Quest

Creak! Stones grinded against each other as the doorway to the Infested Swamp slowly opened. Noah stared at the blood red pentagram disappear as a passageway opened up. Whoosh! The magical fluctuations in the air kicked up a wind as air rushed through the doorway and blasted Noah on his face.

"This gate's a feisty one," shouted the teacher. "You can practically feel the mana gushing out along with the air." Noah stared into the passageway with hatred. Hatred. Yes. That was the only emotion he felt nowadays. He hated the pentagram inscribed on every single gate in existence. He hated the monsters that resided in those gates. And ever since he'd gotten his system, he'd sworn to never let a single monster escape from his clutches.

"3...2...1...Go!" Noah rushed into the passageway, leaving his group behind. "Hey! Wait for us! Don't leave us behind!" He could hear somebody shouting at him as he ran forward. He didn't look back. Those weaklings weren't worth his time. Unlike that blue eyed kid. He'd seen a hint of ruthlessness in those glowing blue eyes, though only for a moment. It was strikingly familiar. That boy wore the same expression that Noah found staring back at him every single time he stared into a mirror.

Noah rushed through the passageway as he sprinted forward. He wondered how long that kid would take to lose his ruthlessness. To lose his edge. To become a weak pawn, just like every other person here. People like him never lasted. They were either trampled on, or broken completely. Just like Noah had been before he got his system.

Whoosh! The wind had slowed down quite a bit inside the gate. The long, circular pathways that connected the entrance of the gate to its interior served as the only outlet for the rampant mana to escape. The wind would ease up as soon as he reached the end of this pathway. And that was where the monsters would start coming.

Beep! Bzzz.... A blue screen flickered to life as Noah activated his system.

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[Quest]

[The Infested Swamp is a dangerous F ranked gate divided into five major sectors. Each sector is controlled by a particular category of monsters, who are all hostile to you. The current sector you reside in is a habitat of reptilian type monsters, with highly dangerous creatures present everywhere.]

[Hunt 25 Lesser Pythons, the masters of the reptilian monsters who serve as kings over their capable subjects.]

[Reward: Fanged Sword(rare)]

[Warning: Lesser Pythons are classified as 'protected' monsters in this dungeon. Attacking any Lesser Python will lead to high levels of aggressiveness from all reptilian monsters.]

[Warning: This quest is associated with a penalty. Failure to complete this quest will invoke harsh conditions on the user.]

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"Accept." Noah clicked on the screen.

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[User: Noah Evans]

[Level 12]

[Strength: 12]

[Agility: 11]

[Stamina: 10]

[Mana: 11]

[Magical Circuit: 12]

[Active Quests: Kill 25 Lesser Pythons(0/25)]

[Reward: Fanged Sword]

[Penalty: ???]

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Whirrr! Noah channeled mana into his limbs, preparing to sprint into the gates. Thud! Thud! Thud! His footsteps pounded on the floor as he rushed forward. Thud! Thud! Thud! Noah could see some light at the end of the tunnel. Whoosh!

Suddenly, it was extremely quiet. The sound of the wind rushing pat him had stopped as he exited the pathway. Noah could see purple clouds hanging in the air. His footsteps slowed down to a halt as he stepped inside the swamp. Splotch! It seemed like the mud was clinging to his feet, trying to drag him down. Thank God he was wearing a combat suit! He couldn't imagine how much he would be slowed down without his gear.

Noah took a deep breath as he surveyed his surroundings. He relaxed his shoulders slightly. He always liked to bask in the environment of a gate before attacking the monsters. He didn't know why. Perhaps it was the feeling of killing them right where they lived that made him feel better. But this single moment was like a drug- it always filled him with pain. The relief he felt was momentary.

ROAR! "Ah, fuck. I've been discovered," remarked Noah casually. Swish! He drew his sword, preparing to fight the monster.

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[Crow's beak (common) equipped]

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Noah rushed towards the monster, sword drawn. It was time to gain some exp.

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Pat...pat...pat. "Damn it! That fucker just ran away like it was nothing." Samuel viciously swore as he kicked a pebble inside the pathway. "Well, you knew he was gonna run off. No point in crying about it." Kara glanced at him before she continued to look ahead.

"Mana Sense shows that there's nothing ahead us." Charlie was crouched on the ground as she used her skill to search for monsters. "Well of course there fucking aren't! It's not like there's any monsters in these dang caverns, is there?" Samuel swore as he kicked another pebble. Pat...pat...pat.

"Alright, let's move out." Kara signaled to the Mages as she started moving. Samuel glared at her. He was supposed to lead this raid. As a member of Class 2, he was supposed to be the guy who deserved to order around all of these pathetic weaklings. So why the hell was Kara taking charge? "Forget about her, sir. She'll get flustered as soon as a monster attacks us. You can easily take charge when that happens." Thomas reassured him.

"Hey you! Blue eyes! Make sure you stay behind and don't make too much trouble. You won't have to do any fighting if you're lucky." Samuel barked at Ethan. "Sure." Ethan stood back up as he prepared to trail behind.

Tap...tap...tap. The sound of footsteps echoed through the tunnel as they moved forward. "Stop!" Charlie held up a hand. "There's a monster ahead, about 100 metres from our position." Charlie kneeled down and closed her eyes. "It's a single F-1 rank monster. I don't know its species."

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[Mana Sense(G)]

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Ethan sent out a pulse of mana as he searched for the monster. Whoosh! He could feel its presence as his Mana Sense touched it slightly. "Physical types, head forward cautiously. Mage types, ready your spells. Avoid direct confrontation with the monster." Kara barked a series of orders as she prepared to kill the monster.

"Why're you so serious? It's only a single monster." Samuel spoke in a carefree tone as he smirked at Kara. "You, Mage types! Stay back! Us Physical types will take care of the monster." He smirked at Charlie. Kara frowned at him. "Samuel. This is no time to..." ROAAR!

Kara swore. "Fuck, it's found us! Physical types, advance. We can't want to let the monster get too close." She drew a thin spear, preparing to charge. "Come on, chill out. I can easily take care of..." Crackle! The temperature dropped suddenly as the air started to get colder.

"Get back! It's an Ice Salamander!" WHOOSH! Thomas was hit with a wave of cold air as his suit started freezing over. "Thomas! Mages, defrost him!" Kara pulled Thomas away as the Ice Salamander drew closer. "Haha! Watch this!" Samuel drew his sword and brandished it over his head as he charged towards the monster.

Slash! Clang! Samuel's sword met its claws as sparks flew. "Samuel! You fucking idiot! Get back before you die!" ROAAAR! The Ice Salamander opened its maw wide, aiming for Samuel's torso. "Godamnit! Charlie! Weaken the ground!" Whirrrr! A wave of mana shot past as it sunk into the ground beneath the monster.

Slam! The salamander missed as Samuel's sword crashed into its head. ROAAAR! "Damn tough skinned lizard. Take this!" Samuel poured mana into his sword as he plunged it downwards. Splat! The sword pierced its head, plunging into the ground beneath it.

"Die, you monster!" Scree! The salamander screeched one last time as it thrashed in pain. Thud..thud....thud.....thud. It stopped moving. Its white skin was dyed green with blood, making it look like some kind of alien creature. Samuel punched his fist into the air. "Fuck yeah! Take that, lizard!" He smiled as if he had just cleared the entire gate on his own.

"Samuel!" Kara marched towards him in anger. "What? Are you jealous that you couldn't take on the monster by yourself?" He grinned back at her. "Have you gone crazy? What the hell do you think you're doing?" She glared at him in rage. "What do you mean? I killed the monster by myself! Pretty good, right?" He thrust out his chest proudly.

"Of course not! You think you'd be able to kill that thing without Charlie's help? You didn't even have enough time to gather your mana!" "Bullshit! I would have killed the monster without your interference. Don't try to take credit!" He scowled at Kara, not believing her. Ethan sighed in frustration. This expedition was sure going to be a long one!