A Bug In Fate

The next morning, Alden sat by the window in his room, enjoying a simple breakfast with a cup of black tea.

Warm sunlight streamed through the open window, bathing the room in a gentle golden glow.

Below, Ravenhold was already bustling with activity. Shopkeepers had begun opening their stores, customers lined up in front of their favorite shops, and the streets gradually filled with the lively sounds of another busy day.

A soft smile formed on Alden’s lips as he took another sip of his tea, quietly enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

After a moment, he turned his attention back to the room.

His gaze slowly drifted toward a corner where three trays had been resting since yesterday.

Three trays filled with chocolate rested quietly in the corner of the room, their rich, sweet aroma spreading through the air and blending with the faint scent of black tea.

After finishing the last sip from his cup, Alden stood up and walked over with barely concealed excitement.

"Let’s see..."

he murmured to himself as a grin slowly appeared on his face.

The moment of truth had finally arrived. After spending hours roasting, grinding, experimenting, and even infusing the mixture with mana, he was finally about to find out whether all that effort had been worth it.

He picked up one of the trays, where dozens of neatly shaped pieces of chocolate had already hardened overnight. Their smooth surface reflected a faint sheen under the morning sunlight, making them look far more appetizing than he had expected.

Without wasting another moment, Alden picked up a piece and placed it into his mouth.

The chocolate slowly melted across his tongue, releasing a rich cocoa flavor that spread throughout his mouth. The gentle sweetness of the honey blended perfectly with the creamy texture left by the milk, while a faint lingering bitterness remained just long enough to make him want another bite.

His eyes widened as he quietly savored the taste.

It wasn’t exactly the same as the chocolate from Earth.

There were subtle differences, probably because the Cacora beans, honey, and milk all came from magical creatures and plants instead of ordinary ingredients.

Even so...

It was unbelievably close.

A warm feeling of satisfaction spread through him as a smile naturally formed on his face.

"I actually did it..."

Then, just as he was enjoying the lingering flavor, something unexpected happened.

A warm current suddenly spread from his stomach to every corner of his body, making him feel refreshed as though every cell inside him had awakened.

"What the hell?"

Alden exclaimed in surprise as he instinctively checked his mana.

Only then did he realize what was happening.

The mana he had exhausted just a hour ago while training his mana control and movement technique was recovering at a visible speed.

"This is insane..."

Alden muttered, still feeling the mana flowing through his body.

A moment later, another thought suddenly crossed his mind.

"Wait..."

"Am I finally going to be rich?"

His eyes lit up as countless possibilities flashed through his mind.

If he started selling this chocolate, people would line up just for its taste alone.

The fact that it could restore mana was simply the cherry on top.

Without realizing it, he picked up another piece and tossed it into his mouth while his mind wandered toward his glorious future.

A huge mansion...

Servants...

A mountain of gold...

Perhaps even the biggest chocolate shop in the entire empire.

By the time he returned to reality...

"...Huh?"

Alden blinked.

He looked down at the empty tray in his hands before glancing at the chocolate stains on his fingers.

"...Oops."

He had unknowingly finished an entire tray while daydreaming.

"I really should stop doing that."

Shaking his head helplessly, he looked toward the two remaining trays of chocolate.

"What should I do with these?"

he murmured to himself.

After thinking for a moment, an idea suddenly came to him.

He picked up a few pieces from one of the trays and carefully wrapped them inside a small pouch before sealing it tightly.

The aroma was simply too attractive.

The last thing he wanted was to be chased through the streets by dogs and humans alike just because he was carrying chocolate.

Satisfied with his preparations, Alden opened the door to his room and walked downstairs with relaxed steps.

"Good morning."

Alden greeted Mary, who was sitting behind the counter. Most of the customers had already left for work, leaving the inn unusually quiet.

"Good morning."

Mary looked him up and down before smiling.

"You seem to be in a good mood."

"You can tell?"

Alden asked with a grin.

Mary rolled her eyes.

"I don’t need to."

"Even a passerby could tell you’re feeling good."

"Haha, it’s nothing."

"I’m just heading to the Adventurers’ Guild."

Alden walked closer to the counter as he spoke, casually slipping a hand into his pocket.

Mary let out a sigh.

"So you’re going back to doing missions."

"Here I was thinking you’d finally come to your senses."

She shook her head helplessly, but her gaze instinctively followed his hand.

A small pouch appeared in Alden’s hand.

He reached inside, took out a few pieces of chocolate, and placed them on the counter.

"Here."

"You can have these."

Mary blinked in surprise.

Before she could even react, Alden had already turned around.

"I’ll get going."

He waved without looking back and walked out of the inn.

The door closed behind him, leaving Mary staring at his departing figure before lowering her gaze to the pieces of chocolate resting in her palm.

A faint, sweet aroma gently drifted into the air.

Almost instinctively, she pursed her lips together before taking a small bite.

Meanwhile, Alden wandered through the busy streets of Ravenhold.

People constantly moved from one place to another while vendors loudly called out to attract customers. Groups of cultivators chatted among themselves, merchants bargained over prices, and the lively atmosphere made the city feel more vibrant than ever.

After walking for about five minutes, Alden finally stopped in front of a familiar building.

It was the Adventurers’ Guild.

Alden stepped inside the Adventurers’ Guild, and his eyes wandered across the spacious hall.

Adventurers were busy doing exactly what one would expect.

Some stood in front of the reception counters, though most of them seemed to have chosen the female receptionists for obvious reasons. Others gathered around the mission board, carefully looking through the newly posted requests.

A few groups sat around the tables, sharing information and discussing their recent adventures.

Alden walked toward one of the counters, where the chubby receptionist was busy sorting through a pile of documents.

As he moved through the guild, more and more eyes turned toward him.

Soon, whispers began spreading across the hall as some people gathered purely for the sake of gossip.

"He’s here."

"So he really came back after beating up a noble heir."

"I heard he even made the Blackthorn Family pay compensation to the library."

Rumors were always an interesting thing.

They had a habit of becoming more outrageous every time they were retold.

In reality, Alden had only beaten the young master’s guards.

Yet somehow, the story had turned into him beating up the young master himself.

The compensation was another example.

He hadn’t demanded the money at all.

It had been given to him willingly, yet the rumors had somehow transformed into him forcing the Blackthorn Family to pay.

Even if Alden tried to explain the truth now...

No one would believe him.

Choosing to ignore the attention, he simply continued walking toward the counter as if none of the whispers had anything to do with him.

His footsteps came to a halt as he stopped in front of Boren.

The chubby receptionist looked up from his paperwork, and a grin immediately spread across his face.

"Hehe... well, well. Look who finally decided to grace us wi—"

"Not you too, please."

Alden cut him off with a dangerous smile.

"I can always go to another receptionist."

Boren instinctively shivered.

"...Haha, you really aren’t any fun."

He let out a helpless cough before putting away his teasing smile.

"So..."

"What brings you here today?"

"I’d like to meet your manager."

Boren blinked.

"Huh? The manager?"

"They aren’t someone people can meet just because they want to."

The playful look on his face disappeared, replaced by a serious expression.

Even though Alden had become quite famous over the past few days, the manager of the Adventurers’ Guild wasn’t someone an ordinary adventurer could simply request to meet.

"I’m serious."

"Can’t you do me a favor?"

Alden asked with the most pitiful expression he could manage.

"I’m the only one who comes to you intentionally, even though there are rumors that we’re dating."

Boren stared at him in complete silence.

He knew Alden was acting.

And Alden knew that he knew.

The two simply looked at each other for a few seconds.

In the end, Boren let out a helpless sigh as he looked at the young man standing before him, who had somehow become famous throughout Ravenhold in less than two weeks.

"...Follow me."

"Thank you."

Boren simply exhaled and gestured to another receptionist behind the counter, who immediately nodded in understanding before taking over his work.

Without another word, Boren began walking toward the stairs, with Alden following closely behind.

For the second time, Alden found himself climbing those very same stairs.

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