Game World 1: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S : _ _ E _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A _ _ _ _N (24)

"I-- uhh, wha-- what is, what is this?" Aectaeon mumbled, his grip on the coat rack loosening.

He lowered his hands then stumbled a couple of steps back. His breathing began to deepen, his eyes becoming out of focus.

Aectaeon opened his mouth but closed it immediately after. He couldn't find any words to say, at least not the right ones. His legs wobbled as the furrow on his eyebrows deepened. He found it difficult to breathe. He clutched his chest, scrambling for air.

"C-c-ca-ca"

The man turned his head towards the entity and saw that it was pointing at him, or rather, something behind him. Although reluctant, Aectaeon looked in the direction where it was pointing at.

"Wha--" He croaked as he saw the tarot card he thought he had burned.

However, he didn't pick it up right away. Aectaeon glanced at the irregularity -- if he could still call it with that name.

"Pick, pi-p-pick"

With a heavy heart, Aectaeon walked towards the card and took it.

[[ Mission 'Defeat the Irregularity Before the Time Limit Ends' Accomplished ]]

[[ Do you want to receive the reward? ]]

[[ Yes ]] [[ No ]]

Aectaeon couldn't recall what was the reward for the said mission. He just tapped on the 'Yes' icon sans a thought.

[[ Amoris Versatilis Efficiency + 1 ]]

[[ To View Ability List: recite "Haekiyan" ]]

[[ To View Particular Ability's Stats: recite 'Ability Name' + "Spicio" ]]

The man didn't read the system's message anymore. His gaze was now fixated on the floor, his breathing hastening by the second.

'Did I just…' Aectaeon clenched his jaw, 'Did I just… No, I didn't know. I really didn't know. It's not my fault.'

The man's gazed at the entity over again. His breathing hitched as his lips quivered. He shook his head all the while retreating until his back was on the wall.

The very source of Aectaeon's increasing misery was what became of the irregularity.

Apart from its blaring red eyes, the irregularity now took the appearance of a human. To be exact, it was an adult male. Since Aectaeon was too disoriented to think properly, he naturally assumed that what he had killed was a human being.

With a makeshift spear embedded in its forehead, blood continuously flowing out of the hole, the irregularity manifested one of Aectaeon's nightmares. Its naked body was also covered with blood.

But its eyes were still alive, scowling at Aectaeon even in its last breath.

"H-he-help, help, help"

Aectaeon covered his ears as he fell to the ground.

"No, shut up. Don't say anything."

"Help, help, help, help,"

The irregularity repeated the same word for a good while. Its finger was now pointing at Aectaeon.

"Shut up! I said shut up! I don't want to hear it!"

Aectaeon grabbed two handfuls of his hair, pulling them out of frustration.

"You, you, help, help you"

Upon hearing those words, Aectaeon loosened his hold. He then looked at the irregularity,his eyes shaking and watery.

"You, help you, help you, m-mi-mission"

Despite the fact that he couldn't fully understand what it was saying, Aectaeon nodded his head twice. Seeing his agreement, the irregularity gave Aectaeon a smile.

The man didn't expect such a response, hence he was speechless.

"M-me-merlon, name, merlon"

Before Aectaeon could even reply, the entirety of the irregularity's body instantly went up in flames. It then faced the wall opposite of where Aectaeon was standing. The irregularity charged towards the wall and broke it, jumping to its death at the forest below.

It didn't take more than a minute for the fire to spread. The land was dry and it was far too humid.

Aectaeon bore witness to the beginning of the fire. He crawled towards the hole made by the irregularity and looked over.

"... a forest? There was a forest behind the building?" He mumbled, not minding the heat of the fire, "I thought the entrance was still ways off from here?"

Specks of dust landed on his eyes, forcing him to shut them tightly. Once he opened them, his gaze focused on the Time Limit Panels.

{{ Time Limit: 00 D ; 00 H ; 02 M; 56 S }}

At that moment, the irregularity's words came back to him.

"Mission, yes the mission. Merlon helped me with the mission."

Without hesitation, Aectaeon stood up and turned his back against the fire.

'I still have time left. Right, the card. I need to check the card.' Aectaeon then raised the hand that was holding the card and read out the contents, "Barn, shootout, voices,"

The man repeated those three words again and again. In less than no time, he remembered one particular incident that was perfectly connected to the final clue.

'The two soldiers who hid behind the barn. I heard them talking about the sudden attack by the Union. Wait--'

That very second, Aectaeon had a realization.

'No wonder their voices were familiar. The first tarot card was named 'The Fool'. Salon Tarick, was it? The one I met at the stairs who couldn't even differentiate the build between me and his friend. The next card was called 'The Sun' which portends harmony and good fortune. Before I left that soldier's room, he wished me good fortune.'

Aectaeon racked his brain as he tried hard to recall the other soldier's name. It was mentioned in passing so he was having a hard time remembering it.

'Hunter ger-- German? Gerbil? Gertrude? What ger was it again? Uhh…'

He took a deep breath and resumed his contemplation.

'I'm pretty sure it's Germ… Germon? Aha! Germont!' Aectaeon breathed a sigh of relief, "Their names are Solon Tarick and Hunter Germont."

Out of habit, Aectaeon checked the Time Limit.

{{ Time Limit: 00 D ; 00 H ; 01 M; 01 S }}

"One minute left. How do I find those name parchments? There's not enough time. I don't need any more clues. I should go out."

As he was about to step out of the room, Aectaeon looked in the direction where the irregularity was previously pointing at. It might be his guilt that urged him to. In that instant, he saw something that made his heart leap.

"An arrow clue?"