OLD-WORLD EXTRA

The group stepped cautiously into the shop, the automatic doors closing behind them with a quiet hiss.

Inside, the air was still, even thicker with dust, and the faint smell of something stale lingered.

Quinn adjusted the flashlight, sweeping it across the room, revealing rows of shelves and displays filled with various items from a bygone era.

Even to their inexperienced eyes, it was apparent that the Academy had maintained its hold over this ruin since its discovery.

Everything was in stock, and not a single item wasn't in its designated place, making it seem like this was an undiscovered ruin.

And they technically wouldn't be wrong in thinking that.

It was designed to be that way.

One of the tests that they would undergo down here besides survival was identifying which relic to take.

They didn't have unlimited inventory, each carrying a normal-sized rucksack, so the overseers would rate the decision-making of the students, measuring their greediness and levelheadedness.

Of course, that could only work when true gain was possible.

Amon knew that, so he had included real stakes in this test, giving them an incentive that was more than just digital points or a hidden leaderboard.

The relics could be sold for AUC.

Those credits that they begged the professors for could be given just like that.

All they had to do was find relics that were worth something. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

The professors in charge made sure to instill that in their minds before allowing them into the ruin.

They wanted an important answer to a very important question.

Would it be their downfall like the many hunters before them, or would they control themselves?

That had yet to be seen for this cohort.

If not for 'their' inevitable interference, this would have made for quite a unique test, but alas...

Fate always had its say.

The shop the cohort was in was large, with several aisles stretching deep into the shadows.

It appeared as if it had been abandoned suddenly, leaving everything untouched. Products were neatly arranged, almost too neatly, without a single imperfection, giving the whole place an eerie, preserved look.

Quinn moved forward, her footsteps muffled by the thick dust on the floor.

Aria and Junior followed closely behind, their excitement from earlier now replaced by a mix of curiosity and caution.

Elijah, as always, was calm, his eyes scanning the surroundings for anything that might pose a threat.

"Whoa..."

Junior whispered, reaching out to touch a packet on one of the shelves.

The packet was small and rectangular, with faded text on it that read {Compression Clothing- All Sizes.}

He turned it over in his hands, trying to make sense of what it was.

"What do you think this is?"

Quinn glanced at it, her interest piqued.

"I read about these. They're supposed to expand into full-sized outfits when activated."

Aria asked, peering over Junior's shoulder.

"Really?"

Junior grinned, holding up the packet like a prized find.

"That's alright. It's like carrying an entire wardrobe in your pocket... This has to be worth something, right?"

Elijah confirmed, reaching out to take the packet from Junior:

"Yep, but barely."

He turned it over in his hands, examining it closely.

"The clothes would expand once you open the packet and expose them to air. It was a common way to save space, especially for travelers or people living in cramped spaces."

Junior snorted, no longer impressed.

"Now that I think about it, this seems like a lot of work just to wear something. I prefer the augmented suits we have now."

Elijah placed the packet back on the shelf.

"Well, they had better technology than us, so they must've preferred this for some weird reason. Anyways, let's check the other side, these clothes aren't worth much."

At those words, they moved further into the shop and entered a section that appeared to have specialized in personal care products.

The shelves were lined with bottles and jars of various creams, lotions, and other beauty products, all sealed and untouched.

Quinn picked up a bottle of what she assumed was some kind of moisturizer, the label had faded but was still legible enough to read the words {Anti-aging formula.}

She looked at the back of it, and unfortunately, the thing had long since expired.

The rest were too, as every item they picked up was almost solid, jelly, or just extremely viscous.

That was a bad thing of course, as it was supposed to be liquid, indicating its unusable and most likely toxic state.

Next, they saw a small, handheld device with buttons and screens attached to a beam, with wires dangling from it.

Aria wiped the dust off to reveal the label on it: {Product Data Assistant.}

"What's this for?"

Elijah stepped closer, taking a look.

"Probably something to browse the items in this shop. I think this place is some sort of retail

store, so that makes sense. I doubt it works now though."

Aria nodded, setting it back down carefully.

The technology of the old world fascinated her.

While she wasn't a hidden gun nerd like Ava or a scientific 'trainaholic' like Sofia, she had an interest in unearthing hidden gems, sniffing out a good deal from the bad.

She couldn't help it.

It was due to the merchant blood in her veins, the Gold Leaf DNA, whether she liked it or not.

The constant nagging from her father played a part in that of course, but she wasn't going to acknowledge that.

Either way, there was something intriguing about these ancient devices, relics of a time when

the world was very different from the one she knew.

Aria wasn't the only one who had such feelings.

The other three in her cohort felt the same to varying degrees.

Though, two of them were more interested in the AUC reward than the relic itself.

They continued exploring and came across a row of clear, cylindrical containers filled with

what looked like food.

The labels were faded, but they could still make out words like {Nutri-Packs} and {Long-Life

Provisions.}

Quinn wrinkled her nose at the sight, remembering the food she had forced herself to eat

before her sponsor came along.

Aria asked, poking one of the containers with her finger:

"None of these are worth anything, right?"

Elijah shook his head, picking up another packet from the shelf, this one labeled {Self-

Heating Meal-Chicken and Rice.}

The packaging was worn, and there were small tears along the edges.

"Not really. The only way to profit from this is if we know the market."

She glanced at him.

"How so?"

He smirked.

"We just have to search for something that isn't made by Steller Solutions and sell it to them

for a nice stack of credits. Easy right?"

Chuckling, Junior took one for himself, checking its contents.

"Even if they're expired?"

Elijah nodded.

"Yeah, they just need the recipe."

Aria stepped back and they moved on, finding shelves lined with actual books, not the link

points they had in their Academy.

Their pages were yellowed and brittle, filled with information that had long since faded.

Behind them, which was the clothing section, they saw displays of shoes, now cracked and dry from age, their colors faded.

Like what was before it, none of the items seemed worth anything.

They started losing hope at finding anything good inside this store, thoughts of exploring the others emerging, but then, amidst the decay, they finally found something worth taking.

It was in the corner of the shop, a section filled with small, round devices that looked like tiny

orbs.

Each one had a small button on it, and when Quinn pressed it, a holographic screen appeared,

showing a menu of options.

Quinn guessed out loud while scrolling through the menu:

"Is this what holoscreens were back in the day?"

The options listed various old-world media, from movies to music.

The thought of what people used to do for fun back then remaining the same now made her

smile a little.

Elijah grabbed another, turning it around in his hand.

"Looks like it."

Junior asked, eyeing the orbs with interest.

"Do we take the whole stack back with us?"

"... Maybe half, keep our rucksacks light. Don't cumber yourself when you're only just

beginning."

"Roger boss~!"

The four of them dropped their rucksacks, put a few relics in, and then exited the shop after taking one last look to make sure nothing worthy of many credits was left behind.

As they walked, the ground beneath them vibrated slightly harsher than earlier, reminding them that something very wrong was going on somewhere in this ruin. They passed a few stores without any way in and stopped at another that had a gate.

It was unlike the last shop; instead of a glass door, this one looked like reinforced steel.

There were no holograms or glass displays, so they didn't know what kind of shop it was. Thankfully, the gate opened for them and they entered, eyes scanning for danger. Nothing was there with them.

Once they were sure of that, identifying no monsters or constructs, their eyes turned to the

relic.

Quinn stared at the closet item, a small rectangular screen the size of her hand.

"...A tech store?"

Aria joined her, picking up one of those devices.

"Do you think these still work?"

Quinn answered, her voice distant as she scanned the rest of the room:

"Probably not."

She wasn't as interested in old-world technology as the others.

It wouldn't be a lie to say that she hated all things metal, especially what was in her body.

Being reminded of that slightly dampened her mood, but she shook her head, snapping out of

it and focusing back up.

Junior, however, felt quite the opposite, enthralled by everything he saw.

He picked up a small device from one of the shelves, flipping it in his hands.

It was a black cube with small, almost unnoticeable vents underneath and a tiny circular

button on top, embedded into it.

The label on the shelf read, {Personal Assistant - Model XJ-42.}

Junior showed it to Elijah.

"Hm, think this was one of those old computers?"

Elijah took it and examined the back.

"Looks like it... It's definitely dead now, though. But the technology it has could be worth

something."

He began packing a few of them, and Junior did the same.

Meanwhile, Aria was already moving toward the back of the store, where a large display case

stood.

The glass was cloudy with age, but inside, she could see rows of neatly stacked items.

She wiped away some of the dust with her sleeves and peered inside.

Slowly, her eyes widened.

"Hey, guys, check this out!"