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.

he found out any of those secrets, I wasn't too sure how he would react. There was a high chance that a rift could form between us, creating some unnecessary drama that I did not

"I see."

Kevin's foot became more prominent. This was

on with

you? Don't drag it out, tell me

been having

the least bit mad as

"Visions?"

Kevin ever having visions in the novel.

"...Yeah."

Kevin nodded.

of visions

them down. Take a look for yourself and tell me

proceeded to take out a small book from his dimensional space before

took the book. Although I was confused,

'Let's see.'

lowered my head and directed my

is this serious, it must be something

"...What the?"

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

Akashic records? Black-clothed guy?

my face became. That was because I didn't know any of the things that were written in the book apart from the Akashic records which I already

entity that acted as 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

out about the Akashic records

was currently

My head throbbed.

in the world

the 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 past and so I

Flip—!

the passage, my eyes opened wide in shock, and my mind

hadn't been so compassionate, I hope

of a piece you are, a piece

hope this will finally clear your

lifting my head, I looked at Kevin who was looking back at me with a serious look

to say. It felt as though a lump

and once again reading the book,

"It can't be..."

in disbelief as I

speaking...and those

it too

direction throughout the whole time,

his hand and pointing at the book, he

person in the vision was you, wasn't

"This..."

with all my might...but I couldn't. The man described in the book reminded me

"No, it can't be."

loud as horrifying

you figure

asked 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

it feel as though I would lose all control of my body, but it

not stem from

I thought that the ideologies that were being implanted inside of my head came from the moment

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

ran down my

"Huuu..."

a deep breath, I tried to look back at any of the incidents revolving around me

incident that particularly stood out to

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

was merely a side-effect of Monarch's indifference since my goal was saving Kevin...but was it really

nagging feeling inside of

'I'm definitely overthinking things'

shook my head,

was just too far-fetched to make sense, but

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 just felt that