Kaal lay inside the cave, staring at the glowing status screen before his eyes.
[Name - Kaal
Level -1
Aatma - 1/ 1000
Skill - Ashtabhuja, God's eyes
Ashtabhuja - Grants the user extra arms, each twice as strong as owe.
God's Eyes - Nothing can remain hidden before there eyes. ]
His brows furrowed as he kept reading the strange words. Turning to Kapil's voice that always echoed in his mind, he asked,
"Kapil... what does that Aatma 1/1000 mean?"
Kapil's clam tone replied, "That number represents the souls you have absorbed. The one you killed... its essence merged into you."
Kaal's eyes widened. "You mean... that insect I killed? And than I heard that strange voice telling me I gained five percent strength... was that because I absorbed its soul?"
"Exactly," Kapil confirmed. "You devoured it. Every time you kill, their soul adds to your count. The more you slay, the stronger you will become."
Kaal swallowed hard. "And if... I fill this counter? One thousand souls?"
"Then you will level up."
Kaal sat upright. "Level up? And what happens when I level up?"
There was a pause. Kapil's voice hesitated. "...That I do not know.?
Kaal's eyes twitched in irritation. He glared upward as though staring at the invisible guide. " What kind of guide are you if you don't even know that?!"
Frustrated, he stood and began walking out of the cave. As the harsh sunlight struck his eyes, he flinched, blinded for a moment. After so many days inside the darkness of the cave, his body still felt weak, though he had finally healed enough to move freely.
Outside, two figures caught his attention.
One was Ravi, sitting cross-legged with his legs folded inwards, murmuring mantras in a calm, meditative state. The other was Raj, whose sword gleamed under the sun as he swung it gracefully, almost like a dance. The blade cut the air with mesmerizing precision, leaving trails of light with every movement.
Kaal approached them curiously. "What are you doing?" he asked.
Raj stopped, smiled faintly, and pointed his sword towards him. "nothing serious. just practicing."
Kaal hesitated, his eyes fixed on the shining blade. After a long pause, he gathered courage. "Can... I learn too?"
Raj froze. The attack came so fast he couldn't react. His breath stopped-he truly thought he was about to die. But the strike halted mere inches above his head, the wind of the blow knocking him backward. He fell flat on the ground, drenched in sweat, his heart pounding like it would explode.
For an instant, he felt as if he had seen death itself.
"Raj! Stop joking around!" Ravi shouted, his calm meditation breaking. "You scared him half to death!"
Raj chuckled, extending a hand to help Kaal up. Kaal grabbed it, still trembling.
"Don't worry," Raj grinned. "let's start your training, Kaal... or should I say, 'Lord Kaal'?" He winked playfully.
Kaal's face flushed, caught off guard by the sudden respect in his tone. He stammered, "I-I... fine. try."
But before he could prepare, a strange sound echoed around them.
Grrrrrr...
Raj and Ravi both stiffened, their hands going to their weapons. The sound came again, louder this time.
Grrrrrrroooowwwl...
Kaal froze, blinking in confusion. Then his eyes widened in embarrassment. "Wait... that sound... it's coming from my stomach."
The silence broke. Raj burst into laughter, Ravi sighed in relief, and Kaal scratched the back of his head awkwardly. The moment that had started as tense ended with an odd kind of warmth, thought deep inside, Kaal knew-this was only the beginning of his harsh training.