A Bug In Fate

Alden sensed the incoming spell and immediately withdrew his attack. Using Flash Step, he disappeared from where he stood and reappeared several meters away.

Turning toward Liam, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"So... you’ve finally decided to join in."

There was a hint of excitement in his voice as his eyes landed on the spear Liam had just drawn.

"I had to."

Liam answered simply before glancing toward Mina.

Surprisingly, she wasn’t fuming with anger despite Liam stepping into the fight. Under normal circumstances, she would have taken it as an insult, as though he believed she couldn’t handle Alden alone.

Instead, she merely took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Be careful of his speed."

Alden’s strength wasn’t what troubled her the most.

It was the way he moved.

He always seemed to appear exactly where she didn’t expect him.

Liam nodded slightly before raising his free hand.

"Wind Blade."

Several crescent-shaped blades of compressed wind shot toward Alden one after another.

Alden calmly weaved between them, avoiding every attack with the smallest possible movements before bursting forward and closing the distance in an instant.

Liam reacted immediately.

His spear thrust toward Alden’s chest, and just before the tip reached its target, he twisted the shaft, causing the spearhead to change direction unpredictably.

Alden leaned back ever so slightly.

The spear tip brushed past his hair without touching him.

The next moment, Alden’s sword flashed toward Liam’s wrist.

Thinking the attack was aimed at disarming him, Liam instinctively shifted his spear to block it.

It was a feint.

Alden suddenly changed his movement, driving a kick straight toward Liam’s abdomen.

Bang!

Liam hurriedly lowered the shaft of his spear to intercept the kick while reinforcing his body with mana.

Even so, the force pushed him back several steps.

Alden was just about to press the advantage when his instincts suddenly screamed.

Without hesitation, he sidestepped.

Whoosh!

A Fire Bullet shot past the spot where he had been standing only an instant earlier.

The spell continued flying forward and, having missed its original target, headed straight toward Liam, who had only just regained his footing.

Liam’s eyes widened as he hurriedly tilted his body aside, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Alden glanced at Mina before a mischievous grin spread across his face.

"Are you two fighting me..."

"...or each other?"

Mina’s expression darkened immediately, and the corner of her eye twitched in irritation.

The old man took another slow sip of wine before speaking, his eyes never leaving the battlefield.

"Either he has an exceptionally high sensitivity to mana... or he possesses a special ability, something similar to the bloodline abilities carried by the noble families in the capital."

Ron froze for a moment before turning toward him.

"Huh? Are you saying he’s a noble?"

The old man shook his head.

"I didn’t say that. I said it’s one possibility."

Ron fell silent, but the shock on his face remained.

Of course, he had heard countless stories about the noble families that ruled the capital. Their mysterious bloodlines were passed down from generation to generation, allowing their descendants to awaken extraordinary abilities from birth.

Some possessed eyes that could see through illusions. Others could control elements far beyond what ordinary cultivators were capable of. There were even rumors of bloodlines that could manipulate space itself, command powerful beasts, or influence the minds of others.

For countless years, those noble families had stood at the very peak of the empire, their legacy remaining unshaken.

If Alden truly possessed something similar...

Then his ability to sense attacks from behind suddenly made a lot more sense.

A single question quietly surfaced in Ron’s mind as he looked at the young man dominating the battlefield.

*Why is someone like him here?*

Unknown to Alden, Ron had already formed a rather interesting misunderstanding about him. Where that misunderstanding would eventually lead was something only time could reveal.

While Ron’s mind was busy coming up with all sorts of theories about why someone like Alden was in Ravenhold, Alden himself was completely focused on the battle before him.

Although he appeared to be fighting seriously, he was holding back. This wasn’t a life-and-death battle, so he had to carefully control his strength. Going all out would defeat the purpose of sparring, but holding back too much would only suppress himself instead.

The same was true for Liam and Mina.

Even though the two of them were using nearly their full strength, neither of them targeted Alden’s vital points. Their goal was to win the duel, not seriously injure him.

"Wind Spear."

"Fire Bullet."

Liam and Mina cast their spells almost at the same time, attacking from opposite directions to leave Alden with as little room to dodge as possible.

Alden immediately used Flash Step, avoiding the Fire Bullet first since it would reach him before Liam’s attack.

The moment he reappeared, Liam had already closed the distance.

Without wasting a second, he thrust his spear toward Alden’s legs, trying to limit his movement.

Instead of retreating, Alden jumped into the air and stepped directly onto the spear shaft.

Liam’s expression changed.

He immediately tried to yank his weapon back with all his strength, but Alden shifted his weight ever so slightly, causing Liam to lose his balance for a split second.

That single mistake was enough.

Before Liam could recover, Alden’s leg descended from above.

Bang!

The kick landed squarely on Liam’s chest with tremendous force, smashing him into the ground. Blood escaped from the corner of Liam’s mouth as dust rose around him.

He gritted his teeth and tried to stand, but the cold edge of a sword was already resting against his neck.

Liam looked at the blade for a moment before letting out a helpless sigh.

His mana was nearly exhausted after casting dozens of spells throughout the duel, and after taking that kick, he knew he was no longer in any condition to continue.

"I surrender."

The words came out calmly as he admitted defeat.

Seeing Liam concede, Mina also lowered her sword.

There was no point in continuing the fight alone. She had come here to improve herself through sparring, not stubbornly endure a one-sided beating.

Here’s your passage with grammar, flow, and wording polished while keeping your style, content, and natural pacing intact.

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"Master... he really won."

Ron spoke from the other side of the battlefield as he watched Alden help Liam back to his feet.

"That brat is really something."

The old man nodded with an amused smile.

"I’d better make a proper weapon for him."

Ron subconsciously looked toward the sword in Alden’s hand, and his mood dimmed slightly.

He knew very well that if anyone else had used the sword in a battle like that, it would have broken within the first few exchanges.

Disappointment flashed across his face.

Then, all of a sudden, he slapped both of his cheeks.

Smack!

A determined look filled his eyes. A teenager’s emotions were really complex as no one could predict what they will do next.

"That’s it!"

"I’ll forge a weapon that no one can break!"

The old man glanced at his disciple before helplessly shaking his head.

An unbreakable weapon alone wasn’t what made a truly great weapon.

*...Looks like I’ll have to spend some extra time teaching him when we get home.*

He shifted his attention and grin slowly appeared on the old man’s face as he watched the trio walking toward them.

"We should spar more often."

Alden said while walking beside Liam, casually resting the sword on his shoulder.

"I agree."

Liam smiled despite the lingering pain throughout his body.

"But tomorrow won’t be so easy for you."

Even now, he still couldn’t understand how the two of them had lost to someone in the Spark Realm.

A few steps behind them, Mina remained unusually quiet.

Although her first impression of Alden had been terrible, she didn’t actually hate him over that prank anymore.

Like Liam, her mind was busy replaying the entire battle.

His physical strength wasn’t overwhelmingly greater than theirs.

His speed wasn’t impossible to follow either.

Yet the way he utilized every movement, every opening, and every attack felt like someone who had spent years fighting experienced cultivators.

"You can take this sword back for repairs."

After stopping in front of the old man and Ron, Alden tossed the sword toward Ron.

Ron caught it with both hands and immediately began examining every inch of the blade with complete focus.

His eyes were filled with renewed determination, and the first thought that crossed his mind was to correct his mistakes.

"I’ll make it even better..."

"So you can spread my name throughout the capital."

"The capital?"

Alden looked confused, and Liam and Mina were no different.

None of them understood why Ron had suddenly brought up the capital.

Completely convinced that Alden was a noble, Ron raised the sword in front of him with sparkling eyes.

"Yes!"

"When you go there, you’ll defeat everyone with my sword!"

He struck what he believed to be the posture of a master swordsman.

"Like this!"

Slash!

He swung the battered sword through the air.

Not stopping there, he smoothly followed it with a wide horizontal slash.

"And then like this!"

He proudly looked toward the others.

Only to find all of them staring at him with strange expressions.

"...Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Ron asked in confusion.

He didn’t have to wait long for the answer.

Crack...

Crack...

A crisp cracking sound echoed through the air.

Tiny fractures spread from the spot where Mina’s spell had struck the blade earlier.

Within a second—

Crack!

The sword split cleanly into two pieces.

"...What?"

For a brief moment, Ron stood there frozen, still holding the broken halves.

Then—

"Hahahahaha!"

Laughter erupted across the field.

The old man burst out laughing first, followed by Alden, Liam, and even Mina, who couldn’t stop herself after seeing Ron’s horrified expression.

Realization slowly dawned on him.

"I-I didn’t do it!"

Ron shouted in panic while desperately holding up the two broken pieces.

"The sword was already damaged!"

His flustered explanation only made everyone laugh even harder.

At that moment, if an outsider happened to pass by, they would probably think a group of adults had gathered together just to bully a poor child.

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