Seth's boots crunched against the rocks of the road leading to Renwal's blacksmith as his heart still pounded in his chest. A freaking Legendary spell… he mumbled inwardly. Even the academy's shop didn't have any of those.

Glancing down at his hand, he cast Identify to see how much more Strength and Arcane power he needed to be able to learn Phantom Punch.

Seth

 

Class: Primalist

Rank: 24 (Low-Iron)

Subclass: Beastmaster

 

Core: Feral Instinct

 

Strength: 72 (65+7)

Arcane Power: 64 (57+7)

Toughness: 58 (53+5)

Well Capacity: 48 (44+4)

Agility: 78 (70+8)

Regeneration: 54 (49+5)

Spells:

- Link [???〜??? (???)]

- Share [???〜??? (???)]

- Fog Shroud [Iron〜Rare (Decent)]

- Dark Shocking Strike [Copper〜Rare (Standard)]

- Haste [Copper〜Uncommon (Exceptional)]

- Identify [Copper〜Common (Refined)]

Seth froze mid-step, his eyes locking onto Haste. The spell's quality had moved up to Exceptional, which made him immediately think back to the brutal fight with the Lancer. The sheer intensity of the battle, the extreme danger, and how far he had pushed his limits—it all had to play a role.

Over the past month, Seth had come to the conclusion that Feral Instinct wasn't just enhancing his reactions or senses; it was also guiding his body to refine grooves. Thanks to the core, he was now adapting as a beast, instinctively optimizing pathways for aether to amplify his spells' power and efficiency without the need for the exclusive knowledge nobles so greedily guarded. He still had to risk his life for these improvements, unlike those nobles who could simply buy Exceptional and Flawless spells—or modify theirs without facing any danger. But even so, the ability was incredible. And unheard of.

Next, Seth's eyes then moved to his Strength and Arcane Power. He was still lacking a few points to be able to learn Phantom Punch. 'I can't wait to try that spell,' he said to Nightmare, who was following behind, invisible. 'Even if I have to use it bare fisted, I don't care.'

The Undead spell was supposed to be used with combat gauntlets, but Marcus didn't have any Iron ones in the box. His father had anticipated the issue, leaving behind a crafting recipe for gauntlets of each Tier, but even so, Seth would still need a lot of coins for Yline's services and the ingredients. It would be a long time before he could finally use the spell to crush beasts in a Rift.

'I don't agree with that old prick,' Nightmare grumbled behind. 'You shouldn't have to restrain yourself from using that new spell at the academy or around people.'

'It's a spell locked by Draeria, so only their people can learn, it'd be stupid to—' Seth started before stopping abruptly, something suddenly hitting him. 'You just want me to get caught so we're forced to live in Rifts.'

'It'd be so much better!' Nightmare exclaimed, moving closer. 'Think about it! I—no, we would both progress way faster!'

'We've been over this a million times.' Seth sighed, spotting Renwal's smithy in the distance. 'What changed your mind? Is it the spell?'

'No, I don't care about your weak human spell.'

It's the spell, Seth thought, rolling his eyes. The direwolf's jealous streak always seemed to flare up when Seth got a new spell. Hopefully it'll pass in a few hours, like it did with Share.

Loud clanging resonated from Renwal's forge as the orange glow of fire mingled with the pale sunlight piercing the heavy clouds. Renwal and Mael were both working at the outdoor stations: the blacksmith perched on a bench, polishing an ax while wooden splints clung to his shirt sleeves, and his apprentice hammered a sword at the anvil, his long blond hair damp with sweat. As Mael turned to speak to Renwal, he caught sight of Seth and smiled. "Hey, Seth!"

Seth flashed a grin in return and walked over. Renwal looked up, sweat dripping down his forehead and disappearing into his thick, red beard. "Hey, kid," the blacksmith said, a small smile on his face. "Didn't expect you'd come back in one piece."

"They can't get rid of me so easily," Seth answered as the two of them stopped their work. "But uh, can we go inside? I need to talk to both of you."

Renwal frowned slightly before gesturing toward the forge's door. "Yeah, sure. Come on in."

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

The moment they stepped into the dim interior of the smithy, Seth made sure to leave the door open so Nightmare could also enter. As they sat around the small table inside, the blacksmith and Mael wore serious expressions, as if sensing the gravity of the situation.

"Alright, I've got good news and bad news," Seth said. "Which one do you want first?"

Mael shrugged, trying to lighten the mood. "Hit us with the good one."

Seth leaned forward and pointed at Renwal's arms. "I finally have enough for the healing prism. I left the coins at Marcus, and Vandric will come by to heal your arms in the next few days."

The atmosphere instantly shifted, and smiles broke out across the blacksmith's and Mael's faces. "That's amazing!" Renwal exclaimed, eyes tearing up.

Grinning from ear to ear, Mael squeezed the blacksmith's shoulder. "In a couple of months, you'll be back at the anvil! Hopefully your work won't be as shitty this time around!"

"It'll still be better than yours, that's for damn sure," Renwal shot back with a laugh before turning back to Seth. "And, what's the bad news?"

Seth's mouth tightened in a thin line. "Because of me, everyone in the town is in danger. You'll all need to move somewhere else."

Mael's face turned serious, and he clenched his fists. "Danger? Is it that noble again?"

"Yes and no," Seth said, shaking his head. "That prick could definitely use you to hurt me… but there are people out there way stronger than him who might come after me. I can't give you all the details. Saying too much could put you in danger. What I can say is that my father made enemies from another country. Dangerous ones. And Marcus and I think it's only a matter of time before they come looking for me."

He paused, then added, "When they do… no one here will be safe."

"Damn," Mael muttered, biting his lip. "How strong are we talking? Like, the tax collector?"

Seth took a deep breath. "More like the… king of Kastal."

Both men's eyes widened, and they stared at him for a few seconds, as if waiting for him to crack a smile and tell them it was just a bad joke. But those wishful words never came, and at the silence, their faces fell.

"What's your plan?" Renwal finally asked. "You gonna run too?"

"Not for now," Seth answered. "But when they show up, I won't have a choice. I'll probably leave the country."

Mael rubbed his forehead and ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair. "Any idea when this is going to happen?"

"No," Seth admitted. "It could be years, but there's no way to know for sure. The best thing we can do is prepare and get everyone to leave town as soon as possible. I made sure they have the funds to do it… I, huh, also gave the coins to Marcus."

Renwal shook his head. "Everyone was thinking about leaving because of the increase of the land tax anyway. You don't have to—"

"Yeah. I do," Seth interjected. "This all started because of me. I need to take responsibility."

He reached under his cloak, pulled out his coin pouch, and counted out eight copper coins before placing them on the table in front of Renwal.

"This is for the awakening stones... and the taxes. To make up for everything you've had to go through. If you hadn't given me those arrows, none of this would've happened to you." He hesitated for a beat, his mouth twisting to the side before continuing, "Marcus said that since you used so many stones before, the tax collector shouldn't suspect I'm the one awakening you. So there shouldn't be any trouble. Just make sure you keep enough to cover the taxes unlike… huh, me."

"That's too much, Seth. I can't accept—" the blacksmith began before freezing as a low growl erupted from the room's corner.

Seth chuckled. "Seems like someone's not thrilled about me giving away coins. Guys, meet Nightmare, my partner."

The direwolf phased out of Illusionary Emptiness, staring at them with his large crimson eyes. Mael shot to his feet, and Renwal shoved his chair backward in shock, falling onto the floor.

"What the hell is that thing?" Renwal yelled, scrambling to his feet with the help of his table.

"A Tenebrous Direwolf," Seth explained, gesturing at Nightmare to come closer. "A kind of arcane beasts with the potential to reach the Silver Tier. Right now he's at Iron, just like me."

"You're Iron?!" Mael and Renwal exclaimed together, their voices overlapping.

"Yeah, thanks to him," Seth answered, rubbing his neck. "He makes hunting way easier, so I've been able to Rank up even faster than nobles at the academy—"

Mael raised his hand to cut him off. "Hold on. You're already at a higher Rank than nobles?"

Seth allowed himself a proud grin. "Yep. I'm probably top twenty or thirty among first-year students right now."

"Holy crap!" Mael whooped, flashing a giant smile before turning to the direwolf. "Man, you've gotta help me tame a beast when I awaken! That's so freakin' cool!"

Nightmare growled, and Seth cleared his throat before correcting his friend. "I didn't 'tame' him. We made um… some kind of contract."

"My bad," Mael mumbled before bowing his head slightly at the direwolf. "My mistake, buddy."

Aether started swirling around Nightmare's neck, then flared out and disappeared in a flash. "N–ightmare, no–t bud-dy."

"It… talks?" Renwal immediately took a few steps back, half-hiding behind Mael.

"That's so awesome!" Mael exclaimed. "Can all beasts talk?"

Seth shook his head. "No. Only those with good control of aether."

"Man, I'm so jealous," Mael said. "You're living the dream."

Seth managed a faint smile as flashes of the dead adventurers in the Rift crossed his mind. Being a Wielder was certainly great, but it also came with risk: death, torture, and worse.

"Are you staying in town for a bit?" Renwal asked.

"No, I just came by for your arms," Seth answered, a shadow passing through his face. "I have pressing matters in Arthuri."

"That's a shame," the blacksmith said, scratching his bald head. "I was hoping you'd be around when I finally awaken."

"Sorry to miss that," Seth replied. A smile then crept at the corner of his lips. "I'll come back as soon as I can. See if your ignited Well will help you shed a few pounds."

"Hey, I got big bones," Renwal grumbled.

"Come on, Seth," Mael said beside him. "You know aether has limits. That's far beyond the miracles it can do."

"Oh, don't you start too," Renwal retorted, turning to his apprentice. "A small breeze could snap those twigs that serve you as arms."

"You're just jealous. Women love my slim body."

"Yeah, right." Seth rolled his eyes, then held out his hand to the blacksmith. "I'd better get going."

Renwal clasped Seth's hand in a firm shake despite the wooden splints supporting his arm. "Have a safe trip, Seth. And thanks again for everything."

"It's no trouble at all," Seth answered before turning to Mael and also offering him a handshake. "Make sure everyone prepares to leave the town, okay?"

"Don't worry," the blond youngster said with a smile. "We'll take care of everything. If you give them the coins, I'm sure most folks here will jump at the chance to finally get out of Faertis territory. So go do your thing. Go kick those noble brats' asses."

Seth clapped his friend's shoulder and headed for the door. "If anything comes up, any emergency at all, go see Marcus. He'll help, and he'll also find a way to contact me. Next time I'm back, I'll try bringing an artifact to stay in touch, even when I'm not around."

"An artifact, huh? Sounds like you're the sponsor now," Renwal replied with a chuckle. "Be careful at the academy, rich boy."

"I will," Seth promised, glancing at Nightmare, who was still watching from the room's corner with his piercing red eyes. "Let's go, Nightmare."

With a final wave, Seth and Nightmare left the forge, stepping into the cool embrace of the afternoon breeze. The direwolf vanished from sight, his silent footsteps trailing beside Seth as they made their way out of Sunatown. A bittersweet feeling settled in Seth's chest as he glanced back at the wooden palisade. His father had founded the place, yet now it was about to become a ghost town in a few months.

Seth pulled out his communication orb to verify if Elena had messaged him, and to his surprise, she had—but not for the reason he'd expected.

Elena: Come back as soon as you see this. The Spring Tournament's first rounds are starting tomorrow, and your fight of this week is scheduled at noon. Probably a scheme of someone on the board to make you lose by forfeit.

'Well, there goes our little hunt,' Nightmare growled, understanding the message through his bond with Seth. 'Nobles. Always ruining everything.'

'We've still got seven or eight hours before the night caravan leaves,' Seth reasoned, looking at the road. 'If we run at full speed to Arthuri, it'd leave us at about six hours to search for the Black Hounds' whereabouts. And find out if they also operate near Trogan.'

The direwolf dug his paws into the ground. 'Let's get going, then.'

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.