The Transmigrated Author

{Rel's POV}

[Pinnacle Academy, Stadium 1 - Arena A: Main Stage]

My vision was reduced to a blur... As the system screen flashed before my eyes.

[Mana Percentages: 0.4%]

[Warning! Due to stamina being 0% your body has replaced mana as the main source of energy.]

Damn it.

So this is it... There's no point in fighting back now.

If I move even another inch, complete mana exhaustion will consume me.

The most I can do is at least give Valencia a proper victory.

My run in this tournament might have been lucky but against her… there was no way I could've won like this.

haah...

With a heavy sigh, I struggled to raise my hand.

"I... I... forfeit," the words emerged as ragged breaths, choked with a combination of pain and relief.

"...!"

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"He was already a mess," someone snickered.

"No chance of winning anyway, look at him…"

The announcer's voice cut through the noise.

"Rel Laurence has forfeited the match! Valencia Freya is your winner for the semi-final!"

My body staggered on the edge of fainting.

I couldn't afford to give in now, not here.

There's still one thing... the threat I needed to stop...

If Morwen abducts someone important...Then the whole story will be thrown in a whole different direction.

Focusing on the system, I spoke within my mind.

"System, about Morwen's motives... I want to purchase that information with PPP."

FWANG!

...

[Sure Mr. Axel!]

[Also you've done well to make it this far! Stand Proud, You Are Strong!1]

[The information of Morwen's Motives costs 2000 (PPP). You currently possess 2234 PPP, Mr. Axel. Would you like to use your PPP for this information?]

Without hesitation, I responded, "Yes..."

[Information being unlocked...50%...75%...90%... Unlocked!]

[Displaying window...]

FWANG!

[Morwen's Motives: Morwen is currently searching for the perfect candidate, for a devil's vessel. Given the situation at Quadra, He's gotten through with the infiltration of his Executioners. His current objective at Pinnacle Academy is to capture the character: Valencia Freya.]

Damn it... This isn't good then.

So Louise isn't the prime target of his devil's vessel and instead, it's Valencia.

That changes everything.

Then I can't let her be taken. If anything else she's an important piece, especially as Jan's replacement if things go wrong...

If this is how the A.T changed the plot, then I should've been prepared for situations like these...

In the original story, Valencia was a graduating third-year destined to lead the Miracle's Guild to the Towers.

But... she was reduced to a first-year character with half her abilities nerfed.

leaving a massive hole in the future... who replaces her as the leader after the second-year arc?

FWANG!

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]

[Your body will be out for an estimated time: 1 hour and 30 minutes]

[You will faint in...]

[3]

Damn it... I knew I should've just forfeited from the start...

[2]

I need to find Valencia straight after I wake up.

[1]

fuck...

[0]

[You Have Fainted!]

[Recovery in progress... Sit tight Mr Axel!]

[0.5%...]

***

[Pinnacle Academy. Stadium 1 - Arena A: Student Section Stands]

"Valencia won!" Camila's shout cut through the noise of the crowd.

Lyra finally pried her hands from her eyes, with relief washing over her.

"Wow... she really pulled through!"

Camila's grin was infectious.

"This means it's Jan versus Valencia in the finals! Oh man, this is going to be epic!"

Nearby, Bazz scoffed, his voice louder than usual.

"Bout time the match ended. What's it been, Jan? 3 or 4 years, since you and Valencia last fought?"

Jan, who had been observing the beaten figure of Rel in the arena, turned towards Bazz.

His voice remained calm, but his voice filled with confusion remained in his eyes.

"It's definitely been a while," he agreed. "But we'll have to wait until the finals to see how things have changed. I'm sure she went all out against him."

Even as he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Rel, a frown creasing his brow.

Did Rel truly give it his all? It felt like something was off like he'd been holding back the entire time.

Jan couldn't shake the feeling.

There was no concrete proof, but every instinct told him that Rel hadn't given it his true all.

Rel's tactics were too clever and too effective against Valencia.

While his distress was clear, there was a sense of control, that he was testing her as much as he was fighting her.

The ending of the fight was what struck him the most.

He hadn't stopped her from reaching her sword entirely – more like he'd purposefully made it difficult, as if observing her reaction to being cut off from her usual power.

Had Rel been, in his own way, trying to force Valencia to improve? And those attacks… wild, yes, but he seemed to have predicted it all.

Was it possible Rel was just like Jan?

That final moment, just before the forfeit… Rel's expression was unreadable.

Pain, yes, and exhaustion, but something else… Jan couldn't tell if it was boredom, resignation, or some other emotion entirely.

It was as if he simply stopped attacking for reasons he didn't understand.

This, perhaps more than anything, made him worry.

He had to admit, Rel's battle against a counter matchup was far more impressive than his battle with Louise.

hmm?

Jan leaned forward, squinting down at the arena.

Rel had finally managed to stand, but even from a distance, it was clear he wasn't moving.

He remained rooted to the spot, a lifeless statue in the centre of the ruined battlefield.

Was he... unconscious?

Medical staff helped a limping Valencia to the sidelines, but the situation with Rel remained unresolved.

No one dared approach, as if he died standing up.

Jan's brow furrowed.

He couldn't recall a specific moment from the battle, but Rel's stamina drain had felt abnormally fast.

It was subtle and easily missed, but something was wrong.

Despite that strange disadvantage, he'd pushed Valencia harder than anyone did in these recent years.

Bazz broke the contemplative silence.

"Make sure to let us know your match time," he said, his usually abrasive tone laced with a hint of concern. "Gotta find the best seats for the finals, ya know?"

Jan smiled slightly. "I will," he promised, turning to Camila next.

"Speaking of the finals, remember that Recovery Potion you offered earlier?"

She blinked, surprised. "Yeah, of course. Are you finally going to use it?"

"Yeah," Jan murmured, watching Rel being carried away on a stretcher.

"But I need to make a quick detour first. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it. Finals prep isn't going to do itself, right?"

Camila withdrew the potion from her bag and pressed it into his hand.

As Jan turned and left the stands, Lyra added, "He's definitely not using that on himself."

Bazz snorted. "Agreed."

***

{Valencia's POV}

[Pinnacle Academy, Stadium 1 - Arena A: VIP Box Suite 1#]

Every step towards her father's VIP suite was heavy.

Rel's words clung to her mind like a burr

... "I-I-forfeit."...

Did she truly deserve to be called the winner?

He'd bested her within her own Elemental Zone, the territory where she was untouchable.

It wasn't just his skill that was unnerving.

It was the feeling that Rel knew her... predicted her attacks even as she unleashed them.

The distance he kept, those measured pullbacks, and his spacing were almost perfect it felt like a knowledge that went beyond simple observation.

Could he read her mind? A ridiculous idea, and yet...

Her troubled thoughts were interrupted as she stood before the massive double doors of Suite 1, reserved for her father.

The staff, present and helpful, offered their assistance, but she shook her head.

"Thank you," she bowed respectfully, "I can manage from here."

Creakkkkk...

Valencia pushed open the heavy suite doors. "You called for me, Father?"

Gerrard, seated by the expansive window overlooking the arena, turned with a wide smile.

"Valencia! Congratulations, my dear."

He rose, a warmth in his eyes as he approached for an affectionate pat on the head.

pat...pat...pat

"Stop it, Dad!" Valencia shrugged him off, "I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm eighteen!"

Gerrard's smile didn't waver. "You will always be my little Val, no matter your age."

Shaking off the unwelcome gesture, Valencia crossed her arms. "So, why am I here?"

"Simply to see my daughter," he replied, his tone light. "That fight against the Archer... truly remarkable."

An awkward silence fell as she murmured reluctantly, "Yeah…"

The echo of Rel's forfeit haunted her, the victory feeling hollow.

Gerrard's sharp gaze swept over her.

"You've been acting strangely, Val. Especially this past month. Earlier, that boy... the Archer. You insisted he's nothing to you, but now..."

"He's not!" The words escaped before she could stop them. "I don't know where you're getting these ideas!"

A single eyebrow arched on Gerrard's face. "Really?" He muttered, almost to himself,

"Just like your mother..."

"What?" Valencia's voice was sharp.

"Nothing," Gerrard replied, his tone shifting, turning dismissive.

__________

Authors note

- Mitigation is invisible, so the crowd didn't fully see what happened when Rel completely absorbed the attack.

- The Executioners is a title given to the members under Quadra. This means that they are the most trusted subordinates. This consists of being the left-hand or right-hand man of each group.