Leon finished his breakfast and was heading to drop off his tray when Noah walked in, hair still damp from his morning practice. He looked tired but energized.

  "Morning practice go well?" Leon asked.

  "Yeah. Coach is intense though." Noah grabbed a tray. "Give me ten minutes. Don't want to be late."

  Leon waited while Noah scarfed down food, then they headed back to their room to grab bags before leaving for class.

  As they walked through D region toward the academic building, Noah glanced around. "Is it just me, or does everyone seem tense today?"

  Leon had noticed it too. Students walking with their heads down, groups huddled together whispering, a general unease in the air.

  "Yeah. Something feels off."

  "Maybe it's about that tournament thing everyone keeps mentioning."

  "Maybe."

  They reached their building and headed for the second floor. But as they turned the corner toward their classroom, they both stopped.

  Three D4 students sat on the floor outside the classroom entrance. Legs folded, heads down. Their faces were covered in ink—black marker scribbled across their cheeks and foreheads. Humiliated.

  One of them was Krai.

  Leon immediately moved forward. "What happened?"

  Noah started to follow but someone grabbed his arm. A guy from his basketball club—also in their class—pulled him back.

  "Don't get involved," he said quietly. "Those three got in trouble with a D2 student. The D3s in our class punished them on his orders."

  "What kind of trouble?"

  "Does it matter? Just leave it alone. If you help them, you'll be targeted too."

  Noah looked at Leon, who was already kneeling beside Krai. Then he pulled his arm free.

  "Can't just leave them like this."

  He went to help the other two students while Leon focused on Krai.

  "Don't," Krai said, not looking up. "You'll just make things worse for yourself."

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  "What happened?" Leon asked, ignoring the warning.

  Krai was silent for a moment, then spoke quietly. "There was a mix-up in the library yesterday. A D2 student—Jason Markes—had reserved a study room. One of us accidentally used it because the reservation system didn't update properly. He came in, saw us there, got angry."

  "That's not your fault if the system didn't update."

  "Doesn't matter. He complained to some D3 students in our class. They decided we needed to be taught a lesson about 'respecting higher ranks' and checking twice before using facilities." Krai's voice was flat, resigned. "So here we are."

  Leon helped him stand. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

  Noah was doing the same with the other two. They guided all three into the classroom—it was still early, only a few students inside. Leon grabbed some tissues and water from his bag.

  Krai wiped at his face, removing most of the ink. "You shouldn't have helped. Now they'll target you too."

  "That was my choice," Leon said.

  Krai paused, looking at him properly for the first time. Something shifted in his expression—surprise, maybe respect.

  "We wouldn't be in this situation if we had a higher rank," Krai said after a moment. "D4, lowest rank in the lowest region. Anyone can target us for humiliation. D3s, D2s, doesn't matter. We're at the bottom."

  He finished cleaning his face and met Leon's eyes directly.

  "The only way to change this is to move up. Get a higher rank." Krai's tone became more serious. "There are ways to earn CPP. That's what determines your rank. If we work together, pool information, strategize, we have a better shot at climbing."

  "CPP?" Leon had heard the term in passing but didn't know the details.

  Krai looked surprised. "Cumulative Prestige Points, you’re talking like you don’t know what it is"

  "Not really."

  Noah came over.

  "Your sponsors didn't tell you?" Krai looked between them. "When you get admitted, your sponsor background determines your starting CPP based on their position and influence. That's what assigns your initial rank. After that, you can earn more CPP through various means— achievement, competitions or some other way. But the starting amount is huge. Most people's ranks are set from admission."

  "How much CPP do you need for each rank?" Leon asked.

  "100 or below gets you D4. Between 100 and 200 is D3. 200 to 300 is D2. 300 to 400 is D1." Krai paused. "Jumping from D1 to C4 requires way more—like 400 to 700. The gaps get bigger as you go up."

  Leon absorbed this. "So how do you earn more after admission?"

  "That's the problem. It's hard. Really hard. The academy doesn't make it easy to climb ranks. Most students stay where they start." Krai looked at the other two students he'd been with, who were finishing cleaning up. "But there are opportunities. Tournaments, special projects If you place well, you can earn CPP."

  "That tournament everyone's been talking about?" Noah asked.

  "Probably. The academy runs them periodically. Winners get CPP bonuses." Krai turned back to Leon. "That's why I'm saying we should work together. Better than trying to survive and climb alone."

  The classroom was filling up more now. Students taking their seats, chatting. The D3 section was starting to fill in.

  Leon looked at Krai, then at Noah. This was more complicated than he'd realized. He'd been assigned D4 without understanding why, without even knowing his sponsor or his CPP score.

  "I don't even know my CPP," Leon admitted.

  Krai stared at him. "What?"

  "My sponsor was anonymous. I never got any information about my points or how the ranking was determined."

  "That's... unusual." Krai frowned. "Everyone gets that information. You should check with the administration office. You need to know where you stand if you want to move up."

  Noah nodded. "Yeah, man. That's basic information. How have you not asked about this?"

  "I didn't know I was supposed to."

  The other two D4 students Krai had been with approached hesitantly.