A start

It's been a week since I found myself transported into this world, or more precisely, into the pages of my novel.

You might expect me to take on the role of the protagonist, but no, my current form is that of an ordinary teenager—my only notable trait being a decently attractive face adorned with messy black hair.

Letting out a sigh, I continued to get dressed and opened a book filled to the brim with scribbles and text. On the very first day of my arrival, I diligently wrote down every event I foresaw, realizing that I had been inexplicably transplanted into the narrative I had created.

Exiting the dorm, I made my way toward the day's main event—an annual sparring competition at the academy. The purpose was to showcase the skills of new students and inspire the juniors with displays of prowess from their more seasoned seniors.

After a few minutes of walking, I finally arrived at my destination—an expansive, modern colosseum with a constant stream of people entering and exiting through the grand entrance. Approaching the entrance, I presented my student pass, and with no hassle, they allowed me to proceed. Climbing the stairs, I found a seat near an inconspicuous staff-only door, overlooking the cheering crowd.

"It looks like it's starting," I mumbled to myself.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the yearly sparring competition! Here, we showcase the skills of our finest students in friendly combat. Rest assured, we have implemented safety measures in case of any unforeseen issues!" declared the announcer, inciting a wave of cheers from the audience. Two students stepped onto the stage, and a massive screen came to life, focusing on them.

"On the south side, we have the top student who aced all the tests with flying colors—meet the newest and brightest student, Liam Donovan!" The camera focused on a teenager with a remarkably handsome face; his blue hair danced in the breeze as he waved at the camera, sending the crowd, especially the females, into a frenzy.

Liam, the protagonist of my novel and the destined savior of the human race, has typical hero-like behavior and naivety. The camera panned to the other side of the arena.

"And here, he'll be facing off against the second runner for first place—the son of the Houston household considered a combat genius, Oliver Houston!" The crowd cheered as the white-haired boy with red eyes and sharp features walked towards the stage.

"Tch," Oliver clicked his tongue at the commentator's remark, his sharp eyes locking onto Liam. He took his stance, holding his spear with both hands. Liam responded with a smile, unsheathing his sword and assuming a ready position.

"The match shall commence in 5... 4..." The commentator started the countdown, and the crowd joined in.

"3... 2... 1!!" Both Liam and Oliver dashed towards each other, their blades clashing. Liam skillfully shifted his sword, breaking the stalemate, and aimed it towards Oliver.

Reacting swiftly, Oliver retreated, delivering a series of stabs on the way. Liam parried Oliver's attacks, relentlessly pursuing him and leaving no room for Oliver to catch his breath.

While the battle was going on, I quietly stood up from my seat and entered the staff-only door; the people in the surrounding seats took no notice of me as they were too absorbed in the fight.

Walking into the empty corridor and entering an abandoned storeroom, I closed the door quietly and leaned my body against the wall next to the door. While waiting, I opened my book to read the event that would occur next.

'The imp entered the empty storeroom carrying a small teleportation device, unknown to all the people inside the Colosseum.' Closing the book, I sighed and regretted putting in so many events that involved human deaths.

Despite the option to ignore this particular event, my lingering conscience pushed me to act. I waited motionless for 10 minutes, and as the door creaked open, a small red creature entered the room, completely oblivious to my presence.

The door opened slowly, and a small red creature scuttled inside holding a device as big as its size; the imp didn't notice me as the door hid me. I slowly closed the door and quietly chanted a spell.

"Paralysis." A small bolt of lightning left my hand, and I felt half of my mana leave my body. Before the imp could react, it struck him directly.

"Ack!" The imp panicked at the sudden attack but was unable to do anything. The imp could hear the sound of my footsteps growing closer and tried to move, yet his muscles did not budge.

I raised my foot and squashed his head, leaving only black blood and the device.

"Disgusting." I raised my foot as the black blood stuck to it. I retrieved the device from the imp's hand and inspected it.

"AND THE WINNER IS LIAM DONOVAN!!!" The overhead commentary vibrated from the stage speakers.

The teleporter was a small disk with intricate glowing carvings to increase mana conductivity. Flipping it around, I pressed a small button that opened a compartment inside, revealing the mana stone.

Having secured the mana stone, the teleporter's glow faded. I disposed of the body and the teleporter before walking away with my newfound treasure.

High mana stones are a scarce resource, typically found in mana-rich environments. While humans have industrially produced them using a mana collector and a pressure chamber, it pales in comparison to the superior quality of the one I just acquired.

These stones serve to power mana-based machines, but more crucially, they can be used for mana implants.

This process enhances the user's mana capacity, depending upon the purity of the mana stones. Considering that "paralysis" consumes half of my mana, every ounce of power is essential.

Inspecting the mana stone, I saw it glowed a deep blue hue, indicating its high quality. I grinned at the sight and tucked it away in my pocket.

The organization that plotted this whole incident was the Monarchy's Grasp, an organization that served as the overarching villain of my novel.

They are a group consisting of demons and demonic humans that want to purge all existing races besides them from the planet.

They are basically one big racist group that thinks demons are superior to any race that has existed. They are going to be a pain in the ass no matter what, so I need to get used to them soon, and with me ruining their plan, I will have a big target on my back sooner or later.

Thankfully, the imp didn't see my face, making me unknown to the master of this imp.