The Transmigrated Author-Chapter 55: Day 2 Of the Scouting Invitational Tournament (2)

[Pinnacle Academy Stadium 1 - Arena A Hallway to the Student Section]

{Rel's POV}

That damn fucker Julian... He thought I was looking at his childhood best friend wrong.

I think he had it all mixed up.

The back of my hand swiped across my eyes, wiping away that traitorous dampness from overextending that stupid staredown.

Sure, my vision still seemed a touch of the usual, but admitting that, even to myself? Impossible. Maybe some fine grit had blown under my eyelids or something like that.

It wasn't until Julian finally turned away that I realized…had Jan seen all of that?

The guy shifted awkwardly, the concern on his face making me almost as uncomfortable as the stinging sensation in my eyes.

"Rel, seriously, do you know who that was...standing beside Miss Yuka?" Jan gave me a concerned look as we continued walking.

Of course, I knew who Julian was, That smugly assessing gaze had burned itself into my brain, it was as if sizing up some curious exhibit did I look like an animal to him?

It left a sour taste in my mouth that made the lingering eye strain less annoying. It wasn't even that he doubted I belonged.

I genuinely believe that this guy was trying to harass me.

Even from across the hallway, he exuded that stupid superiority, an unspoken message thinking he could have a staring contest with me.

"Of course," I finally replied, the annoyance making my voice even drier than a week in the damn desert. "Julian Geogre. Guild leader of the Van Guardian Guild ranked fifth in the world." The facts held a grounding power against the absurdity of the confrontation.

It was, objectively, stupid. And that realization of those pointless minutes was time that I'll never get back.

Jan looked slightly embarrassed. Good. At least something made sense in this surreal morning routine. "Right, of course. I just… it didn't seem like something accidental..."

An awkward shrug followed, but his point made an uncomfortable dent in my attempts to brush this off.

...

[5 Minutes Later:]

...

[Pinnacle Academy Stadium 1 - Arena A Student Section]

The student section was roaring with many 2nd years and 3rd-year students gambling on the matches (illegally)

a stark contrast to the hush over the VIP boxes suspended above us. It wasn't just the plush chairs and better view that set them apart.

[Deadeye has been activated!]

As I activated deadeye I looked at every familiar faces inside the VIP boxes I caught glimpses of figures, their expressions were easy to read at this distance, but I could just about see the names through the system check

[Due to limitations and the Strength level of the users being analyzed, only the name and elemental attributes can be revealed...]

[Stats Restriction: Strength, Mana, Speed, Durability,]

[Name: Oberon Starcaster, Strength: ???, Mana: ???, Elemental Attribute: Lightning, Fire]

[Name: Gerrard Freya, Strength: ???, Mana: ???, Elemental Attribute: Metal]

[Name: Kang Villerion, Strength: ???, Mana: ???, Elemental Attribute: Fire]

[Name: Aeliana Bell, Strength: ???, Mana, ???, Elemental Attribute: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Lightning, Ice,]

The names weren't surprising – Gerrard and Kang, old powerhouses, were expected here to watch their children shine.

Oberon being here was expected, although in my novel I clearly remember he was tied up in some business meeting but I might've been wrong.

But looking at the very bottom of the list was Aeliana Bell... The God Of Mages.

why was she even here? There was no point in her being here. She had a guild to carry on her back, She simply couldn't let her rankings fall this early in the story.

Though I'm unsure about her intentions being unclear I know that Aeliana was the genius mage that the world wished for.

Aeliana was one of the more important characters that lasted around the tower subjugation arc, and her fate was sealed the moment she fought the final floor of monsters to allow room for Jan to defeat the first tower.

Then another thought slipped through my mind. The God of mages versus the Divine Sorceress who would win?

Aurelia was by far the strongest person being gifted the light attribute but comparing that to a mage who has 6 elemental attributes and has a bottomless reserve of mana it could be a close battle between the two since they're parallels in this novel's universe.

Jan's voice broke through my hypothetical analysis. "Camila's up!" he pointed, confused. "Still don't know why she asked me to come here to watch when we could be training for our upcoming battles…" His confused pause drove an irritation to rise in my head.

Did…did I make him that oblivious? Sure, MCs needed reasons to move forward, but this scene had the subtlety of a sign screaming, "Notice me, love interest!"

Was this truly his character, or another example of my incompetence?

Jan's words brought me back to the current match soon to start, "Let's see what Camila's Got." His voice held a strange mix of anticipation and excitement for his friend.

A pocket of silence spread briefly as Camila took her place. "And now, let's welcome the Crimson Spark, Camila Garcia!" As many people applauded in the stands the announcer introduced her opponent, "Also give your welcome to Vale Bast!

As all the students for the first batch of today's match arrived on the 4 stages completely ready to fight the announcer began his countdown for the first battle of the day.

"3...2...1... FIGHT!"

With the fight undergo Camila remained still, her staff held loosely in one hand. She watched her opponent with unnatural calmness.

Across the field, Vale drew his wickedly curved daggers - blades built for speed, not brute force.

A flicker crossed his face, perhaps surprised at her lack of immediate action. Did he expect an offensive blast on her cue? I doubted Camila would offer such an easy opening.

DASH!

His feet barely seemed to touch the ground as Vale dashed forward, closing the distance in mere seconds. The clash was inevitable, yet still exciting to watch.

DUNG!

His first error. Camila caught both his daggers with her staff, sparks showering where the wood met metal.

With her free hand, a crimson circle blazed to life – not in front of her, but behind Vale. It seemed an unnecessary risk, yet, I knew from experience nothing with Camila was done casually.

Before Vale could adjust, Camila wasn't just blocking, she was attacking.

His momentum carried him deeper into the trap as she shoved her staff forward, locking his blades for a split second.

That sliver of time was all she needed. A flood of razor-sharp ice erupted from the portal at his back, forcing him to disengage with a frantic backward leap.

CRASH, CRASH, CRASH,

SWANG

The shards of ice aimed by Camila missed and as she conjured a blue shield of mana and the ice shards crashed into her shield which she quickly dispelled after weaving it away with a gesture of her hands.

With a fluid whirl, the crimson portal vanished.

Looking at Vale's face, his panicked and composed face was in shambles. There was no hope on that dusty battleground, he knew his tournament run ended here.

Against most mages who were more support types, this might have been it.

But for Camila, this man had to bow down in the face of overwhelming talent.

Camila's unwavering focus wasn't just about magical prowess... I understood in that moment that even if he retreated, if he fought purely defensively, Camila would never have allowed him to fight on his own terms. This fight was never under his control.

SWANG!!!

Then that familiar crimson circle blazed above Vale, but this was no trap. This was raw, destructive power. From above, not from below, this wouldn't be a few shards or elemental distraction, but annihilation.

It felt wrong making a character like her, even amongst the cheers of the audience. No student could ever wield this power so easily.

WHAAAAAM

It was the fire that washed over everything, more than just burning Vale she burnt the white stage with ease.

At this moment, Camila seemed closer to Jan's world than Valencia's. I'd forgotten what she was truly capable of...no, what I, her creator, made her truly capable of.

"First Winner of Match 1: Camila Garcia!"

The medics didn't bother waiting for Vale to stand before claiming him. And the crowd roaring applause and shock from the VIP stands.

Looking at the person who was impressed most was the God of Mages clapping for her soon-to-be disciple.

______________________

Authors Notes:

- The staring contest between Rel and Julian was unintentional, Julian was just passing by time looking at Rel as seriously as possible.

- Camila's Elemental Attributes are Fire, Lightning, Water, Ice

- Fun Fact About Camila - She's a mage who can cast multiple incantationless spells at the same time. her current limit is 3. Camila is also special in the sense that she doesn't require any mediums upon casting a spell, the reason she uses a staff as her weapon is to defend herself during close combat situations.

- The reason in the 2v2 battle where Camila gave up against Jan and Rel was that she found it pointless trying to harm Jan knowing well she wanted him to do good in the tournament. (She wanted to injure Rel to the point where he couldn't move :D)

- Casting a barrier and a portal spell requires a lot of mana but being able to minimise the cost is what separates a good mage from a great one.