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.

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

only way he could deal with the

"You?"

then turned to

"..."

don't want

instructor. Flicking his fingers, the cigarette lit

Puff.

rose in

a nice

"Hm?...what the"

brows suddenly knit. Turning his attention back to the instructor

they shut down the

on the opposite building to

of some of the students desperately running away for

in their arms, Kevin could also see some professors

"I'm also not su—"

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

anger the

scene displayed on the screen in the

couple of times to comprehend the situation,

"W-what."

goldfish, Kevin's jaw moved up and down repeatedly. But

he supposed to already be here? Didn't he already arrive? This

thoughts ran through his mind. It was only after

"REE——!"

—BOOOOOOOM!

desperate voice 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

the distance. Because his face never

if someone

fists clenched tightly. So tightly that they

***

same time, inside of the Lock private

doing

cried

her was Ren's figure staring into the camera. Falling on his knees, he mumbled

in the room could see his

Then.

—BOOOOOOOM!

from the dome, the aftershockes of the explosion were

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

was enveloped by the

"...kh"

at the scene for a short second, Melissa grit her teeth and

always clear, at this moment her mind was a mess.

'Did Ren just die?'

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

"...just w-hat?"

head sideways, she also stopped herself from watching

Even then, as if her throat was dry, no words escaped from her

"..."

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

television screen. Amanda's mind was completely

grasp, what was happening.

couldn't be

Amanda, and before she knew it, tears had already started falling by the

an almost inaudible voice, Amanda

"...Liar. "

***

"Noooooo!"

apartment, a high-pitched scream

"Ren!"

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

son! Anyone but my son! Give me my

had already started falling by the side of her

"Mama?"

old, Nola couldn't comprehend a lot. But even then, seeing the state her mother was

too started to

"Maama...whaaa!"

striking resemblance to Ren, was Ronald Dover, his father. He wasn't a

No.

loved his family tremendously. The only reason he was still working at a run-down guild that was filled with debt was because of