Chapter 2
Arjun jolted awake to the shrill tone of his alarm, heart pounding. His room was dark, save for the dull glow of the city lights filtering through the curtains. He blinked blearily at the clock: 6:00 AM. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, the sheets falling away to reveal stiff limbs. Yesterday's revelation—the sudden ₹250,000 credited to his account by something called the Rich Man System—had left him restless throughout the night. His mind swirled with what-ifs and maybes, each scenario more unbelievable than the last.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and caught sight of his reflection in the mirror: dark circles under his eyes, unkempt hair, and a face etched with confusion. With a sigh, he rose and donned his neatly pressed shirt and faded jeans for the day's internship at NextGen Solutions. As he brushed his teeth, he opened the banking app again. Balanced at ₹250,000 still. No deductions, no other entries. The notification—"Welcome to the Rich Man System"—sat in his notification shade, taunting him with its cryptic promise.
He exhaled and splashed cold water on his face. "Get a grip," he muttered, staring at the faucet. He grabbed his phone and opened the notes app. A plan began to form:
1. Visit the bank branch—verify the source.
2. Consult Ravi—get a grounded perspective.
3. Investigate hidden rules—understand the system.
4. Reflect on morality—how to use this gift responsibly.
Pocketing the phone, Arjun ventured into the humid morning, the monsoon having left sticky heat in its wake. He hopped into an auto-rickshaw bound for the ICICI bank on Church Street. The driver recounted yesterday's cricket score, but Arjun only nodded, mind preoccupied. He rehearsed his explanation, hoping he wouldn't sound insane.
At the bank, he joined a queue under a ceiling fan that churned stale air. As he waited, he rehearsed his opening line. When his turn came, he approached the counter. The clerk, a middle-aged woman with steely eyes, glanced at his request. "I received an unexpected credit of ₹250,000 from the Rich Man System. Could you check the transaction details?" Arjun asked steadily.
She tapped her keyboard, brows knitting. "Sir, I see the credit, but no source is listed. Our systems rely on bank identifiers; this doesn't match any known publisher. You did not apply for refunds or rewards, correct?" He shook his head. She frowned. "I'll escalate to back-office. You might need to sign a form for investigation." She slid a form across the counter.
Arjun hesitated, pen in hand. If he filed this, the bank would freeze the funds until resolution. He recalled Ravi's cautionary words. He sighed and placed the form back. "I'll wait and observe," he said softly. The clerk, perplexed, nodded. "Very well, sir. We'll inform you if there are updates."
Stepping outside, Arjun's head swirled. He pulled out his laptop at a nearby café and connected to the bank's internal API via a hidden development console. His Hyper-Learning skill kicked in as he flew through code. He uncovered a hidden folder in the mobile app's package: `/rms_rules.txt`. Heart racing, he opened it:
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RMS RULES:
1. Rewards granted based on commendable actions.
2. Each reward appears directly in your accounts or inventory.
3. Misuse of rewards counts as rule violation.
4. Rewards reset if integrity fails.
5. System evolves with user.
---
Arjun leaned back, mind ablaze: *Commendable actions?* He had done nothing so far but exist. Was the system testing him? Seeking to reward virtue? He closed the console and breathed deeply.
His phone buzzed—it was Ravi. "Meet me at Bean & Brew before your shift." Arjun tapped back: "On my way." He dashed through drizzle and arrived to find Ravi already analyzing the code snippet. "You found rules?" Ravi's voice was low. Arjun nodded, showing the lines. Ravi whistled. "So it's merit-based." His eyes shone with excitement. "This could change everything."
Later, at the internship, Arjun mentored a junior colleague stumbling through a tricky bug. He pointed out the oversight, and the colleague's eyes lit up. Helping someone else solve a problem felt… meaningful. That night, he opened the banking app again. The balance now read ₹260,000. A new notification: "Reward granted for mentorship." Arjun exhaled, a grin spreading across his face. The system had begun to teach him as much as he taught others.
He drifted to sleep, not with fears of wealth, but with anticipation for what tomorrow's chapter would bring.