...

  The roar of gunfire filled the entirety of Kaalminar with its cacophony; no matter where one was, the sound was inescapable.

  This thunderous noise seeped into the room where Raghav lay. Near the window, Sangharsh watched the spectacle where AHSF soldiers' rifles were preventing the icy monsters from scaling the walls.

  Raghav's body was still struggling to emerge from the trauma he had recently endured.

  When death brushes past you, even the stoutest hearts falter. This experience had been so harrowing that Raghav was still racked with tremors.

  It felt as though his internal organs might burst through his skin at any moment. Raghav had braced for the worst the moment he refused to give a straight answer to the man in the brown trench coat... but he hadn't anticipated the brutality would reach this level.

  Tears still flowed, rolling from the corners of his eyes toward his ears. He couldn't even summon the strength to raise his hand to wipe them away.

  While he understood his physical pain, he had no inkling of what this "Fighter Core" was supposed to be.

  "You won't tell me easily, and I won't let you leave without telling me something."

  Sangharsh's voice sliced through the silence and tension of the room. He was still staring outside.

  "Let's play a game."

  Finally, his gaze fell upon the boy on the floor, who looked in no condition to play any game. Soon, Raghav's red eyes met Sangharsh's.

  "Don't look at me with those pathetic eyes. Or I won't hesitate to pluck them out."

  With a painful, dry swallow, Raghav wiped his eyes and, with a groan, managed to sit up against the wall. The ache in his nerves persisted—lighter than before, but present.

  "What... what kind of game? To see how many ways you can kill me from... right where you stand?!"

  Raghav's voice was a cocktail of agony, but the listener had applied filters to ensure only the words reached his ears. A laugh tried to escape Sangharsh's throat, but it manifested only as a faint smile...

  One so shallow it didn't even reach his eyes.

  "The rope is burnt, yet the twist remains."

  But Raghav didn't answer.

  He didn't feel like answering. His eyes remained fixed on the man before him.

  "No matter! Let the game begin."

  When he closed his eyes, the mark on his right eye became more clearly visible; a dagger attack that must have landed diagonally on these eyes had left its mark for all to see.

  His lips moved as if chanting a silent mantra and before Raghav could see, four burning lamps appeared before him. The same thing happened to Sangharsh.

  Raghav recoiled slightly. He had no idea what kind of macabre game was about to be played with these flames. Sangharsh opened his eyes, a flicker of satisfaction evident on his face.

  "Four questions for you, and four for me! Answer correctly, and a lamp is extinguished. Answer incorrectly, and... you burn."

  Sangharsh didn't need to elaborate. The stakes were written in his lethal gaze, and Raghav was an expert at reading eyes.

  "Begin!"

  Raghav was momentarily stunned when Sangharsh offered him the first move. This man? Offering a fair chance? The more strange things this strange man was saying to Raghav in this strange environment, the more strange Raghav was feeling.

  "Truly? Me? You're sure you won't start?"

  "If I wanted to start, I wouldn't have asked you... Mr. Raghav!"

  Sangharsh sat back down on the blue bench, in front of the bed and there were four lamps burning in front of him, the reflection of whose light was giving a golden color to his eyes.

  "Then... my first question. Who are you? And where am I?"

  Sangharsh raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected such a rudimentary question. But then again, if he didn't ask this, what would he ask?

  A man who doesn't know the alphabet cannot write a poem.

  It worked in Sangharsh's favor—the boy had no idea what a golden opportunity he was squandering.

  "Fine. I am Sangharsh. The Guild Master of the Pralay Guild. And you are currently in the Kaalminar Auction House, which falls under the jurisdiction of the State Government. Indrasan nestled in the lap of Himachal Pradesh, and Kaalminar nestled in its lap."

  From Sangharsh's words, Raghav gauged his location and about this world,. He knew which direction to gallop his mental horses.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Before Raghav could overthink, Sangharsh fired his own query. The first lamp in front of him had already been extinguished, indicating that the answer had been given correctly.

  "Where did you come from?"

  Raghav hesitated a bit after hearing the question. It was well deserved. The question was precise. He realized the trap of the game. Because the simple answer was that mansion...

  But Raghav wasn't going to back down just like that.

  『Watch me, you bastard! I'll show you how I play. I've suffered a lot because of you.』

  "I was with a friend, then suddenly I was in an unknown place, and from there, I ended up here."

  Raghav's answer was so skillfully circular that Sangharsh was momentarily bewildered. The lamp in front of Raghav went out. The answer was given, and it was technically the truth.

  The snake died and the stick remained unbroken.

  Raghav did not answer even after giving the answer and Sangharsh did not get the answer even after getting the answer.

  "Which mansion?"

  "Is that your second question?"

  Raghav finally looked at Sangharsh with a redness in his chocolate eyes. A reminder that just moments ago, this man was trying to kill him, and now here his words were taking hold.

  Sangharsh couldn't back down. In this game, a question unasked or retracted would cause a backfire. Sangharsh will be burned if he doesn't say yes. If he does, he will lose an opportunity, leaving only two more...

  『Impressive boy! I must admit, that was brilliant.』

  "Yes!"

  "It was an old mansion. I don't know how long it's been there, nor do I know anything about the mansion or its owner."

  Raghav's second lamp died. Sangharsh still hadn't gained a single useful clue.

  "My turn. Two questions. You've asked two too. Fair?"

  "...Fair."

  "Tell me, what is this 'Fighter Core'?"

  Sangharsh took a long breath. In his world, even children knew this, but this boy was from a world completely alienated from these concepts. Sangharsh looked at him as if his interest had increased.

  "Well! In short, a Fighter Core is the engine that grants a fighter their strength. It helps them combat monsters. And yes, by refining ores found in monster corpses into gems, one can temporarily boost their power."

  The lamp before Sangharsh vanished. Raghav listened intently. Things from that Sanskrit book, which he couldn't grasp earlier, were beginning to make sense. Sangharsh had intentionally added the part about monsters and gems at the end so that Raghav's mind would go there, and perhaps he succeeded in reading Raghav's mind.

  "So... what are these monsters? Like the ancient ones from *Ramayan or Mahabharat?"

  (*The foundational ancient Indian epics of righteousness and duty.)

  Sangharsh answered with a genuine smile. For the first time, he was enjoying the effort it took to ensnare someone.

  "Somewhat! It depends on what level you're talking about. Low-level monsters are no threat; they die in a hit or two. But Power-Level and Supreme-Level monsters can bring you to your knees."

  Sangharsh stopped there. Incomplete information often makes people desperate to know more. Raghav was eager, but it was Sangharsh's turn...

  "My turn! Where did you get that butterfly?"

  A frown creased Raghav's forehead. He peered at Sangharsh, trying to decipher what was brewing in that dark mind.

  "There was a man. Unknown, unfamiliar. He helped me a bit and gave me the butterfly."

  It didn't take long for Sangharsh's gaze to sharpen. Again, the boy answered so tactfully that no solid lead was found.

  『This boy is evolving from interesting to annoying. Dammit!』

  They both had one lamp left. The match was at a stalemate. Like a lion and a tiger facing off in the jungle, so too were these two facing off in a mental duel.

  Looking at Raghav now, no one would believe he was the same boy who had been at death's door minutes ago.

  "What is the difference between all the Levels?"

  Raghav's final question was as intriguing as the boy himself.

  "Nothing much. Higher level, higher powers. Up to Power-Level, everyone has one specific power they use. But at the Supreme-Level, a fighter gains two powers. One is visible, the other remains hidden. Like an elephant has different teeth for eating and different for showing!"

  Raghav was so engrossed that he blurted out a follow-up immediately.

  "So... besides Telekinesis, do you have a hidden power too?! What is it?"

  With a smug smile, Sangharsh looked at Raghav.

  "Eager, aren't we? Too bad! You've finished your four questions."

  And indeed, when Raghav paid attention all of Sangharsh's lamps were gone. He realized he had been played. Sangharsh had maneuvered the conversation so much that he came to the main point only after all other lamps had been extinguished.

  『This genius asshole...』

  Raghav cursed him internally. Sangharsh suddenly hiccuped and narrowed his eyes.

  "Stop cursing me! And answer my final question."

  Raghav looked away, pouting.

  "What do you know about the Kaalmani and the Ojasutra?!"

  A cold shiver raced through Raghav. Those names... his eyes widened before he could catch himself. Sangharsh saw it. He knew Raghav recognized those names.

  "Answer me!"

  Under the pressure, Raghav stammered,

  "I... I read it in a book... I don't know about the Kaalmani, but... I read about the Ojasutra."

  Sangharsh noticed Raghav's frequent pauses while speaking. He realized that this wasn't the whole story; there was still much to be learned. He knew the story wasn't complete. Regardless, the lamps were gone, vanishing into thin air.

  "Doesn't your mind run a bit too fast for your own good?"

  As Sangharsh's footsteps approached Raghav, who was now sitting on the floor, Raghav felt a sense of déjà vu. A cold dread touched his very soul. He closed his eyes and pressed against the wall, wishing he could phase through it.

  "Will you join? The Pralay Guild?"

  Sangharsh stood there, hand outstretched. Raghav opened his eyes to an unexpected sight.

  "This is a one-in-a-million chance! C'mon, take it!"

  Raghav's hands were opening and closing into fists; he couldn't remember how many times he'd done this. If he took the hand, he'd have to stay under him. If he didn't, he'd be severely beaten.

  And Raghav didn't like either, but likes and dislikes are considered where such choices are available.

  And here, it was a do-or-die situation. Still, he couldn't even imagine working under someone like that. Hell, he wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible, and that would only be possible if he refused this golden offer.

  "I... I can't do it!"

  "Oh! You're clever."

  Sangharsh glared at him like a hawk at its prey.

  "But you shouldn't act clever on the carpet of death! Boy!"

  In a flash, he seized Raghav by the throat, pinning him against the wall and lifting him up until his feet dangled. Raghav's hands instinctively clutched Sangharsh's wrist, trying to pry him off.

  "If someone like you falls into the hands of my enemies, everything will be ruined. Better I myself end you right now!"

  Sangharsh's eyes were like those hunting spears which were now ready to pierce the thread of Raghav's breath. Raghav, coughing and gasping, felt a boiling heat within him... A heat that turned his red eyes even deeper crimson. He thrashed like a fish out of water.

  And once again, as Raghav coughed for breath, pearl like tears rolled down from his eyes and landed on Sangharsh's hand.

  Behind them, the sound of guns was increasing which were killing the monsters, but along with it, the roars were also increasing which was indicating that it was becoming impossible to count the number of monsters present there.

  To be continued...