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.

to Kevin was trying to put on a brave front, Kevin knew that deep down

cigarette was the only way he

"You?"

then turned

"..."

don't want some...sucks for

Flicking his

Puff.

rose

beats a

"Hm?...what the"

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

they shut down the

building to him was a

the images of some of

students in their arms, Kevin could also see some professors

"I'm also not su—"

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

off the instructor mid-sentence. This anger the instructor a bit, but Kevin did

at the scene displayed on the screen in the distance,

times to comprehend the situation, his body

"W-what."

up and down repeatedly.

already be here? Didn't he already arrive?

millions of thoughts ran through his mind. It was only after that

"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 figure slowly

in the distance. Because his face never

someone

his fists clenched tightly. So

***

of

Ren doing over

suddenly cried out in

opposite to her was Ren's figure staring into the camera.

his

Then.

—BOOOOOOOM!

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

so, no one cared. That was because their eyes were glued on the TV screen in

was enveloped by the thick and raging flames coming from the

"...kh"

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

always clear, at this moment her mind

'Did Ren just die?'

problems in the world, for the first time in her

"...just w-hat?"

sideways, she also

her mouth with her hand, she tried to supress her screams. Even then, as if her throat was dry, no words

"..."

left the screen. Out of the three, she was

the television screen. Amanda's

was happening. What had she

be

laborious for Amanda, and before she knew it, tears had already started falling

an almost

"...Liar. "

***

"Noooooo!"

a relatively large apartment, a high-pitched scream

"Ren!"

in front of her, like a crazed

Give me

already started falling by the

"Mama?"

lot. But even then, seeing the state her mother was in, Nola understood that

she too

"Maama...whaaa!"

them, bearing a striking resemblance to Ren, was Ronald Dover, his father.

No.

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