10 Game World 0: The Obelisk (6)

When the time limit was over, the panels vanished out of thin air. A second later, an enormous panel appeared right in front of Luluwa. She began to scan the millions of questions that she had received.

Oddly enough, it only took her nearly a minute to read every single entry.

And she found exactly three queries that prompted her to give a suppressed laugh.

With a clap from Luluwa, the giant panel disappeared pixel by pixel. She widened her smile, almost reaching the corners of her eyes, crumpling the golden tears on her cheeks.

{ "I can't express how glad I am to be given this query. It greatly pleasures me to know that you are all curious about our haven, the Obelisk." }

Luluwa then raised her index finger as she hampered her desire to snicker.

{ "First question, who among the Gods controls the Obelisk?"}

She did not give an answer right away. Instead, she surveyed the crowd and spotted the person who had asked the question. Luluwa met their gaze but soon averted. She knew that there was hatred in their eyes, yet it just made her all the more amused.

{ "There were several questions pertaining to the controller or the owner of the Obelisk. However, this query explicitly named the so-called Gods as the masterminds." }

{ "Manus Celer Dei, the name of the system, directly translates to 'the swift hands of God'. Thus, I can only assume that this question is asking who that God is.' }

{ "The answer is simple. The Obelisk, the host of the system, is the God." }

{ "There should be no doubts about that. I hope that you are all satisfied with my answer." }

No matter how convincing she sounded, the source of the question didn't believe Luluwa the least bit. For them, it was clear that Luluwa was avoiding the truth of the matter. Unfortunately, they couldn't utter their objections for their voice had yet to be returned. There was no way for them to call out Luluwa's lies.

{ "Moving on to the next question, or questions since there are several. I will read it exactly as how it was written." }

Luluwa lowered her hand. Her unfading smile was a testament to how interesting the second query was.

{ "You've mentioned that we will be tasked to find the names of the worlds that lost their names. Considering how many players are here, just how many worlds are there for us to, as you've said, save? If a player managed to find the name of a certain world, will that same world be available for another player? Just what is our main goal? What do we have to do to escape the Obelisk?" }

Ahead of answering the query, Luluwa embraced a brief moment of repose. It was within her expectations that a player would raise such an extensive set of questions. She deliberated on the most succinct explanation that would help the players discard their misgivings.

{ "There is only one job for you, the players. That is to help the worlds regain their identities. I can assure that there are enough worlds to allow each of you to have, at the least, thirty unique transmigration destinations." }

Luluwa went on to give the crowd a glance, sweeping them with her scrutinizing eyes. She could only hope that her words would make their way to those who wanted them.

{ "As for your main goal, let me reiterate it -- Helping the worlds to regain their identities." }

{ "Liberating others will liberate yourselves." }

{ "That is all." }

As if to gain validation for her wonderful answer, Luluwa gave herself an applause. It was met with silence from the players, much to her disappointment. But she could care less. She looked at them as if they were irrelevant.

Luluwa believed that the opinions of the dead don't matter.

She halted her applause, nodding once thereafter. She then toned down her smile. Withal, a more intense layer of malice could be remarked on her eyes.

{ "Third and last question," }

She couldn't finish uttering the question. Luluwa's smile turned into a sneer, baring her sharpened set of teeth. She was indubitably provoked, beguiling her even further.

{ "If I take your life, will I be eligible to take your place as one of the guides of the Obelisk?" }

A long while of tensed quietude descended on the ground floor. Not only was a challenge to the guides was issued, but also a threat. The players didn't know how Luluwa would react to it.

A few imagined that she would be enraged and start taking out her anger on the players. They wanted to curse at the player who had given the preposterous question.

Contrary to the most morbid of their visualizations, Luluwa simply let out a sigh. It was the first time that they saw her take a breath. Strange as it was, the players were still abiding for the worst.

At the outset, Luluwa attempted to ignore the aforementioned question. Rather than insulting, she didn't want the other players to entertain such a thought. Having said that, she had been living a stale life so far. A little adventure was just what she needed.

Besides, she was confident of her abilities.

The players were her prey. It wasn't the other way around.

{ "Very well, I will welcome any attempts." }

{ "However, this is a message to my first challenger." }

Luluwa didn't bother looking at the player in question. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to control herself and attack the player once their gazes met.

{ "Make sure that you have the qualifications to confront me. In all other respects, you'll find yourself swimming in the lavas of the Obelisk's basement." }

For several seconds, Luluwa didn't speak. She was trying to calm her raging urges down. Luckily for the players, her self-restraint prevailed. Luluwa heaved her last sigh in front of the players and addressed them.

{ "With all of the questions answered, our gathering is almost done." }

{ "Once I depart this floor, the invisible barriers separating each and every one of you will disappear. Your voices will return as well." }

Luluwa commanded the players' utmost attention by the intensity of her voice. It was the last part of the orientation, and it was the time for her to explain the most important rule that the Obelisk and the system shared.

{ "Players, no one among these crowds should be in the know of your real names. Why is that?" }

{ "It's because your real names will serve as your main lifelines. Similar to the game worlds, you will also lose your names the moment I leave." }

{ "When a player guesses every letter in your real name, thus giving them the chance to articulate it, you will lose your life." }