One of the girls beside her said, "You must know Rocky, right?"
Kirti frowned in confusion. "Who Rocky?"
Another girl replied, "Wait—you don't know Rocky? That handsome hunk from Savitri Devi High School!"
Kirti thought for a moment, then nodded slightly as if recalling something.
The girl continued, "He's hosting a party upstairs today. That noise must be from there."
---
Upstairs, everyone was already exhausted. Now, only Rocky and Arjun were left fighting.
Gathering all his strength, Arjun threw one final, powerful punch at Rocky.
The impact sent Rocky crashing to the ground—unconscious.
Arjun slowly looked around, his sharp gaze sweeping across everyone present. Then he walked toward Chirag and Kunal, helping them up. The three of them staggered out of the club together.
Outside, Arjun grabbed the scooty keys. Chirag and Kunal quickly got on behind him, and they sped away.
---
A few moments later, Kirti came up from the basement stairs along with her friends. Curious, she glanced inside the hall—
Broken tables, shattered furniture, and injured boys lying around.
The girl standing beside Kirti widened her eyes.
"What happened here…?"
Curiosity got the better of them, and they all stepped inside.
Another girl pointed in shock.
"Wait… is that Rocky? Who did this to him?"
Just then, a boy approached one of the girls and said, "Hey, Shakshi… what are you doing here?"
The girl was Shakshi—she attended the same dance class as Kirti.
Shakshi quickly asked, "What happened here? Who did this to Rocky?"
The boy lowered his voice.
"Don't ask… there was a fight just now. Arjun beat him."
Shakshi frowned. "Arjun? Who's that?"
"He's Rocky's classmate. Looks average… but today, he turned into Bahubali."
Kirti, hearing this, whispered to herself softly—
"Arjun…"
---
Meanwhile, the three boys had reached Marine Drive. They parked the scooty and sat by the side.
After a moment, all three of them started laughing.
Kunal laughed loudly.
"Man, that fight was fun—especially when I punched those bullies!"
He even threw a few punches in the air while saying it.
Chirag grinned.
"And when I hit Rocky with that chair… bro, that felt amazing. I've wanted to do that for so long but never had the courage."
Kunal smirked.
"Not a bad way to say goodbye to school life."
Arjun suddenly said, "Guys, I have a plan… what if we start a business?"
Both Kunal and Chirag looked at him, surprised and confused.
"Business?"
---
For some time now, Arjun's mind had been working incredibly fast. He could remember things easily, his body had become more agile and powerful, and he had developed a deep interest in programming.
He took out his phone and showed them a prototype—a basic 3D RPG game. It had a rough character model and block-like surroundings.
"For now, I've made this prototype," Arjun said. "The design still needs work."
Kunal tested it and looked impressed.
"This model is actually good… when did you learn all this?"
Arjun casually replied, "Been studying online for a while."
Then he turned to Chirag.
"You're good with visual and sound effects, right? Will you work on this?"
Chirag hesitated.
"I just know a bit of editing… this is beyond me."
Arjun placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I trust you. You can do it. Just focus on the effects—I'll handle the rest."
Then he looked at Kunal.
"You want to study commerce, right? So you handle the business side."
Kunal thought for a moment.
"The idea is good… but can we really do it? We just graduated from high school."
Arjun's eyes hardened with determination.
"So what? We'll learn step by step. I want to rise above this middle-class life… so high that no one can ever bully us again."
Hearing that, both Kunal and Chirag felt a spark ignite within them.
---
Arjun's mind had become incredibly sharp ever since he realized he possessed some unknown power. The first thing he decided was to eliminate his poverty. That's why he started learning programming—and now, he had already reached an intermediate level.
After reaching home, Arjun sat in front of his computer, studying and developing his project.
He had named it Supernova.
It was planned to be a multiplayer RPG with multiple storylines, and eventually even include a battle royale mode. But for now, he was focusing on a single storyline.
---
Suddenly, a girl walked into his room, humming softly.
"Hey bro, what are you doing?"
It was his younger sister, Devanya.
Without looking at her, Arjun replied, "Work."
Devanya glanced at the screen curiously.
"But this is dad's computer…"
"I know," Arjun said, continuing to type.
She smirked slightly.
"By the way… I heard some news. Apparently, there was a fight at DC Club."
Arjun froze for a moment. Then he turned toward her with a warning look.
"If you tell dad, you're dead."
She pretended to be scared.
"You know I can't lie…"
Arjun clenched his teeth.
"What do you want?"
She grinned and extended her hand.
"Since you're asking… some pocket money would be nice."
Arjun sighed. He had recently earned some money from a trading platform—and Devanya somehow knew about it.
"How much?"
"2000 rupees will be enough."
Without arguing, Arjun transferred the money to her phone.
Her face lit up instantly. She hugged him tightly.
"You're the best brother in the world!"
And in the next second, she dashed out of the room at lightning speed.
Arjun just smiled faintly… and returned to his work.
.....
"Brush… warm clothes… moisturizer… antiseptics…"
Shakshi was reading out the list one item at a time.
Meanwhile, Aarav and Kirti were checking their bags, replying in sync—
"Checked."
"Checked."
After a while, once everything was packed, Shakshi nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright."
Then she looked at Kirti seriously.
"Listen, follow your teachers during the camping trip. Stay with your group, and take care of each other. Got it?"
Aarav and Kirti both nodded obediently.
---
Soon, they reached school, met their friends, and boarded the bus. The bus rolled onto the highway, heading toward their destination.
After a few hours of travel, it finally stopped near a dense forest.
Some guides were already waiting there.
One of them stepped forward as the school's PT teacher—who was responsible for the students—got down from the bus and began talking with them.
After a brief discussion, the PT teacher turned to the students and raised his voice,
"Everyone, take your luggage. From here, we'll go on foot."
Then he started calling out names. After listing around fifteen students, he said,
"This is Group One."
He continued dividing the students into groups of fifteen each.
"You will stay in your assigned groups and do all activities together."
After that, he appointed leaders for each group—and coincidentally, Aarav and Kirti ended up in the same group.
Kirti was chosen as their group leader.
---
Everyone picked up their luggage and began walking into the forest.
However, some guides stayed back near the road.
Noticing this, the PT teacher asked,
"Why aren't they coming with us?"
One of the guides replied,
"Another school is arriving here for camping today."
"Which school?" the teacher asked.
The guide answered,
"From your area itself—Savitri Devi High School."
The PT teacher nodded.
---
Aarav overheard the conversation. His hearing had become unusually sharp.
This can't be a coincidence… he thought.
Maybe a new protagonist… or a new plot is about to begin.
But then he brushed it off and continued walking.
---
After some time, the group stopped about 200 meters away from a river.
The camping guide gathered everyone and instructed,
"You all will set up your tents here. Remember—do not camp too close to the river. Wild animals often come there to drink water, so maintain some distance."
"Now watch carefully how to set up a tent."
He demonstrated quickly, and the students began setting up their own tents.
After a while, most of the tents were ready. Those who struggled were helped by the guides.
Just then, students from Savitri Devi High School arrived with their own guides.
They carried a lot of advanced equipment.
Seeing this, the students from Aarav's school began whispering among themselves, curious and impressed by their preparations.
Aarav secured the final knot of the tent rope and straightened up, exhaling softly as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. His muscles ached slightly from the continuous work, but his sharp eyes were already scanning the area.
The newly arrived students.
Voices overlapped in the air—laughter, curiosity, excitement. It was chaos, but a lively one.
And then, almost unconsciously, his gaze locked onto a particular group.
There he was.
Arjun.
For a single moment, Aarav's eyes lingered on him, his expression unreadable. But just as quickly, he looked away—cold, indifferent, as if Arjun's presence meant absolutely nothing.
As if he didn't exist.
Aarav casually walked toward Kirti, who was busy with the remaining setup. A teasing grin curved his lips as he leaned slightly toward her.
"Look," he said, nudging her lightly. "Your special friend is here."
Kirti didn't even hesitate.
"Shut up, duffer," she snapped, shooting him a sharp glare before immediately returning to her work.
Her tone was enough.
The playful smile on Aarav's face vanished.
Completely.
His expression hardened, eyes narrowing ever so slightly as something shifted within him. The air around him seemed to grow heavier.
Because if the protagonist was here…
Then trouble wasn't far behind.
And this time—
He had no idea what kind of danger was waiting ahead.
---
Some time later, all the tents had been set up. The area now looked like a temporary camp buzzing with energy. Students were laughing, joking, some already forming groups while others simply enjoyed the moment.
And then—
A sharp presence cut through the noise.
A heavily built man walked into the camp.
The laughter slowly faded.
He wore a military-style uniform, a black T-shirt visible underneath. His posture was straight, disciplined—every step firm and controlled. A pair of dark sunglasses hid his eyes, and a whistle hung loosely around his neck.
He didn't look like an instructor.
He looked like a commando.
Experienced. Dangerous.
His name was Remo.
Remo glanced at the students, a crooked smile forming on his lips. Without saying a word, he lifted the whistle to his mouth—
PHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The sharp sound pierced through the air.
Instant silence.
All eyes turned toward him.
Students who were laughing moments ago now stood still, staring at him with a mix of curiosity and unease.
Remo slowly lowered the whistle, his presence dominating the space.
"Good morning, students," he began, his voice calm yet commanding. "Your school year is over. And very soon… you'll all walk different paths."
His words carried weight.
"Some of you will move forward in your chosen fields. Some might take up jobs. Some will focus on building their careers… and some of you—" he paused briefly, "—might still have no idea what to do next."
A faint breeze passed through the camp.
"This," Remo continued, "is the moment that shapes your future. The decisions you make now… decide what your life will become."
Silence.
Deep, heavy silence.
"So think carefully… before choosing your path."
He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly before continuing.
"This camp is designed to build bonding among you. To strengthen your fitness. To improve your mental and physical health. Remember—"
His voice turned firmer.
"A healthy mind requires a healthy body. Only then can you make the right decisions."
He raised his hand, lifting one finger.
"Here, you will learn—Survival."
A second finger.
"Teamwork."
A third.
"Decision making."
Then, his full hand opened.
"A healthy body… and a strong mind."
Students listened carefully now, their earlier excitement replaced by focus.
"You were already divided into teams before arriving here," Remo continued. "And until the end of this camp… those teams will remain unchanged."
A slight pause.
Then—
"Your first task… is to find food."
The words dropped like a bomb.
A few students blinked.
Some frowned.
"In a jungle," Remo went on calmly, "your first priority is shelter… and then—food."
He gestured toward the surrounding terrain.
"You can gather mushrooms, fruits… or catch fish. Everything you need exists here."
His tone sharpened.
"But remember—this is a group task. Every team will arrange their own food."
He crossed his arms slightly.
"Any questions?"
For a moment, no one spoke.
Students exchanged glances—confusion turning into realization… realization turning into shock… and slowly—
Panic.
Then, a hand went up.
Chirag.
"Sir," he said hesitantly, "this camp is for one week… does that mean we have to find our own food for the entire week?"
A faint chuckle escaped Remo.
"Excellent question."
He smiled slightly.
"And the answer is—yes."
A wave of whispers spread instantly.
"Next question?"
Another hand went up—a girl this time.
"But… I'm vegetarian."
Remo didn't even blink.
"Then find vegetarian food," he replied sharply. "Fruits, mushrooms, wild vegetables. Don't worry—there's plenty available here."
His voice softened just a fraction.
"You just need to look."
"Any other questions?"
This time—
Aarav raised his hand.
Remo's gaze shifted to him.
"Is there… any reward?" Aarav asked calmly.
For a second, Remo stared at him.
Then—
He laughed lightly.
"Ah… yes. I almost forgot."
He nodded in appreciation.
"Thank you for reminding me."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
"All teams will be ranked," Remo announced. "The top three teams will receive rewards."
Now, everyone was listening.
"The top three teams will get a 5 days, 4 nights Shimla holiday package—with all facilities."
Excitement flickered across faces.
"For the third position—₹20,000."
"For second—₹50,000."
"And for the first position…"
He paused, letting the suspense build.
"₹1,00,000."
The reaction was immediate.
Students burst into chatter, excitement replacing fear.
Eyes lit up.
Plans started forming instantly.
But Aarav wasn't done.
He raised his hand again.
"What kind of tasks will we have to complete?"
Remo looked at him, then replied simply—
"You'll be informed before each task."
Aarav nodded.
He didn't ask anything further.
"Any other questions?" Remo asked one last time.
Silence.
No one spoke.
Remo scanned the group, then gave a small nod.
"Alright."
He turned slightly, his voice firm.
"Best of luck… to all of you."
And just like that—
The game had begun.