The Laughing Swordsman

Apollo did not even turn back.

Why should he care about some random kid's rambling?

Apollo walked into his shadow, off to claim his results.

...

Otis The Second's gaze lingered on the window.

He clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palms.

As the blood dripped down, he turned back to look at his father.

"...Dad."

He walked over and lifted his father's lifeless hand.

"Why... why did this have to happen?"

Otis The Second began to sob.

"Dad... I never thought this day would come so fast."

He closed his eyes and tilted his head down.

"I will inherit the legacy, as I promised."

With renewed determination, Otis The Second left the room.

He traversed down the palace until he reached the bottom floor.

Otis The Second came to a rather small room.

The place was only a few meters high, making most feel cramped.

The walls were made of stone. In front of him was a set of faint white magical scrawlings. It appeared to be the design of a convoluted flower.

A faint white glow emitted from the strange piece of art.

Otis The Second punched the wall hard.

Other than venting his anger, nothing happened.

He continued to punch it. He only stopped when his fist was bleeding profusely.

He rubbed his blood across the scrawlings.

Suddenly, a rumble reverberated within the room.

Otis The Second looked around with a tinge of fear.

As the white scrawlings faded away, a hidden door opened.

There was a long staircase leading to a dark abyss.

Otis The Second walked down the steps with trepidation.

Would these steps lead him to glory?

...Or doom?

Well, he wouldn't know.

...

Apollo was making his way through the shadow world.

There was an odd tugging force pulling him forward.

Soon, he came across the association's symbol.

The slightly parted eye.

He reached his hand out and touched it.

With a flash, he was in the black room.

The only thing inside was the grey desk.

He took out his copper coin and flicked it.

The copper coin suddenly disappeared, letting out plumes of mist.

Apollo waited for the room to clear, then inspected the desk in front of him.

Five white lines of condensed mist hovered in the air.

He got another chance to use the coin.

The parchment from his request was torn to two pieces, laying on the desk.

Next to that was a small black crystal.

Apollo curiously picked it up.

It was cool to the touch and glimmered with a soft light.

...What was he supposed to do with this?

The corner of Apollo's lip twitched.

Where was the technique?

His coin reappeared.

It tumbled onto the desk, face up, showing off the smiling devil.

Apollo retrieved it, then proceeded to observe the black crystal.

He was pretty sure this thing was supposed to be his reward but did not know what to do with it.

Why wasn't there some sort of manual to guide him?

Apollo sighed, clenching the crystal in frustration.

Then, it shattered.

Apollo's eyes flew open.

"Wait! My technique!..."

The desk faded from his vision.

He suddenly found himself on a stone platform.

There was a humanoid figure made of dark grey mist standing across from him.

While Apollo's jaw was still agape, the man of mist took on a stance.

It appeared as though he was ready to fight with Apollo, holding his arms out and bending his knees.

Suddenly, the man of mist moved.

Apollo's hand clenched onto the bokken.

Then... loosened.

The man of mist was sidestepping.

His figure would suddenly disappear after he pushed off the ground, then reappear a few steps away.

After a few seconds, he changed it up.

He recoiled backward, then lunged forward.

The man of mist continued disappearing and reappearing like a ghost.

Apollo had realized that this was his reward. A demonstration of the Basic Shadow Step Technique.

He observed closely, rubbing his thumb and forefinger on his chin.

Once he had a superficial understanding, he tried it out himself.

His first few steps were inept, but he quickly got into the rhythm.

It was almost like Apollo was the mirror image of the man.

However, there was one small difference.

Apollo wasn't disappearing, just copying the movements.

This frustrated him. He couldn't figure out what was missing.

Apollo stubbornly imitated the man of mist.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

He just barely caught a difference in their footwork.

Apollo focused, taking a peek behind the door.

Then, the man of mist disappeared.

Apollo was back in the room with the grey desk.

His eyelid twitched.

...There was a time limit?

Apollo facepalmed.

"I was so close..."

After heaving a sigh, he moved past it.

Perhaps the reward would show up again?

Apollo flicked his coin, letting it disappear above the grey table.

Four condensed lines of white mist appeared.

Below it were two pieces of parchment.

Apollo felt a bit nervous.

They wouldn't be the same missions, right?

His eyes immediately darted to the reward sections.

'Reward: Ten Gold Coins'

His face twitched, then looked at the other one with a bit of anxiety.

'Reward: 50x One-Week Food Pellets'

Apollo raised an eyebrow.

He closed his eyes and combed through his memories.

Apollo saw the yellow bead in Willow's hands. The moment it slipped into his stomach, a refreshing feeling came over him.

Apollo tilted his head to the side.

While the pellets weren't what he wanted the most, they certainly wouldn't hurt.

After all, he always seemed to have a problem with food.

'Rank: Copper Coin

Target: Shadow Monkeys

Description: Resides in the forest of misery. Estimated to have a danger level of two horns. Black fur, brown eyes. Are most frequently found hanging around penumbra trees.

Requirements: Eradicate all targets within the forest of misery.'

This was a simple ink drawing of the shadow monkey.

It appeared to be small and had relatively large heads. Their eyes lacked any pupils. Instead, it was just an empty sclera, giving a blank stare.

Apollo accepted the quest.

Then set off to complete it.