OLD-WORLD EXTRA

58  Cultivation And as soon as Emir did that, a searing pain shot through his body like nothing he had ever felt before.

It was as if every nerve ending in his body was on fire, and he screamed in agony as he fell to the ground.

He could feel the nanobots starting to work their magic, tearing apart his muscles and organs from the inside out.

His muscles contracted and spasmed involuntarily, causing Emir to thrash around in agony.

It was like nothing he had ever experienced before.

The pain was unbearable, and he writhed on the ground for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes.

Soon after he felt his body slowly starting to heal itself, the nanobots knitting his torn muscles back together, but the pain only intensified as they did so.

He tried to command the nanobots to stop, but it was like trying to control a raging inferno with a bucket of water.

They continued to work as if millions of tiny creatures were crawling through his veins, consuming everything in their path, destroying and rebuilding his body over and over again, each time compressing and strengthening his muscles and tissues.

Emir thought that he might pass out from the pain.

But somehow he managed to hold on, enduring the agony until it finally subsided.

When he finally stood up, his body felt slightly different, stronger, and more resilient than ever before.

[Hey Lyra, can you show me my system screen?]

[Relax for a few minutes, it won't take long.] She answered as Emir sat in a lotus position.

Minutes later, a familiar screen appeared in front of him.

…

{Name: Emir Oliver}

{Age: 13}

{Hunter Rank:8}

{Credit Balance: 61,799,000 Union Credits}

⟨ Stats ⟩

{Strength: D+ -> C+} (Avg E)

{Agility: C- -> C} (Avg E)

{Endurance: C -> C+} (Avg F)

{Mind: A} (Avg F)

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

⟨Skills⟩

{Close Quarter Combat: Advanced, 50% Proficiency.}

{Marksmanship: Advanced, 35% Proficiency.}

⟨Abilities⟩

{Time Sensory Dilation}

Slows down user's perception of time, every second is slowed down to 0.3 seconds.

Current Total Use Limit: 1 Minute 20 seconds.

Mental Energy Recharge Time: 9 Minutes 10 seconds.

Energy recharge rate: 0.0018 units per second.

{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.

The user can perceive the world in greater detail, such as seeing objects from farther away, hearing sounds that are too quiet for normal humans, and detecting subtle scents and flavors.

The degree of enhancement can be controlled by the user, allowing them to focus on specific senses or enhance them all at once.

The ability can be physically taxing, and overuse can cause temporary sensory overload or even damage to the user's senses.

⟨Art⟩

{Strength Cultivation}

The user cultivates strength by slowly reconstructing and compressing their body.

Current Cultivation Rank: Copper

⟨Equipment⟩

{HX-10 Assault Rifle: Peak Maintenance}

{Thunderbolt X1 Rail gun: Peak Maintenance}

{Helix Mk IV C-Class Augmented Suit: Functional}

{Chrono-Sense D-Class Augmented suit: Functional, not in use.}

{Makeshift Hunting knife: Standard issue, not in use.}

{Electric Knife: Standard Issue}

{Twin Dagger: Old-World Relic}

{Terminal: Standard Issue}

{Information Gathering Device: C-Rank Item}

{Rucksack: Functional}

⟨Inventory⟩

{Rank-E Old-world Medicine: 8 Boxes]

{Low level energy packs (x9): Functional.}

* Average stats compared to people of users' current age.

* Strength Cultivation ability doesn't relate to base strength.

* The level of skill goes from novice, beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert, master.

* The cultivation ranks are, Copper, Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Osmium, Diamond.

As Emir looked at his system screen, he felt a great sense of accomplishment.

'A+ charm, I am handsome indeed, and I also got much stronger, not bad, not bad at all.'

The idea of cultivation was still foreign to him, but he couldn't deny the results it had brought.

'Lyra really called it cultivation, though,' he chuckled to himself.

'Anyway, it seems that mastering this art will take me many years. But judging by how the ranks are named, I can safely say that it's worth it.'

Sitting back on the ground in a lotus position, he closed his eyes, focused on his breathing, took deep breaths, and prepared himself to begin his cultivation practice.

He inhaled slowly and exhaled even slower, allowing his mind to clear and his body to relax.

With each inhale and exhale, he felt a sense of calm energy flow through him.

A sense of tranquility washed over him, clearing his mind of all thoughts.

He began to channel his energy into his body, focusing on his muscles and tissues, and he knew it was time to start.

Emir felt the energy building inside him.

It was like a coiled spring waiting to be unleashed.

With each breath he took, he felt the energy grow stronger, pulsating through his body like a living thing.

At first, he felt nothing but that energy.

It was as if his body was resisting the change that it might bring, rejecting it.

But slowly, he felt a shift.

The same process began, and the nanobot crawled through his veins, consuming everything in their path and rebuilding his body over and over again.

But this time, the pain was bearable, and he could feel his muscles contracting and relaxing with each breath he took.

Emir couldn't help but wonder if the reason he had experienced such excruciating pain during his last cultivation session was that he had just entered the Copper rank.

'Maybe every time I would enter a new rank, the pain would be even worse.'

He shuddered at the thought, knowing that if that were the case, it would be a long and painful road ahead.

He knew that the process was working, that his body was being transformed from the inside out.

As the minutes turned into hours, he could feel his strength growing.

It was slow—painfully slow—but he could feel it nonetheless.

And with that realization, Emir knew it would take him months, if not more, just to enter the next rank, which was Iron.

It was an intense experience, one that he couldn't fully describe with words.

The workings of the nanobots were beyond his complete comprehension, as they rebuilt his inner body in ways that were unfathomable to him.

But as he continued to cultivate, he felt a sense of connection to his body that he had never experienced before.

Emir imagined his muscles tearing and rebuilding themselves, becoming denser and more resilient with each passing moment.

It was as if he was finally learning how to control his own inner workings, to direct his body in ways he couldn't before, and to shape his own destiny.

He continued to immerse himself in the cultivation process and lost all sense of time.

It was as if he had entered a trance-like state where nothing else mattered but cultivation.

However, Emir was brought back to reality when he heard Lyra's voice.

[I think it's about time for you to get back to work.]

He replied seconds after composing himself.

[Yeah, my bad, I was too immersed in it.]

'I guess it's time for me to call up on mom.'

He stood back up and sat on the bed, pulling out his terminal.

Emir waited while the terminal rang for Laura to reply, and seconds later she did.

"Hey, it's finally time for you to call, you've just been sending messages for the last few days." Her voice crackled through the terminal, sounding relieved.

"Sorry about that, I was in a precarious situation, you see, but it's all sorted now. I just need to take care of a few loose ends, then I'll head back home."

During his ordeal, he let Lyra take control of his terminal to send daily updates to his mother.

He didn't want to worry her, so he made sure that she was sent an update every day.

"I know it's not right to celebrate someone's death, but good job, Emir. Please just come back home safe, okay? Oh, and Lily says hi."

"Anyway, I don't want to take any more of your time, I know that you're busy. So, take care, we miss you."

"I will. I miss you guys too. Bubye," he said, ending the call.

Putting his terminal back into his pocket, he asked.

[Hey Lyra, we got the coordinates for the hidden ruin entrances from Black Widow's terminal, right?]

[Yes, however, it is only for two UEF-owned ruins, are you planning to give these up to the association?]

[Yeah, it'll be easy money. Anyway, after cultivating, I feel like I slept for days, so I don't need any rest. Let's head straight to the Steel Rats gang and get this over with.]

'I can't deal with the Rattlers just yet, I would need better gear for that.'

[Understood, commencing tracking, location marked, setting destination.] She replied as her hologram appeared in front of him.

While she was processing the location, Emir checked his HX-10 assault rifle and Thunderbolt X1 rail gun.

He made sure all magazines were fully loaded and fitted them into his rucksack.

And while he added the new magazines he had acquired from the Night Raiders, he mused to himself, 'Proving useful even in death, I'm very grateful, dear Raven.'

Welcome back the system everyone.