The wind over the ruins was colder now.
Ash drifted like snow as Shiva stepped beyond the gates of Takṣaśilā, the ancient city disappearing behind a curtain of dust and lightning.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and called out his Interface.
[Status Window — Open]
A familiar green light washed over his vision.
Name: Shiva
Title: The thunder bearer (+1)
Race: Human (Mutated)
Class: Blacksmith-Sādhaka (Evolving)
Level: 3
XP: 0 / 400
ATTRIBUTES
Attribute Value Notes
Strength 28 Gained through
combat with beasts
Agility 20 Improved via battle
and Kinetic Absorption
Energy 65 Can be restored
(Prana) through meditation
Endurance 33 Reinforced by Ashen
Ram fusion
Vitality 26 Regeneration due to
Symbiotic Pulse
Focus 18 Controlled through long
meditation cycles
Intelligence 15 Gained from Interface
comprehension
Spirit 36 Major spike from
mantra resonance
TRAITS
Beast Synchrony (Stage 1) — Amplifies physical output when bonded beast is active.
Mantra Resonance (Refined) — Converts spiritual energy into system-compatible power.
Resurrected Vessel — Enhanced regeneration and resistance.
Adaptive Reflex Lv.2 — Faster response time under pressure.
Kinetic Absorption Lv.2 — Stores up to 45% impact energy.
SKILLS
Hammer Wielding Lv.1
Sword Wielding Lv.1
Meditation (Vedic Focus) Lv.2
Forge Mastery Lv.1
EQUIPMENT
Vajra-Agni (Bound Artifact) — Resonance 84%.
Vajra-Vāyu — Reactivated, elemental wind aura faintly active.
Ring of Infinite Holding (Gift of Yaksha) — Spatial storage for gear, food, scrolls, and materials.
BEAST LINKED (1/10)
Ashen Ram
Link Stability: 74%
Shared Trait: Symbiotic Pulse Lv.2
Tattoo: Right Hand (glows faintly during resonance)
Ability: Heat resistance, kinetic amplification
Growth: Stable
SYSTEM LOG
[Beast Synchronization Achieved.]
[Vault of Takshashila: Access Granted.]
[Blessing of Yaksha — Spatial Ring Integrated.]
[System Advisory: Next Evolution Path — "The Ten Beasts of Patliputra."]
He exhaled, smiling faintly. "Level 3, huh? Guess the gods finally noticed."
The fused presence of the Ashen Ram pulsed faintly within him — not a voice, but a feeling, a rhythm syncing with his heartbeat. It was warmth, loyalty, and untamed rage woven into one.
He could almost hear its low rumble of approval in his chest.
"Let's go, partner," Shiva muttered. "Time to find that old hermit again."
He began the long walk towards Shyam Baba's hut, deep beyond the forest plains. The path cut through abandoned farmlands where broken plows lay half-buried in earth, and the bones of beasts mingled with rusted machines.
Nature had taken back everything — and twisted it.
By the time the sun began to dip, the first roar split the silence.
Shiva spun, hammer raised.
A creature lunged from the shadows — a two-headed wolf, its fur smoking, eyes burning red. The air shimmered with its heat.
"Number one," Shiva growled.
The hammer came down in a blur of green light. The wolf exploded in sparks and ash.
[Enemy Defeated — +12 XP]
[Hammer Wielding: Progress +8%]
He barely had time to breathe before the ground cracked. From the fissure crawled something worse — a serpentine beast with charred scales and six eyes.
The ram's essence stirred within him. A glowing horn shimmered faintly on his shoulder, energy surging through his veins.
When he swung the hammer this time, a spectral ram leapt forth — crashing into the serpent with blinding force.
The creature disintegrated, hissing into smoke.
[Enemy Defeated — +20 XP]
[New Effect: Ram Resonance — Active]
The battles didn't stop.
Ten times the forest howled, and ten times Shiva answered.
Beasts of every shape — clawed, winged, molten — fell to his hammer and the spirit that fought beside him. Each kill came harder, faster, wilder.
By the eighth, his arms burned with exhaustion; his breath came ragged.
But with every swing, his movement grew sharper — less brute force, more rhythm, like a blacksmith striking divine iron.
[Skill Level Up — Hammer Wielding Lv.2]
[Efficiency Increased: 25%]
[Bonus Trait Unlocked: Weapon Flow]
He grinned through the pain. "Not bad for a half-dead blacksmith."
The sword, though — it lay unused at his side, its faint glow unchanging. When he finally drew it, the blade felt lighter than air, but alien. His strikes lacked flow, his grip uncertain.
The Interface flickered.
[Sword Wielding: Progress 4%]
[Note: Maybe stop favoring the hammer, hero.]
"Yeah, yeah," Shiva muttered, shoving it back into the ring. "One storm at a time."
By the tenth battle, night had fallen.
The last creature — a hulking iron-backed bear — crashed through the trees, roaring loud enough to shake the ground. Shiva's body screamed in protest, but he didn't stop. The ram's aura erupted behind him, both man and beast moving as one.
The hammer swung upward, blazing emerald.
The bear fell in two strokes, crumbling into ash.
[Enemy Defeated — +60 XP]
[Level Up: 3 → 4]
[Stamina Restored]
[Bond Strengthened — Ram Integration: 45%]
Shiva dropped to his knees, panting hard.
The forest burned faintly around him, the smell of ozone heavy in the air. The ram's glow softened, wrapping around him like a faint shield before fading back into his body.
"Thanks, partner," he whispered. "You kept me alive again."
For a moment, there was silence — peaceful, almost sacred.
Then the Interface chimed softly.
[Distance to Destination: 0.8 km]
[Location Detected — Hermit Hut of Shyam Baba]
Shiva looked up.
Through the trees, faint lamplight flickered — warm, golden, human. After days of ruins and monsters, it looked almost unreal.
He trudged forward, weary but alive. The night breeze carried the smell of incense and firewood.
As he neared the clearing, he saw it — the small hut, just as he remembered. Smoke rose from its chimney, curling into the starless sky.
Shyam Baba sat cross-legged at the door, eyes closed, as if he'd known Shiva would return.
Shiva stopped a few steps away, gripping his hammer tightly.
"Baba," he said, voice low but steady. "I found something. And I need answers."
The old man opened his eyes — calm, ancient, and knowing.
"Then come, child of thunder," he said softly. "Your path has just begun."
The ram's faint pulse echoed in Shiva's chest — a heartbeat answering another.
End of Chapter 11: The Road of Beasts