---
He spent the next week in preparation.
First: he implemented company-wide changes. Wage increases. Better benefits. Employee recognition programs. The gratitude was immediate—and so were the points.
[POINTS GENERATED THIS WEEK: 4,500]
Second: he began investigating Desai Holdings. The data chip was gold—Vikram Desai had been laundering money, dealing with underworld figures, evading taxes. Enough evidence to destroy him.
But Arjun waited. Let Vikram think he was safe. Let him expand further.
Third: he trained. Every morning, every evening. The Seven Stars technique worked faster than anticipated. His cultivation progressed.
[CULTIVATION PROGRESS: INITIATE (STAGE 5)]
Fourth: he spent time with his daughters. Genuine time. Dinner together every night. Conversations. Listening to Riya play piano. Watching Anya climb trees. Bandaging Diya's latest injury—she'd helped a injured bird, cut herself on a branch.
Ishani watched him constantly. She knew he was different. But she also knew he wasn't lying about protecting them.
One night, she asked: "Dad, are you scared? Of the man coming to hurt us?"
Arjun crouched before her. "No, baby. I'm not scared."
"Because you're brave?"
"Because I'm prepared. There's a difference."
Ishani nodded slowly. "Okay, Dad."
She hugged him.
[EMOTION DETECTED: TRUST]
[INTENSITY: PROFOUND]
[POINTS GENERATED: 1,200]
---
Two weeks after transmigration, Arjun made his first move.
He called a press conference. Varma Industries headquarters. All major media outlets invited.
The room was packed—journalists, cameras, industry rivals, curious onlookers. Vikram Desai sat in the back, watching with narrowed eyes.
Arjun took the stage. Calm. Confident. Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit.
"Thank you for coming. I have an announcement that will reshape Valdris's business landscape."
He pressed a button. The screens behind him lit up with documents—financial records, transaction logs, incriminating evidence.
"Vikram Desai. You've been laundering money through shell companies for seven years. You've contracted underworld figures to intimidate rivals. You've evaded taxes on over two hundred million credits in revenue."
The room erupted. Cameras flashed. Journalists shouted questions.
Vikram stood, face pale. "This is slander! I'll sue!"
Arjun smiled. "Please do. I have five hundred more pages of evidence. Every transaction. Every contact. Every crime."
He turned to the cameras.
"Desai Holdings is finished. By tonight, authorities will arrest Vikram Desai. By next week, his company will be dissolved. By next month, he'll be in prison."
Pandemonium.
[EMOTION DETECTED: SHOCK, FEAR, AWE, RESPECT]
[SOURCE: 200+ JOURNALISTS, 50+ INDUSTRY FIGURES, MILLIONS WATCHING LIVE]
[INTENSITY: EXTREME (COLLECTIVE)]
[POINTS GENERATED: 28,000]
[TOTAL POINTS: 41,700]
Arjun stepped away from the podium, ignoring the chaos.
As he passed Vikram, he paused—just for a moment.
"Tell your nephew," he murmured, "that I'm waiting."
Vikram's face twisted with rage—and fear.
[EMOTION DETECTED: RAGE, FEAR]
[SOURCE: VIKRAM DESAI]
[INTENSITY: EXTREME]
[POINTS GENERATED: 2,500]
Arjun walked out.
---
That night, he stood on the mansion roof, looking at the city. News helicopters circled Desai Holdings. Police vehicles blocked streets. Vikram Desai was being arrested live on television.
Meera Krishnamurthy stood beside him—his Tier 3 draw from earlier that evening.
[SUMMON: MEERA KRISHNAMURTHY]
[TIER: GOLD (ENERGY ADEPT — PEAK)]
[SPECIALTY: COMBAT SPECIALIST, BLADE MASTERY, TACTICAL ANALYSIS]
[LOYALTY: 100%]
"Master," she said quietly. "You destroyed a major enemy in two weeks. Impressive."
"Vikram was a pawn. His nephew is the real threat."
"Rohan Desai. Training in Sylvaris. Growing stronger."
"Yes." Arjun's voice was calm. "But he doesn't know what's waiting for him."
Meera glanced at him. "And what is waiting for him, Master?"
Arjun smiled—cold, satisfied.
"A city that fears me. A company that loves me. Daughters who trust me. A system that empowers me." He turned to her. "And you."
Meera's expression didn't change, but something flickered in her eyes.
[EMOTION DETECTED: RESPECT, CURIOSITY]
[SOURCE: MEERA KRISHNAMURTHY]
[INTENSITY: MODERATE]
[POINTS GENERATED: 800]
"Rohan Desai has protagonist luck," Arjun continued. "Opportunities will fall into his lap. Masters will train him. Fortunes will favor him."
"But?"
"But I have something better." Arjun looked at the city lights. "I have a brain that never stops working. I have two years to prepare. And I have the one thing protagonists never expect."
"What's that, Master?"
"A villain who doesn't wait for the hero to come to him."
Meera was silent for a moment. Then: "You're going to attack him first?"
"No." Arjun shook his head. "I'm going to destroy everything he loves before he even arrives. His uncle—done. His family's company—gone. His network—exposed. When Rohan finally comes to Valdris, he'll find nothing. No allies. No resources. No home."
"Just you."
"Just me." Arjun turned from the window. "And an entire city that I own."
[EMOTION DETECTED: ADMIRATION]
[SOURCE: MEERA KRISHNAMURTHY]
[INTENSITY: SIGNIFICANT]
[POINTS GENERATED: 1,500]
---
Three weeks later, Arjun sat in his study, reviewing reports.
Vikram Desai was in prison, awaiting trial. Desai Holdings had been seized by authorities. The Desai name was ruined.
Rohan Desai, somewhere in Sylvaris, had surely heard by now. His uncle arrested. His family's legacy destroyed. His revenge plan in shambles.
Good. Let him be angry. Let him be desperate. Desperate protagonists make mistakes.
[CULTIVATION PROGRESS: INITIATE (STAGE 8)]
[POINT BALANCE: 38,200]
[SUMMONS: MEERA KRISHNAMURTHY (GOLD), 3 BRONZE PROFESSIONALS (ACCOUNTANT, LAWYER, INVESTIGATOR)]
Arjun's empire was growing. Slowly. Steadily. Invisibly.
The bronze summons worked quietly—the accountant restructuring finances, the lawyer reviewing contracts, the investigator gathering intelligence on potential threats.
Meera trained Leela daily. The girl was progressing fast—natural talent, honed by desperation.
The other daughters found their roles: Kavya researching cultivation, Riya composing emotion-manipulating music, Anya scouting (supervised), Diya practicing healing, Ishani... watching.
Always watching.
One evening, Ishani came to his study.
"Dad."
"Yes, baby?"
She climbed onto his lap—something she hadn't done in years.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"The bad man. The one coming to hurt us. You're not scared because you have a plan?"
"Yes."
"But what if his plan is better?"
Arjun looked at his youngest daughter. At her too-old eyes. At the wisdom no eight-year-old should possess.
"Then I'll make a new plan."
"What if he's stronger?"
"Then I'll get stronger."
"What if he has luck?"
"Then I'll make my own luck."
Ishani was silent for a moment. Then: "Can I help?"
Arjun hugged her tight.
"You already are, baby. You already are."
[EMOTION DETECTED: LOVE, TRUST, SAFETY]
[SOURCE: ISHANI VARMA]
[INTENSITY: PROFOUND]
[POINTS GENERATED: 3,200]
---
That night, Arjun stood on the roof again, Meera beside him.
Two months until he reached Energy Adept. Two years until Rohan arrived.
Adept vs Master. The gap is enormous.
But Arjun had something Rohan didn't: a system, a strategist's mind, and the willingness to do whatever it took.
"Master." Meera's voice was quiet. "There's something I've been meaning to ask."
"Go ahead."
"You summoned me randomly. Tier 3 draw. But I'm exactly what you needed—combat specialist, tactical analyst, loyal. Was that luck?"
Arjun smiled.
"There's no such thing as luck, Meera. Only preparation meeting opportunity."
She nodded slowly. "And Rohan Desai? He has protagonist luck. Fortune itself bends to help him."
"Then I'll bend fortune to my will."
Meera looked at him—really looked. "You're not like other villains I've read about, Master."
"No?"
"You don't wait. You don't posture. You don't underestimate the hero." A pause. "You might actually win."
Arjun turned to her.
"I'm not going to win, Meera."
She blinked. "Master?"
"I'm going to destroy him so completely that the concept of 'winning' becomes irrelevant." His voice was calm, cold, certain. "When I'm done, Rohan Desai won't just be dead. He'll be forgotten. His name erased. His story unwritten. The protagonist who never was."
Meera stared at him.
[EMOTION DETECTED: AWE]
[SOURCE: MEERA KRISHNAMURTHY]
[INTENSITY: EXTREME]
[POINTS GENERATED: 2,800]
[EMOTION DETECTED: FEAR]
[SOURCE: MEERA KRISHNAMURTHY]
[INTENSITY: MODERATE]
[POINTS GENERATED: 1,200]
Fear and awe. From my own summon. Interesting.
Arjun smiled.
"Let's go inside. Tomorrow, we have work to do."
As they descended, Arjun's phone buzzed. An encrypted message.
He read it.
His smile widened.
"Rohan Desai has left Azure Peak Sect. Destination unknown. Estimated cultivation: Energy Adept (Peak). He's coming early."
Two years became eighteen months.
Perfect.
[CHAPTER 1 END]
---