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.

how he would react. There was a high chance that a rift could form between us, creating some unnecessary drama that

"I see."

foot became more prominent. This was an obvious indication to

going on

Don't drag it

been having visions

the least

"Visions?"

visions in

"...Yeah."

Kevin nodded.

of visions

I've written them down. Take a look for yourself and

a small book from his dimensional space

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

'Let's see.'

lowered my head and directed my focus on the book

Kevin is this serious,

"...What the?"

would I? I didn't think there would be anything I

records? Black-clothed guy?

I didn't know any of the things that were written in the book apart from the Akashic records which

gods. It was a confusing concept that I decided to add near the end of the novel, but that wasn't what shocked

supposed to find out about the Akashic records till later

visions that he was currently

My head throbbed.

in the world is

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

Flip—!

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

hadn't been so compassionate, I hope her death can finally set your mind

you are, a piece should act as a piece

will finally clear your

who was looking back at me with a serious look on

didn't know what to say. It felt

head and once again reading the book, my

"It can't be..."

muttered in disbelief as I shook

speaking...and

felt it

in my direction throughout the whole

pointing at

in the vision

"This..."

to deny his words with all my might...but I couldn't. The man described in the book reminded me an awful lot

"No, it can't be."

horrifying thoughts

figure

I didn't respond. I

'...Monarch's indifference.'

words repeatedly rang inside of my mind as I re-read

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

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

that were being implanted inside of my head came from the moment I met the previous Ren, but that

more prominent the moment I met the other Ren. Maybe that was why I never noticed it, and only noticed it now that I was reading the

down my

"Huuu..."

deep breath, I tried to look back at

that particularly stood out to

to save Kevin. More specifically, the

Aaron alive was merely a side-effect of Monarch's indifference since my goal was saving Kevin...but was it really a fluke? It had

inside

'I'm definitely overthinking things'

quickly shook my head, trying to dispel

too far-fetched to make sense, but

felt kind of forced...almost as though someone was trying to manipulate the path that I needed to