Staring at Emma who was indifferently staring at him from above, Kevin weakly smiled.
"Hey."
"You…"
Despite how hard Emma tried to keep a straight face, before long, her body trembled. She had a hard time formulating her words as her eyes grew blurry.
"W..why did you do that?"
Her voice was faint and weak, but Kevin was able to make out every single word that came out of her mouth.
"A...re you so desperate to breakthrough that you would reduce your body to that state?...Are you still not over...his death?"
Lifting his head up, and meeting Emma's eyes, Kevin shook his head.
"No, it's not that."
"Then why!"
She screamed, tears flowing down her cheek.
"Why would you do that to yourself? Do you not understand how worried everyone was when they saw you in that state in your room!?"
"You wouldn't understand."
Kevin replied.
He couldn't quite bring himself to tell her the truth. That he had done what he did to save Ren.
He wanted to, but he couldn't.
Who would believe him in the first place? Ren was dead, he'd only look crazy to Emma if he said those words.
"You…"
A hurt look appeared on Emma's face as she heard Kevin's words.
"Am I that untrustworthy to you?"
"No, it's not that."
Shaking his head, Kevin took out the wires that were attached to his body and weakly stood up.
"What are you doing!"
This obviously flustered Emma who rushed towards him and tried to put him back on the bed.
"Got you."
But just as Emma was about to grab him, extended his hand forward, Kevin grabbed Emma by the arm and pulled her towards the bed, helping himself up in the meantime.
"Hiak!"
Falling onto the bed, she screamed in panic.
Staring at Emma who was on the bed, Kevin teasingly smiled.
"Thanks for helping me up."
"You!"
An enraged looked appeared on Emma's face as she looked up towards Kevin.
Turning his back in Emma and walking towards the exit of the room, Kevin's smile faded.
Thinking back at all the things that had happened recently, Kevin felt this sense of urgency rise from within him.
From the synchronization episodes to the fact that the demon king was going to ascend in eight years' time, Kevin knew that he could no longer take things as easily as before. This recent event was a wake-up call to him.
He had to put in even more effort. He had been relying on his system too much.
Now that it wasn't grating him as many quests as before, he knew that he needed to make a change.
He needed to push himself even more than he ever pushed himself before.
"Hey Kevin, where are you going?"
Right as Kevin was about to leave the room, Emma's voice echoed from behind.
Turning around, Kevin briefly glanced at Emma before answering.
"I'm going back to the dorm."
"To do what?"
Halting his footsteps right at the door, Kevin extended his hand and pushed the door open.
"To train."
***
Eight months later.
mood enshrouded the Lock as a large banner hung at the entrance of
[Lock third-year graduation ceremony.]
myriad of people walked below the banner as agents and guild scouts appeared all over the academy campus. Their eyes, which seemed crazed, made everyone around them want to
It was a mess.
I finally manage to run away from
a rather secluded area, Kevin looked back at
knees, Kevin tried to
contacting him, in hopes of recruiting him. This was understandable, being the top-ranked guy for three years in a row
there was a limit to how crazy things could get. But with him constantly being harassed on the phone every day
even that didn't work as they would somehow
"About time you arrived."
who was looking at him with
her were Jin and
long robes with the academy logo engraved on the back. Kevin too wore a similar attire as they were the academy graduation robes, signifying that
take
before walking
one more time, Kevin had a nostalgic
leaving
be a lie if he said that
corner of his eyes, Kevin's eyes paused on
that cared about leaving the least. In hindsight, she spent most of
about the fact that we're
bluntly replied. "What are we even
for Amanda. Didn't you forget that she
from
hair behind her
said something
suddenly turned her head
timing. She's
towards the left, everyone saw the silhouette of a figure
that perfectly showed off the contour of her body and legs, Amanda stepped out of
"Thank you for waiting."
said, walking in
didn't make you wait
you want
up. Before even sharing any formalities, she quickly went straight to the
that she was quite comfortable with Amanda, which was
join
Amanda replied back.
she said those words, Melissa's face alongside the others froze
seeing the
joke
said, pointing her finger in
turning her attention towards Kevin. "My offer still stands. If you're not planning on joining the Union, you can always join
"No thank you."
kindly declined with a
"That's too bad."
seem too
the sake of it. I mean, who wouldn't want someone as talented as Kevin in their
the side of her hair behind her ear,
up your mind into joining the
"Yeah."
Kevin nodded.
though he knew that Ren was alive, he
this was the best course of action to
using him, Kevin was planning on
their
what should
asked
a little, she
eat or anything? I'm kind
on her face, Amanda looked at
where we can all stay to celebrate your
cause I'm
for Amanda to say anything else, she quickly headed
the
waiting for?
after she said those words, she sat back in the car and nudged them
Emma from afar, everyone
know what
"Shall we just go?"
the end, it was only after Kevin said those words
'It wasn't bad.'
one last time before the car slowly sped into the distance, Kevin knew that this was the
***
[Henlour, elder hall.]
all the other elders
reports regarding
reached every corner of the
few at large, but let's be honest,
a couple
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