I am Just an Average Tamer-Chapter 148: dont

Peak-Great CoreWeakness: Sonic damage, core shatteringStatus: Semi-undead, infused with spectral flame

Corrin growled. "I’m really starting to hate caves."

Kai was already in motion. "Split left!"

Corrin dashed wide as Kai summoned Veal once more. The Windsight Falcon exploded from his core seal, releasing a sharp Echo Ball that rang through the chamber.

The Cryptbone Wyrm flinched, its head jerking toward the falcon.

"Veal, stay mobile. Use Falcon’s Sight—find the core!"

Veal let out a shriek in response, eyes gleaming with vision that pierced illusion and darkness.

Meanwhile, Kai sprinted into the shadows, vanishing with Stealth, his poison-laced senbon flicked into hand.

The Wyrm swung its tail, smashing a broken pillar to dust. Corrin darted under the blow, his crescent blade glowing faintly as he activated one of his martial techniques—Whirlcut Dash.

He struck the beast’s leg joint hard—metal clanged, sparks flew.

Minimal damage.

The beast roared, spectral fire erupting from its cracked ribcage.

Kai saw his opening. Phantom Steps let him flicker across the battlefield in bursts of motion. He reappeared high above the beast’s back—Veal screeched as the location of the core shimmered into Kai’s mind.

Right at the center of its spine—between two massive vertebrae wrapped in bone plating.

Kai merged with his falcon mid-air—Beast Merge: Veal Fusion.

Wind rushed to his limbs, his body lighter, his senses sharper.

Phantom Flight Activated. Time limit: 15 seconds.

He launched forward, twin daggers drawn, wind cloaking his frame.

Sonic-Phantom Dive.

The combined momentum of Veal’s Sonic Dive and Kai’s own stealth-cloaked assassination strike slammed into the Wyrm’s back.

The impact cracked the bone plating—dark purple blood-like ichor sprayed out.

The beast screamed.

Corrin didn’t miss the cue. "Got it!"

He dashed up the Wyrm’s side like a madman, using the broken ribs like climbing holds. With a roar, he leapt and plunged his crescent blade directly into the crack Kai made.

It sunk deep—and with a flash of spectral lightning, shattered the core.

The beast convulsed, thrashed—

—and collapsed.

Silence reclaimed the chamber.

Veal returned to his beast seal in a shimmer of light, exhausted. Kai exhaled heavily, his body aching from the merge.

Corrin dropped beside him, panting. "We just killed a damn undead dragon-wyrm. This better get us something good."

As if in answer, the chamber’s far wall split open. A hidden passage revealed itself, glowing faintly with blue light.

Kai stepped forward and examined the opening. Inside, a small pedestal stood alone, surrounded by protective glyphs.

Upon it sat a smooth, dark orb, pulsing with deep violet hues—a Beast Core, but one unlike any they’d seen.

[Core of the Forgotten Guardian – Unique Beast Core]Grade: High-Grade Great CoreElement: Spectral / SonicDescription: Can be used to form a beast bond or forged into an essence artifact. Only those who have passed a Primal Trial can attune to it.

Kai’s eyes narrowed. "This isn’t just rare. It’s borderline impossible."

Corrin smirked. "So, naturally, you’re going to grab it."

Kai nodded, then paused.

"...And then we run like hell in case the ceiling collapses or it awakens another nightmare."

Corrin raised a hand. "I’ll prep the running stance."

Kai stepped forward and picked up the orb.

No tremor came. No trap triggered.

Instead, the orb pulsed once—and the glyphs on the walls flared. Then a low, calm voice echoed:

"Trial acknowledged. Bond unlocked."

The orb melted into violet light and sank into Kai’s chest, settling in his core.

A faint roar echoed inside his mind—one he recognized.

It wasn’t a new beast yet.

But something was watching. Something that now knew his name.

The void was thick. A darkness so complete, so suffocating, it seemed to press against Kai’s skin like tar.

He stood in the center of it, barefoot, shirtless, and armed with only his twin daggers. His breaths came out in visible wisps despite the absence of cold. His heart thudded loud in the silence—except it wasn’t silent.

Something moved.

Something breathed.

Not far away.

Kai’s eyes snapped open as if waking again, this time in a deeper place. The darkness shifted—ripples forming in the inky nothingness.

Then came the voice.

"You are but a shadow cast by greater beasts... a flicker of potential, yet to earn its form."

A hulking shape peeled itself from the void ahead—a creature not bound by logic, with a body like a lion’s, a serpentine tail, and a wolf’s second head hanging from its shoulder like a parasite. Bone armor jutted from its limbs, and glowing tribal runes pulsed across its flanks. Its eyes—eight of them—burned with white flame.

"[Primal Beast – Halvyr of the Chain Maw]"Rank: ???Realm of Origin: Abyssal Echo

Kai gritted his teeth. "Figures. Can’t even hallucinate something reasonable."

The beast didn’t wait. With a roar that fractured the void, Halvyr lunged.

Kai dove to the side—Ghost Steps activating instinctively. He reappeared several meters away, immediately throwing two senbon infused with paralysis poison. They pierced the beast’s thick hide—

—but did nothing.

The wolf head barked, and shadows erupted outward in waves, distorting the air like heat mirage. Kai was thrown back, tumbling midair until he rolled to a crouch.

"Instinct won’t save you. You seek control over beasts, but cannot yet conquer the one inside you."

Kai’s eyes narrowed. "You’re not just a trial beast. You’re a reflection."

Halvyr grinned, both mouths wide. "Then face the truth, Tamer."

Chains shot from beneath its paws—black, jagged, and living. Kai activated Warding Veil just in time, a thin field of dark energy shimmering around him as the chains struck. The impact cracked the barrier but bought him time.

He drew a breath. Then reached inward—not to fight this thing alone.

"Veal!" he shouted into the darkness, not with voice, but through the bond. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

A pulse answered. Then—above him—wings cut through the void.

Windsight Falcon, Veal, burst from nothing, his sonic cry splitting the silence. The falcon dove straight at Halvyr, a streak of grey light. Sonic Dive slammed into the primal beast’s neck, staggering it slightly.

Kai vanished again, using Stealth and Ghost Steps in combination—reappearing behind the beast, twin daggers laced in venom, striking for the hind joint.

The blades bit.

The beast howled—and this time, it bled.

Kai landed and spun out, narrowly avoiding the tail swipe that shattered a chunk of void-space like glass.

Halvyr’s form pulsed, enraged. The runes along its body brightened.

"Enough games."

Suddenly, the darkness shifted. The void became a forest—dead, twisted trees, all scorched and screaming. The beast vanished.

Kai blinked. "An illusion?"

"No. A memory."

From behind, something laughed. Kai turned—only to see himself.

A perfect double, save for the glowing red eyes and cruel smirk.

"You think you’ve tamed your shadows?" the double whispered. "You are one."

It moved first—fast. Kai clashed blades with himself, the sound of dagger on dagger echoing like thunder.

Their movements mirrored each other too well.

Every dodge, every feint.

Kai growled. "I’m not afraid of what I was."

"You should be. You still are."

The double kicked him in the chest, sending him tumbling into a dying tree that burst into black ash.

Then something clicked.

This wasn’t just about strength.

It was about control. Dominance over one’s nature.

Kai exhaled, and instead of attacking, he dropped his blades.

The shadow-Kai froze, confused.

"I acknowledge you," Kai said. "I won’t run from you anymore. You’re not my weakness. You’re my origin."

The double wavered.

Then, smiled.

And stepped back into him.

A searing pain burst in Kai’s core—like ice and fire colliding inside his soul. His eyes glowed faintly purple-black for a moment, and then everything went still.

The void melted away.

❖ Back in the Cave ❖

Kai gasped and sat up with a jolt, eyes wide, sweat pouring down his face.

Corrin immediately dropped his guard and knelt beside him. "Finally! You’ve been out for like twenty damn minutes. I was about to stab that mask to see if it’d bring you back."

Kai blinked slowly, his breath steadying. "I passed the trial."

Corrin frowned. "Trial? You were laying there like a corpse. You sure you didn’t just trip and have a seizure?"

Kai smirked faintly. "Very funny."

Then he looked at the mask—now dulled and cracked. The chains of light had faded, and it looked... empty.

But something inside Kai had changed.

[You have passed the Primal Trial.]New Skill Gained: Primal InstinctTemporarily enter a state of heightened awareness, granting +40% speed, +30% evasion, and access to shadow-step dodging for 15 seconds.Cooldown: 6 minutes.

And more than that—he could feel the depth of himself more clearly now.

He hadn’t just fought a beast.

He’d fought his own becoming.

Kai stood slowly. His muscles ached, but his core felt more stable. Denser. The stored energy from the earlier beast core had finished syncing with his system.

Progress: 98% toward Mid-Great Core

Just a little more.

Corrin sighed and stood too. "So... what now? Deeper in?"

Kai’s smirk widened. "Yeah. I think we just found the first layer of something far bigger."

The passage at the back of the chamber pulsed again—awaiting them.