Aryan Tiwari placed the freshly heated instant noodles on the table, but unlike usual, he didn't pick up his spoon right away.
His gaze shifted between the ₹3,356 that had just been credited to his bank account and the rent reminder notification still glowing on his phone screen. Suddenly, the bowl of instant noodles lost all its appeal.
After a moment of hesitation, Aryan opened a food delivery app.
Thirty seconds later, he placed an order for sweet-and-sour paneer rice, with an extra boiled egg added.
It was a luxury meal—something he only allowed himself during late-night office deployments back when he still had a job.
While waiting for the food, Aryan reopened KaalDrishti.
The interface was unchanged. Beneath the search bar, a line of text read:
"Daily limit: Query the precise market trend of one stock for the next 72 hours."
The stock he had checked yesterday—Surya Biotech—was now unavailable.
"This stock can only be queried once every 90 days."
Aryan frowned slightly.
The restrictions were strict—but reasonable.
If the same stock could be queried repeatedly, abnormal trading patterns would be easy to detect. Whoever designed this app clearly understood the real market.
Scrolling through financial news, Aryan searched patiently for his next opportunity.
After nearly half an hour, one headline caught his attention:
"EcoCert Labs wins ₹120 crore state-level environmental monitoring contract."
EcoCert Labs was a third-party testing company in the environmental sector.
With government policies increasingly favoring green development, the company's stock had been fluctuating steadily around ₹180—not too cheap, not overheated either.
Aryan typed EcoCert Labs into the search bar and tapped Query.
A line chart appeared.
July 13 (today): Close at ₹181.20
July 14: Open at ₹178.50, then rise
July 15 (10:00 AM): Peak at ₹196.80
July 16: Close at ₹194.50
Below it:
Suggested Operation:Buy at market open on July 14Sell before 10:00 AM on July 15
Aryan copied the data neatly into his notebook, then opened his trading app to check EcoCert's historical trend.
The pattern matched.
A fluctuating upward trend over the past month, combined with positive contract news—it all made sense. This wasn't a blind surge.
Just then, the delivery arrived.
The aroma filled the small rented room.
Aryan took a bite, and as the sweet-and-sour flavor spread across his tongue, he realized something—
That ₹556 profit wasn't just money.
It was breathing room.
For the next few days, he wouldn't need to survive on instant noodles.He wouldn't lie awake worrying about rent.
After finishing his meal, Aryan transferred the rent.
"Transfer Successful."
The moment the notification appeared, a heavy weight finally lifted from his chest.
A notification pinged.
It was a message from his former colleague Zaid Khan.
"Aryan bhai, heard you got laid off. Are you okay? Want me to ask around for ops roles? Salary might be low though… around ₹6,000 per month."
Aryan frowned.
Zaid had joined a year after him and used to follow him around, asking technical questions. Aryan had taught him without holding back.
But now, beneath the concern, there was an unmistakable hint of superiority—as if being laid off meant Aryan was now worth less.
After a brief pause, Aryan replied:
"Thanks, but no need. I'm working on something else right now."
Two minutes later, another message arrived.
"Something else? Bhai, ops engineers survive on skills. Don't chase illusions. Didn't you lose money in stocks before? Market's bad—be careful you don't lose whatever you have left."
The sarcasm was almost visible.
Aryan typed, deleted, typed again.
In the end, he only replied:
"Hmm."
Arguments were pointless.
Only results mattered.
The next morning, 8:50 AM sharp, Aryan opened his trading app.
At 9:30 AM, the market opened.
EcoCert Labs opened at ₹178.50—exactly as KaalDrishti predicted.
Aryan went all in.
With ₹3,356, he bought 18 shares, leaving less than a rupee in his account.
Unlike yesterday, he didn't stare at the screen all day.
Instead, he picked up a beginner's book on stock markets.
He knew one thing clearly—
If KaalDrishti ever disappeared, he couldn't afford to return to being clueless.
He studied candlestick patterns, MACD, and KDJ indicators. Even if he couldn't predict the future, he needed to understand the present.
By market close, EcoCert Labs had risen to ₹187.60.
His unrealized profit was already ₹170+.
Aryan finally slept peacefully.
On July 15, he woke up early.
At 10:02 AM, the stock price surged to ₹196.80.
Without hesitation, Aryan sold.
After fees—
Account Balance: ₹3,692.57
In just two days, he had earned another ₹336.
Total profit in three days: ₹892.
More than half a month's rent from his old job.
Aryan opened Zaid's chat, sent a screenshot of his trade history (balance hidden), and typed:
"Thanks for the concern. Luck's been good recently—no losses."
Zaid replied with a shocked emoji.
"You're just lucky, bro. Don't get greedy. Quit while you're ahead."
Aryan didn't respond.
Luck or not didn't matter.
What mattered was that his path had changed.
Opening KaalDrishti again, Aryan shifted his focus to the new energy sector.
Policy support. Long-term growth.
After scanning announcements, one headline stood out:
"VoltEdge Energy to invest ₹2,000 crore in power battery production line."
A leader in new-energy batteries.
Current price: ₹452
Aryan searched.
The result appeared.
July 16: Close at ₹452.30
July 17: Open at ₹449.80
July 18 (1:00 PM): Peak at ₹487.60
July 19: Close at ₹482.10
Suggested Operation:Buy at market open on July 17Sell before 13:00 on July 18
Aryan calculated quickly.
With ₹3,692, he could buy 8 shares—almost all his capital.
Higher price.Higher risk.Higher reward.
He took a deep breath.
Fear had no place here.
As long as he followed the rules, he would move forward.
Turning off his computer, Aryan walked to the window. The sky outside was slowly brightening.
His comeback—
Had only just begun.