A Bug In Fate

Meanwhile, somewhere in Ravenhold City, inside a luxurious hotel, a girl was eating her delicious meal. The hotel staff were glancing in her direction with caution, though the reason was unknown.

It was the same hotel that Alden had been visiting frequently after his deal with Lucian, the Ashcroft family’s young master.

A woman in armored gear, seemingly in her early twenties, was standing behind the dining table as she watched for anything unexpected.

A sword hung at her waist, and she was emanating the aura of a Metamorphosis Realm cultivator.

A moment later, she took out a paper from her pocket before placing it on the table.

The young girl wiped her mouth with an elegant movement, as she had been taught to do since birth. She then picked up the paper and narrowed her eyes before nodding.

She said, "Hmm... I see. So Marcus from Redmont City, the twins from Greyhaven, Lucas from Blackwood, and lastly, Liam, Mina, and Alden from Ravenhold. Hmm."

The woman behind her spoke at this moment.

"Yes, Lady Elara. These are the participants people believe will win. Some of them have even been approached by other noble families," she said.

Elara seemed lost in thought before a smile formed on her lips as her hands moved toward a box.

"I see... It will be fun."

She smiled and put something in her mouth. Suddenly, her shoulders relaxed, and a delighted expression filled her face.

"That aside, how did the Adventurers Guild find something like this? Whoever made this chocolate is a genius."

The chocolate melted in her mouth as she took out another piece before giving it to the woman behind her.

"I would love to meet them one day. How did they even make it?"

Her voice was full of curiosity as she observed the chocolate with keen attention.

"I don’t know, Lady Elara, but they must be food enthusiasts."

The woman shook her head with a smile as she enjoyed the lingering aftertaste of the chocolate.

**************

At another place in the city, inside a tavern filled with laughter, two young boys, around eighteen years old, were drinking beer as they raised their cups and cheered before gulping them down in one go.

There seemed to be some kind of competition between them, as even the other people were looking toward them, and some were even cheering for them.

"Come on! You can do it!"

"Hahaha! Don’t lose now!"

The two boys placed their empty cups on the table at almost the same time before glaring at each other.

"Another round?" one of them asked with a grin.

"Of course. Do you think you can beat me?"

The surrounding people immediately became excited as someone brought another pair of cups.

The competition continued while laughter filled the tavern, completely unaware that tomorrow’s tournament was going to give everyone something far more interesting to talk about.

***********

Outside the city gate, some distance away, a clash of wills was taking place as two young men were in the middle of a fierce fight.

They seemed to be evenly matched, neither willing to give the other even a moment to breathe.

One of them suddenly gathered mana around his hand before throwing a powerful fire spell toward his opponent.

The other didn’t retreat. Instead, he gathered mana into his fist and stepped forward, meeting the incoming attack head-on.

BOOM!

Their attacks collided, sending a shockwave through the area as dust and pieces of stone flew in every direction.

The two figures were quickly swallowed by the cloud of dust, but neither of them had any intention of backing down.

As they were about to continue their fight, a voice came from the city gate. The voice was filled with frustration.

"Marcus, stop bothering your cousin and come here before the city gate closes!"

A woman said it out loud as the line in front of her grew shorter. It seemed people were still coming into the city even though it was already 9:30 p.m.

"I am coming!" the young man said with a grin on his face.

The other one, Marcus’s cousin, nodded at him before tapping him on the shoulder.

"It seems you have gotten stronger yet once again. Just believe in yourself, and you will win without a doubt," he said.

Marcus nodded, his grin widening as he glanced back at the place where they had been fighting.

"I’ll remember that."

"Good. Now come on before she starts shouting again."

Marcus chuckled as they soon began walking toward the woman, who was already waiting for them with an impatient expression.

She crossed her arms as they approached, clearly ready to scold them if they had arrived too late and been forced to spend the night outside the city.

"Finally," she muttered.

Marcus only laughed as they joined the line, completely unaware that tomorrow’s tournament would bring his name to the attention of far more people than he expected.

***********

At another place in Ravenhold, inside a luxurious room, a young man was sitting on a couch as two armored guards stood behind him with passive expressions.

A young boy around seventeen years old was kneeling on the ground. He remained like that until the man in front of him raised his hand.

"Lucas, I believe in you. I have already prepared your reward, so don’t you dare disappoint me," the man on the couch said.

Lucas slowly stood up with a grin on his face as he nodded at the man.

"Don’t worry, Young Master Cedric. I will make sure to break his bones with my fire spells," he said.

Cedric Blackthorn shook his head and spoke in a loud voice.

"Breaking some bones will not do... I want you to humiliate him in front of the entire crowd if he dares to shows up."

His eyes seemed to contain rage and a hunger for revenge.

To calm himself down, he picked up something from the plate before him and bit down on it with a smile.

*...This chocolate is really good... Whoever created this, may you live a long and safe life so you can keep making this for me.*

He thought as his expression eased a little.

Meanwhile, Lucas glanced at the remaining chocolate, and a light flashed in his eyes.

"Don’t worry, Young Master. I will not disappoint you," he said before exiting the room, as he also had to prepare for the next day.

All kinds of people were making their moves as they prepared for the next day.

Who would succeed in their plans, and who would not?

Who would return with the same confidence and smile, and who would not?

These were the questions that were going to be answered by the end of this tournament, as all kinds of people were living inside the same city without knowing each other’s motives.

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