A Bigger Stake

The first few days after the Rocket Funds launch were a blur of activity behind the locked door of Daniel's room in the Wuse II bungalow. He felt less like a student waiting for university and more like a startup founder managing a chaotic but promising initial phase.

Managing the initial thirty users required significant manual effort. He patiently walked people through installing the app – explaining how to enable installations from unknown sources on Android, guiding the few iPhone users through the slightly clunky TestFlight invitation process he'd set up using MH's backend capabilities.

He kept a constant eye on the VIP Telegram channel. It was a mix of technical support and community management. Users posted screenshots of their successful logins, the N10,000 'starting capital' displayed prominently. A hesitant excitement began to bubble within the group chat.

"Okay, logged in. App looks clean sha." A user named 'StarboyFX' commented.

"So we just leave it to trade?" another asked.

"When can we withdraw?" This question popped up frequently.

Daniel was kept busy as the RF Admin, posting regular updates. Managing a startup was a bit like raising a child in the early stages. And like a child, it needed to be pacified.

And anyways he needed to manage expectations and buy time for the underlying MH algorithm to generate actual profits that could cover the small withdrawals users would inevitably make from their simulated balances.

"The Rocket Funds algorithm needs 24-48 hours to calibrate based on current market conditions after initial setup," he typed, inventing a plausible technical reason for the delay. "Monitor your balance closely; small, steady gains should start appearing soon. Withdrawal function will be enabled after your first 72 hours to ensure system stability."

The subsequent troubleshooting almost drained Daniel, but he was able to handle everything perfectly.

Meanwhile, he continued running his own trades on the core MH app. The relative ease of generating funds there was more relaxing compared to the complexity of managing RF users, even though RF had more income potential.

 A N200k trade on crypto yielded nearly N180k profit in 12 hours. A N500k Forex trade brought in over N400k overnight. The numbers climbed relentlessly. He watched in satisfaction, and a sense of accomplishment, as his MH balance pushed past N6 million, then N7 million, N8 million. The growth was almost exponential.

The N150,000 collected in RF fees sat in the dedicated bank account he'd set up using one of his nominee contacts. He decided not to touch it for now, earmarking it as operational funds for potential RF-related expenses or withdrawal buffering, keeping it separate from his rapidly growing MH wealth.

A few days into the RF operation, he noticed the early signs of it bearing fruit. His own MH trades were performing as expected, but the overall daily profit added to his main MH balance was consistently higher than usual, even if by a bit.

He cross-referenced his trade history with the projected returns. The difference wasn't huge yet, maybe an extra N20k-N30k per day, but it was there. It was the skim. The 90% cut from the trades being run using the simulated capital of his thirty RF users was being silently funneled into his administrator account. The network effect, even on this small scale, was already tangible. It was working precisely as designed.

One evening, he decided to push it. He borrowed the maximum N820,000 allowed by the current rules (Rule 2, the one he knew he could eventually modify) and added it to N1.2 million of his existing balance, initiating a N2 million, high-risk, 6-hour crypto trade.

This was the highest trade he had held to date, and he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous. High risk meant potential losses too, even with MH's accuracy.

He monitored the trade closely on his laptop. It dipped worryingly low at one point, showing a potential loss, making his chest clench. But then, mirroring a sudden market surge MH likely predicted, it shot upwards dramatically. When the 6 hours were up, the trade closed. The N820k borrowed capital was instantly marked 'PAID' in the history. He checked his main app balance.

NGN 10,045,210.35

He stared at the number on the bright screen of his iPhone 13 Pro. Ten million Naira. Available. Right now.

"Yes Go!" He did a fist pump gesture, happiness etched on his face. He had finally broken through the 10 million Naira milestone after so long.

Of course, the previous ones didn't count since they had been used almost immediately. But this was semi-permanent.

He leaned back in his chair, still smiling, and looked down at his 13 Pro with an expression of disdain.

The iPhone 13 Pro, which had felt so exhilarating just over a month ago, suddenly seemed inadequate. Not reflective of his current reality.

Definitely not because he wanted to look richer or flex or anything like that… Definitely.

But seriously though, the tech world was already buzzing about the newly released iPhone 15 Pro Max with an A17 Pro chip, titanium design, USB-C and better cameras. The best. And Daniel felt like he deserved it.

He didn't stress over the decision. It felt logical and necessary. He opened his OPay app, confirmed his balance (still holding several hundred thousand from previous withdrawals), then initiated a new MH withdrawal: N2,000,000. Within seconds, the OPay alert chimed. Balance updated. He switched to the Jumia app, searched for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Found a seller with good ratings offering the 512GB model in Natural Titanium. Price: N1,850,000. He added it to his cart, proceeded to checkout, selected OPay, authorized the payment. Done.

Delivery estimate: two business days.

Upgrading his primary device wasn't just about having the latest gadget; it felt symbolic. It was another tangible step away from his previous lifestyle, towards a newer one.