---
The outer gate of Shrek Academy stood tall and silent, an obsidian arch carved with the names of fallen spirit masters. Beyond it stretched the ever-smoking treetops of the Scorchwood Ridge, where the air shimmered with heat and beasts roamed free.
Kiyanotoka Ash stood before that gate with his hands in his pockets. The Trial Mission scroll fluttered behind him, pinned to a board with iron nails.
> Trial Mission: Wild Spirit Hunt
Zone: Scorchwood Ridge (Tier I)
Objective: Eliminate 3 wild spirit beasts, D-Rank minimum.
Requirement: Team of 4 Tamers.
Reward: 3 Beast Cores + Trial Ranking Points.
Note: Instructors will not intervene beyond this point.
Kiyanotoka wasn't nervous.
He was focused.
Behind him, students scrambled to form teams. Some were begging, others shouting over each other. The stronger ones banded together in elite cliques, ignoring the "leftovers." And yet, despite possessing an S-Rank spirit beast, no one approached Kiyanotoka.
He didn't mind. That was how he wanted it.
> They still think I'm weak because the scan said I had no skill.
He smirked slightly, remembering what only he could see:
> [ Skill Equipped: Tamer's Command – Level 1 ]
[ System Hidden. All skill data masked. ]
He had no intention of revealing it—not yet.
Just then, a voice cut through the noise.
> "You're Kiyanotoka, right?"
He turned to see Maya Jin, her silver-blue hair tied back, with a slim Spirit Fox by her side. Her eyes held a certain sharpness.
> "You're not teamed up yet?"
"No," Kiyanotoka replied.
"Good. I'm in."
Before he could answer, another figure stepped forward. Riku Kaen, all black-and-red with a permanent scowl, nodded once.
> "Your dragon. I want to see it fight up close."
Kiyanotoka blinked. "You're joining me?"
Riku simply shrugged.
Maya smiled. "You're the only one with leadership-type affinity left. And most of the loudmouths already grouped up."
Then came a gust of wind, followed by a sudden drop in temperature.
Kiyanotoka turned slowly—and there she was.
Fuyue Lin.
With her snow-white hair and eyes like frozen mirrors, she radiated presence. Her Ice Phoenix hovered behind her in silence, wings spread, eyes glowing with cold blue light.
> "I'll join your squad," she said without emotion.
"You're... sure?" Kiyanotoka asked carefully.
"I don't need to be sure," Fuyue said. "I need someone who doesn't panic."
---
🌲 Squad 7 Formed
Kiyanotoka Ash – S-Rank Fire Dragon (Thamuz)
Fuyue Lin – SS-Rank Ice Phoenix
Riku Kaen – B-Rank Crimson Panther
Maya Jin – C-Rank Spirit Fox
The four stood side by side as the final bell rang.
The trial had begun.
They stepped through the gate—and the air changed immediately.
---
🔥 Scorchwood Ridge – First Layer
The ground was dry, cracked. Trees leaned like skeletons. Smoke curled around the roots, and the sky above was a burnt orange even though it was morning. The scent of scorched bark lingered in the air.
> "My Spirit Fox senses three fast heat signatures ahead," Maya whispered. "Moving erratically. Probably apes."
"Let them approach," Kiyanotoka ordered.
He turned to each member of the team quickly.
> "Riku—flank left. Your panther's fast enough to circle. Maya, provide sound support. Fuyue, delay the rear beast with frost if they bunch up. Thamuz and I will bait the center."
No objections.
They moved.
Suddenly, three Firetail Apes burst from the foliage, roaring. Their ember-tipped tails flared with fire as they smashed their fists into the ground and leapt forward.
> "Thamuz—suppressing flame, now!"
The baby Fire Dragon roared and released a focused burst of fire at the central ape, stunning it. The beast stumbled, and Riku's panther tore into its flank from behind, claws flashing.
> "Rear target incoming!" Maya shouted.
Fuyue didn't hesitate—her Phoenix dived, releasing a wave of frost that froze the ape's tail mid-whip, throwing off its balance.
The final ape closed in on Maya.
> "Sound Dazzle!"
Her fox screamed, a piercing echo that disoriented the beast just long enough for Thamuz to hurl a burst of heat at its legs.
> "Now, strike!" Kiyanotoka ordered.
Riku finished the central ape with a clean strike. Fuyue's Phoenix slammed the second one into a tree with a gust of frozen air. Maya's fox circled the last one, distracting it while Thamuz delivered a final burst of flame to its chest.
The beasts collapsed.
---
✅ System Update
> [ Beast Kill Count: 3 – Cores Retrieved ]
[ System Task Complete: Lead successful coordination → +1 XP Fragment ]
[ Tamer's Command EXP: 12/100 ]
Kiyanotoka exhaled slowly.
No one was injured. The squad hadn't even argued once. The coordination was perfect.
> "Everyone okay?" he asked.
Riku nodded silently.
Maya gave a shaky thumbs-up. "This is the cleanest battle I've ever been in."
Fuyue studied Kiyanotoka quietly.
> "You knew exactly how we'd move," she said. "As if you'd seen our beasts fight before."
He smiled faintly. "Maybe I've just been observing more than you think."
Her eyes narrowed—but she didn't press further.
> Not yet.
---
🌋 Deeper Into the Ridge
"Most teams leave after their first kills," Maya said. "We've already qualified."
Kiyanotoka didn't answer. He stared into the dense smoke that hung beyond a curtain of blackened trees.
The system pinged again, quietly:
> [ Optional Challenge Unlocked: Enter Wild Zone – Layer 2 ]
Objective: Defeat B-Rank or higher boss.
Reward: Fire Crystal Shard (Beast Evolution Catalyst)
Warning: Area not monitored. Increased death risk.
He turned to the group.
> "There's more out there," he said. "You all came with me for a reason. If we stop now, we'll never grow."
Riku smirked. "Finally. Someone who thinks like me."
"I'm with you," Maya said, "but if I die, I'm haunting you."
Fuyue gave a small nod.
> "Fine. Let's see how far you can lead us, Kiyanotoka."
---
🪨 Scorchwood Ridge – Layer 2: Ember Vein Zone
They passed beyond the final row of trees into an open gorge. The ground glowed from within. Magma veins pulsed like fire beneath cracked obsidian stone. Heat shimmered in the air, warping their vision.
> "One massive signature," Maya said, voice tense. "Bigger than anything we've seen."
Suddenly, a roar split the sky.
A Molten Horned Lizard emerged from the ridge—at least B-Rank, its rocky scales pulsing with lava veins. Its breath scorched the dirt, and its horns glowed bright orange.
> "Back off," Maya started.
> "No," Kiyanotoka said. "We take it down."
He analyzed the terrain.
> "Thamuz and I will bait it. Fuyue, freeze the tail. Riku—go for the back knee once it rears up. Maya, use your fox's screech to stun after every hit."
No hesitation this time.
---
🔥 Boss Battle
Thamuz rushed in with fire spiraling around him, releasing bursts to draw the lizard's aggro. The creature swung its tail, but Fuyue's Ice Phoenix froze the joint mid-motion.
The lizard stumbled—and Riku dashed beneath, slicing at the exposed knee with precision.
> "Dazzle—now!" Maya called. Her fox's scream shook the gorge.
Kiyanotoka moved in, launching Ignition Pulse from Thamuz's chest—a direct hit to the beast's throat.
The Molten Lizard let out a dying shriek before collapsing into the earth, steam pouring from its nostrils.
---
🔥 System Ping
> [ Wild Boss Defeated: B-Rank – Molten Horned Lizard ]
[ Reward: Fire Crystal Shard Acquired ]
[ Beast Evolution Path Unlocked: Tier 1 ]
[ Tamer's Command – Level Up → Lv.2 ]
Kiyanotoka felt it.
A subtle pulse within his body. Power. Potential. Like something ancient stirring beneath his skin.
Thamuz looked up at him—eyes brighter than ever.
They were evolving.
---
📘 End of Chapter 5