The Transmigrated Author
Chapter 204: A New Start | Season 3

[South Korea, Seoul - Dobong Mountain]

"It's finally over now, huh?" I thought, leaning back against the soft grass, gazing at the sky after accomplishing the impossible.

The precautions I took and the near-death experiences in that dungeon had taken a massive mental toll on me.

But I was grateful for not taking this chance for granted.

I'm just happy.

Happy that I'm alive.

And happy that I've become stronger.

FWANG!

[Side Story Quest: Solo Raid On The Abyssal Dungeon]

[Description: Reach the end of the Abyssal dungeon.]

[Complete!]

[Rewards: +1 Special Ability Upgrade, +1 Standard Ability Upgrade, 7,500 BP, 1,000 QP, 25 Base Allocated Point Stats.]

[The Following Rewards Are Now Being Transfered...]

[Transfer complete...]

haah...

I can finally breathe in this nice warm weather.

[Please choose the following base stats you'd like upgraded and The Following Ability Upgrades...]

[Base Points: 25]

Oh, I'll do that right now.

...

...

...

[The Following Stats And Abilities Have Been Upgraded...]

___________________

>Health: 132.5 >>> 135.00 (2.50+)

>Strength: 101 >>> 116.00(15.00+)

>Stamina: 105.5 >>> 108.00 (2.50+)

>Speed: 74 >>> 79 (5.00+)

___________________

[Special Ability: Clockwork Of Time Has Been Upgraded!]

[Clockwork Of Time [Grade 3] >>> [Grade 2] - Being in slowed time has a reduction of 10% less stamina and mana]

[Standard Ability: Trickster At Arms Has Been Upgraded!]

[Trickster At Arms [Grade 5] >>> [Grade 4] - Duration time has increased by a 1 Minute and 25 Seconds.]

___________________

I didn't waste much time deciding on my upgrades. I needed as much strength as possible to face potential villains, especially Cyran.

Even after the events in France, I dreaded being the bearer of bad news about a negative mana stone being stolen for a devil project.

It wasn't a pressing concern yet, but it would be in the future.

Now... what was the time?

Click!

[Current Time: 1:43 PM]

"Shit..."

I was late for class.

There was no point in showing up now, and Jan would probably complain about it later.

The least I could do was go back to the dorms.

***

[South Korea, Seoul - Freya's Estate]

"...ah, why..."

Inside her room at the Freya Estate, Valencia's door was closed tight. The events in France behind her, she had taken the day off due to her father's overprotective nature.

DING!

Valencia's watch chimed, and a notification directed her to Instagram, where a photo had been posted featuring Jan, Rel, and Bazz.

[@JanTheAtes]

[My roommates Rel and @BadAzz!!]

The photo showed Jan and Bazz on either side of Rel, their arms around him, holding up peace signs.

Rel, however, looked bothered by their closeness, his facial expression more annoyed than happy.

pfft...

Valencia stared at the screen for a moment, chuckling at his reaction.

She zoomed in on his face, realizing it wasn't as bad as she'd imagined.

He still looked gloomy, but it was rather—

"Uwah?!"

Valencia quickly closed the post, her face flushing red.

"What... am I doing?" She slapped her cheeks lightly, trying to calm herself down.

"It's just a stupid post."

Yet, every time she returned to Jan's profile, she couldn't resist looking again.

Then finally...

She gave in.

Click!

[1x ♡]

[Val.Freya Liked The Post]

Haah...

Valencia sighed and lay back on her bed, clutching a nearby pillow to her chest.

— "It suits you."

"Stupid..." she muttered, remembering Rel wrapping the red scarf around her neck.

Knock...knock..knock...

Valencia's door was knocked three times, and her father, Gerrard, spoke from the other side.

"Valencia? Are you awake now, sweetie?"

Valencia flipped to the other side of her bed, facing the door.

"Yeah, Dad..." she responded, feigning sleepiness.

"Are you still heading to the Academy? I can still drop you off."

Valencia couldn't help but smile at her father's offer.

"No, it's fine."

"Can I come in?" Gerrard asked.

Valencia sighed, got up, and opened the door. Her father, having seemingly finished work, stood before her.

"The Academy emailed me today. Apparently, you have an awards ceremony tomorrow."

Valencia, though seemingly unfazed, smiled thoughtfully.

"Will you be going?"

"Unfortunately, I can't... There's a classified meeting with the Association President tomorrow. I'm sorry," Gerrard's face darkened.

Valencia shook her head, trying to relieve her father's guilt.

"No! It's fine... You already came to my tournament, which is more than enough."

Gerrard's expression and mood seemed to lift, and he hugged his daughter.

"I promise I'll try even harder to show up, so that your mother can see it through my eyes as well."

Valencia took Gerrard's embrace without hesitation and shortly after Gerrard left Valencia's room.

***

[Rel's POV]

[Pinnacle Academy, Male Dorms: Room 4-A]

Ah... shit... did I oversleep again?

Throwing my blanket to the floor, I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

"It's already morning, huh?"

I shouldn't have expected much, considering how exhausted I felt when I got home. My mental fatigue had caught up with me after losing all my elemental attributes in exchange for 'Deus Le Veult,' or 'Anti Magic,' back in the Abyssal Dungeon.

With my elemental attributes gone, I felt lost, thinking about the future events to come. The first years' main practical exam, then the theory exam... Or was it the other way around?

Well, no matter... I'll make sure things proceed as planned and hopefully avoid getting caught up in the main events. My interference with the first one had already made me a target for Cyran.

Still, I was grateful for this:

[Special Ability: Pocket Realm [Grade 1] Has Been Activated!]

Extending my hand towards the front door, I watched a small blue portal form in my palm. Inside, I saw my weapon, 'Axel,' emerge from the portal.

The grip rose until it reached a halfway point, only the grip, handle, and part of the blade visible.

Grabbing the weapon, I held it before me and activated Pocket Realm again to store it within my own 'mind.' Particles of the system's blue UI consumed the weapon, and...

POOF!

[The following weapon has been stored: Item: Axel [Grade 1] -]

"That's pretty sick..."

An ability that can store any weapon of my choosing and summon it at will?

This meant I wouldn't need to carry extra weapons anymore, which was a bonus.

The less weight, the better.

Though I couldn't complain, given the amp I received in the dungeon.

I had become much stronger, and thankfully, I only had to face individual monsters, not hordes.

With everything seemingly settled, it was time to get dressed and head to the academy since it was...

Oh...

[Time: 6:37 AM]

Haah... Looks like I'm an early bird today.

_________

Authors Notes:

- Valencia had hung the red scarf Rel wrapped around her on the front of her door.