The Laughing Swordsman

A wave of despair seeped into Otis' heart.

Was he really going to die? But... he had just started the trial.

He remembered watching his father die in his own hands. A wave of anger swept aside the despair inside his heart.

"Not yet!"

As the two longswords came down to claim Otis' neck, he suddenly jolted.

His foot pressed hard against the ground, propelling him forward.

He could feel the wind of the strike brush by his clothes, making his heart leap.

Otis frowned.

A few of his toenails cracked. Although he had the willpower to exert himself, his body couldn't keep up.

The skeletons were not discouraged after missing their target. They shifted their stance and attempted to stab Otis.

As for Otis, he gathered mana into his palms. His mind churned rapidly. For the first time in his life, he cast two spells at once.

"Begone!"

His palms shot out towards the longswords.

Right before they collided, a long set of vines appeared. The vines wrapped around the longswords, preventing them from moving further.

With this small window, Otis kept running.

The skeleton's jaws opened and closed with loud clatters. It was almost like the skeleton was letting out a roar of anger.

The skeletons hastily stripped off the vines before they continued chasing after Otis.

While they did that, Otis' total distance traveled became thirty meters on the first step. As long as he traveled roughly twenty meters, he could advance to the second step.

All of the toenails on his feet had shattered, poking painfully into his skin. Although it hurt, Otis knew he had to do at least this much.

After all, getting slashed by a longsword may spell death, while losing his toenails would let him keep living.

However, it was still excruciatingly painful.

Beads of sweat formed on Otis' forehead from enduring the pain.

He was having second thoughts, his body was simply too weak to complete this trial.

His steps slowed...

Yet, before Otis came to a halt, he burst forward. He was moving even faster than when he was uninjured. That didn't mean the pain disappeared. It felt like his toes were on fire, burning him alive. However, when he thought about the pain of losing his father, his bloody toes only felt a slight itch.

Otis closed his eyes.

"Father..."

He was only ten meters away from the second step, but the skeletons had caught up.

One skeleton slashed at Otis' back.

Otis didn't even realize he was being attacked. As such, a large red gash opened up on his back. Otis let out a grunt of pain, however, his eyes grew fierce.

The other skeleton similarly slashed, but at his neck. If Otis let this attack hit him like the last one, his head would roll on the floor.

Sadly, Otis trained to be a collector mage. His focus was on gathering mana, not fighting in close combat.

He had no special way of parrying the attack.

But Otis did not panic.

He tensed his arm and held it to the side of his neck.

There was a thud.

Blood splurted out, while his fist powerlessly loosened.

The longsword pierced his flesh but stopped at the bone.

Yet, once it did hit his bone, Otis felt an overwhelming jolt of pain. It was as though he got struck by lightning.

However, he composed himself quickly.

Otis grimaced.

"Damn you!"

While the longsword was still lodged in his arm, he pushed it away.

His flesh was further torn apart, but the longsword was knocked to the side.

Otis bought himself another grace period. With it, he ran towards the second step.

In just a few moments, he was only a meter away. After just one meter, he would complete the first step.

However, the skeletons had already caught up.

Otis learned his lesson the hard way. He knew the skeletons would easily catch up and slash him. As such, he peered over his shoulder, waiting for one of them to strike.

As expected, one skeleton raised its longsword in the air before plunging it down.

Otis twisted his right foot, causing a few bones to snap.

He darted to his left, letting the longsword cut the air.

Otis did not forget to propel himself forward. The second step was right in front of him.

His good hand clutched on the ledge of the second step.

However, the other skeleton wasn't going to sit idle.

Out of instinct, Otis turned his head to the side. In the corner of his eye, he could see a longsword about to pierce his throat. His uninjured hand was currently on the second step, while his other hand could hardly move.

When he used his arm to block earlier, it severed some of the muscles used to pilot the hand.

Otis' lacking judgment led to this precarious situation.

But instead of despairing, the inner corner of his eyebrows dug down.

He tried to raise his arm, hoping to use it to block again.

However, he was too slow. The blade glided over his hand.

Otis' life flashed before his eyes.

...

He was holding the hands of his mother and father.

They were walking around their backyard, exploring the various exotic plants.

Otis would eagerly ask about every little thing he saw while his parents would happily explain it to him.

"Hey, what is that one?"

Otis was pointing at a yellow flower. It had heart-shaped petals that overlapped with each other.

His father chuckled.

"That is a yellow pansy."

Otis' mother picked the flower, holding it in front of his face. She was laughing softly.

"You can give this flower to anybody that holds a special place in your heart."

Otis' mother stuck the yellow pansy in his hair.

"It means..."

A breathtaking smile was on her face.

"I'm thinking about you."

...

Otis' limp hand shot out, holding onto the longsword tightly. It abruptly stopped, unable to advance a single bit further.

Blood cascaded down Otis' trembling arm, and tears streamed down his face.

"Me too, mother...."