Inside the wooden shack, the students could hear the low growls of beasts echoing through the forest. Some of them were unnervingly close.
"We should check it out," Preza said, her eyes narrowing. Lestern nodded in agreement, and the two stepped cautiously outside.
As soon as they emerged, a massive lion appeared, crouched and ready to strike. It had been waiting for prey to leave their comfort zone.
The lion leaped into the air, its claws aimed to slice them to pieces.
"Now!" Preza shouted, slamming her hands into the ground. "Ice Domain!"
The earth beneath the lion froze instantly, trapping its claws in the ice. The beast roared, thrashing helplessly, but it was far from over.
Lestern didn't hesitate. With a swift motion, he summoned a sharp ice blade and decapitated the lion before it could recover.
The sudden shift in the environment, however, caught the attention of other nearby beasts. From the trees, four tigers emerged, stalking the pair with predatory precision.
"This is bad… really bad," Preza muttered, stepping back.
Lestern quickly tried to knock the tigers off balance with a water spell, but the attack barely disrupted them. It was clear they needed something drastic if they wanted to survive.
"Alright," Lestern said, his eyes focused. He summoned a violently shaking wind scythe, its sharp edges whirling with destructive force.
At the same time, Preza charged a powerful water laser, shimmering with raw magical energy.
Together, they unleashed their attacks in perfect sync. The wind scythe and water laser merged into a Violently Shaking Water Laser, slicing through the tigers with deadly precision. In an instant, all four beasts were gone, their heads severed before they could even react.
Preza and Lestern exhaled, scanning the forest. The danger had passed—for now—but the fight had reminded them just how ruthless these beasts could be.