A group of survivors entered the jungle reeked of the decay of buildings. Actually, it was once known as a popular city in India.
But now it's just a barren wasteland filled with different kinds of monsters.
Two years after the world had collapsed, this world was no longer a land of kings or rulers.
It became a hunting ground. Mutated beasts roamed the shadows, and survival meant every breath could be your last.
If you want to live, then be ready to erase your fears that is the only way to survive in this living hell.
Duswanth tightened his grip on the serrated electric blade strapped to his forearm, the hum of the weapon a faint but reassuring sound.
"Keep close," he whispered, scanning the twisted trees. Varsha's eyes darted to the shattered forest around them, muscles tense.
"If we had Aurora, we wouldn't even have to sweat for these low-tier monsters," he muttered, voice half in awe, half in frustration.
Kaviya tilted her head, curiosity mixing with hope. "Aurora? That old AI system… the one the corporations built before the world fell apart?"
"Exactly," Varsha replied, letting the words hang.
"It was designed to help humans understand their bodies, evolve faster, optimize combat skills. With it, we could predict a creature's moves, exploit weaknesses, even fight without risking our lives."
More importantly, AURO was purely made for military and health purposes.
Deva scoffed. "Sounds like a fairy tale. Two years after the apocalypse, and we're lucky to have blades that still spark."
Varsha's grin was sharp, almost bitter.
"Fairy tale or not, imagine the edge we'd have. No struggling with the small fry, no wasted energy. Every fight becomes precise… lethal."
Duswanth's gaze hardened, his hand brushing the handle of his electric blade. If such a system exists… I'll find it. And I'll make sure no one survives to stop me.
Kaviya's eyes flicked between him and Varsha. "Then… if we had Aurora, maybe we wouldn't have to die today."
The thought lingered like a phantom over the burned-out forest.
Power like that could change everything or make the wrong hands unstoppable.
Varsha's eyes glimmered as she spoke, voice low but charged with excitement.
"But from what I've heard… even before the apocalypse, only the elite, the high society, or a few early test subjects ever had access to Aurora."
"There are a lot of rumours," she added, "and we can't even tell if someone has it or not."
Duswanth leaned back against a charred tree, fingers brushing the hilt of his electric blade.
"Makes sense," he murmured.
"After the apocalypse, our bodies adapted. Strength, speed, reflexes—they all improved naturally, almost like the monsters themselves.
But Aurora… it gives instructions, like a guide inside your mind."
Kaviya tilted her head, eyes wide. "Instructions?"
"Yes," Dushwanth continued, his voice measured, almost reverent.
"I've seen systems like that in old virtual games. Some users have even gained unique skills, abilities beyond the natural limits. Our bodies have adapted to this apocalypse; we've developed unique skills, just as all living beings were transformed by the cosmic explosion. So, imagine if Aurora could do that. It means it would refine our instincts, sharpen our reflexes, push our abilities and skills to the absolute G.O.A.T. level."
Devan let out a low whistle, half impressed, half envious. "So you're saying it's like… leveling up for real life?"
Varsha and Duswanth nodded vigorously.
"Exactly. Not just stronger or faster—better. Smarter in combat, more precise, more lethal. Maybe some of the monsters have aurora. Think about the monsters we encountered in the past. We are facing monsters with intelligence, so maybe aurora have also played a major part in our current world. If we had even a fragment of it, the low-tier monsters we struggle with… they'd be nothing."
Kaviya's gaze drifted to the broken canopy above, a flicker of hope in her voice.
"So… we could survive better. We could fight back… really fight back."
Duswanth's jaw tightened. "Aurora isn't just a power. It's just a tool. And in the wrong hands… it could turn humans into monsters far worse than any we face here."
A tense silence followed. The forest seemed heavier, as if even the shadows had heard the word Aurora.
Every one of them imagined the possibilities and the dangers.
Now the canopy above barely let the sunlight pierce through. Shadows moved where no shadows should.
Arul's voice broke the tense silence.
"I think we're close, Duswanth. I can hear them."
Duswanth's gaze hardened. He could feel it in his bones, the scent of metal and ozone, the unmistakable presence of a core-beast.
The mutation was alive, thrumming, waiting to tear them apart.
Kaviya stumbled over a root. "Ah! Sorry, Dushwanth!"
He shot a glance, but it was too late to scold.
The girl was reckless, brave, and stubborn.
Those qualities that had already gotten her into life-threatening trouble once. He clenched his jaw. Not today. Not again.
Devan, ever impulsive, readied his makeshift crossbow. "Let it come. I'm itching to test the new bolts."
"Quiet," Duswanth snapped. "You'll alert it."
Varsha, the scout, crouched ahead, eyes narrowing. "Movement. To your left, ten meters."
The forest shivered as the mutant emerged.
Its skin was a chaotic mosaic of steel-like plating and raw, pulsing flesh.
Runic symbols glowed faintly across its body, like veins carrying molten energy.
Its core—a burning red orb suspended above its chest—throbbed in rhythm with its guttural growl.
Duswanth's heart pounded.
He remembered the day two years ago, when everyone had fallen, when the same mutants had slaughtered everyone he had loved.
Revenge burned hotter than fear.
"Ready?" he whispered.
Arul nodded. Devan flexed his fingers. Kaviya's eyes, wide but determined, locked onto his.
The mutant lunged.
A chilling squeal ripped through the twisted trees, and from the shadows, it emerged like half-human, half-rat, its body grotesquely stretched and hunched, limbs twisted at unnatural angles. Jagged fangs jutted from a rat-like muzzle, glinting as its crimson eyes locked onto the group.
Patches of coarse black fur clung to raw, scarred flesh, and its long, whip-like tail lashed the ground with every calculated step.
Above its chest, a pulsating red core glowed faintly, casting eerie light across its twisted form, as if the beating heart of the apocalypse itself had taken shape in this nightmare.
People call it Fang Rat.
Sparks flew as Duswanth's electric razor knife slashed through its armored leg. The creature roared, a sound like metal tearing apart.
Duswanth rolled to the side, feeling the vibration of the impact run up his arm.
Kaviya froze as the monster twisted toward her, claws snapping inches from her face. Instinct surged.
Duswanth dove, the blade arcing in a scream of electricity, cutting through the air and slicing the beast's claw mid-lunge.
"Move!" he shouted, pulling her behind a fallen tree trunk.
She gasped, her heart racing like she was riding a roller coaster.
"You saved me…"
He didn't answer. "Just focus on the monster, Kaviya, don't be an idiot."
His eyes were fixed on the core, pulsating ominously.
If I destroy it, maybe this area's nightmare ends, and it will become a safety zone to rest.
Devan fired a bolt into the beast's shoulder.
Sparks and greenish ichor sprayed. The monster staggered, but the core remained untouched, still glowing.
Varsha hissed, "Guys, I think we have a problem here. It looks like it's smarter than the others. It's avoiding the strikes and the traps we set early."
Kaviya smiled and said to her that "Maybe that infected rat must have AURORA. Don't waste your energy on its limbs!"
Duswanth's mind raced. This is the first time we have seen something with AURORA. We must hunt it carefully.
Two years of planning, surviving, waiting for this moment. I will not fail.
He charged, blade humming, his heart synced with the creature's pulsing core. Each strike was precise, measured—an intricate dance of death.
The mutant's roar split the forest. Its core shot a jagged bolt of energy toward Duswanth.
He dove, rolling, sparks grazing his armor. Pain shot up his arm, but he ignored it. Blood, fear, revenge—all mixed into a singular focus only to hunt that monster.
Finally, with a calculated thrust, he plunged the electric blade into the side of the creature, aiming straight for the core.
The orb flared violently, illuminating the dark forest with red light.
Kaviya screamed. "Duswanth…!"
The blade pulsed. The core began to crack, glowing brighter, then shattered in a deafening explosion of light and sound.
The mutant collapsed, twitching, finally still.
Silence returned to the forest. Only the hum of Duswanth's weapon and the ragged breathing of the team remained.
Kaviya looked at him, trembling. "You… you didn't just save me. You… you did it."
Duswanth sheathed the blade, scanning the treeline. His mind, however, was already calculating. The mutant's core wasn't the only thing he was hunting.
Others were out there—watching, waiting. The ambush he had suspected for days was no longer theory.
Arul approached, voice low. "I think… someone else is here. Another base. They could be planning to—"
Duswanth held up his hand. His eyes narrowed. Not now. Not yet.
He couldn't reveal everything to the others. Secrets were weapons, and he had learned to wield them.
The forest shifted as if alive. Every rustle, every shadow could hide a predator. The team regrouped, hearts still racing. The hunt had been won, but the war was far from over.
Because they defeated this monster after their six tries, just like them, the entire world has been hunting monsters like crazy people.
A distant howl echoed. Not the mutant's. Someone—or something—was watching. Waiting.
Dushwanth's fists clenched. Revenge was a long road, and the path through the forest was littered with corpses. But he would survive. He would make them pay.
He glanced at Kaviya. She was shaken but alive. That was all that mattered—for now.
The red glow of the broken core still lingered in the air, a silent reminder that every victory came with a cost.
Duswanth wiped sweat and blood from his brow.
This is just the beginning.
The wind carried a whisper through the trees, faint but distinct: "He doesn't know what's coming…"
Duswanth didn't flinch. He had survived worse. He had to.
The next steps would decide who lived and who died. And he wasn't planning to die—not yet.
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UPDATED DETAILS
AURORA – ???
It is an AI made before the apocalypse to help humans get stronger, faster, and better at fighting. Only a few people had access to it, and some say parts of it may still exist.
FANGED RAT
It is a mutated monster with a hunched body, sharp fangs, and glowing red eyes. It has a red core on its chest that must be destroyed to kill it. It is smart, fast, and very dangerous.
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