Aectaeon's neck stiffened as he felt the grip on his shoulder tightening.
'What does this person want with me? It hasn't been a day yet. It's not time for the system to consume yet.' The man thought, steeling himself for what was to come.
For a brief while, he stayed in that position without making a single move. Strangely enough, the person behind him followed suit. Because of that, Aectaeon had a hunch that he wouldn't die that day.
He let out a rough breath to get rid of his hesitancy. Thereafter, he finally spoke.
"What do you want with me?"
"Nothing,"
"Nothing?" Aectaeon asked in surprise, making him turn his head absentmindedly. "What do you mean by th--"
The man stopped speaking upon landing his eyes on the stone-hard build of the person behind him. He stumbled a couple of steps back, losing sight of the person in an instant.
To his relief, or maybe not, the stranger walked towards him and stopped just at the one-meter mark. Though he was still wary of the man, Aectaeon observed his appearance much more carefully this time.
Aectaeon was already 190 centimeters tall, so it was rare for him to see someone that towered over him completely. He had to crane his neck for a bit to see their face.
Wearing a black long-sleeve top that was fitted to his body, a pair of black combat trousers, and black boots, the stranger of a man looked as if he could blend with the surroundings of the 33rd floor. Even his short hair, slightly wavy and disheveled, was black.
On his face was the manliest of features that Aectaeon had ever seen -- a sharp jawline, a tall nose, straight lips, and hooded grey eyes. However, there were three scars that attracted his attention; a long gash that paralleled his left jawline; another that crossed the corner of his left eyebrow and eye; a round scar that was plastered on his right temple.
The stranger was bulky, but not in a way that made him look like a bodybuilder. His muscles were greatly defined, complimenting his tall figure. He was the perfect manifestation of an Adonis.
"Are you… a player?" Aectaeon queried to stop himself from envying the man's body.
Somehow, he felt inferior.
"Yes, I am one of the players. I sensed your presence from afar, so I tried to approach you."
Aectaeon smiled awkwardly and replied, "Oh, really?"
"By the way, what's your name?"
Upon hearing the question, Aectaeon knitted his eyebrows. Wariness was starting to rush to his face. He narrowed his eyes at the man and prepared to run away.
Seeing how Aectaeon suddenly went on alert, the man realized the meaning of what had just said. He quickly raised his hands in the air and uttered, "No, I'm not asking for your true name. Give me a name I can call you with."
Aectaeon didn't respond right away, trying to read the man's intentions through his eyes. Once he was certain that the man was saying the truth, he sighed.
"Igor Vali, that's my pseudonym. What's yours?"
"Ralkias, and I assume we're from different worlds. I have never encountered a person with the same smell as you."
Scrunching his nose, Aectaeon grabbed his collar and started smelling it. He tilted his head to the side when he smelled nothing. He looked back at the man with a curious gaze.
Ralkias knew what Aectaeon wanted to know, nodding before he spoke, "Each race has a unique scent to them. I have an ability to smell those."
"Ah, I see."
Thereafter, there was silence between the two. It was the first time that Aectaeon was speaking with a fellow player, hence he didn't know what to ask. It wasn't even in his plans to associate with the others.
The one who broke the silence was Ralkias who held his hand out to Aectaeon.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Igor Vali."
"Uh? Ah, yes, it's a pleasure to meet you too." Aectaeon replied, a bit late in shaking the man's hand.
Once their felicities were over, Ralkias pointed in the direction of the light pillar nearest to them.
"Are you planning to head over somewhere? By the way, I was killing some time before visiting another floor."
Aectaeon glanced at where the man was pointing and nodded, "I was too. I think I still have around 7 or 8 minutes more."
"Then, will it be alright if I accompany you?"
Having qualms, Aectaeon took his time in answering. Instead of heading back to the pillar where he came from, he began walking towards the other nearby pillar, sauntering past the man without saying a word. Ralkias was shortly on his trail.
A few minutes into their walk, Aectaeon spoke all of a sudden.
"I'm not used to having a companion, even back in my own world. So please pardon me if I'm being rude."
Ralkias simply smiled at the reply, refusing to take offense from the rejection.
"It's fine. We all have our own preferences. Besides, I'm about to transmigrate within four hours."
Aectaeon turned around but didn't see anyone. So, he waited for the man to come nearer prior to raising his query.
"Is this your first transmigration?"
"Why are you asking?"
"Well, I was just… curious. Yes, curious."
"You haven't gone to the first floor, have you?"
Aectaeon cautiously nodded his head as an answer. Ralkias, in the meantime, surveyed Aectaeon's expression while thinking of an explanation. Thereafter, he closed his eyes and tried to sense if there were other players around them.
Though he didn't find anyone, Ralkias was discontented. He tapped Aectaeon's shoulder and said, "Follow me."
Of course, Aectaeon was skeptical since he was given no elucidation. Yet in the end, his curiosity won over his cautiousness. He began jogging after Ralkias who was on his way to the light pillar.
Once they were inside, Aectaeon looked at Ralkias and waited for instructions.
"Let's go to the first floor. I'll show you something."