Grinding my way to the top

Krul Tepes POV

"Hayasaka Ai, is that your name, correct?"

As I settled into the hospital bed that once belonged to Shinomiya Gan'an, I did so with a deliberate and calculated intent. This was no mere act of defiance or whimsy; it was a clear and unequivocal statement of my dominion over the Shinomiya Zaibatsu. I wanted to ensure that everyone, especially Hayasaka Ai, understood the shift in power dynamics. The respect and reverence she held for the Shinomiya family were now to be redirected towards me.

I couldn't afford to have subordinates who clung to obsolete loyalties and sentiments toward their former house. The Shinomiya family held no deterrent in my eyes, and anyone under my command who feared or revered them was unworthy of my trust and leadership.

Hayasaka Ai had a choice to make: adapt to the new order or be cast aside. Mediocrity had no place in my world; only those with a ruthless mindset, capable of rising above the remnants of the past, were worth my time and attention.

The message was clear: allegiance to the past was a liability, and only those who could embrace the future I was shaping would thrive.

"Yes, Miss, I am." As much as her gaze was full of doubt toward me, especially by the fact I occupied the respectable head of house Shinomiya's former place, she still answered my question nonetheless, indicating an adaptable mindset.

"Krul Tepes, that's who I am, now, you work for me, Hayasaka Ai. My requirements for you aren't that strict, as long as you follow all my orders without question, then good. If you want to question my authority or have any doubt about my orders, despite the morally questionable nature of them, you will be sent back to your young lady, and I will never save you from your former wretched boss who planted you as a spy on your young lady's side. Only people with strength and merit are qualified to know, but you have none of it, not yet, not now at least." I set the rules and let Hayasaka Ai know them.

"Yes, Miss Tepes. My will is at your command." She offered me a courteous bow.

"So, what is your first order, Miss Tepes?"

"Drive me to your former young lady's house. I will live there temporarily. You can befriend her or still be her little sister as much as you want, but remember, now, you belong to me. You will never be allowed to be under her command ever again. Treat her as an equal or someone beneath you, but never as someone above you." I commanded.

"I understand, Lady Tepes. Do you want me to escort you now or later?" Hayasaka Ai asked in a respectful tone.

"Lead the way, and lastly, Hayasaka, call me Krul, or Lady Krul, not Lady Tepes." I grinned.

Hayasaka Ai, her expression unreadable, simply nodded and led the way.

...

Hayasaka Ai POV

Lady Krul is an odd one. She seems to know everything, yet know nothing at the same time. She knows about the devil in Kuoh Town, Dio Brando, or any other information beyond, yet she knows nothing about common sense in this world. I need to explain to her about supernatural information.

Her name is Krul Tepes and she seems to be someone from the Tepes Clan, yet what is odd is that the clan isn't ruled by a matriarch, and women there are only breeding tools for male vampires and led by males. But Lady Krul seems to be someone who isn't from there or perhaps she is an ancient vampire who slept too long or has clairvoyance abilities that see through opponents when she sees them.

It was the reason why she knew about the devil named Rias and information about Kuoh Town or Dio Brando?

Nonetheless, it's none of my business as I keep explaining to Lady Krul about the information that she wants to know.

...

Krul Tepes POV

"Who is this, Hayasaka? Is she the reason why you're quitting?" Shinomiya Kaguya questioned as soon as she saw me along with Hayasaka Ai arriving in her private villa.

Hayasaka cleared her throat, a touch of disapproval in her voice. "Ahem... Miss... It's inappropriate for you to question a guest that your father holds in high regard, even by your own brothers."

"As your former maid said, Kaguya-chan, from now on, I will live here and you can still meet Hayasaka as usual." I introduced myself as I stroked her hair softly. I couldn't resist the fact of making a mess of this cold lady who had an ice-cube expression on her face.

"It seems you're not that bad." Shinomiya Kaguya said as she didn't refuse me messing up her hair.

"You can stay as much as you want, you're my father's honored guest, after all."

After that, we no longer spoke as the silent understanding was formed between us.

She seemed to know that when her father or brother already spoke, she couldn't stop it and would not have hope to meet Hayasaka Ai again after she had quit. So, when she came back, Kaguya undoubtedly wanted to retain me at her villa by any means necessary so Hayasaka Ai would not leave again because she would follow me wherever I go and she needed to retain me if she wanted to retain Hayasaka.

After understanding the thought process of this young lady and why she didn't throw a tantrum, I smirked. I don't need to bother using the gamer function to even understand it, just knowledge from canon and having high EQ was more than enough to understand them.

It seems this ice-cube lady is a lot more interesting than I thought.

Moreover, my impression of her would drastically decrease if she threw tantrums at me or thought the world revolved around her. I detest people who believe they can overstep me for any reason. I have little tolerance for insults and disrespect. Fortunately, Kaguya has a much better temperament and temper.

After the polite greeting, Ai Hayasaka began to escort me to my chamber, to be precise the chamber that she had chosen for me, and Kaguya didn't follow along with us. When she had already fulfilled her duty, she bowed respectfully and left me to my privacy.

After being left alone in the chamber that Hayasaka picked for me, I finally had the time to open my skill book and probably test my stand-in reward from JoJo, yeah, it's The World, it's a stand-in that could stop time. There is a possibility if I max out the skill level it would give me The World Over Heaven, the evolution of The World, and they could basically rewrite reality. After all, unlike Dio who needed many troublesome rituals to fulfill the final evolution, I don't think I need it, just level up The World to the max, then The World Over Heaven would be mine and I could rewrite reality with it.

Okay enough with thinking, let's see the skill in my stat myself.

Before that, I need to learn my skill book first.

By then, the Teleportation Skill Book and Life Drain Skill Book were conveniently placed into my hand.

[Do you want to learn Teleportation Skill?]

Yes, then the prompt was followed along by the Life Drain Skill Book. After I learned all of them, I began to check my stat screen.

Name: Krul Tepes

Race: Third Progenitor

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Profession: The Gamer

Guild: None

LV420

EXP: 0/420.000

HP: 290.000/290.000

MP: 500.000/500.000

Personal Attribute:

Strength: 3000

Agility: 3000

Constitution: 2900

Spirit: 5000

Charisma: 2900

Stat Points: 0

Skills:

Gamer Mind (Passive)

Description: Grants immunity to psychological status effects and allows for calm, logical thinking in any situation.

Level: Max

Gamer Body (Passive)

Description: The body functions like a game character, fully healing after a night's sleep and negating the need for food or drink for survival.

Level: Max

Blood Manipulation (Passive/Active)

Description: Allows Krul to control and manipulate blood for various purposes, including healing, attacking, and creating blood weapons.

Level: 75

Mana Cost: Varies by usage

Vampiric Regeneration (Passive)

Description: Enables rapid healing of wounds and restoration of health over time.

Level: 80

Effect: Restores 10% HP per minute

Hypnotic Gaze (Active)

Description: Krul can mesmerize and control weaker-willed individuals with her gaze.

Level: 60

Mana Cost: 500 per use

Effect: Mind control for 10 minutes or until dispelled

Shadow Step (Active)

Description: Allows instant movement between shadows within a 100-meter radius.

Level: 70

Mana Cost: 300 per use

Enhanced Senses (Passive)

Description: Heightened senses including sight, hearing, and smell.

Level: 65

Effect: 50% increased perception in combat

Blood Magic (Active)

Description: Utilizes blood to cast powerful spells and curses.

Level: 85

Mana Cost: Varies by spell

Royal Authority (Passive/Active)

Description: Commands respect and loyalty from lesser vampires, your simple presence enough to intimidate the lesser man.

Level: 90

Effect: 100% loyalty from lower-rank vampires, 50% increased effectiveness in commands, 50% fear inducing status toward the weaker will and someone weaker than you.

Flight (Active)

Description: Ability to fly using bat-like wings.

Level: 60

Mana Cost: 200 per minute

Eternal Youth (Passive)

Description: Prevents aging and maintains youthful appearance indefinitely.

Level: MAX

Effect: Ageless appearance and vitality

The World (Active)

Description: Krul can stop time for a brief moment, allowing her to move while the world around her is frozen.

Level: 1

Effect: Stops time for 5 seconds

Mana Cost: 1000 per use

Cooldown: 5 minutes

Teleportation (Active)

Description: Instantly transports Krul to a location within a 500-meter radius.

Level: 1

Effect: Instantaneous movement to a known location

Mana Cost: 700 per use

Cooldown: 5 minutes

Life Drain (Active)

Description: Absorbs life force from a target to replenish Krul's HP and MP.

Level: 1

Effect: Drains 5% of target's HP and restores equivalent amount to Krul's HP and MP

Mana Cost: 400 per use

Cooldown: 5 minutes

So, because their level is too low that's why it has a cooldown per usage of skill and I need to wait for the cooldown to finish before I can use it again?

I think, I need to level up and spam my skill to raise them in the dungeon. The teleportation skill is important to be raised up, so I can instantly teleport from Tokyo to Kuoh when I want to pick and transform Asia into a vampire without needing Satan's sister's permission or their bullshit.

Since they neglected her into the hands of Fallen Angels, why should I need their permission in the first place? Since they didn't appreciate it, I will take it.

Now, it's time to level up my skill and grind.

[Dungeon Create]