Agli subah mere pet mein ek ajeeb si hulchul thi. Yeh nervousness nahi thi, yeh woh excitement thi jo ek shikaari ko hoti hai jab woh jungle mein kadam rakhta hai. Maine apna bag uthaya, apni notebook mein kuch rough sketches banaye—not just for school, but for the battlefield. Maine apne hath dekhe. Kal ki 'Agility' upgrade ke baad, meri skin thodi zyada tight thi, jaise mere muscles ek nayi capacity ke liye taiyaar ho rahe hon.
School ka main hall aaj bilkul badla hua tha. Wahan 500 se zyada Simulation Pods lage hue the—kaali dhaatu ke bane hue box jinke upar blue lights jhilmila rahi thi. Yeh wahi technology thi jisse hum virtual reality dungeons mein enter karte the. Har student apni apni line mein khada tha, aur unke chehron par wahi purani excitement thi.
"Aaj toh main kam se kam 50 points collect karunga," maine Aryan ko apne doston ke saath baat karte hue suna. Woh apni talwar ko hawa mein ghumate hue bada cool ban raha tha.
"Aur woh Null?" uske ek dost ne meri taraf ishara kiya aur thookne ka natak kiya. "Usko toh pod mein dalte hi system error aa jayega. Bechara, simulation mein bhi load nahi hoga!"
Main unki baaton par hasa nahi. Main chupchap line mein aage badha. Jab meri baari aayi, instructor ne mujhe upar se niche tak dekha, jaise main koi kachra hoon. "Pod number 402. Jaldi kar, line lambi hai."
Main pod mein gaya aur darwaza band ho gaya. Andar ek thandi hawa chali aur meri aankhon ke samne screen blink hui:
[Connecting to Dungeon Server...]
[System: Establishing Neural Link...]
[Warning: User 'Null' detected. Re-evaluating compatibility...]
Mera dil zoro se dhadka. Kya simulation mere 'Necro-Monarch' system ko detect kar lega?
System, hide yourself, maine man mein command diya.
[Acknowledged. Masking signature. Activating 'Basic Student' protocol.]
Roshni chamki, aur agle hi pal main zameen par tha. Lekin yeh school ka floor nahi tha. Yeh ek patthari, andhera raasta tha jahan ki deewarein purani, kaali aur chipchipi thi. Hawa mein gande pani aur sadne ki badboo aa rahi thi.
[Dungeon Simulation: Abandoned Catacombs]
[Difficulty: F-Rank]
[Objective: Collect 10 Mana Crystals or Survive for 60 minutes]
Main khada hua. Mere aas-paas ke 40-50 students bhi wahan spawn hue the. Un sabne apne weapons nikal liye the. Kisi ke paas aag ke gole the, koi apni talwarein chamka raha tha. Aryan wahan sabko command de raha tha.
"Sunno sab! Hum group mein rahenge. Null, tu peeche rahega aur agar koi chota monster dikhe, toh humein alert karega. Samajh gaya?"
Maine Aryan ko ghoora. Group mein rehna? Woh chah raha tha ki main unka shield banu.
"Nahi," maine saaf kaha. "Main akele ja raha hoon."
Aryan aur uske group ne ek-dusre ko dekha aur phir zoro se hasne lage. "Akele? Null akele ja raha hai? Bhai, ise marne do. Humara kaam aasaan ho jayega."
Main unhe wahan chhod kar ek side wale raste ki taraf mud gaya. Jaise hi main unki nazron se door hua, maine ek lambi saans li. Yeh freedom thi.
Jaise-jaise main andhere mein aage badha, meri senses tez hone lagi. Mere Necro-Monarch system ne mujhe alert kiya:
[Sense: Detection of Undead Energy]
[Nearby Hostiles: 3 Skeletons, 1 Ghoul]
Mere saamne ek narrow corridor tha. Maine apni mutthi tight ki. Mere andar wahi purple energy phir se khaulne lagi. Main ab dar nahi raha tha; main wait kar raha tha.
Clack... Clack... Clack...
Andhere se haddiyon ke takrane ki awaaz aayi. Teen skeletons, jinke hath mein khattara talwarein thi, meri taraf badh rahe the. Aryan aur baki students wahan se kaafi door the—main ab free tha.
Pehle skeleton ne mujh par talwar chalayi. Maine sidha kadam badhaya, uski talwar ko apne haath se block kiya (main ab itna fast tha ki woh mujhe touch nahi kar paayi) aur uski haddiyon ko ek jhatke mein tod diya.
[Kill Confirmed: Skeleton]
[Experience Points: +10]
[Essence Absorbed: +5 Mana]
Mera shareer halka ho gaya. Main baaki do skeletons ki taraf ghuma. Unhone ek saath hamla kiya, lekin main unke beech se slip hua, aur apne dagger se unke sir (skull) ko target kiya.
Craccckkk!
Dono skeletons bikhar kar zameen par gir gaye.
Lekin woh Ghoul? Woh abhi bhi peeche khada tha. Woh ek bada sa, chipchipa monster tha jo meri taraf apni laal aankhon se dekh raha tha. Woh dahada, aur meri taraf jhapa.
Is baar maine apni dagger ka use nahi kiya. Maine apna hath aage kiya aur gusse mein chillaaya, "Return to the Void!"
Mere hath se ek kaali roshni (dark aura) nikli aur us Ghoul ko jakad liya. Woh hil nahi paa raha tha. Uski energy dheere-dheere mere andar khinchi ja rahi thi. Uska shareer sukad raha tha, jaise uski life force koi chus raha ho.
[Skill Activated: Shadow Drain]
[Status: Ghoul energy being processed.]
[Level Up: Level 5 -> Level 6]
Jab woh Ghoul khatam hua, toh wahan sirf ek raakh ka dher bacha tha. Main wahan khada tha, paseene se lathpath, lekin mere andar ek ajeeb si khushi thi. Main koi ladka nahi tha jo simulation mein points collect kar raha tha. Main ek predator tha.
Tabhi, mujhe ek aur cheez dikhi. Us Ghoul ke dher mein ek chamakdar cheez thi.
[Item Found: Fragment of the Void Key]
[Note: This item does not exist in standard simulation.]
Yeh kya hai? maine socha. Yeh simulation mein nahi hona chahiye tha. Kya mera system is simulation ke bahar ki cheezein bhi manipulate kar sakta hai?
Abhi main yeh soch hi raha tha ki mujhe doosri taraf se Aryan ki cheekh sunayi di. "Bachao! Itne saare monsters ek saath!"
Aryan ka group ek badi bheed mein phans gaya tha. Unke 'Warrior' skills wahan fail ho rahe the kyunki monsters ki sankhya bahut zyada thi.
Main wahan gaya, lekin main wahan unhe bachane nahi gaya tha. Main wahan apni power ka test karne gaya tha. Main ek pillar ke piche khada ho gaya aur dekha ki kaise woh sab lad rahe the.
"Null! Tu kahan hai? Madad kar!" Aryan chilla raha tha.
Maine apni ankhein band ki. Main dekh sakta tha ki un monsters ke andar kitni mana energy hai. Agar main abhi apne powers ka use karu, toh main un sabko ek pal mein khatam kar sakta hoon.
Lekin kya mujhe aisa karna chahiye? Agar maine apni power dikhayi, toh Principal aur baaki teachers mujhe notice kar lenge.
"Nahi," maine khud se kaha. "Abhi time nahi hai."
Lekin tabhi, ek massive shadow mere sar ke upar dikhi. Main jhatke se piche muda. Ek Shadow Stalker—yeh monster is level ka nahi tha. Yeh simulation ka bug tha, ya phir kisi ne jaan-bujhkar ise yahan chhoda tha?
Woh Stalker meri taraf nahi, Aryan ki taraf badh raha tha. Agar usne Aryan ko maara, toh simulation crash ho jayega aur hum sab real world mein eject ho jayenge. Mera mission khatam ho jayega.
Damn it!
Maine apne hath mein wahi purple dagger wapas bulayi. "Aryan, hatt ja wahan se!"
Main pillar se bahar nikla, apni poori speed ke saath. Main us Stalker ke upar kooda. Aryan ne mujhe dekha—uski aankhein phati reh gayi. Main hawa mein tha, mere charo taraf kaali bijli jaisi energy thi.
Maine apni dagger us Stalker ki gardan mein utaar di.
ROOOAAAARRRR!
Dungeon ka earthquake sa aa gaya. Main zameen par gira, lekin main uth khada hua. Aryan aur baki sab wahan mute baithe the. Unhone abhi mujhe dekha tha. Unhone meri power dekhi thi.
Aryan ki talwar uske hath se gir gayi. "Harsh... yeh... yeh tum ho?"
Main unki taraf muda. Mere hath abhi bhi kaanp rahe the, par gusse se nahi, excitement se. Maine unhe dekha, phir us Stalker ki body ko, aur phir apni screen ko.
[System Message: Secret Boss Encountered.]
[Reward: High Tier Mana Core]
[Identity Exposure Warning: 80%]
Main jaanta tha ki ab meri life school ki nahi rahi. Maine Aryan ko ek thanda look diya aur bola, "Yeh toh bas shuruat hai, Aryan."
Main wahan se nikal gaya, andhere ki taraf. Mujhe ab aur monsters chahiye the. Mujhe aur power chahiye thi. Yeh simulation ab mera playground tha.