A Bug In Fate

Sunlight illuminated the world below as the morning slowly came alive. Shops began opening their doors, workers started their daily routines, and the streets gradually filled with the sounds of people beginning another day.

Some hardworking people were already running through the streets, following their usual rhythm, while children were unwillingly dragged out of their comfortable sleep as their mothers splashed water on their faces to wake them up.

Yet, nearly two hundred kilometers north of Ravenhold, the morning was far more peaceful.

A boy was sleeping soundly on a chair, his head slightly tilted to the side while the last page of a book remained open in front of him. The book had clearly been abandoned only after he could no longer keep his eyes open.

A little distance away from the table, a woman stood beside the lake, quietly watching the sunlight reflect across its crystal-clear surface. The morning light spread across the water, creating a beautiful and peaceful view that made the entire place feel almost untouched by the outside world.

Ravenna glanced back at Alden, who was still sleeping peacefully in his chair.

She sighed softly before crouching beside the lake and washing her face with the cool water. After wiping the remaining drops from her face, she stood up and walked back toward him.

"He is still sleeping, hmm... What should I do? I have some work in the city, but I can’t just leave him alone."

Ravenna murmured in a low voice, careful not to wake him.

She looked at the sleeping boy for a few seconds before sighing again.

Today was an important day for both of them, and she wasn’t going to leave him alone. Who knew what he might do once he woke up?

And more importantly, what if something went wrong while she was away?

She knew Alden was capable of taking care of himself to some extent, but this was still an unfamiliar field to him. She couldn’t simply leave him alone and hope that everything would go smoothly.

"Looks like I’ll have to stay for a while."

Ravenna muttered quietly as she looked at the books scattered across the table.

Today, Alden would finally begin the work he had spent the past few days preparing for.

Half an hour later, Alden woke up and rubbed his eyes to throw away the lingering drowsiness. He looked up ahead and smiled before speaking.

"Good morning, Teacher."

"Hmm... Go wash yourself, and then we will have our breakfast."

Alden nodded, and with slow movements, he walked up to the lake. Five minutes passed before Alden returned with a bright expression.

His eyes seemed to flicker with excitement. Ravenna shook her head, as she didn’t need to guess the reason behind his excitement.

She said, "You sure are energetic for someone who could barely keep his eyes open a moment ago."

"Teacher, ....I don’t know what you are talking about." Alden waved his hand in modest motion as he came closer to the table.

Ravenna didn’t say anything, and they ate in comfortable silence. After their breakfast, Alden couldn’t hold himself back, and he broke the silence.

"Let’s start."

"You should calm down... Do you even know how one creates their technique in the first place?"

"...."

Alden’s expression changed, and the dopamine jumping around inside his brain died right on the spot.

"Isn’t it just about finding the right rhythm of breathing and mana flow while refining the highest-quality mana one’s body can handle?" Alden replied after a moment of silence.

"And how exactly are you going to know what percentage of refined mana you are cultivating? If it wasn’t for me, you could have been absorbing raw mana until someone noticed, or worse, you could have remained stuck in a lower realm."

Ravenna spoke in a gentle tone, but her eyes were serious enough to make him realize the gravity of the situation.

"Hm... Can’t I just check it with—"

He paused mid-sentence. He didn’t even know how someone was supposed to determine their body’s limit in the first place.

"I don’t know." He avoided her eyes and whispered in a low tone.

* Sigh... It’s not like I expected him to know in the first place, but...*

Ravenna shook her head helplessly before raising one finger.

"There are two ways to know your mana refinement percentage. Either you ask someone from a higher realm, which is rare in this region..."

She paused for a moment before raising a second finger.

"...or you have an artifact. They are typically used by academies to sort out geniuses from the horde of students, while noble families simply use them for their children."

Alden listened with attention, and a look of understanding passed across his face.

"Oh... I see, so can’t I just ask you?" Alden tilted his head to the side.

Ravenna shook her head with a smile and snapped her fingers.

Within moments, a black orb appeared on the table. It was spherical, and Alden’s eyes widened as his mind came up with possibilities.

Mana orb?

He had read enough novels and read enough Chapters, and in those, it was used to check someone’s affinity, while in some novels, it was directly connected to awakening.

The MC was always looked down on by everyone, and then this thing changed everything, leaving everyone shocked.

"You know about this? That’s unexpected." Ravenna’s gaze lingered on his face.

"Umm, no? But if I were to guess, it’s probably to measure my refinement."

"You are right... This artifact here is used for accurate measurement. You just have to absorb mana while holding it in your hands."

Alden nodded as he already knew it. Without wasting any more time, he stood up from the chair and sat down on the grass.

He took the familiar posture for cultivation and carefully placed the black orb in his hands.

Ravenna’s eyes followed his every movement. A silence filled the surroundings, carrying an invisible tension and hidden expectations.

The open field was still covered in flowers, and the gentle breeze continued to pass through the grass as Alden closed his eyes and began to cultivate.

He tried to guide the mana toward his body, following the same process he had read about countless times over the past few days.

The mana slowly entered his body.

At the same moment, the black orb in his hands began to emit a faint light.

Alden remained focused, unaware of the changes happening around him.

The light gradually became brighter, and a few numbers began to appear on the surface of the orb, glowing in golden letters.

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