The Hunt has Begun

A group of five people passed by them. Their weapons and armor looked different—refined, glowing faintly with an unknown energy. Unlike Arav and his group, who still seemed new to this world, these people were filled with experience.

The three of them stood silently, watching them carefully, as the group moved ahead without a word. But for a moment, their eyes met. A silent conversation. An unspoken understanding.

"Foreigners," Rudra muttered softly, gripping his spear tightly.

Arav raised his eyebrows, watching them disappear into the jungle. "So, people from other countries are trapped in this mess too?"

Rudra shook his head. "Looks like it. We're not the only ones thrown into this world."

Arav took a deep breath. This confirmed his fear—it wasn't a small incident. It was much bigger than them, and they had no idea who else was trapped here or what they were going to face.

Breaking the tense silence, Vihaan spoke. "We should prepare for dinner."

Arav blinked. "Dinner? What are we going to eat?"

Rudra laughed, looking at him with disbelief. "Of course, we're going hunting, idiot."

Vihaan nodded. "Rudra's right. This place won't serve us food."

Arav groaned. "But I've never hunted before!"

Rudra smiled and patted Arav's shoulder. "Don't worry. I've got it covered."

Vihaan raised an eyebrow with a slight smile. "Oh? Don't get too confident."

And with that, Rudra and Vihaan immediately started arguing, teasing each other about who was more capable at hunting.

Arav shook his head. Rudra wasn't like this back in school. If he were the same as before, he would have sent me out hunting and relaxed. But now… he's offering to help.

Everything had changed.

Hunting for Prey

After a few minutes of banter, the three of them finally headed deeper into the jungle. The air was thick with the smell of wet soil and leaves. The trees were tall, their dense canopies blocking most of the sunlight, casting eerie shadows on the ground.

The only sounds were the rustling of leaves and distant cries of unknown creatures. Arav tightened his grip on his katana, his senses alert.

"What are we looking for?" he asked quietly.

Moving forward, Vihaan answered without looking back, "Anything edible. Small animals, or if we're lucky, some fruit."

Rudra smiled. "Or maybe something bigger so we can try out our new weapons."

Arav felt his throat dry up. "I'm not really keen on fighting any monsters."

They moved cautiously, scanning their surroundings. Walking through the dense jungle, the damp air was filled with the smell of earth and leaves. But Arav's mind was racing with questions. He looked ahead at Vihaan, who was still holding his daggers.

"Vihaan," Arav called, "Do we have to kill the gods to get out of here, or just one person?"

Without looking back, Vihaan calmly replied, "Anyone of us can do it. If one succeeds, we all get free."

Arav breathed a sigh of relief. "So we don't all have to become murderers..."

Rudra scoffed. "It's not that simple. Do you really think these 'gods' are just going to let us kill them? And what if they attack us first?"

Arav fell silent. Rudra was right. The word 'god' was terrifying. What exactly were they? Gods? Monsters? Or something worse?

Before he could think further, a horrifying scream echoed through the jungle.

It was not human. It was something different—unnatural. The sound sent a chill down Arav's spine.

The silence fell all around. No birds, no rustling leaves. Only a haunting, suffocating stillness.

Rudra immediately gripped his spear tightly. "What was that?"

Vihaan became alert, his eyes scanning between the trees. "It's close. And it doesn't seem friendly."

Arav, panicking, gripped his katana even tighter. "Maybe we should—"

Then, the creature appeared.

A monstrous beast emerged from the shadows of the trees.

It moved slowly, its four strong legs sinking into the wet earth. Its face—distorted like a wolf's—gleamed with sharp, human-like teeth. But the strangest thing was its fur, striped with red and black—as if it had been dyed with fresh blood. Spiny bone structures protruded from its back, gently pulsing as if alive.

But it wasn't alone.

A smaller, rabbit-like creature limped behind it. Its white and green fur was now stained with blood. It staggered a few more steps before collapsing on the ground—so weak it could barely move.

Arav furrowed his brows. "What kind of creatures are these?"

The monstrous wolf immediately turned its head and fixed its gaze on them.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Then, it growled and lunged at them with lightning speed.

Its red eyes were locked on Vihaan.

Vihaan's instincts kicked in immediately. He drew his daggers and prepared to defend himself.

The clash of their weapons created a shockwave, sending a jolt through Vihaan's arms. If it had been a normal animal, it would have been dead by now. But this only left a shallow scratch.

Vihaan gritted his teeth. "This is no ordinary animal."

The beast shook its head, and a foul stench of rotting flesh emanated from its breath.

Without wasting any time, Vihaan shouted, "Arav! Rudra! Draw your weapons and surround it! Don't let it escape!"

The hunt had begun.