A Bug In Fate

While the conversation between the nobles was taking place, Amon and Marcus were now standing in the middle of the battlefield. The spectators were lively, excited to witness yet another fight filled with magic and spells.

Marcus was grinning, and a glint of excitement flickered through his eyes. It seemed he was a battle maniac who loved fighting, whether his opponent was stronger than him or not.

"Haha... I’ve been waiting to fight you ever since I saw how you eliminated a participant with that strange ability." he laughed as he took a battle stance.

Amon, meanwhile, simply smiled as usual.

He could see that the person before him viewed him as a milestone that he had to overcome for his own growth, as if Amon was just another obstacle in his path, albeit a slightly more powerful one.

"It seems luck is on my side," Marcus laughed again.

"I wonder," Amon said with an amused expression. If this fight had happened a few days ago, he might have had to take it seriously, but not anymore.

A few days earlier...

Alden woke up the next morning on a green field filled with flowers, with a beautiful and enormous lake stretching out before him. No matter how many times he looked at it, the sight never failed to amaze him.

Beside him, Ravenna was reading something while several mana-rich fruits sat on the table, sliced into pieces.

"Good morning," she said with a smile as she glanced at Alden, who was rubbing his eyes to chase away the lingering drowsiness.

"Good morning, Teacher," Alden replied as he walked closer and took a seat.

He picked up a fruit casually and popped it into his mouth. His eyes widened slightly. The fruit was sweet, but that wasn’t what shocked him. It was the mana that suddenly flooded into his body.

Yes, because he could now absorb mana without actually doing anything, thanks to his special state. The mana wasn’t wasted even a little like before.

"Interesting..."

Sitting in front of him in a beautiful yet simple dress, Ravenna smiled as her eyes observed his reaction. She could guess what was happening as her gaze lingered on his face before shifting toward the fruits.

"You can have them all... if you want," she said, gesturing toward the fruits.

Alden nodded, picked up another piece of fruit, and casually began eating.

Meanwhile, Ravenna became thoughtful as her eyes lingered on him for a moment.

"So now you have created your cultivation technique, if I can even call it a technique, since you’re literally doing nothing. But regardless, you have won the bet." A gentle smile appeared on her face.

"So, what do you want to do for the next five days? Because after that, you have to participate in the tournament," she asked.

"Hmm... There isn’t much time, so I think I should learn a movement technique, as you agreed before. And maybe I should also learn how to fight," Alden said thoughtfully.

"Hehe... you’re correct about learning combat. It will be useful for you, not just in the upcoming tournament but also throughout your entire life," Ravenna said with an amused smile.

"And it’s not like you can learn spells before you reach the Rupture Realm," she added.

"Spells... hmm..." Alden became thoughtful as he wondered when he would be able to cast his first spell. After all, destroying a mountain with nothing but a spell circle was definitely in the top ten of his bucket list.

A cold breeze blew past them, causing the leaves on the trees to sway in the background.

*...Spells, huh... is there really no other way? I don’t want to swing only my sword while others are bombarding me from every side.*

He could already imagine the scenario where he was surrounded by several participants, attacking him with spells while he reflected them and constantly changed his position to avoid their attacks.

"You’re thinking about how to cast a spell while being at just the Peak Spark Realm, aren’t you?" Ravenna’s voice pulled him out of his trance.

"How did you know?" Alden scratched his head and avoided her eyes.

"Hahaha." Ravenna laughed as amusement swirled in her eyes.

"You always think about doing impossible things, but I’m not blaming you for it. You actually manage to do those exact things and then take them to the next level. So it’s not that hard to guess what’s going on inside that mind of yours."

Alden didn’t know whether that was a compliment or not, but he took it as one because he was a positive person.

A comfortable silence settled between them as Ravenna found entertainment in his complicated expression. She shook her head before speaking.

"How many times do I have to tell you that, to find a solution, you first have to understand the problem?" she said with a gentle expression.

"What do you mean?" Alden tilted his head.

"You might not believe me, but I don’t think there are many things you can’t do. The problem is that you don’t even know what is stopping you from doing them." Her expression suddenly became serious, even though her smile remained.

"Hmm... in other words, you’re saying I’m just imagining seeing cool things while being blind, and imagining hearing a beautiful melody while being deaf?" Alden asked thoughtfully.

"Well... you can say that."

Ravenna’s smile stiffened slightly as she experienced yet another strange, yet somehow accurate, metaphor from her student.

*...How can he always compare things so ridiculously? also wha is wrong with his naming sense ?*

Her gaze lingered on his face as if she could somehow find the answer there.

She shook her head, as this was the moment when she was supposed to do her duty as a teacher, and believing herself to be the best teacher out there certainly didn’t help either.

"You have to first understand what each cultivation realm represents. The Awakening Realm and Spark Realm are lower realms, where one can control mana, but only inside their body. They can use it to enhance themselves and their weapons. While the Rupture Realm is where affinity comes into play."

Alden listened with full focus, making sure not to miss anything as Ravenna continued.

"In the Spark Realm, one can cast spells because they gain enough control over mana. The seal inside their body that blocks access to their affinity is also weakened, but not completely broken. Because of that, they have to use spell circles as a medium to access their affinity."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"They can also influence mana outside their body. That’s why a spell circle can actually form in the first place."

"Oh... that’s amazing."

Alden was impressed by the new knowledge, as he now had a better understanding of the significance of each realm.

Ravenna waited for him to absorb the information before continuing.

"And can you guess what happens in the Metamorphosis Realm?" she asked with a smile.

"Hmm... the weakened seal is broken, so they gain full access to their affinity and no longer have to rely entirely on spells?" Alden said after thinking for a moment.

"Exactly. Hmm... you’re good."

Ravenna nodded as she looked into his eyes.

"So, do you understand what your problem is now?" she asked.

"Yes. So, in simple words, there’s a gate that I have to pass through to access my affinity. And I also have to break through the limit of my mana control so I can manifest mana outside my body."

Alden said this while pondering, his mind already thinking about whether he could find a solution to his problems.

His two biggest obstacles were clear now: gaining access to his affinity and learning how to manifest his mana outside his body.

"Alright... now that you know what your problems are, do you think you can bypass them?" Ravenna asked, a glint passing through her eyes.

*..If it’s him, he might actually be able to achieve it... hehe. I mean, there should be some special effects of his physique, right?*

While Ravenna waited in anticipation, Alden remained silent as his mind raced, already thinking about how he could break another law of the world.

But could he actually do it?

Wouldn’t it be much easier to simply advance his realm to the Rupture Realm?

No one knew what was going through the minds of the duo, but one thing was clear.

They were thinking about something that the world itself wasn’t prepared for, and no one actually was blaming it.

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