A Bug In Fate

Alden watched the sword slash toward him, but he didn’t even bother getting up from his chair.

He released the first guard’s wrist and tilted his head slightly.

The blade missed his neck by barely an inch.

Before the swordsman could react, Alden’s hand shot forward and grabbed his wrist.

"What—"

The guard’s eyes widened.

Alden yanked him forward with surprising force.

The man’s face instantly turned pale as he stumbled toward him.

Without hesitation, Alden grabbed him by the head and slammed him downward.

Just before his face could hit the floor—

Bang!

Alden’s foot crashed into the side of his head.

The impact echoed through the silent library.

The guard’s body bounced once before going limp, his eyes slowly rolling back as consciousness slipped away.

Silence.

The entire library fell silent.

No one dared to make a sound.

Readers stared at the unconscious guards lying on the floor, then at Alden, who calmly dusted off his clothes as though nothing had happened.

Only the old librarian remained unfazed.

Whether he simply didn’t care or had seen far stranger things before... no one could tell.

Alden turned toward the first guard, who was still clutching his aching wrist.

His calm gaze made the man shiver.

"Can you clean that up?"

Alden asked politely.

There was no need to explain what he meant.

The guard looked at the unconscious man on the floor before hurriedly nodding.

His face had long since lost its color.

For him, this wasn’t a young man anymore.

It was a monster wearing human skin.

Unfortunately...

Things were far from over.

At the table in the distance, the young noble had watched everything without changing his expression.

He slowly closed the book in his hand.

"I want him at my feet."

His calm voice echoed through the library.

It wasn’t loud.

Yet everyone heard it.

"As you wish, Young Master."

The four guards standing behind him answered in unison.

Without another word, they stepped forward.

One after another.

Their heavy boots echoed across the quiet library as they surrounded Alden.

The atmosphere instantly turned suffocating.

Alden found himself surrounded by the four guards.

He let out a helpless sigh.

I guess it’s true... if you kick a dog, its owner eventually shows up.

The thought crossed his mind as he slowly drew his sword.

His gaze swept across the four men before finally settling on the young noble.

"I think we both know this isn’t going to end peacefully."

He rested the sword on his shoulder.

"So... how about we take this outside? I’d rather not destroy the library."

Before the young master could answer, one of the guards stepped forward.

Judging by the others’ reactions, he was clearly their leader.

"You arrogant brat!"

"You only managed to defeat those two because they let their guard down."

He pointed his sword at Alden.

"All of you, attack together! Break every bone in his bo—"

He never finished the sentence.

Bang!

Alden’s foot slammed into his stomach.

The guard’s eyes bulged as his body shot backward like a cannonball before crashing into a bookshelf.

Crash!

Books scattered across the floor.

"Cough...!"

Blood spilled from the guard’s mouth as he struggled to breathe.

He glared at Alden with bloodshot eyes.

Alden casually lowered his leg.

"If we’re going to fight anyway..."

He shrugged.

"...why waste time talking?"

The next moment, he vanished.

Using Flash Step, Alden appeared before another guard.

His sword swept across in a swift slash.

The guard barely reacted in time, raising his own blade to block it.

Clang!

Steel collided, sending sparks flying.

Only then did the remaining guards snap out of their shock.

For the first time in their lives...

They had met someone who attacked before the villain finished his speech.

Somewhere in the library, a reader quietly closed his book.

"...That’s just cheating."

The library fell into chaos once again.

Alden leaped onto a nearby table just as three attacks swept toward him.

The wooden table creaked beneath his weight.

Without pausing for even a moment, he pushed off it and disappeared.

Using Flash Step, he appeared before one of the guards.

The man reacted quickly, raising his sword to block.

Clang!

Alden’s blade came crashing down with tremendous force.

The impact drove the guard back a step, his arms trembling from the pressure.

Alden didn’t let the opportunity slip away.

His foot shot forward and struck the guard’s knee.

Crack!

The man’s leg buckled, forcing him onto one knee.

Before he could recover, another blow came toward his temple.

His instincts screamed at him to dodge.

But he was already at Alden’s mercy.

Instead of punching him...

Alden slapped him across the face.

Smack!

The guard’s body spun through the air before crashing into a nearby table.

The table shattered on impact, and several teeth flew across the library floor.

Before Alden could follow up, his Mana Sense detected movement behind him.

The leader had returned.

His face was twisted with fury after being kicked away before he had even exchanged a proper blow.

He swung his sword straight at Alden’s back.

Alden pretended not to notice.

His attention remained on the other guards, who were struggling to stand despite the pain, stubbornly trying not to embarrass themselves before their young master.

Just as the blade was about to reach him—

Clang!

Without even turning around, Alden blocked the attack behind his back.

In the same motion, he twisted his wrist and drove his sword into the leader’s knee.

A sharp wound opened instantly.

"Argh!"

The leader staggered back, clutching his leg.

"You bastard! Do you even know who you’re messing with? You wi—"

Bang!

Alden’s foot crashed into his face before he could finish.

The leader’s body rolled across the floor before coming to a stop.

Within moments, the fight was over.

The remaining guards rushed in one after another, but none lasted more than a few exchanges.

A slash.

A kick.

A strike with the hilt.

Another body fell.

Again.

And again.

Soon, silence returned to the library.

The guards lay unconscious across the floor, scattered between broken tables and fallen books.

Alden looked around at the mess and let out a quiet sigh.

"...The old man’s going to charge me for this, isn’t he?"

Alden walked over to the unconscious leader and picked up the pouch of coins lying beside him.

He weighed it in his hand before looking at the young master.

"I don’t feel like reading anymore."

He placed the history book on the table.

"You can have it."

The young master lowered his head, avoiding Alden’s gaze.

Even though he was at the Peak Rupture Realm, he knew his limits.

He couldn’t do what Alden had just done.

Sometimes, silence was the smartest choice.

Alden then looked around the library.

"Sorry for disturbing everyone’s reading."

His apology sounded surprisingly sincere.

He walked to the counter and placed the pouch before the old librarian.

"This should be enough to cover the damaged furniture."

The old man glanced at the broken tables, scattered books, and unconscious guards before looking back at Alden.

"...You really have a talent for turning a library into a battlefield."

Alden shrugged.

"I was only reading."

The old man’s eyelid twitched.

"Get out before someone else decides to borrow a book."

Alden chuckled.

"See you next time, old man."

He waved casually and walked out of the library.

The wooden door slowly closed behind him.

Silence returned.

For several long seconds, no one spoke.

Then...

The whispers began.

"Who was that?"

"I’ve seen him at the Adventurers’ Guild."

"An Intermediate Spark Realm... defeated four Advanced Rupture Realm guards?"

"Whose guards were they?"

"No idea..."

The voices grew louder as more people joined the discussion.

The young master quietly looked at the history book resting on the table before clenching his fists.

Meanwhile, the old librarian simply reopened his book as if nothing had happened.

"...Looks like the city is about to become a little livelier."

Outside, Alden stretched his arms and walked away without a care in the world.

Completely unaware...

That by tomorrow, half the city would be talking about the man who started a fight in the library over a single book.

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