I woke up, and by the time I realized it, Percivale's match had already ended, with Donna being the winner.
"Are you alright, Leader? You suddenly blacked out."
"Huh? Y–yeah. Who won?"
"Miss Arison did, unfortunately."
"S–seriously?"
I may have messed up.
So… I finally figured out what this book actually is.
To put it in a few words, it's basically a log of the entire The Academy's Regressor web novel, featuring the whole story. Or at least until the point that I stopped.
Alongside the book, there was a pen, one that I later called La Plume. I know, French and all that.
Anyway, the pen gave me the ability to alter parts of the story. And then the book would take a portion of my strength proportionate to the change I made.
Like say, I could make John order a cup of tea instead of coffee. For that, I'd probably only feel a small prick similar to the bite of an ant.
It's a different story when the scenario is bigger, though. The one I mistakenly changed was Percivale and Donna's battle.
Originally, Percivale was supposed to win the fight through a long and arduous struggle. And it seemed to be that way, at least until Wang Jin caused me to drop my pen.
Oh yeah, and the book seems to have been recognized by the system as a skill like Death's Vision and Identity Warp.
It looks like this, by the way.
____
Log of The Academy's Regressor | | ? |
Conjures a thick book and a pen out of thin air. The book contains information about The Academy's Regressor, a story written by Dignitas Qwerdan.
Changes can be made to the story using the pen but will take away a portion of the Author's strength based on the degree of the change.
____
It's unranked and listed by the system as an outsider skill. I recall this only ever happening once with John.
Wait.
I flipped open the book to a certain page.
Aha! This is different.
I stopped at the point where the first exam was held. Two points of interest lie here.
The first was the issue with the exit in the first exam.
"Thanks to John's memory of the first two runs, he was able to pinpoint the exact location of the exit. It was inside a small cabin outside of the city."
Wait, wait, wait. This is clearly different from how I wrote it.
I remember writing it down as being behind a freezer. I was absolutely positive, without a single doubt.
And yet, why was this different both in the book and when I experienced it?
Argh, I'll never get anywhere with this. Maybe I should continue on.
The second point of interest: Wang Jin.
In the original story, he had never shown up. Not even once in my drafts.
Someone of his power level would make him well known. So why was I seeing him for the first time?
Wait… now that I think about it, there's one more, a slightly important detail in the story that was different.
Lorelai's brother, Mordecai. In the original novel, he never died. He was supposed to have survived the dungeon run alongside his girlfriend.
Too many points don't add up. Was someone messing with my story?
My mind subconsciously went back to that person.
In my first few days as an author, my older sister Lyra would proofread my drafts before I uploaded them. She'd miss some bits, but they weren't all that crucial.
She'd do it for every chapter I wrote, eventually volunteering to be my editor.
I had given her access to the story… So was it possible that she had changed it before I died?
Nah. The sister I knew wouldn't mess with my hard work. She was an annoying older sister, but she wouldn't go so far as to taint it.
Even if she did, what could I do? I was in a different world. A world within my novel, no doubt.
All I could do was live my current life to its fullest, guiding John along through the story.
But first…
I've got to prepare for the next battle, Wang Jin versus Alter. Two of my teammates.
And perhaps, I'll play around with the Log for a bit. I won't be changing anything, but it's good to read the story every once in a while. You never know how much information you could be missing even as an author.
I also put away any thoughts about using it in battle. The book, as far as I know, only allowed me to change the story. Meaning, only portions of John's life.
Ah, well it's complicated. I'm sure I'll get to know its true powers eventually. It was still ranked as a "?" at the moment anyway.
"Don't beat yourself up about it, Percivale. You still get to enter the Academy, and that's all that matters." I comforted Percivale.
"Thanks a lot, Mister Dignitas."
***
The battle between Wang Jin and Alter would soon start, and after a few more matches would be mine.
It was nearing late into the afternoon, and the last portion of cadets' matches would continue to be held until the day ended.
After grabbing some lunch at a nearby food stall, I headed back to my seat just in time to find both of my teammates had already left.
"Hey, you two."
They turned to me.
"Take it easy. If you put up a good fight, then both of you will pass."
"You got it, Digni!" Wang Jin affirmed.
Alter seemed to not care about my warning and just jumped off into the arena.
"I'm sorry about her, Mister Dignitas."
"No, no, that's okay. Your sister's mood isn't something that can be changed so easily."
Wang Jin soon followed after, also jumping off.
"THE NEXT BATTLE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"
You know, I sometimes wonder how people can put up with that voice. I can barely listen to it without covering my ears.
The two contestants approached the middle of the arena and stopped beside the robot referee.
"I can finally get rid of that smirk on your face. By the time we're done, you won't be having the same expression!"
"I'd like to see you try, Alter! But I'll probably still be smiling even if you kick my ass, hehe."
Both my teammates exchanged fighting words, with Alter particularly excited at the opportunity to badmouth Wang Jin.
After a quick explanation of the rules (they were the same), the referee started counting down.
"Three, two, one. Begin!"
Both cadets leaped backward, away from the middle.
The element of wind was sort of a hybrid battle-wise. It could be used to unleash devastating storms or to drastically enhance one's speed.
Wang Jin seemed to lean towards the latter. With his extensive degree of control over wind, he was able to swiftly move around the arena.
Alter, obviously knowing that she could not catch him, gave up and began concentrating mana on her palms.
Two balls made from Chaos Magic materialized. They displayed a dark orange hue and held an almost deathly aura.
Alter threw these balls out with all her strength. They flew for a few seconds into the air before suddenly stopping and changing their direction.
They now aimed at Wang Jin. And they most likely wouldn't stop until contact was made.
"Whoa, going hard from the get-go, huh? That's what I like about you, Alter."
"Shut up, you idiot!"
Alter, much like Percivale, possessed her own variety of Chaos spells. Each one could cause massive havoc if used correctly.
I was no stranger to the catastrophe she caused every time she was sent out. She's like a caged beast that when set free, runs wild until it's stopped.
Like heat-seeking missiles, the balls made their way toward Wang Jin, cutting through the air.
"This isn't something you do to your beloved friend, Alter dear!"
"Shut the fuck up, Wang Jin!"