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.

a high chance that a rift could form between us, creating some unnecessary drama that

"I see."

more prominent. This was an obvious indication

on with

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

been having

the least bit mad as his words

"Visions?"

ever having visions in the

"...Yeah."

Kevin nodded.

of visions were

written them down. Take a look for yourself and tell me if you know

out a small book from his dimensional space before handing it to

the book.

'Let's see.'

one more time, I lowered my head and directed my focus

serious, it

"...What the?"

didn't think there would be anything I

Akashic records?

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

world, yet at the same time couldn't be considered gods. It was a confusing concept that I decided to add near the end of the

isn't supposed to find out about the Akashic records till later in

but the visions that he was currently experiencing were also not part of the

My head throbbed.

the

actions had pushed forward a couple of plot points several times ahead of where they should've been. Sucked, but it was nothing new. Happened many times in the past and so I was able to

Flip—!

anything, I flipped to the next page. Reading through the passage, my eyes opened wide in shock, and my mind

if you hadn't been so

you are, a piece should act

hope this will

Kevin who was looking back at me with

felt as though a lump was stuck in my throat,

once again reading

"It can't be..."

as I shook my

speaking...and those words...that's definitely

felt it

in my direction throughout the whole time, Kevin finally spoke

his hand and pointing at

in the vision was you, wasn't

"This..."

might...but I couldn't. The man described in the book

"No, it can't be."

horrifying thoughts flashed across

you figure

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

'...Monarch's indifference.'

as I re-read the passage multiple times. I

feel as though I would lose all control of

aside...now that I look back, my chess ideology did not stem from meeting the previous Ren but from

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

was why I never noticed it, and only noticed

ran down

"Huuu..."

I tried to look back at any of the incidents revolving around me

one incident that particularly stood

back in the dome when I activated it to save Kevin. More specifically,

merely a side-effect of Monarch's indifference since my goal was saving Kevin...but was it really a fluke? It had to be, didn't it? After all, under Monarch's Indifference, all that mattered was the end goal, not

nagging feeling inside of my

'I'm definitely overthinking things'

head, trying to dispel such

make sense, but something about that incident

me felt kind of forced...almost as though