The next morning, Ashutosh woke up feeling remarkably refreshed. The "Physical Potential" passive was already working; the lingering weakness from the fever was gone, replaced by a strange, clean vitality.
As he sat up, a notification chime rang in his mind.
[DING! Quest Completed: The First Step]
Result: You have successfully planted the seed of "Branding" in Raghunath Pathak's mind.
Reward: 500 Skill Points.
Bonus Item: [Blueprints of a Semi-Automatic Packaging Machine (1970s Tech Adaptive)].
Ashutosh's eyes widened. The skill points were great, but the Blueprints were a game-changer. In 1979, getting high-end machinery in India was a nightmare of bureaucracy and "License Raj." But these blueprints were for a machine that could be built using local parts available in the late 70s.
'System, open Skill Panel,' he commanded.
A list of skills appeared. Most were at Level 0.
Director's Vision: Lv 0 (0/100)
Business Negotiation: Lv 0 (0/100)
Market Analysis: Lv 0 (0/100)
Public Speaking: Lv 0 (0/100)
'Allocate 100 points to Market Analysis and 400 points to Business Negotiation,' he decided.
[DING! Market Analysis leveled up to Lv 1!]
[DING! Business Negotiation leveled up to Lv 1!]
Immediately, he felt a slight shift in his thinking. It wasn't that he learned new facts, but his ability to connect those facts became sharper. He understood exactly why his father was hesitant—it wasn't just fear, it was the lack of a legal safety net.
He climbed out of bed and walked toward the inner courtyard. It was breakfast time. The house was a whirlwind of activity.
His three elder brothers were sitting on the floor on wooden mats, eating hot parathas and curd. Ashutosh walked over, his eyes scanning them. It was time to see what his "Core Team" was made of.
[TARGET: ABHISHEK PATHAK (Eldest, Age 12)]
Potential: SS-Rank (Industrial Operations)
Current State: Bored with schoolwork.
Note: Has a natural instinct for how things fit together.
[TARGET: ARYAN PATHAK (Second, Age 10)]
Potential: S-Rank (Financial Strategy & Markets)
Current State: Scheming how to get extra pocket money.
Note: Can calculate interest rates in his head.
[TARGET: ANSH PATHAK (Third, Age 8)]
Potential: SS-Rank (Hardware & Tech Innovation)
Current State: Dismantling a broken transistor radio.
Note: Sees the world in circuits and logic.
'Incredible,' Ashutosh thought, sitting down beside Ansh. 'In my past life, I would have killed for a team like this. My brothers are literal gold mines.'
"Ashu-bhaiya!" Ansh chirped, holding up a small copper wire. "Look, I fixed the connection. The radio works now, but the sound is still scratchy. I think the speaker cone is too old."
Ashutosh smiled, patting Ansh's head. "What if we used a double-coil magnet, Ansh? It might clear the signal."
Ansh froze, his small eyes widening. "Double-coil? But... how would that fit in the housing?"
"You'd have to redesign the frame," Ashutosh said casually.
"Abbe, Ashu," Abhishek, the eldest, laughed. "Stop talking like an old man. You're five. Eat your breakfast or Maa will feed you herself, and you know how she overstuffs the parathas."
"I'm serious, Bhai," Ashutosh looked at Abhishek. "While you're at school today, think about this: if we had a machine that could pack 1,000 bags of masala in an hour, how many men would we need to load the trucks?"
Abhishek stopped chewing. His mind, rated SS-Rank in Operations, subconsciously started calculating. "1,000 bags? An hour? We'd need a conveyor belt system... and at least three trucks on rotation..." He trailed off, his eyes glazed with the excitement of a logistics puzzle.
"See?" Ashutosh whispered to himself. "The tigers are waking up."
Just then, his Nana, the retired Chief Justice, walked in with a newspaper. "Raghunath! Come here! Look at this article about the new industrial policy. Our Ashutosh was right. The government is looking to support small-scale packaging units!"
Raghunath rushed in, wiping his hands. The hesitant look in his eyes was being replaced by a spark of ambition.
Ashutosh felt a warm glow in his chest. This was the "Kind-hearted" part of him—he wasn't just using them; he was giving them a purpose earlier than they ever would have found it on their own.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[NEW QUEST: THE SCHOLAR'S DEBUT]
Objective: Finish your current grade's curriculum in 1 week and demand a double-promotion.
Reward: 1,000 Skill Points + [Physical Enhancement: Very Little Enhancement].
Failure: None. (System supports Host's pace).
Ashutosh smirked. School was going to be a breeze. He had an empire to build, and he didn't have time to sit through "A for Apple" for the next year.