that exact same skill. The man had only one beast, a Titanium-tier monster, and yet that single creature nearly wiped out Ethan's entire team. His two Legendary-tier beasts weren't even able to scratch it.
That fight had been brutal, had really taken Ethan to his limits. Still, he won.
Defeating that NPC rewarded him with the All for One spin-off skill, which he later bestowed upon one of his strongest beasts: Regulus, the Star-Head Wolf.
In time, Regulus had evolved beyond known limits, ascending into a new developer-created tier: Mystic. A secret tier, gifted only to Ethan, the #1 ranked Beast Tamer in all of Blizzard Online.
And now. he stood there, reborn as a rabbit, bound to the original All for One itself.
Ethan's mind spiralled.
If that old man, Edward, could appraise me and find that I have the All for One skill. then why can't I?
He tilted his furry head slightly, curiosity flickering behind his green eyes.
> Let's see if this works.
He took a breath - well, as much as a rabbit could - and thought the word that had once been second nature to him.
> System.
And just like that -
Before his eyes, a glowing purple screen shimmered into existence, covered in faint text.
SSS-RANKED SYSTEM INITIATING
Binding in progress.
Binding Complete.
Name: Not yet assigned by Master
Tier: Bronze
Type: Darkness
Special Trait: Mystic
Stats:
- Strength: 1 (2)
- Agility: 1 (2)
- Magic: 1 (2)
- Defense: 1 (2)
- Perception: 1 (2)
Skills:
- All for One (Dark)
- Suppressor
Ethan stared blankly at the floating screen.
> Yeah. I really got my hopes up, he thought dryly.
Even though he had a system, the thing every anime protagonist would dream about, his stats were pathetic. A rabbit with delusions of grandeur.
But what really caught his attention was the skill's name.
All for One (Dark)
Why "Dark"?
What did that mean?
And then there was the header - "SSS-Ranked System." That sounded amazing. Overpowered, even. So why were his stats garbage?
> Whoever reincarnated me. you couldn't have thrown me a few extra points? Maybe some overpowered stat boost? A passive immortality buff? Anything?
Then his eyes fell on the other skill.
Suppressor.
He blinked.
> Suppressor? That's...a joke, right?
He remembered what players used to say about it, that this was one of the most hated abilities in the game. No one knew why the prey beasts had been given it.
It lived up to its name-it suppressed.
Everything.
Evolution points. Experience gain. Skill learning success. Damage output - all reduced by 50%.
Meanwhile, damage taken and mana cost increased by 50%.
> Yep. No wonder that Alvin guy wanted me dead, Ethan thought grimly.
With statistics like these, I'm basically a walking liability. Or a hopping one.
*********
Across the room, Rose relaxed her grip on Rivera. The young girl took a few steps forward, still shaking, and fell to her knees beside the rabbit. She reached down and scooped him up, clutching him tightly against her.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I am sorry...I am sorry," she whispered between sobs. "Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you again."
Her voice cracked as she buried her face into his soft, white fur.
Ethan's mind short-circuited.
Oh no. Oh god. She's hugging me. She's actually - yep, that's definitely her chest. This is so not what I was expecting, but....focus, damn it!
The hall was silent around them.
Everyone was in shock as Rivera clung onto her rabbit, sobbing softly.
"Rivera..." Alvin started, stepping forward. His tone was heavy with regret. But then, halfway, he stopped, his words failing him.
Instead, Rose came and knelt beside her daughter. She placed a gentle hand on Rivera's head and softly said, "It's okay, everything will be alright."
The girl's sobs soon subsided, and she wiped her eyes and whispered, "I want to be alone for a moment."
And with that, the summoning ceremony - the day that was to be her triumph, came to an end.
The day of joy was washed down the drain to a sorrowful one.