A Bug In Fate

Now the two of them sat facing each other with a table between them.

Ravenna sat calmly across from Alden, looking as though she was about to begin a proper lesson.

Alden, however, was thinking about something completely different.

*...Are we having a picnic?*

*What the fuck?*

He couldn’t comprehend how they had somehow ended up sitting comfortably around a table while dozens of monster corpses were still scattered across the field behind them.

Before his thoughts could wander any further, Ravenna began speaking.

"First of all, mana is the fundamental energy of this world. It exists everywhere around us and is the essence from which everything originates."

She spoke in her usual gentle tone.

"The problem is that humans weren’t naturally compatible with mana, unlike races such as the elves."

She paused before looking at Alden.

"So, what do you think our ancestors did?"

Leaning forward slightly, she rested her chin on one hand and waited for his answer.

"Hmm..."

Alden thought for a moment.

"Maybe... they experimented?"

"...Or they found a way to adapt?"

He answered uncertainly, simply saying what came to mind based on humanity’s nature.

A faint smile appeared on Ravenna’s face.

"Exactly."

"There were many experiments in the distant past. We don’t know when they began or who carried them out, but one thing is certain."

"Humans weren’t born Awakened."

"Even today, most people have to wait until around the age of fifteen before their bodies naturally become capable of sensing mana. Only then do they awaken, and even that happens at a random time."

"Of course, there are exceptions."

"People born with special physiques sometimes awaken much earlier, and most of them become the geniuses of their generation."

Alden listened attentively, afraid of missing even a single word.

Although he had spent plenty of time in the library, most of his reading had focused on history, geography, monsters, and the world itself.

Cultivation, on the other hand...

He barely knew anything about it.

"...I see."

He nodded slowly, genuinely amazed.

No matter the world, humanity always found a way to survive.

Sometimes...

They even changed themselves to do it.

"So," Ravenna continued, "the mana in the environment is raw. Humans can’t absorb it directly because our bodies reject it."

"That’s why our ancestors created mana cultivation techniques."

"They guide the mana through specific paths inside the body, gradually refining it into a form humans can safely absorb and use."

She stopped there, giving Alden enough time to digest everything she had just explained.

She wasn’t the type of teacher who simply dumped information onto her students before walking away.

Unlike certain lecturers who only cared about finishing their lesson, Ravenna wanted to make sure her student actually understood what she was teaching.

"I understand."

Alden said, only to regret his words a moment later.

"No, you don’t. That’s why you were cultivating without a technique."

Ravenna said with an exhausted expression and shook her head helplessly.

"So, as I was saying, one needs a technique to break through."She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Didn’t you find it odd that most of the city’s population was only in the Awakened Realm, with only a few reaching the Spark Realm?"

She asked another question, and the wind blew past them as Alden’s eyes widened and realization dawned on him.

*Wait... now that I think about it, most of the people I saw in Ravenhold really were only in the Awakened Realm.*

Images of various old vendors flashed through his mind.

"Now do you understand?"

Ravenna asked, watching Alden with amusement. He truly seemed like a clueless backbencher who didn’t even know what subject today’s exam was about.

Alden nodded, but another question couldn’t help but surface in his mind.

"If cultivation techniques exist, then why is that?"

"Hahaha..."

Ravenna actually laughed and shook her head at her student.

"I said humans have cultivation techniques. That doesn’t mean they’re lying around on the streets for anyone to casually pick up and start cultivating."

"This is taking longer than I expected."

Ravenna said and snapped her fingers. Two cups instantly appeared on the table.

"I’ll have black tea."

Alden spoke without thinking.

Ravenna looked at him for a moment before snapping her fingers again. Another cup appeared, already filled with black tea.

Alden quietly avoided her gaze as he picked up his cup after she had taken the first sip from hers.

"There are many cultivation techniques, but not all of them are the same. Some are even created specifically for certain physiques, bloodlines, elements, and other unique traits."

She took another sip of her tea as she spoke. Originally, she would have been drinking wine at this moment, but considering Alden’s age, she had thoughtfully chosen tea instead...

Only to be casually ordered to make him black tea.

Meanwhile, Alden was riding a wave of surprise as one revelation after another was either being explained or taught to him.

"And I guess it’s the noble families who possess the better ones and don’t share them with outsiders."

Alden thought for a moment before speaking.

Ravenna looked at him with satisfaction and nodded.

"Yes. There’s also a difference in the quality of cultivation techniques. Some are relatively cheap, and ordinary people can buy them after saving enough money, but those techniques usually only allow them to reach the Awakened Realm or, at best, the Rupture Realm."

"The higher the quality of the technique, the smoother your path forward becomes... and naturally, the higher the price."

Ravenna finished her tea and crossed her arms before looking into Alden’s crimson eyes.

"So now that you know why a cultivation technique is crucial... what are you going to do?"

She asked, and silence followed.

Alden fell into thought as only the rustling of the wind and the distant chirping of monsters flying across the sky could be heard.

"Can’t I simply buy a better one once I start earning money?"

Alden asked after a moment of silence.

"Unfortunately for you, no."

Ravenna shook her head before speaking.

"You can’t buy everything with money. And the amount you’re talking about is insignificant to families that have ruled for generations. Even if they were willing to sell their cultivation techniques, your wealth wouldn’t be enough."

She paused, waiting to see if he had another idea. She seems to be waiting for something.

"Doesn’t the Adventurers’ Guild have one?"

"They do."

"But it would only limit your future."

"The guild’s cultivation technique is only slightly above average. With enough talent, it might allow you to reach the Ascendant Realm, like Hilton, but that’s where its effects end."

"What?"

Alden looked genuinely surprised.

*Even a force as influential as the Adventurers’ Guild didn’t possess a high-level cultivation technique?*

Seeing the disbelief on his face, Ravenna smiled.

"Don’t look so surprised. The guild does have better techniques."

"They’re simply not for sale."

"Only the guild’s core members are permitted to learn them."

Alden nodded.

That made far more sense than the guild simply being unable to obtain stronger techniques.

"Then... what should I do?"

"And I refuse to believe there hasn’t been a commoner who reached the higher realms without relying on a noble family."

He looked at Ravenna thoughtfully.

She was the only one who could answer that question.

"You’re right."

"There have been people who reached the peak through their own efforts."

"Then how did they do it?"

"They created their own cultivation techniques."

A proud smile appeared on Ravenna’s face.

"Some developed their own from scratch. Others joined renowned academies or powerful organizations that possessed superior techniques."

She paused before adding,

"But in return, most of them became bound to those organizations and spent the rest of their lives serving them."

Ravenna shook her head.

"...That’s troublesome."

Alden muttered with a wry smile.

Becoming a teacher at an academy had never been on Alden’s bucket list.

Then again, he wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow ended up becoming one.

Back in his previous life, his bucket list had been filled with the fantasies of an average novel reader.

Saving a princes,Exploring ancient ruins, Being surrounded by beautiful elves.

Slaying a dragon.

Saving a kingdom.

...The list went on and on.

Shaking those thoughts away, he looked back at Ravenna.

"I guess I’ll just have to create one myself."He said with a thoughtful expression.

He wasn’t joking.

He genuinely intended to do it.

Ravenna looked at him before letting out an amused sigh.

"Do you really think anyone can create a cultivation technique?"

"I mean..."

Alden smiled faintly.

"I’m not just anyone, am I? Besides, I don’t think anyone would hand me their cultivation technique without expecting something in return."

Alden shook his head.

He had never expected anything to be given to him for free.

After all, he didn’t know anyone close enough to ask such a favor.

And the few acquaintances he did have...

It was better to leave them out of it.

They were all lower-ranked cultivators themselves.

"...Wait."

His expression suddenly changed as he looked at the woman sitting across from him.

A spark flashed through his crimson eyes.

"Umm..."

"Isn’t helping your student... part of a teacher’s job?"

Alden asked somewhat awkwardly, trying to sound casual.

But the excitement and anticipation in his eyes told completely diffrent story.

A silence decended on the open field, where Alden waited for her respond while Ravenna’s eyes flashed with something.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!