The Author's POV

After Hein's match, there were a couple of more matches, but none interested me, so I just made small talk with the others in order to pass time.

Fortunately, Hein's match was one of the very last ones as the round of 128 finally came to an end after one last big battle.

Though I said big, it was only like that because the two opponents facing each other were of similar strength and so was very entertaining to watch.

"This will be it for today's matches. I hope the contestants will take this time to rest for tomorrow's matches." The elven lady once again said as she showed up on the stage. Following her words, everyone stood up and left the premises.

Similarly standing up, just as I was about to follow the others out, Kevin came up to me. He had a serious look on his face.

Instantly my brows knit.

"...what's wrong?"

"Ren, we need to talk."

There was undeniable solemness in his voice as he spoke to me. Glancing around to make sure that the others had left, I slowly nodded.

Kevin wasn't the type of guy to act like this unless there really was something wrong. As such, I knew that the situation was serious.

"Where should we talk?"

"Your apartment."

"...my apartment?"

"Yeah. It's the place that has the least amount of people nearby."

"Fair."

And so we decided to head to my apartment to talk. The walk wasn't long as within ten minutes we were already there, but it was strangely uncomfortable as I felt this weird tension coming out from Kevin's face.

His face reminded me of someone who was just about to go to war.

Ci Clank—

Opening the door of my apartment and letting Kevin in, I slumped down on one of the chairs of the room.

Kevin shortly followed suit as he sat on the seat opposite of me.

"..."

An uncomfortable silence descended on the room as Kevin leaned forward, with both his arms on his thighs. Interlocking his hands together, Kevin's foot repeatedly tapped onto the ground.

Seeing that Kevin was having difficulty speaking, I decided to break the silence.

"...So? What did you want to talk about?"

Lifting his head, Kevin looked up at me.

"Say..."

His brows furrowed even more tightly.

"...do you perhaps have a secret that you can't tell me?"

"A secret?"

I was taken aback by his abrupt question.

'Did he find something out?...and isn't that rather vague?'

I had plenty of secrets, and so I wasn't really sure about which one he was referring to.

Nodding his head, Kevin's crimson red eyes continue to gaze in my direction.

"Yeah, do you have any secrets that you can't tell me?"

Leaning back, and deeply gazing into Kevin's eyes, I eventually nodded my head.

"...There are."

The fact that this world was a novel, the book, my skills, I had plenty of secrets that I couldn't tell him.

any of those secrets, I wasn't too sure how he would react. There was a high chance that a rift could form

"I see."

This was an obvious indication to me that

on

is up with you? Don't drag it out, tell me

having visions

least

"Visions?"

having visions in the novel.

"...Yeah."

Kevin nodded.

type of visions were

not too sure, but I've written them down. Take a look for yourself and

proceeded to take out a small book from his dimensional

I took the book. Although I was confused, I still

'Let's see.'

time, I lowered my head and directed my focus on the book

this serious, it

"...What the?"

the book. Why would I? I didn't think there would be anything I didn't know, but I was quickly proven wrong as

records? Black-clothed guy?

the greater the confusion on my face became. That was because I didn't know any of the things that were written in

the same time couldn't be considered gods. It

supposed to find out about the Akashic

only that but the visions that he was currently experiencing were also not

My head throbbed.

in the world

where they should've been. Sucked, but it was nothing new. Happened many times in the past and so I was able to quickly

Flip—!

I flipped to the next page. Reading through the passage, my

resort to this if you hadn't been so compassionate, I hope her death can

you are, a piece should act as

will

lifting my head, I looked at Kevin who was looking

repeatedly, I didn't know what to say. It felt as though a lump was stuck in my throat, preventing

and once again reading the book,

"It can't be..."

disbelief as I shook

speaking...and those

it

gazing in my direction throughout the whole

and pointing at the book,

person in the vision was you, wasn't

"This..."

I couldn't. The man described in the book reminded me an awful lot of me...or rather, me under the influence of

"No, it can't be."

as horrifying thoughts flashed

figure

from the side. But I didn't respond. I was too immersed in

'...Monarch's indifference.'

I re-read the passage multiple times. I swallowed a

I got Monarch's indifference, I had always had my reservation about using it. Not only did it feel as though I would

look back, my chess ideology did not stem from meeting the previous Ren

that were being implanted inside of my head came from the moment I met the previous Ren, but that wasn't true

Maybe that was why I never noticed it, and only noticed it now that

down my

"Huuu..."

at any of the incidents revolving around me

incident that particularly stood out

I activated it to save Kevin. More specifically, the time when

of Monarch's indifference since my goal was saving Kevin...but was it really a fluke? It

feeling inside

'I'm definitely overthinking things'

head, trying to dispel such

just too far-fetched to make sense, but something about

back about my past, many of the big incidents that had occurred to me felt kind of forced...almost as though someone was trying to manipulate the path that I needed to take. I couldn't quite explain it...it