Exactly nine hours later.
Nothing could be seen in the cultivation room except a white egg sitting on the futon.
Slowly, cracks began spreading through the surface, and soon...
A loud, droning sound rang out, followed by ice clattering to the ground. A snowy white hand with glowing white runes dancing across its length, extending from the wrist to the elbows.
Immediately, a second hand burst through the cracks, and then...
In the next instant, the entire icy egg cocoon shattered apart, its remains fading into the air.
All that was left was a young boy, cold white air puffing out of his lips and nose. His hair had turned completely snow white, fluttering around his head.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh," a long exhale rang through the room as Ryuk stared at his hands.
Right now, a strange tattoo of a snake covered all of Ryuk's hands up to his elbows. The snake tattoo appeared in the form of icy white runes that continuously oozed ice. The scene no doubt surprised Ryuk. Somehow, he felt the snake's size and shape perfectly matched that of Isha at its adult stage.
[Congratulations, host has awakened his Ice Apex Runic Lines.]
[Host need not be surprised by the snake-like format; it is due to having received the Ice Apex Runic form from his pet.]
[Congratulations, a new tab has been added to the host's stats.]
[New tab "Mana" has been successfully created!]
"Have you awakened, Isha?" Ryuk's voice rang through the dojo room. In the next instant, something materialized around Ryuk's arms.
It was a long snake, approximately 1.8 meters in length.
Its body was smooth and white, covered in glowing ice-like scales. It coiled around Ryuk's right hand, its head rising straight with cold, blue gem-like eyes fixed inches away from Ryuk's gaze.
The snake was none other than Isha herself. A small smirk curved up Ryuk's lips.
"You've grown bigger..."
Right now, Isha's size had reached that of a python, yet it was still as weightless as ever to Ryuk's arms.
Ssssssssssssssssssss!
A snake-like hiss rang through the room as Isha's forked tongue flicked out, brushing across Ryuk's face.
Somehow, the pain Ryuk had felt during the cultivation process immediately faded away.
"Good to see you too..." Ryuk mused aloud, but he quickly regained his composure when he heard footsteps. In the next instant, Isha disappeared into thin air, and Ryuk reached for his clothes.
The sound of knocking echoed through the room. Moments later, the door opened wide.
Standing at the entrance was none other than Celine.
"You stayed here all night?" the lady asked Ryuk in shock as he exhaled deeply, a heavy puff of chilling white air escaping his lungs.
"It's already morning? I must have lost track of time..." Ryuk muttered.
"It is forbidden to stay in the cultivation area for more than seven hours," she said with narrowed eyes.
Ryuk stepped forward, causing her to shift aside to avoid colliding with him.
"Really? Then someone must have forgotten to state that before, don't you agree?" he replied, his voice fading down the hallway as he disappeared from Celine's gaze.
'So...so much ice energy. And such pure Apex energy too! Just where did he get a cultivation manual from?'
"They don't sell that in the store, do they?" Celine muttered as she watched Ryuk fade from sight.
She was absolutely lost for words.
From the boy she had seen yesterday, the difference between the one she saw now was like the gap between earth and heaven.
Yesterday, she couldn't even sense his Ice Apex energy, yet now he was literally oozing with it. Somehow, it felt incredibly pure—a quality she had never noticed before.
"Such a monumental change in a little more than seven hours. This boy might be a bigger threat than the young master knows. Better to warn the young master before he becomes a bigger threat..." Celine mused as she shut the door and headed toward the exit.
The sound of knocking echoed, followed by a suspicious voice.
Immediately, the door unlocked itself, revealing a golden-haired boy peeking through.
"Ryuk!?" the boy called out as he stepped aside, allowing Ryuk to enter before shutting the door.
"You didn't come home last night. Why?" Quinn asked suspiciously.
"Lost myself to cultivation in the cultivation area," Ryuk replied with a shrug.
Quinn hummed, watching as Ryuk disappeared into the bathroom. Slowly, his eyes turned to the side where a clock sat.
Currently, it read...
Their class would begin in just a few hours. Now, Ryuk heading for the bathroom made more sense.
Not long after, Ryuk exited the bathroom with a towel around his hair, and Quinn made his way in.
A few minutes later, they both left the room, heading straight for their classes.
"You look a bit different today," Quinn suddenly said as Ryuk turned to look at him.
"Really?" Ryuk asked.
Quinn nodded. "Yes. Your hair is whiter than usual, and cold air pulses out of your mouth every time you speak..."
Ryuk unconsciously stopped and opened his mouth. Cold white air puffed out completely involuntarily.
[The white air and cold emissions from the lungs are side effects of the host possessing Ice Apex energy.]
[These effects will disappear as the host gains better control of his energy.]
The system's voice caused Ryuk to furrow his eyebrows before nodding.
He didn't think puffing with cold air all the time was a good thing. It would likely lead to conflict if he encountered someone with Fire energy—a direct contrast to his own.
"Well, change is necessary to get accepted into the Ascension Academy, isn't it?" he replied to Quinn with a small chuckle.
Quinn narrowed his eyes briefly before brushing it off when Ryuk tapped his shoulder twice.
"Come on, let's run for it. Don't want to be late again," Ryuk said, jogging ahead.
Quinn sprinted after him, setting aside his suspicions.
'He's still the same Ryuk...'