The Author's POV

Minutes before the explosion, outside of the dome.

"Jin, you're here."

Kevin approached Jin.

Looking left and right, he asked.

"Have perhaps you seen Ren anywhere?"

Staring at the large translucent barrier covering the dome, Jin shook his head.

"No."

"Strange..." Kevin murmured. "I thought he'd be here already since he left earlier than me."

Having left before him, Kevin assumed that Ren had already left the dome.

'Perhaps he's already left the area?'

Though Plausible, Kevin shook his head.

Even if he chose to go back, he wouldn't have gotten far. Especially since Ren only left a minute before him.

Most likely, he was still roaming around here somewhere or was with a professor.

"Hey, you two! Help out over here!"

"..uh?"

Snapping Kevin out of his thoughts was a rough voice. Turning his head, Kevin spotted a professor in the distance.

With one hand touching the blue barrier, using his right hand, the professor motioned him and Jin to go to him.

Kevin immediately rushed to the professor. Jin silently followed from behind.

"How may I help you?"

"How is your mana reserve?"

The professor asked.

"Half."

"Good...you?"

The professor turned his attention to Jin.

Squinting his eyes for a second, Jin eventually responded.

"...About the same."

"Hm, that's perfect, I need you both to channel your mana inside of the barrier."

"Channel our mana inside of the barrier?"

"Mhm, we need as many helping hands as possible. This is the only way we can contain the large explosion from affecting the civilians that have come today."

The instructor's voice became serious.

"You understand how serious the situation is, right?"

If the explosion was not contained, many of the people that had come to attend the tournament would die. Especially since the majority couldn't defend themselves. Not everyone was a powerful hero.

"Understood."

Kevin's back straightened.

Convinced by the instructor's words, Kevin immediately placed his hand on the barrier and injected his mana into it. Jin did as well.

By the side, taking out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, the instructor thought for a moment before asking.

"Want some?"

"No, thank you"

Taken aback for a second, Kevin refused.

Even though smoking was not something that would affect his health as it did in the past, Kevin hated the smell.

next to Kevin was trying to put on a brave front, Kevin

the only way he

"You?"

turned to

"..."

also don't want some...sucks

instructor. Flicking his fingers, the cigarette

Puff.

rose

beats a

"Hm?...what the"

at the smoke that was floating in the air, Kevin's brows suddenly knit. Turning his attention back to the instructor

shut down

the opposite building to

could see the images of some of the students desperately running away

could also see some professors

"I'm also not su—"

"...Hm? Isn't that Ren?"

the instructor a bit, but Kevin did not seem

the scene displayed on the screen in the distance, Kevin all

couple of times to comprehend the

"W-what."

a goldfish, Kevin's jaw moved up and

he doing there? Wasn't he supposed to already be here? Didn't he already arrive? This must be an illusion. What

his mind. It was only after that he realized what was

"REE——!"

—BOOOOOOOM!

was quickly drowned out by the large explosion that erupted within the dome. Taking his hand off the barrier, Kevin watched in despair as

Jin was also staring at the monitor's in the distance. Because

someone

see his fists clenched tightly.

***

of the Lock private waiting

doing

suddenly cried out in

into the camera. Falling on his knees,

the room could see his face. It was

Then.

—BOOOOOOOM!

room shook. Because they were quite far from the dome, the aftershockes of the explosion were so strong that the

their eyes were glued on the TV screen

enveloped by the thick and

"...kh"

scene for a short second, Melissa grit her teeth and turned her head to the

couldn't watch the scene any longer. Though her head was usually always clear, at this moment her

'Did Ren just die?'

world, for the first time in her life, Melissa found something she couldn't

"...just w-hat?"

head sideways, she also stopped

mouth with her hand, she tried to supress her screams. Even then, as if her throat

"..."

Out of the three, she was the only one that watched the whole thing from

television

comprehend, process, grasp, what was happening. What had

be

to become more laborious for Amanda, and before she knew it, tears

almost inaudible voice, Amanda

"...Liar. "

***

"Noooooo!"

of a relatively large apartment,

"Ren!"

the TV screen in front of her, like a crazed person, Samantha Dover, Ren's mother grabbed the TV screen and

Give me my son back! Give him back to

tears had already started falling by

"Mama?"

old, Nola couldn't comprehend a lot. But even then, seeing

she too started to

"Maama...whaaa!"

Ren, was Ronald Dover, his father. He wasn't a many of many words, but that didn't mean that he didn't

No.

only reason he was still working at a run-down guild that was filled with