Alex and Darex had already taken their seats inside the classroom.
A few seconds later, Iris looked toward Alex.
Her expression was calm but serious.
"Alex… after school today, when classes are over, I want to tell you something."
Alex smiled slightly.
"Alright."
"I also have something to tell you."
Iris nodded.
"Good. Then we'll both talk this evening."
Around the classroom, several boys were whispering among themselves while staring at Alex.
One of them said with obvious jealousy,
"Seriously… how did someone like Alex end up with a girl like Iris?"
"That's completely unfair."
Another boy nearby replied calmly.
"Alex has something you don't."
"What?"
"Brains."
The jealous boy frowned.
"Besides that, what does he have?"
The other boy continued counting on his fingers.
"He has a better body."
"You have body fat."
The class burst into quiet laughter.
"Fine," the boy grumbled. "What else does he have?"
"He has Darex."
"A friend who's basically like his brother."
The jealous student crossed his arms.
"Still not enough."
The boy continued.
"His sister works for the government."
The jealous boy slammed his pen on the desk.
"Okay! And what else does he have?!"
The other boy shrugged.
"How much more do you want?"
"You have none of that."
"Why would Iris ever fall for you?"
The angry boy threw his pen at him.
"Are you my friend or Alex's friend?!"
The other boy laughed.
"I'm in the boys group, obviously."
He suddenly shouted,
"Boys Group Zindabad!"
Immediately, several boys across the classroom joined in.
"BOYS GROUP ZINDABAD!"
The girls instantly became annoyed.
"Why are you shouting in the classroom?!"
"We're not shouting," one boy replied proudly.
"We're just declaring that the boys group will always stay on top."
At that moment—
The classroom door opened.
The teacher walked inside.
Everyone instantly became silent.
"Sit down."
All students quickly settled in their seats.
The teacher looked at them and said gently,
"Hello, students."
"Today is your last day of school."
"So why don't you all enjoy it properly?"
"But try not to cause too much trouble."
Something felt different.
Usually the teacher was strict and easily irritated.
But today…
He wasn't angry.
He looked sad.
Darex noticed it immediately.
"Sir… what happened?"
"Nothing, children."
Darex raised his hand again.
"Sir, today we were late."
"Technically you should be angry at us… but you're not."
The teacher forced a faint smile.
"It's your last day here."
"What's the point of getting angry now?"
At that moment, a genius-looking student with glasses stood up.
"Sir, I have a question."
The teacher nodded.
"Go ahead."
"Sir… if someone wants to leave this city… what kind of job should they choose?"
The teacher looked slightly surprised.
"Why do you want to leave the city?"
The student answered excitedly,
"Because I heard there's a huge world outside."
"And that world is divided into different cities and zones."
"And each zone is controlled by a bigger city."
The teacher sighed softly.
"Alright."
"I'll answer your question."
He activated a holographic display.
A large projection appeared in the classroom.
"This city where we live… Horizon Zone 01… is not just a city."
"It's a small part of an entire nation."
The students leaned forward with curiosity.
"What nation, sir?"
"The Sun Rising Empire."
He continued explaining.
"Long ago, countries had different names."
"India… China… Russia… and many others."
"But now those names are no longer used."
"Countries are now identified based on geographical structures."
"Our nation is one of those divisions."
He zoomed the hologram out.
"Cities are divided into Horizon Zones."
"Horizon Zone 01… Horizon Zone 02… Horizon Zone 03… and so on."
"These zones were created because there were too many city names before."
"So now they are simply numbered."
A student raised his hand.
"Sir… is Horizon some kind of monument or landmark?"
The teacher paused.
"Yes… it is."
"But you are not ready to know about that monument yet."
The classroom became silent.
"You are all… normal people."
"And normal people cannot understand the deepest secrets of this world."
As he said that—
Tears suddenly appeared in the teacher's eyes.
The class was shocked.
Darex immediately stood up.
"Sir… why are you crying?"
"Nothing, children."
Darex walked closer.
"Sir, you know we're the top students in your class."
"And we've probably spent the most time in your office during punishments."
"Tell us the truth."
Alex also stood up.
"Sir… if there's a problem, please tell us."
"We can understand."
The teacher looked at them both for a long moment.
Then he sighed.
"Alright."
"Anyway… the time has come for you to know."
He looked at the entire class.
"What do you think the hierarchy of this world is?"
A student quickly stood up.
"Sir, I know!"
"Go ahead."
"The hierarchy is simple."
"Poor people."
"Middle class."
"Upper class."
"Rich people."
"Then ultra-rich nobles."
"And finally the government."
"And to protect everyone… there's the army."
The teacher nodded.
"Yes."
"That's the answer everyone believes."
"So you all think that if you become great scientists, doctors, engineers… or develop advanced AI and robotics…"
"You will become famous."
The class replied together,
"Yes, sir!"
"If we become great professionals, everyone will respect us."
"Common people might even see you as heroes."
The teacher slowly repeated the words.
"Common people…"
Most students didn't notice anything strange about that phrase.
But Iris did.
Her expression suddenly changed.
She looked serious.
"Sir."
"Yes, Iris?"
"You keep using the word common."
"Shouldn't you explain what that word actually means?"
The teacher looked directly at her.
"I knew you were different from the others."
"Iris… you're not interested in the answer."
"You're interested in the hidden word."
Another student stood up.
"Sir, why are you saying 'common people'?"
"Aren't we all humans?"
The teacher nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"We are all humans."
"But the hierarchy of this world is not what you think."
The classroom became completely silent.
"So what is the real hierarchy, sir?"
The teacher spoke slowly.
"The real hierarchy of this world is simple."
"First… poor people."
"Then middle class."
"Then rich."
"Then upper class."
"Then government."
"Then the army."
He paused.
And said the final word.
"And above all of them…"
"Warriors."
The entire classroom froze.