"Guess I ended up in the top ten even after I only aimed to be in the top 30," RyuK thought as he looked at the nine others standing before him.
He was familiar with two of them. One was Morgaine, who was already there, waving at him. The other was the Werewolf boy with strange red eyes, who had previously waved at Ryuk, and he had nodded in acknowledgment when he appeared.
There was also the only male Elf, who had a crown on his head, already standing having arrived.
Beside him was the guy from the Avian race, who was the only one with a humanoid head instead of a bird-like head.
A Dwarf stood among them too—the shortest of his kind. Then, there was a crimson-haired Vampire with pointy ears and closed eyes.
The seventh figure was an incredibly tall Titan, standing at three meters. His arms were folded across his chest and finally, there was a Naga with a white snake tail, who stared curiously at Ryuk.
’I know Morgaine is already strong, but the fact that these others are here means they must either be as strong as her or perhaps even stronger. What can’t be doubted is that they all must be pretty powerful…’
Similarly, the other nine also observed Ryuk.
"The Fallen human managed to make it into the top ten. He must be incredibly strong," was the collective thought echoing in their minds.
The gate had yet to open for entry, perhaps because it only would once everyone arrived. Eventually, Ryuk moved to Morgaine’s side and waited.
In the end, the Fallen Race was the only group with two representatives in the top ten!
Time flowed quickly, and all the geniuses began arriving, taking note of their hierarchy. After three hours, a total of 100 people gathered. The last one to arrive was a dwarf—tallest of his kind—who walked slowly into the group, leaning on the shoulders of two other dwarves.
"Did those tiny beasts really give you so much trouble, Garnet?" the dwarf who was in the top ten asked loudly, bursting into laughter.
"I’m very sorry, Riamond…" Garnet replied weakly.
"Don’t worry about it. Fighting isn’t exactly the strength of our kind anyway," Riamond said, waving dismissively.
With everyone finally gathered, the gigantic gate of the Ascension Academy opened, revealing a middle-aged man slowly stepping forth.
He had long blue hair and eyes of the same colour, standing at 1.9 meters tall with a refined and calm aura.
"I believe you are now all very aware of your rankings. Just to let you know, you all went through the same scenarios as the rest, so it was a very fair test," the man said.
"However, if you still feel it was unfair, the opportunity to challenge higher hierarchies will be open soon—perhaps in a month or two—so you’ll get your chance."
"But for now, swallow it up," he added, scanning the group.
Some of the geniuses were visibly displeased, feeling the rankings were flawed, but with the man’s stern words, they had no choice but to bottle up their grievances, at least for now.
"With that out of the way, I am Instructor Ferdinand—or you can call me InFerdi for short. I’m here to give you a comprehensive guide to the Ascension Academy," he announced.
As he spoke, a blue wave of energy radiated from his feet, covering the entire area where the geniuses stood. Slowly, it solidified into flat, floating platforms beneath their feet.
Ryu felt the powerful force holding him tightly to the platform which seemed more of flying mat as it lifted him and the other geniuses into the air.
Soon, the platforms carrying the students along with Instructor Ferdinand, zoomed into the massive gates of the Ascension Academy.
The gates shut behind them with a loud bang before fading into the air as though they had never existed.
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"There are three areas in the Ascension Academy," Instructor Ferdinand’s calm and clear voice echoed through the windy aair as the floating platforms carried the geniuses above grassy plains and toward towering structures.
"The Newcomer Area, the Second Year Area, and the Third Year Area. Since you are all newcomers, your territory will be the entire Newcomer Area."
"Never, I repeat, never set foot in the Second Year Area. You won’t be able to reach the Third Year Area of the Academy without first stepping into the Second Year Area of the Academy first."
"All newcomers are strictly banned from entering the Second Year Area, even if invited by a second-year. You must never set foot there," he warned firmly.
The stark restriction piqued the curiosity of some geniuses, making them wonder what secrets the Second Year Area held.
But they weren’t foolish enough to ignore the warning, especially since it was the first rule they were given.
"That said, there are various buildings and structures within the Newcomer Area where you will all reside."
"The most important is, naturally, your dormitory. Look at that skyscraper," Instructor Ferdinand suddenly said, pointing to the distance.
A gigantic skyscraper almost pierced through the clouds, surrounded by shimmering blue energy like a curtain that obscured its full view.
"That is the Newcomers’ Skyscraper. Inside are about 800 rooms. And just so you know, you 100 are not the only newcomers," he said with a slight smirk.
"Of course, others also passed the Ascension Academy entrance test. However, you 100 were given priority in the hierarchy due to your exceptional family backgrounds."
"But don’t let this get to your head. There are geniuses among the lower-ranking races who are stronger than some of you combined," he added, causing the top ten family geniuses to frown.
’What nonsense is that? They were the top ten family geniuses! The ten strongest!’
’What does it mean that a lower-race genius from a family with no name, could defeat some of their strongest combined?’
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A/N:
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In and Out_SnowySmoos.