[Your Blood Energy has been measured.]
[Your Vampire Rank will now be displayed.]
"Huh?"
[Your Rank is Elite Vampire.]
"Wait," Arin muttered as he stared at the system screen. "Seraphine, I thought you said Progenitors weren't part of the Ranking System?"
"Yes," Seraphine replied, turning to face Arin. "Is there a problem?"
Of course, she couldn't see the system screen, so she wasn't aware of the information Arin had just received.
Knowing that, he said something else. "But I feel like I'm at the Elite Vampire Rank."
Seraphine nodded. "Well, then you're at the Elite Vampire Rank."
"Tch..." Arin clicked his tongue. "If Progenitors aren't part of the Ranking System, then how do I have a Ra—"
Suddenly, he stopped, realizing something. 'She said Progenitors aren't part of the Ranking System, not that they don't have a Rank.'
All this time, he had misunderstood.
"Elite Vampire, huh?" Seraphine murmured, squinting her eyes in thought. "I expected it to be higher. Though, I don't know the Rank of the other Progenitors."
"But I'm sure they'll be at the Vampire Lord Rank," she added.
Seraphine was at the Vampire General Rank, the one just above Elite Vampire. This meant she was supposed to be stronger than Arin, but he knew that wasn't the case at all. The system had confirmed it:
[You are at the Elite Vampire Rank because you are yet to understand, practice, and master your Vampiric Abilities, and even your perks as a Progenitor.]
So, despite her higher rank, he was indeed stronger than Seraphine—he had defeated her before even becoming a vampire.
Seraphine lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "But at the end of the day, you're still a Progenitor. Even though you're at the Elite Vampire Rank, there's no doubt you're stronger than most Vampire Generals."
She paused, letting the silence linger for a few moments before continuing, "And just imagine how powerful you'll be after mastering your Vampiric Abilities and the other stuff you can do as a Progenitor."
"That'll be insane..." she added.
Arin smirked. "Hmm, I'll work toward it, then."
Thinking about it, it made sense he was at the Elite Vampire Rank—after all, he'd only become a vampire a few hours ago and hadn't even explored his new abilities yet.
Arin sighed as he lay down beside her. "Well… it's a new day…"
***********
The sun had finally risen, bringing light to the world and banishing the darkness.
Students chatted as they made their way toward the Main Academy building.
Arin had freshened up and exited the bathroom before putting on his uniform. Seraphine's thirty-minute limit had expired hours ago, so she was back in his mind, making noise as usual.
He glanced in the mirror. His appearance was the same, nothing off.
"Alright, time to go," he muttered.
That morning, an announcement had told all students to gather in the Academy Hall before classes. Most already knew why.
Arin left his room and descended the stairs, arriving at the male dorm exit.
The sun, the natural enemy of vampires, hung high in the sky. Arin paused, gulping and closing his eyes for a moment.
'Confidence is all I need,' he thought, opening his eyes again. He believed that since his Mana and Blood Energy had merged, the sun wouldn't affect him. It was time to find out.
He stepped out into the open, fully exposed to the sunlight. The sensation of the sun touching his skin hit him, but there was no pain or burning.
A grin spread across his face. "Yes, I've gotten rid of this dangerous side effect."
It was something he hadn't considered before consuming the Blood Core.
"I need to be more careful with my decisions from now on…" he reminded himself.
With that, he continued walking toward the Academy building.
His enhanced senses picked up the rustling of leaves from distant trees, the chatter of students nearing the building, and even the scent of food from the far-off cafeteria. When he glanced in that direction, he could see the workers cooking and washing inside.
This didn't surprise him. It only confirmed one thing.
"My enhanced senses as a vampire still work even though I'm in my human form," Arin muttered.
"Hmm, you still have something to worry about, though," Seraphine said.
A slight frown crossed Arin's face. "I know… Blood."
As a vampire, blood was now his sustenance. Regular food would taste bland, and he might even vomit if he tried eating it.
Normally, a new vampire would struggle immensely with controlling their bloodlust, especially right after turning. But for Progenitors, it was different.
"My father told me that a Progenitor can go a long time without blood, especially if they don't get too injured. After all, blood is the energy we vampires use to heal ourselves," Seraphine explained.
"I see..." Arin muttered as he finally reached the main Academy building. "That's why I haven't felt the urge for blood yet."
"I can keep my urge in check as long as I don't get too injured," he added.
With that, he entered the building and was greeted by the sight of the Academy Hall—the same place where the entrance ceremony had been held.
Most of the chairs were occupied, but there were still some free seats at the back. Arin quickly found one and sat down.
In a matter of seconds, the hall was filled with first-year students. Though they all had one thought in mind: 'This is certainly about that incident...'