OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 159: Aria Goldleaf

Chapter 159: Aria Goldleaf

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Emir lay on the ground of the training room, unmoving, for several minutes, lost in thought. It was solely due to a single name...

Johnson.

A man that was only mentioned twice in his fourteen years of life, once when the man himself came to visit them as a lawyer...

The next and last time was when he asked Lyra about him many months ago.

But after that day, his name never crossed his mind again, and it was for a very simple reason.

He could do nothing against him, as he didn't know who he truly was or what his agenda might be.

And just like that, his name drifted off from Emir's mind, never to be heard of again, or so he thought.

Today, however, that name was mentioned for the third time, and it brought back those memories.

Emir let out a sigh.

'Yeah, there is no way that it's the same guy, I mean, why would he show himself again?'

'... But if he is the same Johnson, then that doesn't matter still... I'll only act if he makes a move first.'

'And I might be too paranoid here, I've already got too much on my plate... I can't be adding more to it now.'

Deciding not to worry about it any longer, he focused back on his training.

...

...

...

But before he could do so, his terminal rang.

'Who?'

Propping it up, he checked his messages and noticed that he got one from Lyra.

Swiping it open, the message read:

{Hey. It's me~ Are you missing me already? If you are, then just know that makes me so very happy. But enough of that, I know that you're busy training, so I'll get right to it.}

{I thought about showing you your stats before leaving, but as we were quite busy yesterday,

I didn't want to add to that and bog you down even more. So here you are. Good luck with your training.}

{And you're welcome... Yours and only yours, Lyra.}

Scoffing, he thought, 'I get that she's known me for so long, but she can even predict when I'll train?'

'...She's more obsessive than I thought.'

After tapping once on his terminal, a hologram of a familiar system appeared in his sights.

...

{Name: Emir Oliver}

{Age: 14}

{Hunter Rank:20}

{Celestial Rank: Ascendant Paladin}

{Celestial Class: Ethereal Threader}

{Credit Balance: Unspecified}

(Stats)

{Strength: B--> S+} (Avg D+)

{Agility: C+->S-} (Avg D-)

{Endurance: B--> S+} (Avg D)

{Mind: A+} (Avg D)

{Charm: A+} (Avg C+)

{Overall Augmented Strength Level: E7}

{Celestial Essence: Weaver's Grasp}

(Aspects)

{Weaver's Veil: The Weaver's Veil Aspect grants the user the ability to manipulate and infuse Aether with finesse, weaving patterns to create powerful effects.}

{Aerialis: Aerialis is an Aspect that focuses on harnessing Aether to elevate the user's physical abilities to extraordinary levels, granting them immense strength, agility, and aerial

dominance.}

{Celestia's Hand: Celestia's Hand is an Aspect that enables the user to create Aether

constructs.}

(Skills)

{Close Quarter Combat: Advanced, 80% Proficiency.}

{Marksmanship: Advanced, 70% Proficiency.}

(Abilities)

{Temporal Perception}

Slows down the user's perception of time, every second is slowed down to 0.1 seconds.

In absolute focus, the user could slow down time to a millisecond.

Current Total Use Limit: 2 Minutes 50 seconds.

Mental Energy Recharge Time: 8 Minutes 10 seconds.

Energy recharge rate: 172 seconds per minute of use.

{Sensory Enhancement}

The user's neural network was upgraded.

Allows the user to enhance their five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell) beyond human limitations.

{Aetheric Blades: The ability to channel Aether into blades, creating blades coated with pure energy that can slice through nearly any material.}]

{Aether Blast: The ability to channel Aether into a single, devastating shot that deals massive damage to a single target.}

{Aetheric Shield: The ability to channel Aether to create a shield that protects the user from incoming attacks.}]

{Gates of Eternity: The ability to use Celestia's Hand Aspect to sculpt and shape Aether. The user can mold the raw essence of Aether into complex and detailed constructs, imbuing them

with power.}]

{Flash Step: The ability to leap incredible distances in a single step.} [

{Aether Overdrive: This ability temporarily pushes the user's Aether reserves beyond their limits, significantly increasing the user's power and speed for a short period of time.} [

(Art)

{Strength Cultivation}

The user cultivates strength by slowly reconstructing and compressing their body, allowing further absorption and possession of Aether without harming the user's body, while also

increasing their strength.

Current Cultivation Rank: Copper

(Equipment)

{Aetherstorm Launcher: Peak Maintenance}

{Maelstrom Minigun: Peak Maintenance}

{Vindicator Assault Rifle: Peak Maintenance}

{ExoGen S-Class Augmented Suit: Functional}

{Electric Knife: Standard Issue}

{Twin Dagger: Old-World Relic}

{Terminal: Standard Issue}

{Information Gathering Device: S-Rank Item}

(Vehicles)

{Blaze Runner Bike: Functional}

{Blade Runner Cruiser: Functional}

(Inventory)

{20 Million UC Old-world Medicine: Max capacity]

{25000 UC Old-world Medicine: Max capacity]

{Energy packs (Max Capacity): Functional.}

...

After looking it over for a few moments, he thought:

'Hmm... Not bad at all...'

'It's really too bad that the well of eternity is a one-time use, otherwise, I would've just

hauled ass and lived there with my family until I grew strong enough to smash through

Magnus's skull.'

Snickering, he let go of those thoughts and sat down in a lotus position, preparing himself for

the upcoming training session.

With an instant command from his neural network, the nanobots began their work of eating

up his cells and rebuilding them anew.

Ignoring the stinging pain, he shifted his focus to practicing ability pathing in his mind.

He envisioned himself, with his mind's eye, guiding a small line of Aether to move through

intricate shapes within his body.

The very method that unlocked his abilities was now a means to refine them.

He repeated the same sequence of movements tirelessly, a monotonous routine that nearly numbed his mind due to how boring it felt.

And suddenly, his terminal rang, causing him to flinch slightly as he was pulled out of his

meditative state.

Picking it up, he checked the time and was surprised to see that it was already 2:30 p.m.

Time had passed much faster than he had realized.

'I guess I got used to being in meditation for so long after Silent's trial, I've got a lot to thank

him for, eh?'

'Anyways... Let's see what Lily has got in store for me.'

Swiping on the message, he read:

{Come meet me in front of the academy's student boarding building.}

'She's so smart-.'

He inwardly mused while typing:

{On the way.}