May 8, 2001.
The day of the Common Entrance Test (CET). In Karnataka, this wasn't just an exam; it was a religious event. It determined whether a student became a revered Engineer/Doctor or a "useless degree holder."
At 6:00 AM, the Gurudeva Academy was buzzing. But unlike the frenetic panic in thousands of households across Bangalore, the atmosphere here was unnervingly calm.
Surya stood by the gate next to a hired yellow-board Tata Sumo. He held a silver plate with kumkum (red powder) and sugar crystals.
"Line up," Surya commanded gently.
Karthik, Imran, Meera, and Sumanth stood in a row. They wore fresh clothes. Their pencil boxes were transparent (per rules), and their admission tickets were pinned to their shirts like medals of honor.
"Sugar for focus," Surya said, placing a pinch of sugar on Karthik's tongue. He applied a tilak to his forehead. "Remember, Karthik. Read the diagram, not the text."
"Yes, Sir."
He moved to Imran. "Sugar for speed. Imran, the exam is a timed level. Don't camp on one question. Run and gun."
Imran grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Headshots only, Sir."
He moved to Meera. "Sugar for clarity. If your eyes hurt, close them for ten seconds. The answer is already in your head."
Meera nodded, adjusting her new spectacles.
Finally, Sumanth. The boy was pale, his hands trembling slightly.
Surya placed a hand on Sumanth's shoulder. He didn't just give him sugar; he activated a specific System function.
[Skill Activation: The Shepherd's Touch]
Cost: 20 KP.
Effect: Stabilizes heart rate and suppresses cortisol levels for 4 hours.
Sumanth took a deep breath. The shaking stopped. "I'm ready, Sir."
"Get in the car," Surya said. "We are going to war."
The exam center was BMS College of Engineering in Basavanagudi. The massive campus was a sea of anxiety. thousands of students were flipping through short-notes, while parents hovered around them like helicopters, feeding them curd rice and advice.
The Tata Sumo pulled up. Surya stepped out, followed by his "Underdog Squad."
They walked towards the main gate.
"Well, well. Look who it is."
The voice was oily and familiar. Surya turned to see the Administrator from the Brilliant Coaching Centre, standing next to a large banner that read 'Rank 1 Guaranteed'. He was surrounded by fifty students in identical uniforms.
"Mr. Surya," the Administrator smirked. "You actually brought the 'Special Needs' batch? I thought you would have refunded their money by now."
He pointed at Karthik. "And you brought the dyslexic boy? Why bother? The question paper has words, you know."
Karthik looked down, his confidence wavering.
Surya stepped in front of Karthik. He didn't get angry. He smiled—a cold, sharp smile.
"Mr. Administrator," Surya said, his voice carrying over the crowd. "Your students are like battery chickens. Fed the same feed, kept in the same cage. My students are free-range tigers."
He looked at the Brilliant Coaching students. They looked exhausted, bags under their eyes, reciting formulas robotically.
"Good luck to your flock," Surya said. "They look like they need a hospital, not a college."
He turned to his squad. "Ignore the noise. Eyes on the prize. Go inside."
As the four of them marched into the exam hall, Surya leaned against the compound wall to wait. The parents around him were praying.
Surya closed his eyes. He couldn't go inside physically, but he had the System.
[System Mode: Remote Monitoring]
[Range: 500 Meters]
[Connecting to Disciples...]
A holographic screen appeared in his mind's eye. Four health bars appeared, representing their Mental Stability.
* Karthik: 85% (Stable)
* Imran: 90% (Excited)
* Meera: 70% (Mild Strain)
* Sumanth: 60% (Nervous)
"Maintain that," Surya whispered.
Inside the Exam Hall (Physics & Chemistry Paper).
The bell rang. Papers were distributed.
Karthik opened the booklet. Question 1 was a paragraph about thermodynamics. The words swam. Panic flared.
Read the diagram, Surya's voice echoed in his memory.
Karthik looked at the graph below the text. PV diagram. Isochoric process. Work done is zero.
He marked Option C.
Easy.
Imran was flipping pages. He skipped the first five hard questions. He found the "loot"—the easy one-liners at the end. Bam. Bam. Bam. He secured 20 marks in 10 minutes. His confidence skyrocketed.
Meera was whispering the questions to herself softly. Her auditory memory kicked in. The answers flowed like a song.
Sumanth was holding the pen with his left hand, forcing his brain to switch tracks. He solved a calculus integration calmly.
Everything was going perfectly.
Until 11:00 AM.
Outside the Gate.
Surya was sipping tea from a roadside vendor when the System screamed.
[WARNING: Psychic Attack Detected!]
[Source: Unknown High-Level System User.]
[Target: Area Wide Area Effect (radius 1km).]
[Effect: 'Aura Drain'. Siphoning focus from all students to empower a specific target.]
Surya choked on his tea. "What?"
He looked at the monitoring screen.
* Karthik: 85% -> 40% (Rapid Drop)
* Sumanth: 60% -> 10% (CRITICAL)
Inside the hall, Sumanth suddenly grabbed his head. A piercing headache blinded him. He dropped his pen. Around him, other students were also rubbing their temples, looking confused.
It wasn't just nerves. Someone was actively stealing their mental energy.
Surya scanned the crowd outside. He saw hundreds of parents. Then, his Eye of Vidya locked onto a black Mercedes Benz parked across the street, windows tinted dark.
A faint, purple miasma was rising from the car, spreading like invisible tentacles toward the college.
[Target: Unknown.]
[Talent: Soul Vampirism (Rank S).]
"You dare?" Surya hissed. "You dare steal from my students?"
He checked his Karma Points. He had 300 KP left after the renovation.
"System! Countermeasure!"
[Option 1: Psychic Shield (Protects only Host): 50 KP.]
[Option 2: Guardian Deity's Roar (Disrupts enemy concentration): 200 KP.]
[Option 3: Karmic Backlash (Reflects damage): 500 KP (Insufficient Funds).]
"Option 2," Surya commanded. "Blast that car."
[Skill Activated: Guardian Deity's Roar.]
Surya focused on the black Mercedes. In the spiritual realm, a massive, spectral lion—the Vahana of the Goddess—materialized above the college. It opened its jaws and let out a soundless roar that shook the psychic plane.
Inside the Black Mercedes.
A young man, no older than eighteen, sat in the backseat in a meditative pose. He was handsome, wearing a silk kurta. His eyes were closed.
More energy, he thought. Feed me. I need to be the State Topper. I need to be perfect.
Suddenly, a shockwave slammed into his mind. It felt like a sledgehammer hitting a gong.
"ARGH!"
The young man snapped his eyes open, blood trickling from his nose. The purple link to the college shattered.
"Who?" he gasped, wiping the blood. "Who is strong enough to break my connection?"
He looked out the window.
He saw the sea of parents. He saw a young man in a white shirt leaning against the wall, staring directly at the car with glowing golden eyes.
"Interesting," the young man whispered, a cruel smile forming. "A worthy opponent has finally arrived in this backwater city."
Inside the Hall.
The headache vanished as quickly as it came.
Sumanth blinked. The fog cleared. He looked at the clock. 30 minutes left.
I can do this, he thought. Surya Sir is watching.
He picked up his pen.
12:30 PM. The Exam Ends.
The bell rang. The students poured out like a released dam. Some were crying, some were arguing about answers.
Surya waited anxiously.
Karthik was the first to emerge. He wasn't looking at his feet. He was looking at the sky.
"Sir!" Karthik ran over.
"How was it?" Surya asked, his heart tight.
"Physics..." Karthik paused. "I crushed it. I think I got 55/60."
Imran walked up, spinning a pen. "Chemistry was tricky, boss. But I flanked it. Minimum 45."
Meera and Sumanth joined them. Sumanth looked pale but relieved.
"I had a bad headache in the middle," Sumanth admitted. "But then... it felt like a lion roared in my head, and the pain went away. I finished the paper."
Surya exhaled. He had saved them.
"You did good," Surya said, patting their backs. "But the war isn't over. Math is tomorrow. And now I know... the enemy is watching."
He looked across the street. The black Mercedes was gone.
"Who was that?" Surya wondered.
[System Notification]
[Rival Identity Hints Unlocked]
* Name: Vikram Seth.
* Background: Heir to the Seth Education Trust (Owners of 50+ Colleges).
* System Type: The Predatory Monarch System.
* Goal: Monopolize all 'Talent' in India.
Surya clenched his fist. A Predator System versus a Guru System.
Vikram Seth wanted to consume talent. Surya wanted to nurture it.
"Let him come," Surya whispered, ushering his students into the Tata Sumo. "He has money. He has power. But he doesn't have the blessing of Saraswati."
As the car drove away, Surya made a silent vow. He wouldn't just build a university. He would build a fortress.