Silver-backed Deer

I walk further down the pathway of the gate, instead of trying to find more monsters, I start thinking of different strategies I should use and other important things.

Like, 'I wonder if Mom and Sora are back home yet, no wait, the gates have different time lengths from the real world.'

Gates are not only filled with dangerous monsters, different from the real world, but also time goes along differently inside gates.

Gates time goes 4x slower than the outside world, depending on the strength of the gate, that is.

'So I've been in this gate for 2 hours, which means that it's only been 30 minutes outside…'

Walking deeper and deeper inside the cave-like structure, I find to hear a strange monster in front of me.

I stop walking a start to tip toe, unsure of what monster is in front of me.

'What is this? This noise doesn't sound like an F-Ranked monster at all?'

As much as I've got great hearing and smell, if I don't know the monster and rank, this skill isn't useful at all.

As I get closer and closer, to the point where I'm able to see the monster, my eyes enlarge greatly.

'…'

My hands tremble, I do not feel cold, nor did I felt sick, but by the fact that a C-Ranking monster is standing right in front of my eyes made me shiver in fear.

'A-a… A silver-backed deer…!'

Silver-backed deers are monsters that have horns on their heads and poisoned spikes under, near their stomachs. Not only that, but they can use high level ice spells.

Most mid-ranking adventurers fear this monster, some even debate if it should even be considered a mid-ranking monster.

I have encountered this monster once, but that was in a high leveled guild who needed my help hunting monsters, so they took care of it for me.

'But that monster even gave the guild some trouble..!'

I considered going back, but then I received a notification from the System.

||Past Death|| Administrator gives you a Quest:

<<Quest: >>

<<Kill - Silver-backed Deer. (0/1)>>

<<Time Limit: 59 minutes 41 seconds>>

<<Penalty: Discard of one skill from the users deck.>>

<<Reward: Rebirth + Completion of Previous Quest + 1 High leveled skill>>

I look at the Quest dumbfounded.

'Do I seriously have to do this quest?!' I yell in my head.

<<System: No. You do not.>>

Now I'm confused, but I expect the best and smile.

'So that means I don't have to quest! Right?…!'

<<System: Correct, however, non-completion of this task will result in 'One of the Users abilities/skills removed'>>

'Shit..!'

As much as I want to refuse this, the rewards sound too good.

'And I'm also somewhat curious on what 'Rebirth' means…'

I get out of my self-talk, look where the Silver-back is. It seemed to be wandering and stopped to take a break, as it lays on all 4 legs.

Activate all of my skills

I wish I had a stealth related skill right now.

I walk quietly towards the monster, it doesn't realize I'm near it.

'Eyes of the Future ', 'Accurate aiming', 'Monster detection', 'Health Regeneration' and 'Air Slice' I activated.

I open my mouth, fully prepared.

"SLICE OF AIR!"

I shout with all my might.

The deer gets startled, jumping up fully aware, right before my surprise attack hit it, the deer brings up a wall of ice

The attack cleanly slices through the ice, but the deer jump up and over from the slice, skimming its left leg.

But it ignores the cut on its leg and charges at me, lowering its head, flashing its horns at me.

The deer charges extremely fast, but I saw its movements 3 seconds earlier from my skill. Right before it goes in for impact, I dodge to its side, and kick it towards the cave wall.

"GAHKK"

Blood splatters around as the bang of the wall gave the deer a serious injury.

I walk over to it and kick it, checking if it's dead.

I look over it, confused. 'Was it really this easy?'

Before I was about to finish it off, ice covered my body, limiting my movement.

"AH!"

Before I broke free from the cold ice, the deer stood up speedily and charged right through its ice, breaking it, but its horns pierced through my skin in the process.

I watch as the deer rams me into the cave wall and as blood splatters out of my mouth.

It takes its horns out from my chest, and looks down on my body, as I cough up blood.

"Cof, cak! Ugh, u- kek"

I look up at the deer, as I can see its eyes look at me with Anger and Disgust.

Before it finished me off, I point my hand towards its face, "Slice of air"

It cuts through the eyes of the deer, as it steps back, I say once more,

"Slice of air!"

I shoot it towards the deer. The deer instinctively puts up a wall of ice, but my attack cuts right through the ice, cutting the head off.

"…"

I lift myself up from the ground, "ahh" I grit my teeth through the pain.

As much as the deer hit my vitals, my skill, 'Health Regeneration' was continuously healing me, as I could feel my body being restructured to its original form.

I start walking out, towards the way I came from.

<<Ding!>>

<<Quest Completed!>>

<<Quest: >>

<<Kill - Silver-backed Deer. (1/1)>>

<<Time Limit: 45 minutes 58 seconds: Finished in—> 13 minutes 9 seconds>>

<<Penalty: Discard of one skill from the users deck.>>

<<Reward: Rebirth + Completion of Previous Quest + 1 High leveled skill>>

<<Ding!>>

<<Quest Complete!>>

<<Quest:

<<Kill 50 F-Rank monsters>>

<<Time Limit: 1 day 23 hour 50 minutes: Finished in— 2 > >>

<<Penalty: Fight A-Rank monsters for ?? minutes.>>

<< Rewards: D-Rank Skill + 2,000$>>

'Alright!' I say inwardly.

I continue walking towards the entrance of the gate, even though I haven't completed the gate.

Completing a gate means killing the final boss, like in a video game.

I was planning to finish it, but now that a mid leveled monster appeared, I don't feel like taking the risk.

As I continue walking, my feet start wobbling.

'Huh?'

My vision becomes blurry, I begin to feel light-headed.

I fall to the ground with a 'thud'.

'H-huh? W-what's happening?'

I ask myself until everything turns black.

…

||Past Death||: System: Rebirth Complete.||