Perils Of Shunri Paradise

The news sent a wave of excitement through the students, their imaginations alight with visions of Shunri Paradise, a realm of wonder and danger that they had only ever experienced through simulations and stories.

"I'm going to be the first in our year to take down an Evo," boasted one student, his chest puffed out with pride.

His claim was met with laughter and playful jeers, the competitive spirit among them igniting at the prospect.

"Sure, and I'll tame a beast to ride back into class," quipped another, her sarcasm drawing a round of laughter.

The humor, light-hearted and filled with the bravado of youth, masked the underlying tension and excitement that the announcement had sparked.

The anticipation for Friday grew with each passing day, discussions about the expedition filling the halls and classrooms. They speculated on the creatures that they might encounter, the landscapes that they would see, and the adventures that awaited them.

"OMG Liora, you already have an Assimilated Evo transformation?" After classes, a bunch of girls huddled around Liora as usual.

She whipped her beautiful blonde hair sideways with pride before responding, "My father, Leonard Hastings made sure I consumed some of the rarest Evo meat on the planet," She mentioned her father's full name like everyone wasn't aware he owned one of the largest Evo based company in the world.

In that age, Evos' carcasses could be made into so many things ranging from jewellery to wear. They were usually very expensive, so only the rich were capable of affording them. This was also why Hastings Industries was amongst the top businesses in the world.

While the girls fawned over Liora, a couple of students were gathered around an athletically built student with jet-black hair that contrasted starkly with his piercing green eyes.

"Julian, you already have an Evo weapon? That's crazy?!"

"Looks like we can look forward to your protection,"

They fawned over Julian the only heir to the Eatricial Tech, which was amongst the top twenty in the whole world.

It wasn't like the other students weren't also from rich homes, but compared to Julian and Liora, they were like church rats. In Sacred Heights, Julian and Liora were like celebrities amongst celebrities.

There was one more in class three who came from a family just as rich but compared to the other two, she wasn't a fan of the fawning and praises so she would usually scare people away with her unapproachable facial expression.

"Good day, Miss Bennett... Atrixus has been marked absent in the last three days. Has there been any word?"

A purple-haired girl with a chilly expression walked into their homeroom teacher's office with a question on her lips.

Despite her unapproachable expression, she was the epitome of surreal beauty. Her face was so wonderfully sculptured that it warranted the attention of people. The well-rounded busts pushing against the fabric of her uniform betrayed her petite figure, and her curvy rear highlighted the rims of her flair skirt.

"Oh, Grace, it's you... erm, why are you concerned about a slum dweller?" Miss Benett, a young woman with an oblong face and short black hair, replied.

"I am the captain of the class. It is my duty to be concerned when a student is absent," Grace responded with a straight gaze, causing Miss Bennett's face to distort in intimidation.

"Yes, yes, erm... Sorry. We haven't heard any news... for all we know, he must have quit," She coughed twice to clear her throat while responding.

"Isn't it the school's policy to send a welfare team to visit a student after three days of absence with no form of contact?" Grace inquired.

"We couldn't possibly..." Miss Bennett swallowed her words, which had initially attempted to highlight Atrixus's slum dweller status, after seeing Grace's expression.

"Um, yes, I will inform the board so preparations can be made," She didn't want to risk earning the ire of the daughter of Mystic Springs faction.

Grace nodded gracefully and turned around to leave.

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In the heart of Shunri Paradise, Atrixus Timothy found himself a silent witness to the savage ballet of nature. Concealed behind an oddly shaped tree, its trunk spiraling into the air like a frozen whirlwind, he watched with bated breath as two Evos engaged in a ferocious duel.

The first Evo, a towering uncommon Thunderscale, bore a hide that crackled with electric energy. Each scale on its body was a conductor, shimmering with arcs of lightning that danced across its form.

Its eyes, which bore deep wells of sparking fury, locked onto its opponent with unbridled rage.

With every thunderous roar, it unleashed torrents of electricity, turning the air around it into a tempest of destruction.

Opposing Thunderscale was the Flamecrest, a beast whose very breath could ignite the air. Its scales glowed with the hues of molten lava, and from its maw, spewed forth infernos capable of turning stone to ash.

Its body moved with devastating power, weaving through the electrical storms with agile dexterity.

The battle between them was a spectacle of elemental fury. Lightning met fire in explosive collisions, each impact ripping holes through trees and lighting up the surrounding vegetation.

The forest around them bore the scars of their conflict.

Atrixus, despite the danger, couldn't tear his gaze away. "This is like watching the world's most lethal fireworks display... only ten times more powerful," he thought.

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The sight of the majestic creatures, locked in a dance of death, was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

Atrixus could see that their health bars were nearly on the same level, so it was hard to tell who would come out victorious.

However, as the battle raged on, the Thunderscale gained the upper hand. With a strategic burst of lightning, it managed to stun Flamecrest, leaving it vulnerable and momentarily paralyzed.

In a flash, Thunderscale closed the distance, its jaws clamping down on its adversary's neck in a final, fatal strike. The sound of crushing bone echoed through the forest, marking the end of the gruesome duel.

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Seeing the health bar completely depleted, Atrixus knew that was his cue to leave.

The victor seemed too preoccupied with its triumph to notice his quiet departure. Or so he thought.

In his attempt to sneak away, his foot found a small branch, the crunch of it breaking under his weight, shattering the silence like a gunshot.

The victorious Thunderscale's head whipped around, its eyes locking onto Atrixus with a predatory glare. Despite its injuries, the Evo's survival instincts kicked in, and it began to give chase.

Atrixus's heart leapt into his throat. "Oh, great, a branch will be the cause of my death!" he cursed under his breath, panic lending speed to his legs.

The humour of the situation was not lost on him, even as he sprinted for his life. "This is what I get for wanting front-row seats to a nature documentary gone wrong!"

As he ran, dodging between trees and leaping over fallen debris, Atrixus couldn't help but marvel at the absurdity of his predicament.

He felt like Shunri Paradise was always trying to kill him.

The other day, he wandered into an encirclement of giant bee-like Evos but fortunately managed to escape, and a day before that, he stumbled upon a glowing silver Evo that resembled a kitten. It was as tiny as a baby's palm. However, when he tried to pet it, he nearly lost his hand.

Shunri Paradise was fraught with a lot of unexpected dangers to the point where something even as tiny as a bug could kill a cow-sized being.

He had heard about the dangers and had a lot of knowledge of Shunri Paradise, but experiencing it was a whole different case.

The sounds of Thunderscale's pursuit were a constant reminder of the danger at his heels.

The chase was a blur of fear and adrenaline with the forest offering both refuge and peril. With each glance back, Atrixus saw Thunderscale Evo, a visage of wrath and lightning, relentless in its pursuit.

'Will I be able to outrun this?' Atrixus doubted even though he had already climbed to level ten in the last couple of days he had spent within Shunri Paradise.

Some inescapable situations had led him to kill a few Evos along the way, which had brought him to level ten. But even at that, he wasn't sure he could outrun a wounded uncommon Evo.

The air was charged with the beast's fury, the scent of ozone mingling with the unfamiliar aroma of the forest. Atrixus's lungs burned with exertion, each breath a painful reminder of his mortal limits. It was in this moment of despair that inspiration struck, a plan forged in the crucible of necessity.

Spotting a massive rock formation jutting from the ground like the spine of some fallen giant, Atrixus altered his course.

He sought refuge behind the monolith, his heart pounding in his chest as he pressed himself against the cold stone.

The uncommon Thunderscale Evo slowed its assault while its electric eyes scanned the surroundings with a predator's precision. The air around it crackled with electricity, a manifestation of its frustration as it sought the quarry that had momentarily slipped its grasp.

Atrixus had climbed onto the rock at that point since it was synonymous with his plan.

From his vantage point atop the rock, Atrixus watched, his breath held in suspense.

The Evo's injuries, marks of their earlier encounter, were glaring vulnerabilities amidst its fearsome form. It was to these wounds that Atrixus's plan was inexorably drawn, a strategy that married desperation with the sliver of hope that had burgeoned within him.

With the creature's attention momentarily diverted, Atrixus made his move.

Activating the Fiery Drill, he felt the familiar surge of power as his arm transformed, the darkened limb igniting with a blaze that outshone the sun-dappled forest.

Fwhoomsh~

Leaping from the rock, Atrixus descended upon the Thunderscale Evo like vengeance made flesh.