Outside the Academy — 5PM
Code walked forward with his hands in his pockets, his bag hanging on his back.
He pulled out his phone, staring at the 1,000 bronze stars glowing on the screen.
"We're still far from the goal," he muttered, his thoughts drifting back to what Juro had said.
---
Flashback — Class 1-D
The entire class was tense.
"Our aim should be toward the 10 golden stars rather than focusing on 100,000 bronze stars," Riven said firmly.
Ivy nodded. "I agree with you, Riven."
Torin stood up, his voice carrying over the silence. "So it's settled then. We aim for 10 golden stars."
"No. That's not it." Juro's voice rang out sharply.
Everyone turned, eyes narrowing on Juro as he rose from his seat. He walked forward and continued, "You say we should aim for 10 golden stars, but how are we going to get them? That's the real problem."
Caden tapped Juro on the shoulder. "From our masters' ratings, what else?"
Juro shoved Caden's hand aside like it was trash. Adjusting his glasses, he said coldly, "Think about it. Our masters are students like us, not adults. That means they can be biased. Even if we do our work properly, we can't guarantee that the ratings we receive will truly reflect how hard we worked.
Considering the academy's pyramid ranking, those at the top wouldn't want us getting ahead of them. My estimation is that they'll do everything they can to make us fail."
Ken leaned forward. "That's true… but they can't just fail us with no stars, can they?"
Lily stuttered nervously. "W-what if they do? Then we'll remain Grents forever."
"Calm down, everyone," Juro said, his tone even. "I don't think they can rate us with zero stars. It would look suspicious to ARCS. The system would pick up on what the masters are doing, and the masters themselves could even be punished. I doubt they'd risk something so reckless over something so trivial.
So, my suggestion? Bronze stars are the most reliable. The demand for gold and silver will always be high, but bronze, though a lot, is still the safest option to work with."
Riven nodded. "That's true."
Code glanced at Juro, admiration flashing across his eyes. He really is smart. But still… how did he end up becoming a Grent?
Riven raised his voice again. "We will reach the fourth floor together. We can't depend on academic ratings—they're too slow, stressful, and unpredictable. I say we focus on our job ratings and earnings instead."
"True," Juro agreed. "But consider our population. We're a total of 22 students. If we go by the exchange rate Code 12 gave us—
Bronze stars: 100,000 for the equivalent of one academic star—
Then by estimation, for all of us to reach the fourth floor together, we'll need to accumulate a total of 2,200,000 bronze stars."
The number struck them like a hammer. It was staggering.
"That's impossible!" Yua exclaimed. "Where could we ever get that many stars?"
Caden dropped back into his seat. "Impossible. I think we should just give up on reaching the fourth floor. Those digits are way too much."
The room fell into silence, every student lost in thought.
Aria folded her arms, whispering to herself. 2,200,000 stars… Since we're all aiming to ascend together, this is impossible. There's no way we can gather so many. I knew moving as one would prove difficult. So this is what Mr. 12 meant when he said friends would only be a burden.
Ivy broke the silence. "Everyone, we can't give up now. If we do, we're not even worthy of thinking about the fourth floor. We have to stick together. If we do, I'm sure we'll make it.
Riven chose to stay and work with us. If he says let's move together, then we will. I know you're all thinking it's better to move alone, gather 100,000 bronze stars, and reach the fourth floor by yourself. But think—where will you ever get that amount? You all heard Juro. Our masters want to give us bad ratings. The only way forward is to work as one. I believe if we're together, we can accomplish anything."
"Yes," Riven stepped up. "Ivy is right. If we walk together, we can do it. We just have to believe in one another."
Torin nodded. "Yeah, we can do this. I believe in Riven—and Ivy."
Caden agreed, then Ken, and soon the entire class was voicing their support—everyone except Ashir and Huegene.
Riven turned toward them. "Ashir, what do you say?"
Ashir leaned back in his chair. "No, thank you. I'll gather my stars and leave this class by myself. This teamwork facade you all cling to won't last long. I prefer to work alone."
"Fine then," Riven replied, keeping his tone even. "What about you, Huegene?"
"Rankings and ratings mean nothing to me," Huegene said flatly. "You all can go ahead." He stood up and left the room.
Juro adjusted his glasses again. "So then, based on the new numbers, we'll need to work toward 2,198,000 bronze stars."
Aria rose from her seat. "If we're really working as a team and trying to gather that amount, how do we even store it?"
"Each person saves it in their account," Riven replied.
Aria shook her head. "Don't be naive, Riven. I agree on teamwork, but you can't trust everyone to keep their own share of stars. Money is tempting—and in this academy, stars are currency. People will use them, no matter what we say. Even if we set limits, excuses will come up. 'I was rated low, that's why I have fewer stars,' and so on. This equation doesn't balance.
My suggestion? We create a general account where everyone donates their earnings. That account becomes our bank."
"That's a good idea, Aria. Thanks for sharing it with us," Riven said, then asked, "But whose account do we use?"
"Why not yours, Riven?" Caden suggested.
"Yeah, you're our leader," Torin added. Ken nodded in agreement.
"I agree," Ivy said. "Riven, use your account. I trust you the most."
"Fools," Aria muttered.
Everyone turned to her.
"Why are you trusting him so blindly?" she snapped. "Don't forget—he's on the master level. Giving him our stars is basically handing him the power to betray us and run away."
"That's rude, Aria," Ivy scolded.
"I'm just stating facts," she shot back, turning to Riven. "I don't trust you enough to keep our stars."
Riven smiled softly. "I understand. You're right—trust takes time to form. Take yours."
"So who then?" Sena asked. "Whose account do we give the stars to?"
"What about Code?" Caden suggested suddenly.
Everyone's eyes shifted toward Code.
"Why him?" Aria protested. "He doesn't even look responsible, and you want us to give him our stars?"
Code answered calmly, "Yes… listen to her. I don't think I'm capable of handling a task like that."
"Then who?" Juro asked. "Should I do it?"
"Absolutely not, four-eyes!" Meira cut in sharply. "Even you can't be trusted."
"Call me by my name!" Juro snapped.
"I have an idea," Aria said, interrupting.
Riven nodded. "Go on, Aria. Let's hear it."
"The answer is ARCS."
The entire class froze.
"ARCS?!" Juro gasped, his eyes widening.
Aria said, "Yes. The ARCS are responsible for the conversion of our job ratings to incomes, which means they were the ones who created our accounts. So, we can meet with them to create another account for us where we can save up our stars.
We will use ARCS as our bank."
Riven frowned. "But is that possible? Will they even agree to it?"
"I don't know," Aria replied calmly. "But we can ask our teacher."
"I'll ask them and get back to everyone," Ivy offered.
"Good. Then I guess we're all set, then," Riven said, and everyone responded with a united, "Yes."
Aria took her seat, and Code's voice reached her, calm and steady. "You were harsh in your words when you said I was inappropriate to keep the stars."
Aria glanced at him, unfazed. "I don't think I said anything wrong. I was just stating what I felt was right."
"Anyways… thanks," Code said suddenly.
Aria blinked, surprised. "For what?"
"For saving me. Actually, you were right. I don't think I could have been able to secure the class stars."
"You're welcome," Aria replied flatly, "but I didn't do it for you. I did it for myself. I just didn't want all my hard work to go in vain because of the carelessness of a single student."
"I see," Code said, his tone thoughtful. "Well, I didn't think you would give any ideas to the class, considering the fact that you said you wanted to work alone."
"Riven is the leader, so I had to help him out," Aria said firmly. "Our hope lies with him, so I had no other option but to share my thoughts. But still, I don't trust him."
Code shifted his gaze to Riven. "Do you trust him?" Aria asked him.
"I can't say whether I do," Code replied, "but he looks good to me."
Aria scoffed. "You're as naive as them."
"Is that so?" Code countered calmly. "Then why did you bother asking me in the first place?"
Aria's expression tightened. "It was my mistake."
Code didn't reply. Instead, he stood up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and said, "I better head to my room and get some rest."
Aria said nothing in return. She only pulled out her book and stared at it quietly.
---
—— Presently ——
Beep! Beep!
Code pulled out his phone. A message appeared on the screen: "Meet me at the rooftop."
Sliding the phone back into his pocket, he turned and walked away. Soon, he entered the elevator and rode it up. The doors opened, revealing the rooftop. No one was there. He stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the setting sun.
Then, a voice came from behind him.
It was Code 11.
"What did you want to see me for? I saw your message," she said.
Code remained calm, not bothering to turn around. "11… it's good that you came."
"It seems you're not like your classmates who call me ma'am," she observed.
"I didn't know you liked being called ma'am," Code replied coolly. "But if I were you, I'd be careful. Your personality is spilling out of your mask."
Code 11's expression didn't change. "Is that so? Then again, I suppose you like being professional."
"I have a question for you," Code said.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What is it, Code?"
"How does one become a Primal?"
Code 11 was silent for a while before answering. "Where did that question come from?"
"I believe you're obliged to answer my questions, being the teacher you are. I suppose it's not against the rules," Code pressed.
"To become a Primal is simple," she finally said. "Either you increase your academic rating to five stars… or you challenge a Primal. Whichever one works best."
"So, you simply challenge a Primal?" Code asked. He turned his head toward her, then walked past her with a faint smirk. "Good to know."
But her voice stopped him. "Why are you interested in knowing how to become a Primal? Do you intend to betray your classmates and leave them behind?"
Code didn't turn back. He continued walking, his voice steady as ever. "Who knows?"
Code 11 stared at the sky, her tone quiet yet heavy. "It seems the Grents class will collapse sooner than I expected."