Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

When Seth stepped into the inn, warm beams of light cast shadows across his face. He swept his gaze around the room, which was still loud and crowded despite the late hour. He spotted them immediately: Henry and Selena, surrounded by a dozen other members of their squad, all clustered around a large table, laughing and drinking.

It was odd, seeing Selena, the normally stoic and timid Rogue, in such a loud, social setting. She sat stiffly beside Henry, her shoulders hunched, while he was clearly trying—and mostly failing—to drag her into the various conversations swirling around them.

It showed Henry's strength as a leader, though; he put in relentless effort to bind the squad together, to make them trust each other, ready to watch one another's backs in the battles to come. Seth knew that tactic well. He himself had been a "victim" of the Warrior's determination during their class.

For a moment, Seth hesitated, his instinct telling him to just grab his key and go to his room. He wasn't in the mood for lighthearted chatter, not with the war ahead and everything he had learned about Kastal from Reat.

Yet a deeper part of himself knew it would be better for them if he joined. He needed to show them the strength he'd gained, show them that they had an anchor and that he'd be there to fight by their side and protect them when things went wrong.

After taking a deep breath, Seth finally headed toward the table.

Henry noticed Seth's entrance almost immediately. His head shot up, and a large grin split his face. "Seth!" he shouted, his voice booming across the room. "You're back!"

Instantly, all other heads at the table snapped toward Seth, their expressions shifting from curiosity to welcoming grins. As they did, a cold, familiar tingling raced up in Seth's chest. Identify. He couldn't tell who had cast it until Alfred, a young Rogue who was sitting in front of Selena, went pale, his eyes widening in shock.

Henry, catching the squadmate's expression, glanced back at Seth. "Can I...?" he asked, his smile turning to one of anticipation.

"Sure."

Henry's eyes unfocused for a split second, and then he almost fell out of his chair. "On the Gods' name! Rank 46? You gained thirteen Ranks in a month? In the Iron Tier? That's beyond ridiculous!"

A wave of stunned silence hit the table, quickly followed by excited murmurs. Seth was taken aback by the lack of jealousy—at the academy, a display like this would have earned him glares and whispered threats. But then he realized the truth: these were commoners and squadmates, not nobles.

They were about to fight side by side. His strength would boost their survival.

"And what about Nightmare?" Henry asked, leaning forward.

Before Seth could answer, Nightmare's voice rippled out from the teardrop necklace: "Fifty-one. I'm still in the lead."

"Damn, that's wild!" Henry laughed, slamming his mug on the table. "He's going to tear those Empire bastards apart."

"You have no idea," Nightmare answered with smug confidence.

Henry chuckled along with several others at the table, then pointed to the empty seat next to Selena. "Come on, Seth, sit. We were just talking about our plans for after the war." He nudged the man sitting next to him, Eddin, the squad's other officer. "Eddin here was just telling us how he's going to propose to that girl from his village."

Eddin immediately face-palmed, his cheeks flushing red. "I said I wanted to take her on a date, Henry, not propose!"

Amidst the laughter, Seth took the empty seat that had been offered. For a moment, his thoughts drifted to his own future after the war. By then, the Cave of the Elements would be picked clean, scoured by both the adventurers Celine would send and the forces of the Bridan Empire.

He would need to find a new place to train and hunt, somewhere he could grow strong enough to help the Champions of Chaos with their rebellion. After seeing the immense benefits of an unexplored Rift, he was determined to find another—one which would hopefully also be filled with both Seeds and challenges.

Selena turned to him, her usual stoic expression softening.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"How... how did you Rank up so fast?" she asked, her voice hardly more than a whisper.

"I spent the entire month in a Rift," Seth answered. "And to be honest, I nearly died a few times in there."

A faint smile touched the Rogue's lips, a sight so rare it took Seth by surprise. "Which is a good thing with your class," she said.

"Exactly."

Selena's eyes dropped to her hands, which were clasped on her knees. "I hope one day I'll have enough coin to hire people from the Training Masters branch at the outpost so I can Rift Dive too. From what I heard, they are the best at keeping people alive."

Seth's lips pressed together, and for a moment, he evaluated the option of bringing her himself. He could certainly also offer Devus, Jenna, and Elena the chance to come with them. But could he, in good conscience, force them to hunt the way he did? Pushing them past their limits, until they were bleeding, broken, and on the verge of death, just to do it all again the next day?

That was the Path he had chosen—the one he needed to walk along to avenge his parents. It wasn't something he could force on anyone else.

'You could just ask them,' Nightmare said through Link. 'Let them decide for themselves. The safe way on their own, or the hard and fast way with us.'

'You'd want other people hunting with us?' Seth retorted through their bond, surprised.

'I wouldn't mind,' the direwolf answered. 'As long as they don't slow us down.'

Just as Seth was considering it, Colossus's earnest voice chimed in, 'I'm not against having more people to protect.'

'I'll think about it,' Seth answered while actively stopping himself from smiling to avoid looking like a lunatic.

The moment Selena returned her focus to the glass of water in front of her, Kaiser, a second-year Priest of their squad, broke the brief quiet at the end of their table.

The young man had been staring into his mug for a moment before looking up, his face completely drawn. "Plans for after the war," he mumbled. "I just... I just want to get to 'after the war.'"

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

A hush fell over the group, yet Henry didn't miss a beat. "Hey, no worries, you'll get there," he said with a dismissive wave. "Nerves are normal. We're all feeling it. But we've trained for this. We're ready. We're all going to come back alive."

"I wish I had your confidence," Kaiser answered, rubbing his cheek with a shaky hand. "It's just... I heard about the Oskon pre-war skirmishes. My cousin was there as a servant with one of the Houses. He told me the Empire's soldiers beat our best with half the people. Half, Henry. He said they fought like... like nothing human."

Another heavy silence fell over the group. The distant laughter from the rest of the tavern seemed to fade as people around the table looked at one another, tense.

Henry broke the tension once more by reaching past Selena and slamming a hand onto Seth's shoulder—almost hard enough to make him jump.

"Yeah? Well, did your cousin mention what happened after that?" the squad leader asked with a grin. "Because as I recall, this crazy bastard right here walked into a ward that made others collapse from pain and kicked their ass."

Kaiser blinked, looking from Henry to Seth, and something seemed to flicker back in his eyes. "Yeah... yeah, that's right."

"Good thing that monster is in our squad," Henry added, shaking his head.

Seth felt the weight of the man's expectations settle on him and forced a tight smile. "Yeah, and I'll make sure to protect everyone. You'll see in the Warfare Rifts... I'm way stronger than I was a month ago. More than just in terms of Ranks. And Nightmare is too."

A young man across the table—whose name Seth couldn't recall—rested his elbows on the table's wood. "Come on, Seth, don't leave us hanging. What's the big secret? Is it a new spell?"

Seth let the silence linger for a second, rubbing the back of his neck; he regretted opening his mouth. "I don't want word to spread out before we even step onto the field," he finally answered. "Let's just say it's... a special weapon."

The young man looked even more intrigued, while Selena watched Seth with narrowed eyes, clearly trying to dissect his words. The others were less subtle, exchanging skeptical glances. Seth could practically hear what they were thinking—that he was just exaggerating, pumping them full of false hope to boost morale before the slaughter.

Henry leaned over behind Selena, forcing her to shift forward. "Hey, Seth," he whispered.

Seth leaned closer, their heads nearly touching over Selena's shoulder.

"If you can tell me," Henry continued, "it would be nice to know. So I can prepare a strategy accordingly."

Seth met his gaze and nodded once. "Sure. I'll tell you later."

Henry grinned in return and leaned back, immediately pulling Eddin into an argument about the best oil to polish weapons and armor.

Selena, however, moved closer to him instead of back, her shoulder brushing his. "Is it a spell?" she asked into Seth's ear.

Seth shook his head and allowed himself a brief smile. "No. Not a spell."

Colossus's deep voice rumbled through Link. 'Seth. Is... am I the secret weapon?'

'Yes,' Seth answered mentally. 'You are.'

The tension seemed to gradually fade, and the squad's chatter drifted back to lighter things: home, the rewards they had been promised, and, of course, back to their plans for after the war. The mood lifted, buoyed by ale and the shared relief of having a 'monster' on their side.

Soon, the mugs ran dry, and the yawns became contagious. The next day would begin before dawn, and everyone knew it. One by one, then in small clusters, the squad members pushed themselves up, stretched stiff limbs, and clapped each other on the back.

"See you in the morning, Captain," Kaiser said to Henry before giving Seth a respectful nod.

"Night, Henry. Seth," Eddin said as he joined the small crowd heading for the stairs.

Seth nodded to the young man and Selena as they both left, his eyes briefly meeting hers. She gave him that same nod, then turned and disappeared up the stairs. Finally, the common room was quiet with only Seth and Henry at the beer-stained table while the innkeeper collected empty mugs, pointedly ignoring them.

"Alright," Henry said, his voice dropping. He rested his forearms on the table. "What's the secret weapon? Don't tell me it's just a spell."

Seth took a breath. "I have a new beast."

Henry's eyebrows shot up. "A new one? Like... a second one?"

"Yes."

The squad leader shook his head, blinking as he processed the information. "I guess that makes sense with your subclass, but still. Two beasts..."

"He's also... different," Seth added quickly. "He's not a striker like Nightmare. He's more of a Guardian. Taunts, heavy defense, damage mitigation. Things like that."

Henry's eyes widened. A new Guardian in the squad—he probably realized how much it could change the entire tactical landscape. "Damn... Can he take a lot of hits? What Rank is he?"

"Only 44 right now. But honestly?" Seth met his gaze. "He's probably harder to kill than you are. He has a Gold Potential."

Henry's jaw went slack. He stared at Seth for a long moment. "Gold Potential... You're not messing with me, are you?"

"No."

"Holy... Did you get him this past month?"

"Actually no," Seth answered. "I got him before, back in the Desert of Misery. But Professor Reat wanted me to keep him a secret. And he was still pretty weak at the time. We fought like crazy the past month to be sure he would be ready for the war."

Henry scrubbed his face with his hands, his mind clearly racing through the possibilities. "A second beast. Gods..." He looked up, a grin breaking through the shock. "What's his name?"

"Colossus."

"Damn. Love the name!" Henry's gaze darted down to Seth's chest, where the teardrop necklace was hidden under his white shirt. The squad leader then leaned in, as if addressing Seth's collarbone directly as he said, "Well... I can't wait to meet you, big guy."

A voice rumbled from the necklace—deeper and slower than Nightmare's, but far more joyful. "Meeee... tooooo."

Henry recoiled, startled, then broke into a loud laugh. "He already likes me," he said, slapping the table. "Alright. Let's get some sleep. We have a war to fight tomorrow."

Seth stood, feeling some of the tension in his shoulders finally begin to loosen. He reached into his pouch and, without giving it a second thought, placed a single copper coin on the sticky wood of the table. "Here. To cover half the tab."

Henry choked on his laugh, staring at the coin as if Seth had just dropped an intact diamond. "Half? Seth, you clearly never go out drinking, do you? A tenth of that could cover the whole squad's bill."

With a wince, Seth rubbed his neck. He didn't have any common coins—it showed him how disconnected he had become over the past several months. When was the last time he had just… hung out? Without constantly thinking about growing stronger?

For a moment, Seth stared at the coin. To him, it was practically nothing. He was now a Wielder who could slay Silver beasts; he could earn hundreds of coppers—or a couple of irons—in a single fight.

However, looking at Henry's expression made him remember what that coin actually represented to the world outside the academy. It was the price of an awakening stone. Something that could change someone's entire life, and he had just tossed it onto a tavern table to pay for a few rounds of watery ale.

"I... don't have any common coins," Seth finally admitted.

Henry chuckled, sliding the enchanted copper back across the table toward Seth. "Don't worry about it, moneybags. I'll take care of it."

"Thanks," Seth said as he picked up the coin.

He then gave Henry a grateful nod and turned toward the counter in the back of the inn. There, he retrieved a heavy iron key from the innkeeper and headed for the stairs. The wooden steps groaned under his boots as he climbed to the second floor, leaving the noise of the common room behind before entering a hallway lit only by a single lamp at the far end.

He stopped in front of a door marked with a faded '2B'—the fatigue had already begun to settle in. The month of relentless hunting, combined with the social weariness of the evening, had taken its toll. He just wanted to fall into bed and let his mind go blank.

After turning the lock, Seth drew a deep breath and pushed the door open. He stepped into the pitch-black chamber—only to freeze.

His core detonated in a violent explosion of terror. Before he could even move, a flint sparked, and an oil lamp on the small bedside table flared to life.

Two people were sitting on the far side of the small room. On the left was Marine, dressed in her crisp academy uniform, a giant smile framed by her shoulder-length hazel hair. Beside her, sitting perfectly still in the other chair, was a man who seemed to suck the air right out of the room.

He had impeccably combed steel-gray hair and a short beard. Time had etched deep lines into his face, yet his posture remained rigid within the high-collared uniform of Kastal's military. Dozens of medals hung from his chest, clinking softly as he straightened—a delicate sound that was instantly swallowed by the dense, suffocating aura that radiated from him.

His piercing gaze locked onto Seth, pinning him in place.

Inside the teardrop necklace, both Nightmare and Colossus stirred.

The family resemblance between Marine and that man was obvious: the same sharp nose, the same blue eyes. But where the young woman's eyes were bright and warm, his were frigid like ice. From his age, his uniform, and the sheer, overwhelming pressure of his presence, it was evident who this was. Marshal Vancaws.

The only Platinum Wielder in Kastal aside from the king.

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