19 Game World 1: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ : _ _ E _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A _ _ _ _ _ (7)

'Why in the f*ck does my uniform look different?!' Actaeon screamed in his head as he ran and ran.

He didn't know where he was going. The only thing he was aware of was that people were after him.

"Oi, you! Stop this instant!"

"Identify yourself! This area is restricted!"

To avoid further suspicions, Aectaeon should obviously do as they said. After all, it was a military camp and one that was on the verge of hosting a war. He would be branded as a spy from the aggressor.

The longer he tried to flee, the greater the consequences he had to deal with the instant he was captured. No matter how much they begged for him to stop running, Aectaeon's desire to escape only grew.

'I'm not in the right mind. I'm really not in the right mind.' He said to himself all the while breathing laboriously. 'That's why I have to make this escape successful or I'm as good as dead.'

He began to snicker as he found himself in an even more perilous situation.

{{ Mini Mission }}

{{ Reach the destination within the time limit }}

{{ Time Limit: 00 D ; 00 H ; 20 M ; 00 S }}

{{ Reward }}

{{ A: Game Title Letter Revelation x 1 }}

{{ Penalty }}

{{ A: 02 D ; 00 H ; 00 M ; 00 S will be deducted from player's 'Countdown for the Return' }}

Thereafter, a blinking red dot appeared on the game system's map. Aectaeon's position on the map was indicated by a white dot, so he was able to estimate just how far he was from the destination.

'Wait, wait, there's an icon on the map that shows where the base is. The destination is completely in the opposite direction of the base!'

Aectaeon gritted his teeth, befuddled at the mission itself and the reward and punishment that accompanied it.

'Oh, so I can't choose whether to accept or reject? How ingenious.' Aectaeon grunted, 'The reward is not that tempting, considering I chose the Advanced difficulty for this! What to do? What to do?! Should I just go straight for the base?'

He took a brief glance at his pursuers. He couldn't help but gulp at their numbers. Fortunately for him, he had the advantage of being light. His pursuers were all wearing battle gears, burdened with heavy military knapsacks also. Not to mention, they were carrying guns.

It needed to be said that Aectaeon took precocious care of his body. He was always moving around, jumping from work to classes, then back to work. Hence, whenever he had the time, Aectaeon would train his body for the sake of increasing his stamina.

With that in consideration, Aectaeon was confident that he wouldn't lose to his pursuers when it came to endurance.

'But 2 days is a lot to lose. Who knows how often an opportunity to reveal a letter will come? I don't even know if 13 days is enough to gather all those letters.'

As he was contemplating, the young man began to study the map. It was an easy map to read since there were legends displayed on the bottom-right part of the screen.

'To reach the mission's goal, I'll have to turn back and cross paths with my pursuers. Withal, I can just head north-east. But the map says that there's a mountain range there. There's no choice but to climb it if I want to outrun the soldiers. However…'

Aectaeon proceeded to narrow his eyes on the green icon that looked like a tent. He took a swig of his saliva before clicking his tongue.

'If I continue running, I will arrive at the base in no less than fifteen minutes. The person I need to report to is probably the Commander of this camp. If he guarantees my identity as a part of the army, then I will be left to my own devi… Wait, yes, that's it!'

He immediately increased the power in his legs. Aectaeon wanted to scream as he felt his chest and limbs burning. Despite how robust his body was, it was the first time in a while that he had to run for that long.

All of a sudden, a sharp ringing sound violated Aectaeon's ears. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, attempting to ease the headache that came with the resonation. When he opened his eyes, he was instantly blinded by a pair of light orbs that appeared in front of him.

"Invader, cease your movements this instant! You're arrested under the violation of the peace agreement! Personnel of the Union of Baratias! I repeat! Cease your movements this instant!"

Rather than the forces that surrounded him, Aectaeon was more concerned about what he just heard.

'... Personnel of the Union of Baratias? Don't tell me… I'm wearing the uniform of the Army of the Union?! Sh*t!'

Aectaeon blinked several times to regain his sight. And that's when it dawned on him.

At least five tanks were approaching him from the front.

"Seriously?!" He muttered, flustered at the encounter. "Tanks? Against one person, you've sent tanks?"

Rather than shocked, Aectaeon found their response laughable.

"They're willing to risk this much resources just to catch me? Just how incompetent are they?"

Aectaeon quickly gazed at the area behind him. If he wanted to escape, he had to confront the weaker side. Still, there was something that made him bothered.

'It's such a waste. I can finally test my agility against a tank. If it's not here, then where else can I be this brazen?'

As he was about to turn his feet, Aectaeon felt another wave of regret overcome him. He simply couldn't leave the idea hanging in the air.

'Oh dear, oh dear, I really have gone insane.' Aectaeon snorted at himself, 'Aish, alright, alright, I will still get something out of this. I just want to know what will happen to me if I die in the game. There's no HP bar, so I'm assuming that the death of my physical body will equate to death in the game.'

Aectaeon took a deep breath, filling his lungs to the brim. He let a smile emerge on his pallid face, baring his teeth at the machines serving to intimidate him.

"Well then, shall I start?"