System

Slam! David slammed his palms against a desk as he glared at the woman in front of him in rage. "Elizabeth! What is the meaning of this?" His glasses clung to his face even as mana leaked out of his body, littering the floor with hundreds of papers.

Elizabeth sat behind the desk as she met David's eyes. "What do you mean, David?" A weird glint could be seen in here eyes as she stared at the white haired man in front of her. David retracted his mana into his body as he tried to control his anger. The woman sitting in front of him was more powerful than him, even though both of them S rank gatekeepers.

He pushed his glasses up. "You know very well what I'm talking about." Tack...tack...tack. Elizabeth's long nails tapped against the table. "What could you possibly be talking about? If you don't tell me, how could I ever know?" She smiled innocently at David, infuriating him even more.

He pushed his glasses up, trying to control his ire. "Why did you send the first years into F ranked gates so soon? Most of them haven't even broken through to F rank. Are you trying to kill them?" Tack...tack...tack. Elizabeth studied David, as if she were pondering her answer.

"Well....I simply did what I felt was necessary." David let out his mana once again. "Necessary! What do you mean? Do you think killing first years in F ranked gates is necessary? Are you sure this isn't because of your goddamn grudge?" Suddenly, David felt an immense pressure weighing down on him. Elizabeth's orange eyes flashed in rage. "Watch your mouth, David! Don't speak about things you don't know about."

Crash! David fell onto the floor, giving way under the enormous pressure. "S...sorry..." he groaned. Bam! "Hahh...hahh...hahh!" David breathed heavily as Elizabeth retracted her mana. "I'm sorry. I momentarily lost control of my emotions." "Hahh...hahh..Don't mention it." David pushed up his glasses as he got to his feet. He wasn't saying this simply because Elizabeth was stronger. He had crossed a line he knew he shouldn't have crossed.

"Sit down!" Elizabeth gestured to a chair opposite to her. Screech! David plopped down as he pushed his glasses up. "You were asking me why I sent those kids to F rank dungeons? Well, you aren't far from the truth. The reason I sent the first years is precisely because they're a part of the golden generation." Tack...tack...tack. David looked back at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I'm trying to expose them to harsher environments so that they can train their skills more efficiently. So that they become stronger gatekeepers. The golden generation is full of kids who will lead the future of humanity. But that's mot the only reason." David perked up, paying closer attention to what she was saying. He didn't believe her bullshit about 'leading the future of humanity'. No, he wanted to know the real reason why she was doing this.

"The reason why I'm training them so hard...." Tack...tack...tack. "....is because of Knightsville." David froze. He felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured on him. "You..." Elizabeth held up a hand. "I'm not saying this because I want to get back at you for earlier. But I'm serious when I say this. All of this is because of Knightsville."

David took a deep breath. He pushed up his glasses as he fell back on his chair. "Alright," he said. Elizabeth continued to speak. "Knightsville was one of the worst disasters in the last 50 years. No other outbreak of monsters can compare to the tragedy that unfolded in Knightsville." David nodded his head silently as he tried to suppress his memories.

"And the reason why we couldn't prevent it is because we weren't skilled enough." Tack...tack...tack. David closed his eyes. "You're right," he interrupted. He'd rather say this himself than hear it from her mouth. "The strongest monsters were A rank, yet the gatekeepers that were dispatched couldn't take care of them. A ranked gatekeepers. Just like the monsters" He clenched his fist in frustration.

"But what's this got to do with anything? You always believed that Knightsville wasn't an accident. That those monsters rampaging wasn't natural. So why are you bringing this up? Have you changed your mind?" Elizabeth shook her head. "No." Tack...tack...tack. "But the reason Knightsville was possible was because there were so many monsters." She leaned forward.

"Think about it! Every twenty five years, the levels of monsters in the Barren Lands become so high that they start spilling into human settlements. Knightsville happened because we were unprepared. The monsters attacked prematurely." "You mean...." David's eyes widened. Every twenty five years, monsters started attacking settlements bordering the Barren Lands, causing about a stampede called a 'wave'. Knightsville was simply a premature wave. Which meant that if the monsters had attacked fifteen years later as predicted, they'd have been much stronger.

Of course, the gatekeepers dispatched would be stronger as well. But there would definitely have been some S rank monsters. And David wasn't sure that many gatekeepers could handle them. "The next wave is in about five years. And I'm not the only one who's concerned about our future." She leaned back into her chairs. "Right now, we need to focus on our survival more than profits. Because gatekeeping will soon return to being a defensive rather than an offensive job."

Tack...tack...tack. David pushed his glasses up. "What if your wrong?" He looked at her nervously. "If I'm wrong then we'll be heading to a golden era where our gatekeepers will get back much of our lost territory. And if I'm right..." TACK! "...we can only hope that we won't die."

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HISSSS! The lesser python glared at Ethan in hatred as it hissed loudly, showing its round teeth in anger. Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh! Ethan swung his kusarigama faster and faster. Both of them stared intently at one another, waiting for the other to make a move. HISS! Whoosh!

"Come on! Are you feeling scared?" Ethan taunted the python as his scythe blade slashed through the air. HISSS! The python couldn't understand what he was saying, yet it could feel his mocking gaze as he ridiculed it. HISSS! It hissed back in anger. This puny creature had stripped it of all of its sovereignty. It wouldn't let go of it so easily.

Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh! The python's yellow eyes glowed. Whoosh! It darted forward as it ducked low, preparing to swallow Ethan. He smiled. Clank! Suddenly, he swung his kusarigama horizontally. Control over the kusarigama meant knowing when and where it was going to strike at any moment. Of course, Ethan wasn't proficient enough to perfectly control his weapon. But an opponent as slow as this weakened lesser python was a good training dummy.

He took a step back, ploughing his feet firmly into the ground. Clank! Shing! Hiss! The python turned away at the last moment, barely losing its head. Tear! The scythe blade ran along its side, cutting through its body as it emerged outside. Hisss! It screamed in pain as blood leaked from its side. The wound wasn't fatal, but getting hurt had enraged it. After all, no creature ever dared to challenge its authority in this gate.

Clank! Ethan pulled the kusarigama back towards him, catching the blade in his arm. Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh! He started spinning the kusarigama once again. Hisss! The python hissed at him, now wary of his weapon. Whoosh...whoosh....whoosh. Whirrr! Mana chugged through Ethan's body, flowing into his weapon as it started spinning faster and faster. "Here's the thing, snake!" He started running towards the snake, swinging the kusarigama as he rushed forward.

Hisss! Whoosh! "If you won't come here..." Clank! "...I'll come after you." Slice! SCREECH! Ethan's kusarigama swung forward, slicing the python's eyes. HISSSSS! It rose up into the air as it twisted in pain, disoriented from the loss of its senses. Clank! Ethan twisted his arms, diverting his kusarigama as he swung it vertically.

Splat! The scythe blade dug itself into the python's neck as it travelled upwards. HISSS- Splotch! The monster's voice stopped abruptly as its vocal cords were ruptured, decimated by the mana-enriched weapon. THUD! It fell back to the floor, breathing heavily as it lost all its strength.

Hurrr...hurrr...hurr. The python made weird purring noises as it lay on the floor, all traces of life slowly seeping from its body. Splash...splash. Ethan's moved through the swamp as he walked towards the python. Hurrr! He placed a foot on its face. "Time's up, worm. Prepare to die." Ethan's voice seethed with venom as he stared at the pitiful monster. He swung his kusarigama in an arc, aiming the blade at the monster's head.

"No! You idiot! Stop!" Splat! Suddenly, a voice burst through the swamp. Ethan could see a dark silhouette of a person through the purple fog, looking right at him. Thud! Thud! Thud! Splash! A pair of feet crashed against the muddy water as somebody rushed towards him. Ethan took a step back.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Slam! An arm shot out as it grabbed him by his neck, lifting him into the air. "You! Why the hell did you kill that creature?" A cold voice burst through the air. "Couh...cough...urk. What do you mean?" Slam! Ethan was slammed against the floor as his vision started to grow hazy. "Answer me! Why did you kill that monster!" "Cough...cough" Suddenly, Ethan recognised the person in front of him. "You...Noah! What are you doing here?" Ethan finally identified the figure as his eyes started dimming. Slam! Noah slammed Ethan against the floor once more. "You goddamn idiot! Do you know what you've done?"

"Cough...cough! What do you mean?"

Crackle...crackle. Suddenly, the air around Noah started distorting.

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[User: Noah Evans]

[Level 11]

[Strength: 11]

[Agility: 10]

[Stamina: 9]

[Mana: 10]

[Magical Circuit: 11]

[Active Quests: Kill 25 Lesser Pythons(24/25)]

[Reward: Fanged Sword]

[Penalty: ???]

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[Updating...]

[Quest: Kill 25 Lesser Pythons(25) has been failed]

[Notice: You have failed the quest]

[Warning: Failure to complete the quest has resulted in enactment of a penalty]

[Warning: Failure to...]

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Slam! "You fool!" For the first time, Ethan saw Noah getting loosing his cold demeanour. And he had no idea why.

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[Penalty is being revealed]

[Quest penalty: You have failed to defeat the kings of the reptiles, proving yourself to be an insignificant pawn in front of these arrogant beasts. As a penalty, you shall be banished to the planet of Hydragyros for four hours. Reflect upon your loss, and make sure you learn from your mistakes. Failure is not forgiven easily.]

[Alert: Beginning teleportation]

[Alert: Beginning teleportation]

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Bzzzzzzzz! The air started vibrating faster and faster as the space around Noah started warping. Slam! "Urk!" Noah started slamming Ethan viciously against the floor, trying to vent his rage. Slam! Slam! Whoosh! Suddenly, Ethan felt Noah's grip loosen. Crackle! ZOOOOM! A large sphere enclosed the two of them.

ZOOOOOOOOM! Whoosh! Suddenly, it was eerily quiet. All traces of the two had completely disappeared, leaving a mutilated lesser python corpse straddled in the middle of the swamp. Both Ethan and Noah had completely disappeared. And they wouldn't return until four hours had passed. Hydrayros would be receiving two guests today. And they certainly weren't welcome.