The Author's POV

Kevin's head was filled with a constant ringing sound, and he was just staring at the wooden table in front of him with no expression on his face.

He had a silver spoon in his tiny hands, which he was holding onto very tightly.

'I failed again…'

Kevin mumbled to himself, his eyes gradually losing focus.

In contrast to the first time, this time, he was defeated before even having the opportunity to engage in a meaningful conflict with Jezebeth.

It turned out that he was not even powerful enough to defeat the army of demons that were at his disposal, let alone him, who was even more powerful than them.

'Where did I go wrong? What am I missing?'

He did everything that the system told him.

He did the missions and took advantage of the opportunities from his past life…he did everything yet still failed to accomplish his mission.

Just what was he missing?

"Here's your food."

The sound of his mother's voice jolted Kevin out of his reverie and brought him back to the present.

When he raised his head, he saw her staring at him with the same friendly smile that he was so used to by this point.

Placed in front of him was the same bland soup that she used to make for him in his past life.

It was her signature soup, and one that she would start making as soon as he became five years old, which he had just reached not too long ago.

Just a single look was enough to take his appetite away.

Nonetheless, he still decided to eat it. As long as he got his nutrition in, he was fine.

Slowly, Kevin took a mouthful of the soup and had a taste of it.

"Hm?"

When Kevin looked over at his mother, who was also looking at him intently, he noticed that his brows had suddenly arched a little bit.

"Is there anything wrong?"

Kevin didn't answer her.

Instead, he blinked his eyes a couple of times. He lowered the spoon and took another mouthful.

He wanted to double check.

"…It's good."

Kevin mumbled aloud, savoring the flavor of the soup in his mouth.

As soon as he said those words, his mother immediately displayed a look on her face that indicated she was surprised; however, Kevin didn't put much thought into it as he continued to eat the soup.

'Why does the soup taste better?'

For some odd reason, the bland soup that his mother made him wasn't as bland as it had been in the past.

Why was that?

"I'm glad you like the soup."

Kevin was startled when he felt a warm hand caress the top of his head, and he looked up to see his mother looking back at him with the same smile she always wore.

Her hands were large and rough, unbefitting of her graceful and frail looks.

With just a glance, Kevin could see that they were filled with calluses and cuts.

It was obvious that these were the hands of someone who had been through a lot of adversity throughout their entire life.

Kevin knew this better than anyone.

his after practicing with his sword for years

mother was that whenever he was around her, she never appeared to be eating

than sit in the opposite chair from him and watch

much thought into it in

strange. Maybe she also didn't like

his head to the side a little and pushed the bowl of soup forward. Toward

confused her as

"Hm? What's this?"

"Eat it."

the bowl, and his mother blinked a couple of

eventually shook her head and

already eaten,

"Lies."

Kevin cut her off.

knew beforehand that she had not eaten yet. He had been

job was to collect garbage

would push a shopping cart that weighed at least three times as much as she did and walk for a couple of kilometers for a payment of approximately 10 U. The cart was filled with trash, and

looked down upon by most people, but it was also the only job she knew

than what she worked for,

a tough

Kevin had been observing her the whole time,

sigh

you're a sharp one. Sometimes

she stood up and headed back to the

eat

'Liar.'

Kevin inwardly mumbled.

his soup with great concentration just a

was obvious that she was coveting his soup, she still turned it down when it was offered

Why was that?

once again confused by the

go to such lengths to help

of him and seeing his reflection,

'It's cold…'

Yet…so warm.

***

and Kevin spent

the inner city, his mother, Margaret, would

was only 30 U per day, which was just about

of this that Margaret decided to go

of a shopping mall in the inner districts

have to drag you along with me, Kevin, but I won't take too long. You can just stand there

his head without

the staircase of the

she used a pair of worn-out gloves to collect trash from the trash

many stares she received from shoppers in the shopping mall,

Kevin to tilt his head further as he had a sudden

'Dangerous.'

a fleeting moment, he thought that the smile was

his 'caretakers' and just single mindedly pursued his own goals…but it was at

that maybe, just maybe, they didn't need to die

could help them survive that calamity that was

will be

however, as he

further, they would serve as nothing

goal, and he couldn't let anything

long after, and his eyes paused on the

bustling crowd of people entering and exiting the

walking with smiles on their faces and children playing with their parents with

image and lingered on a small purple

'50 U'

a

mind,

at the time during his previous two regressions that