The mutated dog crashed through the half-closed shutter with enough force to bend the metal frame, sending fragments of glass and pieces of the wooden counter flying across the hardware store. Chetan barely had time to react. He stepped backward and raised the E-grade crowbar with both hands as the creature lunged through the opening. It was enormous compared with an ordinary street dog, standing nearly waist-high and carrying enough muscle to make its movements seem almost impossible. Its black fur was patchy in several places, revealing thick, swollen muscles underneath, while its eyes had an unnatural yellowish glow. Chetan swung the crowbar instinctively. The steel connected with the creature's head with a heavy crack, but instead of stopping it, the impact only knocked its head sideways. The creature landed several feet away, claws scraping against the concrete floor, then immediately turned back toward him.
Chetan's mouth went dry. "You're kidding me."
The creature snarled and charged again. This time he didn't swing wildly. He waited until it was close enough and stepped sideways, bringing the crowbar down toward its front leg. The E-grade weapon struck with tremendous force, and the animal's leg bent awkwardly beneath the blow. It stumbled, crashing into a shelf and sending boxes of tools onto the floor. Chetan took advantage of the opening and swung again, striking the side of its skull. The creature collapsed, but its body continued twitching. Chetan didn't lower the crowbar. He had already seen one of these things survive gunshots. He stood several meters away, breathing heavily, waiting for it to move. When several seconds passed without any reaction, he slowly approached. The animal's chest was no longer rising. Blood had spread beneath its head.
Chetan stared at the body for a few moments before finally allowing himself to relax. His arms were trembling from adrenaline. He looked at the crowbar, then at the dead creature, trying to understand how close he had just come to dying. If the first blow had missed, or if the crowbar hadn't been enhanced, he doubted he would have survived the encounter. The creature had moved far faster than he expected, and its strength was terrifying. He wiped sweat from his forehead and looked toward the broken entrance. The fight had been loud enough to attract attention, and staying in the shop was no longer a good idea.
He quickly returned to the shelves and grabbed whatever seemed useful without wasting time. Two flashlights, several packets of batteries, work gloves, a compact tool kit, a coil of strong rope, a folding saw, a pair of protective goggles, duct tape and a few heavy-duty plastic sheets went into his backpack. He also found a small camping stove and several fuel canisters, which he considered extremely valuable if the electricity supply failed. The shop had probably been worth several thousand rupees to him yesterday; today, it felt like a survival warehouse. He ignored expensive equipment that required electricity and focused on things that could function without a stable power supply. Before leaving, he searched the back room and found a metal toolbox large enough to carry additional supplies. He considered upgrading it but decided against wasting his ability on storage. He had learned enough in the previous hour to understand that every successful enhancement mattered.
Chetan approached the dead creature again and studied it from a safe distance. There was something disturbing about its body. The changes weren't limited to muscle growth. The bones of its legs appeared thicker, its jaw was larger, and several areas of its skin had hardened into rough patches resembling natural armor. He wondered whether this was simply an advanced stage of the mutation or whether the creature had always been some unusual breed. The answer didn't matter right now. What mattered was that there were probably more of them outside.
He glanced toward the broken shutter.
Sunlight entered through the opening, illuminating the street beyond. For a few seconds, he saw nothing. Then a distant scream echoed between the buildings.
Chetan immediately picked up his backpack.
He left through the rear entrance instead.
The alley behind the hardware shop was narrow and filled with discarded boxes, broken crates and garbage bags. Chetan moved quietly, keeping the crowbar in one hand and the upgraded knife secured within easy reach. He didn't know where the nearest threat was, so he avoided the main road and moved through the alleys instead. His original plan had been to collect supplies and return home, but that plan had changed. The encounter with the mutated dog had shown him that simply walking around without understanding the situation was dangerous.
He needed information.
More importantly, he needed to know whether the creatures were becoming stronger.
While moving through the alley, he noticed something strange. The pain he had experienced during his awakening was completely gone, but his body felt different. He couldn't describe it precisely. His senses seemed slightly sharper. He could hear sounds from farther away, including the faint buzzing of an electrical transformer several buildings away. His movements also felt more coordinated. He wondered whether the mutation had given him physical improvements in addition to his Golden Touch.
The thought made him curious.
He stopped beside a wall and examined his hands.
Nothing looked different.
There were no glowing veins, no unusual markings and no obvious physical mutation. Perhaps the changes were subtle.
He decided not to worry about it.
He continued walking.
After approximately fifteen minutes, he reached a wider road. The scene ahead made him stop.
A city bus had crashed into a divider. Several cars had been abandoned around it. One vehicle had collided with a roadside shop, while another had been left with its driver's door open. There were no police officers, no ambulances and almost no normal traffic. A few people were moving between buildings, but they kept their distance from one another.
Chetan crouched behind a parked car and watched.
Two men were arguing near a pharmacy. One held a metal pipe while the other carried what looked like a kitchen knife. A woman stood several meters away with two children, apparently waiting for them to finish. Nobody seemed willing to intervene.
Then three gunshots echoed in the distance.
The men immediately stopped arguing.
Everyone on the street looked toward the sound.
A few seconds later, people began running.
Chetan remained hidden.
The sound of footsteps approached from the opposite direction. A group of six people appeared around the corner. They were carrying bags, backpacks and improvised weapons. One man had blood on his shirt.
"Keep moving!" he shouted. "Don't stop here!"
The group hurried past.
Chetan waited until they disappeared before emerging from behind the car. He wasn't interested in joining anyone yet. Groups could provide safety, but they could also create problems. He didn't know who was trustworthy, and his ability was something he absolutely didn't want strangers to discover.
He continued toward the pharmacy.
The front door was locked, but the shutters were only partially closed. Chetan looked inside and saw shelves that were already half-empty. Someone had clearly searched the place earlier.
He tried the shutter.
It moved.
Chetan entered cautiously.
Medicine had become one of the most important resources in the new world, and he didn't want to waste the opportunity. He found painkillers, antiseptics, bandages, antibiotics and basic first-aid supplies. He knew enough not to take random prescription medication without understanding its use, so he focused on common emergency supplies. He packed what he could carry and left the rest.
Then he noticed a locked cabinet containing several higher-quality medical instruments.
He touched the cabinet.
The golden interface appeared.
[Object Detected: Medical Storage Cabinet]
[Current Quality: D]
Chetan hesitated.
He hadn't yet tried enhancing anything above F.
He placed his hand firmly against the cabinet.
Nothing happened.
He waited.
Then the interface changed.
[Enhancement Failed.]
Chetan sighed.
"Of course."
He tried again.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
On the fourth attempt, golden light appeared.
[Enhancement Successful.]
[D → C]
Chetan smiled.
The cabinet itself looked unchanged, but the interface confirmed the improvement. He opened it and examined the contents. The items inside were already well manufactured, and he wondered how much more valuable they might become after being upgraded again.
He considered trying immediately, but footsteps outside made him stop.
Someone was approaching.
Chetan quickly moved behind the counter and waited.
The door opened.
A young man entered holding a wooden baseball bat. He looked around nervously before speaking.
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
Chetan remained silent.
The man moved toward the shelves.
"Please. I'm not looking for trouble."
Chetan didn't answer.
After several seconds, the man sighed and began collecting medicine.
Chetan watched him carefully.
The man wasn't behaving aggressively. He seemed frightened, exhausted and completely overwhelmed. Chetan considered revealing himself but decided against it. He had no reason to trust a stranger.
The man eventually left.
Chetan waited another minute before stepping out.
He had learned another lesson.
The greatest danger wouldn't necessarily come from mutated animals.
It would come from people.
He left the pharmacy through the back entrance and began returning toward his apartment.
The journey took much longer than expected because he avoided the main roads. By the time he reached his neighborhood, the sun was already approaching its highest point. Smoke could be seen rising from several parts of the city. Somewhere nearby, a building alarm continued ringing without interruption.
Chetan stopped at the corner and looked toward his apartment building.
The entrance was crowded.
His stomach tightened.
Several people were standing outside.
He recognized some of them as residents.
An argument appeared to be taking place.
Chetan approached cautiously.
"What happened?" he asked.
A middle-aged man turned toward him with visible relief.
"Chetan! Where were you?"
"Getting supplies."
The man glanced at the backpack and then at the crowbar in Chetan's hand.
"You went outside?"
"Yes."
"You're lucky you're alive."
Chetan looked toward the building. "What's going on?"
"The electricity has been out for almost an hour. The water pump stopped. People are arguing about what to do."
Someone else joined the conversation. "We should leave the city. There are rumors that the government is evacuating people."
Another resident immediately disagreed. "Where will you go? The roads are blocked."
"Staying here is worse."
Chetan listened without saying much. Everyone was frightened, and nobody had reliable information. Some residents wanted to stay inside the building. Others wanted to leave immediately. A few were already packing bags.
Chetan understood the problem.
The building was not a fortress.
If the situation continued for several days, food and water would become serious concerns. Worse, nobody knew whether the mutated animals would begin entering residential areas.
He returned to his apartment and locked the door behind him.
His first priority was to store the supplies.
He placed the medicine and food in separate containers, checked the water he had collected earlier and charged his phone using the power bank. The electricity was still unstable, but the mobile network had returned briefly.
A message appeared.
Emergency Advisory: Citizens are requested to remain indoors. Avoid unnecessary travel. Emergency services are operating under severe pressure.
Chetan laughed bitterly.
"That's helpful."
He opened several news websites.
The situation was deteriorating rapidly.
Major cities across India were reporting violence, power failures and shortages. Mumbai had announced restrictions in several areas. Delhi was facing disruptions to public transportation. Bengaluru had reported multiple incidents involving awakened individuals. Similar reports were coming from Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.
Internationally, the situation was even worse.
China had effectively closed several regions.
The United States had restricted international travel.
Several European countries had declared states of emergency.
Social media was filled with videos of people displaying abilities.
Some were clearly fake.
Others were impossible to explain.
Chetan watched one video of a man standing in the middle of a road while several vehicles appeared to slow down around him without touching him. Another showed a woman whose skin had become hard enough to resist a knife. A third showed someone producing a burst of flame from his hands.
The comments were filled with arguments.
Chetan closed the app.
He didn't need more chaos.
Instead, he opened his Golden Touch interface.
He wanted to understand it.
He began testing objects one by one.
The results were inconsistent.
A flashlight remained unchanged.
A pair of gloves improved from F to E.
A metal water bottle improved from F to E.
A screwdriver failed three times before becoming E-grade.
A packet of rice failed completely.
The medical cabinet had been upgraded from D to C.
Chetan noticed something important.
The objects didn't disappear after enhancement.
There was no obvious cost beyond whatever mysterious limitation prevented him from continuously upgrading the same item.
He tried upgrading the E-grade crowbar again.
Nothing happened.
He tried five more times.
Nothing.
On the sixth attempt, the golden interface appeared.
[Enhancement Successful.]
Chetan's eyes widened.
[E → D]
He stared at the crowbar.
The improvement was subtle, but the weapon felt heavier and more balanced.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
After several attempts, the interface displayed another message.
[Enhancement Failed.]
Chetan finally understood that reaching higher grades would require patience and luck.
He placed the crowbar on the table.
If he could somehow turn it into A-grade or S-grade, its power might become extraordinary.
But he couldn't rely on that.
He needed ordinary survival methods too.
He spent the afternoon making preparations. He moved heavy furniture against the main door, filled additional containers with water while the supply remained available, organized food according to how long it could last and created a small emergency bag that he could grab immediately if the building became unsafe. He also kept his phone, power bank and flashlight together rather than scattering them around the apartment.
By evening, the electricity had completely failed.
Pune disappeared into darkness.
From his window, Chetan could see small fires burning in several parts of the city. The usual glow from buildings and streetlights was gone. Without electricity, the enormous city suddenly seemed strangely primitive.
Then his phone vibrated.
Chetan looked down.
It wasn't a news notification.
It was a message from his mother.
Chetan, we have a problem.
He immediately called her.
This time, the connection worked.
"Mom?"
Her voice was low.
"We're okay, but something happened nearby."
"What?"
"There are animals outside."
Chetan's expression hardened.
"How many?"
"I don't know. We heard them fighting. Your uncle saw something in the street. He said it was bigger than a dog."
Chetan looked toward the dark window.
"Stay inside. Don't open the doors for anyone unless you know them."
"We're doing that."
"Where's Dad?"
"He's here."
"Good."
His mother hesitated.
"Chetan..."
"I'm listening."
"Come home."
Chetan closed his eyes.
For a moment, he wanted nothing more than to get on his motorcycle and drive to them.
But he knew the roads were dangerous.
"I will," he said. "But not tonight. It's too dangerous."
There was silence.
Then his mother whispered, "Be careful."
"I will."
The call ended.
Chetan remained beside the window for several seconds.
His family was alive.
That was enough.
For now.
He turned away and checked his supplies once more.
The old world had disappeared in less than twenty-four hours.
But Chetan was beginning to understand something.
Survival wouldn't be about waiting for someone to save him.
It would be about preparing before everyone else realized how bad things were.
He looked at the upgraded crowbar lying on the table.
Then at the Golden Touch interface.
F → E → D → C → B → A → S → SS → SSS → Z
There were eight levels above the weapon's current grade.
Chetan had no idea what waited at the top.
But he intended to find out.
Outside, something howled in the darkness.
Then another answered from somewhere farther away.
Chetan picked up the crowbar.
Tomorrow, he would begin exploring the new world properly.