<![CDATA[Abstract This study aims to describe the representation of competitive education and interpret the paradox of learner freedom in the Wattpad digital fiction Champion Class by Putih_hitam, drawing on the thought of Byung-Chul Han. The research employs an interpretive qualitative approach using a documentary study method. The data consist of narratives, dialogues, monologues, character actions, and conflicts related to achievement, competition, standards of success, identity, self-imposed demands, choices, and freedom. Data were collected through close reading and analyzed using the concepts of the achievement society, the achievement subject, self-exploitation, and the paradox of freedom. The results indicate that the achievement society is represented through rigorous selection processes, ranking systems, the quantification of achievement, elite classes, and demands for competitiveness. The achievement subject emerges when standards of success are internalized and used by characters to evaluate their own abilities and self-worth. Self-exploitation is evident in the reduction of rest time, late-night studying, and the compulsion to push oneself to maintain performance. The paradox of freedom manifests when the choices to persist, study, and pursue rankings are exercised as personal will, yet simultaneously perpetuate internalized demands for achievement. The findings confirm that competition is not inherently negative; issues arise when achievement becomes the dominant measure of self-worth, thereby narrowing the scope for learners to question the purpose, limits, and meaning of their accomplishments. Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan representasi pendidikan kompetitif dan menafsirkan paradoks kebebasan peserta didik dalam fiksi digital Wattpad Champion Class karya Putih_hitam melalui pemikiran Byung-Chul Han. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif interpretatif dengan jenis studi dokumentasi. Data berupa narasi, dialog, monolog, tindakan tokoh, dan konflik yang berkaitan dengan prestasi, persaingan, standar keberhasilan, identitas, tuntutan terhadap diri, pilihan, dan kebebasan. Data dikumpulkan melalui pembacaan mendalam (close reading) dan dianalisis menggunakan konsep achievement society, achievement subject, self- exploitation, dan paradoks kebebasan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa achievement society direpresentasikan melalui seleksi ketat, peringkat, kuantifikasi prestasi, kelas unggulan, dan tuntutan kompetitivitas. Achievement subject muncul ketika standar keberhasilan diinternalisasi dan digunakan tokoh untuk menilai kemampuan serta nilai dirinya. Self-exploitation terlihat melalui pengurangan waktu istirahat, belajar hingga larut malam, dan pemaksaan diri demi mempertahankan performa. Paradoks kebebasan tampak ketika pilihan untuk bertahan, belajar, dan mengejar peringkat dijalankan sebagai kehendak pribadi, tetapi sekaligus meneruskan tuntutan prestasi yang telah diinternalisasi. Temuan menegaskan bahwa kompetisi tidak selalu negatif; persoalan muncul ketika prestasi menjadi ukuran dominan nilai diri dan menyempitkan ruang peserta didik untuk mempertanyakan tujuan, batas, dan makna pencapaiannya.]]>
