The Transmigrated Author

I didn't realise I had already been caught using the sword.

I better find a different day to train. Even when other events are going on, I keep bumping into people I know.

He swung his sword against the dummy, consistently hitting power scores between 800 and 1000.

[Swordsman mastery: 7.8% -> 7.82%(0.02%)]

But a glance at his system screen showed that his proficiency with the sword was barely rising.

He had been at Aetherium for a few hours of training and knew that his swordsman mastery wasn't going anywhere.

"Should I just go find a dungeon?" Rel muttered to himself, swinging...

Finding dungeons was enough of a hassle; he realised it's probably better to just stay here and train.

STARE...

"...!"

I feel like someone's staring at me.

Rel turned around.

whistle...whistle ♪

Valencia was swinging her sword while whistling at a nearby dummy.

Odd,

he thought.

Is there someone else here besides us?

He swung his sword at the dummy once more.

SNAP!

The wooden blade snapped in two.

"Damn..."

Tap... Tap... Tap...

Footsteps approached and Rel turned to see Valencia walking towards him.

"...?"

Her expression was hard to read. Disdain? Disgust? It was as if he had done something wrong.

Did I break some hidden taboo about the swords here?

He wondered.

No, that can't be it. Unless...

He wracked his brain, but couldn't figure out why Valencia was approaching him again.

"Do you even know how to use a sword?"

Rel winced almost like he took a knife to the chest.

Man, she's really trying to criticize me now of all days?

"No, not really," he admitted. "I just read some books on it and decided to test it out."

"Well, you're doing it wrong." Her tone was almost motherly.

She stepped towards his dummy and took a stance.

Raising the sword to her forehead with both hands, she swung downwards with incredible speed.

BANG!

[8,789 On hit damage.]

"See?" Valencia looked at him expectantly.

Rel, trying to hide his indifference, forced a smile.

"Wow... impressive," he said, clapping. His voice sounded more robotic than he intended.

"Now try to recreate what I did."

"Huh?" Rel frowned.

Wait... is she being serious? Why is she even asking me to do this?

Was my swordsmanship so bad that she felt the need to intervene in my training session?

As Rel gazed into Valencia's eyes, he could tell his guess was correct.

Why... why of all days did I come to Aetherium?

"Hurry, show me now," Valencia urged.

Rel sighed and stepped forward. He carefully mimicked her swing.

BANG!

[2,312 On hit damage]

"Not bad." Valencia leaned forward to look at the score.

"...!"

Seeing her this close flustered Rel.

Valencia's attire was more revealing than he'd expected, and he took a few steps back, averting his gaze.

He hadn't anticipated this kind of encounter, especially not in a place like this.

He wasn't quite sure how to react. It was one thing to write about attractive female characters in his novels, but facing one in real life was a different story altogether.

"Okay, okay, have you seen enough?"

"Why?"

Valencia turned and tilted her head, her usual cold expression firmly in place.

"Don't you want my help?"

Despite her cold demeanour, her voice held a genuine warmth that surprised him.

Haah... I don't even know why you're helping me in the first place.

Rel ran a hand through his sweat-dampened hair.

"No, it's not that. I just think I'm bothering you with your training. Am I not?"

He tried to get her to leave without rejecting her offer.

But Valencia covered her mouth almost like she was smiling.

"You aren't," she said softly.

What?

Rel blinked, surprised by the gentle tone.

He hadn't expected such kindness from Valencia, especially after she had just criticized his swordsmanship.

"Now listen and follow what I do, okay?"

...

...

...

[1 hour later...]

"You've improved a lot," she added, her gaze fixed on the beat down dummy.

"Thanks," he replied, trying to maintain a neutral expression. He didn't want her to think that her praise meant that much to him.

"Your form and power growth are quite surprising. Actually, I didn't know you were this talented-"

Valencia stopped for a moment realising she was about to sound condescending.

But Rel already knew and simply nodded as if it was normal

"Okay, I'm gonna go now." Rel turned to leave.

"Wait!" Valencia called out. "Before you go... how about a little wager?"

Rel paused, turning his head. "A wager?"

"Yeah..." she hesitated, "You don't have to listen to this, but..."

"Sure," he said without missing a beat.

"...!"

His quick response took Valencia aback.

Wait,

she thought,

did he even hear what I had to say?

She quickly shook her head and faked a cough.

"Ehem... So we've trained for a bit, and I want to see how you'd do in a spar against me."

Rel's face contorted as if he had swallowed something bitter.

"Are you crazy? Why would I even do that?"

Fighting Valencia in his current state was guaranteed to be a loss.

"I didn't tell you the rules first," she said pointing a finger upward.

Rel simply sighed and gestured for her to explain.

"So, first things first, I can't use my elemental attribute, aura, or any other techniques I have up my sleeve."

Rel raised an eyebrow, unconvinced that the handicap was enough.

Valencia, noticing his scepticism, looked away. "Okay... I can't use sword techniques either."

"Okay... I can't use sword techniques either," Valencia conceded, sighing.

"What's the wager?"

"The loser has to do whatever the winner says," Valencia stated. "Think of it like a one-wish policy..."

『 Valencia sounded awfully suspicious when she worded the last part... what does she even intend to do if she wins?

Oh God... she might make me leave Pinnacle Academy entirely!

That means if I lose, I might not be able to step foot in the cafeteria ever again...

No, if I'm going to do this, I need a win condition to even things out. 』

"I have one condition before we spar,"

"What is it?"

"If I land a single hit on you, I win,"

Valencia considered this condition for a moment. "Fine," she agreed, "But don't expect me to go easy on you just because you managed to hit a dummy a few times."

"Whatever."