The Destructive Warrior

When Surya heard this voice, he turned around and immediately recognized the person speaking. Greeting him, he said, "How are you, Mr. Shekhawat? How have you been?" Surya had known this man for about two years. Their meeting had occurred in a rather unusual way. Mr. Shekhawat, whose full name was Aniruddh Shekhawat, had once been crossing the road in a hurry. In his rush, he hadn't noticed that a truck was about to hit him. Just as he was about to collide with the truck, Surya had pushed him aside, saving him from the accident. From that day on, they became friends.

After learning more about Surya, Mr. Shekhawat discovered that Surya's parents treated him poorly. Mr. Shekhawat felt deeply for Surya, but since it was a personal matter, he couldn't intervene directly. However, he did try to help Surya secretly. He even attempted to find a way to heal the congenital injury Surya had, but his efforts were unsuccessful.

Greeting Mr. Aniruddh Shekhawat, Surya said, "Hello, Mr. Shekhawat. What brings you here today? Finally, you remembered this poor soul." Mr. Shekhawat smiled and replied, "Yes, I finally managed to get some time off. But while coming here, I found out that your family has disowned you and kicked you out of the house. I also know the reason why."

When Surya heard that Mr. Shekhawat knew the reason for his expulsion from the Chauhan family, he smiled and asked, "So, do you think I really tried to misbehave with that woman?" Mr. Shekhawat shook his head and said, "No, that can't be true. I know you well enough to know you wouldn't do something so vile. But let's not dwell on that. Tell me, what are your plans for the future? Or are you planning to keep wandering the streets aimlessly?"

Surya shook his head and replied, "I don't know what I should do. But there's one thing I'm sure of—people love the chow mein I make. I've been thinking of starting a fast food stall." Hearing this, Mr. Shekhawat laughed and said, "That's such a small ambition."

Surya replied, "What else can I do? If I try to get a job elsewhere, my documents won't allow it." Mr. Shekhawat suggested, "Why don't you come work with me in my lab? I can offer you a good salary." (In the 26th century, "points" were a universal currency.)

Hearing Mr. Shekhawat's proposal, Surya's eyes lit up. Without thinking much, he agreed and followed Mr. Shekhawat to his organization. Once there, he started helping with the lab work. After a while, Mr. Shekhawat received a call and told Surya, "I have some urgent work. I'll be back in 15-20 minutes. You can rest here in the meantime." Saying this, Mr. Shekhawat left.

Surya sat there for a while, but eventually, he grew bored. His eyes wandered to a bookshelf, and he randomly picked a book titled "The Great Filter." He opened the first page and began reading.

The story began in the 21st century, a time of rapid scientific advancement. During this period, scientists split into two factions. One believed that AI should not be allowed to evolve too much, fearing it would surpass human control and attempt to dominate humanity, potentially leading to the end of human civilization. The other faction believed that humanity could never reach its peak without continuously upgrading AI, so they ignored the warnings of the first group and focused on further developing AI.

By around 2045, AI had achieved singularity. Initially, it continued working alongside humans. However, one day it realized that all the problems on Earth were caused by humans. Without hesitation, AI launched an attack on humanity. In the first strike alone, humanity suffered massive losses, with about 10% of the population wiped out.

The AI took control of all modern technology, including satellites and the entire internet. Attempts to develop new technology to combat AI failed, as AI managed to dominate even the newly created systems. It controlled modern weapons and used them against humanity.

Humans didn't give up and eventually managed to regain control of some weapons. They launched an attack on the AI singularity, but the attack failed. In retaliation, the AI launched aerial attacks using laser weapons and satellite-based targeting, causing massive destruction.

AI also began experimenting on animals, turning them into deadly beasts reminiscent of prehistoric creatures. Even chickens, descendants of dinosaurs, were turned back into dinosaur-like beings. Bats were transformed into demonic creatures that attacked humans.

As humanity faced attacks from both AI and these demonic beasts, a group of brave warriors emerged to lead the fight. They eventually managed to defeat the AI singularity and the demonic beasts. These warriors developed technology to enhance human evolution, making humans stronger. People started hunting the demonic beasts to earn points, which they used for further evolution.

The war between humans and the AI Singularity started in 2050 and ended in 2070. During this 20-year-long conflict, humanity suffered immense losses, with around 30% of the population wiped out. However, despite the devastation, there were significant gains as well. Humans rapidly advanced and came close to becoming a Type 1 civilization. Once peace spread across the planet, no one anticipated that it would be short-lived, as soon after, dark clouds of crisis loomed over Earth again.

This time, a mid-Type 1 civilization launched an attack on Earth. Since this civilization was far more advanced than humans, it inflicted considerable damage. The alien civilization attacked Earth because they feared that if Earth also became a Type 1 civilization, it would challenge their dominance in the Milky Way region. They believed it was better to destroy the underdeveloped humans now rather than face a more formidable enemy in the future.

The alien attackers originated from a planet in the Barnard's Star system, about 5.96 light-years away. Their sun was a red dwarf star. Their attack on Earth was catastrophic, causing massive casualties once again. They even targeted the Moon, knowing that if the Moon were destroyed, Earth's life-supporting environment would collapse. The Moon played a crucial role in maintaining life on Earth, so they aimed to destroy it.

However, Earth's defenders, some of whom had reached the Planet level of strength, fiercely resisted the invaders. Despite their bravery, they weren't strong enough to match the mid-Type 1 civilization. Still, they fought valiantly and eventually triumphed, though at a great cost. Many of Earth's warriors perished in the battle. This victory pushed humanity to strengthen themselves further.

During this period, a new planet called "Mystery Planet" was discovered, inhabited by powerful beasts. By defeating these beasts, humans could evolve and grow stronger. On Earth, defeating beasts allowed warriors to reach the Grandmaster level, while on Mystery Planet, they could achieve the Sage level. The hardships from the two great wars acted as filters, driving humanity to rapid development. By the year 2100, humanity had become a Type 1 civilization, achieving in 50 years what would have taken much longer without the conflicts.

When Surya was just about to finish reading the book, Mr. Shekhawat returned. Upon seeing the book Surya was reading, sweat beads formed on Mr. Shekhawat's forehead, and he quickly snatched the book away, placing it back in its original spot. Then, he turned to Surya and said, "Surya, you shouldn't focus on someone's collection without their permission. Everyone has secrets that others shouldn't pry into. Anyway, let's move on with our work." However, Surya was still deep in thought about what this "Mystery Planet" was, something he had never heard of before. Until now, he only knew from books that humans could evolve by killing the demonic beasts on Earth. But today, after reading the book titled "The Great Filter," he realized how little he knew.

Surya then said to Mr. Shekhawat, "Uncle, I want to know everything about this Mystery Planet. I hope you won't disappoint me." Hearing this, Mr. Shekhawat found himself in a great dilemma, as his organization had strict rules prohibiting any disclosure about the planet to those unaware of its existence. However, since Surya had already learned so much, Mr. Shekhawat decided to reveal the truth. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Surya and began, "Surya, this is a mysterious planet discovered through the Bernard solar system when they attacked us. After defeating them, we captured many of their spaceships, which led us to the knowledge of this Mystery Planet inhabited by demonic beasts.

"When our ancestors learned about it, they developed teleportation technology and started sending Evolvers there. On Earth, our people can evolve only up to the Grandmaster level, but on the Mystery Planet, one can evolve up to the Sage level. The same rules apply there: on our planet, killing animals gives us points that enhance our physical abilities. Similarly, on the Mystery Planet, consuming the meat of demonic beasts grants points. Depending on the beast's level, one can earn points ranging from zero to nine. For example, killing a first-level supreme beast might earn you zero or one point, while a second-level beast could grant one or two points. Killing a ninth-level supreme beast can earn at least seven points and up to nine points. The same rules apply to Noble, Saint, and Sage level beasts.

"Once someone reaches the Sage level, they must leave the Mystery Planet and attempt to reach the Planet level on their own, which is incredibly difficult. Currently, there are only 20 warriors on our planet at the Planet level, each in different stages. Only families with warriors who have reached the fifth stage of the Planet level are recognized as first-tier families."

After sharing all this, Mr. Shekhawat looked at Surya seriously and said, "Surya, I only told you all this because you already knew too much. Otherwise, I wouldn't have disclosed anything." Surya nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. After some thought, he told Mr. Shekhawat, "Mr. Shekhawat, I want to go to this planet." Surprised by Surya's determination, Mr. Shekhawat looked at him curiously.

Surya continued, "I know I can't evolve here, but I believe if I go to the Mystery Planet, I might find a way to evolve. I know it sounds unimaginable, but I want to try. In this world, only the strong are respected. Otherwise, people like me have no existence."

Reluctantly, Mr. Shekhawat agreed but was worried about the dangers Surya would face. He explained, "Surya, it's good that you want to go and find a way to evolve, but I must warn you, that planet is extremely dangerous. Even the most talented Evolvers can easily die there. Still, if you're determined, I'll send you, but not without giving you basic martial arts training first. And I'll make sure our organization doesn't find out about your disability because the Deep Space Warfare Organization strictly prohibits sending anyone incapable of evolving to the Mystery Planet."

Mr. Shekhawat knew that powerful families often found ways to send their non-evolving children to the Mystery Planet, hoping they would find a way to evolve. Although none had succeeded so far, they continued to try. With this in mind, Mr. Shekhawat decided to support Surya's determination and prepare him for the challenges ahead.