Nurdaulet looked at Aibar for a moment, then a small smile appeared on his face.
He approached Aibar, took the microphone back, and, in a cheerful tone, looked at the teachers and students.
"This idiot has never followed my plans. At the very least, you could've done whatever you wanted after I finished handing things over to you... Ugh..."
The hall was quiet, but there was a pleasant atmosphere, as if everyone was enjoying themselves.
Nurdaulet approached Maria and offered her the star badge, smiling slightly.
"Maria, looks like my idiot assistant has found himself a new person to keep an eye on him."
A mocking smile appeared on Nurdaulet's face as he looked at Aibar.
Aibar seemed a little annoyed. Maria and the others were barely holding back their laughter.
Nurdaulet looked at Aibar and joked,
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not afraid of you. You're probably like a little brother to me, so don't get all worked up."
Aibar glanced around the hall with his glowing crimson eyes, and everyone fell silent.
Aibar took the microphone back from Nurdaulet.
"That concludes the assembly."
Everyone began to disperse.
Maria approached Aibar.
"He was just trying to joke around. Don't be upset with him."
Nurdaulet put on a regretful expression, though he didn't look particularly sincere.
"Please... sowwy..."
Aibar calmly replied,
"If you don't stop now, I'll slap you."
Nurdaulet let out a sigh.
"Ugh... You're such a meanie..."
Aibar stepped down from the stage and began walking toward his classroom.
Nurdaulet looked at Maria with a slight smile.
"Don't worry. He's forgiven me. After all, he's become like a little brother to me. That's why I can sometimes understand him without him even saying a word."
It was break time.
Aibar was sitting at his desk when Lucas came over to him.
"Guardian of Order. Congratulations on getting your old position back."
Aibar turned his head toward him and looked at Lucas calmly.
"Lucas. Do you even train?"
Lucas immediately looked away.
"Um... I'm strong even without training..."
Lucas began to feel a little uncomfortable.
Maria entered the classroom and settled into her seat beside Aibar.
Lucas immediately shifted his attention to Maria, putting on a cheerful expression.
"Ooh... Maria, congratulations. You're the school president now."
Maria smiled slightly.
"Thank you."
Aibar looked at Maria.
"Maria. Your badge suits you."
So Hyun was also happy.
"Maria..."
She came up behind Maria and hugged her.
Maria smiled a little.
So Hyun said,
"Maria is the school president now. My bestie is amazing."
Lucas said proudly,
"Of course she's strong. But none of you can beat me..."
So Hyun cut him off.
"Here we go again. Maria, don't pay attention to him."
Lucas protested.
"Hey... I'm seriously the strongest hero at the moment."
So Hyun teased him.
"Yeah, yeah..."
So Hyun gave him a mischievous smile.
"But I think Aibar is stronger than you right now... Or maybe you're equal."
Lucas stared at Aibar with a somewhat emotionless expression.
Meanwhile, Aibar was lost in his own thoughts, paying no attention to anyone.
So Hyun called out,
"Lucas???"
Lucas snapped back to reality.
"Yeah... I'm listening."
So Hyun asked,
"What, are you upset?"
Lucas smiled slightly.
"No, no... Everything's fine."
Symbat and Aibar glanced at him from the corners of their eyes, noticing that Lucas was wearing a fake smile.
Aibar (internally): "I don't need personal problems."
Symbat (internally): "Lucas... You may be strong. I respect you a little. But know your place. I remember you begging that psycho opponent of yours. Yes, you're a hero. But you're not on Aibar's level."
The school day came to an end, and Aibar was at home.
In the training room, Aibar was training nonstop.
Azamat said,
"My lord... You don't really need such intense training."
Ignoring him, Aibar pulled a metal cable attached to five-ton weights, then released it, continuing his training while switching arms every five minutes.
Azamat said,
"My lord. You're so far beyond what could even be called a superhuman. Even without super modes, you're already incredibly strong. You've truly been gifted with unbelievable strength. It's hard to believe, my lord. Especially considering how weak you were when you were little."
Aibar released the cable.
Sweating heavily, he took off his soaked clothes, leaving himself only in his underwear, and moved on to the next exercise.
He began doing push-ups, quickly finished them, then moved on to sit-ups, squats, and the rest, completing 5,000 repetitions of each.
He did it at an extremely fast pace, finishing everything within an hour.
Azamat sat on a bench in the training room, crossing his legs and leaning one arm against his side, looking bored.
This time, Aibar entered a large room and closed the massive metal door behind him.
Inside the freezing cold room, he sat motionless in a meditative state.
An hour and a half later, he came out again.
Aibar walked up the stairs, left the training room, and entered the bathroom.
Azamat tidied up the training room, then left as well and sat on the sofa in the central room.
At that moment, Aibar came out of the bathroom, naked except for a towel wrapped around his waist.
Azamat looked at him and said,
"My Lord. You train a lot. That might be why you're adapting to the modes so quickly. That's amazing."
Aibar replied calmly,
"Master. Do you remember that I promised to protect the people precious to me? Well, that's what all of this is for."
Azamat said,
"My Lord..."
He fell into thought.
Aibar said,
"Yes? I'm listening."
Azamat came back to his senses.
"Ah... yes, My Lord."
Aibar asked,
"What were you going to say?"
Azamat replied,
"Nothing. Just... don't mind it..."
Azamat continued,
"Would you like something to eat?"
He stood up to prepare a meal and headed toward the kitchen.
Aibar said,
"I don't mind."
Azamat began preparing the meal.
The next day, after returning to his usual position, Aibar resumed his duties as Guardian of Order, just as he had before.
He kept an eye on everything, almost like a living surveillance camera.
Announcements were made by the government of Kazakhstan, stating that from now on, all information about events taking place in the country would be published in newspapers and magazines.
One of those newspapers arrived at Aibar's house, landing in Azamat's hands.
The newspaper listed:
A+ Rank — Aibar Rasululy
A+ Rank — Lucas Karl Schmidt
A Rank — Kim So Hyun
And Aibar had also been given the title of "The First Superhero."
Seeing this, Azamat's face lit up with a joyful smile.
The third bell rang, signaling the long break.
So Hyun was bored. She opened her phone and noticed a notification on social media.
She came across a news announcement stating that an official government program for heroes had been established in Kazakhstan.
So Hyun lifted her head from her desk, her eyes widening. Then a smile appeared on her face.
She thought back and remembered that a few days earlier, reporters had come to the school and interviewed Lucas, Symbat, and Maria.
Aibar had refused to participate, while So Hyun herself hadn't been in the mood.
So Hyun clenched her fist, briefly feeling frustrated with herself, but soon came back to her senses and smiled again.
She continued reading.
Lucas, Maria, and Symbat had revealed almost everything about the events.
So Hyun realized that this was why the government had assigned ranks to the opponents they had encountered so far and to the three heroes.
As she read, her eyes caught sight of the rankings.
So Hyun scrolled down the screen.
The title of the next section immediately caught her eye.
Confirmed Deceased — Rebel Side
Asanali Saparuly — 22 years old (Rank: B)
Arsen Kairatuly — 23 years old (Rank: B+)
Nurman Kanatuly — 25 years old (Rank: B)
Meyrambek Bakytuly — 20 years old (Rank: S+)
So Hyun stared silently at the list for several seconds.
"..."
She scrolled down again.
The title of the next section appeared.
Heroes
Aibar Rasululy — 15 years old (Rank: A+)
Lucas Karl Schmidt — 16 years old (Rank: A+)
Kim So-Hyeon — 14 years old (Rank: A)
So Hyun furrowed her brows slightly.
"Yeah..."
She muttered, her eyes still fixed on the screen.
"So... they still ranked me below the two of them."
She sat in silence for a few seconds.
Then a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"It's fine."
As she closed her phone, she simply shrugged.
"Rank A... isn't bad, after all."
So Hyun glanced at Aibar, who was sitting quietly, lost in thought.
At that moment, Symbat suddenly sprang to her feet, overcome with excitement. She had seen the news too.
Everyone fell silent, and all eyes turned toward Symbat. Even Aibar slowly turned his head to look at her.
Symbat came to her senses.
"Don't mind me..."
She sat back down.
So Hyun stood up, walked over to Aibar, and said,
"So... Mr. Rank A+."
Aibar turned his head to look at her.
So Hyun smiled slightly.
"Yes, I'm talking to you. It seems the Kazakhstani government has assigned ranks to heroes. You, Lucas, and I have all been given ranks."
Everyone turned their attention to them.
Symbat stood up again.
"That's exactly what I wanted to say!"
Aibar looked forward again, his expression calm.
"Just what I needed. I'm not interested in ranking systems at all."
So Hyun stared at him with an annoyed expression before adding,
"Sometimes, that habit of yours really gets on my nerves."
A smile returned to So Hyun's face.
"Isn't this amazing, Aibar? Just think about it. The government has officially recognized you."
Aibar replied,
"This means comparing Lucas and me again. I don't want that. It could lead to conflict. It's even possible that you might start holding a grudge against me, too."
So Hyun's expression softened, and she smiled slightly.
"Don't worry, Aibar. No matter how strong you become, you'll still be my annoying friend whom I can't bring myself to hate."
Everyone in the classroom looked pleased.
Symbat glanced at So Hyun, a smile appearing on her face as she thought to herself.
You're amazing, So Hyun. I respect you more than Lucas and Maria.
Aibar replied,
"Thank you, So Hyun. But I hope you won't change your mind about that later."
So Hyun put on a scolding expression.
"You're too formal. You really need to learn to speak more casually, however you like."
Aibar calmly replied,
"This is how I normally speak."
So Hyun smiled.
"Maybe so. But to anyone listening, you sound like someone who memorized a speech and then went up on stage to deliver it."
At that very moment, Maria and several other students walked into the classroom.
The instant So Hyun saw her, she stood up.
"Maria!"
Maria looked at her in confusion.
"What happened?"
The next moment, So Hyun rushed over and hugged her tightly.
Maria froze for a moment, not understanding what was going on.
"So Hyun...?"
With a bright smile, So Hyun said,
"Maria..."
"Your bestie..."
"Has officially become an A-Rank Superhero!"
Maria's eyes widened slightly.
"What...?"
A few seconds later, a warm smile appeared on her face as well.
She returned the hug. Then, the two stepped back a little.
Maria asked,
"Is it true...?"
So Hyun nodded.
"Yeah."
Holding up her phone, So Hyun continued,
"The Government of Kazakhstan has officially assigned ranks to heroes."
Maria looked at the phone with curiosity.
"That's amazing!!!"
At that exact moment, the classroom door opened.
Lucas walked inside.
With a calm expression, he asked,
"Did something happen?"
Lucas smiled slightly.
"Interesting. Can I hear it too?"
So Hyun happily shared the news with him.
"Luca... Remember those people who came to interview us the other day? The government has assigned us ranks. You and Aibar are Rank A+... and I'm Rank A."
Lucas burst out laughing.
"Oh... Luca? That's an interesting nickname. I don't mind."
He thought for a moment before replying.
"That's amazing. Aibar is already on my level..."
**Lucas (thinking):** *It's just that he's even more talented than I am. He was even worthy of Rank S. But nobody saw how he fought Meirambek. I have to admit it. He was able to fight at an even higher level than me. Damn, what an unbelievable talent. A monster.*
Aibar could already sense what Lucas was thinking, but he paid no attention to it.
So Hyun called out,
"Luca!? Are you even here?"
Lucas came back to his senses and smiled slightly.
"Ah... yeah."
So Hyun said,
"You haven't been acting like yourself lately. What, are you jealous of Aibar?"
Everyone was taken aback.
Lucas smiled as if nothing had happened.
"Of course not. He's my friend. I'm actually happy for him."
His expression looked so genuine that everyone believed him.
Everyone's day continued as usual, and before long, evening arrived.
At home, Aibar lay on his bed, his expression calm.
**Aibar (thinking):** *Lucas. You're not interesting to me at all. I only need to become the strongest so I can protect the people precious to me. I'm sorry. But I'll have to be more cautious around you from now on.*
Aibar let out a soft sigh and fell asleep.