Chapter 4: The First Day of School

The sun was beginning to rise over the small village of Chamba, casting a warm, golden light over the landscape. It was the 4th of April, 2005, and the first day of the new school year. I, Aman Sharma, was about to start 9th grade at the local government school.

The past month had been a whirlwind of studying, taking tests, and trying to understand the EduMaster 1.0 system. Every day, the system would assign me two subjects to study for two hours each. After each session, it would give me a test of 30 marks on the chapter I had just read. Every week, there would be a comprehensive test covering all the subjects I had studied that week. And at the end of the month, a massive test covered everything I had learned.

I covered the Number System, Polynomials, Coordinate Geometry, and Linear Equations in Two Variables in Math. In Science, I studied Matter in Our Surroundings, Is Matter Around Us Pure, Atoms and Molecules, and the Structure of the Atom.

I worked on Reading Comprehension, Writing Skills, Grammar, and Literature in English. The same was true for Hindi, except the Grammar and Literature sections were in Hindi. In Social Science, I covered India and the Contemporary World, Contemporary India, Democratic Politics, and Economics. And in Sanskrit, I studied Reading Comprehension, Writing Skills, Grammar, and Literature.

Each subject had accumulated 100 XP, except for Information Technology, which was at 10 XP. I pondered this as I walked to school with my younger siblings, Ravi and Meena.

'Why is my XP in Information Technology so low?' I thought to myself. 'It must be because the school curriculum doesn't cover much in that subject. But I'll figure it out.'

As we walked, Meena chatted about her friends and the new dress she would wear to school. Ravi, on the other hand, was quiet, lost in his world.

"Bhaiya, you've been studying a lot lately," Meena suddenly said, looking at me with her big, curious eyes. "Even when school was not open."

I smiled at her, ruffling her hair. "Well, next year, we have the 10th board exams, right? It's a big deal. It's not just our school but all the schools under HPBOSE. I want to do well."

I looked at the small, two-story building as we reached the school. It was a simple structure, painted a faded blue, with a small playground in the front. The classrooms were small, with wooden benches and blackboards. It wasn't much, but it was where my journey had begun.

I walked into my classroom, greeted by the familiar smell of chalk and old books. My classmates were already there, chattering excitedly about their vacations and the new school year. I spotted my best friend, Rajat, sitting at our usual spot.

"Aman, where have you been?" Rajat asked, his brows furrowed in confusion. "You didn't come to play cricket for the whole month."

I shrugged, trying to deflect his question. "I was just busy with some stuff," I said, not wanting to reveal the existence of the EduMaster 1.0 system.