"The academy..." Ryuk mused, his eyes narrowed at the piece of writing before him.
According to the book, Grade B was ruled and wildly influenced by the activities of a total of ten families. He could guess these ten families would be like the boss levels of Grade B.
Knowing well he would be going into a dangerous and unfamiliar place, the idea had crossed Ryuk's mind—the idea of protecting himself by aligning with one of the ten families.
If his actions were backed by such a family, then he could at least guarantee his and Isha's safety until he grew strong enough to protect himself.
But he knew well that joining any of these families wouldn't be easy.
The Fallen family was better left alone, and the Vampiro family seemed promising but didn't have a good reputation at all where Ryuk had come from.
While those hunters had told him horror stories of the Vampires, it would be stupid to dismiss all of them due to some info he received from a book given to him by a vampire.
Surely, there had to be some truth to such terrifying tales.
But now, he had found one.
An organization just as big as the ten families themselves.
And to top it off, they were an academy—the very thing Ryuk needed the most right now.
If he managed to join that academy, he wouldn't just have a way to pave a smoother journey on his path to strength. He would also gain a power behind him that wasn't afraid of any of the ten families.
That was basically hitting two birds with one stone!
"I have made my choice—to join the Academy of Ascension. That will be what I exchange the card for!" Ryuk thought as he turned to the next page of the book, only to find it was the end. With a loud exhale, he shut the book.
However, the peace of the moment was short-lived when a voice suddenly rang throughout the room.
"Congratulations on a successful arrival at the City of Ascension. Parking spot will be reached in exactly five minutes based on your current Apex plane speed. Please prepare for disembarkation."
'Eleven hours gone by so fast?' Ryuk thought in surprise. Acting quickly, he stood, picked up his bag, and scanned the room to ensure he left nothing behind. He grabbed the two books on the table, glanced one last time at the mirror, and exhaled deeply.
Giving himself a confident smile, he stepped out of the room wearing his poker face.
"You might be blind, but not deaf at least..."
The voice suddenly broke through as Ryuk turned his gaze forward to find a red-haired girl reclining against the wall. Her crimson eyes locked on him, but once more, she seemed shocked.
Vilora's shock was not without reason.
She had seen the boy just a few hours ago, yet now, it was as if she was seeing an entirely different person.
The figure she had seen before now seemed to have donned a new skin—he looked jaw-droppingly handsome and incredibly cute for a guy.
His short height wasn't a problem at all; it only made him seem more adorable, the type to make a girl want to pinch his cheek or ruffle his white hair.
Yet, as she watched, the boy merely glanced at her with an indifferent gaze before walking past her as if she didn't even exist.
Vilora's amused smile quickly disappeared, replaced by faint anger.
"Hold it, you slummy trash! I'm talking to you!" Vilora roared in annoyance as she chased after Ryuk, coming to stand at his side.
She felt like driving her claws through that sleek neck of his but forcefully restrained herself, knowing well of his importance.
It wasn't long before they both arrived at the pilot room of the ship, where Duke Thalion could be seen standing, rapidly typing on the holographics in the air.
Tapping one last button, he turned back to look at Ryuk and Vilora, and a sleek smile spread across his face.
"Seems like the young mistress is getting along quite well with our handsome young guest. Quite beautiful."
"SNOOOORT!"
"In your dreams!" Vilora said with a loud snort as she moved toward the plane exit, leaving just Duke Thalion and Ryuk in the room.
"Here."
"Thank you very much for the books, Duke Thalion," Ryuk said gratefully as he handed the books to the Vampire Duke, who kept them and stored them away mysteriously.
Ryuk guessed he had something like a storage device, similar to his own Pet Space Storage.
"I see you were able to put it to good use. Congratulations on arriving at the Origin Plane," Duke Thalion said with a smile.
"You flatter me too much. The initial level of the Origin Plane at my stage is anything but impressive," Ryuk replied with a wry smile.
"Glad you at least know that. But worry not—one with an affiliation to the fallen won't remain a weakling for long. That, I can confidently say."
"Now come along, Ryuk. We head straight for the Fallen family gate right now..."
"The quicker, the better, no?" Duke Thalion asked as he walked to the exit. Ryuk followed, muttering, "That's true, Duke Thalion."
---
Alighting from the Apex Plane, what Ryuk saw before him was an endless field of other Apex planes that stretched into the far distance. Beside their landing site, a car was parked.
It was unlike the heavy truck Ryuk had boarded to the barracks, appearing longer and more smartly designed—a true beauty.
Beside the car stood two men wearing red suits, their long crimson hair matching their eyes. Ryuk caught sight of one opening the vehicle's door for Vilora, and when he and Duke Thalion arrived before them, the men bowed respectfully.
Duke Thalion nodded and shifted to the side, giving Ryuk space to enter first. Ryuk did so, and Duke Thalion followed, sitting beside him.
The two vampires gently shut the door, then entered the driver's seat and the one beside it, starting the car and quickly disappearing from the airport.