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.
large banner
[Lock third-year graduation ceremony.]
over the academy campus. Their eyes, which seemed crazed,
It was a mess.
manage to
the academy building, in a rather secluded area, Kevin looked back at the academy campus behind
his arms on his knees, Kevin tried to catch his
series of guilds crazily started contacting him, in hopes of recruiting him. This was understandable, being the top-ranked guy for three years in a
things could get. But with him constantly being harassed on
even that didn't work as they would
"About time you arrived."
Kevin in the area was Emma who was looking at him with her arms crossed.
next to her were Jin
on the back. Kevin too wore a
take a small
walking up to
time, Kevin had a nostalgic look on his
finally leaving this
spending over three years at the Lock, it was now finally time for him to leave. It'd be a lie if he said that he wasn't sad. A lot
from the corner of his eyes, Kevin's eyes paused on
the least. In hindsight, she
care at all about the fact that we're leaving the
cause I don't." Melissa bluntly replied. "What are we
for Amanda. Didn't you forget that she wanted to celebrate our
from
her hair behind her ear, she yawned
said something about,
turned her head
about timing.
the left, everyone saw the silhouette of a
the contour of her body and legs, Amanda stepped out of the car and faintly smiled in their
"Thank you for waiting."
walking
hope I didn't make you
did you want us
lifting her glasses up. Before even sharing any formalities, she quickly went straight to the
was quite
to join
Amanda replied back.
she said those words, Melissa's face alongside the others
upon seeing the small smile on Amanda's
not joke
said, pointing her finger in her
still stands. If you're not
"No thank you."
kindly declined with a
"That's too bad."
too
sake of it. I mean, who
the side of her hair behind her
made up your mind into
"Yeah."
Kevin nodded.
knew that Ren was alive, he still
more because he decided that this was
they were planning on using him, Kevin
to their
should we do
asked from the
a little,
go eat or anything? I'm
helpless look on her face, Amanda
booked a good place where we can all stay to celebrate your
good, cause
say anything else, she quickly headed in
rolling the passenger window down,
you waiting for? Let's
said those words, she sat back in the
afar, everyone
didn't know what
"Shall we just go?"
said those words that everyone finally moved and
'It wasn't bad.'
car slowly sped into the
***
[Henlour, elder hall.]
semi-circular desk where all
further reports regarding the remains members
reached every corner of the
but that's all. There are still quite a few at large, but let's be honest, they are nothing but
from a couple
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