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.

deal with anxieties. Although the instructor next to Kevin was trying to

only way

"You?"

turned

"..."

you also don't want

instructor. Flicking his fingers, the

Puff.

rose

beats a

"Hm?...what the"

Kevin's brows suddenly knit. Turning his attention back

they shut down the broadcast

building to him was a

the images of some of the students desperately running away

could also see some

"I'm also not su—"

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

the instructor mid-sentence. This anger the instructor a bit, but

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

of times to comprehend the

"W-what."

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

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

thoughts ran through his mind. It was only after that he

"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

monitor's in the distance. Because his face

if someone looked

clenched tightly. So tightly that

***

same time, inside of the Lock private

doing

suddenly cried out

into the camera. Falling on his

room could see his face. It was without

Then.

—BOOOOOOOM!

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 though they were in

because their eyes were glued on the TV screen in

room watched as Ren's body was enveloped by the

"...kh"

short second, Melissa grit her teeth

was usually always clear, at this moment her mind

'Did Ren just die?'

problems in the world, for the

"...just w-hat?"

sideways, she also stopped

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

"..."

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

eyes remained fixed on the television screen. Amanda's mind

what was happening. What had she

couldn't be

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

an almost inaudible voice,

"...Liar. "

***

"Noooooo!"

a relatively large apartment, a high-pitched scream

"Ren!"

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

Anyone but my son! Give

tears had already started falling by the side of

"Mama?"

lot. But even then,

too started

"Maama...whaaa!"

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

No.

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