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.

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

the only way he could deal with the

"You?"

turned

"..."

you also don't want some...sucks

instructor. Flicking his fingers, the cigarette lit

Puff.

rose

a nice

"Hm?...what the"

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

they shut down

on the opposite building to him was

could see the images of some of the students desperately running away for their

a couple of students in their arms, Kevin could also see some professors rushing

"I'm also not su—"

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

anger the instructor a bit, but

scene displayed on the screen in the distance, Kevin all of a sudden noticed

of times to comprehend the situation, his body suddenly

"W-what."

up and down repeatedly.

Wasn't he supposed to already be here? Didn't he already

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

"REE——!"

—BOOOOOOOM!

Taking his hand off the barrier, Kevin watched in despair as Ren's figure slowly

in the distance. Because his

someone looked

see his fists clenched tightly. So tightly that they

***

same time, inside of the Lock private waiting

Ren doing

cried out

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

his face.

Then.

—BOOOOOOOM!

defeating explosion rang, and the whole room shook. Because they were quite far from the dome, the aftershockes of the explosion were so strong that the windows trembled unctrontrollably. It was as

no one cared. That was because their eyes were glued on the

everyone in the room watched as Ren's body was enveloped

"...kh"

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

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

'Did Ren just die?'

complex problems in the world, for the first time in her life, Melissa found something she

"...just w-hat?"

sideways, she also

to supress her screams. Even

"..."

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

a statue, her eyes remained fixed on the television

what was happening. What had

be dead

become more laborious for Amanda, and before she knew it, tears

in an almost inaudible

"...Liar. "

***

"Noooooo!"

apartment, a

"Ren!"

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

not my son! Anyone but my son! Give me my son back! Give

already started falling by the side of

"Mama?"

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

too started

"Maama...whaaa!"

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

No.

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