The scent of gasoline and exhaust hung in the air as Raka wandered through the maze of narrow alleys behind the Jakarta train station. His worn-out shoes slapped against the damp pavement. Every corner he turned seemed to echo the same thing—people rushing toward somewhere, toward something. But where was he going?
His stomach growled, but he ignored it. He clutched the borrowed phone tighter in his pocket. It was his only connection to the world of knowledge, and perhaps, to his future. The night before, he had stumbled upon a crypto subreddit. Most of it was over his head—terms like DeFi, staking, bull markets—but one comment stuck with him:
"If you don't have capital, bring knowledge. It's the only investment that grows on its own."
Those words echoed in his head as he arrived at the cyber café.
"Back again?" the owner raised an eyebrow. "Third time this week."
"I'll pay tomorrow," Raka mumbled.
"You always say that."
"I mean it this time."
He found a seat and opened the ancient desktop. The fan inside buzzed like an old generator, but the screen came to life. He typed: 'Crypto for beginners' into the search bar.
Two hours flew by. He scribbled notes feverishly—what is blockchain, how wallets work, why Bitcoin was limited to 21 million. The deeper he dug, the more he realized how little he knew, yet how much was out there for free. No gatekeepers. Just data, and determination.
But theory alone wouldn't make him rich.
He needed someone who knew the game.
Raka logged into a forum called BitHive, a buzzing community for crypto enthusiasts. He posted:
"Newbie here. No capital, just grit. Any tips on how to start from zero?"
Most ignored him. One user replied with a laughing emoji. But then, a DM came through.
@Wolfrik:
"Meet me. Tomorrow. 10 PM. Under the flyover near Blok M."
Raka hesitated. It could be a trap. But what did he have to lose? Pride? Already gone. Money? None. Life? It wasn't much of one yet.
The next night, Raka arrived early. A dim streetlight flickered overhead. The hum of traffic above was constant, like a distant roar. A figure leaned against a pillar, hoodie pulled over his head, eyes glowing in the dark like a wolf.
"You're the kid?" the man asked.
"Yeah. Raka."
The man sized him up. "You serious about this?"
"I need to be. I'm drowning in debt. No parents. No privilege. Just… this."
He pointed to his head.
The man chuckled. "Brains aren't enough, kid. The market doesn't care how smart you are."
"But it's all I've got."
The man nodded slowly. "Fair enough. You want to learn, I'll throw you into the pit. But don't cry if you get burned."
Raka didn't blink. "I've already been burned. I'm just trying to learn how to light my own fire."
Wolfrik tossed him a small slip of paper.
"Discord group. Real traders. Some started like you. Watch. Listen. Don't speak unless you know something."
Raka stared at it. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Wolfrik said. "This world eats the weak. If you survive, maybe I'll teach you more."
Back at the cyber café, Raka joined the Discord group. A stream of chats flooded his screen.
"ETH just broke resistance!"
"Shilling this new low-cap gem—DYOR though."
"BTC RSI's oversold on the 4H chart. Bounce incoming?"
It was like reading another language.
So Raka did what he knew best: observe and learn. He muted the chat and spent hours Googling every term he didn't understand. RSI, candles, FOMO, whale, pump-and-dump. Every piece was a puzzle, and he was determined to complete the picture.
One user, @Zerocoin, posted charts daily with clean explanations. Raka began following him, copying his annotations and replicating them on TradingView.
Weeks passed.
Raka no longer felt lost in the sea of crypto lingo. He understood chart patterns, basic TA (technical analysis), and how to identify fake news pumps. Still broke, yes—but rich in something else: vision.
Then one night, a voice pinged him on Discord.
@Zerocoin:
"I've seen you studying. You've got potential. Ever try paper trading?"
Raka replied instantly.
"No funds. Only knowledge."
@Zerocoin:
"Perfect. I'll give you a challenge. $1,000 virtual money. Simulate trades. Let's see what you'd do."
Raka felt his heart race. He opened a paper trading platform and began.
Trade 1:
BUY: BTC at $19,800
SELL: BTC at $20,200
Profit: $20
Trade 2:
BUY: SOL after FUD crash
SELL: After 8% recovery
Profit: $80
Trade 3:
LOSS: Chased a meme coin. Down 15%. Lesson learned.
Raka documented every trade with notes. What he did right. What went wrong. His notebook became thick with scribbles and diagrams.
One night, as he reviewed his trades, a single thought struck him:
"I'm no longer just watching the world move."
"I'm moving with it."