Chapter 3: Humiliation And Courage
Surya was leaving the Destiny Ashram, where he had been for about a month on the Mystery Planet, constantly trying to kill a demonic beast and earn some points. As he reached the gate to exit the ashram, he encountered a group of people blocking his path. One of them, a man around 27 or 28 years old, stepped forward and, glaring at Surya, said, "How dare you think you can leave without greeting us? Where did you get the nerve? Aren't you afraid of what brother Ishan can do to you?"
Surya had arrived on the Mystery Planet about a month ago and immediately set out to hunt demonic beasts. However, during his exit from the ashram, he had a run-in with a guild leader. This leader had a rule of tormenting weaker individuals. Whenever he found someone who was neither from a powerful family nor part of a guild, he would harass them, deriving pleasure from their suffering.
When Surya decided to leave the Destiny Ashram without greeting anyone, the leader became furious and severely beat him. Later, he discovered that Surya had just arrived at the ashram the previous night and wasn't aware that weaker individuals had to bow before leaving. Upon learning that Surya was not affiliated with any guild or powerful family, the leader immediately issued a warning, "Listen, if you ever leave here again without greeting any member of my guild, you'll be beaten even worse than today."
Hearing this, Surya was enraged and warned the man, "I don't care who you are, which guild you lead, or who your father is. No one has the right to force me like this." The man, named Ishan, leader of the Glorious Guild, was infuriated by Surya's words. He, along with his guild members, started beating Surya.
Ishan's guild was formed by his father when they arrived on the Mystery Planet, as they were members of a wealthy second-tier family, the Shekhawat family (unrelated to Mr. Aniruddh Shekhawat). Upon their arrival, they received superior spirits from their family members who were leaving the planet. They decided to establish their own guild, investing significant effort into it, eventually earning a prominent name within the Destiny Ashram. The guild was consistently ranked among the top twenty in the ashram.
Ishan, a spoiled individual since childhood, often beat his servants over trivial matters, and his attitude remained unchanged on the Mystery Planet. However, he had one particular trait: he never harassed descendants of powerful families, as he knew he couldn't afford to provoke them. Although his family was a second-tier family, they weren't strong enough to challenge even the side branches of first-tier families. Therefore, he only targeted individuals who were financially weak or not part of any powerful guild.
When Ishan Shekhawat had grown tired of beating Surya, he gave him a strong kick and left. Despite this, Surya never bowed his head before Ishan Shekhawat again. Although he was frequently beaten by Ishan or his guild members, Surya never bowed down to them. Instead, he found a solution: he would leave Destiny Ashram for his hunts before dawn and would never be seen by any members of the Glorious Guild.
During this time, people at Destiny Ashram discovered that Surya was among those selected for the Mystery Planet who couldn't evolve. After this revelation, people started mocking him relentlessly. Those who already distanced themselves from him now openly called him crazy, insane, and worse. They couldn't understand why someone like him was sent to the Mystery Planet. People who initially felt sympathy for him because he wasn't afraid of anyone turned against him when they realized he couldn't evolve. They mocked him incessantly and began insulting him. Some even tried to get him sent back to Earth, but they couldn't succeed. Eventually, all the guilds announced they wouldn't accept Surya into their ranks, as no one wanted a non-evolving person in their guild. This left Surya with no choice but to hunt alone.
When the members of the Glorious Guild didn't see Surya for many days, they assumed he had left the planet out of fear. However, one night, they saw Surya returning to Destiny Ashram from the jungle. They thought he had just returned from Earth. Ishan Shekhawat, curious, ordered one of his guild members to follow Surya. It was discovered that Surya would leave the ashram every morning before dawn and return late at night. Upon learning this, Ishan decided to teach Surya a lesson. However, he had to return to Earth for urgent work. Before leaving, he instructed his trusted man, Wasim Jafar, to make sure Surya was taught a lesson, as Ishan couldn't tolerate anyone disobeying his orders.
Wasim Jafar wanted not just to beat Surya but to break his bones. So, early in the morning, Wasim Jafar and his men blocked Surya's path. When Surya saw this, he began thinking of a way to escape. He quickly devised a plan. He pretended to be terrified, looking up at the sky and towards the ashram, acting as if a powerful demonic beast was approaching to attack. He wanted Wasim Jafar and his men to look up at the sky, giving him a chance to escape. Just as he planned, Wasim Jafar and his men fell for it and began scanning the sky. Surya quietly slipped away and disappeared into the jungle outside the ashram.
When one of Wasim Jafar's men realized Surya was no longer there, he quickly informed Wasim. Furious, Wasim yelled that they must find Surya and break his arms and legs, or else their guild's reputation would be ruined. He reminded them of the dire consequences if their leader, Ishan, found out, as Ishan was known for his ruthless treatment of those who angered him.
Wasim had instructed every member of his guild that they must find Surya at all costs so he could teach him a lesson. After all, how could a mere insect like Surya dare to escape right under the nose of the Glorious Guild's vice leader? Wasim was fuming with anger but didn't want to take it out on his guild members, so he ordered them to search for Surya. Despite their extensive search, they couldn't find him anywhere. Initially, they thought Surya might be hiding somewhere in the ashram, but after a thorough search with no sign of him, they realized he must have left the Destiny Ashram.
Since the jungle began just outside the ashram, they knew it would be nearly impossible to find him there. One of Wasim's men suggested, "Brother Wasim, I think we should forget about him for now and catch him when he returns at night. As soon as he comes back, we'll not only beat him in front of everyone but also cripple him."
Hearing this, Wasim glared at him and said, "Do you even realize he's already crippled? What would be the point of crippling him further? And as for beating him, that was always the plan. So stop overthinking and just focus on finding him."
The man, unfazed by Wasim's harsh tone, smiled and replied, "Brother Wasim, why do you get so worked up over small things? I didn't mean we wouldn't cripple him. He can't evolve anyway. I was merely suggesting we break his arms and legs so no one else dares to defy us or disobey our orders."
Hearing this, Vasim nodded in agreement but reiterated to all his guild members, "That's all fine, but we need to find that boy at all costs so we can teach him a lesson in front of everyone and make him realize who he messed with."
After listening to Wasim's words, the guild members fell into deep thought. The same man who had advised Vasim earlier spoke again, "Brother Wasim, you need to consider how vast the jungle is. By now, the boy must have gone deep into it. He may not have gone too far yet, but finding him right now will be very difficult. Besides, we know he'll eventually return to the ashram, and when he does, we'll teach him a proper lesson. For now, I think we should focus on attacking the beasts and earning more points to evolve ourselves."
Wasim found his companion's suggestion reasonable and decided to follow his advice. However, he had no idea that the Surya they were underestimating today was destined to become a great warrior in the future. Little did they know that Surya's fate was about to change dramatically, and he was about to receive something that would make him the most powerful warrior on the planet Earth. What was this thing, and how it would change Surya's life, would be revealed in the next chapter of *The Destructive Warrior*.**