The Obelisk: Return (2)

"Come to think of it. Amoris Versatilis is an ability, though I still don't know how to use it. Oh well," Aectaeon then sighed, "It's not my concern right now. At least I found a place to my liking."

He proceeded to turn around, his arms wide open. Aectaeon had more appreciation to give to the 51st floor. He looked at the sky and smiled. Even if it was a false scenery, the man couldn't help but think that it was more beautiful than what he could see on Earth.

"Every time I return to the Obelisk, I'll go straight to this floor. There's a way to live in peace after all."

Satisfied with the view, Aectaeon sat on the grass anew.

And just like that, he wasted one hour of his time, idly and quietly.

As he was staring at the sky, a thought occurred in his head.

"Info 51"

[[ The Obelisk Time: 04:20 Post Meridiem ]]

[[ 51st Floor -- The Meadows ]]

[[ Area: Indefinite ]]

[[ Weather: 22 degrees Celsius, Wind NE 8 km/h, 37% Humidity ]]

[[ Number of Players on the Floor: 1 out of 4,736,148]]

[[ Number of Players Who Have Access to the Floor: 3 out of 4,736,148]]

"How come no other players have arrived here? There should be a thousand, or a couple, competent enough to clear the games within a few hours. What's taking them so long?"

Aectaeon was quickly on his feet, putting his hands on his waist thereafter. He cocked his head to the side and clicked his tongue.

"Is there a way for me to know how many players are currently inside game worlds? Or, at the least, the number of players who have already transmigrated?"

The man began pacing back and forth on a short strip, ruffling his hair with both of his hands. He was muttering incoherently to himself. His gaze, in the meantime, was focused on the ground.

In an instant, he raised his head.

"Is that information available on the first floor? In the end, that's where the transmigration portals are. Alright, I'll head there."

Aectaeon immediately went back to the light pillar nearby. Once the floor panels appeared, he lifted his hand. As he was about to tap on [[ 1 ]], the man's forehead slightly creased. His tongue roamed the insides of his mouth, poking his left cheek last.

"What if," Aectaeon gulped, "What if I'm a part of the first batch to transmigrate? What if there are players who are staying on the first floor just to ambush those who have already cleared a game world? We're all sent to an unfamiliar environment all of a sudden. It wouldn't be a surprise if there aren't a few who are curious."

The man's questions forced him to step out of the light pillar again. Horripilation covered his entire body. Aectaeon rubbed his arms to try and remove the itchiness of his assumptions.

He bit his bottom lip down until it turned white. He went on and heaved a deep, deep sigh, enough to regain his composure.

'I still have to visit the first floor to gather information. I can't just spend my time without doing anything. Luluwa did say that the Obelisk is the true battlefield. Being ignorant of the overall situation will result in my downfall.'

Aectaeon contemplated, and contemplated, and contemplated.

His resources were limited, so there weren't that many open paths for him to take. Though he might be capable of handling himself in a physical altercation, Aectaeon wasn't confident in taking on other players, more so if abilities were involved.

'As far as I'm concerned, I only have one ability thus far and I don't know anything about it. I'm sure that some players have monstrous strength, some might even be capable of wielding, I don't know, magic, perhaps? It might be a myth in my world, but that doesn't go the same for the others.'

Sighing to no end, Aectaeon perused the length of the pillar. As usual, it went as high as the heavens could reach.

"Wait," Aectaeon uttered all of a sudden, "Are the pillars connected? Do they give any indication that they have been used? Like the digital display on elevators?"

While he was thinking, Aectaeon was mindlessly dragged by his feet back to the pillar. He scrutinized its circumference, yet found nothing worth noting. Hence, he went inside the pillar. He scaled the interior as best as he could, occasionally squinting his eyes at the illumination that the pillar was emitting.

"Aside from the number panels, there are no other displays. Should I just go ahead and use it?"

Aectaeon brought his left hand to his hair, ruffling its dryness once more. He lowered his hand and, for the innumerable time in a row, exhaled all of the air in his lungs.

"Is there some way for me to determine where I am on the floor? It's best if there's a map like that."

The moment he said the word 'map', another panel appeared on the left of the countdown. Aectaeon narrowed his eyes at the panel, his mouth going agape.

Since he was aware that the floor had an indefinite area, it didn't surprise him that the current scale shown on the map was an area of 10,000 square kilometers per square centimeters on the panel. There were just three legends -- A red dot that indicated the very center, a white blinking dot that indicated the player's position, and the green dots that indicated the location of the pillars.

A smile slowly crawled up the man's face. He clenched his fist and raised it.

"Yes! I'm thankful for the first time. Let's see, I'm more than a kilometer away from the center and I'm currently facing the east."

Aectaeon's hand went straight for the panel, and as expected, he could touch it as he did in the game. He zoomed out on the map and it revealed more light pillars. The man continued until the scale became 500,000 square kilometers per square centimeter.

He started to count all the green dots, clicking his tongue again when he was done.

"Ten? Really? An area as big as that only has ten pillars?" Aectaeon muttered, "Anyway, I already found what I was looking for."

Thereafter, Aectaeon turned towards the south and began his run.