OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 512: The Prince’s Test II

Just as Sofia was preparing herself mentally, Emir entered the classroom.

He was right on time, as always, like he'd timed his entrance to interrupt the most frantic part of everyone's pre-exam panic.

Emir looked as relaxed as ever, like he was stepping in for an afternoon coffee instead of about to drop a bomb on a roomful of anxious students.

"Morning."

He glanced around the room, his gaze lingering just a bit longer on the more nervous faces. "Everyone ready for this?"

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"..."

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"..."

No one dared answer.

The class practically held its breath.

They were not only feeling completely unprepared but also most of them weren't brave enough to speak, afraid that the other students might jump them.

"Alright then."

Emir smirked as if he'd expected as much.

With a soft gesture, he turned on the large holoscreen to the left of his podium.

It lit up, showing a familiar image, an art piece of lines.

The students remained silent, staring up at the hologram, their eyes tracing the swirling web of pathways.

For an extremely long moment, it looked like something entirely new and they had no idea what exactly they were looking at.

But then, after a little while, they began to pick up on the similarities.

The first of them was Sofia, her eyes narrowing.

She was sure that she had seen that design before... but what was it?

"Wait... that's-"

She muttered, just as another student whispered the same realization.

"It's Aetheric Blades."

"It's Aetheric Blades."

The other student was Junior, sounding half-impressed, half-horrified.

Only then, when their words echoed, did everyone else in the class pick up on it, now noticing the similarities that were hidden behind the chaos.

"Good eye."

Emir nodded.

"It's the ability you all know, or think you know. What you're looking at, though, is a more complex Path for the same ability. You'll notice a 'few' added twists, some... folds."

Max gave him an exacerbated look, eyebrow raised.

"That? Few turns? Yeah right."

Ignoring him, Emir continued:

"Your job is simple."

He grinned, clearly enjoying the anticipation building in the room.

"Replicate this Path as best you can. The closer you get to my version, the better your score. And don't worry if it feels impossible-that's the point."

"Of course it is~."

Ava mumbled, just loud enough for a few around her to chuckle.

"When's the deadline?"

Quinn asked and Emir nodded.

"Ten days. I'd recommend submitting early if you feel like you've hit your limit. There'll be a few extra marks for anyone who turns it in ahead of time."

Elijah tilted his head, looking slightly confused.

"So... that's it? Just do our best to copy it?"

"Yes... But remember-there's a difference between just copying and understanding. The more you understand, the closer your work will get to the ruined ability path. Make it your own instead of just mimicking it."

In response to his answer, the classroom began to fill with murmurs, and a heavy pressure settled over the students.

"Is he serious?"

"He has to be joking."

"No way, right?"

Similar questions spread in the class.

The deadline simply terrified them.

Ten days... ten full days where they could work on it all they liked, and use whatever method they found comfortable.

There had to be a reason for that, and it was obvious for all of them to see.

Emir had given them something nearly impossible.

Just how hard was it to do when the best students in the class were estimated to need ten

days?

Could they, the regular students, even attempt it?

They didn't know, and some didn't even want to know, preferring to leave their suffering for

later.

Ava leaned over to Aria, who was furiously writing down notes on her terminal.

"This is just... insane. He's basically asking us to become mini versions of him."

Aria looked up at her.

"Honestly, isn't that the point? He's just trying to see who can keep up."

"I know~! But still..."

Emir, done hearing the murmurs and complaints, crossed his arms and gave them all a wry

look.

"If you're done freaking out. I'd suggest you start figuring out where to start."

Sofia raised her hand, unable to hold back her question.

"Is it really possible to get it exactly like yours?"

Emir shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not. But the point isn't to replicate it perfectly. It's to push how far you can control and shape Aether. Pathing is about understanding the flow and making it your own. Some of you won't get close. Some of you might surprise yourselves."

Max, leaning back on his chair, scoffed loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"Great. So we're all being kicked into the deep end with weights on."

Emir's smirk widened.

"Exactly. But look on the bright side-by the end of this, none of you will drown... probably."

There was a ripple of laughter, but it was nervous.

Elijah spoke up next.

"Is it really possible to finish early?"

"No."

Emir replied simply.

"It's just some extra points for the ones that know when to quit. Just don't half-ass it. I'd

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rather see you struggle for ten days than slap some crap together in two."

Junior exchanged a look with Elijah, both of them nodding.

They knew this was going to be intense.

Emir looked around, seeing their faces, enjoying the range of emotions he could inflict.

"Alright, any other questions? Complaints? Creative excuses?"

Surprisingly, a student who hadn't asked Emir anything in the past two months had finally

raised his hand, a question seemingly on his tongue.

Emir looked at him... at Arthur, with a raised brow, then gestured for him to speak.

"...Tips. Can you give us any more?"

Emir paused, thinking.

"Fine. Here's one."

He leaned against his desk, looking relaxed, almost bored, but his eyes were sharp.

"As I'm sure you know by now, efficiency is everything in Path Optimization... but this? It's the opposite. Think about the flow of your Aether from point A to point B and imagine every possible way you can sabotage that path. Every twist, every subtle shift. The worse it flows, the better the result."

He stared at Arthur for a short moment, then his inky eyes blinked, and he looked away.

"I have nothing more to add, so I'll take my leave."

As Emir started to walk towards the door, Aria stood up and quickly called out:

"W-Wait, so that's it? You're just going to leave?"

Turning around, he looked at her with a smirk.

"This is a test, isn't it? You'll learn more trying to work it out yourselves."

He paused at the doorway.

"Good luck, I'm sure you'll need it. I'll be looking forward to seeing who can get closest.

Impress me."

With that, Emir turned and strolled out, leaving them all staring at the holoscreen, the

twisted, complex lines of Aetheric Blade staring right back at them.

Max let out a low whistle.

"Well. Guess we better get started."