“He hasn’t accepted yet.” A beautiful, silver-haired woman stood in front of a window, looking across the vast city. Her eyes were sky blue, and her face was as smooth as porcelain.
She donned a classic kunoichi outfit, which looked elegant and was made of dark-colored fabric. Her silver hair was tied into a ponytail with the help of a black ribbon, and she had a pair of silver earrings on her ears.
A red scabbard with black diamond markings hung from her waist. Her soft hand was touching the sword’s hilt, and it clearly showed that she was very comfortable with the weapon, as if it were another limb of hers.
Her name was Serenity, the Dojo Master of Silver Heart.
“He should be awake by now.” Serenity bit her finger gently. “Perhaps he stayed awake longer. He, after all, had to get used to his new apartment.
“I can’t believe his parents abandoned him like that. They are so irresponsible.”
“Miss Serenity.” A young man with a thick accent walked up the stairs and saw her standing beside the window. He looked very respectful as he bowed. “Good morning.”
“Yes, what is it?” Serenity turned to the young man. Her voice traveled across the room and landed on the ears of the young man.
“The quest’s preparations have been completed.” The young man said. “We will depart tomorrow morning via five different wagons and hopefully reach Yatagarasu before next morning.”
“Good. Tell Leprechaun to arrange another wagon.” Serenity said and turned back to the floating screen, where her friend request was bending for acceptance.
“May I ask why?” The young man asked. “Are we expecting more members?”
“Maybe,” She said and pressed on the floating screen, sending another friend request just in case. Her gaze turned misty as she looked at the screen that was right in front of the window.
To everyone else, it would look like she was simply enjoying the sights from the window.
The young man put a palm on his chest, bowed respectfully, and left his dojo master alone. The bottom floor of the dojo was bustling with dojo members, preparing for the quest.
The higher-ranked members shouted orders, and it was quite chaotic both outside and inside.
The gate to the dojo was closed while players flocked outside, wanting to join the famous Silver Heart. However, they weren’t recruiting during such a busy hour.
The young man with a thick accent walked across the busy dojo and walked out of the back entrance, entering the beautiful backyard. The backyard was the size of half a football field, making it massive.
There were wooden huts built and ponds with fish swimming around. Then, there were dojo members enjoying the outside air while either practicing against training dummies or sitting around tables, discussing the upcoming quest.
The young man walked at a quick pace towards a white circular table, where a person with curly blond hair was sitting. He was writing notes on a notepad while preoccupied with his own thoughts.
“Leprechaun, Miss Serenity asked to arrange another wagon.”
“Huh?” Leprechaun turned to the person with a thick accent. His handsome face radiated a sense of power and charm. However, there was also a hint of irritation in his eyes after hearing the young man’s words. “Why?”
“She didn’t tell me. However, it must be for an important reason.”
“You know what is important? Our fucking finances.” Leprechaun slammed his fist on the table and scratched his neck with his nails. “We have to pay for a wagon and for a driver, then we need extra food and drinks… If more people come with us, there will be fewer rewards…”
“It is her orders. She is our leader.” The young man said and narrowed his eyes. “You have your current position because of your real life occupation. But we can always replace you if you don’t listen to her orders.”
“Aren’t you from Perhentan?” Leprechaun looked at the young man. He had a bronze complexion and ginger hair. “Don’t they eat things found only in the wild there? You guys aren’t better than any wild animals.”
“Watch your tone; I am still higher ranked than you!” The young man shouted and stomped away angrily.
“Who cares.” Leprechaun yawned and looked at the training ground in boredom. The newest members of the dojo were hacking their weapons against the brand new training dummies.
…
Ding, ding. 𝑜𝗏xt.𝗇t
Ambrose noticed a flash in his vision as another pop-up message appeared before disappearing like a fleeting cloud.
‘Another friend request from her…’ Ambrose looked blankly at the pedestrians, who were walking about with their families with smiles on their faces. The children held the hands of their parents, innocently talking and laughing.
‘What does she want?’ He again looked at the friend request and went to stand in the alleyway with his back against the brick wall.
He stood there for nearly ten minutes before he lifted his hand and pressed on the friend request. He accepted it and saw the first person appear in his friend list.
‘I am like a goddamn child.’ Ambrose thought to himself with an empty chuckle. ‘Let’s act like goddamn adult and ask her what she wants. After all, I have now been tossed into an adult’s world, like my father said.’
He pressed the chat option and sent a direct message without beating around the bush.
[Ambrose: What do you want, Alice?]
‘This should make it clear that I know who she is.’ Ambrose thought and closed the chat for the time being. He then left the alleyway and absently walked down the street until he came across a sight he didn’t expect to see.
A black gate made of black iron stood tall with tall rock walls surrounding a three-story building, resembling a traditional dojo with windows made of wooden curtains. It was like a house of wealthy samurai.
At the top of the black gates, a curved sign with the name “Reverse Tiger Blade” was carved with exquisite woodwork.
People of all ages, the youngest around 8 years old and the oldest over 60 years old, were training in harmony in the vast yard. They were training swordsmanship with a reverse grip. It was the famous Reverse Tiger Blade.
“Hmm, this dojo sure looks nice.” Ambrose thought out loud as he looked intensely at the name sign. His hand, wrapped around the sword hilt, tightened significantly.
…
“That Leprechaun guy is a menace!” The ginger-haired young man shouted hoarsely. “Miss Serenity, he doesn’t even care about our dojo. Can’t we throw him out?”
Serenity smiled as she accepted the sword from her bashful student. She then put it back on the training rack, where the rest of their training weapons were. They were made of the cheapest kind of iron, but they were still good enough to train with.
They didn’t want wooden swords, as it would be more suitable, according to Serenity to train with proper weapons. Therefore, they paid for blacksmiths to make some weapons with cheap iron. It cost a sum, but they thought it would be worth it.
“You shouldn’t care about his attitude.” Serenity said with a smile. “I know him back in reality, and I know what kind of person he is.”
“Yes, but—”
Ding, ding.
“Ah, wait.” Serenity cut him off instantly and opened a screen. There was a new name on her friend list, and next to the name, there was a red icon blinking, meaning she had received a message.
She was happy that he accepted her friend request, as a lot of her worries were lifted off her shoulders.
After pressing the message icon, she saw the message and became speechless.
‘He knows who I am?’ Serenity looked surprised.