OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 238: Saving Ragnar

Chapter 238: Saving Ragnar

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***

"Ay, what's wrong with him now?"

Isidore complained while the fifth and sixth-ranked duo bickered in the background.

"Do you think he's gone insane already?"

Ignatius, like a teacher's pet, had his throne stuck next to Isidore while they chatted.

"I don't know... I mean, if he did, then it's a pity."

"Really?"

"Truly, but I can say this at least... This boy is not normal; his thoughts are... inhumane."

"Yeah, and it's been a while since I've seen someone laugh like that."

"Hmhm."

"Though you like those types, don't you, Isidore?"

"I do indeed."

"Also, his fight with the Fangclads was entertaining to watch... But why is he not using his abilities?"

"God knows."

***

'I can help him out by putting my thoughts into the database...'

'But he can't hear them yet.'

'Ragnar needs to pass the first phase.'

'And yet to stop him from masturbating to death I need to do it now.'

Emir's mind was stuck in a dilemma.

It was like how university students were in the old world.

'Kek.'

They needed job experience to be accepted into a position at any company.

'I'm hungry...'

But they didn't have any job experience.

However, to gain experience, they needed to get a job.

'Are the spiders poisonous?'

And so the cycle repeated itself.

Was it the egg or the chicken that came first?

'Oh... please, give me anything... I didn't eat for so long.'

Well, Emir believed it to be the chicken, as it was created by god.

Or rather, in this case, it was created by gods.

'But maybe there's a singular god above, though...'

'Is Aether a god?'

'It's the energy that binds the universe, so it kind of is.'

As anyone would notice, the never-ending voices in his head were getting to him.

They caused his thoughts to go off tangents he usually wouldn't have.

'What was I thinking about?'

"Oh, yeah..."

'Ragnar.'

Emir's real thoughts were cut off from the database, since he had tampered with the relic, not allowing it to access them.

'Kill me.'

He, with a lot of help from Lyra, made a program that fed it random thoughts at random intervals.

Those thoughts were generated to align with his present circumstances too.

Emir made sure that they would appear dull, deranged, and monotone to fit his personality better.

'KILL ME!'

This was an obvious thing to do for the two, as they couldn't allow the Elite to pry into his mind.

It was also crystal clear why the Elite set this up in the first place.

One might think it was for the test.

While that was true, its main purpose was to weed out the chaff.

'I SAID KILL ME!'

Another side benefit, besides the whole test debacle, was that they could make sure none of the professors were spies, criminals, and the like.

'Focus...'

Emir's thoughts returned to the issue at hand.

Now he could tinker with it again and send his thoughts to Ragnar, allowing the horny man

the chance to regain his sanity.

'Why won't you do it?'

But that was where the problem lay.

Ragnar could not yet hear the voices.

'How can I....'

"Oh, wait."

"God damn, I'm stupid."

Emir, who had just realized his oversight, immediately rose to his feet and moved behind a nearby rock, concealing himself from any prying eyes.

His mission was now clear.

'Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?'

He needed to gain full access to the network and locate Ragnar's relic within it.

Once found, he would be able to access it and, hopefully, send him his thoughts.

Such a thing was impossible for most people, Celestial or not.

'WHY?!'

But Emir wasn't normal... he had Lyra by his side.

Lyra was an AI.

'DO IT!'

She, and most like her, were experts in all things network-related.

'I BEG YOU!'

In that database of hers, she had knowledge that was barely mentioned in the novel.

She knew the ways of a NetWeaver.

Like AIS, they were masters of the virtual domain.

'Ah.....'

And what made NetWeavers even more remarkable was that, in this Epoch, anyone with a

nanobot injection could theoretically enter the network.

'It's all quiet... it's so quiet.'

In essence, every individual who received such an injection became a microcosm of the

systems themselves.

This allowed them to access the vast digital realm with ease.

'Green!'

Emir's case was even better.

Due to the mutation unlock, his neural network was upgraded.

So he not only had the ability of a talented NetWeaver, but he also had learned how to surf the

network.

'Black!'

And that was the only path he could think of to save Ragnar.

He thanked the stars that his past self had decided to learn all about NetWeavers after dealing

with the whole camera fiasco.

'Let's begin.'

With a simple command from his neural network, his augmented suit created two sets of

wires that spurted out of his chest.

'Dark green!' One set consisted of two cables that terminated in soft patches.

Emir carefully affixed these patches to the back of his neck, connecting them directly to his

cranial nerves.

This physical integration caused his augmented suit to completely merge with his neural

network.

'I'm a genius!'

With a practiced hand, he then connected the second set of wires to the relic around his finger.

'NeuroLink Activate.'

Emir initiated the process, accessing the programs he had stored in his nanobots.

The command was sent, and then everything turned black.

...

Emir opened his eyes.

His body, an icon, was now concealed beneath a trench coat, a flowing robe, and a mask, akin

to the attire he rarely wore in the real world.

His surroundings flickered with gray-white static for a brief moment.

Then, in the span of a heartbeat, he experienced a disorienting sensation-a sickening feeling

of falling—as he descended into the digital realm.

Emir's icon paused just above the ground and surged forward.

It hurtled through this complex world, where shifting neon passed by him in a blink.

Spinning green lines and grids also dotted the space all around him.

He was now in a zone of 'Low Resistance,' and his connection speed was high, so his body

moved almost as it was experiencing fast travel.

Then he suddenly stopped, just before a massive neon sign that read:

{Welcome to the UEF Academy A-11 network.}

All of these representations that Emir experienced in the last few seconds were the handiwork

of meticulously crafted net reality programs.

CyberNex were their authors.

'So this is what she meant, huh.'

Emir let out a sigh...

Still not used to the feeling of being in a network.

His body felt sluggish.

Even though his connection speed was hundreds of exabytes per second.

It still couldn't perfectly handle the senses of a Seraphim.

One needed to 'Deep Dive' for that perfect experience.

Higher-ranking Celestials were a different breed altogether, so holding them to mortal

standards was a problem most had to let go of.

After a few moments had passed Emir had already adjusted to his new environment.

'Let's see here...'

And now that he was ready, he accessed a program he had stored in his nanobots.

With a command from his neural network, the program ran.

A sudden glow of pulsating red showed itself in the distance, like a beam in the night sky.

'There you are.'