The morning sun of Patna cast long, dusty shadows across the grounds of Nalanda University, but inside the former storage hall, a small miracle had occurred. Shraddha Singh stood speechless at the doorway. Overnight, the hall—which had been a collapsing monument to neglect—was transformed. The cracked plaster was mended, the walls were painted a calming, clean beige, and a smooth, polished concrete floor replaced the uneven dirt. In the center, beneath a new, bright tube light, sat a heavy wooden table and two chairs, flanking a state-of-the-art, beige-and-white personal computer tower—a powerful machine for the year 2000. The air itself felt different: crisp, clean, and strangely invigorating.
"Arjun," Shraddha finally managed, "which contractor did you hire? This isn't just a cleaning crew; this is a miracle. They finished a week's work in eight hours and didn't make a sound."
Arjun, leaning against the doorframe, felt the residual, gentle hum of the [University Aura]. It wasn't a flashy force, but a constant, subtle energy of perfection and maintenance, powered by the System Funds. "He's a specialist in rapid deployment, Shraddha. High quality, zero questions. But notice the feel of the place. It feels… purposeful." The University Aura isn't just aesthetic; it's passively boosting our mental clarity and focus, he realized. Shraddha certainly seemed more energized.
Dr. Rohan Verma walked in, rubbing his hands together. He ignored the clean paint, striding straight for the computer. "Is this a Pentium III? With 128MB of RAM?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly. It was a beast of a machine for a non-metro city institution. "And it's running Linux! Where did you get the kernel discs, Principal?"
"It was part of the 'Basic Furnishing' package, Doctor," Arjun replied smoothly. "We don't do things halfway. We need a lab that is three years ahead of the competition. Rajesh is our first student. His first task, assigned by you, should be to get this machine network-ready. That will immediately test his aptitude."
Dr. Verma's eyes sparkled. He pulled up the chair, radiating a focus Arjun hadn't seen yesterday. Arjun checked the [Aptitude Scanner] on the professor. His B+ Academic rank was already showing a spike toward A-. The [University Aura], combined with the [100x Feedback] applied the previous day, was accelerating his internal research and planning.
"The university grounds are prepared. Now, for the nine pioneers," Arjun said, grabbing his keys. "Shraddha, your job is to set the tuition fee structure for the ten places—a high fee for prestige, but with an immediate, deep scholarship available for exceptional students. We're heading to the State Library."
(Paragraph 2: Hunting in the Stacks - 1000 words)
The State Public Library was a sanctuary for the genuinely curious and a refuge for those who couldn't afford formal coaching. It was packed, smelling of old paper and frustrated ambition. This was the antithesis of the formal classroom—a place where students chose what they studied. Arjun knew the system would have missed most of them.
Arjun and Shraddha walked silently through the rows of towering shelves. Arjun activated the [Aptitude Scanner], letting its powerful, silent gaze sweep over the patrons. He ignored the high-C and low-B ranks reading civil service manuals. He was looking for anomalies, the hidden S and A-Ranks buried under outdated material.
His eyes fell upon a young woman, perhaps nineteen, sitting in the corner, surrounded by thick volumes on agricultural economics and technical journals. Her clothes were simple, but her concentration was absolute.
[System]: "[Aptitude Scanner] activated. Scanning subject: Ritu Sharma."
Name: Ritu Sharma
Age: 19
Aptitude - Academics (Rote Learning): C+
Aptitude - Data Science/Statistical Modeling: S
Aptitude - Logic & Abstraction: A+
Status: "S-Rank aptitude bottlenecked by lack of computational resources. Highly valuable."
An S-Rank Data Scientist! In the year 2000, before 'Big Data' was even a term in India. Arjun's future knowledge screamed at him: Data Science would be the engine of the 21st-century economy.
He approached Ritu. "Ritu Sharma?"
She looked up, startled. "Yes, sir?"
"You're reading 'Econometrics and Forecasting' and a journal on Genetic Algorithms," Arjun noted, pointing to the books. "Why?"
She blushed, clearly embarrassed. "I... I want to understand how the monsoon patterns affect crop yields in different soil types. But the models are too complex for paper. I wish I had a computer to run the simulations."
"We have a Linux machine waiting for you at Nalanda University," Arjun said simply. "We are opening a specialized program for Computational Intelligence. We don't care if you passed your history exam; we care that you want to model the future. Full scholarship. Start tomorrow."
Ritu stared at him, tears welling up—not from sadness, but from sudden, impossible hope. Someone finally saw past her gender and her small-town background to what she was truly seeking.
Ritu Sharma secured. Arjun moved on, heartened.
Next, his eyes scanned a corner where a sharply dressed young man was intensely annotating a copy of the Financial Times.
[System]: "Scanning subject: Vijay Varma."
Name: Vijay Varma
Age: 20
Aptitude - Finance/Economic Modeling: A+
Aptitude - Negotiation/Sales: S-
Status: "Highly motivated by wealth creation and market dynamics. Needs structured, ethical application."
An S-Rank Negotiator and A+ Finance expert! Perfect for future business development and entrepreneurial training.
"Vijay Varma," Arjun called out. "I see you're analyzing the Asian currency crisis of '97. Too late. The real money is made in the next crisis. Are you ready to learn algorithmic trading and the mathematics of risk?"
Vijay, aggressive and sharp, stood up immediately. "Who are you? Algorithmic trading isn't taught anywhere here. I'm stuck working for my uncle's textile export business, where they still use ledgers."
"I'm the Principal offering you a full scholarship to learn how to break the ledgers and build the next generation of financial systems," Arjun said, matching the boy's intensity. "Nalanda is a laboratory, not a classroom. We give you capital; you turn it into more capital. We need your sharp edge. Are you in?"
Vijay didn't hesitate. "When do I start?"
Vijay Varma secured.
(Paragraph 3: The Communicator and the Quest Update - 950 words)
Finally, Arjun found a small group arguing passionately near the philosophy section. His eyes locked onto a girl, fiercely debating the nuances of Aristotle's Rhetoric.
[System]: "Scanning subject: Priya Sen."
Name: Priya Sen
Age: 20
Aptitude - Academics (General): B
Aptitude - Communication/Rhetoric: A
Aptitude - Interpersonal Dynamics: B+
Status: "Excellent leadership and persuasive abilities. Needs a platform for impactful speech."
While not an S-Rank coder, an A-Rank Communicator was vital. Nalanda needed a voice, someone who could articulate the university's unique mission and future output.
Arjun interrupted the group. "Priya Sen, your grasp of logos, ethos, and pathos is commendable. But tell me: if you have the cure for cancer, and the technology to mass-produce it is free, how do you persuade a thousand cynical government officials to adopt it globally, overcoming decades of institutional inertia, in under an hour?"
Priya was momentarily stunned by the complexity of the scenario. She paused, then her eyes lit up. "You don't use logic; you use a story. You humanize the data. You speak to the emotion, not the facts. You show them a dying child, then the solution. The most powerful rhetoric is applied ethics."
"Exactly," Arjun confirmed, smiling for the first time that day. "We are looking for students who want to build the future of Indian technology, but we also need leaders who can sell that future. You are our first Communications and Leadership Scholar. Full scholarship, of course. Your classroom is a few minutes away, where you will soon be debating algorithmic ethics with a finance wizard, a data analyst, and a hardware genius."
"My future is to study Law," Priya replied, though her gaze drifted from the law books.
"Law is the past," Arjun countered. "Policy and Communication are the future. You write the laws of the digital age. You shape the future you want to live in."
Priya looked at her debate partners, who were nodding slightly, impressed. She took a deep breath. "I'm in, Principal Singh."
Priya Sen secured.
(Paragraph 4: Progress and Preparation - 500 words)
Arjun, Shraddha, and the three shell-shocked new students—Rajesh, Ritu, Vijay, and Priya—squeezed into the Ambassador. Shraddha was silent, her mind reeling from the speed of the recruitment. Arjun had bypassed every standard metric—grades, background, social status—and recruited four of the most uniquely gifted students she had ever encountered, all in the space of one hour.
Back at the university, Arjun immediately started the onboarding process, using the System Funds to provide each student with a ₹5,000 'initial resource grant'—enough to buy necessary books, a modest scientific calculator, or components for Rajesh.
[System]: "[First Step] Quest Progress: Students (4/10). Faculty (1/1)."
[System]: "Remaining Time: 27 Days."
Arjun reviewed the data with satisfaction. He now had the core four—the hardware genius (Rajesh), the data scientist (Ritu), the finance strategist (Vijay), and the communicator (Priya). This group, when amplified by the [100x Feedback] mechanism he would use during their lessons, would form the nucleus of Nalanda's technological revolution.
"Shraddha," Arjun said, watching the four students talking excitedly with Dr. Verma in the new classroom, "set up the marketing budget. We need to find six more students, but they don't have to be S-Rank. We need diversity. Use ₹50,000 to place an advertisement in the local paper. Do not advertise 'tuition fees' or 'traditional courses.' Advertise this headline instead: 'Nalanda University: Hiring the Next Architects of India (Full Scholarships Available)'."
Shraddha's skepticism was finally replaced by a fierce loyalty and excitement. "Hiring architects, not enrolling students. I like the sound of that, Principal. I'll make the advertisement controversial enough to get us on the front page."
Arjun smiled. The first day of the new Nalanda was over, and the [University Aura] was humming. The debt was still there, but now, so was the foundation of the future. The word was about to spread.