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.

different way to deal with anxieties. Although the instructor next to Kevin was trying to put on a brave front, Kevin knew that

cigarette was the only way he could deal with

"You?"

then turned to

"..."

also don't want

instructor. Flicking his

Puff.

rose in the

beats a nice

"Hm?...what the"

brows suddenly knit. Turning his attention back to the

they shut down the

opposite building to him

some of the students desperately running

arms, Kevin could also see some professors rushing towards the entrance of the

"I'm also not su—"

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

This anger the instructor a bit, but Kevin did

in the distance, Kevin all of a

couple of times to comprehend the

"W-what."

Kevin's jaw moved up

supposed to already be here? Didn't he

of thoughts ran through his mind. It was only after that he realized what was happening that he opened his mouth

"REE——!"

—BOOOOOOOM!

the large explosion that erupted within the dome. Taking his hand off the barrier, Kevin watched in despair as Ren's figure slowly

staring at the monitor's in the distance. Because his face never changed,

if someone looked

tightly. So tightly that

***

of the Lock

Ren doing

suddenly cried out in

Ren's figure staring into the

the room could see his face. It was

Then.

—BOOOOOOOM!

were quite far from the dome, the aftershockes of the explosion were so strong that the windows

cared. That was because their eyes were glued on the TV screen in front of

everyone in the room watched as Ren's body was enveloped by the thick and raging

"...kh"

short second, Melissa grit her teeth and turned her

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

'Did Ren just die?'

her ability to comprehend the most complex problems in the world, for the first time in her life, Melissa found something

"...just w-hat?"

similar reaction. Turning her head sideways, she also stopped herself from watching the TV

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

"..."

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

her eyes remained fixed on the television screen. Amanda's mind was completely numb at this

grasp, what was happening. What had

couldn't be dead

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

her mouth, in an almost

"...Liar. "

***

"Noooooo!"

a relatively large apartment, a

"Ren!"

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

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

had already started falling by the side of her

"Mama?"

then, seeing the

she too started to

"Maama...whaaa!"

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

No.

The only reason he was still working at