The Obelisk: Return (5)

As Aectaeon was about to tap the [[ 1 ]] panel, Ralkias grabbed his wrist all of a sudden. Aectaeon gave the man a curious glance and gently tugged his hand away.

Ralkias quickly took his hand off and said, "I apologize. Before we leave, are these the same clothes that you were wearing when you were brought to the Obelisk?"

"Yes, why are you asking?"

"As I thought, you have to wear a disguise since the other players might recognize yo-"

Aectaeon held up his hand, interrupting the man's speech. He looked at Ralkias straight in the eye, saying nothing for a few seconds. Once he was ready to speak, Aectaeon lowered his hand to his pocket.

"Since we met, you've been uttering confusing things. Can you just tell me outright what's happening?"

"Igor, do you really want me to elucidate on everything?"

For a short while, Aectaeon debated on whether to agree to Ralkias' offer. It didn't take him a long while to arrive at a decision.

Prior to giving his response, Aectaeon took a deep breath. When he opened his mouth, a thought came to him out of the blue which made him purse his lips. Seeing Aectaeon's hesitation, Ralkias nodded his head in satisfaction.

Without Aectaeon noticing, Ralkias went out of the pillar. He returned shortly with two black cloths in each of his hands, lending one to Aectaeon right away.

"Hmm? What is this?" Aectaeon asked, finally snapping out of his absentminded rumination.

"A cape. Wear it and make sure that your face is covered."

Instead of following the man's order, Aectaeon just looked at the cape. He then snapped his head towards Ralkias and inquired, "Where did you get this?"

"My inventory, where else?"

"Your inventory? Where did the items come from? Did you find them inside the Obelisk?"

Ralkias sighed at how he was being bombarded by questions. He tapped Aectaeon's shoulder and gripped it lightly.

"Let's go?"

Before Aectaeon could even protest, Ralkias pressed the [[ 1 ]] panel. Aectaeon scoffed at the sudden disappearance of his companion who left him more bewildered than ever. Still and all, he appreciated that Ralkias wasn't overindulging him by answering his questions.

Though commodious and ambitious, Aectaeon wished to discover the rules of the Obelisk by himself. In that way, independence would come naturally for him down the line.

In the end, the other players were his enemies. He had to have an advantage that he cultivated on his own. To begin with, he was already inconvenienced by the fact that he was a human being who had no special abilities.

"I better get going. Ralkias is probably waiting for me." He muttered to himself as he looked at the cape he was holding.

He then donned the cape, but it was a size too big for him. It was heavy to boot, as if he was carrying a fully-packed military bag on his back.

On the verge of taking it off, Aectaeon felt an undesirable sensation enveloped his whole body. To him, it was like having a cold shower in the dead of winter. Aectaeon rubbed his arms with his shoulders, gritting his teeth until the sensation wore off.

"What in the world was that? Did something happen to my body again?"

Aectaeon closed his eyes and tried to get a feel on all of his body parts. Once he was done, he cocked his head to the side and mumbled his confusion. At that instant, his eyes landed on the edge of the cape.

"It touched the floor earlier, right? Now it's a few inches off of the ground. Come to think of it," He said to himself as he turned around, "I can't feel the weight of this cape and it perfectly fits me. So that's what this is about. I was bothered for a second."

The man put a hand over his chest and sighed in exasperation. Without any further delay, he faced the floor panels, subsequently tapping [[ 1 ]]. In a trice, a wave of light swallowed his being.

When he opened his eyes, Aectaeon was blinded by the brightness of the white walls of the first floor. He briefly closed his eyes, trying to get adjusted to the new environment. Ahead of opening his eyes, a robust hand was once again gripping his shoulder.

"Ralkias," Aectaeon uttered as he stared at the man, "Thank you for leaving without me."

"Don't mention it." The man replied, dragging Aectaeon out of the pillar.

Aectaeon didn't even have to walk far to acquire an answer to one of the things he was curious about.

Hovering right below the ceiling were four panels, each facing one main cardinal direction.

[[ The Obelisk Time: 05:13 Post Meridiem ]]

[[ 1st Floor -- The Portal ]]

[[ Area: Indefinite ]]

[[ Weather: 23 degrees Celsius, Wind SE 8 km/h, 31% Humidity ]]

[[ Number of Players on the Floor: 3,112,092 out of 4,736,148 ]]

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

[[ Number of Players Currently in a Game World: 0 ]]

[[ Mass Transmigration Countdown: 00 D ; 12 H ; 17 M ; 00 S ]]

[[ Number of Players yet to be Transmigrated: 4,736,145 out of 4,736,148 ]]

As he read the information, Aectaeon couldn't stop his eyebrows from furrowing deeper. He didn't even notice that he was biting his bottom lip, hard enough that his tooth managed to poke a tiny hole on it.

"Are all those true? The guides didn't fabricate those, did they?"

Ralkias, who was also looking at the enormous panel, didn't make it a point to answer Aectaeon. They both were sentient of the actuality that the guides wouldn't have any justification for fabricating information.

Unbeknownst to the players, the guides were subjected to even more formidable rules.

Though the guides weren't the kindest beings there were, they had respect for the system. That's why they wouldn't dare interfere with it.

In the event that one of the guides went astray, the system itself would devour their body and soul.