The Transmigrated Author

He was deep in thought, contemplating the recent disturbances and the potential threat they posed to his operation.

"We need to tighten security," Lampard muttered to himself.

"I can\'t let anyone disrupt our operations."

Rel, hidden by a few crates, strained to hear Lampard\'s words.

He was concerned for the children kidnapped by the organization weighed heavily on his mind.

He knew that if he could gather more information about Lampard\'s plans, he might be able to find a way to rescue them and dismantle the criminal organization.

As Lampard continued to study the map, Rel carefully moved closer, trying to get a better view of the documents spread out on the table.

He knew he had to act quickly, but he also needed to remain undetected if he wanted to succeed.

Suddenly, Lampard pulled out a watch and spoke into it, his voice commanding.

"Guards, reinforce the inside of the building. I have a feeling we\'re getting raided by an unknown organization."

Rel cursed under his breath.

THUMP!!! THUMP!!! THUMP!!!

He could hear loud thumps and footsteps heading in multiple directions as the building was quickly filled with members of the Nightshade\'s organization.

The increased security posed a significant challenge.

As Rel watched, his heart sank as he saw Lampard grab a syringe from a case.

The syringe was filled with a liquid that he recognized from his past experiences in the dungeon.

There was no way he was going to let that be used on a child.

Lampard called out to a few members, his voice commanding.

"Don\'t let anyone through this door. I can\'t risk anyone breaching here beyond this point."

Rel watched as Lampard opened the door and walked through, followed by the guards nodding in acknowledgment.

As Rel observed, he realized that the door Lampard went through had to be the experimentation room.

If he wanted to get through, he needed to take everyone in this room out.

With a deep breath, he prepared himself for what lay ahead.

***

[Gasan Digital Complex, Seoul - Nightshade\'s Warehouse, Underground: The Experimentation Room]

Lampard entered the experimentation room to find the boy and the girl sitting down, engaged in conversation.

As they noticed him, the boy stood up, immediately adopting a protective stance in front of the girl. "Stay back!" he warned.

Lampard\'s smile was devious. "Why would I stay back? You two need to be punished after all."

The boy, undeterred, stated defiantly,

"If you punish us now, there will be someone even greater to punish you for what you\'ve done."

Lampard\'s expression darkened at the boy\'s words.

"Well, it seems I\'ll be saving you for last then," he replied ominously.

The boy, wearing a white shirt, stared at Lampard with anger.

"Stop! If you\'re going to try anything..." he paused, "Then let it be me first!"

commanding him to stop and offering himself instead to protect his friend.

The girl behind him held onto him saying "stop... don\'t listen to him."

The boy who didn\'t listen to her still held his hands outspread, shielding his friend from Lampard\'s view.

As Lampard reached for the syringe, the boy flinched, his eyes fixed on the menacing tool.

BANGGG!

Before Lampard could administer the injection, a loud bang echoed from the production room, causing him to pause.

He checked the surveillance cameras around the building, only to find static.

"Shit, they already got in?" Lampard muttered to himself, considering the possibility of a rival organization from the dark world discovering their location.

Turning his attention back to the boy, Lampard smiled sinisterly.

"Since you\'re so willing, then I\'ll be trying it out on you."

As Lampard approached the boy, another loud sound erupted, this time from above.

Despite the chaos, the boy whispered to the girl, "Julia... I\'m sorry, it was my fault."

As Lampard grabbed the boy\'s arm to inject the modified serum made by the Syndicate, the fate of the boy and the girl hung in the balance.

Lampard injected the serum into the boy\'s arm and took a few steps back, observing his reaction.

The boy\'s mouth foamed up, and the colour of his right arm changed to a darkish purple.

Despite Julia\'s efforts to keep him calm, the boy writhed in pain.

Lampard smiled at the sight. "Good," he murmured. "They\'ll like the results once it\'s finished."

Turning his attention to Julia, he pointed at her. "You\'ll be next," he stated ominously.

Suddenly, the ringing of his phone interrupted the moment.

Answering it, he heard his members panicking on the other end.

"Boss, we\'re in trouble! There\'s a swordsman wreaking havoc in the production room!"

Before he could respond, a loud bang sounded, and the connection was cut.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Lampard hurried out of the room, leaving the boy and the girl alone.

***

Fifty guards patrolled the damp warehouse.

Way too many, even for me. No point in a suicide charge.

My eyes flicked over the crates. Had to be a way to draw them off, give me a window... nothing. Frustration gnawed at me.

My fingers tightened on my weapon. Useless for making a big enough distraction. Unless... the System.

There had to be something, a skill, an item. Anything. My mind raced.

Should I just use Trickster right here? Yeah, I could chain it with Projectile Projection for a quick escape after thinning them out, but draining my mana that fast against these goons... risky.

But I gotta be sure about my reserves.

"System, mana status."

The usual digital chime echoed in my head.

FWANG!

[Mana Reserves: 91%]

"Good enough. This could work –thin their numbers, slip past... but what if Lampard shows? Gotta be smart, gotta have a Plan B."

haah...

A sigh escaped me. Damn it, was I really about to do this?

Well... I don\'t have any other choice, do I?

[Standard Ability: Trickster at Arms [Grade 5] Has Been Activated!]

[Standard Ability: Projectile Projection [Grade 3] Has Been Activated!]

As I stepped out towards the open, I unsheathed \'Axel\' for the first time.

CRACKLE... CRACKLE... CRACKLE...

Aura surged, a rush of power from core to fingertips. It crackled along my skin, flowing into Axel.

The blade gleamed, black lightning writhing around the steel. A feral hum filled the air.

This was it. No more hiding.

__________

No Authors notes today D: