The Transmigrated Author
Chapter 78: Aftermath

{Rel's POV}

[Pinnacle Academy, Stadium 1 - Arena A: Student Lobby]

[12:11 PM]

After a quick stop at the Hyperstasis chamber, The workers quickly had me go through a process; where they sprayed the burnt areas of my body and had a ray of energy quickly patch things up, I emerged feeling refreshed and surprisingly whole.

The burns and bruises were gone, But I was still tired and out of stamina after that match.

So I found myself in the student lounge, a nice comfortable room usually filled with tons of students before a match but now, it was awfully quiet. I slumped into a corner, away from the few scattered students who shot me weird glances.

Since I had some time to myself, I ended up pulling up my stats, and saying I wasn't impressed would be an exaggeration. in fact, I was disappointed.

FWANG!

[Base Stats (ONLY)]

[>Health: 98, >Strength: 29, >Stamina: 64.5, >Speed: 63,]

Ugh. No wonder he took so many hits. That strength stat is pathetic. Health is passable, stamina needs work, but speed... probably my best stat. Maybe dumping the rewards into strength should be good, though that stamina drain...

is more concerning than my lack of strength

I could at best survive about a day and a half in a jungle before completely exhausting myself from walking.

Regardless, I had to look back on my earlier days in camping... I was quite experienced since I hiked a lot back in my old world.

AHHH!

A sudden pain of pins and needles washed over me I felt like someone was talking bad about me just now...

Then I suddenly recalled what happened a few minutes ago and a wave of guilt washed over me.

Despite the rage and frustration that built up in me, I knew I'd overreacted. The idea of approaching Carlos, of apologizing... It wasn't something I would normally consider. But then again, nothing about today had been normal.

And then there was the real threat: Morwen Cross. He didn't just stroll in here. Pinnacle shifts locations and has an anti-location tracker... Means he had teleport, but even that's near-impossible without an IDS tracker to lock onto. Someone must have let him in. but that question remains how though.

Even under the best type of security in this world. a character like Morwen easily strolling onto campus shouldn't be an easy task at all, matter of fact he shouldn't even be here at all. so I needed to know the reason.

"System," I asked kindly, "Do you have any information on Morwen Cross's motives for being at Pinnacle?"

[I do Mr. Axel! :D]

[The information to answer this question is available for an additional cost of 2000 (PPP). You currently possess 2034 PPP, Mr. Axel. Would you like to use your PPP for this information?]

The 2000 PPP price tag slammed the brakes on my excitement. Months of grinding, down the drain... I could feel the frown twisting the more I looked at the price.

"Maybe later," I muttered, dismissing the system with a sigh. The lure of that information was potentially lifesaving although my thoughts remained on one thing, but was it worth bankrupting myself?

Decision made, I shoved thoughts of Morwen aside for now. "Next up..." My watch, synced to the tournament schedule, chimed with an update.

DING!

______________________

[Match Schedules]

[Jan (1) vs Alice Elizabeth (4)] (12:45 PM)

[Jae Yoona (5) vs Valencia Freya (3)] - (1:00 PM)

______________________

I scrolled through. Jan versus Alice... on paper, a toss-up, but knowing his true strength, Alice was outmatched. But I already knew how the battle was gonna turn out, knowing Jan was the counterpick against Alice in any type of fight, even without activating his 'Divine Conqueror' ability. Alice, would probably still lose.

And then there was the matchup between Valencia and Jae Yoona. That one was harder to predict.

Valencia, with her precise swordsmanship and complete focus, stood in against Jae Yoona's Perfect archery and almost unnerving composure. A match I wanted to see, so for now I should just relax and wait until their matches start.

tap, tap, tap

A ripple of unease washed over me, I could sense a familiar presence. Before I even looked up, I knew.

It was Jan and he walked around the coffee table to sit in the chair across from me. He should be preparing for his match, not sitting here and staring at me with that serious expression.

"...!"

Just from the corner of my eye, something crossed my mind, but as my gaze turned towards the hallway, I understood his presence. Camila and Lyra were peeking around the corner, their expressions mirroring Jan's concern.

"Is something wrong, Jan?" I asked, keeping my voice even.

Jan hesitated, then met my eyes with unwavering determination.

He hesitated. He wanted to understand, but it was his wariness that shadowed his eyes.

"Rel, that fight... why?"

Not accusation, but genuine worry. He was good like that, too good. But it was also his weakness. Empathy... the belief that deep down, everyone could be reasoned with. My lie needed to play on that.

Jan's weakness was his empathy, and his tendency to believe the best in people. I needed a lie, something believable, something that would redirect his sympathy towards me.

"He mocked my family," I said, letting a true trace of bitterness seep into my voice. This body I had taken over, had no family, not that I knew of, but they were the soft spot for someone like Jan. I needed him to believe the rage was justified.

His shock was instant, clear on his face. The lie flowed too easily. Was I even searching for a family? Didn't matter. It was working.

Silence stretched. His worry bloomed into sympathy.

"I understand," he said, voice low. "Family hits hard. But... try to hold it in next time." A gentle smile. "Hope you're doing... okay.

And if you need to talk... I'm here."

BZZZT! BZZZT!

His watch buzzed then, a reminder of his upcoming match. "Gotta go," he said, a touch of awkwardness entering his voice now that the serious conversation was winding down.

The watch snapped him back to duty. "Gotta go." A hint of awkwardness now, the serious moment broken but still hanging between us. "Later, yeah?"

I nodded as he left. I felt a bit guilty manipulating Jan like that, even though I knew it was necessary. Jan, with his kind heart and naive trust, was an easy target.

But my lie was a bit too much. Did I miss having a family... The family back on my earth? The unsettling thought remained, I just wanted a simple life, some quiet. This whole stuck in the novel thing wasn't it...

________________

Authors Notes:

- Rel refers to his 'old world' as the previous earth before his transmigration.

- The fight between Carlos Muller and Rel lasted for: 7 minutes and 34 seconds.