Soft morning light slowly spread between the rocky formations. Jun was still lying inside the narrow crack in the stone where he had rested during the night. The strange sound had already woken him, and he looked in that direction with surprise.
A short distance away, near the rocks, several humans were sitting and talking among themselves. From their body language, it seemed they were explorers or hunters as well.
One of the girls said,"I heard someone managed to kill one of the violet vultures."
Another person asked,"Where are those usually found?"
The girl replied,"They normally live around the Deccan Mountains."
A boy standing beside her spoke in a practical tone,"Forget that for now. We need to move. If we cross this rocky hill, we might find better alien prey on the other side."
Jun silently listened to their conversation. Suddenly, one of the boys noticed him.
"Hey! Who are you?" he asked sharply,"And what are you doing here?"
Jun slowly stepped out from the rock crevice.
"My name is Jun," he replied calmly,"I came from the eastern side of this terrain."
The group immediately became interested.
"East side?" one of them asked,"What's there? Any aliens? Or other humans?"
Jun shook his head,"No, I haven't seen any humans besides you."
After hearing that, the group began quietly discussing among themselves. One of them said,"Then going there is pointless. It's better if we move directly toward the Deccan Mountains."
Everyone pulled out their devices and began marking locations on their maps. A moment later, one of the girls from the group who seemed the most confident walked toward Jun.
"Will you come with us?" she asked directly.
Jun thought for a moment,"Yes… why not."
After that, Jun began traveling with them. During the journey, through casual conversation, he learned that all of them came from Xinka Shelter.
Jun had heard that name before. Xinka Shelter was known as a powerful shelter. However, its reputation wasn't perfect. Inside the shelter, there was a strong discrimination system. Powerful groups constantly looked down on newcomers. Newbies were often bullied, tortured, or used as tools by stronger factions.
The people traveling with Jun were a newbie group. There were four members: Rakshit Gyun Harshita and Vaishali
Officially, they were newcomers. But their background wasn't ordinary. They had connections to underground networks, which meant even inside Xinka Shelter they were not treated lightly.
After some time, Harshita asked Jun,"How long have you been here?"
Jun replied,"About eight days."
Harshita looked a little impressed,"Eight days? Alone?"
Then Vaishali asked,"Will you join our group?"
Jun answered directly,"No. I'm fine on my own."
Gyun laughed slightly after hearing that.
"Jun bro," he said in a friendly tone,"Staying alone is very dangerous. Come with us. Xinka Shelter will give you a place to stay, food, and support."
Jun still refused,"No. I'm heading toward the Deccan Mountains. After that, I plan to move toward Sand Valley."
Vaishali looked at him and gave a small smile,"Alright. Just remember one thing don't try to take our prey."
Jun nodded,"Fair enough."
The group continued traveling toward the Deccan Mountains. The journey was long. By evening, everyone was tired. When night arrived, they set up camp in an open field. Five small tents were placed around the area.
They decided to patrol in rotation during the night so that no alien could attack unexpectedly. Jun also took one patrol shift. The night remained relatively calm. The next morning, everyone resumed their journey. Along the way, they encountered several aliens.
But the group had a simple rule, Everyone hunts for themselves. No one interferes in another person's hunt.
Jun moved in a different direction and began hunting on his own. After a while, he encountered a group of bug-type aliens. They weren't very powerful. Jun attacked quickly and eliminated them within minutes.
A notification appeared on his virtual card.
Points: +33 Points
Jun checked the screen. His total points had now reached 938. But there was one problem. This hunt didn't give him any new ability. Jun felt slightly disappointed.
"Good points… but no ability," he thought.
Still, he continued moving forward. After some time, the group gathered again. Everyone was hunting individually while slowly progressing toward the mountains. Then suddenly, all of them noticed something unusual.
Ahead of them stood a large snow-leopard-type alien. It was clearly in a defensive position. Beside it was its baby. And in front of them, a giant anaconda-type alien had coiled its massive body, preparing to attack. The atmosphere instantly became tense.