The Cerberus howled, a cacophony of rage and pain that echoed through the industrial park. Each of its three heads, a grotesque parody of canine features, snapped and lunged, teeth dripping with venomous saliva. Ethan, adrenaline coursing through his veins, danced between the attacks, the Resonance System working overtime to analyze and adapt to the creature’s brutal offense. He’d already absorbed a significant amount of essence from lesser corrupted beasts that had infested the area around the Cerberus Gate, feeling a raw, almost intoxicating power surge through him. But this… this was different. This essence, corrupted yet potent, felt ancient, primal.

He dodged a swipe from the central head, the razor-sharp claws tearing through the air where he’d been a fraction of a second before. He retaliated, channeling the absorbed essence into a concentrated blast of energy, a crude imitation of Captain Thorne’s signature ‘Arc Bolt’. It struck the Cerberus’s right head, momentarily stunning it, but the beast quickly recovered, shaking off the attack with a frustrated roar that rattled Ethan's bones.