As he came to, Aectaeon found himself looking at the bright sky. He immediately closed his eyes and sighed.
"I'm in a game world yet again." He muttered repressedly as he covered his eyes with his arm, "Should I see what kind of game this is?"
After a few seconds of recess, Aectaeon slowly got up from the ground. The instant he was seated, he opened his eyes and found himself inside a room. He then looked upwards, chuckling at himself as he did so.
"So it was a lightbulb that I opened my eyes to, not the sun. It would've been better if it was the latter. Anyway, what is this? Someone's bedroom?"
The room, which had an approximate area of six square meters, was as simple as it could be. In its four corners were a bed, a study table, a dress cabinet, and a door, all made from wooden materials. Even the floor was made of wood.
The sole decoration inside the room was the picture frame hanging on the wall beside the bed. Aectaeon approached the frame, frowning upon landing his eyes on it.
"A family picture? Why is my ugly face in this picture though?"
Before he could think of an answer, the system commenced showing panels.
[[ Initiating Time Synchronization with the Obelisk ]]
[[ 3% ]]
[[ 5% ]]
[[ 10% ]]
[[ 13% ]]
[[ 15% ]]
[[ 17% ]]
"This looks like it will take a while." He said as he knitted his brows, "The synchronization at the last world didn't even last for more than 3 seconds."
[[ 21% ]]
[[ 25% ]]
[[ 26% ]]
[[ 28% ]]
Bored, Aectaeon sat on the edge of the bed and waited for the synchronization to finish. While waiting, he observed the interior of the room once more. The absence of a window made him grit his teeth.
"This is suffocating. That's why it would have been better if I woke up outside."
Ensuing almost a minute of silence, the synchronization was finally done.
[[ Synchronization Complete ]]
[[ In-world Time: 08:50 Post Meridiem ]]
[[ Player Profile ]]
[[ Name: Aectaeon Schever Foester ]]
[[ Pseudonym: Igor Vali ]]
[[ Physical Age: 19 Earth Years Old ]]
[[ Height: 193 centimeters; Weight: 86 kilograms ]]
[[ Transmigration Count: 4 ]]
[[ Clock Pocket Time Remainder: 01 D ; 06 H ; 00 M ; 00 S ]]
[[ Amoris Versatilis 1.4 ]]
[[ Would you like to view your progress? ]]
[[ Yes ]] [[ No ]]
"Progress? I didn't tap yes previously since I don't have any." Aectaeon uttered, bringing his hand to his chin as he contemplated, "Well, I still know everything that I've done so far."
Aectaeon quickly tapped [[ No ]]. Right after, the panel he was anticipating appeared.
[[ 00 D; 00 H; 14 M; 59 S ]]
Since he already knew how things would proceed, Aectaeon didn't feel the urgency to do anything. He looked behind him, tempted to lie on the bed.
"Should I? But what if I fall asleep? Won't that be dangerous?" He muttered to himself, "Before I know it, I will be surrounded with whatever this game has in store."
Thereafter, he rubbed his shoulder, feeling the sharpest of shivers run down his spine.
"I'll stay awake. Alright, I'll stay awake and sleep back in the Obelisk instead. But, just for a bit."
Aectaeon laid back on the mattress, making him take a deep breath. He closed his eyes again and yielded his whole body to the bed. He couldn't help but let out a groan.
"It feels like it's been a year since I've been on a bed. The one in the previous world was too thin to be called a mattress. It must've been just a comforter."
In that manner, Aectaeon allowed fifteen minutes to pass.
[[ Welcome, Player Igor Vali ]]
[[ Mission ]]
[[ Complete the Title of the Current Game World ]]
[[ Return Countdown: 10 D ; 5 H ; 00 M ; 00 S ]]
[[ Game Title: "_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _" ]]
[[ Rewards ]]
[[ A: Grimoire of Beginnings ]]
[[ B: Amoris Versatilis +5 Efficiency ]]
[[ C: Safe return to the Obelisk ]]
[[ Penalties ]]
[[ A: Count of Violation under *S.T.* Regulation Number Two x 2 ]]
[[ B: 10 D ; 10 H ; 00 M ; 00 S will be deducted from player's 'Return Countdown' in the next world ]]
[[ C: Player's Name's Letter Revelation x 3 "_ _ C _ _ _ _ N _ _ _ _ V _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _" ]]
[[ Guessing Opportunity Countdown: 00 D ; 08 H ; 00 M ; 00 S ]]
[[ To View 'Guessing Opportunity Countdown': recite "Forte Tempus" ]]
[[ Would you like to view the Main story? ]]
[[ Yes ]] [[ No ]]
Without any delays, Aectaeon tapped on [[ Yes ]].
[[ The world is riddled with demons. A group of people managed to find a way to tame them. They're called Meisters. ]]
[[ This is about the journey of the player who has set their sights on the 'Meister Clash' -- A competition held once every five years for all aspiring contenders. ]]
[[ Gather as many demons as you can and train them. Be the best demon tamer and acquire the title of the 'Grand Meister' in the competition. ]]
Aectaeon got up from the bed and sighed. There was no change in his blank countenance after reading the main story. He walked towards the study table and took a seat.
[[ Start Game ]] [[ Quit Game ]]
"Start of course." He said matter-of-factly as he leaned back on the chair.
[[ Initializing Manus Celer Dei and the Game's system merge ]]
[[ 11% ]]
[[ 17% ]]
[[ 19% ]]
[[ 24% ]]
As he waited, Aectaeon surveyed what was on the table.
"A pile of textbooks, a journal, printouts, two notebooks, clear books, a laptop, and a container full of writing pens and pencils, am I supposed to be a high school student then?"
[[ Merge Successful ]]
{{ Welcome, Player Igor Vali }}
{{ Choose your level }}
{{ Beginner Meister }} {{ Average Meister }} {{ Expert Meister }}
On this occasion, Aectaeon didn't want to exercise his 'Never exert effort beyond what's necessary' mantra. He had a different goal this time.
The man proceeded to tap on each of the levels, curious about his chances. Rather than going for the lowest level, he went for the highest first.
{{ Expert Meister }}
[[ Warning! ]]
[[ The chosen difficulty has a Chance of 25% ]]
{{ Average Meister }}
[[ Warning! ]]
[[ The chosen difficulty has a Chance of 10% ]]
{{ Beginner Meister }}
[[ Warning! ]]
[[ The chosen difficulty has a Chance of 5% ]]
As if he had no other choice from the start, Aectaeon opted for the level that would be of help to his goal.