The Author's POV

Raising his hand, Kevin knocked on the door of Ren's apparent.

To Tok—

However, upon knocking on the door he was met with no response.

To Tok—

Frowning, Kevin knocked once again. But, yet again, he was met with no response.

'Is he not back yet? Could he perhaps be training?'

Although Ren seemed like a slacker he was in fact someone who worked hard, therefore, Kevin quickly came to the assumption that he was training at the moment. Well, at least to him, that was the most probable location of where he could be.

As his thoughts paused there, he started hesitating.

'Should I? ...or should I not?'

If he was training, then he didn't really want to disturb him. He knew just how annoying it was when someone interrupted him in the middle of his training.

"Screw it."

But after thinking things through, he decided to go anyways.

He desperately needed answers.

The doubts that were rising within him were starting to eat at his sanity.

He had to deal with them right now.

And so, after once again checking to see if Ren was present in the room or not, Kevin decided to head to the training grounds.

***

At the same time.

Opening my eyes, I found myself back in the training room.

Di—! Di—!

[00 : 00]

What followed after was the repetitive sound of the alarm ringing, signaling that the training session was over. What followed after was a subtle clicking sound and the door opened.

"haaa...haaa..."

Leaning my head back, I breathed heavily.

At the moment my mana was completely drained and I had trouble moving my body.

As I had left my bracelet back in my apartment, I did not have anything to refuel my mana with. This was a precaution I took in the chance that the other Ren took over my body.

Fortunately, nothing happened, but I didn't want to take the risk.

Closing my eyes, instead of leaving the room I remained seated and channeled the mana in the surroundings towards myself.

As I was recuperating my mana, I started thinking back on my experience.

'Looks like I was right, Monarch's indifference is not a simple skill.'

For me to suddenly be brought to a weird void the moment I activated the skill, I could tell that there was now more to it than it looked on the surface.

My apprehension towards it grew even more.

Not only that but the fact that I was somehow able to get the skill made me question reality. Did I really get the skill by simple coincidence? ...If so it wouldn't make sense. How could such a skill suddenly fall in my hands like that?

The more I thought about it, the more questions I had.

But if there was one thing I was now certain about, it was the fact that I was being manipulated.

Whoever the other Ren was, he was trying to make me act like he wanted to. Disgust washed over me as my thoughts paused there and my eyes opened.

'Is this how others feel when I manipulate them?'

Disgusting.

Scratching the side of my head till my hair became messy, I coldly muttered.

"...Want to treat me as a pawn?"

I clenched

as a pawn. I'll show you just what happens when a pawn does not move the way that you want it

predicted and controlled by him, then all I had to do was do something completely

just going to let someone

body up with the aid of the wall, I stretched my

having recuperated some of it in the meantime, it was now

opening it, my feet came to a sudden stop. My brows furrowed tightly as my eyes locked onto a figure

you doing

towards the other side of the entrance of the gym

my eyes lay on him, I was

something wrong with

was looking at me. It

Kevin

"You."

Kevin spoke.

words sounded quite

in his direction, I tried

going on? Are you

be haunting him. Perhaps he came here to

took a step forward, he took a step

"Don't come any closer."

"What's wrong?"

instantly taken

me only grew as he continued to stare in my

then that he suddenly opened his

to ask

asked, his

stopped moving

"Ask."

put on a friendly

anything to ask you can just ask me. I will do my best to answer your

"Okay…"

nodded his

deeply into my eyes,

any part in

"...eh?"

receded. Lowering his head and staring

you have any part

"W…what?"

he figure

Ba...thump! Ba...thump!

heart started

at him, I forced

makes you think

tablet and turned on the holographic function where a

it soon paused at the time

look at

down the footage, Kevin pointed his finger

send Ren your

mouthed as his cold

sank at

'Shit...'

the tablet away. Tilting his

anything, yet why did he suddenly say

"That…"

head and meeting his gaze, I

me is trying to manipulate me and Kevin to do his bidding? Would he believe me when

explain to him what was going on. But I knew that I

before, in order to get out of the other

things that he couldn't possibly predict that I would reveal everything to Kevin. Regarding the matter about my

in order to escape his influence, I had to do something that I would

it really was

anything, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from Kevin's

I took a step back and raised my

"Wait, Kevin."

already too late. With a loud 'bang' Kevin's body suddenly disappeared before reappearing

his fists hurtling in my direction like a cannonball. What followed his fist was a

'Damn it!'

I pressed my foot on the ground and sidestepped,

I had in my hand, I softly placed my palm on his abdomen.

Booom—

boom, like a missile, Kevin's body slid backward till his back crashed against the side of the wall. From where I was standing