Masks

Beep!

Three watches lit up at once.

[Congratulations: You have placed fourth]

"Alright! That's pretty good!" Star stared enthusiastically at the results. Fourth position was pretty good, considering the fact that thousands of people took part in these tournaments. Ethan nodded in agreement. "Yeah. That's true. We've only been placing in the thirties or so. Fourth place is a pretty good leap."

He glanced at Luna. "You're pretty good at fighting. We wouldn't have placed so high without you. Great job." Luna beamed at him. "Really?" "Yeah," interjected Star. "There's another tournament next week. Wanna come? We could use your help." He looked at Ethan proudly. Star prided his ability as a wingman.

"Of course! That'd be wonderful!" Tap...tap...tap. The three of them stepped out of Obsidian block as the suns dimming rays fell on their faces. Summer. The sun was still up at 7:00. He'd been seeing a lot more of that since he'd woken up as Ethan. Or maybe he was just more aware of it now, after spending seventeen years holed up in a tiny room. He smiled slightly.

"Alright, I'm heading back to Pebble House. I'll see you guys later. Bye!" Star left the two of them alone, disappearing around a corner. Tap...tap...tap. The two walked in silence, not saying anything as they headed towards Dust House.

Tap...tap...tap. "You were pretty good with your kusarigama back there." Luna broke the silence, trying to start a conversation. "Thanks." Tap...tap...tap. "Did you learn how to use it from somebody? It looks pretty tough to use!" A wave of annoyance bubbled through Ethan.

The kusarigama was a pretty sore subject for him, especially considering that he'd become a laughingstock of Class 10 because he'd been wasting his time swinging it like a fool. And Luna asking him about it felt a lot like she was mocking him. He clenched his teeth in anger.

"No." His voice hardened. "I taught myself." Tap...tap...tap. "Wow! That's pretty cool! You're pretty good, considering you didn't have anybody to teach you how to use it." Tap...tap...tap. "What about you? Did you learn how to use a spear yourself?" Luna's face cracked a bit, as f she didn't like the subject.

"No, I..." "Well, you must have. Because the way you used it was pretty wacky. Considering how it looked like you were almost going to die every single time you used it." Luna's face had a slightly shocked expression. "Uh...hehe. Well, unfortunately I couldn't. Because it was a simulation and all, right?" She smiled awkwardly.

Tap...tap...tap. Luna didn't say anything for a while as they walked forwards. Tap...tap...tap. A large building came into view. "Its Dust House." Luna glanced at Ethan. Tap...tap...tap. He didn't say anything as he walked in silence. Tap...tap...tap.

Ethan could hear the sounds of laughter coming from ahead. He involuntarily tightened up. "Hey, look! Its that blue eyed freak!" It was the red-haired simp! Tap...tap...tap. He was with a bunch of people from Class 10, heading in the direction opposite to Dust House. "Who's he with? Oh its her." A girl snickered.

"Losers stick together, am I right?" The simp glanced at the two of them with disgust. "Hey! Don't mess with them. They might band together and start a revolution!" A couple of people started laughing. Ethan glanced at Luna.

Her face was completely pale as she stared forward, not looking at them. She was completely terrified. Just a couple of weeks ago, it looked like she was going to be the the most popular girl in Class 10. And now, she was at the bottom of the entire class's hierarchy. Just like Ethan.

Evidently, she was taking it harder than him. Ethan studied her face. No. It wasn't the others she was scared of. It was him. For some reason, she was scared of Ethan. Every moment or so, she'd glance at Ethan before staring forward in fear once again. Tap...tap...tap.

"Um...Ok. I'll see you soon. Bye." Luna walked off briskly, disappearing into the depths of Dust House. That was odd. Suddenly, the most popular girl had transformed into the most hated person. He glanced at a group of people walking by. Well, it wasn't any of his business.

Tap...tap...tap. He walked into the building in front of him as he headed towards his room. Maybe, just maybe, he'd been a bit too harsh to Luna.

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Shing! An emerald green sword glistened through the night sky as it swung through the air. Slice! "Kieeeek!" Noah swung his Fanged Sword through a goblin's chest, impaling it into the ground. "Kieeeek!" Suddenly, he heard another cry behind him. Splotch! He yanked his sword out of the ground, leaving the goblin writhing in pain. Shing! Noah swung his sword backwards, cleaving the other goblin into two instantly.

Beep!

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[Level up!]

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Noah looked at the blue screen in front of him. The level up notifications were getting slower and slower as the days went by. His rate of growth had reduced by a lot. Well, that was to be expected. He wasn't killing as many monsters above his rank as he used to.

He glanced at his sword. The emerald krait had given him the most exp ever. Pity he couldn't kill monsters of that level anymore. He'd need to go into more mid and high F ranked gates. There was no way he could level up by relying on puny monsters like these goblins.

"Kurk....kurk" The goblin quivered in pain, unable to die. It stared at Noah in fear. Noah's empty eyes landed on it. Damn hypocrite. It was extremely willing to massacre humans, but when its own death came knocking, it trembled in fear, doing everything it could to survive.

Shing! "Kieeeek!" Noah sunk his sword back into the goblin's wound, causing it even more pain. "Kurk...kurk...kurk...kurk." The goblin's chest heaved in fear as its eyes widened, staring into the two deep black abysses in front of it.

Bzzzzzt! White fog started forming around the sword, seeping into the goblin's wounds. "Kurk...kurk...kurk!" The goblin screamed in pain, as its flesh started searing from the effects of the white fog. "Kurk..kurk!"

Slice! Noah's sword burst through its head, slicing it into two halves. Drip...drip...drip. Blood dropped from the edge of his sword, embracing the floor of the gate. Shing! Splash! Noah swung his sword in an arc, throwing all blood off its surface. Clank! He sheathed his sword.

He'd already wasted enough time in this gate. Tap...tap...tap. He turned around, walking towards the exit. In four days, the month would end. First year students like Noah could start joining clubs. There were tons of clubs, covering every single topic, from monsters and gates, to sword techniques and dagger techniques. There were even some specific clubs like Tamer Club or the Healer club.

But Noah wouldn't be joining any of them. The end of the first month was the day students were finally allowed to meet their families. Or, in other words, they could actually go outside KGS. And Noah knew where he would go. He glanced a his watch.

Beep!

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[You have one message from Elizabeth Black]

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Click!

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[What is your answer?]

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Noah paused slightly before he made a decision. He glanced at his sword. Killing the emerald krait had made him feel refreshed. It rekindled his desire to grow stronger. And right now, he had an opportunity to grow faster than before.

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[Ok. You have a deal]

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He hesitated slightly before sending another message.

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[Make sure the APF takes good care of me]

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Beep! He'd received a reply immediately.

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[You have my word]

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Creak! Stones grinded against each other as a stone doorway started to creak open. A red coloured pentagram gleamed slightly, illuminating the pathway outside. Slam! Noah slammed his sword against the symbol. Crack...crack...crack. Nothing happened. The pentagram still stayed the same, unaffected by the blow.

Noah's eyes glinted slightly. He couldn't destroy that symbol. Right now, he was too weak to make a difference. But one day, he'd be strong enough to break it. Tap...tap...tap. He walked out the gate, heading towards the school.

Beep! A stonograph placed right in front of the gate beeped. Its previously red colour had now changed to green. The number of monsters inside had decreased.