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.

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

"I see."

foot became more prominent. This was an obvious indication

going on with

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

having visions

I wasn't the least bit mad as his words instantly

"Visions?"

visions

"...Yeah."

Kevin nodded.

of visions

sure, but I've written them down. Take a look

small book from his dimensional

took the book. Although I was confused, I

'Let's see.'

lowered my head and directed my focus

is this serious, it

"...What the?"

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

records?

was because I didn't know any of the things

gods of this world, yet at the same time couldn't be considered gods. It

to find out about the Akashic records till

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

My head throbbed.

the world

butterfly effect of my 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

Flip—!

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

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

a piece you are, a piece should act as a

hope this will finally clear

who was looking back at me with

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

my head and once again reading the book, my

"It can't be..."

in disbelief as I shook my

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

felt it too

throughout the

and pointing at the book,

the vision

"This..."

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

"No, it can't be."

horrifying

you figure something

I didn't respond. I was too immersed in

'...Monarch's indifference.'

repeatedly rang inside of my mind as I re-read the passage

as though I would lose all control of my body, but it also felt as though my actions were somehow getting controlled by

I look back, my chess ideology did not

came from the moment I met the previous Ren, but that wasn't true at all...they came the moment

I met the other Ren. Maybe that was why I never noticed it,

ran down

"Huuu..."

deep breath, I tried to look back at any

that

activated it to save Kevin. More specifically,

alive was 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,

nagging feeling inside of my head

'I'm definitely overthinking things'

head, trying

was just too far-fetched to make sense, but something about that incident really

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