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.
the Lock as a large banner hung
[Lock third-year graduation ceremony.]
over the academy
It was a mess.
manage to run away from
the academy building, in a rather secluded area,
his arms on his knees, Kevin tried
crazily started contacting him, in hopes of recruiting him. This was understandable, being the top-ranked
crazy things could get. But with him constantly being harassed on
that didn't work as they would somehow find out about
"About time you arrived."
was Emma who was looking at
to her were Jin and
too wore a similar attire as they were the academy graduation robes, signifying that they had
had to take a small
walking
one more time, Kevin had a nostalgic look on his
finally leaving this
leave. It'd be a lie if he said that he wasn't sad. A
from the corner of his
In hindsight, she spent
all about
Melissa bluntly replied. "What are we even doing
you forget that she wanted to
replied from
hair behind her ear, she yawned
said something
turned her head
about timing. She's already
towards the left, everyone saw the silhouette of a figure exiting
one-pieced black dress that perfectly showed off the contour of her body and legs, Amanda stepped
"Thank you for waiting."
walking
hope I didn't make you wait
what did you want us here
glasses up. Before even sharing any formalities, she quickly went straight to
also had to be said that she was quite comfortable with Amanda, which was why she
join my
Amanda replied back.
said those words, Melissa's face alongside the
to then relax upon seeing the small
not joke about that stuff
pointing her finger in her
I was joking?" Amanda replied, 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."
declined
"That's too bad."
didn't seem too fazed by his
sake of it. I mean, who
her ear, she looked at
up your mind
"Yeah."
Kevin nodded.
alive, he still decided to join
was
were planning on using him, Kevin was planning
their own
what should
suddenly asked from
little, she looked
go eat
her face, Amanda looked at Emma before
place where we
cause I'm
waiting for Amanda to say anything else, she quickly headed in the direction of her car and quickly got
got in, rolling the passenger window
are you waiting for? Let's
those words, she sat back in the
afar, everyone was
know what to
"Shall we just go?"
said those words that everyone finally moved and
'It wasn't bad.'
the car and staring at the academy campus for one last time before the car slowly sped into the distance, Kevin knew that
***
[Henlour, elder hall.]
desk where all the other elders
any further reports regarding the remains members of
solemn voice reached every corner of
few at large, but let's be honest, they
couple of seats away from
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