The Transmigrated Author

Chapter 128: Realisation (2)

[Location: Island Of The East: Monster Infested - South Side - Inner-Middle-Section]

[3 hours later...]

"Attention all 1-A and 1-B students, the conclusion to the practice exam has now ended, as all monsters within the island have been eliminated, we'll be returning all students to the north side beach. Where we will announce the results of the practice exam between both classes today."

yawnnn...

A yawn escaped me, followed by a sigh of relief.

Finally, that fight had taken everything out of me, but the nap had helped.

I did a quick equipment check to see if anything fell.

my fingers brushed against the crossbow on my right hip, then Thiago's sword on the left.

Then it made me realise... I did steal his weapon unintentionally, should I give it back?

It'd probably be the 'honourable' thing to give it back, but honestly, screw him.

His pride is his problem, and I sure as hell don't want to deal with the fallout of having this thing on me.

If word gets back to the academy that I whipped out a sword mid-fight... They'd label me a dual-class faster than you can say 'extra training sessions.'

And that's a problem I don't need.

Yeah, the benefits of being able to use two weapons were cool.

But I'd rather not be known as someone who could use more than one weapon.

swang!

[Equpiment HP: 23%]

Well, not bad for a fight with those handicaps stacked against me.

Losing Sixth Sense had been a huge blow. Hell, I probably wouldn't have made it without Trickster as well...

It just goes to show how reliant I'd become on that skill. Sloppy indeed.

I'd always prioritise myself on awareness, and my instincts... but maybe they weren't as sharp as I thought.

Definitely something to work on.

Thud!

"Ow!"

I winced, rubbing my head. Seriously, an apple?

How random was that? A glance around revealed nothing but the usual trees and bushes.

"Whatever," I muttered.

With the teleportation coming, a random piece of fruit was the least of my concerns.

haah...

shhhanngggg...

A strange warmth enveloped me, starting at my toes and creeping upwards.

Then, blue pixels danced into view, a swarm of digital fireflies mirroring that similar to Thiago and the rest.

I knew the tech was always sophisticated.

Instead of a normal IDS Station, The IDS Transporter dispersed emitters that targeted mesh networks, allowing for precise individual teleportation points.

Impressive, but also a potential privacy nightmare if it falls into the wrong hands.

The pixels swirled faster, my surroundings dissolving into a blur.

One blink, and I was gone.

Another blink, and I materialized back on the starting beach, the faces of my classmates coming into focus.

...

...

...

This again... why does he always drag this misunderstanding, that I don't try at all?

Maybe if I ignore him enough, he'll just forget.

"Well, I think I already tried enough." I frowned at Jan, but his grin only widened.

I guess he was still the typical main character.

Always so sure of himself.

Though, this pettiness... that was unexpected.

"So... care to explain if you're a Swordsman or an archer?" He nudged me and pointed towards the weapon still hanging at my hip – Thiago's sword.

Taking it during the fight had been an impulsive decision.

It earned me a few new things, but was it worth the potential hassle of being pinned as a dual-user?

Although snagging those new abilities was a nice bonus, I was starting to doubt whether the whole 'dual weapon' thing was worth the hassle.

Sure, versatility was cool, but the time, effort, and resources to upgrade mastery for both was ridiculous.

So I was considering keeping the whole weapon thing a secret... I'll use a bow or a crossbow for the academy.

Then when I enter the mercenary corps later on, I'll focus more on using the combination of a gun and sword.

Right now, Thiago probably thinks I'm some wannabe swordsman.

If word gets out, I'll just play dumb. No way am I admitting to that mess.

"Just returning this to some guy who got teleported back," I told Jan.

I slid the sword's scabbard off my hip and showed it to Jan, hoping he'd fall for my whole 'returning it' act.

He didn't.

He just raised an eyebrow, that half-smirk playing on his face. "Sure you are, man. Sure."

Whatever. I gave a half-hearted shrug and strolled off, scanning the beach for my usual group of idiots.

Time to get back to normal... or as normal as it got around here.

THUD!

I took my eyes off the crowd for a second, and of course... I bumped right into someone.

"Ouch... who could it be now?"

I muttered, fumbling for my glasses on the ground.

Finally got those back on, and looked up... to see a girl with bright red hair and green eyes.

"Who are you?"

[Valeria Ayres - (1st Year - Rank 8 in the entire grade) - ]

In front of me was Valeria Ayres...

We both scrambled to our feet, her checking for witnesses.

Luckily, no one seemed to notice.

"Ah... sorry..." I apologized, not bothering to sound sincere.

I brushed the sand off my uniform hoping she'd leave but no.

She sighed, squinting at me.

"Hey, do I know you?"

I tilted my head. "Probably not..."

"Really?" she pressed, trying to get a better look at me.

"Yes, really."

_________________

Authors notes:

- A Dual User in Pinnacle Academy has to do a hybrid test that requires using both weapons simultaneously.

- The reason why Rel doesn't know the ins and outs of an IDS transporter is because the setting itself was something that didn't occur in the original novel.