In a silent room, a small stream of blood slowly makes its way toward the feet of a girl. The girl was sitting on the ground with her face buried in her thighs.
Beep! Beep!
A voice rang in her ears. She slowly lifts her head to check its source. A notification appears on her system window. There was a message from someone. She clicks the system window to confirm its content.
Click
====
"Come! Let me see if you are a real tiger or a paper tiger. "
-Tejasv
====
She smiles after reading the message. It was a reply she waited eagerly, but she never expected it to arrive so soon.
She is Catherine Hills, who requested Tejasv to consider her a subordinate.
A pop-up window appears on her screen.
====
Would you like to proceed to the destination now?
-Yes / -No
====
Two options appear on the screen with a question, she already had the answer in her mind. However, she did not press any option's at this point.
She was a veteran in the acting industry and was familiar with negotiating tricks. She knew how to manipulate the situation in her favor.
She didn't respond to that message to cover her desperation. Catherine always negotiates when she is at the top of her game. For now, she was unstable emotionally and mentally.
Catherine waits and prepares herself thoroughly. First of all, she cleans her house and buries her family. She looks around the antique shop for useful objects. Because she can convert anything into a weapon, her choice of objects will somehow determine her fate.
She packs a small bag for potential weapons and two big bags for clothes and other stuff. After five hours, she was prepared to leave. She prays before her family's grave and clicks the system screen.
A portal appears before her. She takes a deep breath and takes her first step after a lot of hesitation. It was clear that this step would decide her future in this apocalyptic world.
--
Catherine emerges into a dark room from the portal. As soon as she entered the room, the portal closed, frightening her. Suddenly, the light from the portal faded out, and she was all alone in the dark room. It took a while for her to adjust to that darkness.
She draws a knife from the weapons she brought and turns around the room to find someone. The room was empty, with not even an insect. Somehow the room was familiar to her, but she couldn't remember where she had seen this room before.
Slowly, she entered the room. There was a double bed and a couch. She noticed a big picture frame on the wall in the room. She tries to focus and observes three people in that picture. Two adults and one teenager.
The male adult was a muscular man with a big smile, and the lady's beauty could be seen in the picture as well. The teenager, to be specific, was not muscular nor particularly handsome. In comparison to others, he struck differently.
Catherine understood that this frame belongs to the family to whom this house belongs. She was amazed to see the bright smile of the family captured in the picture. In that dark room, their smile was like a small hope of light.
The boy and the man both resemble the person Catherine came to visit. The boy is an image of his past, and the man represents his future. She figured that the picture must be seven or eight years old.
From the picture, she could only guess the pain he must have felt during the death of his mother.
She brushes the picture while thinking of her family, and suddenly, she notices a small ray of light entering the room.
As she moves toward the light source, she enters a medium-sized hall with the same darkness. The hall connects to the kitchen, bathroom, and two more rooms. The light was only coming from one room.
As she slowly makes her way into the room, the bright light forces her to close her eyes. It took her some time to adjust to this room. She rolled her eyes as she surveyed the entire room. A bed, an almirah, a study table, and the next object locked her gaze.
A man was dozing while sitting on a chair. He had average features, black hair, and a common face. Catherine recognized this man from his fighting videos, and she remembers the first room as well.
Because of his tenacity, many people dubbed him "The Reaper". However, this man was in a vulnerable state in front of Catherine.
She slowly approaches the man, taking small steps and avoiding any noise. Now she was standing close to the man. His helpless state caused her to relax and loosen her grip on the knife.
She lifts her hand to touch the man next to her. The moment her fingers were a few centimeters away, the man opened his eyes. She was shocked and taken aback.
Before she could say anything, the man lifted her and slammed her body against the wall.
The impact didn't damage her organs, but she lost her balance for a while. When she opened her eyes, the man was standing very close to her, grabbing her with one arm and pointing an ax at her neck with the other arm.
She was gasping and breathing heavily due to the pressure the man was giving. He had the features of a common man, but his black, fierce eyes were piercing Catherine. His demeanor was stronger than the monsters she faced.
He speaks in a manly and intense tone.
"You're not as fierce or as feral as your message, you're still mild."
Catherine glares at the man after hearing his comment.
"Well, your eyes have a fire at least."
He smirks while speaking to Catherine, and slowly releases her from his grasp.
"But you're late. I sent your invitation few hours ago . I assume you're not punctual; hmm... it must be a habit."
Cough cough
Catherine clears her throat because of choking, and she answers him,
"Do you even know who I am?
I was late because of preparations I had to do beforehand. "
He scoffs at her while glancing at her number of bags.
"Are you out for a vacation?
Then you should have chosen a different tourist spot. My house has nothing to show."
Catherine was irritated with the remarks and stopped entertaining the man.
The man notices that she is not getting involved in any argument and sits in his chair.
"How about we introduce ourselves?
I'm Tejasv, and you can make yourself comfortable anywhere you like. "
"I'm Catherine Hills," she replied in a proud tone in the hope of getting a fan reaction.
"Your name... Have I met you before ?
... I have heard this name somewhere. I'm not sure where," Tejasv says, rubbing his chin.
"Huh! You don't know me. Do you live in the Stone Age?
Don't tell me you're a social outcast," Catherine exclaimed.
Yet Tejasv couldn't recognize her. She was surprised by his lack of knowledge about movies. She didn't bother explaining, as it's a troublesome task to teach a dumbo.
"How about we negotiate the terms of our contract?" she asks him in a firm tone.
Tejasv starts laughing and answers,
"What terms?
This is not a company. You either become my subordinate or go back. "
After hearing Tejasv's answer, she came back to the reality of this world. She forgot for a moment that this world is chaotic, and she came to him for help to survive in the future.
She learned that negotiations are no longer relevant, but there are some terms she wants to mention beforehand.
"Even though I will be your subordinate, that does not mean I'll listen to every order without questions.
My position will be that of a free person, and our relationship will be only work-related."
Tejasv smiles at her demands and accepts them with open arms.
They come to terms with each other, and this marks their first step of coordination.
Tejasv gets his first subordinate, and for the next one, he waits for a reply.....
Tejasv agreed to all of Catherine's terms when she asked him to accept her under his leadership.Now they were present in the same room, but the atmosphere was awkward. No one knew what to say anymore. How to start a conversation?It was awkward for Catherine to be present with someone who had never heard her name. She was the most famous person in the world just a few days ago, and many people would stand in lines to get a glimpse of her.Tejasv, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned about what was going on in the world and spent his days in this house. Even right now, he is sitting on his chair with the demeanor of a king. He is not even glancing at the beautiful woman in front of him.Meanwhile, Tejasv was in the same awkward position as Catherine. He had never talked to a friend or colleague for many years, so he never expected to initiate conversations. He didn't even know what topic to begin the small talk.Now that chaos has descended on this world, the only topic to discuss is
The golden sun rays stream through the window, falling on Catherine, announcing the arrival of the sun. She slowly opens her eyes to adjust her vision to the bright light. She awakens and yawns while stretching her body. Catherine couldn't recognize the room in which she woke. She rubs her eyes, still staring at her unfamiliar surroundings. The ceiling, bed, and each corner of the room looked different to her. The family photo on the wall opened her eyes to the reality she faced these days. She remembered the appearance of monsters, the death of her parents, and arriving at this house to get help from Tejasv. She forgot all the stress after spending a whole night sleeping. She looked around for a clock. On the right wall, there was one showing eight in the morning. She recalls being a famous actress, a servant bringing her juice, and another preparing her shower. But now she is alone in this unknown house with an unfamiliar man. As she steps onto the floor, Catherine realizes she
This new announcement caused a stir around the world. The appearance of monsters was already a matter of distress, but now they have to deal with dungeons. The majority of teenagers already knew this word, but no one expected to venture into it. Other age groups of people had no idea what a dungeon was. Similarly, Tejasv and Catherine faced the same situation. Amid a monster siege event, Tejasv was conflicted about how to proceed. However, dungeons created uncertainty and spoil his plans. Dungeons can provide them with benefits and time, but this also implies that monster siege event will be more terrible than before. They sat together to discuss it again. Click! Tejasv clicks the new dungeon column added to the system window. ==== >[Dungeon] ==== [Dungeons will open a wide horizon for humans.] [For entertainment purposes, humans often create these fantasy dungeons for different digital media. These dungeons will be the same.] [It won't be revealed what is inside the dunge
At dusk: the apparent descent of the sun, a yellowish color fades into the night, and a chill spreads throughout the world.At this time, somewhere in the back alley of City Arin, a muscular man with black hair was standing in a pool of blood and flesh. Blood was flowing like a stream on the floor.He was about six feet tall, and his nerves bulged out from his thick, beefy muscles. A deep scar runs from his forehead to his right cheek, passing through his right eye. His eyes were red like an aggressive beast.Five to six ruined human corpses were lying in front of him. A few steps away, another man with bruises all over his face, was begging on his knees. It was evident from his condition that someone had tortured him severely."Ple-please! Please spare me!I didn't do anything; they did everything. I...I was not involved in this. "The muscular man slowly approached him, stepping on the corpses, splashing blood with each step. He glares at the begging man, and snorts before speaking
Until now, they were engaged in a fight based on their physical strength, making it difficult to determine the winner.Both Tejasv and the stranger backed off to take a breather. They were evaluating their opponent's hidden strength and predicting their next move.Since their physical strength was almost similar, only skills were left to determine the outcome. No one knew about the skills possessed by the other person, so they were hesitant to approach first.The stranger smiled the entire time as Tejasv peered into him to check his condition. There was not even a wrinkle on his forehead in response to the battle against Tejasv.He was thoroughly enjoying this whole situation.Tejasv firmly grips his ax and lunges toward the man. He swings his ax to split the man in half. However, the man clenches his fist and counters the attack head-on.Clang!A loud sound resonated as if two iron rods were striking each other. The collision threw them away with a backlash. This time, his fist was s
"Argh!"That man wakes up and slowly regains his vision. His body was sore, and his head was bursting with pain."That Bastard!... He sure did a number on my head. "When he tries to feel the rest of his body, he discovers himself tied with a rope. He grits his teeth and forces his way through the resistance.He surveys the room, which somehow feels familiar to him. He could notice some minor changes here and there.A voice suddenly came from behind, alerting him of their presence."So you're impatient as always. You broke the rope as soon as you woke up."The man turned around and grinned, noticing Tejasv behind him. Suddenly, Tejasv and that man start laughing at each other.Catherine was observing them from the hall. She was confused at their wild behavior as they laughed hysterically.That man approaches Tejasv while laughing, and Tejasv raises his hands to greet him. Instead of greeting, the man gives a hard punch to his abdomen. Tejasv coughs and drops to his knees, holding his
The soft and tender light of the dawn breaks around 5 in the morning. The sun peeps out, half-hidden behind the clump of clouds.The dew on the grass gives the impression of liquid pearls, scattered with the green hands of bounteous nature.Walking sounds reverberate in the peaceful atmosphere of City Arin. A group of three people wearing armor, each with fierce eyes, departs for their destination.Not even a bit of hesitation or fear could be heard in their steps or seen in their firm resolve. They were out for a battle, which may affect this group's future.The young man in the middle resembled the leader, grabbing two axes in each hand. A beautiful woman was walking to his right, wearing a Katana on the left side of her waist.A muscular man with an aggressive nature joins him on his left, with knuckles in each hand.Today they were on a mission to raid a dungeon. Although many had encountered monsters before, this was the first time the world may manifest a dungeon.They have no i
Immediately after the dungeon appeared, the crazed mob clashed within.They were killing each other as if some demon plagued their minds. For hunting, those in groups surround single individuals, like hyena packs.Ordinary people, who previously worked in everyday jobs, faced misfortune. Anyone with even a shred of sympathy left in their heart couldn't survive this hardship.The thugs were in ecstasy, soaking the ground in crimson blood. Humanity appeared to have vanished from the earth in this scene.The only ones to dominate were self-centered or opportunists, either with their strength or by riding another boat."Today, no one can stop me. There's no cop or any righteous idealist. I'm the king here!" sneered the fatty thug as he split apart the powerless. "My brothers enjoy the feast, ha-ha-ha. "His underlings had a sinister grin as they robbed others of their lives.Fatty snickers as they slaughter. His schadenfreude was at its peak while watching their adversity. The blood splat
Tejasv and Daemon both had aloof and nonchalant expressions on their faces as if nothing of concern happened in those few fractions of seconds when some arrows took out those fearsome monsters with ease.Noticing the piercing gazes of the robed duo, Tejasv waved his hands to them smoothly with a soft yet incomprehensible smile. He steps forward towards the duo with his arms relaxed, to drop the tensions in the ambience.The robed duo unaware of the situation cautiously took a stance and firmly fixed their weapons to strike back if necessary to which Tejasv didn't respond either positively or rebelled. He knew his team may seem suspicious to an outsider in such a bloody and ruthless world.On the other hand, Tejasv considered the behaviour and comeback of the duo normal and even better than some blinded people, who would regard others as a saviour after only first glance. To be prepared and counter, these are the basics to survive in most circumstances.Tejasv reigned his steps a few
The robed duo kept an eye on Tejasv to see which direction he was pointing at the snipers. They had their eyes widening at Tejasv’s figure, who was standing still and peering at the robed duo themselves.His eyes weren’t wavering or watching somewhere else, as if his men were around everywhere, prepared to trample them at any moment. The robed duo were shocked by what was happening in front of them.When the robed duo couldn't notice any changes in the area and no one came out from anywhere, they began to be perplexed, and their inner turmoil heightened even more as the seconds passed.Suddenly, when the robed duo rolled their eyes to scrutinise their surroundings, they noticed two silhouettes walking toward them from afar. For starters, they mistook those two for members of another party rather than Tejasv and Daemon's snipers.The only reason for that could be the number of people approaching them and the distance they were from them. It was difficult for the robed duo to imagine th
Tejasv, after a momentary contemplation in his head, blurted out while scrutinising the robed duo. He said, "What is it, now, about that strange behaviour of the spider?"The robed duo stood silently and shook their heads without any word from their mouth. The one with the manly voice stepped up and conversed, "Not here!" He hinted about the surroundings and resumed, "This place is too open for us to talk about anything!"Tejasv’s eyes widen, and a taunting smirk gradually creeps onto his face. He realised the robed duo were wary of the snipers, whom they presumed to be guarding the safety of Tejasv and Daemon from somewhere hidden around the area.Tejasv, on the other hand, remained silent and only glanced at Daemon; both of them understood the robed duo's intentions and concerns. Because Tejasv and Daemon might kill both of the robed men once they have the information they require, they wanted to relocate to a safe and well-known location.Aside from these concerns, Tejasv also saw t
In the end, Daemon finally ended the misery of the spider with his wild and broad muscles. He gradually stood back on his feet and relaxed his breathing while calming his drained state from this sudden, extensive labour.Then he looked to the front and saw Tejasv standing there with a slight distance and a wide gaze fixed on him. Tejasv was peering at him, while the former responded similarly and paused in those moments.Tejasv even had his eyes slightly wet from the last state he remembered Daemon lying before him. He appeared to be dying at any moment because the spider was about to go into a complete frenzy to eliminate him.However, his friend appeared in front of him after counter-eliminating the monster in a frenzy for him. Daemon also had similar feelings leaking from his eyes because he knew what he experienced, and Tejasv just saved him in the nick of time.Both had enough to say, but not even a word was coming out of their mouths. Tejasv and Daemon both nod and step towards
As the battle between Tejasv and the spider continued with Salina’s backing of arrows, the pressure on the monster intensified from the number game played by Team Tejasv with their vigorous strength.Gradually, Tejasv and Salina’s attacks withered the exoskeleton of the spider. It even fell to the floor with no chance to retaliate against those two. When the spider realises it has no choice but to overthrow this situation, it lashes out in a frenzy.The spider swings the rest of its limbs with ferocity and abruptness while thrashing them all over. Its intentions were clear: to land some heavy blows on Tejasv since it had no other plan but to dash away from this situation.Another cause behind such trancelike behaviour could be defending itself from the incoming barrage of arrows. The spider must have thought that by moving around in unpredictable ways, it could avoid the arrows and prevent the archer from marking the spider.However, the spider had no clue about the skill of the arche
Tejasv and Salina had a short conversation when Salina enhanced her skill to a better one, which was able to use the features of both [search] and [chaser strike].That was the moment to mechanise the way Salina may use the skill, which should handle the use of this skill more appropriately and better than Sally. As a result, Tejasv and Salina talked things out, and Tejasv then suggested a method to her, which elevated her talent as a sniper to new heights.Tejasv suggested to Salina that she may aim for a target and mark him with her skills. Then he asked her to act differently than Sally. Tejasv instructed her to strike her arrow in a different direction rather than releasing it to the target she had targeted with her skills.Because her ability would direct and hover the arrow on its own, it will take a curve and strike the target with a different path after releasing the arrow. Even if someone tried to find the location of Salina, these events would lead to a different origin poin
As the spider began to repeatedly attack Tejasv, Catherine and Salina were rather a in relief since Daemon was now out of danger for a few moments, but when they realised Tejasv had no weapons in his arms, they were frightened.Whether the spider was in his straight head or not, its attacks were enough to paste a human with a single blow on the right mark. Tejasv was in definite danger because he had nothing to fend off the strikes of the spider.Not only that the spider was somewhat in a hurry to end Tejasv, and because of these reasons, it used every ounce of strength within him to stomp him on the floor when facing no resistance from him.The spider gradually realised that Tejasv had nothing with him that could threaten or halt its aggression toward him; therefore, the spider was now on a killing spree for Tejasv. It cackled in rage and resumed attacking Tejasv.However here, Catherine, and Salina, along with the robed men, could see Tejasv wisely moving in Daemon's opposite direct
Salina, when she got a permit from Catherine, aimed for the spider’s front legs since its head and the rest of its body was covered by a tough armoured exoskeleton. She intended to put an end to the spider's frenzy of pursuing Daemon.She shot another arrow for the next limb of the spider as soon as she marked it and invoked her skill while releasing the arrow to definitely stop it in that position and give Tejasv more time in that strenuous task.When those arrows struck the spider, it became stuck in that position because two of its limbs, which had previously allowed it to crawl toward the Daemon, were rendered useless by the arrows, which appeared out of nowhere and attached to the floor.Tejasv sighed with relief and smirked slightly. He was drenched in sweat from the intense and laborious task he had taken over. He had to pull a monster whose mouth had been salivating over a certain target.Tejasv tensed every muscle in his body in an attempt to stop the spider from moving any f
The agitated and perplexed ones were not only team Tejasv but also the robed duo. Though they had no dismay for the spider’s strange actions, they had more concern for Tejasv and his companion, Daemon, who was in a hopeless state.When Dameon fell and faced a sudden attack from the spider, they lost all hope of him surviving, regardless of whether Tejasv intervened or someone else struck the spider, because the monster was intent on eating Daemon whether anyone approached him or not.When they least expected it, Tejasv not only disturbed the spider’s balance but also leapt before it to rescue his friend from the spider’s clutches. Tejasv threw Daemon back and stood in his position in these circumstances.Anyone with such a trained body and mind could assess the situation and its severity. The robed duo agreed that the spider's fangs on Daemon would inevitably bite Tejasv instead and that Tejasv could've known about it before jumbling into the fray.Even then, Tejasv leapt to rescue hi