The Transmigrated Author
Chapter 46: Scouting Invitational Tournament (2)

Dragging myself out of bed, I shuffled to the window and threw it open. The sight that greeted me was almost as impressive as my transmigration here.

The first-year dormitory grounds were swarmed with even more early birds than usual, all engaged in various forms of pre-battle stretching, shadowboxing, and weapon polishing.

It was enough to make me regret writing in the first place... It was quiet for the 5 hours I slept in It makes me wish I could've just bought an apartment and travelled all the way here..

With a sigh, I resigned myself to facing the day. Tournament or not, a decent breakfast still held the power to improve my mood.

Luckily during the weekend, I went grocery shopping to prepare the set of meals I've been having so I could gain more muscle and put on a bit more weight.

"System." I called.

[Hello Mr Axel! What can I do for you today?]

"Can I see the copied recipes I've bought with PPP?"

[Sure! :D]

[Loading Copied Recipes... Loading... Complete!]

FWANG

[Axel Saint Rel Laurence Copied Recipes and Effects Menu:]

[Peaceful Salmon Bagel. Effects: Eating this will calm all your nerves for an hour.]

[Perfected Vanilla Latte. Effects: Drinking this will enhance your awareness for 2-3 hours.]

[Allen's Special Caesar Wrap. Effects: Eating this will boost your strength attribute by 2.5%]

[Omu Fried Rice. Effects: Eating this will recover 20% of your missing stamina]

[Warning: Recipes with effects made by a user who is not knowledgeable in cooking can cause a decreased variation of the effect such as the only applicable value for Omu fried rice being 20% could decrease to 10% depending on how it's made but the effect would remain the same regardless.]

With all the prep I've been doing for these past 2 weeks I think cooking these would go pretty well.

A smug grin stretched across my face as I donned my apron, ready to cook these copied recipes I'd snagged with my hard-earned PPP.

The first thing for breakfast today was the Omu Fried Rice, which had a 20% stamina boost when cooked perfectly.

[Recipe Replication Has Been Activated!]

I followed the instructions of how the recipe was supposed to be made, cracking eggs, prepping the rice, and even flipping the omelette with an almost professional flair. Confidence bloomed in my chest like a perfectly risen souffle.

Then came the moment of truth... the fried rice sauce. As I poured it in, a pungent odour, a bizarre mix of burnt caramel and regret, assaulted my nostrils.

"Oh shit..." I muttered, peering into the now-charred pan. The optimism that was practically my middle name battled with the undeniable evidence of culinary disaster.

Maybe just… a little overcooked? Surely it would still work, just… differently.

With a forced smile, I plated the rice, the once-fluffy omelette clinging stubbornly to the plate. I took a tentative bite.

UGH

My face twisted just a bit, but from what I could tell the texture was off, dry and chewy, a sign of things to come. The flavour… oh, the flavour. The burnt sauce ruined everything, a bittersweet assault on my taste buds.

As I analyzed the omelette the system didn't lie at all about the decrease in numerical value.

[Omu Fried Rice [Overcooked]. Effects: Eating this will recover 10% of your missing stamina.]

I sighed as I dismissed the screen, the effect was diminished by a small mistake. Still, I finished the plate and proceeded to cook the other foods preparing them into my bento lunch box.

My confidence might be slightly hurt, but at least the others didn't end as badly when I cooked them apart from the drink. I just placed bottles of water in my bag instead.

With a determined grin, I grabbed my battle uniform, the familiar weight comforting in my hands.

Unfolding the clothing, I was surprised at how it looked on me. The once comfortably loose white sports shirt, accented with dark blue, seemed… tighter. I slipped it on, the fabric straining faintly across my chest and arms.

looking in the mirror, I couldn't deny it my relentless gym sessions had indeed paid off.

My once skinny and lean teenager from a few months ago. Now, had my almost defined muscles peeked through the fabric.

A satisfied smirk crept onto my face. Running a hand through my slightly messy hair, I adjusted the dark blue pants, ensuring they were secure and I'd be on my way out.

RINGGGG

After I finished dressing up and constantly checking myself out my MK II watch buzzed.

[You've Got A Notification: First Year Class 1-A Announcement]

[Sergio Kolek] <7:00 AM>: Good morning, My First Year Class, Please head to our normal homeroom class for a roll call. Be sure to be there at 8:45 AM so I can hand down further instructions before we head down to the Main Arena lobby.

Make sure you have lunch packed or have money ready to spend at the food vendors at today's event, other than that please don't be late and as always have a great day.

Looking at the message it seems that everything is going as planned just like in the novel and all I wanted to do today was forfeit out on the first round and watch who would be second place against the likes of Jan.

[Pinnacle Academy Lecture Classroom: 1-A]

[Monday, 8:25 AM]

As I entered the classroom there was a lot of chatter filled with friendly curiosity and others with barely concealed competitiveness.

Among them, Valencia's face lit up like a beacon. Despite the distance, I could almost hear her and her group's enthusiasm radiating towards me.

"Did you see the bracket yet?" Lyra practically shrieked, leaning closer to Valencia, her voice barely above a whisper. "Anyone here could face Jan in the first round! Imagine..."

Camila chuckled, shaking her head playfully. "Calm down, Lyra. You're getting ahead of yourself. We haven't even seen the bracket or the official announcement yet."

Valencia nodded in agreement, but her own eyes were excited with anticipation. "Camila's right, Lyra. But even for someone like Jan I just wonder if he'll be number one again."

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at their conversation. Yes, Jan was made to win this tournament but was I missing something here what did she mean by number one?

Well, I shouldn't care too much about it so I made my way to my usual spot, near the second row on the right, close to the windows that streamed in the morning light.

But before I could drop down in my seat, my gaze settled on another corner of the room.

Jan who was sitting down surrounded by our class of admirers, looked towards me in a friendly gesture. To my surprise, he patted the empty seat beside him with a wide smile.

was he inviting me to sit with him?

yeah... nah. I'm not walking all the way there just to join him so I just smiled and nodded saying not today.

Then looking at the 2 rows above me Alice and Jae, looked like usual peace amidst the pre-tournament buzz.

Alice, who could or should fall during the semi-finals against the likes of Louise seemed to be caught up in her reading habit as her nose was buried in a text, while Jae, who sat right next to Alice her expression calm and serene.

As I settled in, Kolek strode into the room, his booming voice momentarily silencing the chatter.

"Good morning, class," he addressed us, as he placed his laptop down on the podium. "I know you're all excited today, judging by the early morning complaints from the second and third years." Laughter rippled through the room, the tension momentarily dispelled.

These were the same people complaining about it happening on short-term notice. Hypocrites...

"Today is a special day," Kolek continued, his voice turning serious. "The Scouting Event. Many top-tier guilds will be present, observing your skills and potential. I won't spoil any surprises, so keep your eyes peeled." A wave of excited murmurs broke out as Kolek outlined the tournament format.

"There will be fifty groups, each with twenty students, participating in a round-robin tournament. It will last over a week depending on how quickly the fights go, considering the large size of our first-year batch." Kolek's lips twitched slightly. "A thousand students – can't say I haven't seen a sight like that before. Now, remember, this is more than just a competition.

It's a chance to showcase your abilities, impress potential sponsors, and pave the way for your future within the guild system."

Kolek continued with the announcement, outlining the group formation process and the first round matchups and we proceeded to head out towards the main arena side.

_____________________

Authors Notes:

- Pinnacle Academy had a high entry acceptance after changing principals and the exams for theory and practical.

- The Hero Prep Academy held all the prolific students who went on to enter the Pinnacle Academy. Jan was the previous winner of the previous Little Heroes tournament which had the likes of Louise, Valencia, and Alice. Jan earned his scholarship to the Pinnacle Academy by winning the tournament.

- Jae Yoona's main ability is called: Overclocked Eyes this ability allows her to see opponents with or without mana signatures in a 5km radius. This ability also assists in marksmanship as compared to Rel's ability to clockwork time she can overclock her eyes to see time slower but not to the extent of how Rel uses his ability.

This ability also allows for effortless adaptation to fast-moving targets or any target that can move faster than the superhuman eye giving her a boost in strength, muscle memory and eye tracking.