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.

Kevin was trying to

only way he could

"You?"

turned to

"..."

you also don't

Flicking his fingers,

Puff.

rose in

beats a nice

"Hm?...what the"

the air, Kevin's brows suddenly knit. Turning his attention back to the instructor

they shut

to him was a

it, Kevin could see the images of some of the students desperately running

of students in their arms, Kevin could also see

"I'm also not su—"

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

the instructor a

displayed on the screen in the

of times to comprehend the

"W-what."

goldfish, Kevin's jaw moved up

here? Didn't

his mind. It was only after that he

"REE——!"

—BOOOOOOOM!

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 disappeared within

monitor's in the distance. Because his face never changed, no one knew what he

someone looked

his fists clenched tightly. So tightly that

***

inside of the Lock

Ren doing

cried out in

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

room could see his face. It was without question

Then.

—BOOOOOOOM!

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

eyes were

as Ren's body was enveloped by

"...kh"

grit her teeth and turned her head to

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

'Did Ren just die?'

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

"...just w-hat?"

Turning her head sideways, she also stopped herself from

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

"..."

never left the screen. Out of the three, she was the

her eyes remained fixed on the television

was happening.

be

knew it, tears had already started falling

in an almost

"...Liar. "

***

"Noooooo!"

of a relatively large apartment,

"Ren!"

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

son! Give me my

started falling by the side

"Mama?"

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

too started to

"Maama...whaaa!"

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

No.

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