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

"I see."

was an obvious indication to me that he was

going on

drag it out, tell me exactly

having visions

I wasn't the least bit mad as

"Visions?"

visions in the

"...Yeah."

Kevin nodded.

of visions

them down. Take a look for

book from his dimensional space before

book. Although I was confused,

'Let's see.'

I lowered my head and directed my focus on the book in my

this serious, it must

"...What the?"

think there would be anything I didn't know, but I was quickly proven wrong as

records? Black-clothed

because I didn't know any of the

the gods of this 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 novel, but that wasn't what

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

the visions that he was currently experiencing were

My head throbbed.

in the

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

Flip—!

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

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

you are, a piece should

this will finally clear

at Kevin who was looking back at me with a serious look

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

and once again reading the book,

"It can't be..."

as I shook my

way of speaking...and those

felt it too

my direction throughout the whole time, Kevin

pointing

person in the vision was you,

"This..."

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

"No, it can't be."

out loud as horrifying thoughts flashed

you figure

side. But I didn't respond. I was

'...Monarch's indifference.'

mind as I re-read the

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

chess ideology did not

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

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

down my

"Huuu..."

back at any of the incidents

one incident that particularly stood out

time back in the dome when I activated it to

was saving Kevin...but was it really a fluke?

this nagging feeling inside of my head that

'I'm definitely overthinking things'

head, trying to dispel

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

occurred to me felt kind of forced...almost as though someone was trying