The Academy’s Time Stop Player

TL/Editor: looloo

Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun

Illustrations: Here

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The three children gazed at the unfolding scene in astonishment.

Countless Giant Ants filled the ceiling, creating a threatening circle around them. Yet, they were all being slaughtered by a single student.

"Even without a Mythic artifact, a monster is still a monster..."

"Indeed..."

The situation that was deadly just 10 minutes before had turned around.

Each swing of his weapon killed five giant ants. Naturally, they were more in awe than fear.

When the swarm of Giant Ants reduced by half...

Liam suddenly stopped swinging his spear. His gaze shifted to something powerful within the swarm.

His brows furrowed for a moment.

"That’s..."

With that introduction...

Wooooosh!!

It was a brief moment.

The aura filling the cave became an intimidating presence.

Screeeee-!

"Ah, Aaaah!"

"What, what is that!"

A horrifying scene played out before the children’s eyes.

The fierce Giant Ants started to show fear, clearing a path.

The host of threatening beasts made a way by moving aside.

Through that path, the creature with this fierce presence and magic power approached.

As it moved, the Giant Ants paving the path bowed their bodies in reverence, as if before a king.

’That one is...’

What Liam saw was a bipedal beast.

A body like black armor, and red eyes.

Sharp hands and four insect wings neatly extended from its back. An ant.

It was much smaller than the other Giant Ants, but its aura and magic power were more powerful than anyone else’s in the cave.

Liam immediately realized.

The monstrous creature before him was the king of these beasts.

-Grrr...

The moment it locked eyes with Liam, the king started to size up Liam from head to toe with a low growl.

In response, Liam readied himself for battle.

-Screech...

Without any hesitation, the king turned its back to him.

Liam couldn’t understand the action.

Why did it turn its back on him?

But the reason didn’t matter.

As soon as it turned around, Liam quickly moved towards the beast and thrust his spear.

At that moment.

Whoosh!

"Cough!"

An invisible and incredibly fast object flew towards him and kicked his abdomen.

For a split second, Liam reacted to the attack and tried to block it with his spear, but it was tough to completely block.

Voom- Thud-!!

"Cough..."

Liam’s body was thrown back, crashing into the wall.

Fortunately, one of the functions of the Bell Point, the protection barrier, activated, so he wasn’t severely hurt. But judging from the broken barrier, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to use it a second time.

With the single attack he had allowed, Liam came to a realization.

The creature had yet to reveal even half of its power, including the magical strength it was emitting.

Once again, Liam adopted his stance, his eyes fiercely fixed on the creature.

"............"

But it did not approach him.

Instead, it climbed onto the back of one of the Giant Ants, looking down at him with arrogance.

Screeeeeech-!!

Its roar echoed once again.

In response, all the Giant Ants began advancing towards him.

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Raei Translations

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The King of the Ants observed the creature in front of him with curiosity.

This was a creature unlike any he had seen before.

Similar to himself, yet without wings to soar in the sky, or arms to rip apart its opponents, it seemed like an inferior species.

Indeed.

While it bore a resemblance to him, it was fundamentally different.

Yet, he was intrigued.

How could such a creature have managed to kill his kin?

The King decided to observe its methods.

What he saw next included peculiar movements and a sharp object the creature held.

Similar to his own arm, but not attached to its body.

His curiosity was piqued.

That’s why he continued to watch, and soon he was able to discern a fact.

Indeed, a creature as undeveloped as himself used this thing to perform bizarre techniques.

Even though the creature before him possessed only a fraction of his strength, it could match his power through the use of these techniques and weapons.

What if he, too, learned this so-called technique?

The King of the Ants began to scrutinize the creature’s movements with careful attention, starting his own process of learning.

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Raei Translations

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Liam charged forward, slashing and stabbing at the oncoming ants.

Since the apparent leader remained stationary, he had no choice but to slowly approach it, battling through the onslaught of ants.

But their numbers seemed infinite.

The moment he killed one, more emerged from the passage, growling menacingly and attacking with their threatening fangs.

Nonetheless, Liam advanced, holding back the ants converging on the children.

The children attempted to aid Liam by fending off the approaching ants, but they were hopelessly outnumbered and tired.

"Ugh......"

"Gasp......!"

One by one, the children fell, their strength spent.

Only Liam remained standing.

Yet, he did not surrender. He brandished his spear, killing the ants threatening the fallen children.

However, he knew it was only a matter of time.

He couldn’t maintain this stand indefinitely......

"Haa, haa... so...tiring......"

Liam’s vision began to blur.

His body was exhausted, and his mind was numbing.

Then, an out-of-place thought crossed his mind.

He felt his own strength was pitifully small and insignificant.

’If Han Siyoung were here, would he have resolved this easily?’

Han Siyoung.

Despite being the same age of 17, he possessed power beyond comprehension.

Just two years ago, I had disregarded him.

I considered him unimportant, looked down on him.

I mocked the one who held the arrogant title of the future Sword King.

That’s why I challenged him to a duel...... and was brutally defeated.

Following that defeat, reality dawned on me.

Not even a minute into our duel, and I was on the ground.

Han Siyoung.

He looked down at me with indifferent eyes as I lay defeated, expressing cryptic words.

-’It’s a pointless effort.’

At the time, I thought he was belittling me.

But as I grew closer to him, I realized there was no malice in his words.

However, his words drove me into deeper contemplation.

’It’s because he can wield a Mythic-ranked artifact. That’s why he deems it a pointless effort..........’

So what about me, without a Mythic-ranked artifact?

It made me think that it was the artifact that was great, not him.

So I decided to make an effort that seemed unbecoming.

I followed Han Siyoung’s lead, learning his techniques, giving it my all.

I trained obsessively for 12 hours each day.

Fortunately, the effort yielded results.

However, no matter how hard I tried, I could never catch up to him.

"Huff, huff.......... Now that I think about it.........."

Kim Hajoon.

A guy who, despite his immense power, hesitates to confront me.

I planned to give my all in a match against him.

I believed it was the only way I could secure victory.

But Kim Hajoon declined my challenge.

I didn’t understand why.

If he had the power to throw me this far, overpowering me wouldn’t be a challenge.

I couldn’t understand why he avoided the fight.

As I was contemplating this, and about to launch another strike,

A realization struck me.

’Does he think I’m not worth opposing..........’

Is he implying that his power, his effort doesn’t apply to opponents like me..........?

So, he thinks I’m not worth opposing..........?

Like the Ant King arrogantly observing me from the front?

"Huff.........., really.........."

Despite my frustration, I had to acknowledge it.

Still, dispatching me to a place like this... he really has a horrible personality.........

If I manage to survive and return, I will definitely let that instructor know that the jerk should’ve provided necessities and food.

’Huh.........., but really..........’

But why is it?

The reason behind the surge of emotions and the sense of relief.

Whoosh!

He once again started slashing and stabbing in repetition.

As time passed and he slaughtered countless ants.

Liam eventually abandoned all thoughts.

Now he was solely focused on survival, mindlessly slashing his way through.

As he gave up thinking, his concentration reached its zenith.

’..........?!’

The world around him began to move slowly.

In this decelerated world.

Though his body too was slowed.

He began to perceive things that were previously invisible to him.

In this slowed down world, Liam swung his spear once more.

Diminishing his strength, he moved the spear with more finesse and precision.

And he was able to cleave through the ants effortlessly.

Next, he swung the spear with slightly more force.

Soon, a white line appeared where his spear swept, and over thirty ants were bifurcated.

And so, Liam stopped thinking and started relying solely on his physical instincts.

Slashing and advancing.

His pace began to quicken.

And his body moved with a swift fluidity that did not match the slow-moving world.

Eventually.

"Haah, haah."

Breathing heavily, Liam looked around.

The ants, initially deemed innumerable.

The ants he thought would endlessly surge through the passage.

Were no longer visible.

All the ants on the island, save one, had been eradicated.

And then.

-Kiee.........

He stood before the king.

But his strength slowly started to fade away.

Thud-

Finally, his body gave out and collapsed forward, his vision gradually dimming.

’Just a bit more........’

He felt an odd sense of satisfaction.

Such fierce determination was not characteristic of him.

Why?

Why did he yearn to relive that realm he just experienced?

He yearned to keep going, just a bit more.

The feeling that if he could just move a little more, he could defeat this creature...

But his body refused to respond.

His vision was gradually swallowed by darkness.

His body had reached its limit, with the creature still looming in front of him.

With a frustrated grunt...

Whoosh-

Suddenly, a boy with a familiar face materialized from nowhere.

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Raei Translations

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The Ant King.

The mighty beast couldn’t contain its excitement.

Its body began to tremble in awe of the display of life and skill unfolding before it.

Such power, it had believed, was unattainable even in its wildest dreams.

Yet, there it was. Growing stronger as it combated the beast’s numerous minions, cultivating a strength that even threatened the beast’s existence.

A new realm of possibility laid bare before it.

Krrr...

Of course, it had watched Liam fall after reaching his threshold. Yet, the beast believed it was different.

One glance was all it took.

The feeling of ascending to such heights was now within its reach.

The king’s gaze fell upon Liam, who lay defeated at its feet.

The human who taught it the concept of ’skills.’ A human deserving of its gratitude.

Filled with this gratitude, the king decided to end his life swiftly and mercifully.

Just as the king’s sharp limb was darting towards Liam’s throat...

Whooong-

"Tsk- This damn ant is annoying..."

Another human appeared out of thin air, obstructing its path and catching the king off guard.

What was happening?

How had this being managed to slip past its senses and approach so closely?

Numerous questions swirled in its mind, but there was only one thing the king needed to do.

Kieeeeek――――――!!!

The king emitted an intimidating roar and launched itself at the human who had abruptly appeared.

This human seemed much weaker than the one who had just collapsed before it.

Its aura alone made that clear.

This human was even more insignificant than the one lying in front of it.

Yet, here it was, standing in the king’s way.

Naturally, the king was incensed.

But soon, the king noticed something peculiar.

The human standing before it was not cowed by its overwhelming presence but simply stood in peaceful silence. The king felt a moment of unfamiliarity but brushed it aside.

After all, its objective was clear and the outcome unalterable.

But the king failed to understand something.

That the fleeting sensation it felt was a harbinger of catastrophe.

Kieeeeek...

The king lunged at the boy.

No, it attempted to lunge.

All of a sudden, its vision began to flip.

The world was spinning.

Something was wrong.

What is this? Is this another skill?

But it didn’t matter.

All it needed to do was rise again and sever the throat of the one who dared disrupt its bliss.

But something was wrong.

Its body wasn’t responding.

No, it couldn’t feel anything at all.

Thud!

And when its head hit the ground.

Only then did the king understand.

Its own death.

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