Code 11's hand rose again, and the wall behind her lit up, screens shifting into a pyramid that extended further upward.
"There are five floors in this academy. Four are occupied by you—the Grents, the Servitors, the Aspirants, and the Perfects. But above them…" Her voice dropped, chilling the room. "…are the Primals."
The word itself felt heavy, as though the classroom dimmed at its mention.
"The Perfects serve the Primals. They govern all. They stand at the very top, holding the highest ratings in the academy."
Ding! Ding!
Every phone in the classroom buzzed at once. Screens lit up.
Code's gaze snapped to his phone. His profile updated… and at the bottom, glowing faintly in silver light, was the letter M.
Gasps erupted across the room. Some saw P. Others R.
Code 11 stepped to the board, she picked up a chalk . With a stroke of her finger, she wrote words on the board.
P. R. I. M. A. L. S
Primals!" the class shouted in unison.
"Yes," Code 11 replied, her tone dripping with finality. "Each of you belongs to a generation—marked by the alphabet you see. The Primals are not a rank. They are the highest students. Each represents one letter. If you see 'P' in your profile… then you belong to the P generation. And you are slaves to the Primal who embodies that letter. Think of them as…" She paused, letting the silence strangle the room. "…your godfathers."
The tension was unbearable. Even Ivy, always cheerful, had lost her smile. Her voice trembled. "So… we're all slaves to the Primals."
The room began to collapse into chaos until one boy stood up, his expression was calm . "Everyone calm down!" he shouted. "We can endure this as a team! Even if we aren't in the same generation, we share the same pain. Only we understand each other's chains—so let's support one another!"
Torin blinked. "Riven… you…"
Riven turned, offering a faint smile.
But Code 11's cold voice shattered it instantly. "Support each other? Understand each other? Do not delude yourselves." She raised her hand, and the air turned heavy again. "You are enemies. You belong to different Primals. You will never be allies."
Everyone froze. The words were like poison.
Lily's face went pale. Juro's fists trembled. Ivy, panic written across her face, turned to Riven. "W-What does she mean, Riven…? You're our enemy?"
All eyes turned to him.
But Riven didn't answer. He only lowered his head, shadows covering his expression.
Code 11's voice cut in once more. "Don't bother questioning him. I will tell you."
The silence was deafening.
"You are slaves… even in your own class. Which means, naturally… one among you is the master."
A shockwave ran through the room.
Juro staggered. "T-Then… one of us… is really a master?"
The room fell silent. Everyone looked around suspiciously.
Code's eyes fell on Riven.
Then Ivy spoke softly, her voice trembling. "…Riven. You're the master… aren't you?"
The room turned cold.
Riven raised his head slowly, his voice barely above a whisper. "…Yes. I am."
Everyone was shocked.
Juro shot up, slamming the desk. "You dare talk to us about unity when we're your slaves?! How dare you, Riven!"
Riven said nothing. He stood still, unable to meet their eyes.
Code 11's mask tilted toward him. "He was appointed master because he scored the highest in your class during the entrance exam. That is why he was chosen. That is why he owns you."
Meira raises her hand. "Code 11."
Ivy turns toward her. "Meira, that's rude."
Meira shrugs. "She told us to call her that, so I don't see the big deal."
Code 11 replies calmly, "It's fine. I don't care what you call me. So, what is it?"
Meira asks, "Is there a way for us to leave the Grent class? I mean, can we be promoted into a Servitor?"
"Of course," Code 11 answers. "Through your rating. Like I said before, you're all one-star students. To become Servitors, you must reach two stars. That can be done through academic performance and sports."
Torin leans forward. "What about our part-time jobs? Won't that also increase our rating?"
"That may count, but very little," Code 11 replies. "The part-time job is mainly a way for you to earn money in the academy. The ratings you get from that are essentially currencies for working, though they do hold some significance in increasing your student rating."
She adjusts her mask, then adds, "This is your first day at the academy, so I'll leave you all to prepare yourselves. You'll soon get a message with your academic schedule, along with the time for your part-time job."
Her eyes sweep across the room. "Good luck, Grents."
With that, she walks out and closes the door behind her.
The room falls into silence until Riven speaks slowly. "S-sorry I didn't tell you all sooner. I was going to, but I… I wanted us to get along and support each other as we worked toward rising to another rank and increasing our rating. Everyone… I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I truly am." He bows his head deeply.
No one says a word. Riven freezes in place, still bowing.
Code watches him, then glances at the others. Of course they're silent. He's their master, and they're his slaves. Trust isn't something that comes easily. Still… he's trying so hard to win them over. He has the qualities of a leader.
Ivy suddenly walks up to Riven. "You don't have to apologize. It wasn't your fault you were chosen as master. You earned that position because of your grades and performance during the entrance exam. If anything, we should be the ones apologizing. If we wanted the role, we should have scored higher."
Riven lifts his head, surprised. "Thanks, Ivy."
She smiles softly. "It's fine."
Turning to the rest of the class, Ivy says, "Everyone, let's give Riven a chance. He's seriously thinking about our benefit, and I stand by his idea of us working together and understanding each other."
Torin stands, folding his arms. "Well, Ivy, if you believe him, then I'll believe him too. Besides, we shouldn't take the word of a woman in a mask seriously. You all saw what she did to Ben, right? We shouldn't trust anything she says."
Caden nods. "I guess you're right."
Juro adjusts his glasses. "That's true. We can't believe everything that mysterious teacher says."
Riven's lips curve into a smile. "Thank you, everyone. Thank you for trusting me. I promise I'll lead this class to the top of the pyramid ranking."
He pauses, then adds, "Oh, right—we have two new students who joined us today. Let's all introduce ourselves for their sake."
Everyone turns toward Code and the girl sitting beside him.
"I'll start first." Riven steps forward. "I'm Riven Halden. I look forward to working with you all."
A polite round of applause follows.
The girl beside Code stares at Riven and thinks to herself, It seems the whole class trusts him now. But I don't. If I want to leave the fifth floor, I can only rely on myself.
Riven gestures toward the first row. "Let's begin there."
A composed girl with jet-black hair stands first. "Good day. I'm Neela Vire. I look forward to working with you all."
Juro follows. "I'm Juro Kessai. Nice to meet you."
Then a soft-spoken girl rises. "Sena Valtier. A pleasure."
A short reply comes next. "Rika Tenebrism."
Torin stands proudly. "The name's Torin Graves."
Riven points to the next row.
Caden smirks. "Caden Myles!"
Then, a blond boy leans back in his chair, arms crossed. "What's the point of this? I may not trust the masked teacher, but there's no way I'm trusting any of you."
Caden chuckles. "Don't mind him, newbies. His name's Ashir—Ashir Vance."
Ashir shoots him a glare. "Mind your business, Caden."
"Let it go, Ashir. Your turn's passed," Caden says casually.
Another boy with sleek hair throws his legs onto the table, sighing in relief. "Finally, I can relax. My legs were already getting stiff under the desk."
Riven clears his throat. "Uh… Huegene, it's your turn."
"The name's Huegene. Nice to meet you," he says lazily.
A cheerful girl beams next. "Yua Morin. It's a pleasure!"
Then comes a cocky grin from another boy. He stands, pointing at himself. "Kei Strathmore. Let's ascend to the fourth floor together."
Riven chuckles. "Yes, we will."
The next row begins.
Lily stutters. L-Lilly Brooklyn
Meira, still busy on her phone, says casually, "Meira Solace."
Ivy smiles warmly. "I'm Ivy Draelin."
Code's eyes shift to the side—and meet the cold, sharp gaze of the black-haired girl sitting beside him.
"What are you staring at?" she snaps.
"Nothing," Code replies flatly, unflinching.
She frowns. What's with him?
Then she stands. "I'm Aria Nyre. I don't care about teamwork or understanding each other. I don't trust Riven."
Whispers spread through the room.
Riven claps his hands once, silencing them. "It's fine, Aria. I understand why you don't trust me. But since we're classmates, we'll eventually get to know each other."
Aria sits back down, muttering to herself, I don't think so.
Code glances at her. She really doesn't know how to hold back her words.
"And now, the last one," Riven says.
Code rises stiffly. "I'm Code…" He stops, thinking. What else should I say? After a pause, he blurts, "N-nice to meet you all."
The class goes silent.
"Code?" Riven asks carefully. "Is that really your name? Just Code?"
"Yes," Code answers.
Caden bursts into laughter. "What kind of name is that?"
"That's rude, Caden," Riven scolds.
Caden quiets down.
Code sits back down, turning his gaze to the window. Aria sneaks another glance at him. He lacks social skills… and even his name is strange. I doubt he's that smart.
Riven claps his hands once more. "Now that we all know each other, let's work hard to reach the fourth floor together!"
The class cheers—except for Code and Aria, who sit motionless, as if nothing in the world mattered.
Huegene isn't even paying attention, and Ashir walks out of the classroom without a word.
Code stares at the sun through the window. So many students… with so many different personalities.
He exhales. "I guess it's time. Our part-time job will start soon."