What is the difference between a utopia and a dystopia? Was it the opinion of the masses, the virtue of the system, the sacrifices, or the limitations placed on the people? What made Gaia 'perfect'?

Or to be exact: Why did they consider it perfect?

The answer was simple: Gaia Humans had freedom of choice, but they had to be responsible for how their actions would be perceived by others. No one on Gaia was given the right to ignore 'community'.

It was similar to a commune of sorts.

People needed each other. Therefore, everyone had a place in society. They had a purpose given to them from birth, and so... They become satisfied with their current lives and lived everyday to the fullest!

Not because they were given a task…

…but out of a sense of clear responsibility.

They felt they were special.

Actually needed by the world.

That each cog in the system was irreplaceable.

Some might ask what about a person's interests and hobbies? However, there no concept of any of that on Gaia. There wasn’t a reason for them to seek out their talents when it is listed down from birth. 

Success was a paved road with no detours.

These were the 'good people' in the eyes of the Luminous Church. They applaud those who fulfil their role. They also gave these ‘cogs’ the personal acknowledgment every person needs in their lives. 

Priests told the people about how important they were, and how they should be thankful for the gifts they are given by the Will of Gaia. This was since all are born equal in Gaia, with only 'Roles' differing.

The ‘Luminous Religion’ believed a pure heart could help perfect this society. So long as one was pure and sincere, the Holy God will bless them. Gaia will send down a person to help them. That was all that's left.

At least, that's what is written on paper...

A hero wasn’t inherently better than a ‘Farmer’ or ‘Sword Warrior’. The only difference between them was what role they had in society. No one other than the ‘Imperials’ were put on a pedestal. Even noble rankers and commoners were on the same level.

The church didn't just teach religion, but also how to live one's life in this systematic world. They had their hands stretched into all aspects of life. Their clear presence unable to be destroyed without extremes.

That's how they gained universal influence...

Of course, no matter how much the world itself tried to grow 'good apples' in a greenhouse, there would always be bad and rotten apples. Those which were considered people who reject their inherent 'role'.

These were those who abandoned their 'humanity'.

They had become traitors of the Human Empire.

Also known as 'Classless Beasts'...

These were the people who have rejected the role their most loving ‘Mother Nature’ has lovingly given them. These people who thought they could still live after defying Gaia. Becoming nothing but animals.

At least, that's how the luminous church saw it. A lecture was given to Alex, Arthur, and a few others after they came to be informed of their new responsibilities as squires recruited by the hero.

And those listening to the lecture agreed:

"That makes perfect sense!"

"What idiots..."

"Who here is crazy enough to reject Gaia?"

"Well, I know I'm not."

The young squires took in this information and quickly came to accept these new 'Beasts' as enemies. They could not fathom why someone would reject the hero’s grace. The opportunity to serve.

Only Alex was frowning...

After the lesson was over, Arthur followed his scholarly friend. Mostly since halfway through the explanation, it seemed as if Alex wasn't able to accept facts, almost as if he was unconsciously rejecting the moral values of Gaia's society.

This made him feel alienation from others.

"I know what your here for." Brandon smiled as if he was welcoming the inquiries of all his student. The duo had always been oddballs in society, but he was always certain they had good hearts nevertheless.

"You've always been quick to catch on. You are probably wondering how to identify ‘Classless Beasts’ and the best way to kill them, right?" Their mentor continued without seeing his hypocrisy.

Alex's shoulders jerked. 

He quickly shook his head. 

Unable to accept these injustices.

He found it hard to look up at his mentor kindly...

"Classless Beasts… are essentially ‘people’." Alex spoke taboo words. This was the young man's assertion on the matter. He couldn’t help seeing this as discrimination. Devaluing the weight of freedom.

"Ah, I get it now! You're misunderstanding them as pitiful creatures, aren’t you?" His mentor seemed enlightened. He could forgive these transgressions because he knew this young man was sentimental.

Even in places he shouldn’t.

"Don't worry. They are classified as ‘Beasts’ in the end." Brandon spoke as if Alex didn’t know. He didn’t seem to be empathetic enough to understand exactly why his disciple was rebelling against him.

"...Why?" Alex wanted to ask how they could possibly do this. Why they classified humans as beasts… It didn’t make much sense for someone like his mentor, a guy with empathy, to be so apathetic.

He wanted to know more about these ‘Beasts’...

The man started yapping:

"Those who go against the laws of nature, of the World of Gaia, are called 'Defiers', or in broader terms: 'Classless Beasts'. They threaten the very balance of this world by rejecting what is considered natural laws like death and their own destiny. The very least we can do is banish them from the Human Empire." Brandon patted his chest in conviction. 

He didn't have a single doubt in his mind, which was the scariest thing to his student. There was no way Alex could convince someone who simply had been born into this culture. One that despised the loners.

How could a 'Holy' religion lack in so much heart?

Where was their heart?!

The resoluteness in Brandon's eyes made Alex's face even darker. He was hoping for his mentor to understand how he couldn't accept this. What they were doing is wrong! How can they judge a person just because they weren't following their 'role'?

"Aren't these people just trying to be free?"

"I'm not sure what you mean. We are all already 'free'." Brandon titled his head, not understanding what this had to do with their ‘sin’. It wasn't like the World of Gaia was forcing people to live by their inborn ‘Class’. The people of this world just didn't know any other way to live. Farmers will always be farmers and heroes were always heroes. That was how they stayed content with their roles in society.

It was simple ignorance…

"Hasn't anyone ever considered that Gaia might not give us the inborn class we want?" Alex tried to persuade his mentor, who was gradually talking more and more alien to him. It made no sense.

He was unable to understand how his kind teacher was okay with this. How Brandon ignored such thoughts. No, how was it that his mentor had been able to do the job of kicking people out so easily?

"You don't understand then." Brandon put a front.

"Then explain it to me." Alex was willing to compromise if there was at least one merit in this act. Arthur watched the two talking from the side while making a confused expression at his friend. 

The beefy guy was unable to understand why Alex was so against hunting down enemies of humanity fast, but since his bro was against it, he believed the same. After all, they were both in this together! 

Arthur knew Alex was smarter than him and accepted his perspective. That was just how the young Sword Warrior worked. That damn meat-headed idiot... was pretty reliable in this aspect.

"Classless Beasts... These guys… Do you know why they are called as such?" Brandon attempted to persuade him. He was experienced in the world enough to know exactly what he was thinking about.

"You've already explained it." Alex shook his head.

"Yes, but you seem too hung up on the 'Classless' part than the 'Beast' part. We don't call them beasts as an insult. There's much more to losing one's class than losing innate drive as a human. After rejecting their class given to them by Gaia… they stop being human. By this, I mean their ‘Spirit Essence’ breaks down and turns into a 'Body Enhancement', which as you already know, is the signature of a Beast." 

These words made Alex pause.

It hadn’t been that long ago since Alex Stuman had rationally argued that beasts and humans couldn't coexist. Still, the boy pushed back this rational opinion. There wasn't only one kind of 'rationality'.

"Can't they be seen as humans possessing ‘Body Enhancements’? Are humans not allowed to possess them?" Alex put forth his inquiry with fear. Brandon frowned and found this inquiry's correct answer to be obvious, but he still answered his good student. 

A teacher should patiently explain such matters...

"The ‘Body Enhancement’ alone isn't the problem."

"Then what?" Alex raised his head to tiredly.

"Beasts are inherently disruptive to society. They had no place among 'Classed' individuals. Against those who are working to better the world.  If the church was to accept all of them, then that would be equivalent to rejecting all that we stood for. We can't have people thinking they can irresponsibly choose to become classless outcasts." Brandon's last word hit his conscience. He felt his secrets exposed.

Alex remembered how he was also an 'outcast' in his past life. Someone with no purpose in life either... It wasn't as if he hadn't given up before. The boy knew the feeling of giving up on one's goal really well.

Especially when reaching it was too hard...

On top of that, sometimes it wasn't just a goal. 

Any society rejected those they deemed 'foreign'...

It was just the way life worked...

In school, no one accepted him because he didn't fit into their established stereotypes. Although this memory was different from 'Classless', who voluntarily chose to give up their place in society, he still couldn't bring himself to nod his head.

Brandon's words rubbed him the wrong way. 

It was too easy to brand and label other people.

To assume their worst.

Especially when you knew nothing about them.

This belief caused sparks between the teacher and student. They wouldn't back down whatsoever. It was a clash between otherworldly ideals that had been grown for a decade, and a random opinion.

Alex was an inflexible person. If he believed something was wrong, then it was wrong. No force in the world could change his mind. And since he believed his mentor's opinion to be incorrect, he wasn't going to stop until the man was persuaded.

“This just makes a mockery of one's free will and choice... They make it sound like the past is SUPPOSED to determine the future. As if humanity should be defined this way...!” Alex was reluctant to acknowledge this kind of backward mindset.

It was too foreign, and sounded so restrictive...

He saw it as wrong! Gaia Humans should be given the freedom to choose their future. They shouldn't be judged if they hadn’t committed a ‘real’ sin, and being different from everyone else was NOT a sin!

Psh, he's such a damn idiot~! Was he trying to make me, the narrator, who essentially controlled a large part of his 'free will', laugh myself to death? Wasn’t being a character in a story having no 'free will'~?

Hehe, hahahaha~ This was such a riot~! Alex had yet to understand this fantasy world. It was always designed to reject his foreign perspective of 'human nature'. Everyone was doing just fine without him trying to sympathise with enemies in this utopia~

What a political sense of a justice he had... What an odd 'inner nobility'... Though it was due to this that he could shamelessly speak up to the grand hero's face. Saying things he probably shouldn’t have.

"Classes shouldn't define a person." These words from Alex caused Arthur to be shocked. A bad feeling arose in him... Brandon’s face didn’t look too good now. He quickly using ‘Light Movement’ to appear before Alex. There was no way he'd let his bro die!

Arthur used his body as a meat-shield after now fully using up one magic slot out of his seven. The reason he suddenly lost one was that all super-accelerated battle ‘Movement Magic’ used up half a magic slot. 

The reason they were coined as a 'Movement Type' Battle Spells by humanity was due to this important characteristic. One half was used earlier when he had fought Brandon. Another was used now.

Not that it mattered anyway... Even if Arthur had all his magic slots and used them on Brandon, he would be no match. All the brawny youth could do was be a punching bag in front of this invincible person.

Brandon was no longer able to keep himself from feeling deep fury at this fool. One that had yet to grow up. Was it because the young man had been raised in a forest that... he could say such nonsense?

The mentor intended to slap Alex, but lost his composure to the point of accidentally using ‘Mana Burst’ reflexively. His magic enhanced his open hand to an unbelievable level others couldn't dream of reaching and hit Arthur, who intercepted it, instead.

He was shocked after watching Arthur become embedded into the wall, then quickly checked on his brawny student's condition. After the youth was able to recover quickly and pull himself out of the wall even without his help, Brandon finally calmed down.

However, his demeanour had changed as he spoke:

"Leave...!" 

Even though the slap didn't hit Alex’s face, the young man felt most hurt. The pain in his heart made him tremble. He drew a ‘Holy Rune’ in the air to heal his buddy...  Arthur put his hand on his cheek...

After being lead away, Alex’s brawny friend was unable to stop himself from looking back to gaze at Brandon from time to time. He wanted their teacher to stop them at this point. They had gone through thick and thin together, so how could they part ways like this? Arthur wanted Brandon and Alex to turn around and talk a little more, but their lack of response disappointed the youth greatly.

"I'm just warning you two. Don't get involved if you sympathise with Classless Beasts. Both myself and the church don't recognise 'Classless'." Even when Brandon did speak, Arthur was disappointed by their bland interaction. Why didn’t they make up?

Even as they left the ‘Healing Sanctuary’, Arthur couldn't understand why Alex went as far as to ruin their relationship just to argue his point. He was unable to relate to the scholar’s feelings whatsoever.

"You're not going to become classless, right?" Arthur really didn't want his friend to go on that side. He found himself relatively ordinary. Especially when compared to the likes of his friend and teacher.

Brandon had said in the lecture that there had recently been more organised groups of ‘Classless Beasts’ roaming around. They were inside the Human Empire despite their nation's great security. 

This matter made him suspicious of Nobles. 

There had to be a spy somewhere covering them up!

Who was this guy affiliated with? The ‘Blood Type’ Classless Beasts or ‘Death Types’? There were so many kind of reasons why someone would turn into a Classless Beast, but it worried nobody but him.

Others wouldn't care if Alex turned into a Classless Beast... because the grand hero was around. Even if the beast was his former student, Brandon would fulfil his responsibility and 'mercy kill' Alex quickly.

Arthur didn't want to see this happen...!

"It's impossible for me to become a Classless Beast anyway." Alex laughed with clouded eyes. It was only a few words, but they put Arthur at ease. The worry of seeing his friend being killed started to lessen.

"Why not?" Arthur asked with cheery smiles.

"I have an 'illness'." Alex finally told the kid.

The warrior's expression looked like this: (ಠ_ಠ)

His expression was one part doubtful and another part astounded. Eyes were opened wide from the shock. Instantly, Arthur remembered back to when a certain cultist had revealed such a thing about Alex.

"Tell me everything about it!" Arthur grabbed the scholarly youth before making eye-contact (glares) with him. There was no way to ignore what he had just heard. He had to do SOMETHING to help out.

"And why should I?" Alex didn't seem to mind his secret getting out this time. He asked the idiot with a lazy body language. His clothes were a mess, but at the very least… he was open for conversation.

"Because we're good friends!" Arthur raised an arm.

"Okay." Alex agreed with him.

"You have to tell me- Huh? You sure?" Arthur was suddenly confused by the scholarly youth’s change in attitude. Alex seemed so ready to go defend others like a rebellious hero. Did he change his mind?

"But you gotta tell me about your God Physique."

"That's... fine. When are you going to tell me?"

"I'll tell you it over a drink." Alex made an empty smile. He tried to forget what just happened.

Looks like he couldn't leech of Brandon now...