Aaditya remained hidden for hours, his breath shallow, his muscles aching from staying still. Vajira Sher had almost killed him, and he wasn't going to take any chances. The massive creature had finally moved away, but Aaditya still didn't dare to move immediately. His survival instincts told him to wait. And so, he did—sixteen, then seventeen hours passed before he finally gathered the courage to stand.
The landscape before him was vast and unwelcoming. Aaditya had no sense of direction, no idea where to go. All he could do was keep moving. His body ached with exhaustion, but he pushed forward, hoping to find something—anything—that could help him survive.
After many hours of wandering, something caught his eye.
A structure stood in the distance, its metallic walls reflecting the dim light of the sky. It was unlike anything he had expected to find. He hadn't even known that humans lived on this planet. How was this possible?
Aaditya hesitated. This was too strange. He hadn't been searching for a settlement—he had just been wandering, trying to stay alive. Was this really a human shelter? Or was it something else entirely?
With cautious steps, he approached. As he neared the entrance, he saw people moving about inside. Humans.
Relief washed over him—until he noticed their expressions. They were staring at him, whispering amongst themselves.
"Who is he?" someone murmured.
"I've never seen him before," another said.
Aaditya's heart pounded. These people weren't expecting anyone new.
One of them finally stepped forward, an older man with sharp eyes. "How did you get here?" he asked, his voice calm but firm.
"I… I don't know," Aaditya admitted. "I was just trying to survive. I didn't even know there were humans here."
The murmurs grew louder. Aaditya could see the confusion on their faces. He didn't understand why they were so surprised—until the old man spoke again.
"No one arrives here by accident," he said. "If you knew about this place, you should have teleported directly inside. But you appeared outside. That means…"
He paused, his eyes narrowing. The others seemed to realize something as well.
"You weren't supposed to find out that humans exist here… or that this planet allows us to level up."