A Bug In Fate

"We’re here to spar with each other," Liam explained. "The tournament isn’t far away, so we thought it’d be better to get used to fighting people instead of just monsters."

Mina nodded in agreement, an eager grin already spreading across her face. It was obvious she had been looking forward to this.

"Oh..."

Alden thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"That’s actually a good idea."

It benefited him as well. Although he had fought plenty of monsters recently, the last real battle he had against another human was during the bandit attack.

As for what happened in the library...

He didn’t even consider that a proper fight.

"So..."

"What are we waiting for?"

Alden smiled as he gestured toward the exit.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned back toward the old dwarf.

"Old man, I’ll come back later for my saber."

"...Saber?"

Mina tilted her head in confusion.

She wasn’t the only one. Beside her Liam looked equally puzzled.

"I usually prefer using a saber," Alden replied casually.

"Then why are you carrying a sword?" Liam asked, frowning. "And... no offense, but that thing isn’t exactly high quality."

Before Alden could answer, Ron awkwardly stepped forward.

"Umm... I’ll explain."

"My master and he made a bet. He agreed to use that sword for two weeks without letting it break."

Ron scratched his cheek before adding in a quieter voice,

"...And I made that sword."

"He’s telling the truth."

The old dwarf nodded before looking at Alden’s sword and satisfied grin appeared at his face.

"Don’t worry, brat. I’ll forge a proper saber for you myself."

He folded his arms and thought for a moment.

"Since I’m making it anyway, is there anything special you want added?"

Then he looked directly at Alden.

"More importantly... what’s your elemental affinity?"

The question immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Liam, Mina, and Ron all looked at Alden, waiting for his answer.

"Ice."

"...Ice?"

Liam blinked.

"Not Water... but Ice?"

Ron and Mina wore similar expressions of surprise.

The old dwarf, however, burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! That’s a good one."

"Ice is a derived affinity. They’re rarer than the basic elemental affinities, but not so rare that people would hunt you down out of jealousy."

He laughed loudly at his own joke while the others smiled helplessly.

If only he knew...

That Alden possessed another affinity.

And not just any affinity, it was

Void.

The old dwarf might have fainted on the spot.

Still, Liam nodded with genuine admiration.

"Even among derived affinities, Ice is considered an excellent one. It has strong offensive power, good defensive capabilities, and it’s surprisingly versatile."

Alden simply smiled without saying anything.

There was no point mentioning that Ice wasn’t even the affinity he was most curious about.

Here’s a smoother version that keeps your style, reduces the choppy one-line sentences, and improves the dialogue flow without changing the events.

"Let’s go already."

Mina spoke first, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement. Ever since she had arrived at the blacksmith’s shop, she had been acting strangely enthusiastic, as if she couldn’t wait to cross swords with Alden.

Alden raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

"Why do you look so happy?"

He paused before asking another question.

"Also... is there an open area nearby?"

Liam nodded.

"Just follow us. We know a place that’s large enough for the three of us to fight without holding back."

As he spoke, he turned toward the exit, where Mina was already waiting with her sword resting on her shoulder.

"Umm... can I come too?"

Ron suddenly asked, looking at the three of them with an innocent expression.

"I’ll just watch."

"Hoh hoh, in that case, I’ll come as well."

The old blacksmith laughed as he walked toward the counter and began putting away a few tools.

Alden blinked.

"But... what about the shop?"

The old man looked back at him with a grin.

"Can’t you see?"

"I’m closing it."

Without waiting for anyone’s reaction, he simply walked out of the shop.

The others could only stare at his retreating figure in silence.

Ron rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Sorry about my master..."

Alden could only sigh.

For some reason, he was the one feeling second-hand embarrassment.

With that, the group left the blacksmith’s shop together.

They walked through Ravehold’s bustling streets, taking several turns as they headed deeper into the city. Gradually, the number of buildings began to decrease, replaced by wider roads and open spaces.

After several minutes, Liam finally came to a stop.

Stretching out before them was a vast training ground, roughly a kilometer long and just as wide.

Its flat, open terrain made it the perfect place for cultivators to spar without worrying about damaging the surrounding buildings.

The training ground was completely empty except for them.

Large boulders were scattered across the field, some standing taller than a person while others barely rose above the ground. They were spread around so randomly that they looked as if someone had simply thrown them there years ago and forgotten about them.

"It’s good."

Alden looked around with a nod. His gaze swept across the field, unconsciously memorizing the terrain. Every boulder, every open space, every possible blind spot was quietly etched into his mind before the fight had even begun.

"Haha, of course it is."

The old man laughed before pulling a bottle of wine out of nowhere.

"Now stop standing around and fight already."

The four younger cultivators stared at him.

The corners of their mouths twitched.

None of them knew where that bottle had come from.

In the end, they wisely decided not to ask.

Instead, they walked toward the center of the field.

"So, how are we doing this?"

Mina unsheathed her sword with a sharp metallic ring before pointing it toward Alden.

"I’ll fight this bastard first."

There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in her voice.

Liam simply smiled.

"I don’t mind."

"You two can go first. Mina and I have sparred more times than I can count anyway."

To be honest, it didn’t look like Mina would have given him a chance even if he had objected.

She had only asked out of courtesy.

The answer had already been decided in her mind.

*...What a typical woman.*

Alden sighed inwardly.

"You might think I’m crazy..."

He waited until both of them looked at him.

"...but I think it’d be much more interesting if the two of you fought me together."

For a moment...

Nobody spoke.

Even Mina blinked in surprise.

Then the old man’s laughter echoed across the training ground.

"Hahaha!"

"That brat really has some guts."

He took another sip of his wine, looking thoroughly entertained.

"This is getting interesting."

A grin forming at his lips as he watched the drama before him unfold.

"Master... is he serious?"

Ron couldn’t help but ask.

Ahead of them, the atmosphere on the soon-to-be battlefield grew heavier with every passing second.

Alden stood there with a relaxed expression, his sword hanging casually by his side.

Across from him, Liam and Mina exchanged surprised glances.

Both of them had already stepped into the Advanced Rupture Realm, yet Alden, who was only at the Spark Realm, was asking them to fight him together.

To an outsider, the difference might not seem like much.

After all, he was only one realm below them.

But cultivators understood better than anyone that the gap between the Spark Realm and the Rupture Realm was entirely different from the gap between the Awakened Realm and the Spark Realm.

A Rupture Realm cultivator could cast spells.

That single advantage alone was enough to completely change the flow of a battle, not to mention the significant increase in physical strength, mana reserves, and overall combat ability that came with breaking through.

Even the old dwarf lowered his wine bottle slightly.

He wanted to see what gave this brat so much confidence.

"Alden."

Liam looked at him with a serious expression.

"We know you’re strong, but both of us can already cast spells. Unless we deliberately choose not to use them..."

He shook his head.

"I don’t think you’ll last more than a few moments."

Alden merely smiled.

"Instead of arguing..."

"I’d rather prove it with my actions."

He slowly raised his sword.

"I’ll fight Mina first."

"She can use every spell she has."

Then he looked at Liam.

"And if you change your mind halfway through..."

"Feel free to join in."

As he spoke, mana quietly flowed around the blade, forming a thin layer around the sword.

His control over mana had improved tremendously over the past few days.

Whether it was the constant training...

Or the countless hours spent experimenting while making chocolate...

Even he wasn’t entirely sure.

*Let’s see if all that chocolate was worth the effort.*

Alden smiled inwardly before shifting his gaze toward Mina.

She had been staring at him in silence.

For a brief moment, her expression remained unreadable.

Then Alden’s words echoed in her mind once again.

She can use every spell she has.

Feel free to join in.

The last trace of calm vanished from her face.

"You bastard..."

Her grip tightened around the hilt of her sword as fury burned in her eyes.

"I swear you’ll regret looking down on me."

Mana erupted from her body, cracking the ground beneath her feet.

Without another word, she shot forward, her sword slicing through the air as she charged straight at Alden.

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