One Punch Aarav

The God's Playground

A faint flickering fire illuminated the deep, dark cave. The stone walls were cold and damp. The sharp scent of burning flesh floated through the air. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of dripping water echoed.

Aarav's eyes slowly opened. His breaths were heavy, and his entire body ached, but he felt a strange energy coursing through him—something had changed.

As he steadied himself, he saw a bonfire burning at the center of the cave. Vihaan and Rudra sat in front of it, busy roasting the meat of a Hell Wolf.

"So, you're finally awake?" Vihaan said with a slight smile.

Aarav tried to clear his blurry vision and slowly nodded, "Yeah…"

Rudra looked at him carefully, then asked in a teasing tone, "What happened? You went into that mysterious part of the cave, right? What did you find there?"

Aarav thought for a moment but realized he couldn't tell them the truth. The Skeleton Monster… the mysterious skill he had obtained… he had to keep it a secret.

So, he lied, "I… don't remember anything."

Rudra and Vihaan exchanged glances. Vihaan spoke with slight suspicion, "That's strange… but okay."

Aarav slowly examined his body. His wounds were about 78-80% healed. He wondered—Had he become stronger?

Vihaan observed him closely and asked, "How did you heal so quickly?"

Rudra, too, was surprised. "And look at you! You seem taller and stronger than before! Could it be because of that green-white rabbit meat we ate?"

Aarav quickly changed the topic to divert their attention. "Well, I brought some gifts for you both."

He stood up and pulled out three items from his bag:

Light Armor – He handed it to Rudra.

Mamba's Daggers – He gave them to Vihaan.

Butterfly Rings – One each for both of them.

Rudra excitedly wore his armor and exclaimed, "Whoa! It's a Rare Grade-2 armor!"

Vihaan spun his daggers and said, "And my Mamba's Daggers are Grade-1!"

Both of them looked at Aarav with curiosity.

"Where did you find all this?" Vihaan asked.

Aarav replied briefly, "I found them in the treasure boxes inside the cave."

A Strange Hunt in the Jungle

By now, the meat had been fully cooked, and a strong aroma filled the cave.

Rudra cheered, "Alright, the meat is ready! Let's eat!"

They all sat down to eat.

But as soon as Aarav took the first bite, a surge of heat rushed through his body.

After finishing their meal—

Rudra gained 6 rare gene points.

Vihaan gained 7 rare gene points.

Aarav gained 5 rare gene points.

Aarav looked at his hands—all his wounds had healed completely!

His eyes widened in shock as he murmured, "I recovered so fast… This is incredible!"

After breakfast, they headed into the jungle. It was an unusual place—giant trees, glowing plants, and mysterious echoes all around them.

After a while, they saw a group of eight people fighting a giant lizard monster.

The lizard was as big as an elephant, and no weapon seemed to be effective against its thick scales.

Among the hunters were five boys and three girls. Their leader—a silver-haired girl—shouted, "We can't stop it! Fall back!"

A wounded boy screamed in pain, "We have to abandon this fight and run!"

Rudra and Vihaan stood at a distance, watching.

"We can take it down," Vihaan said, gripping his Mamba's Daggers tightly.

But before they could act, Aarav suddenly vanished!

Using Shadow Step, Aarav instantly reappeared in front of the Lizard Monster.

Everyone froze in shock.

Hellfire—Red and black flames ignited in his hands.

"What is he doing?" a hunter shouted.

"Impossible…!" the silver-haired girl whispered.

"Aarav, stop!" Vihaan called out. But it was already too late.

A devastating punch—full power!

BOOM!!!

The colossal lizard's head took the full force of the blow. The entire jungle shook.

The monster collapsed instantly.

A heavy silence followed.

No one moved.

[SIMPLE LIZARD MONSTER KILLED. NO SOUL WEAPON OBTAINED. ITS MEAT CAN BE CONSUMED FOR BASIC GENE POINTS.]

Rudra's voice trembled, "Since when… has he become this strong?"

Vihaan's gaze darkened. He was deep in thought but said nothing.

The group of hunters slowly stepped back. Some had fear in their eyes.

Aarav stared at his burning hands.

What… am I becoming?

The jungle remained eerily silent.

Aarav's fists still glowed with a faint flame. His breathing was steady, but his eyes held an unsettling glimmer—as if even he didn't know the limits of his power.

The hunters were still frozen in place. Some looked afraid, some amazed, and some in disbelief.

Then, their leader—the silver-haired girl—stepped forward.

She walked with confidence but had a hint of hesitation in her eyes.

She observed Aarav carefully before taking a deep breath and saying, "My name is Shreya Sejal."

Aarav looked at her but said nothing.

Shreya stepped even closer. "Who are you? And this power… where did you get it?"

Vihaan interrupted, "What do you think? He's the strongest fighter in our team."

Rudra nodded, "And he wasn't even using his full power."

Shreya listened but kept her eyes fixed on Aarav.

Finally, she gave a slight smile and asked, "Would you like to join us?"

Aarav tilted his head slightly. "Join you? For what?"

Shreya became serious. "When we arrived in this world, 48 of us decided to stick together and face the challenges of this 'Komboto' game. We formed a group and established a shelter in a cave."

Rudra raised an eyebrow. "48 people? How many are left now?"

Shreya's face turned grim for a moment.

"Only 37."

Vihaan took a deep breath. "So you're saying the rest are safe there?"

Shreya nodded. "For now, yes. But we need stronger fighters. And I can see that you're not weak."

Aarav remained silent.

Shreya gave him a deep look before speaking again, "Look, I won't hide anything from you. In our cave, only those who can fight or hide have survived. But we all know this place is just a temporary refuge. We need to move forward, and for that, we need powerful people."

Then, she locked eyes with Aarav. "Will you… come with us?"

Silence.

Rudra and Vihaan both looked at Aarav, waiting for his answer.

Aarav slowly unclenched his fists.

What happens next?

Will Aarav and his team join this new group, or will they choose their own path?

Are they really safe, or is an even greater danger waiting for them?

To find out, stay tuned—

✨ The God's Playground ✨

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