6 Game World 0: The Obelisk (2)

The basement of the Obelisk was far more enormous than one's eyes could see. Its area might even encompass the horizon a myriad of times. However, that wasn't the most daunting aspect of it all.

The inhabitants of the basement were the worst manifestations of the fears of everyone currently within the Obelisk.

From the lakes of red hot lava to the mountains brimming with carnivorous plants; from the smallest of venomous insects to faceless humanoids as tall as skyscrapers; a plethora of torments and their harbingers were living down the basement. It was a point of peculiarity that the aforementioned elements were able to coexist in harmony, superficial it might be.

The players were late to show their fear on their countenances. WIthal, it would all come down to them being incapable of internalizing their fear.

None of the players dared to question how an ecosystem as such could survive within close proximity from each other. Well, most of them didn't voice out their opinions for the reason that they believe that nothing in sight was real.

And Luluwa was just about to address that.

{ "Players, let me reiterate this. Currently, you are all inside the Obelisk -- A tower that exists in a buffer zone between the myriads of worlds out there." }

{ "This is not a dream." }

Upon hearing Luluwa's statement, Aectaeon's whole body shuddered.

{ "Open your eyes to the new reality." }

{ "You have all been forsaken by your worlds." }

Aectaeon opened his mouth to try and deny Luluwa's words, but no sound came out of it. Having lost his bearings, he was just repeatedly swallowing puffs of air.

His composure quickly left his body as he vehemently attempted to find another justification for his situation.

'No, this is not true. I was dreaming and I still am. This is just too absurd. What is that pink brat saying? Is she crazy? Does she need a talking or two?'

Even though he had yet to discard his aggressiveness, a thought -- somewhere deep down his consciousness -- forced Aectaeon to believe Luluwa. Basically, he was fighting a battle that already had an outcome.

Aectaeon clenched his fists as firmly as he could. He couldn't let a drop of blood flow towards his knuckles. It was a way for him to reject the subsistence of what he was seeing and hearing. Furthermore, he assumed that if he could feel a pain that would shake his being, he would wake up from the dream.

Be that as it may, nothing had changed in his surroundings. His nails had dug through his palms and the stinging pain made him sharply draw a breath.

The man averted his gaze from the view of the Obelisk's basement. The quitters who were sent down ran for their lives, screaming their lungs out all the while.

He could hear their misery. Every single one of the players did.

It urged them to stay in their places, afraid of experiencing a violent death.

{ "Now, have you all come to your senses?" }

Luluwa questioned the players, but none of them answered. It wasn't that they didn't want to. It's simply that they couldn't articulate a word. Their voices seemed to have been tied down their throats.

{ "Fret not. Your voices will return once I'm done explaining about the system." }

{ "I'll be informing all of you regarding the basics of the system. For the rest of the rules, you have to figure them out on your own. There will be clues all over your transmigration journey." }

With gritted teeth, Aectaeon listened to Luluwa's explanation. He didn't want to, yes, but he figured that it would be an important piece to get his freedom back. By that time, his limbs and insides were quivering. The lingering fright and outrage within him fueled the maintenance of his sanity.

{ "As a short introduction, the group where you all belong didn't come from one single world." }

{ "Some of you were escorted from a world called Laspard. Some were escorted from Tantalius, Besher, Uprelia, Jytr, Earth, and many more." }

{ "I have a filter that automatically translates my words to the native language of each and every one of the players." }

Luluwa opened her mouth, revealing five sets of jaws riddled with the sharpest of teeth. She then pointed a finger at the iris-sized orb placed right in the middle of her tongue. After she was done, she closed her mouth.

{ "By the end of this gathering, an orb similar to mine would appear inside of your mouths. The purpose is to enable all of you to communicate with each other." }

{ "Now, moving on with the system." }

{ "The name of the system is "Manus Celer Dei". A phrase meaning 'in the swift hands of God' for those who are unaware." }

{ "Each player has a unique phrase for calling forth the system." }

{ "Once this orientation is over, a panel will appear right in front of you. It will contain the phrase you have to use to summon the system. " }

Luluwa raised her left hand to the side. Shortly, an opaque rectangular panel -- having a subtle shade of grey -- came into view above her hand.

{ "This is how the panel will look like." }

{ "What's written in the panels is only for the eyes of the one it is addressing." }

{ "Although, that is unless you're not a part of a private league. The rules according to the league is for all of you to discover." }

Luluwa proceeded to close her hand and lowered it to its original position. She observed the various expressions that the players had to offer, her eyes devoid of a sliver of sympathy.

In the meanwhile, being the aloof man that he was, Luluwa's recent words made Aectaeon relieved. Up to that second, Aectaeon couldn't accept what was happening around him. However, as time went by, he gradually recognized that there was no escape.

{ "In essence, the system will send you to worlds that are heavily subjected to rules. We call them Game Worlds." }

{ "By games, I'm pertaining to the ones you can play on consoles, computers, and other apparatuses. These are all present in the worlds of all the players. I'm confident that no one here is lacking knowledge about games." }

{ "The catch is, these game worlds had lost their titles. They cannot sustain themselves without their names. If they continue in this fashion, these worlds would soon cease to exist." }

{ "Your duty as players is to recover their names by playing the game system embedded in each world. Manus Celer Dei will be your guide and companion." }

{ "With that out of the way, the rules of the Obelisk are what's left." }

Luluwa, with arms wide open, gazed at the heaven seen on the first floor of the Obelisk. A smile of malignancy crawled up to her mouth. She quickly concealed it with a poker face before she faced the players once more.

{ "Players, the Obelisk is the main battlefield." }