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.
festive mood enshrouded the Lock as a large banner
[Lock third-year graduation ceremony.]
the banner as agents and guild scouts appeared all over the academy campus. Their eyes, which seemed crazed, made everyone around them
It was a mess.
to run
his arms on his knees, Kevin tried to catch his
crazily started contacting him, in hopes of recruiting him. This was understandable, being the top-ranked guy for three years in a row was without a doubt something that all guilds would crave
limit to how crazy things could get. But with him constantly being harassed on the phone every day and
work as they would somehow find out about
"About time you arrived."
looking at him with her arms crossed. Her foot
to her were
Kevin too wore a similar attire as they were the academy graduation robes, signifying that they had graduated
to take
before walking up
behind him one more time, Kevin had
leaving
now finally time for him to leave. It'd be a
from the corner of his eyes,
that cared about leaving the least. In hindsight, she spent most of her time in
seem to care at all about the fact that we're leaving the
Melissa bluntly replied.
waiting for Amanda. Didn't you forget that she wanted to celebrate our graduation with
from the
her
something
something, Emma suddenly turned her
about timing. She's already
saw the silhouette of a
the contour of her body and legs, Amanda stepped
"Thank you for waiting."
walking in their
I didn't make you wait
did you want
said, lifting her glasses up. Before even sharing any formalities, she quickly
that she was quite comfortable with Amanda, which was why
to join
Amanda replied back.
those words, Melissa's face
upon seeing the small smile on
not joke about that stuff
said, pointing her finger in her
offer still stands. If you're not planning on
"No thank you."
kindly declined with a
"That's too bad."
too fazed
who wouldn't want someone as talented as Kevin in their
her ear, she looked
you've made up your mind
"Yeah."
Kevin nodded.
he knew that Ren was alive,
this time, but more because he decided that this was the best course
were planning on using him, Kevin was planning on
their
what should we do
suddenly asked from the
her stomach a little, she
go eat or
on her face, Amanda looked at Emma
booked a good place where we can all stay to celebrate
cause
for Amanda to say anything else, she quickly headed in the direction of her
the passenger window down,
waiting for?
said those words, she sat back in the car and nudged them
from afar,
know what to
"Shall we just go?"
said those words that everyone finally moved and headed for
'It wasn't bad.'
time before the car slowly
***
[Henlour, elder hall.]
the middle of the semi-circular desk where all the other elders sat, Gervis looked around the
any further reports
voice reached every
members, but that's all. There are still quite a few
a couple of
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R9Pk6KmeSe+q0w34lKCTC0qjfBmAJsG7tQOiDUvT02SBBWemKkxlMUJyndTF8cNedXoc7YoTjA5myPlsJfR6I4je/astPIONsLbNEj7gSxcaiEWUAO05ppxcNXq/Hdraj9hD6vueci+2S+tQ5Uivwnu3haO/1evE+sgHKXHcERKYBrvL+4aSgCFt6nI0D2UH6ySwaJ8KsZBeTDMx3qBo6LJNoA5Ubs+HGmh0WpjEvcq4XxX/0sUK2xOCBo7lKyqlLGel5+nKXKCh2w/AIzZhONiADadvb8ACpIRyAIxFbLw8FdlliC27a/guNoabJfCohph644tgUJPjn+UvhlAP4aQ3KE1Nmcq4f4/WdywEThPuFaKepy9ohvGfYTp2HajsD8P0tKxyyAee0zTQ+NsuTJobbwVE9Vhe7lE2/pT7ZBPzHchn55A7VVHdQC4u6IAa4XzA2ldRJ/IBwfHF9W2P7yFhFeLqY1oa+5D1VlLBjZhVOUu3p29Esc3/U6eEDNhcYwVa+Sat52zJmkYvJRyF4uPZJ/QgWEb3Zi2OHcCjkCyV2nzl/u3LexqtfI0JZaiaduI78a37XUWFdmhCmOqbIXMjIEMoZKcs6pIfGHxsQlRGtcroWWVV5iY2v3Gb3gAJ6nRlOY3C/m180raRujZlMJavZMj20l+9iMu8GukgsKqzI9FYO/mHdzepeXhKpENfzRKhpz+gesCgYDnfnXOthzeNDfQ0L9DBtnAq2Q95P9EHEw4ce005n02UsEABFYr+PvNR/yRA0RMRVlzy+QikwwilZxNtbTyuU0vO4q1ugWKoogR4wLhyD9DeOJEuIgZKQjgaFKZNUhjScoUrzvW8ZH5QZf+G50xwOIZKTL3N40rLGIlTumBZuRvWmeFKG6nNn4+OIT82vQL0Oicp2pWatHBH2KVbI6PHwhOWyM1Ri9iHXVZDm7Oda+bsYxTkDdaZjifucNjUI9x3XeY/edmL/e78iEJbCsTpLfs4fR4cNwhM0zt1YYWhhUGenEl4SJiHS1UqWAh/EBtiUsVJbdehrKX98Tuun2mn/J/zlvgEpFtR8VfXjnUs4HX8bK1ZKvpexn4pc5Ej/9vdgl41Vw9Jr5eFn1clfkkwEHT36b6leqvBwCy1axx8WYULU/hLdGDUVkGx9bQ2zCSDh6V4HQmSGGaAQQ2JBwotCz+bS/G6YCs9xEnbJrj2wAjJHtYCW5LnCw1G6GaLI5/MLjFjClsz20/4AYB9vZPdJAovQtC/FKnTZynUA0UsxMrq6NTSR8dKobBcvv55zbEgXtOxc6vFqlweTHePO3ouX/9SqggVizufzQHlvh8H6MJGD2rsbuSmlmYck+abxykSCmj+spNkb/uIMrjzJMj5N0h1NEICVYUsfvP9N48z7OBLaR4f02zbh/fJWRcy31ZW8XXPI5WthYW0iZbAkc+iMPyljri4NeGu/O5fDZXi8NhJ+/vHB3fitsmJMfQPxmzSWTR1B+WWT6L6g6kCQyOkt4LomcqPbW/dmsxiIQtJhLZKZXqQ4xrfo9oAvDvpzyQlSqZ/22JIbaUSjX1eulqFl+Fwc8rsuBWWAs4H1oztZh7As1CKNq2ebVZJF9I2kh6I+tDoy5FkGiUice1N9N/J40D+5gXZ4JhBRGDiSqNoi0D7spsBNwoehXASqmvWrdaNimCDtTpN8AS9UFzg5N1jLWAi86A0PS/TeWtu/cpX9+fvl1JPx0Hr6Vvt0mn5aSxYZ1XNEPhdLF0t5pX0FpWAdA6TupY5ev/bCsbAE7twjvfaG4jmVJ8+mUT3vdyp587N+AAa5Lk3mFMBjQvA8uJQl4C28XK1A2mx7TCC2q0lpDQ03sBQRfJ4CNuWfOgRc1py+moQUcladLqOAG+YqD+91qfBjX9Yf+A/QlBnJZy5WYeRTQ67wGBwOBZJ/s07u1pDz2oPe5vLbeTljyuK5uwskYYnckuEc7cxqYK6FlzIALb+qMM9/KbJCkhRZo81DfcBH/QxhJ40jBqXwlBW31z9b6ktEkziuBi670wWOW9806rVH+/3A1n9SiZzoNqvFMDgIOrpG6ym/WtmYBIZXSPUyUQBbX1W5Ozx8SAuosbxr672zQxbsdUEz6rq8ANmwapuTAohX4absACykMQucH56H40z3T3DCd1UgbZPy7ahaftTN6lZ6Gt/bt9Gt1Q5dBjWnnlo/sc+kBPC7R6wUlP7eG8ArlXspRtqOqJ+dHYHQJz5WOsnjTDMEmccbzVJV88=
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