The Mathematics paper concluded without a psychic war.
Vikram Seth did not return. The black Mercedes remained absent. It seemed the rival System User was cautious, unwilling to risk another backlash from the "Guardian Deity" without understanding what he was up against.
When the final bell rang at 12:30 PM on May 9th, the four students walked out of the exam center not with the weary trudge of soldiers, but with the swagger of veterans.
"Integration by parts," Imran grinned, mimicking a shooting motion. "Boom. Solved."
"The probability question was tricky," Sumanth noted, adjusting his collar. "But I used the left-hand trick. It kept me calm."
Surya watched them from the shade of a rain tree.
He felt a profound sense of exhaustion, the kind that settles deep in the bones after a long vigil. His Karma Points were drained (down to 100 KP), and his bank balance was hovering around ₹20,000.
"It's over," Karthik said, coming up to Surya.
"Sir, we... we actually did it. I think I'll pass."
"Passing is for pedestrians, Karthik," Surya smiled wearily. "You are going to fly. Now, get in the car. I promised you a Masala Dosa at Vidyarthi Bhavan."
As the Tata Sumo navigated the traffic of Gandhi Bazaar, Surya looked at his disciples. In 25 days, he had turned them from rejects into potential rank-holders. But the crash course was over. The income would stop.
And the System, ever the taskmaster, chimed in.
[Quest Update: The Underdog Squad]
* Phase 1 (Training): Complete.
* Phase 2 (The Waiting Game): Results will be declared on June 15th.
* Objective: Maintain Institution Solvency until results.
* Current Daily Expense: ₹500 (Electricity/Maintenance).
* Current Income: ₹0.
Surya sighed. He had a university to build, and right now, he was unemployed again.
The Leviathan's Lair (Sadashivanagar, North Bangalore).
While Surya was eating dosa, Vikram Seth was sitting in a climate-controlled study that was larger than Surya's entire house.
Vikram was not just a student; he was the scion of the Seth Empire. His father owned medical colleges, engineering colleges, and had ministers on speed dial.
Vikram sat in a lotus position, floating three inches off the Persian rug. The purple aura of the Predatory Monarch System pulsed around him.
"Surya Gowda," Vikram whispered, reading a dossier floating in front of him. "Age 21. No background. No money. Yet, he summoned a Spirit Guardian that cracked my mental link."
A holographic interface, blood-red in color, flickered.
[System Analysis]
[Target Strength: Unknown.]
[Target Weakness: Resource Scarcity.]
[Recommendation: Economic Strangulation.]
Vikram smiled. It was a cold, lifeless smile.
"He is strong spiritually," Vikram mused.
"But he is poor. He owns four acres of land in Bannerghatta. Land that is critical for the proposed IT Corridor expansion."
Vikram picked up his Nokia 9210 Communicator (the smartphone of 2001). He dialed a number.
"Uncle," Vikram said smoothly. "Yes. The land in Bannerghatta. I want it. No, don't use thugs. Thugs are messy.
Use the bureaucracy. Check his permits. Check his electricity connection. Check his land tax. If he misses a single payment, crush him."
He hung up.
"Let's see if your Spirit Lion can pay the electricity bill, Surya."
Back at Gurudeva Academy.
The students had gone home to rest. Surya stood in his courtyard, staring at the twelve computers.
They were idle. Idle assets were a sin in business.
"I need cash flow," Surya muttered. "I can't start a college until the results come out and I get reputation. I need a gap-filler."
He looked at the computers.
He looked at the broadband connection he had painstakingly set up using a directional antenna to catch a signal from a nearby office tower (another benefit of his Hardware Mastery).
"Imran likes games," Surya recalled. "And right now, every teenager in Bangalore is bored waiting for results."
In 2001, gaming was in its infancy. People played Dave or Mario. But the revolution was knocking. Counter-Strike and Age of Empires II were spreading like wildfire via pirated CDs.
"System," Surya commanded. "Open Shop."
[Karma Points: 100]
"Purchase software License: LAN Management Suite (v1.0)."
Cost: 50 KP.
"Purchase Skill: The Gamer's Den (Interior Design)."
Cost: 50 KP.
[Balance: 0 KP]
Surya got to work. He didn't need to build walls. He needed to build atmosphere.
He moved the computers from the open courtyard into the large side hall.
He darkened the windows with black paper. He bought cheap neon tube lights—blue and red—from the hardware store.
He installed Counter-Strike (Beta 7.1), Age of Empires II, and StarCraft on all machines.
Then, he printed a new banner.
[THE ARENA]
Bangalore's First Pro-Gaming Zone.
Rs. 30 per hour.
High-Speed LAN. AC Room (Cooler).
Night Match Tournaments.
He called Imran.
"Imran? Are you sleeping?"
"No Sir," Imran yawned on the landline. "Just staring at the ceiling."
"Get your bike," Surya said. "And bring every friend you have who owns a computer but has no one to play with. We are opening tonight."
The First Night.
At 7:00 PM, Imran arrived with five friends. They looked skeptical. A gaming center in a farmhouse?
Then they stepped into the side hall.
The blue neon lights hummed. The twelve computers sat in two rows, facing each other like duelists. The screens displayed the Counter-Strike menu.
"Whoa," Imran whispered. "This looks like... like the Matrix."
"Sit down," Surya said, sitting at the server PC. "First hour is on the house. If you beat me, tonight is free."
The boys sat down. The sound of keyboards clacking filled the room.
"Go, go, go!" Imran shouted. "Fire in the hole!"
Surya, using his Eye of Vidya (which sadly worked on in-game avatars too, showing him enemy positions), decimated them.
Headshot.
Headshot.
Terrorists Win.
"Sir!" Imran yelled, slamming the desk. "You're hacking!"
"It's called geometry, Imran," Surya smirked.
By 9:00 PM, the word had spread. Boys from the nearby residential layouts—techie kids, college students—started showing up. The novelty of a 12-player LAN setup was irresistible.
Surya sat at the entrance, a cardboard box filling up with ₹10, ₹20, and ₹50 notes.
By midnight, he had to turn people away.
"Sir, one more match!" a kid begged.
"We close at 1 AM," Surya announced, acting the strict bouncer. "School rules apply.
No swearing, no smoking."
At 2:00 AM, the last gamer left.
Surya counted the cash.
Total Revenue (Night 1): ₹3,200.
He leaned back in his chair, exhausted but smiling.
₹3,000 a night. That was ₹90,000 a month.
It wasn't millions. But it was survival. It was enough to pay the bills, maintain the house, and save up for the next phase.
[System Notification]
[Side Business Established: 'The Arena'.]
[Passive Effect:]
* Tech Attraction: The institution now naturally attracts individuals with high 'Digital/Logic' aptitude.
* Reputation: You are becoming known as the 'Cool Principal'.
Surya locked the cash box.
"Vikram Seth," he whispered to the empty room. "You can check my land tax all you want. I'm running a cash business now."
Three Weeks Later. June 10th.
The gaming center was a roaring success. Surya had hired Imran (part-time) to manage the evening shifts, giving the boy pocket money and a sense of responsibility.
But the fun times were about to end.
A government jeep pulled up to the gate. An officer from the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) stepped out, accompanied by a surveyor.
Surya walked out to meet them.
"Surya Gowda?" the officer asked, looking at a clipboard.
"Yes."
"We have received a notice," the officer said, handing over a yellow envelope. "This land is zoned for 'Agricultural Use'. We have reports of commercial activity—a computer center—running here illegally. You are in violation of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act."
Surya took the notice. It was a cease-and-desist order. Closure within 24 hours.
Vikram Seth had made his move.
"If I close," Surya said calmly, "I lose my income."
"If you don't close," the officer shrugged, "we bulldoze the structure. You have 24 hours."
The jeep drove away.
Surya stood there, the notice fluttering in the wind. He had money saved up (approx ₹60,000 from the gaming center), but not enough to bribe the BDA or re-zone the land (which cost lakhs).
He needed a shield. A legal shield that made his land untouchable.
He needed to become a legitimate Educational Institution immediately.
Educational institutions were exempt from many commercial zoning laws.
"System," Surya asked. "When are the results?"
[Date: June 15th.]
"Five days," Surya gritted his teeth. "I have to stall the BDA for five days. If my students get ranks, I can apply for college status. If they fail... I lose everything."
He walked back inside.
"Imran!" he shouted. "Shut down the games. We are going into lockdown."
"Why, Sir?"
"Because," Surya said, pinning the BDA notice to the notice board. "The final boss just entered the lobby."