📖 Chapter 3 – The First Step
That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Arjun sat cross-legged on the thin mattress. The small house was silent, except for the occasional cough from his father in the next room.
He closed his eyes.
System… show me what you can do.
At once, the cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
> [Omni Nanochip Functions Available: 1% Synchronization]
– Perfect Memory
– Accelerated Learning
– Basic Body Optimization
Arjun's lips curled into a faint smile. Perfect. That's all I need right now.
In his past life, it had taken him years to master computer science, coding, and finance. This time, with perfect recall and accelerated learning, he could compress years of knowledge into days.
And knowledge was money.
He switched on the old second-hand computer in the corner of the room. Its fan rattled like a dying engine, the screen flickering, but it still worked.
"Let's start small," he whispered.
Lines of code began to fill the screen as his fingers flew across the keyboard. It wasn't just practice—it was instinct. The Nanochip mapped every keystroke, filling in gaps in his memory, connecting patterns.
He remembered which websites and forums would explode in popularity in the coming years. He remembered how certain stocks would skyrocket. He remembered the early cracks of opportunity no one else could see in 2002.
But first, he needed capital. Something quick. Something believable for a teenager in a poor household.
"Freelancing," he murmured.
He navigated to an online job board. Most of the tasks were simple—data entry, fixing bugs, building small websites. The pay was laughable in the eyes of his future self, but right now, even a few hundred rupees could make the difference between his sister's fees being paid or not.
> [System Suggestion: Accept Task – "E-commerce Website Debugging" – Reward: ₹500]
Arjun's eyes lit up. Five hundred rupees. To anyone else, a small sum. To his family, it was groceries for a week.
"Accepted," he said softly.
The code filled his mind instantly. Bugs, loopholes, solutions—he saw them all as if the website itself was a puzzle laid bare before him. His fingers danced.
Within two hours, the task was done. A reply pinged back almost immediately.
Client: "Unbelievable! You fixed in two hours what my previous developer couldn't solve in two weeks! Payment sent. Can you take more work?"
Arjun leaned back, a sharp grin tugging at his lips. The money was already in his account.
It begins.
---
The next morning, he handed a folded stack of notes to his mother.
"Arjun?" Savitri frowned, confused. "Where did you get this money?"
Arjun smiled gently. "Don't worry, Ma. I just did some computer work online. From now on, you won't have to worry about Ananya's school fees."
His father looked skeptical, but also relieved. His mother's eyes glistened as she whispered, "You're still so young… but you already think like the head of this house."
Ananya tugged at his sleeve, pouting. "Bhaiya, are you working for money already? Don't get too busy and forget to play with me!"
Arjun ruffled her hair, hiding the fire in his eyes.
Forget to play? No, little one. This time, I'll make sure you can play forever—without ever worrying about hunger or sickness again.
The Nanochip buzzed again in his mind.
> [System Mission Complete: Secure Initial Capital]
[Reward: Synchronization +0.5%]
[New Function Unlocked: Financial Forecasting (Basic)]
Arjun's smile grew colder, sharper.
The world thought he was just a poor boy in a crumbling house.
But soon, he would rise from these cracked walls and make the world kneel.
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🔥 End of Chapter 3 Cliffhanger