A Bug In Fate

The bandits barely had time to process what had just happened. They hadn’t even figured out how the situation had turned against them before Alden made his next move. The moment Marco’s head hit the ground, he appeared on a nearby tree branch, directly in front of the archer who had been shooting at him whenever he got the chance.

Alden moved.

His saber became a blur.

The archer’s eyes snapped wide open in surprise. He couldn’t believe what was happening. Every instinct screamed at him. In panic, he raised his bow in front of him like a shield.

But Alden’s saber was coated in mana.

The rusty blade sliced through the bow as if it were butter and continued forward without slowing down.

A sharp pain exploded through the archer’s chest as the saber pierced straight through him and came out from his back.

"Uckh..."

Blood spilled from the archer’s mouth. He looked down at the blade buried in his chest. For the first time in his life, death felt so close.

Before Alden could finish him, three attacks came from behind. The remaining bandits had finally come back to their senses. They surrounded him from different directions and attacked with visible rage.

Alden had no time to waste. He twisted the saber inside the archer’s body before forcing it to the left. The blade cut through the man’s heart before Alden pulled it free and turned to block the incoming attacks.

"Marco... you killed Marco! I’ll kill you!"

An attack came at Alden. He raised his saber in response. Steel collided with steel, and a gust of wind burst out from the impact.

"Yes! We’ll avenge our brother!"

Another bandit attacked from Alden’s side, aiming for his ribs. Alden twisted his body and took a single step aside, just enough to avoid the blade.

Before he could catch his breath, a kick flew toward him. Alden caught the incoming leg with his free hand and, using his strength, threw the man several meters away.

Without wasting a moment, he shot toward another bandit. He drove his saber toward the man’s chest, but the strike was blocked.

The bandit thought he had stopped the attack.

A second later, a sharp pain exploded through his lower body as Alden’s foot slammed into the center of his existence.

The man gritted his teeth and tried to endure the pain. Alden feinted a slash toward his shoulder, then suddenly changed direction and sliced toward his neck instead.

A head rose into the air.

Just like that, only two bandits remained standing.

The spectators of the battle, which had somehow turned into a one-sided massacre, watched with different emotions.

On one side, Vish remained as calm as ever. At some point, she had even sat down on a nearby boulder and was watching the battle with an analytical gaze. A faint smile had appeared on her face ever since Alden started killing them.

On the other side, Henry, the dwarf, and most of the bandits were furious. They cursed Alden from a distance, wishing they could tear him apart.

One might think everyone was angry over Marco’s death, but this wasn’t a family.

While Henry and the dwarf were among the angriest, a few bandits secretly watched with smiles on their faces. They had held grudges against Marco for a long time, so his death didn’t bother them in the slightest.

Then there were the weakest among them.

A few bandits had already begun trembling as a terrifying thought crossed their minds.

What if Henry had chosen us instead?

A shiver ran down their spines.

Deep down, they already knew the answer. They just didn’t want to admit it.

"Boss, we should do something. At this rate, those two will die without even putting up a fight."

The dwarf tightened his grip around his hammer.

"Yes, Boss. We should all attack him together."

Another bandit spoke up from behind the dwarf. Soon, several others agreed.

Henry remained silent as he watched the battle before him, thinking about his next move.

He was a cautious man.

His eyes stayed fixed on Alden, who was about to finish the last two bandits. There was no doubt the boy was a combat genius to some extent, but even a genius had limits.

Henry noticed the sweat running down Alden’s face. It wasn’t surprising. He had been constantly changing positions, dodging attacks, and swinging his saber without a single moment to rest.

"We’ll attack him together," Henry finally said. "First, we’ll surround him from every direction. Then I’ll use my skill. The moment I give the signal, everyone attacks at once."

He looked at each of them one by one.

"He’s starting to get tired, but don’t underestimate him. Stay together at all times."

Unfortunately, because of the situation, Henry had forgotten one important thing

.

"Yes, Boss!"

The dwarf smiled. He had finally gotten the chance to pay back that annoying human.

"Boss is so intelligent. Haha... that boy is finished. He might be strong, but against all of us, he’ll die in no time."

Another bandit laughed, clearly trying to flatter Henry.

"Of course. Our boss is the smartest in this area. Even the knights couldn’t catch us because of him."

Another quickly joined in, and soon the group was busy praising their leader, as if they hadn’t just watched Marco lose his head moments earlier.

Alden, who was moving toward his next target, didn’t realize that a plan was already being made to kill him. Even if he had known, it wasn’t like he could have stopped them. All he could do was prepare himself for whatever came next.

The two remaining bandits were still trying to kill him, but one thing had changed.

Their strength, agility, and even their spirit.

From the moment Alden started killing them one by one, they had realized something.

They were going to die.

It was only a matter of who died first.

Even so, they kept fighting, hoping something would change. Perhaps their boss would send help before it was too late.

A blade swept toward Alden’s neck.

He ducked beneath it and drove his fist into the man’s stomach, coating it with mana at the last moment.

Sweat trickled down his back.

The exhaustion was finally starting to catch up to him.

But this wasn’t the time to think about his physical condition.

Another attack came from above.

Still crouching, Alden rolled to the other side of the road before quickly getting back to his feet.

The bandit chased after him and brought his sword down once again.

Alden raised his saber and intercepted the strike before driving his knee into the man’s gut.

Surprise appeared on the bandit’s face.

A heartbeat later, pain caught up with him.

Alden didn’t waste the opportunity. His saber swept across the man’s torso, ending his life in a single strike.

Out of the five bandits Henry had sent...

Only one remained alive.

And even he was already badly injured.

Meanwhile, Henry and the others had already surrounded the battlefield without Alden noticing.

Two archers had climbed onto nearby trees, while the rest spread out across the road with their weapons ready.

Henry quietly hid behind a large boulder, giving him a clear view of Alden’s exposed back.

He glanced toward Vish, who was still sitting on the same boulder as if nothing was happening.

He waited to see if she would warn Alden about the surprise attack, but he couldn’t afford to wait any longer. His last remaining man was about to die.

Taking a deep breath, He made up his mind.

What he was about to do required complete focus. If Alden had seen it, he might have even become excited... if it hadn’t been aimed at killing him.

Henry slowly closed his eyes.

A moment later, mana began flowing out of his body.

He raised his palm, and more mana gathered around it. Sweat appeared on his forehead as a glowing circle slowly formed in front of his hand. Strange patterns slowly spread across its surface. They were simple, yet strangely beautiful.

It was a spell.

It was this spell that had made Henry the leader of the gang.

Alden was just about to finish the last bandit when his instincts suddenly screamed at him.

He immediately activated Mana Sense at full power.

What he saw made his eyes widen.

Henry was standing behind the boulder, a blazing fireball floating above his outstretched palm.

Henry’s lips moved.

"Fireball."

The blazing sphere shot forward at terrifying speed, racing straight toward Alden.

"What the fuck?"

Alden cursed under his breath.

But before he could react to the fireball, Henry’s voice rang across the battlefield.

"Attack!"

This time, Alden wasn’t even surprised.

Two arrows flew toward him from different directions as several more presences rushed in at the same time.

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