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.

the instructor next to Kevin was trying to put on a

way

"You?"

then turned to

"..."

you also don't

his fingers, the cigarette

Puff.

slowly rose in the

a

"Hm?...what the"

the air, Kevin's brows suddenly

haven't they shut down

opposite building to him

Kevin could see the images of some

arms, Kevin could also see

"I'm also not su—"

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

cutting off the instructor mid-sentence. This anger the instructor

the screen in the distance, Kevin all of a sudden noticed

comprehend

"W-what."

mouth, like a goldfish, Kevin's jaw moved up and down repeatedly. But no sound

already be here? Didn't he already arrive? This must be an

second, millions of thoughts ran through his mind. It was only after that he realized what was happening that he

"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 Ren's

the distance. Because his face never changed, no one knew what he was

if someone looked

tightly. So

***

time, inside of the

doing over

suddenly cried out in

into the camera. Falling on his knees, he mumbled

could see his face. It was without question

Then.

—BOOOOOOOM!

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

one cared. That was because their eyes were glued on the TV screen

watched as Ren's body was enveloped by the thick and raging flames coming from

"...kh"

the scene for a short second, Melissa grit her

longer. Though her head was usually always clear, at this moment her mind was a mess.

'Did Ren just die?'

comprehend the most complex problems in the world, for the first

"...just w-hat?"

head sideways, she also stopped

she tried to supress her screams. Even then, as if her throat was dry,

"..."

other two, Amanda's eyes never left the screen. Out of the three, she was the only one that watched the whole

remained fixed on the television screen. Amanda's mind was

process, grasp, what was happening.

be

laborious for Amanda, and before she knew it, tears had already started falling by the side of her

mouth, in an almost inaudible voice,

"...Liar. "

***

"Noooooo!"

of a relatively large apartment, a

"Ren!"

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

son! Anyone but my son! Give me my son back! Give

tears had already started falling by

"Mama?"

two years old, Nola couldn't comprehend a lot. But even then, seeing the state her mother was in, Nola understood that something

too started to

"Maama...whaaa!"

Ronald Dover, his father. He wasn't a many

No.

fact he loved his family tremendously. The only reason he was still working at a run-down guild that