There was a universal law that Arjun Mehra had discovered after twenty-four years of existence.
Whenever someone said, “Relax, I know what I’m doing,” disaster was already guaranteed.
Karan Malhotra was currently proving this law.
“Wait!” Arjun shouted.
Karan didn’t.
The celebrity wildlife expert continued walking toward the tiger enclosure with the confidence of a man who had never once considered the possibility of his own mortality.
Aisha followed behind him, her expression caught somewhere between curiosity and concern.
Arjun followed them both because, according to the homicidal voice in his head, they were marching toward a confrontation with the Blood Moon Demon King.
Normal.
Completely normal.
The tiger habitat occupied the northern section of Green Paradise Zoo.
Unlike the panda enclosure, which was designed to look friendly and inviting, the tiger habitat had been built to remind visitors that tigers were, in fact, giant carnivorous murder machines.
Artificial cliffs surrounded a deep valley covered in bamboo, rocks, and small pools of water.
Thick steel barriers separated the observation platform from the habitat itself.
And sitting on top of a massive rock, illuminated by the afternoon sunlight, was Raja.
The Bengal tiger slowly opened one eye.
Arjun stopped walking.
The system exploded.
WARNING!
WARNING!
THE BLOOD MOON DEMON KING HAS AWAKENED!
A crimson window appeared before his eyes.
NAME: RAJA
TITLE: BLOOD MOON DEMON KING
AGE: 872 YEARS
CURRENT MOOD: ANGRY
THREAT LEVEL: WORLD CALAMITY
HOST SURVIVAL RATE: 0.0003%
Arjun looked at Raja.
Raja looked at Arjun.
Then the tiger yawned.
A normal yawn.
A completely harmless yawn.
The system interpreted it differently.
THE DEMON KING HAS ISSUED A CHALLENGE!
“No, he hasn’t!”
Unfortunately, Arjun had said that out loud.
Karan glanced at him.
“Who hasn’t?”
“The tiger.”
“The tiger hasn’t what?”
“I don’t know.”
Excellent.
Another flawless recovery.
Aisha crossed her arms.
“Do you often argue with animals?”
“Only on weekdays.”
She blinked.
“…What?”
“Nothing.”
Karan walked to the safety barrier and folded his arms dramatically.
“Beautiful creature.”
Raja blinked.
“That human looks edible.”
Arjun nearly screamed.
He had forgotten.
He could still understand animals.
“Actually,” Karan continued, “many people don’t understand predator psychology.”
Raja stretched.
“I understand predator psychology.”
The tiger stood.
Arjun’s soul left his body.
The Blood Moon Demon King descended from his rock with the slow confidence of an apex predator who knew exactly where he stood in the food chain.
And more importantly, who didn’t.
Tourists nearby began gathering.
Phones came out.
Children pointed excitedly.
Someone started recording.
Of course they did.
Because every disaster in the modern world required an audience.
Karan smiled at the crowd.
“As a wildlife specialist, I can assure everyone that tigers respond to confidence.”
Raja stopped moving.
He stared at Karan.
Then he stared harder.
“Oh,” Raja said.
“A volunteer.”
Arjun physically felt his lifespan decreasing.
“Karan,” he said quietly.
“Yes?”
“Please stop.”
Karan smirked.
“You’re worried?”
“Terrified.”
“Don’t be.”
That was somehow even worse.
Aisha looked at Arjun.
“You really think this is dangerous?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Because the tiger had just referred to Karan as a volunteer sacrifice.
“Instinct,” he said.
She studied him.
For some reason, that worried him more than the tiger.
Karan continued his lecture.
“Tigers respect body language.
Fear encourages aggression.”
Raja sat down.
“Interesting.”
The tiger’s tail swished.
“I wonder if he tastes confident.”
Arjun grabbed his hair.
“Please.”
Karan smiled at the audience.
“In fact, I could probably enter the secondary safety corridor and demonstrate.”
Silence.
The tourists gasped.
Aisha’s eyes widened.
Arjun’s heart stopped.
The system deployed what appeared to be a funeral banner.
EMERGENCY QUEST GENERATED
Prevent the Golden Feather Young Master from provoking the
Blood Moon Demon King.
Failure:
Mass casualty event.
Success Reward:
500 Years Cultivation
Heavenly Movement Technique
Random Divine Treasure
Arjun stared.
Then he stared again.
“Mass casualty event?”
CORRECT.
“You mean Karan dies?”
OPTIMISTIC ESTIMATE.
That was enough.
Arjun sprinted.
He reached Karan just as the man was approaching the security gate.
“What are you doing?” Karan asked.
“Saving your life.”
Karan laughed.
“I’ve handled dangerous animals before.”
“No, you’ve handled documentaries.”
The crowd collectively made the universal sound of people witnessing drama.
“Ooooooh.”
Karan’s smile vanished.
“What did you say?”
“You heard me.”
Aisha looked surprised.
Frankly, Arjun was surprised too.
He usually avoided confrontation.
Unfortunately, the system had just informed him that the alternative involved multiple funerals.
“I have ten million followers,” Karan said.
“I have a tiger.”
The words escaped before Arjun could stop them.
The crowd laughed.
Aisha covered her mouth.
Even Raja looked impressed.
“Oh,” the tiger said.
“I like this one.”
Karan’s face turned red.
“You think I’m afraid?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not.”
“Then you’re stupid.”
The crowd gasped again.
This was rapidly becoming the greatest entertainment event Green Paradise Zoo had hosted all year.
Karan straightened.
“Fine.”
He turned toward the enclosure.
“I’ll prove it.”
Arjun’s brain shut down.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No!”
“Watch me.”
And then Karan did something so unbelievably idiotic that even the system froze for two entire seconds.
He stepped over the first safety barrier.
The world became silent.
The tourists stopped recording.
Aisha stopped breathing.
Arjun stopped believing in humanity.
Even Raja looked confused.
The tiger tilted his head.
“Wait.”
Another tiger emerged from the shade.
“What is he doing?”
“I don’t know,” Raja admitted.
“This has never happened before.”
The system recovered.
And immediately lost its mind.
WARNING!
WARNING!
THE GOLDEN FEATHER YOUNG MASTER HAS INITIATED A DUEL!
Karan continued walking.
Unfortunately for him, tigers were faster than human arrogance.
Raja stood.
The enormous tiger stretched.
Then he began walking.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
One step.
Then another.
The crowd backed away.
Karan stopped smiling.
For the first time since arriving, he appeared to realize that he had made a mistake.
A large one.
Aisha stepped forward.
“Karan!”
He didn’t answer.
Because Raja was now less than twenty meters away.
“Human,” the tiger said.
“Explain yourself.”
Arjun did the only thing his rapidly deteriorating mental state could think of.
He shouted.
“RAJA!”
The tiger stopped.
Everyone stopped.
Even the wind stopped.
Raja slowly turned his head.
“Oh.”
“It’s the food guy.”
Arjun blinked.
“What?”
“You bring chicken.”
The second tiger nodded.
“He brings excellent chicken.”
The system erupted.
THE HOST HAS INTERRUPTED THE DEMON KING’S EXECUTION CEREMONY!
“I did what?”
Raja ignored the system.
“Why is the small human inside my territory?”
Arjun stared.
He couldn’t tell the tiger that Karan was an idiot.
Actually, he could.
“He wanted to prove he wasn’t scared.”
The tiger considered this.
Then Raja looked at Karan.
Karan looked at Raja.
Several long seconds passed.
Finally, Raja spoke.
“He should be.”
Then the tiger roared.
Not a movie roar.
Not a television roar.
A real roar.
The kind that reminded every living creature why tigers sat near the top of the food chain.
Karan screamed.
He turned.
He ran.
He climbed over the barrier faster than any human being in recorded history.
The crowd exploded into cheers.
Phones recorded everything.
Someone started clapping.
A child yelled, “Do it again!”
Raja sat down.
“That was entertaining.”
The second tiger nodded.
“Agreed.”
The system exploded into golden light.
QUEST COMPLETE
The Golden Feather Young Master survived.
Evaluation:
LEGENDARY
Rewards:
500 Years Cultivation
Heavenly Shadow Steps
One Divine Treasure Chest
Power surged through Arjun’s body.
The concrete beneath his feet cracked.
Again.
This was becoming a habit.
Aisha turned to him.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
“Arjun.”
He smiled nervously.
“Yes?”
“How did you know?”
He blinked.
“Know what?”
“That Karan was in danger.”
The smile vanished.
Because she wasn’t joking.
And for the first time since receiving the system, Arjun realized something terrifying.
Maybe he wasn’t the only one asking questions.
And Aisha Kapoor had just started looking for answers.
To Be Continue….