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.

the instructor next to Kevin

only way he could

"You?"

turned

"..."

also don't

his fingers, the

Puff.

rose

a nice

"Hm?...what the"

brows suddenly knit. Turning his

they shut down the

to

of some of the students desperately running away

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

"I'm also not su—"

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

anger the instructor a bit, but

the scene displayed on the screen in the distance, Kevin all of

couple of times to comprehend the situation,

"W-what."

jaw moved up and down repeatedly. But no sound escaped from

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

mind. It was only after that he realized

"REE——!"

—BOOOOOOOM!

dome. Taking his hand off the barrier, Kevin watched in despair as

to him, Jin was also staring at the monitor's in the distance. Because

someone looked

his fists clenched tightly. So tightly that they were

***

time, inside of the Lock private waiting

Ren doing over

cried

into the camera. Falling on his knees, he

see his face. It was without

Then.

—BOOOOOOOM!

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

cared. That was because their eyes

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

"...kh"

second, Melissa grit her teeth and turned

head was usually always clear, at this moment her mind was

'Did Ren just die?'

her ability to comprehend the most complex problems in the world, for

"...just w-hat?"

head sideways,

Even then,

"..."

left the screen. Out of the three, she

television screen. Amanda's mind

what was

couldn't be

to become more laborious for Amanda, and before she knew it, tears had already started falling by the side of her

her mouth, in an almost

"...Liar. "

***

"Noooooo!"

of a relatively large apartment,

"Ren!"

like a crazed person, Samantha

my son! Give me my son back! Give him back to

started falling by the

"Mama?"

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

too started

"Maama...whaaa!"

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

No.

he loved his family tremendously. The only reason he was still working at a run-down guild that was