A mix of gold and green filled the space as the early morning golden sun illuminated the plain grass field, with the green grasses swaying gently from the breeze that meandered through them.
The sound of clothes and hair flapping rang out across the area, coming from none other than a small group gathered together.
It was a class, consisting of a total of 25 presences.
One stood out the most amongst them.
A handsome figure who almost seemed no different from the others in the class—save for the two silvery-golden horns that stuck out of his head, incredibly glaring and attracting about 90% of the attention.
That, and the fact that he was the only one who wasn't holding one of those hefty grimoires in his hands.
Of course, it was none other than Ryuk.
After enough convincing from the system, he had finally decided to attend the Royalty Silverunic Class—and here he was.
He was already used to the gazes from others back on Endearth, so the students' stares didn't bother him.
What bothered him the most, though, was a singular figure who had her eyes narrowed at him all the time—and it was genuinely freaking him out.
It was none other than the exceptionally tall lady that sat at the front of the class.
Even though he, along with the 23 other Runic Royalties, were all on their seats—including the instructor before him—she was so exceptionally tall that, even while sitting, she towered at exactly twice the height of those who were standing.
And Ryuk wasn't the tallest even amongst the students.
His new form was unlike his old one, which stood at about 2.5 meters.
The current Ryuk was just about 2.1 meters in height, but some of the Silverunics, especially the males were as tall with some even taller.
Instructor Kiyana stood in front of the class, the silver streaks in her raven hair catching the light and making it impossible not to attract attention.
But even so, her eyes were mostly on Ryuk among the students in front of her.
'I know well he's the same person I saw peeking through yesterday, but how?'
'How did he suddenly grow so much sleek formality in less than a day?'
'He has skin now, and looks nothing at all like a robot. And also, he's grown horns!'
'This is no machine. This is a lifeform.'
'Something massive must have happened between the time I saw him and now for him to undergo such a massive change.'
'Just what is High Scholar Emeris pulling off this time?' she thought to herself, even though her eyes remained as calm as ever.
The students were murmuring amongst each other—mostly about Ryuk himself—but then, it wasn't all of them.
When Ryuk eyed the students, he noticed most of them displayed interest in their eyes, but then there were some—the males especially—whose eyes were dull when looking at him.
In fact, they only looked at him once before they directed their attention elsewhere, showing absolute lack of interest.
And when his ears picked up on the information about him…
One sentence was ringing out peculiarly loud and made him silently click his tongue in distaste, although he remained silent.
"So that's him. High Scholar Emeris' so-called new robot! Waaah, he's so handsome…"
"What's with the horns though? Is he some sort of bull?"
'If I was a bull, none of you would be sitting around me so comfortably…' Ryuk thought with a huff in his heart.
The sound of throat-clearing rang out as the whispering and murmurs quieted down and everyone turned toward Instructor Kiyana, whose silvery eyes seemed to look back at each of them at the same time.
"As you all are soon ready for your Coming of Age ceremony," she began, her voice clear and echoing directly in their heads—impossible to not be heard and even more so, impossible to ignore.
"…and have more or less learned the required Runic Memorization Patterns, with some of you having learned even the 999-ranked Raked Runic Meditation," she said, looking across the class, her eyes faintly pausing on about ten students.
Ryuk only identified two of them.
The Silverunic princess, Filliana, and Elliana.
"I think we can do something a bit different today."
She paused, letting the breeze roll past them.
"A summary," she said. "Of all you've been learning for the past ten years. A summary of Aetheris Cultivation… up to your current level."
Ryuk's ears perked up.
Of course, he knew the class wouldn't start all over again just because of his arrival.
He was allowed to join, but that didn't mean he was an official student, so he had probably thought he would come here and be informed of all the things he would barely have any idea about.
But then, who would have guessed she would go into a summary?
That was exactly what he needed right now as a newcomer.
A few students straightened up, and for some reason, even the laziest among them looked intrigued by the word summary.
"So everyone, close your books. And simply listen attentively," she said, smiling faintly as the sound of books closing and being placed to the side filled the air momentarily before she began.
Instructor Kiyana's face soon lit up, in focus and seriousness, before she began.
"Let's start from the Energies of our world, Medysla," she began.
"There are three main sources of energy."
"Apex Energy, Aetheris Energy, and Abyssal Energy."
"Apex Energy is commonly used by the Gorin and Radon races."
"It is an energy that focuses on linear, explosive strength increase, tied to natural cultivation and hard work. The Energy of Elements, as the Radons would argue."
"It is the traditional power system of the majority of races in Medysla and focuses on gradual energy mastery," she said.
"The Abyssal Energy on the other hand is a dark, heretical path that is mainly based on spreading void, shrouding identity, and existential corruption."
"It is the energy of the most powerful foes of us Silverunics—the energy of the Ravenous Walker Clan."
"A dark energy path that takes on the philosophy of taking from the world."
"It leeches off meaning and power, and the higher one climbs, the more and more they differ from normal morality!"
"It is a dangerous energy path, as it gives great strength quickly but in exchange for intelligence, giving the practitioners of it very increased strength—but lessened logic—resulting in chaotic tendencies," she explained as a thought flashed in Ryuk's head.