Arrival At Gods’ Land Shelter

Aryan was standing in front of the Shelter's settlement at that moment. The settlement itself was quite grand, and for Aryan, it was nothing short of astonishing. Outside the settlement, there wasn't the slightest trace of modernity, yet inside the Shelter, everything was steeped in it. But right now, Aryan faced an even bigger problem—the same boy who had misbehaved with him at the teleport station. That boy was now standing at the gate, flanked by a few others who were likely his lackeys. Aryan knew they'd probably try to harass him. Truth be told, he wasn't afraid of them, but this was his first time on Elora Planet, and he had no clue about the politics here. He wasn't sure whether to take these guys seriously or not, especially since he knew nothing about their backgrounds. Why am I saying this? Well, that'll become clear with time.

Aryan began walking slowly toward the Shelter's gate. Whether those guys were standing there or not, he had to get inside. As he got closer to the gate, a figure stood before him—Pawan Rastogi. Who was this guy? The readers will find out soon enough. When Pawan saw Aryan standing in front of him, he gritted his teeth and sneered, "Kid, just a while ago, you were acting all high and mighty. Now I'd like to see how you hold up against me. If I don't make you chew gravel, then my name isn't Pawan Rastogi. You tried to insult me back at the teleport station's waiting area, and now you'll face the consequences. I'll punish you for your insolence so badly that you'll beg me for death!" He let out a loud laugh after that.

Hearing this, his lackeys immediately chimed in with fake praise. "Yes, Boss, you're absolutely right! This two-bit trash is nothing in front of you. If you wanted, you could take him down in a single blow!" Another added, "Exactly! This kid's got nothing on our boss!" Pawan Rastogi's cronies kept piling on the flattery, but Aryan was fed up with their empty boasting. So, he decided to assess their strength right then and there.

As soon as he made that decision, a full rundown of their abilities flashed before him. He started with Pawan Rastogi: *Name: Pawan Rastogi. Age: 17 years, 8 months. Element: Fire. Strength: Grandmaster Level, Third Stage.* Then he quickly checked the others. They were all Grandmaster-level warriors too, just like Pawan. This meant none of them had even completed their Primary Gene Points yet. An Evolver who maxed out their Ordinary Gene Points reached the peak of the Master Level. Someone who pushed their Primary Gene Points to the max hit the peak of the Grandmaster Level. And if a person maxed out their Mutant Gene Points, they'd reach the Half-Step Warlord Level. That level had two stages: the first required 50 Mutant Points, and the second needed another 50. To reach the peak of the Warlord Level, one had to max out their Heavenly Gene Points.

After sizing up Pawan and his crew, Aryan was certain he couldn't take them on—not yet. So, he decided to ignore them for now. But don't get it twisted—he wasn't forgiving them. No way. Aryan didn't forgive anyone, not even his own kin, so how could he let these punks off the hook? For now, he'd bide his time and focus on growing stronger. The day he became powerful enough to teach Pawan and his goons a lesson, he'd wipe them out without a second thought. That was his principle.

He was about to move past them when a girl's commanding voice cut through the air. "Pawan, why do you always target weaker Evolvers? If you've got real guts, why don't you challenge someone stronger? Oh, wait—I forgot. You've always preyed on those weaker than you, whether it was on Planet Earth or here on Elora Planet. Whenever you spot someone vulnerable, you try to control them. But the moment someone even slightly stronger shows up, you're on your knees. That's the real you."

Her sharp, biting words turned Pawan's face black with rage. He wanted nothing more than to teach this girl a lesson, but he knew he was powerless against her. Forget him—even if his entire family stood up to her, her family could crush them all in a heartbeat. Pawan was well aware of that. So, he clenched his teeth, swallowed his pride, and decided it was better to say nothing. He wasn't stupid enough to mess with her and risk not just his life but his whole family's destruction. Sure, he was arrogant, but not that reckless. He turned to leave, but not before shooting Aryan a death glare, as if saying, *"Kid, don't ever cross me alone, or you're dead."*

Aryan ignored the silent threat and turned toward the girl. He wanted to thank her for saving him from a heap of trouble. But when he looked her way, she was already gone. He took a deep breath, shrugged it off, and started heading toward the Shelter. He was still a few steps from the gate when he noticed it up close. In bold, massive letters, it read: *Gods' Land Shelter*. The name struck him as odd—he'd never heard anything like it before. Still, he brushed it aside and stepped inside.

Aryan handed over all his documents to a senior officer, who glanced at them and then pointed him in a specific direction. It was clear that Aryan was meant to head that way. Without wasting a second, he started walking. In just a few moments, he reached the spot where his assigned room awaited him. He quickly entered the building and noticed it was only three stories tall. His allotted room, as it turned out, was on the top floor. He hurried up to the third floor and began searching for his room. Soon enough, he found it—Room Number 135. He stood outside, taking it in. This room was going to be his home for the next few years, so he opened the door and stepped inside.

The moment he saw the interior, it hit him—this place was seriously outdated. The amenities were straight out of the mid-21st century, practically ancient by his standards. Sure, it felt backward to him, but he didn't complain. He knew he'd barely spend time here anyway. His real focus would be outside the Shelter, hunting aliens. There'd even be times when he wouldn't step foot in the Shelter for months on end. With that in mind, he brushed off the room's shortcomings, walked over to the bed, and sat down. After a short rest, he headed to the bathroom, freshened up, and came back out. Once he'd relaxed a bit more, he opened his System Platform and went straight to the System Shop.

A Cultivation Technique Manual popped up on the screen. Without hesitation, he decided to buy it. Just as he was about to click on it, a voice echoed in his mind—*Ding! The host is advised not to purchase this Cultivation Technique Manual right now. Instead, the host should consider buying a low-grade armor and a low-grade weapon.* Aryan froze, startled by the System's sudden advice. Why would it suggest that? He racked his brain for an answer but came up empty even after thinking it over for a while. Frustrated, he decided to ask the System directly. "System, you're telling me to skip the Cultivation Technique Manual and buy armor and a weapon instead. I want to know why you're giving me this advice."

The System responded in its usual emotionless tone, "Does the host know how many Experience Points are required to complete the first layer of that Cultivation Technique Manual?" Aryan didn't have an answer, so he turned the question back to the System. "How many Experience Points do I need, exactly?" The System replied, "Approximately 1 million Experience Points." Aryan's jaw dropped. A million? He couldn't believe it. "System," he pressed, "why do I need 1 million points to break through the first layer? You told me before that defeating a Grandmaster Level First Stage warrior would give me 10,000 Experience Points. By that logic, I'd need maybe 50,000 or 60,000 points at most. So why are you saying it'll take 1 million? What's the reason?"

The System answered, "The Cultivation Technique Manual most suitable for the host contains the power of all five fundamental elements. When the host completes its first layer, they'll gain access to the Space Element, along with the Darkness Element and even Gravitational Force. To wield these powers, the host will require an immense amount of energy. That's why at least 1 million Experience Points are necessary to handle it all." Aryan was stunned by the explanation, but he quickly suppressed his shock. "So, System," he said, "what you're saying is I've got a long road ahead of me."

Now that everything was clear, Aryan shifted his focus to finding weapons. Soon, he spotted a pair of swords—one short, one long—designed for dual-wielding. He checked their price: 100,000 Experience Points. Curious, he started reading their details: *Name: Ancient Garuda Swords. Level: Zero Star. Minimum Strength: Capable of cutting down any Grandmaster Level Initial Stage warrior in a single strike.* Aryan was floored—not just because these swords could take out a Grandmaster-level warrior in one hit, but because of their steep price. He could've bought the Cultivation Technique Manual for just 1 Experience Point, and now this pair of swords was going to cost him 100,000? Why the huge gap?

He posed the question to the System. Its response was straightforward: "The Cultivation Technique Manual was perfectly suited to your body, so it could've been given to you for free. However, the System doesn't believe in handouts, which is why it was priced at a mere 1 Experience Point. These swords, on the other hand, were forged by a blacksmith. His effort deserves compensation. But here's the kicker—though these swords seem expensive, what you don't know is that they can be upgraded." Aryan's eyes widened. Upgradable swords? That was a game-changer. He felt a rush of excitement, but then a nagging doubt crept in. "That's fine, System," he said, "but why wasn't the upgrade info included in their status?"

The System replied, "Because my level is still too low. As you upgrade me, I'll provide more detailed and accurate information. I'll also uncover more secrets along the way." Aryan was taken aback but quickly calmed himself. Next, he decided to buy some armor. Soon, he found one that caught his eye and checked its details: *Name: Divine Garuda Armor. Special Feature: Can easily withstand attacks from any Grandmaster Level Initial Stage warrior. Capable of enduring all types of assaults—multiversal elements included—without taking damage. Level: Zero Star. Minimum Level.* Reading this, Aryan breathed a sigh of relief.

With his purchases decided, he made up his mind to leave Gods' Land Shelter. He now needed to rack up at least 1.1 million Experience Points to break through the first layer of his Cultivation Technique and unlock the Space Element. Would Aryan succeed in hunting on Elora Planet, or would he end up as prey to some alien? To find out, stay tuned to this novel!