Ayaan and Anshuman continued climbing the steep mountain path toward the Gods' Palace.
The palace could already be seen in the distance, standing above the clouds.
"This is it," Anshuman said.
"After all this time."
Ayaan nodded.
The two had fought through countless enemies and overcome impossible challenges to reach this point.
Only a little farther remained.
Suddenly—
CRACK!
A bolt of lightning struck the sky.
Both stopped.
"Did you see that?" Anshuman asked.
Before Ayaan could answer, another flash appeared.
This time it wasn't normal lightning.
The light surrounded both of them.
A notification appeared in front of their eyes.
System Message
Connection Error Detected
Disconnecting Players...
"What?" Anshuman shouted.
"Connection error?!"
The light grew brighter.
The mountain, the palace, and the entire world around them began to disappear.
"Ayaan!"
"I know!"
Everything turned white.
Ayaan slowly opened his eyes.
He was back in his room.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at the ceiling.
Then another voice came from nearby.
"Bro..."
Ayaan turned his head.
Anshuman was sitting on the floor.
"...did we just get kicked out?"
Ayaan looked around.
"We're back in the real world."
At that moment, both their phones vibrated.
A new notification appeared.
Message From The Game Company
We apologize for the unexpected disconnection from God of War.
As compensation, we are granting you exclusive access to a new unreleased game.
The Ruin Explorer
Only a handful of players have been selected.
Rewards earned in this game can be transferred to future games.
Accept Invitation?
Anshuman immediately sat up.
"Exclusive game?"
Ayaan raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting."
Without hesitation, both pressed Accept.
The screens turned black.
A few moments later...
Ayaan felt a cool breeze.
When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't in his room anymore.
Neither was Anshuman.
The two were standing inside a large wooden house.
Sunlight streamed through the windows.
Outside, green fields stretched into the distance.
Stone roads connected small medieval buildings.
People walked through the streets carrying baskets and tools.
Birds flew overhead.
The entire place felt alive.
Anshuman walked to the window.
"Bro..."
"What?"
"This game looks incredible."
Even Ayaan had to admit it.
The graphics were unbelievably realistic.
The village looked almost real.
Then—
Knock. Knock.
Someone was at the door.
Anshuman walked over and opened it.
Standing outside were two girls about their age.
One had long black hair.
The other had brown hair tied back neatly.
The first girl smiled.
"Hi."
The second waved.
"We're Kiara and Zara."
Anshuman blinked.
"Okay..."
The girls looked at each other.
Then Kiara said,
"Aren't you going to invite us inside?"
"Oh."
Anshuman stepped aside.
"Sure. Come in."
The two girls entered the house.
A few minutes later, everyone was sitting in the room.
Meanwhile, Ayaan was still in the bathroom, unaware that anyone had arrived.
The bathroom door opened.
Ayaan stepped out, drying his hair with a towel.
He was focused on reading the game notifications floating in front of him.
He didn't even look up at first.
Meanwhile, Kiara and Zara suddenly became very quiet.
Anshuman looked at them and started laughing.
"Ayaan."
"Hm?"
"We have company."
Ayaan finally looked up.
And for the first time, noticed the two girls staring at him.
Kiara and Zara looked at Ayaan.
"Nice body," Zara said with a grin.
"Thanks," Ayaan replied casually.
Without thinking much about it, he picked up his clothes and walked into another room to change.
Anshuman shook his head.
"Only you could hear that and react like it's a normal greeting."
A few minutes later, Ayaan came back wearing a dark shirt and trousers.
But the moment he entered the room, he stopped.
Several drawers were open.
The cabinet had been searched.
A bag was lying on the floor.
Kiara was stuffing coins into her pocket while Zara was picking up a few valuables from a shelf.
Anshuman looked completely confused.
"What are you two doing?"
The girls froze.
For a second, nobody moved.
Then Zara grabbed a pouch.
"Let's go!"
Both girls rushed toward the door.
As they passed him, Kiara punched Anshuman in the stomach.
"Ugh!"
Anshuman bent forward.
"Did she just punch me?!"
The girls ran toward the exit.
But Ayaan was standing in front of the door.
They stopped immediately.
The room became silent.
Ayaan looked at the open drawers.
Then at the stolen items.
Then at the girls.
"...You're robbing us?"
Neither girl answered.
Anshuman straightened up and pointed at them.
"Forget robbing us, one of them punched me!"
Kiara crossed her arms.
"You looked like the weaker one."
Anshuman's eye twitched.
"The weaker one?!"
Zara looked around nervously.
"Can we continue this conversation after we leave?"
Ayaan calmly walked forward.
The girls instinctively stepped back.
Something about him made them uneasy.
He wasn't angry.
He wasn't shouting.
He just looked at them quietly.
"Put everything back."
Kiara laughed nervously.
"And if we don't?"
Before she could react, Ayaan stepped forward and grabbed the pouch from her hand.
She didn't even realize what happened until it was gone.
Both girls froze.
"Fast..." Zara muttered.
Ayaan tossed the pouch onto the bed.
"Put everything back."
This time his voice was colder.
The girls looked at each other.
For the first time since entering the house, they realized they might have picked the wrong people to rob.
Meanwhile, Anshuman cracked his knuckles and smiled.
"Now that we're done talking, I think you owe me an apology for that punch."
Ayaan looked at the two girls and raised an eyebrow.
"First tell me something."
Kiara and Zara stopped.
"How do you get so much confidence that you enter someone's house and start robbing them right in front of them?"
The two girls glanced at each other.
Then Zara shrugged.
"It usually works."
"Works?" Anshuman repeated.
Kiara nodded.
"We flirt a little, distract them, and they don't even realize they're being robbed."
For a moment, the room was silent.
Then Ayaan spoke.
"What a cheap idea."
Both girls immediately frowned.
"Cheap?!"
"Hey!"
Before anyone could say anything else, Kiara and Zara suddenly charged at them.
Anshuman grinned.
"Now we're fighting?"
Kiara threw a punch toward him.
Anshuman stepped aside and she nearly stumbled past him.
Meanwhile, Zara rushed at Ayaan.
Ayaan calmly moved to the side.
She missed completely.
"What kind of reaction speed is that?!" Zara shouted.
Ayaan didn't answer.
Kiara tried again, aiming for Anshuman's shoulder.
Anshuman caught her wrist.
"You're not very good at this."
"Let go!"
On the other side of the room, Zara grabbed a pillow and threw it at Ayaan.
The pillow hit him in the face.
The room became quiet.
Zara blinked.
Anshuman blinked.
Even Kiara looked surprised.
Ayaan slowly lowered the pillow.
"..."
"..."
"...Did you just throw a pillow at me?" he asked.
Zara pointed at him.
"It worked, didn't it?"
Anshuman burst out laughing.
Kiara covered her face.
"This is embarrassing."
Ayaan tossed the pillow onto the bed.
"You two are terrible thieves."
"Excuse me?" Kiara said.
"You entered the house, introduced yourselves, sat on the bed, got caught stealing, and then attacked the people you were robbing."
Anshuman nodded.
"When you put it like that, it sounds really stupid."
"It IS stupid," Ayaan replied.
The girls looked at each other.
Neither had a comeback.
For the first time, they realized their plan might not have been as clever as they thought.
Kiara and Zara exchanged a quick glance.
This time, they didn't joke.
They both charged at Ayaan and Anshuman with full strength.
Kiara rushed toward Anshuman with a fast combination of punches.
Anshuman blocked the first one, moved away from the second, and barely avoided the third.
"Okay!" Anshuman said. "So you actually know how to fight!"
Zara went straight toward Ayaan.
She threw a powerful punch.
Ayaan moved his head to the side.
The punch missed by inches.
Zara immediately followed with another.
Ayaan stepped backward and blocked it with his forearm.
THUD!
The impact made him slide a little across the wooden floor.
Ayaan looked at his arm.
"So you're stronger than you look."
Zara smiled.
"You're not so slow either."
Meanwhile, Kiara suddenly changed direction and kicked toward Anshuman.
He caught her leg and pushed her back.
She landed on her feet.
"You're pretty strong," Kiara said.
Anshuman smiled.
"You haven't seen anything yet."
The four stood facing each other.
Nobody was laughing anymore.
The playful robbery had turned into a serious fight.
Zara charged at Ayaan again, throwing a fast punch.
Ayaan stepped aside.
But Zara's foot suddenly slipped on the wooden floor.
"Whoa—!"
She lost her balance and fell backward.
A knife was lying on the floor directly behind her.
Ayaan's eyes widened.
"ZARA!"
He immediately lunged forward and caught her before she could fall onto it.
Zara's eyes closed from the sudden movement.
Ayaan held her securely in his arms, keeping her away from the knife.
For a moment, everything went silent.
Zara slowly opened her eyes.
She looked up and realized she was in Ayaan's arms.
"...You caught me?"
Ayaan looked down at her.
"Obviously. You were about to land on a knife."
Zara stared at him for a second, surprised that the person she had just been fighting had saved her.
Across the room, Kiara and Anshuman had completely stopped fighting.
Kiara looked at Zara.
"Zara... are you okay?"
Zara nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
Anshuman lowered his hands and looked at Ayaan.
"That was close."
Ayaan carefully helped Zara stand.
"Next time, watch where you're stepping."
Zara looked at the knife on the floor, then back at Ayaan.
"...Thanks."
Ayaan simply nodded.
The fight was over—for the moment.
Ayaan looked at Kiara and Zara.
"Why are you two robbing people in the first place?"
Kiara and Zara looked at each other.
Zara lowered her head.
"We're homeless," she said quietly. "We don't have any money. We were just robbing people so we could survive."
Ayaan was silent for a moment.
Then he said, "If you two don't have anywhere to stay... you can stay with us."
Kiara's eyes widened.
"Really?"
Anshuman nodded. "Yeah. You don't have to rob anyone anymore."
Zara looked at Ayaan.
"You're actually serious?"
"Yeah," Ayaan replied. "But no more stealing."
Kiara smiled.
"Deal."
Zara suddenly looked down at her clothes.
"There's just one problem..."
"What?" Anshuman asked.
"We don't have enough clothes."
Ayaan looked at his own clothes.
"Neither do we."
Anshuman sighed.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to a clothes store."
A little later, the four of them walked into a nearby clothing store.
Kiara immediately started looking through the racks.
"Okay, this one looks good!"
Zara picked up another outfit.
"What about this?"
Ayaan and Anshuman stood nearby, watching them fill their arms with clothes.
Anshuman looked at Ayaan.
"I think we're going to spend a lot of money."
Ayaan nodded.
"I already realized that."
Kiara turned around.
"You two coming or just standing there?"
Anshuman sighed.
"Fine. Let's shop."
The four of them continued through the store, choosing clothes and occasionally arguing over which ones looked better.
For the first time since entering the Ruin Explorer, Ayaan and Anshuman weren't exploring ruins or fighting.
They were simply shopping with their new companions.
On the way back home, Ayaan suddenly stopped in front of a small old bookshop.
Something had caught his attention.
A book on a dusty shelf had "TREASURE HUNT" written across its cover.
Ayaan picked it up.
"How much?"
The shopkeeper told him the price, and Ayaan bought it.
As they continued walking, Zara looked at the book.
"You like reading books?"
Ayaan smiled.
"I like everything."
Zara laughed.
"Fantastic."
Soon, the four of them reached their house.
They put all the newly bought clothes inside and began organizing everything.
Ayaan looked at Kiara and Zara.
"You two go and get fresh."
"Okay," Kiara said.
After they left, Ayaan turned toward Anshuman.
"So... what are we going to do now in this game?"
Anshuman shrugged.
"We'll find out."
Ayaan remembered the book he had bought.
He sat down and opened it.
The pages were filled with information about treasure hunting, old kingdoms and ancient ruins.
Then Ayaan suddenly stopped.
"Anshuman... look at this."
Anshuman came closer.
Inside the book was a folded map.
Ayaan carefully opened it.
It showed a large area filled with mountains, forests and the remains of an old kingdom.
And in the middle of the map was a huge X.
Ayaan's eyes widened.
"Is it... a treasure?"
Anshuman grinned.
"Our first adventure."
He stood up.
"Let's go."
Just then, Zara and Kiara returned.
Zara looked at the map in Ayaan's hands.
"What's happening?"
Ayaan smiled.
"We're going to become rich."
Zara's eyes widened.
"Really?"
Anshuman laughed.
"Yeah. But we're going to explore a lot too."
Ayaan handed the map to Zara.
"See it yourself."
Zara and Kiara looked at the map together.
They exchanged a glance.
Then Zara smiled.
"We're with you."
Kiara nodded.
"Absolutely."
Ayaan smiled.
"Then it's settled."
Their first adventure had officially begun.
Ayaan folded the map carefully and looked at everyone.
"Alright. Let's pack everything we need. And don't forget anything important, or we'll suffer later."
Anshuman nodded.
"Good point. We're going into an unknown area."
Kiara grabbed a backpack.
"Okay, what do we need?"
Ayaan started listing things.
"Food, water, first-aid supplies, flashlights, extra batteries, rope, basic tools, extra clothes and blankets."
Anshuman added, "And a compass. We shouldn't rely only on the map."
Zara picked up a notebook.
"I'll bring this. We can write down everything we discover."
"Good," Ayaan said.
The four of them began packing.
Anshuman checked the food and water.
Kiara organized the first-aid supplies and clothes.
Zara carefully folded the map and placed it somewhere safe.
Ayaan checked every backpack one by one.
"Food?"
"Packed."
"Water?"
"Packed."
"Flashlights?"
"Packed."
"Rope?"
"Packed."
"First aid?"
"Packed."
Ayaan looked satisfied.
"Good. Nobody's going to complain later that we forgot something."
Anshuman looked at him.
"You're definitely going to be the one checking everything ten times."
Ayaan shrugged.
"Better than discovering we forgot water halfway through the journey."
Kiara laughed.
"Fair enough."
After several more minutes, all four backpacks were ready.
Ayaan picked up the treasure map.
"Tomorrow, we start exploring."
The others nodded.
Their first real adventure in the Ruin Explorer was getting closer.
The four of them left their house with their backpacks and followed the map.
There were no vehicles they could use, so they had to travel entirely on foot.
They walked through narrow paths, open fields and small stretches of forest.
After hours of walking, they finally reached another village.
Ayaan looked around.
"I'm going to the barber shop. Till then, do whatever you want."
Before anyone could respond, Ayaan walked away.
Anshuman looked at the others.
"Want to eat something?"
Kiara immediately nodded.
"Yeah."
They found a small food stall and sat down on a wooden bench.
While waiting for their food, Zara looked toward the road where Ayaan had disappeared.
"So... what is Ayaan actually like?"
Anshuman smiled.
"What do you mean?"
Kiara leaned forward.
"You two have been together for a long time, right? We barely know anything about him."
Anshuman nodded.
"Yeah. Ayaan is my best friend."
Zara asked, "Is he always like this?"
"Like what?"
"Calm one moment, then suddenly making some crazy decision."
Anshuman laughed.
"Pretty much."
Kiara smiled.
"He also seems very confident."
Anshuman looked toward the barber shop.
"He is. But he's also the kind of person who thinks about everyone before himself."
Zara raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
Anshuman nodded.
"You already saw what happened earlier with you."
Zara became quiet for a moment.
"Yeah... he didn't even hesitate."
Kiara smiled slightly.
"I think we're starting to understand him."
Anshuman laughed.
"You'll learn more about him as we travel together."
Just then, their food arrived.
Kiara looked at Anshuman.
"Alright. Tell us something funny about Ayaan."
Anshuman grinned.
"Oh, I have plenty."
Anshuman took a bite of his food and leaned back on the bench.
"You want to know everything about Ayaan?"
Kiara nodded.
"Everything."
Anshuman laughed.
"Alright. Ayaan is my best friend, and we've been through a lot together. He's extremely fast, strong, and usually the first person to step forward when something dangerous happens."
Zara smiled.
"That part was obvious."
Anshuman continued.
"But he's not serious all the time. He jokes around, likes trying different things, and sometimes makes completely random decisions."
Kiara laughed.
"Like going to a barber shop in the middle of an adventure?"
"Exactly."
Zara asked, "Does he always act confident?"
"Most of the time," Anshuman said. "But he also thinks a lot before making important decisions. And if someone needs help, he'll usually help them without expecting anything in return."
Kiara looked down at her food.
"Yeah... we've already seen that."
Anshuman nodded.
"He's also very curious. If he sees something interesting, he'll want to investigate it."
Zara pointed toward the treasure-map bag.
"Which explains the treasure book."
"Exactly."
The three laughed.
Then Anshuman looked at them.
"Okay, enough about Ayaan. What are you two like?"
Kiara looked at Zara.
"You answer first."
Zara shook her head.
"No, you."
Kiara sighed.
"Fine. I'm pretty confident, talkative, and I like taking risks. I can be stubborn sometimes too."
Anshuman smiled.
"I noticed."
Kiara gave him a look.
"Don't start."
Everyone laughed.
Zara then spoke.
"I'm calmer than Kiara. I usually think before doing something, but I can still be impulsive when something exciting happens."
Anshuman nodded.
"So you two are basically opposites."
"Pretty much," Zara said.
Kiara added, "But that's why we work well together."
Anshuman smiled.
"Then I guess this group might actually work."
Zara looked toward the barber shop.
"I wonder what Ayaan is doing right now."
Kiara laughed.
"Probably taking forever."
Ayaan finally walked out of the barber shop.
The moment he reached the food stall, everyone went completely silent.
Kiara stopped eating.
Zara stared at him.
Even Anshuman looked surprised.
Ayaan touched his new haircut and smiled.
"How's my new haircut?"
Anshuman's eyes widened.
"Bro... you are looking insane!"
Ayaan laughed.
"Really?"
"Seriously," Anshuman said. "That haircut suits you."
Zara was still staring at Ayaan in complete shock.
Ayaan noticed her expression.
"What?"
Zara quickly looked away.
"Nothing. I just... wasn't expecting that."
Kiara laughed.
"You're actually shocked."
Zara nodded.
"Yeah. He looks completely different."
Ayaan walked over and sat beside Anshuman.
"So, what were you all doing?"
Anshuman smirked.
"Talking about you."
Ayaan raised an eyebrow.
"About me?"
Kiara smiled.
"Yep."
Ayaan looked at Anshuman.
"What did you tell them?"
Anshuman grinned.
"Everything."
Ayaan stared at him.
"Everything?"
Anshuman nodded.
"Everything."
Ayaan sighed.
"Great..."
As the four were about to leave the village, Zara suddenly felt a strong tug on her shoulder.
Before she could react, a thief snatched her bag and sprinted into the crowded street.
"HEY!" Zara shouted.
"My bag!"
The thief pushed through people and disappeared between market stalls.
Ayaan immediately took off after him.
"Stay here!"
But Anshuman wasn't far behind.
The villagers turned their heads as the two sprinted through the market.
The thief looked back and panicked.
"They're still chasing me?!"
He ran into a narrow alley.
Just as Ayaan was about to catch him, another boy stepped into the alley and blocked the path.
The boy cracked his knuckles.
"You're not going any farther."
Ayaan slowed to a stop.
A moment later, Anshuman arrived and stood beside him.
He looked at the boy blocking the alley.
Then he smiled.
"Looks like he has friends."
The boy smirked.
"Turn around and go home."
Ayaan glanced at the direction the thief had escaped.
Then back at the boy.
"Move."
"No."
Ayaan sighed.
Anshuman stretched his shoulders.
"Let's get our item back."
The boy laughed.
"You think it's going to be that easy?"
Just then, three more boys stepped out from nearby alleys.
One carried a wooden stick.
Another had a chain wrapped around his hand.
The last one stood beside the blocker.
Anshuman counted them.
"Four."
Ayaan nodded.
"Four."
The boys grinned.
One of them pointed down the alley.
"Your friend's bag is already gone."
Ayaan looked at him calmly.
"Then we'll take it back."
The leader stepped forward.
"Try."
The narrow alley suddenly became silent.
Neither side moved.
Then—
The leader rushed forward and threw a punch at Ayaan.
THUD!
Ayaan caught the punch.
The boys' eyes widened.
Ayaan looked at the fist in his hand.
Then at the leader.
"You should've just given the bag back."
Beside him, Anshuman smiled.
"Now you've made things difficult for yourselves."
The fight had begun.
The fight ended quickly.
The four boys had expected an easy victory.
Instead, they found themselves on the ground groaning in pain.
One was holding his stomach.
Another was sitting against a wall, completely dazed.
Anshuman dusted off his hands.
"That was easier than I expected."
Ayaan looked around the alley.
"The thief isn't here."
The two immediately started searching through the nearby streets.
Meanwhile, Kiara and Zara were looking around the market from another direction.
A few minutes later—
"STOP!"
A shout echoed through the village.
Ayaan's expression changed instantly.
It was Zara's voice.
Without hesitation, he and Anshuman ran toward the sound.
When they arrived, they saw the thief.
He was cornered near an abandoned building.
The stolen bag was hanging from his shoulder.
And in his hand was a knife.
The blade was pointed toward Kiara, who had been grabbed and pulled in front of him.
"Don't come any closer!" the thief shouted.
The crowd around them quickly backed away.
Zara looked worried.
"Kiara!"
The thief's hand trembled slightly.
He was clearly nervous.
Ayaan stepped forward slowly.
His voice remained calm.
"Bro..."
The thief looked at him.
"What do you want?"
The thief tightened his grip on the knife.
"I just want to leave!"
"Then leave."
The thief blinked.
"What?"
Ayaan pointed at the bag.
"Leave the bag."
The thief glanced at it.
"No."
Anshuman folded his arms.
"You've made some very bad decisions today."
The thief swallowed nervously.
Even he could tell that neither Ayaan nor Anshuman seemed afraid.
The village had become completely silent.
Everyone was watching.
Ayaan took another step forward.
"Let Kiara go."
The thief immediately raised the knife higher.
"I said don't move!"
But despite the threat, Ayaan's expression didn't change.
And somehow...
That made the thief even more nervous.
The thief tightened his grip on the knife.
"Stay back!"
Kiara remained still, waiting for an opportunity.
Anshuman watched carefully from the side.
The thief slowly started backing away.
"I-I'm leaving!"
Ayaan looked past him and suddenly pointed.
"What's that?"
The thief instinctively turned his head.
"What—?"
That single moment was enough.
By the time he looked forward again—
Ayaan was standing right in front of him.
The thief's eyes widened.
"W-What?!"
He hadn't even seen Ayaan move.
Ayaan calmly grabbed the thief's wrist before he could react.
The knife was no longer pointed at Kiara.
Kiara immediately stepped away from him.
The thief tried to pull back.
But Ayaan's grip didn't move.
Ayaan looked at him and said,
"Now what can you do?"
The thief froze.
For the first time, he realized how badly outmatched he was.
Anshuman walked over with a grin.
"Honestly, you should've surrendered earlier."
The thief looked around desperately.
The villagers were watching.
Kiara was safe.
Zara had already recovered the stolen bag.
There was nowhere left to run.
Ayaan took the knife from his hand and tossed it aside.
It landed harmlessly on the ground.
The thief lowered his head.
"I lost."
"Obviously," Anshuman replied.
Zara checked her bag.
"Everything's still here."
Kiara looked at Ayaan.
"Thanks."
Ayaan shrugged.
"You would've done the same for us."
The villagers began murmuring among themselves.
Many were impressed by how quickly the situation had ended.
Meanwhile, the thief sat on the ground, wondering how someone could move that fast.
And for Ayaan, it was just another obstacle on the road to beating The Ruin Explorer.