Chapter 31: Vina

Chapter 31: VinaA week later

In just seven days, Lucifer had made serious progress. Level 15 now, thanks to the constant monster hunts with Dera and the rogues he wiped out on the side. Now, all he needed was level 20—then his vampire core would awaken, and he'd become a full-blooded vampire.

"Since you came to college, this is the first time you're actually going to class," Francisca said, walking beside him.

"Yeah," Lucifer replied, his hands in his pockets. "I've got my bloodlust under control now, so things should be fine."

Francisca smiled, a genuine one. Things were finally back to normal between them, like none of the drama ever happened.

Lucifer glanced at her. "This supernatural stuff... is there a ranking system or something? Like, how do you know who's stronger?"

"There is," Francisca nodded. "Every race has their own system. Like me—I'm a kitsune. We're ranked by how many tails we have. I've got two tails right now."

She looked up at the sky briefly before continuing. "For werewolves, there are three main ranks: Beta, Omega, and Alpha. There's only one Alpha per pack. The rest—Beta and Omega—are ranked from 1 to 9. I heard you had a spar with Ken. Truth is, that wasn't even his full strength. Ken is a peak rank 9 Beta. He's strong enough to rival Mob—our only Nephilim. And a damn powerful one. Angel, by the way, is a rank 7 Beta."

She flicked her hair back. "For vampires, it's all about your bloodline stage and your core. Ella's already awakened her core, so she's a full-blooded vampire. She's mid-tier right now, but way ahead of most."

"And witches?" Lucifer asked.

Francisca shrugged. "Witches rank by the level of spells they can cast. Remu, for example, can already use fourth-tier spells. That's rare for her age. Most witches in our age are stuck on tier two or barely reaching three."



Lucifer hummed, taking it all in. The world was way deeper than he thought.

As they walked through the hallway, chatting casually, Francisca suddenly bumped into someone hard.

Thud!

Books scattered across the floor.

"Oh shoot—sorry!" Francisca said quickly, stepping back.

The girl she bumped into bent down slowly to pick up her books. She stood up straight, towering slightly over Francisca. She had long, blonde hair tied into a high ponytail that swayed behind her like a whip. Her skin had a soft olive tone that caught the morning sun just right. Athletic build. Tall. Sharp, black eyes that seemed to scan everything in an instant. She wore a fitted sports jacket over her uniform, like she just came from training.

"No worries," she said with a calm voice, eyes briefly locking with Francisca's before flicking to Lucifer.

Lucifer, on the other hand, had stopped walking. His eyes were fixed on her, completely zoning out. The hallway noise seemed to fade.

"Yo, you good?" Francisca nudged him.

He blinked, snapping out of it. "Who's... that?"

"Vina," Francisca said, crouching to help pick up the books. "Track team. Second-year. Beast when it comes to physical activities. Quiet though, doesn't talk to people much."

Vina looked at Lucifer one more time—eyes narrowing for a split second like she noticed something—then gave a polite nod and walked off without another word.

Lucifer kept staring at her back as she disappeared around the corner.

"...She's interesting," he muttered under his breath.

Francisca glanced at him and smirked. "Don't even think about it."



Francisca checked her watch as they reached a hallway split.

"Alright, this is me," she said, adjusting the strap of her bag. "My lecture starts in like, five minutes. Don't be late for yours."

Lucifer gave a lazy nod. "Yeah, yeah. I'll find my way."

She paused for a second, then smiled. "And stay out of trouble."

"No promises."

Francisca rolled her eyes and turned down the corridor, her tails subtly flicking behind her as she walked off. A few students turned to look—she stood out without even trying.

Lucifer shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled the other way, his footsteps echoing softly in the hallway.

As he passed by a window, sunlight spilled in, casting a faint glow on his face. He stopped for a second, looking outside at the sports field... and saw Vina jogging alone, earphones in, sweat glistening slightly under the sun.

He stared for a moment, then shook his head and kept walking.

"Tch... this college is full of weirdos."

He reached his lecture room, pushed the door open, and walked in—his red eyes scanning the students already seated. Some looked up, most ignored him.

Lucifer took a seat near the back, slouched in his chair, and stared at the ceiling.

"Level 20, huh..." he muttered. "Almost there."

"Are you a gamer too?" a boy sitting behind Lucifer suddenly asked, eyes lighting up. "I heard you say 'level 20' just now."

Lucifer frowned, turned slightly, and gave him a deadpan look. "Nope. I don't play games."

He faced forward again, uninterested.



"Oh... then what did you mean by level 20?" the boy asked again, clearly not getting the hint.

Lucifer sighed, irritated. "Mind your business, will you?"

The chill in his tone made the boy flinch, goosebumps rising on his skin. "S-Sorry..."

"This is why I keep telling you to shut it," said the boy sitting next to him, his tone low and bored.

"Come on, Rey. I got you to talk to me, didn't I? I'm sure I can get anyone to talk. You're literally the coldest person I know," Munachi grinned, nudging him.

Rey just sighed, eyes half-lidded like he was always done with everything. But then, slowly, he looked up—his black eyes locking onto Lucifer's back.

Lucifer felt it immediately, like a pressure on the back of his neck. He turned, slowly, eyes meeting Rey's. His own glowed faintly red under the flickering classroom light.

A tense silence filled the space between them.

No words. Just eyes.

The air around them felt heavy—like a silent standoff about to explode. Even Munachi blinked and leaned back a little.

"...Weird vibe," he muttered.

Neither Rey nor Lucifer moved. Just a quiet, unspoken exchange between two people who weren't used to backing down.