"Ugh, where in the world is this?" Aectaeon grumbled as he felt every muscle in his body aching.
Soon, he began to gain awareness of his surroundings. He slowly opened his eyes, only to be welcomed by the darkness. The sun was just peeking through the horizon, letting the night depart on its leisure.
Judging by the smell of his surroundings, Aectaeon realized that he was inside a sort of barn. With the sweet wooden aroma of hay, the freshness of grass covered with morning dews, and the musky smell of dirt, Aectaeon couldn't be any more relaxed to be with nature.
He was now sentient that he was lying on a stack of hay. If only he could stay that way for long, he would. However, a panel appeared all of a sudden to break his repose. Clicking his tongue, Aectaeon read what the system had in store for him.
[[ Initiating Time Synchronization with the Obelisk ]]
[[ 10% ]]
[[ 39% ]]
[[ 56% ]]
[[ 89% ]]
[[ 100% ]]
[[ Synchronization Complete ]]
[[ In-world Time: 05:15 Ante Meridiem ]]
"This early, huh. Good, I function better in the mornings." Aectaeon uttered as he rose from his position.
He removed the pieces of hay that stuck to his hair. Then, he sighed heavily as he just noticed that some were prickling his shirt and trousers. Once he was done with his hair, he moved on to tidy his clothes.
[[ Player Profile ]]
[[ Name: Aectaeon Schever Foester ]]
[[ Pseudonym: Igor Vali ]]
[[ Physical Age: 19 Earth Years Old ]]
[[ Height: 193 centimeters; Weight: 86 kilograms ]]
[[ Transmigration Count: 2 ]]
[[ Clock Pocket Time Remainder: 00 D ; 00 H ; 00 M ; 00 S ]]
[[ Would you like to view your progress? ]]
[[ Yes ]] [[ No ]]
Aectaeon wanted to question the system since he had no progress to his knowledge. He refrained in the end. There was no use in questioning a system that wouldn't respond to him. He just went on and tapped on [[ No ]].
'The information that I need is regarding that Clock Pocket. Luluwa didn't say anything about it.'
[[ You have received a message ]]
[[ Would you like to view the message? ]]
[[ Yes ]] [[ No ]]
"A message? This early on? Did the game already start?"
Aectaeon had so many queries to ask. Though ultimately, he decided to tap on the 'Yes' icon.
"It might be something important. I don't know anything about where I was sent to. This message better explain everything to me."
Contrary to his wishes, what Aectaeon received was far beyond just a detailed explanation.
[[ Sender: The Guides ]]
[[ Subject: The Guides' Favour ]]
[[ Message: As a reward for your earlier achievement, the Guides had bestowed you a gift. ]]
[[ Would you like to accept the gift? ]]
[[ Yes ]] [[ No ]]
"What the--" Aectaeon muttered, taken aback by the quick emergence of the 'Yes or No' icons. "Aren't you even going to explain what that gift is? What if that gift is a curse in disguise?!"
Aectaeon deliberated whether to accept the gift or not. He didn't want to risk his safety by accepting something that he didn't know would be of danger to him or not. At that point in his life, everything ought to be suspicious to him.
Before he could finish thinking, another panel appeared over the existing one.
[[ 00 D ; 00 H ; 13 M ; 45 S ]]
"What's this? Another countdown?"
He tried to tap on the panel containing the countdown. And to his surprise, a smaller panel came into being beside it.
[[ Info: Countdown before the game starts ]]
"Oh, there's that countdown. I almost forgot that I was in a game world." Aectaeon then shook his head in order to get a grip on his situation.
"Alright, I'll just accept. If this gift is something that will make things harder for me, then I'll just suffer. No way around it. Who said I'm not already suffering?"
Thereafter, he put his finger on top of 'Yes' without a sliver of hesitation.
[[ Congratulations! ]]
[[ You have received 'Amoris Versatilis' ]]
[[ Ability Grade: Ungraded ]]
[[ Description: ??? ]]
[[ Efficiency: 0/35 ]]
Rather than feeling blessed for gaining an ability, Aectaeon was a tad disappointed. The furrow on his brows grew deeper.
"What is the use of an ability that I have no idea how to use?!" He screamed in a subdued manner as he stomped his foot on the ground.
Right then, he felt the coldness of the dirt he had stepped on. Aectaeon just noticed that he was barefoot and his feet were now covered with moistened dirt, much to his frustration.
"Calm down, Aectaeon. Calm down. This is just a test, okay? It's just a test so don't be upset."
It was in times like this that he missed the presence of his mother. Aectaeon was undoubtedly a mother's boy, and she was the only woman who could make him see the beauty of life during difficult moments.
To give justice to his mother's principles, Aectaeon had to be able to remain calm in the midst of his trials. It was his goal to return to his mother's side no matter how much he had to endure.
Aectaeon let out the longest breath he had ever exhaled. He then inhaled as much air as he could to keep his brain and body working. For a good minute, Aectaeon repeated those two processes until he was finally at the calmest state he could embody.
His eyes went first to the countdown.
[[ 00 D ; 00 H ; 11 M ; 56 S ]]
"I still have time."
Thereafter, he tapped on the word 'Efficiency' on the panel. Just as he expected, there was a piece of information that came with it.
[[ Info: Gain 1 point every time you use the ability ]]
Aectaeon went for the 'Description' next.
[[ Info: Complete the first level of the Efficiency to view Description ]]
"Hmm, since this is only the first world, I don't think I will be needing an additional ability. I'll try to search more about this once I'm back at the Obelisk. It might be connected to the achievement that the system is talking about."
Dismissing his curiosity, Aectaeon tapped on the empty space within the ability panel and it vanished in the blink of an eye. The man went on to survey his surroundings once more.
The barn had nothing but mountains upon mountains of hay stored in it. He figured that the wooden walls were on the verge of collapsing by virtue of how rotten they looked.
"This has not been taken care of. Well, I won't be able to determine what kind of game this is based on this place alone. Maybe I should go out and check before the game st--"
Before he could even finish his sentence, Aectaeon sensed something brushed the tip of his right ear. In the ensuing second, he could feel something wet dripping down his auricle. Slowly, he raised his hand and let his finger touch his earlobe.
As he brought his hand down to take a look, Aectaeon immediately recognized what was on his finger. It was the familiar shade of red that would otherwise be not bothersome to see if not for his current circumstances.
In the coming moment, a booming voice resounded from the outside, sending his mind into a panic.
"FIRE!"