The Rising Storm

Looking at her, Aryan shook his head. "Shruti, you don't understand. The cost of these dishes is very high. Although you offered to pay for us, you must also think about your future. You can't waste your entire earnings here."

A few of the friends who had been dancing earlier came over. One of the girls among them said, "Yes, Shruti, Aryan doesn't mean any harm. He's just looking out for you. We all are. We decided together not to burden you."

One of the boys pointed at Sanjay and said, "You! Don't you have any shame? Is this how you repay your benefactor? She invited all of us and wanted to treat us with her hard-earned money. Don't you know how to behave?"

Sanjay was about to say something but stopped himself. He wanted to see how much more drama would unfold. Sometimes, when you're the predator and a rabbit dances in front of you, you just let it dance—it's too small to bother eating. By now, he had already realized these were his classmates, and this girl was Shruti, the one who had called him earlier. But why hadn't he seen her at school during the week he went back after the theory exams?

"Enough!" Shruti shouted.

The outburst didn't faze Sanjay, but Shruti's mood worsened. From her expression, it was clear that she felt insulted—not Sanjay.

Seeing Shruti's sour mood, Aryan immediately tried to diffuse the situation. "But if you think about it, this could be a good thing. Looking at all these dishes, it seems like Sanjay ordered them for all of us. Maybe he saw us dancing, felt hungry, and decided to order. I've heard the seafood here is amazing. I'm already exhausted—let's start eating first."

Another girl chimed in, "Yes, that must be it. I lost track of time while dancing. It's already so late. Let's eat—I'm starving." She glanced at Shruti as she spoke.

Shruti's expression softened slightly. Seeing her calm down, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, let's eat first, then," Shruti said, trying to steady herself as her master had taught her. She realized the bill would likely be exorbitant, but with her first paycheck, it should be more than enough to cover the cost. However, she also needed to save money to buy items for climbing the tower.

"Waiter, please add more tables here and serve the food," Aryan said.

The waiter relaxed at this. It was a relief the group had resolved their issue. After all, he was just a simple waiter, and the total cost of this meal was more than his yearly salary—especially with the whiskey.

Throughout this, Sanjay remained silent. What was this situation, even? All he had wanted was to eat alone. Couldn't he just enjoy his food in peace? What had he done wrong? Was his only fault adhering to the military special forces' teachings of "talk less, do more, and stop whining like cowards"? It wasn't easy to undo habits deeply ingrained in his bones.

Sanjay hadn't noticed that while he was lost in thought, everyone was staring at him. Seeing his somber expression, they all assumed he was feeling remorse. "Good for him," they collectively thought.

Soon, the waiter arranged everything, and everyone sat down to eat. Sanjay, however, had no appetite. He wanted to taste everything, but none of his so-called friends were passing him the dishes. Only the chicken dish was within reach. Seeing this, he decided that once he returned to his room, he would call room service and order every dish again. He should've done that from the start.

Noticing that Sanjay was being left out, Shruti tried to initiate a conversation. "So, Sanjay, what rank did you get?" she asked, breaking the awkward silence.

Hearing this, everyone turned to look at him.

"C-rank," Sanjay replied in a nonchalant voice.

Hearing this, there was a gasp in the room. It wasn't easy to get a C rank. Everyone in their class had achieved at least a C rank. When everyone had reported their ranks in the group chat and noticed Sanjay hadn't shared his, they assumed he had gotten a low rank and was too ashamed to admit it.

Shruti, now in a cheerful mood, said, "You got a C rank? That's great!"

Seeing her so happy, Sanjay felt a flicker of hope. Perhaps his predecessor had at least one real friend.

"So what? Look at Shruti and Aryan—they both got A ranks! Shruti even signed a contract with the Phoenix Guild," one of Aryan's lackeys said, redirecting everyone's attention to the two of them.

A girl from the group chimed in, "Yes, Shruti and Aryan are our pride! From our entire batch, only these two achieved A ranks."

The conversation quickly shifted, with everyone praising Shruti and Aryan, celebrating their achievements, and discussing how powerful they were destined to become.

Meanwhile, Sanjay's thoughts were elsewhere. If Aryan was an A rank, why hadn't he been recruited by the top guilds? Something didn't add up. As for the Phoenix Guild, Sanjay had heard about it. It was one of the five top guilds in Asia.

A few minutes later, the dinner finally ended, and the farewell party wrapped up. Everyone was buzzing with energy, talking about when they would meet again. Some even returned to the dance floor to show off their moves once more.

Sanjay left the restaurant quietly, unnoticed by the group. Even if they had noticed, they wouldn't have stopped him. The only person who might have tried to talk to him was Shruti, but she was busy chatting with her friends and didn't see him leave.

The group only realized Sanjay was missing when the bill arrived. It was five hundred thousand dollars. Even Shruti, with her substantial paycheck, felt a pinch in her pocket.

It was midnight.

[Congratulations, City Hunter, for achieving the first-ever SSS rank on the second floor of the South Asian Tower.] (repeated three times)

The tower system's announcement reverberated worldwide. Everyone was astonished.

Sanjay, sitting in his hotel room and eyeing the dishes he had just ordered, was equally shocked.

"Why so sudden? It hasn't even been two days..." he muttered, then glanced at the time. Technically, it wasn't exactly two days. The system had given him just enough time to hide his identity. Deciding not to dwell on it, he dug into the dishes.

The entire world was abuzz. Achieving an SSS rank once could be attributed to luck, but achieving it twice? That wasn't luck—it was skill. Speculation spread like wildfire.

"Could this City Hunter have discovered a loophole to achieve the SSS rank?" experts wondered.

After the first SSS announcement, countless attempts had been made, but the best anyone could achieve was an A rank. Following that, the system had stopped announcing A ranks altogether, deeming them unworthy of even local recognition.

Governments across the globe mobilized their resources. North America, South America, Australia, Europe—all activated their intelligence networks to locate the mysterious SSS ranker near the South Asian Tower.

The South Asian Tower's surroundings became a hotspot of activity. A ten-kilometer radius was sealed off by an A-rank player dispatched by the association. Men in black patrolled the area, scrutinizing every individual for suspicious behavior. They detained several criminals but found no one fitting the profile of the mysterious City Hunter.

Anyone who exited the tower's second floor that day was brought in for questioning.

Alok Shetty, head of the South Asia Player Association, was having a headache. An hour had passed since the announcement, and his phone had been ringing non-stop. He had fielded calls from association heads, top guild leaders, high-ranking players, and even friends within the industry. But the most critical call had come from the president of the association.

The president, using a secure line, had issued clear instructions:

"If you find the player, protect them. Their identity must remain a secret at all costs. Even if they've passed the floors with flying colors, they'll be too weak to defend themselves against the world's attention."

Alok understood the gravity of the situation. The president's tone carried urgency, and his words hinted at deeper undercurrents within the association. Too many people seemed overly eager to uncover the identity of this player—an unsettling sign.

"This is an opportunity to clean house," Alok thought grimly. The last time such a situation arose, the president hadn't been prepared. But this time, precautions were already in place to root out the traitors within the association.

Even so, the announcement had come sooner than expected, catching some off guard. Alok had been unable to fully mobilize resources before the situation escalated. But now, the trap was set, and those with ulterior motives would soon be exposed.

Far to the north of Asia, deep within a jungle, a secret meeting was underway. The location was eerie—no sounds of animals or birds could be heard for miles. The creatures had fled, sensing the immense power emanating from the individuals present.

"Who is this player? Does anyone know?" Person-1 asked, his gaze scanning the group.

"Does the association know?" Person-2 turned to Person-3.

"The association has no idea," Person-3 replied.

"But I believe the president has discovered our informants. This was the last message one of them managed to send before communication failed."

Everyone understood what "communication failure" meant—it was the end for the informant.

"Tch, when the time comes, I'll deal with that old man myself," Person-1 said coldly.

"No matter what, we must find this player immediately," Person-4 interjected. "He's going to become an obstacle for us. Worse, he's instilled hope and competition among players—things we cannot afford."

"It's been a long time since we made a big move," Person-3 added, nodding in agreement.

"I agree. Six, how are the preparations coming along?" Person-1 asked.

Person-6, who had been silent throughout the meeting, finally spoke. "Everything will be ready within a few days."

"Good. We'll show the world what NOVA is capable of," Person-1 declared, standing from his chair.

"For the future!" everyone shouted in unison, their voices echoing with determination.