A New Life

The air smelled of fried samosas and open gutters. Arjun Mehra, perched on his rattling bicycle, was delivering food parcels from three different restaurants. His shirt clung to his back with sweat.

Arjun: This delivery app is going to be the death of me. Making me ride ten kilometers for a fifty-rupee order. I have finals tomorrow, and here I am... delivering greasy snacks. Best life ever."

His phone buzzed. Kabir.

Kabir : "Hey, where are you hiding, man? You promised a group study session at the library! Professor Priya will skin us alive if we're not prepared."

Arjun: (Grumpily) "I'm stuck with work, bro. Give me half an hour. You guys start. It's not like my presence was going to save our grades anyway."

Kabir: (Laughing) "Fine, fine. But hurry up. I heard that new dosa place from Calcutta has opened. My treat."

Arjun ended the call. He sighed. Sometimes it felt like his life was stuck in a loop of small promises, unfinished tasks, and average marks. Some people around him had experienced the "Awakening"—gaining control over fire, or their strength multiplying tenfold. But nothing had happened to him. Absolutely nothing. A void that pricked at him every single day.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle sounded in the distance. Then another. And then... a roar.

Arjun's heart hammered against his ribs. He looked ahead. People were running. Screaming.

A Man: (Shouting) "Run! A Gate has opened! Near alley number 5!"

A Woman: "My child! My child is there!"

A Gate. A Distortion Gate. Those mysterious portals that could open anywhere, anytime, spewing out bizarre, dangerous beasts. The Indian Gate Defense Force (IGDF) usually arrived within minutes, but a lot could happen in those minutes.

Arjun's bike slowed to a halt. His next delivery address... was right next to alley number 5. His phone rang again. The customer.

Customer (gruff voice): "Hey, delivery boy! Where are you stuck? My pav bhaji will get cold!"

Arjun: (Stammering) "Sir... there's... a Gate..."

Customer: "A Gate? What nonsense! I'm on the third floor, the Gate's down below, right? What's there to fear? Hurry up or I'll give you a one-star rating!"

The call disconnected. Arjun groaned. A one-star rating meant a big chunk of his day's earnings gone. He couldn't afford to cancel the order.

Arjun: (Taking a deep breath) "Just... in and out. The IGDF must be there by now. Probably an E-Grade Gate, just some small fries."

He nudged his bike forward. The street was nearly empty. Further ahead, he saw IGDF orange jackets and gleaming helmets. They were taking position at the mouth of a dark, narrow lane. A faint purple glow emanated from within. The Gate.

Arjun parked his bike near a building and grabbed the container of pav bhaji. His hands shook. He quickly climbed the stairs to the third floor. The door opened. An elderly man snatched the container, shoved money into his hand, and slammed the door shut without a word.

As Arjun started descending, a massive explosion rocked the area. The building shook. Windows shattered. Screams erupted from below.

IGDF Commander (on loudspeaker): "All units, be advised! This is not an E-Grade! Repeat, not E-Grade! Minimum D-Grade Gate! Intel was faulty! Requesting immediate backup!"

Arjun's breath hitched. D-Grade! A single beast from one of those could wipe out an unprepared team. He peeked out a broken window.

Chaos reigned in the lane. An IGDF squad was falling back, firing glowing rounds. And then he saw it.

It was almost eight feet tall. Its skin was stone-like, a muddy green-brown. In its hand was a massive, bone-like club. Its eyes were pure white. A Stone Troll. A D-Grade beast. It shattered an IGDF member's shield in one swing, sending the man flying.

The beast turned its head. Its white eyes locked directly onto Arjun's window.

Arjun: "Oh no..."

The Troll let out a terrifying roar and charged the building Arjun was in. It slammed into the wall. The building shook again. Arjun lost his balance, tumbling down the stairs and landing right at the mouth of the alley, between the IGDF team and the beast.

Dazed and in pain, he scrambled up. His gaze met the Troll's, now just ten feet away. He could smell its rancid breath.

IGDF Commander: "Save that boy!"

But it was too late. The Troll raised its club. Time seemed to slow. Arjun saw it descending towards his head. This was it. The average, meaningless end of an average, meaningless life. A delivery boy in the wrong place at the worst time.

He closed his eyes.

Then, against the darkness of his eyelids, a shimmering blue line appeared.

A mechanical, neutral voice echoed inside his skull:

[System error detected...]

[Scanning for compatible host...]

[Scanning... Name: Arjun Mehra. Age: 20. Awakening Level: Null. Vitality: 8% and falling.]

[Emergency Protocol activated.]

[Initiating Shadow Engine...]

Arjun's eyes flew open. Floating in the air before him was a blue, holographic screen. White text glowed on it. The club was still falling.

[Emergency Quest Issued!]

Quest Name: Survive!

Description:Cheat death. Live.

Objective:1. Survive for the next 30 seconds. 2. Reach a safe distance.

Difficulty:A

Reward:

· 300 Experience Points (XP)

· 100 System Points (SP)

· Full Unlock of the 'Shadow Engine'

Failure Penalty:Death (Probability: 100%)

[Accept? (Yes/No)]

Arjun had no time to think. Only one word flashed in his mind.

Arjun (in his mind): Yes!

[Quest Accepted!]

[Timer: 30 seconds starts now!]

The club came down. But Arjun's body was already rolling away. A strange, new instinct had taken over. He sprang to his feet. His legs felt incredibly light. The screen hovered at the edge of his vision, a timer counting down: 29... 28...

The Troll attacked again. Arjun ducked instinctively. The club whizzed past his hair. He ran. He was faster than he'd ever been. 25...

IGDF Commander: "Boy! Over here!"

But the path to the IGDF line was blocked by the Troll. Arjun's eyes darted. A broken manhole cover. An idea sparked. He sprinted towards it, grabbed the heavy lid. It felt light. Too light. 20...

The Troll roared and advanced. Arjun flung the lid like a frisbee. It smacked the Troll square in the face. Clang! The beast staggered back, momentarily disoriented.

This was his chance. Instead of running towards the IGDF, Arjun turned and sprinted deeper into the alley, towards the ominous purple glow. Maybe there was another way out. 15...

At the edge of his sight, new text appeared on the screen.

[First-Time Quest Bonus! Temporary Skill Activated: 'Perception Burst' (Perception +50 for 10 seconds).]

Suddenly, the world snapped into sharper focus. He saw cracks in the wall, pebbles on the ground, and... at the very end of the alley, a small, broken door. The back of a shop. 10...

He dashed for it. The Troll's heavy footsteps thundered behind him. 5...

He leaped through the doorway. Glass shattered. He tumbled into a dark, empty shop, rolling behind a counter. 2... 1...

Timer hit zero.

[ ! Quest Complete ! ]

[Congratulations! You have completed the 'Survive!' Quest.]

[Dispensing Rewards...]

[Experience Points gained: 300 XP]

[System Points gained: 100 SP]

[ Ding! ]

[ Your Level has increased! ]

[ Level 0 -> Level 2 ]

[ You have earned 10 Unused Stat Points. ]

[ Your physical condition has been fully restored. ]

A warm, energizing wave flooded Arjun's body. The pain from his fall vanished. The fatigue disappeared. He felt more awake and powerful than ever before.

Outside, he heard the IGDF's gunfire, another roar, and then a massive explosion. Backup had likely arrived. The fight was ending.

But Arjun's attention was wholly consumed by the blue screen, now filled with new options. The main menu was before him:

Shadow Engine

Status

Quest Log

Store

Skills

Inventory

And at the very bottom, a flashing message:

[Secrecy Protocol Active.]

[Warning: Revealing the existence of the System, its Quests, Store, or Shadow Extraction ability to any living being will result in System deletion and host termination. Deletion Probability: 99.9%]

[Do you understand? (Yes/No)]

Arjun's throat went dry. He whispered, "Yes."

The screen vanished. But he knew it was there. Just a thought away.

Footsteps approached outside the shop. IGDF voices.

IGDF Soldier 1: "Check this side! A boy fell in here!"

Arjun quickly straightened his clothes, plastered a look of terrified confusion on his face, and stepped out from behind the counter, hands raised.

Arjun: (Voice trembling) "Please... I'm just a delivery boy. I didn't do anything."

An IGDF soldier trained his rifle on him, but the Commander waved him down. The Commander, a sharp-eyed woman, scrutinized Arjun.

Commander Priya Rathod: "Are you hurt? Any injuries?"

Arjun: (Shaking his head) "No... no, I'm fine. Just... fell."

Priya's gaze was piercing. She noted his torn clothes but his completely unblemished, scratch-free skin. An eyebrow rose.

Priya: "You're lucky. You got away from a D-Grade Troll. Name?"

Arjun: "Arjun. Arjun Mehra."

Priya: "Alright, Arjun. We need your statement. What were you doing here?"

Arjun showed her the delivery app screenshot. He told the truth, just... omitting the final part. The blue screen. The quest. The System.

As he spoke, a new message flashed in his mind:

[Daily Quest Generated: 'Maintain the Masquerade.']

[Description: Pass the IGDF debriefing without raising suspicion.]

[Objective: Exit the debriefing safely.]

[Reward: 50 XP, 20 SP]

[Failure Penalty: Placement on IGDF's 'Watchlist'.]

Arjun continued his story, his voice shaky and confused. He played the part of a simple, lucky delivery boy.

But inside him, a fire was now lit. Alongside the fear, there was a thrill. He clenched his fist. A new glint was in his eyes.

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