The morning sun filtered through the mango leaves, dappling the courtyard where Karthik sat, engrossed in a chemistry textbook. It had been two days since he started.
The change in him was subtle but undeniable. His shoulders were less hunched, and his eyes, usually darting around in anxiety, were now laser-focused on the page.
Surya sat on the verandah, sipping coffee, but his mind wasn't on Organic Chemistry. It was on the math that actually mattered:
Debt: ₹2,00,000.
Cash in Hand: ₹1,87,500.
Shortfall: ₹12,500.
He was agonizingly close. He could ask Karthik's father for the remaining fee, but that would reek of desperation.
A Principal who begs for fees is not a leader; he is a beggar. And the System demanded he be a King.
"Sir?" Karthik's voice broke his reverie.
"Yes, Karthik?"
"This reaction mechanism... Aldol Condensation. It's like a dance, isn't it? The base takes the proton, the enolate attacks... it's just positive seeking negative."
Surya smiled.
The Teaching Aura was doing its job, but Karthik's innate S-Rank talent was the real engine. The boy didn't just memorize; he internalized.
[System Notification]
[Student Progress Detected]
[Karthik R. has grasped a Core Concept (Rank B difficulty).]
[Reward: +10 Karma Points.]
Surya dismissed the notification. Karma Points were great, but they couldn't pay Reddy.
He looked at the wooden box on the table—the Newbie Principal Starter Pack he had received in Chapter 2. He had taken the cash and the skill, but he had ignored the third item.
Item: The Ledger of Truth.
He picked up the nondescript black notebook. It felt warm to the touch. He opened it.
The pages were blank for a moment, and then ink began to bleed onto the paper, forming neat, calligraphy-style script.
[Institution Status Report]
* Name: Gurudeva Academy (Proposed)
* Principal: Surya Gowda
* Student Count: 1
* Reputation: Non-Existent
* Financial Health: Critical (Insolvency Imminent)
Surya rolled his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."
He flipped the page. The heading read: [Asset Management].
* Land: 4 Acres (Prime Location).
* Building: Heritage Structure (Needs Repair).
* Hidden Assets: Detected.
Surya froze. Hidden Assets?
He read the next line.
* Location: The Northern Wall, behind the portrait of the Ancestor.
* Item: 'The Freedom Fighter's Pension Arrears' & 'Gold Sovereign'.
Surya stood up abruptly, startling Karthik.
"Keep studying, Karthik. I'll be right back."
Surya rushed into the main hall. The portrait of his grandfather, Thimmegowda, hung on the northern wall. He was a stern man with a thick mustache, a freedom fighter who had supposedly died penniless.
Surya lifted the heavy wooden frame.
Behind it, the plaster was cracked. He saw a small, loose brick. Using a spoon from the kitchen, he pried it open.
A dusty tin box sat in the cavity.
Surya pulled it out, his heart pounding. He opened the lid.
Inside was a passbook from Canara Bank and a small velvet pouch. He opened the pouch first. A single, heavy gold coin glinted in the dim light. A British-era Sovereign.
[System Scan]
[Item: Victoria Gold Sovereign (1918)]
[Value:] ₹4,500 (Market Rate).
"Four thousand five hundred," Surya muttered. "Still not enough."
He opened the passbook. It was old, yellowed. The last entry was from 1998. But tucked inside the plastic cover was a folded piece of paper—a Demand Draft.
It was a government payout for "Freedom Fighter Pension Arrears," dated just two months before his grandfather died. Thimmegowda had never cashed it.
Amount: ₹15,000.
Surya stared at the paper. The date was still valid. Demand Drafts in India were valid for three months (back then it was six). It was on the verge of expiring.
₹15,000 (DD) + ₹4,500 (Gold) + ₹1,87,500 (Cash).
Total: ₹2,07,000.
He had done it.
Surya let out a laugh, a loud, relieving sound that echoed through the empty house.
"Grandpa," he whispered, looking at the portrait. "You old fox. You saved me."
Two Hours Later.
The office of "Apex Real Estate & Finance" was a glass-fronted building in J.P. Nagar. It was designed to intimidate, with air-conditioning that was too cold and leather sofas that were too slippery.
Reddy sat behind a massive mahogany desk, chewing on a pencil. Bajaj, the corporate liaison, was looking at a map of Bannerghatta.
"We give him two more days," Reddy was saying. "Then we send the boys to 'encourage' him. The kid is alone. He'll break."
The glass door swung open.
Surya walked in. He wasn't wearing his village clothes. He wore a crisp blue shirt, black trousers, and polished shoes. He carried a leather briefcase.
Reddy looked up, sneering. "Surya! Came to beg for an extension? Or did you decide to sign the sale deed?"
Surya didn't say a word. He walked to the desk and placed the briefcase on it.
Click. Click.
He opened the lid.
Bundles of cash, neatly stacked, stared back at Reddy.
"One lakh, eighty thousand in cash," Surya said calmly.
He reached into his pocket and slammed the Gold Sovereign and the Demand Draft on top of the money.
"The gold is worth four-five. The DD is fifteen. That's two lakhs."
Reddy stared at the money. His mouth worked, but no sound came out. Bajaj looked up from his map, his eyes narrowing behind his rimless glasses.
"You..." Reddy stammered. "Where did you get this? You stole it!"
"My source of income is none of your concern," Surya said, his voice cold.
"Count it. Write me a receipt. And hand over the promissory note my grandfather signed."
Reddy's face turned purple. He didn't want the money. He wanted the land. The land was worth crores to Apex Builders.
"I... I can't accept gold," Reddy tried to stall. "Cash only."
"Gold is legal tender in settlement of debt under the 1872 Contract Act if mutually agreed, or I can sell it at the jeweler next door in five minutes," Surya countered, channeling his inner professor. "Don't play games, Reddy.
You want your money? Take it. If you refuse, I will deposit this in the court registrar's office tomorrow and file a harassment suit against you."
Bajaj stood up. He was smoother, smarter than Reddy. He realized they had lost this round.
"Take the money, Reddy," Bajaj said softly.
Reddy gritted his teeth. He snatched the cash and started counting aggressively, hoping to find a fake note. There were none.
Ten minutes later, Surya walked out of the office holding a torn piece of paper—the promissory note that had hung over his head like a sword.
He stood on the pavement, the chaotic traffic of Bangalore roaring past him. He felt light.
[System Notification]
[Quest Complete: The Debt Collector's Clock]
[Result: Debt Cleared 4 Days Early.]
[Rating: S (Dominance Displayed).]
[Rewards:]
* Karma Points: +500.
* Reputation: 'Man of His Word' (Local influence increased).
* Feature Unlocked: [Construction Mode].
[Construction Mode:] The Host can now use cash or KP to instantly renovate or build facilities within the campus domain. Construction time is reduced by 90% due to 'Divine Architecture'.
Surya grinned. He looked at the building behind him one last time.
"You wanted my land?" he whispered to the invisible enemies. "Now watch what I build on it."
He hailed an auto. "Bannerghatta. And stop at a hardware store on the way. I need paint. A lot of paint."
Back at the Academy.
Karthik was still studying when Surya returned. The boy looked up, his eyes tired but bright.
"Sir, I finished the chapter."
"Good," Surya said, tossing a fresh bag of samosas on the table. "Eat. We are celebrating."
"Celebrating what, Sir?"
"Freedom," Surya said. He looked at the dilapidated house. With the Construction Mode unlocked and 500 KP in the bank, he could finally fix this place.
"Karthik," Surya said, biting into a samosa. "Do you have any friends who are failing?"
Karthik hesitated. "Um... yes. A few. Everyone thinks we are useless."
"Bring them," Surya said, his eyes gleaming with the activation of the System. "Bring them all. We're going to start a revolution."
[Arc 1: The Foundation - Phase 1 Complete.]
[Next Phase: The Rise of the Underdogs.]