OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 231: Stareoff

"I don't vibe with that fucker bossman."

"You mean Jake?"

Jamal smacked his hand down on the steering wheel.

"Yeah, light-skinned dudes are weird ass creatures, I tell you!"

"Hoh, and why is that?"

"Can't you see it?"

Emir lightly punched the guy in the shoulder.

"Just say it already!"

"Aight, aight, so those light skins, yeah?...They walk all sexy like and shit, and in every picture he's in with me, the bastard looks incredible!"

"....."

The bossman stared blankly at the weird family members of his.

"What? I'm right! How can he look good from every angle? It's unnatural; he's a monster, I tell you!"

Jamal, who was met with silence, lowered his head, avoiding his boss's gaze.

"...Don't look at me like that, boss; you know I can't handle it."

Emir chuckled.

"Sorry for being too scary, mate."

Though he was right in that Jake got more handsome...

All Celestials had their looks improved after each rank up.

So it was only natural.

'Heh...'

The mood was awkward for a moment, but Jamal's attitude returned, and his nonstop talking filled the car once again.

Prince had almost reached his destination, and he was only a few minutes away.

What surrounded them was the usual mud and scattered rock of the wasteland.

Yet there was a difference.

The location they passed in the distance had dunes as big as mountains.

They reached the sky, blocking out the sun's rays.

Brief periods of strong winds came at them with each interval away from the mountains'

cover.

However, Jamal kept that to a minimum.

He chose the best paths on the route he picked and made sure to drive as smoothly as possible, using his neural network to command the vehicle.

Then, a minute later, they had finally arrived at their destination.

"See you, and don't be late for 'it.""

"You know I won't boss man!"

...

A-11 Second Pick-Up Point

Emir sat by his lonesome, his back leaning on a shop behind him.

Bzzzzz.

There were tens of other Celestials next to him.

Many had already formed groups and were discussing the test.

"So, you guys think that they'll send us to a ruin?"

"Nah, it's the academy, lad! They're better than that!"

Bzzzzz.

"That's true, but you should stop being a downer, man!"

"Yeah, you're shutting down everything without adding shit!"

'It's 'cause you're all dumbasses.'

Emir stopped listening in and returned his focus to cultivating his Strength Art and Aether.

He didn't bother with forming groups, as he already knew what they were up against.

Bzzzzz.

His closed eyes remained low, anticipating the arrival of their transport bus.

Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz.

'Ten seconds left.'

Bzzzzz.

This annoying sound came from the people who were begging for his attention.

But he kept ignoring them.

'Them' being the drones that hovered above him, sending a live recording to the Elite.

The sound they made was barely audible, but he was no mortal...

And with the Sensory Enhancement, his hearing was better than most Seraphims.

So he was annoyed, to say the least.

Emir had a deep-rooted desire to flip them off, but he held it in.

It would be better to do it later.

And soon he opened his eyes to stare at the expansive wasteland.

He could see a bus coming in from a distance, kicking up a storm of dust behind it.

Emir thought of it as a 'bus' but it looked nothing like one.

It was massive, with a width of approximately eight meters, a height of ten, and a length of at

least thirty-five meters.

Many weapons were attached atop it, and i even had a spearhead-like front.

"Wow, they're pulling out all the stops, huh."

A man commented from his right, likely wanting him to react but Emir didn't even bother

looking at him and stood up.

He walked a few steps forward and joined the queue that began to form.

Multiple other transport buses arrived, so more hunters began to queue up as well, each for

their respective job requests.

But the usual loud screaming wasn't present.

The hunters all looked nervously at Emir's side of the pickup point.

Not just them; even the officials were quieter than usual.

Something that Emir was thankful for.

Screech!

The bus slowed to a stop, and a young man stepped to the front of the queue.

He looked to be no older than twenty, but that was the case with most talented individuals, as

they ranked up quickly, gaining them the advantage of beautiful skin.

Emir was the same, though no matter how handsome he got, his scariness still far outweighed

that.

"Men, women, and cyborgs! Allow me to welcome you before the principal."

The young man spoke excitedly, his tone confident.

"Most of you today will go back home empty handed but don't let that deter you!"

"You might not be up to..."

Emir stopped listening.

His mind skipped through the process, and he had already found himself on the bus.

There were two entry points, one in the back and another in the front.

He entered through the front.

This was important to point out, as he was late to enter...

Emir accidentally turned off his brain for too long.

Now the seats that dotted each side were all taken, except one that remained in the middle.

He had walked forward until the seat he approached was also neared by another candidate. They stood there, facing each other like a scene from an ancient Western showdown. Emir's and the man's gazes remained fixed on each other for a while as they both scrutinized

one another.

The man had short, wild brown hair that contrasted with his sharp, icy blue eyes.

His build was lean and fit, though not overly muscular, and his exposed arms and neck were adorned with an array of tattoos.

He sported a pair of dark sunglasses atop his head.

A distinguishing feature of this candidate was the long beard flowing to the base of his neck.

'Think...'

The two men's eyes remained trained on each other, a silent stareoff that seemed to last for

an eternity.

Finally, it was Emir who decided to make his move.

He stepped next to an older-looking man, standing a few feet away from the seat.

"Excuse me, Sir. That seat over there is open."

Emir appeared to be giving up the seat and giving it to the elder instead....

Or so the man would think, causing him to take a few steps back.

'He will decline the offer.'

"Ah-That's alright. I'm only here to watch over you, youngins."

As Emir thought...

Based on how the elderly man carried himself, he was not a test attendee but a supervisor

instead.

It wasn't only that, however, as he knew the elderly man's secret.

But he would save that for later.

With quiet steps, Emir sat on the seat and looked at the man, who gazed at him with wide

eyes.

He then relaxed his back and folded his hands over each other.

Undeniable Victory!

Emir, who was all smug, soon heard the man scoff and approach him with an amused

countenance.

"I'm called Ragnar, Seraphim Champion, and you are someone I definitely would like to

befriend."

'.... Why not?'

"Emir, Seraphim Champion."

The man then proceeded to sit on the ground in a lotus position right in front of Emir.

"You ignored me before, you know."

Emir closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember.

"Oh," he breathed.

As his eyes fluttered open, a sneer left his mouth.

"Why would I reply to such a cliché comment? Do better next time."

"So there's a next time; that's good."

'... What? Is he gay, or-'

"No, you dipshit!! I don't fucking swing that way!"

Ragnar easily saw through Emir's thoughts, as he panically shut him down.

"Don't mind, mate. I don't care, but just don't stick to me, I-"

"I'm not lying!" Seeing how desperate Ragnar was, Emir stopped his teasing and relented with a chuckle.

"Just a joke, son; don't get all fussy about it."

Ragnar shook his head and joined Emir in his laughter.

The two began to hit it off, talking about this or that.

Their conversations were as random as they came, but they appeared to enjoy it more that

way.

Emir didn't wish to talk about the test like the rest, so he liked Ragnar's company.

'An unusual fellow...'

That was how he would describe Ragnar based on his interactions with him so far.

But that was a good thing.

Emir attracted those types, as he too was unusual.

Not only that, it also improved Ragnar's chances of passing the test, since professors needed

to be unique as well.

It was one of the main criteria that Elite judged the candidates by.

Even though professors were a dying breed or at least the good ones, those Elite still wanted

to be entertained.

There weren't many eligible candidates because most of them died fighting on the front lines

as they were still needed.

Everyone was.

The few that were alive didn't have much battle experience, as they were mainly cultivating in

the comfort of their homes, away from all the blood and grime.

This was the main reason why many professors were ranked lower than expected, as they

either had less-than-ideal methods of ranking up or were simply killed in the line of duty.

So although Emir lumped everything into just 'entertainment,' he knew that wasn't really the entire story. Because while ranks could be improved, personality, ability, talent, and potential couldn't. And that was what the Elite wanted.