The Kingmaker: Legend of the Undefeated Commander
"Saras Gayen! Are you reading those dusty old books again?" Nina Gayen's shout preceded her entrance as she banged open the door to her son's room. As she expected, she found Saras sitting on his bean bag, holding a paperback copy of World History: The Ancient Civilizations. She snatched the book from his hands and tossed it into the pile of other books covering a range of topics from politics to economics related to Earth. "Look at Ellie's daughter, Stivi. She has already reached Level 3 in the Dreamverse VR within two hours of its launch. Why are you still lounging at home?" "I am not lounging! I am studying History…" Saras protested, looking at the book pile before turning his gaze towards his mother. She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him as if he had committed a grave sin by not entering the game as soon as it was launched. "You are turning 25 this year. If you don't play the Dreamverse VR now and join a good guild, how will you find a wife?" Thus started his journey as he once again navigated the VR scene through the mysterious game Dreamverse VR that was said to hold the keys to Human Evolution.
Stringing the Bow
In many ancient cultures the test of Stringing the Bow was used by Princesses to determine the power of their suitors. The test was not just about raw strength, but also about the wisdom, dexterity and skill to use that strength.
The bow used in this type of tests were no ordinary bows but bows of renown and fame through the land.
In Odyssey, Queen Penelope had used a special kind of double recurve bow or 'Palintonos' that many ordinary men would find difficult to lift.
Princess Sita had used Pinaka, the Divine Bow bestowed by Lord Shiva to test the strength of her suitors in the Epic of Ramayan.
When Samar had read about the heroics of Odysseus and Lord Ram in the epics, he too had dreamt of a day undergoing the test of stringing the bow and proving his individual power.
However, in this modern world who would hold such tests?