"Alright, class. I have an announcement to make." Ada barged into the class as she started talking. "Missions will be starting from tomorrow." There was a collective cheer from the class. Everybody here had been harassed by the other classes, and missions were a way out for them.
"Missions will be posted in the main office, or mission hall as most students call it. You'll earn merit points depending on the of mission you complete, and if your merit points are high enough, you might get promoted to the next class." Everybody perked up at these words. Who didn't want to rise to a higher class?
"There's a couple of things you need to keep in mind before starting a mission. First of all, don't do too many missions. You need to strike a balance between doing missions and training. If you spend too much time in gates and neglect your training, forget about advancing to the next class, you'll fall behind your peers. Your success will be temporary, and you will fall harder than you rise." She started pacing around the class.
"Second. You can die in a gate. Although dying in KGS is rare, it is still possible. Be smart, and don't be overconfident. Don't try to take on something you can't handle." Ada walked right next to Ethan as she said these words.
"And finally, never forget one thing. Monsters are not your friends. They are nothing like ordinary creatures. They're bloodthirsty brutes who only care for carnage and violence. The only thing that they believe in is their own bloodlust. So do not fool around with them. Kill them if you can. Run away if you can't. Never attempt to communicate with them. Aside from endangering your life, you'll also be endangering your position at KGS."
Ethan inwardly scoffed. Who'd even think about befriending monsters after hearing about their brutality. The entire world was centred around monsters and their hate for humans. They had occupied three-fourths of the entire planet. What more was needed to prove their hostility?
"The mission hall opens at 6:00 a.m. and closes at 10:00 p.m. everyday. It'll open at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. Missions are on a first-come-first-serve basis, so the earlier you go, the higher the chances of you getting a favourable mission are."
"Missions also don't have any specific restrictions. You can take on a mission meant for third years if you wish to. But I don't recommend quickening your death." Nobody laughed. The joke was too serious to be funny. "You can also choose to do a mission with your fellow students. However, the person who selects the mission from the mission hall will be given all of the merit points. Distribution of those points must be handled by you guys."
"And finally, you will be given additional merit points for any items you acquire inside the gate. Any items brought to the mission hall are converted into merit points. You may not take them outside of Keystone premises." Damn cheapskates. Aside from having astronomical fees, they didn't even allow their students to profit off them in any way.
"Alright. Class is over. You may leave." Everybody got up as they headed out of the classroom.
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Foo...foo. Ethan walked into the main office as blew on his palms. It wasn't winter, but the mornings could get pretty cold in Keystone. Probably because it was built on top of a mountain. He walked towards a sign reading 'Mission Hall'. There was a glass panel mounted on a stand right beneath the sign. Ethan swiped right and entered his credentials as he started taking a look at the available missions.
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[Kill 5 Twin-headed pythons (15)] - 5 points
[Kill 3 Frozen goblins (10)] - 5 points
[Kill 10 Flame spiders (20)] - 5 points
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"Fucking bitch!" Those 50 points that Ethan had lost would hurt him much more than he'd anticipated. He scrolled through the missions as he tried to find something he could do easily while earning a lot of points.
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[Kill 1 Spinolanus (5)] - 15 points
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Ethan's finger hovered over a mission. This mission seemed to be the best he could choose for now. It didn't seem very tough, and the point value was also pretty good. He hadn't fought against Spinolania before, but he was pretty sure he could kill one of them with his current skill level.
Ethan pressed on the mission as his watch lit up. Beep!
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[Displaying Status.....]
[Name: Ethan Miller]
[Age:15]
[Status: Awakener(Physical)]
[- Stats]
[Attributes: None]
[Rank: G-6]
[Strength: G-6]
[Agility: G-6]
[Stamina: G-6]
[Mana: G-6]
[Magical circuit: G-6]
[Personal stat(unnamed): G-5]
[- Skills]
[Mirror Blade (G)]
[-Missions]
[Kill 1 Spinolanus (5)] - 15 points
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Ethan glanced at his watch one last time as he stood in front of a gate. A doorway with a pentagram inscribed on it stood in front of him. Creak! Stones gnashed against each other. The doorway slid upwards as the entrance became visible to him. He took a deep breath.
Tap..tap...tap. His feet fell on the slimy floor as the sound of his footsteps echoed through the pathway. "Huff...huff...huff." The air felt heavy against his face, as if it was bursting with moisture. Ethan emerged from the pathway as it opened towards a jungle.
Leaves gathered in bunches as they blocked his path, stopping him from seeing any further. "Huff...huff...huff." Perhaps walking into this dungeon alone wasn't a good idea. His heart thumped nervously as he cut the ferns with his dagger.
For now, Ethan would be using the dagger form as his main weapon. He wasn't good enough at using the kusarigama to use it. Unlike a dagger, a kusarigama needed a certain level of proficiency to use it freely on a battlefield. But the devastation it could deliver was proportionate to how long he had to wait to use it.
Scree! A loud sound pierced through the air. Ethan bent down slightly as he held his dagger in a reverse grip. His heart thumped loudly. SCREE! Suddenly, a huge lizard rushed at him from his left. It darted its tongue out as it closed the distance. Ethan spun around as he clenched his dagger tightly.
Slash! He sliced of the tongue. Thud! It fell to the floor with a thump. The lizard jumped at him, uncaring about the fact that its tongue had just been sliced off. Ethan ducked down and stabbed his knife upwards. Schlop! The lizards belly was cut open as its insides popped out.
It fell down to the floor motionlessly. Ethan stared at its corpse in disgust. This wasn't the Spinolanus. It was a Lizard, a monster that resembled a common lizard, but was a hundred times more dangerous. He grabbed a tooth and stuffed it into his pouch.
Ethan headed deeper into the forest as he started moving quietly. He didn't want any other monster to come after him. The terrain changed as it grew more and more rocky. The clusters of leaves were replaced with tall trees with thick barks and a huge canopy that blocked out the sunlight. Ethan had wandered into the Spinolanus' lair. He clenched his knife, ready to fight at a moment's notice.
Crunch! Suddenly, Ethan heard the sound of footsteps. He ducked behind a tree and peeped from behind. Crunch...crunch! A tall lizard with large spikes jutting out of its spine appeared. It stood 2 metres tall and 3 metres long, dwarfing Ethan. It's tail ended in a spiked ball, extending 2 metres from its behind. It walked majestically as it wandered through the forest. This was its territory. It was the apex predator. Nobody could hurt it here.
Ethan quickly analysed the situation. A frontal assault wasn't favourable. The Spinolanus would bite his face off, ending him instantly. Going from behind was just as terrible. Its tail would smash him to bits. And sideways? Sideways seemed feasible, if he could avoid its sharp claws. But the monster wouldn't stay still. It'd turn towards or away from him, and Ethan would have to face its mouth or tail.
Ethan channeled mana into his legs. Whoosh! He jumped into the air, instantly crossing 10 metres as he reached the Spinolanus. Stab! Ethan poured mana into his arms and his weapon as he stabbed downwards. Splotch! The dagger cut through the flesh as it pierced into its back. Ethan swore.
A dagger wasn't big enough to seriously wound this monster. SCREE! It roared loudly as it shook it body, trying to throw him off. "Woah!" Ethan grabbed onto a spike as he tried to dislodge his dagger. "Damn...fucking...toothpick! Get out!" He pulled as hard as he could, yanking out his weapon. SCREE! The Spinolanus screeched as it shook its heavy body, flinging off Ethan.
"Oof!" Ethan crashed into a tree. He would have been killed if not for his superhuman strength. He got up slowly as he dusted his pants. Damn lizard! It hadn't killed him, but it had hurt him pretty good. He clenched his dagger tightly.
SCREE! The Spinolanus turned towards him, getting ready to charge. Ethan shouted in rage. "Fucking toothpick! Fine! I'll do it." Clat...clat...clat! The dagger broke apart as Ethan poured mana into it. It came back together, morphing into its kusarigama form. Whoosh.....Whoosh.....Whoosh. He spun it in a circle to his right, preparing to throw it.
SCREE! The Spinolanus screeched as it started charging towards him. Whoosh....Whoosh....Whoosh Ethan stared at the monster intently. He took a deep breath. "That monster is the enemy. I have to kill it." He shook his head. "No...its not a monster. It's a target. I'm in the target arena, and I'm going to hit another target." Whoosh...Whoosh...Whoosh. The kusarigama spun faster and faster. It tugged on Ethan's arms as if it wanted to fly away.
Ethan harnessed that bloodlust. Whoosh! He loosened his grip on the chain as he spun the weapon in a horizontal circle. Splash! It pierced through the Spinolanus' eyes as a shower of light green blood spewed into the air. Scree! It screamed in pain as it lost its sense of direction. Ethan rushed towards it.
Clat! Stab! He plunged his dagger into its forehead, ending the monster's life. SCREE...SCREE! It thrashed around as if it was battling against the grim reaper itself. Slowly, its movements grew slower and slower. Scree! Thud! It fell onto the floor as it finally gave up. He broke off one of its teeth and he dropped it into his pouch.
Ethan sighed in relief. One mission was complete. He sat down on the floor as he caught his breath. He had fifteen points right now. He wondered how many more he'd have when he rose to another class. He sat right where he was, basking in the primal glow of the dungeon. He hated daggers.
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Crack! "Ahhhhh!" "I've already asked you thrice! Tell me.....who took the Spinolanus mission?" Zack stood before a crowd as they shivered in fear. He threw the boy he was hitting onto the floor. "Search everybody's watches! Find the weakling who dared to steal my mission. And...." he smiled evilly "....if somebody doesn't cooperate...." he kicked the boy's face "....break their legs."