Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

Seth was seated cross-legged by the extinguished campfire as the rising sun crested the horizon, a skewer of roasted fish in his hand and Nightmare lounging on the ground beside him. Minutes earlier he had put out the fire, reducing it to smoldering embers to avoid drawing unwanted attention.

Over the past ten days, they had learned that smoke was a beacon to curious Fishlords—especially during daylight, when the protective cover of mist was absent. The first time they’d been ambushed for that reason, their Well had been barely half full, forcing them to flee. Back then, he had to use Professor Reat’s Vanishing Pocket Watch on top of the Nimble Ring.

Something that unsettled him a bit was that over all those days, he hadn’t seen a single human. Not even one. But that probably meant the Seralp House—and Lucius—had no idea he was here.

'How’re your channels?' Seth asked, tossing a chunk of fish to Nightmare, who caught it in his maw. Each Iron beaststone the direwolf had eaten so far had strained his channels for twenty to thirty hours—which was great money-wise since he could consume less of the stones.

'Theyshould be fine in another hour or two,' Nightmare answered.

Seth glanced at the mound of stones they'd acquired beside him in his bag: fifteen were from Irons and seventy-something from Coppers. 'Want us to wait so you can eat one before we start today's hunt?'

Nightmare shook his head. 'No,I'll hold off in case we happen to get a stronger one today,' he replied before looking at a column of smoke in the distance. 'So… when are we raiding one of those villages?'

Seth grimaced. 'Facing an Iron and a few Coppers at once is still our limit. Giving that a try right now would be a terrible idea.’

'Listen to that thing in your chest. It’s begging you to do it.'

Rolling his golden eyes, Seth kept eating. Sure, his core and a large part of him wanted him to fight stronger opponents, crush them, and thrive through challenges, but he still had a brain to bring him back to reality. There was a difference between being courageous and being reckless.

'Don't you want to break through?' Nightmare pressed, his red eyes meeting Seth’s. 'I bet there will be resources in their vault that could help you. Like that strange water the Fishlord drank yesterday.'

Seth hesitated, his brow furrowing as envy bubbled within him. The image of the humanoid creature breaking through instantly after gulping down the glowing blue liquid replayed in his mind. He himself had reached the Copper Tier’s cap five days ago, yet his Well showed no hint of nearing a breakthrough despite all the fighting.

Sure, Elena had taken a month and Brandon two, but he’d thought—and hoped—that nearly killing an Iron Fishlord alone would’ve been enough. An achievement worthy of pushing his Well to ignite again in less than half a year. But it hadn’t.

Nightmare’s tail wagged, seemingly sensing Seth’s desire to raid the village. 'And there's also the lost girl? Remember?'

'Those adventurers were probably right,' Seth answered with a sigh. 'She's likely dead. This place isn't forgiving.'

'Wow, where did the optimistic Seth that first walked in here go?'

'He died with our last Iron Fishlord.'

Seth closed his large leather bag and hid among the bushes to avoid fighting with the extra weight. Hopefully, I’ll soon become Iron and be able to use my Endless Pouch.

"Alright, let's go."

By mid-afternoon, Seth and Nightmare were trudging through the large swamp, quite satisfied with that day’s fights so far. They had managed to slay two more Iron Fishlords and a dozen Copper ones. The loot was good, but it further weighed Seth down in his pockets. Nightmare was already invisible and far away, looking for their next targets as Seth harvested the beaststone of the last Copper Fishlord they'd killed.

'Seth!' Nightmare exclaimed, his body tensing in the distance. 'There's a human along with a Fishlord.'

Seth frowned and extended his senses into Link to see through the direwolf's eyes. What he saw froze him in place: the man was a wretched sight. His hair and beard were nothing more than a tangled mess, snarled with leaves and dirt, and his clothing, that Seth assumed had once been a leather armor and probably a linen shirt, had been reduced to ragged shreds.

The rusty shackles on the man’s ankles and wrists clanged as he moved, the chain connecting them held in the hand of the two-finned Fishlord escorting him. It wasn't the appearance of someone who had been captured a few days ago—or even a few weeks.

But why would they enslave humans? Seth wondered, hurrying over to join Nightmare, clutching his dagger’s handle. 'Are thereany other Fishlords around?''No, but…' Nightmare hesitated, his mental voice tight. 'Danger Sense isn’t just tingling. It’s poking me. Sharp, insistent stabs. I think this one’s stronger than anything we’ve fought.'

Seth gritted his teeth, looking at the prisoner stumbling over some roots. 'We have to give it a try. We can't just leave him to die.'

'We better don't get killed,' the direwolf huffed.

As Seth snuck closer to the man and the humanoid beast, he hid behind a rock and unsheathed his dagger. The more he fought as one with his core, the less he was drawn to using his bow. It didn't allow him to be himself. To thrive.

It was too safe to fight from a distance. Sure, it was still useful from time to time, but with the decreasing number of arrows, he had to keep them for special opportunities. And this was not one of them. 'I'll charge alone first. You should find a good ambush to stop it from casting Ocean Armor.'

'Understood.'

Seth activated his Protecting Belt, and thousands of shimmering particles spun around him before condensing into a thin layer of blue aether. Core throbbing in his chest, he left his hideout and charged toward the two-finned Fishlord, channeling Identify as Nightmare stayed invisible and dashed to the side.