Not a single word came out of Aectaeon's mouth thereafter, much to the bewilderment of the soldiers looking at him. The Commander raised an eyebrow at his demeanor.
"I thought he's going to start making excuses." He muttered, "I have no time for this."
The Commander paid the other soldiers a glance, checking if they were done collecting all the documents in his office. He then sighed as he looked at the two soldiers beside Aectaeon.
"We're done here. Take him." The Commander turned around. Glaring at Aectaeon one last time, he said, "Make sure that he confe--"
Right at that moment, everything stopped.
People's hearts refused to beat. Their breathing also went to a still. Even the raging fire ceased moving as if it was nothing but a mere picture. The birds from the far distance halted mid-air, almost as if they were kept afloat with the use of strings.
In the blink of an eye thereafter, the surroundings were robbed of their color. There only remained the shades of grey, turning the world subfusc.
A set of letters -- one by one -- appeared across the heavens. The light they emitted far surpasses the glaring rays of the once lively Sun.
[[[ SECRET OPS : OPERATION MEGALODON ]]]
[[[ GAME CLEAR ]]]
Aectaeon just stared at the sky, his gaze unfaltering despite the illumination. Judging by his body language, he didn't have any thoughts in his mind. The look of having had enough was plastered all over his face, and in no way was his heart not the same.
The man wasn't expecting a burst of fireworks or a thoroughly prepared celebration for his accomplishment. On the contrary, he had anticipated his return to the Obelisk immediately. That's what he wanted in the first place.
[[ Mission 'Complete the Title of the Current Game World' Accomplished ]]
[[ Do you want to receive the reward? ]]
[[ Yes ]] [[ No ]]
Aectaeon disregarded the system's messages at once. He let out a lungful of air, shutting his eyes tightly subsequently. His eyelids fluttered as he felt his burning tears. Thus, he took another deep breath to stop himself from weeping.
He lowered his head to look at the irregularity. Behind the smoke of the fire, he caught a glimpse of its face that perfectly displayed the agony it was feeling. Aectaeon's breath got caught up in his throat.
"If only…" He whispered, "If only you didn't have a face, like the barren ball of wood you first had, I wouldn't... "
The man bit his lip hard. He forbade himself from finishing his own words. Aectaeon was afraid that, if he said it out loud, his moral compass would make a complete turn.
All of a sudden, he had the urge to jump. It wasn't out of his desire to take his life, but to approach the irregularity as fast as he could. He wanted to question it, force it to take responsibility for its own death.
By good fortune, he managed to reign in his little urge.
Aectaeon put his hands on the floor as he slightly leaned back. He looked at the sky again, albeit with a smirk on his face. It gave the impression that he never once mulled about his situation.
"Secret Ops, Operation… Megalodon, I was right." He said, "The main focus of this game is about the player's struggle to fulfill their job as both a soldier and a spy. The main conflict was the upcoming war between the nations. The Union will start an operation, namely Operation Megalodon, against the Republic. Because of that, the player will be compelled to take another espionage job to help the Republic."
The man was simply reassessing his train of thought while playing the game. However, his countenance remained blank the entire time he was speaking.
The excitement that he felt when he saw the words 'Operation Megalodon' in the recollection could not be found. Even his voice was the model of impassivity.
"Clear, huh?"
Shortly, Aectaeon stood up. The moment he was on his feet, he tapped on the 'Yes' icon.
[[ Initiating Clock Pocket Activation ]]
Aectaeon suddenly felt an intense burning pain in his left hand. The muscles in his arm began cramping, akin to the sensation when someone was twisting it with all their might. He gritted his teeth, his forehead breaking out in a sweat.
He quickly took a look at his hand and saw the reemergence of the necklace with the watch pendant tattoo. The whole time he was playing the game, the tattoo never showed itself.
'Perchance, is this the Clock Pocket?' Aectaeon thought, grabbing his left wrist with his right hand to possibly numb the pain, 'Why now?'
Chain by chain, another link was being carved on Aectaeon's ring finger. Every finished chain drew a bit of the man's blood, appearing as if they were carved using the tip of a dagger. As the final chain to connect the link and the watch were being drawn, Aectaeon's agony peaked.
To his relief, the instant that it was done, the pain disappeared altogether.
Aectaeon could finally breathe. His grip also loosened, making him lower both of his hands.
[[ Clock Pocket Activated ]]
[[ Clock Pocket ]]
[[ Info ]]
[[ A: 1 Chain Link signifies 00 D ; 01 H ; 00 M ; 00 S ]]
[[ B: The Player can sacrifice 1 Chain Link to extend 'Return Countdown' ]]
[[ C: The Player is required to sacrifice 1 Chain Link for every 01 D ; 00 H ; 00 M ; 00 spent inside the Obelisk ]]
[[ D: If the Player has no reserve Chain Link, the 'Return Countdown' for their next world will have a deduction of 05 D ; 0 H ; 00 M ; 00 ]]
Though he was reading the messages, Aectaeon couldn't understand every single word. He just sank to the floor, forced to be on his knees. His eyes were shaking, and so were his hands.
[[ Amoris Versatilis Efficiency + 3 ]]
[[ 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: 01 D ; 06 H ; 00 M ; 00 S ]]
[[ Amoris Versatilis 1.4 ]]
[[ To View Particular Ability's Stats: recite 'Ability Name' + "Spicio" ]]
Before Aectaeon could even glance at the last panel, his surroundings were abruptly swallowed by a blinding light.