The Transmigrated Author

Gerrard slowly swivelled in his chair, his gaze settled on his daughter.

Valencia nodded, taking a seat facing him. "Yes," she admitted quietly.

"It\'s been years since you two have fought." Gerrard\'s voice held a hint of nostalgia.

"If I recall, those battles usually ended in stalemates."

"True." Valencia couldn\'t suppress a feeling of unease.

"Jan\'s always... ahead of me somehow. like he knows things before I even think of them."

Gerrard nodded thoughtfully.

"You introduced me to him 8 years ago, didn\'t you? \'Someone with potential\', you said. Even at ten years old, your instincts were sharp."

"We\'ve been friends ever since." Valencia felt an ache of guilt at his gentle tone. "But why are we discussing this now?"

Gerrard reached into a briefcase and pulled out a folder labeled, "Early Offer Contract."

He slid it across the table. "I may be slowing down, but this fight...win or lose, I want you to give this to Jan."

Valencia, completely blindsided, stared at the contract.

"Why me? I\'m not... I don\'t have the authority."

Gerrard\'s expression softened. "Your future\'s set, Val. One day, you\'ll be the one to lead this guild. There\'s no doubt."

"Are you saying...?"

"Consider this business practice," Gerrard said, cutting her off gently. "He might just be at your side, as vice leader, someday."

With a nod and a faint smile, Valencia murmured, "Thanks, Dad."

BZZZT!... BZZZZT!

A sharp buzz from her watch startled her – as the information of the finals popped up.

[Congrats on making it to the finals Valencia Freya!]

[Here\'s your match schedule:]

[Stage: Grand-Finals]

[Matches Completed: 25]

[Match Number: 1]

[Opponent: Jan Ates - (Arena A) - ]

[Time: 5:30]

"Oh... It seems I have to go now, Father." Valencia glanced at her watch, feeling a little sad she couldn\'t be with her father a little longer.

Gerrard walked her to the door, the warmth of a proud father in his eyes.

"Good luck, Val," he said, his voice thick with unspoken meaning. "And always remember... have faith in yourself."

***

{Rel\'s POV}

[Pinnacle Academy, Stadium 1 - Arena A: Medical Bay]

Looking at the deep black void that existed in my head.

My body floated in the infinite darkness of my mind, the only points of light were the system screens counting down the seconds.

[Progress bar until full recovery: 1 Hour 3 minutes 12 seconds… (8%)]

[Time until you awaken: 38 minutes 41 seconds… (38%)]

"Another thrilling tour of my own mental landscape," I mumbled sarcastically.

Does this place actually exist inside my head?

haah...

A sigh escaped my lips as I drifted past a screen, a strange ripple of distortion washing over me.

Nothing to do, no way to speed this up... every minute here feels like an eternity.

What should I do?

Oh!

An idea sparked. "System, what about my abilities? Can I use them here?"

The response was immediate and coldly logical.

[No, Mr. Axel! D:]

[You have no mana to cast any abilities. You are recovering from the damage caused in the previous battle.]

"Oh okay... So… can I at least claim those live quest rewards? At the very least, I could tinker with the Ability Creator..."

[Clearly stated: all rewards will be claimed after the tournament ends... ]

"Well, that\'s just unfair." Another resigned sigh echoed in the emptiness.

Then, like distant thunder, voices intruded on my isolated mind.

"...here to give him this Recovery Potion," a muffled male voice stated.

A second, more professional tone replied,

"Partial healing and a 5% mana restoration… Are you certain you wish to use such a valuable potion on him?"

Recognition flashed.

That voice... I think I know who it was.

SSSSSSTTTTTT

But before I could place it, a jolt like lightning rushed through me.

The pain of my injuries erupted with unimaginable intensity.

"AHHHH! IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOP!"

My own screams echoed in the void, feeling the burns flowing throughout my body.

The system screens flashed wildly.

[Fully Recovered Bar: 8%...11%...13%...15%]

[Time until you awaken: 99.5%]

[100%]

"AH!"

I jolted upright, gasping, sweat making my borrowed robes cling to my bruised body.

My heart pounded like a war drum, that pain I suffered just now... I thought I was going to die.

As I went to look to my right, I saw 2 figures beside me, the doctor with a maintained calm face.

And leaning against the wall a boy any woman would fall head over heals for...Jan.

His face looked rather relieved despite my condition.

"Jan... what are you doing here? Aren\'t you supposed to be preparing for the final?"

Jan simply smiled in response, but before he could say anything the doctor stepped forward, his voice brisk and professional.

"Before you speak to your friend, let me do a quick examination."

...

[5 minutes later...]

...

The next few minutes went quickly.

Cold tools, gentle touches that somehow boosted the ache in my limbs and the doctor muttering to himself.

Finally, he stepped back.

khum...

"You are in no condition to move," he declared with quiet authority.

"I recommend an hour or two of rest for recovery and when you get home make sure you rest for about 10 hours."

"Okay…" I agreed, a wave of exhaustion washing over me despite my sudden awakening.

In my mind, I asked the system. Is he right?

FWANG!

[Yes. The flow of mana within your body is reconstructing itself. Disrupting that flow could lead to severe restrictions in movement.]

Nodding slowly, I forced out a choked, "Thank you, Doctor."

The doctor shook his head and left, the door clicking softly behind him.

...

...

...

Jan sat on the chair beside Rel\'s bed and leaned forward.

"So, how are you feeling?"

"Never been better," Rel deadpanned. "Aside from the feeling of being electrocuted, that is." A frown tugged at his lips.

"Whoops, my bad," Jan mumbled.

Rel eyed the empty potion bottle on the bedside table.

"You… used that on me?"

Jan shrugged. "Something told me you\'re the type who returns favours."

"And if I don\'t?" He gave Jan an amused expression despite the exhaustion.

"Eh, it\'s fine. Wasn\'t gonna use it on myself," Jan said nonchalantly.

Rel pointed at the bottle. "That\'s Camila\'s, isn\'t it?"

"How\'d you know?" Jan\'s surprise was genuine.

"Her family makes the good stuff, how could I not recognize it?" Rel said with a confident look.

"Fair point," Jan admitted.

Rel shifted the conversation. "What brings you here anyway?"

Jan\'s easygoing manner vanished.

"I needed to ask you something." His gaze locked onto Rel\'s.

"Why did you forfeit?"

"Sorry?" Confusion washed over Rel. "Don\'t get what you\'re..."

"Don\'t play dumb," Jan cut in, his tone uncharacteristically sharp. His eyes fixed with an intense stare, then abruptly, his expression softened.

"Actually, never mind. Guess I already figured it out."

He pressed a hand to his chest dramatically,

"It was for her, wasn\'t it?"

"...?"

"No, I..." Rel began, but Jan was on a roll.

"I Should\'ve seen it coming," Jan sighed, an ironic twist to his lips. "Your heart\'s a bigger weapon than any bow. Admirable, throwing it all away… hoping someday it wins both the battle and the girl."

A disgusted frown contorted Rel\'s face. "What the f**k are you–" His protest was cut short by Jan\'s buzzing watch.

BZZZZT!...BZZZT!!!

"Oh? looks like I gotta run. they moved up the match."

He leaned in a playful look in his eyes. "Oh and there\'s two girls from our class waiting for you outside… Don\'t tell me you\'re three-timing already. That\'s harsh, man."

"Huh?!" Rel sputtered, outrage replacing confusion.

Jan headed for the door, then paused. "Jokes aside, I was really looking forward to facing you in the final, Rel."

A dreamy tone crept into his voice.

"Makes me wonder… what if you hadn\'t held back against her?"

He turned and left with a final smirk.

Click!

"Was he always this dense?" Rel grumbled, massaging his temples. "I\'ll never write someone like him ever again..."

...

...

...

Where does Jan even get these ideas?

I swear, the guy wasn\'t this thick-headed before.

Am I missing something?

Holding back?

I gave that fight everything that I had, and now the strongest first-year thinks I\'m powerful...

What. Am. I. Missing?

I think he\'s completely lost it.

Then he was on about some nonsense about me doing a favour, and then... the heart of a girl? Seriously?

And what the hell was that about two girls waiting outside?

Wait a minute... Two girls?

Click!

My door swung open with a soft click.

Two figures stood still in the doorway.

One, a flash of familiar blonde tied neatly in a bun, caught me off guard entirely.

The other... a vibrant cascade of violet-purple hair that burned itself into my memory.

Jan\'s whole "two girls" thing left me baffled.

Seriously, what could I have done that would drag them here?

Oh...right... the bow...

____________________

Authors Notes:

- The duration of the battle between Rel and Valencia went on for 7 Minutes and 37 Seconds

- There are 3 types of brewed potions in Rel\'s novel these types names are: Recovery potion (recovers mana and heals wounds), Mana Potion (recovers mana), and Stamina potion (recovers stamina).

- The level of quality in terms of brewing potions is far behind, as the best potions are only able to recover 10-15% of a specific area.