OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 495 Hospital Visit

495 Hospital Visit

As Emir closed the door behind him and entered the bathroom, Lyra crossed her arms and leaned back against the bed's headboard.

"I just hope we're ready for what's coming. If... if this was Iron, I can't imagine what the next rank's going to feel like."

Meanwhile, the man behind her worry was relaxed, seemingly carefree as he stood under the shower, washing off the blood painting his skin. His well-shaped muscles flexed and relaxed as he repeatedly rubbed every part of his body, covering himself in foamy soap.

Yet even through that, one could see an obvious change in his physique. Emir undoubtedly was a muscle-bound man, not to the level of drug-abusing bodybuilders, but a few levels under. It was a body that was both extremely muscular and agile, a perfect mix of both.

But now, his muscles had compressed even further than they already were, giving his body a slightly tighter frame. His abs, which could previously cut steel, could now cut diamonds. Literally.

Instead of appearing less threatening, it was the opposite; now his muscles were bursting with strength, even when relaxed.

It was as if his entire body was becoming a weapon.

And his status screen showed that.

— {Name: Emir Oliver}

{Body Age: 15}

{Profession: Professor}

{Celestial Class: Ethereal Threader}

{Celestial Essence: Weaver's Grasp}

{Path: Puppeteer.}

{Credit Balance: 430 Valora}

⟨ Stats ⟩

{Strength: 14,510 -> 20,390} (Avg B+)

{Agility: 12,860 -> 18,640} (Avg B)

{Endurance: 17,230 -> 21,520} (Avg B+)

{Mind: SS -> SS+} (Avg C+)

{Charm: A -> A+} (Avg C+)

{Overall Augmented Strength Level: E10}

⟨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.}

⟨Embodiment Method⟩

{Puppeteer: Someone who tries to be in control. Someone who weaves people and events into place with their threads. Someone with a Flaw. If one of their strings gets cut loose or if their puppets are positioned incorrectly, they experience backlash, depending on the severity of the mistake.}

⟨Skills⟩

{Close Quarter Combat: Inept Expert, 0% Proficiency.}

{Marksmanship: Advanced, 99% Proficiency.}

⟨Specialized Skills⟩

{Quick Draw: 5% 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: 21 Minutes 10 seconds.

Mental Energy Recharge Time: 4 Minutes 15 seconds.

Energy recharge rate: 4.18 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.} ⭐

Emir smirked, holding up his arm.

"And here I thought you'd be out of here already."

Aquila let out a chuckle, though it quickly turned into a wince as he clutched his chest, just above his second heart.

"Yeah, well, not everyone's got that insane recovery rate you seem to have. One minute you're getting your arm torn off, and the next, you're back in action looking like nothing happened."

He shook his head in disbelief.

"Meanwhile, I'm still here, probably fucking staying for a few more days."

Emir settled into the chair beside Aquila's bed.

"Too bad~... now tell me what's up."

09:50

"The other guys have been busy holding everything together; even the German and Russian bastards picked up the slack."

Emir chuckled.

"I can imagine why."

Aquila nodded, leaning back on his pillow.

"Yeah. Solid guys, but damn, they're high-maintenance. You've seen the bastards; they barely break a sweat in the field, right? But now they don't go one hour without calling me."

He threw away his terminal.

"Especially Kremlin. Sometimes he makes believe that he's actually retarded. He's got this insane superstition about drinking a glass of some ancient, radiated whiskey after a fight. Claims it was his first relic."

Emir snickered.

"That's rich; you'd think someone his rank would've moved on from victory charms by now."

"Right? But hey, it seems to work for him."

Aquila adjusted himself, wincing slightly as he shifted his injured side, then continued:

"Then there's Phoenix... She's got her group running on precision drills twenty-four-seven. Apparently, she's been doubling down since... well, you know."

He paused, eyes downcast for a moment.

"Maharajah's death." Aquila thanked him with a gesture.

"Yeah. His death really shook things up, especially for her."

Emir's expression turned serious.

"How bad we talking?"

"Terribly bad. She's acting like she's got this under control, but she's not the same, not even close—can't even go five minutes without pushing some idea that would've saved his life."

Aquila sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Thing is, Maharajah... He was one of the good ones. You know the type. Sadly for us, that doubles the guilt Phoenix feels."

Emir nodded, not offering any words of comfort.

This wasn't his place to speak, nor did he care enough to do so in the first place. They both knew that, as he didn't even bother asking to attend the man's funeral.

"Funny thing is..."

Aquila glanced at him, a bit of humor returning to his voice.

"Even Kalahari's feeling it. She'd never admit it, but I think she's softened up on her group just a tad—she knows this is hitting everyone hard, even if she'd rather drop dead than say it out loud."

Emir raised a brow.

"Kalahari? Softening up? That sadistic bitch? Now that's newsworthy."

"I know, right?"

Aquila laughed, and Emir joined him.

"She'll go right back to her normal shtick as soon as she thinks everyone's back on their feet, I guarantee it. For now, though, it's like she's biting her tongue on every little screw-up."

They both shared a quiet moment, the laughter fading.

"Oh..."

Aquila uttered uncountably, his face growing more serious.

"And speaking of Maharajah... the one who killed him—Judas."

He looked at Emir with eyes that spoke of nothing but death.

"That bastard... he was a professor too, wasn't he?"