The Academy’s Time Stop Player-Novel

Noble Phantasm >> Relics

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—The three of them gazed at the scene currently unfolding with eyes filled with amazement.

Countless Giant Ants filled the ceiling, and the huge beast that had surrounded them and roared menacingly was being indiscriminately slaughtered by just one student.

“A monster is a monster even without mythological relics, isn’t it— ”

“Yes, it is—”

A situation that had been life-threatening only ten minutes earlier was reversed.

Every time he swung, five or so those huge giant antes died, but of course he had to be more astounding than worrying.

Around the time the Giant Ant buried the cave in such a way that it was reduced to half its size.

Suddenly, Liam stopped his swinging spear and shifted his gaze towards something that was radiating overwhelming aura from amongst the herd.

Instantly, Liam’s brows narrowed seriously.

“That thing is—”

Starting with those words.

— Kyeeeeeeeee-!!!!!

It was only a moment.

The gushing force turned into a killing spirit and filled the entire cave….

— Kyeeeeeeeee-!!!!!

“Whoa!”

“What the hell was that!”

Soon a startling sight unfolded in the children’s eyes.

The giant-ants, who had been showing fierce momentum, all retreated to the left and right, looking fearful, and began to form a single path.

The path created by the retreat of the threatening number of beast to the left and right.

Through that path, this overwhelming wild killing and magical force was walking.

The moment it walked towards the path, the Giant Ants who created the path began to lower themselves as if they were worshipping the king.

(He’s the one who—)

What Liam saw was a bipedal Beast.

A body that looked like it was clad in jet-black armour and red eyes.

An ant with two sharp hands and four insect wings extending neatly from its back.

It was infinitesimally small in size compared to the other giant-ants, but the momentum and magic itself that could be felt was denser than anyone else here.

Liam understood at once.

This Beast in front of him was the king of these guys.

— Kru—.

Soon the king, facing Liam, let out a low cry and scanned his entire body.

Liam prepared himself as he too took a posture at the sight of it…

— Kiaa—.

The king simply turned around without hesitation.

It was an action that Liam did not understand.

Why would he turn back with himself in front of him?

But the reason didn’t matter.

The moment his back was turned, Liam quickly approached him and thrust his spear at him.

At that moment.

“Kuha!”

Something with invisible speed flew at him and kicked Liam in the abdomen.

For a very brief moment, Liam immediately reacted to the attack and blocked it with his spear, but it was difficult to prevent completely.

Fu~n~n~n!

“Kuh—”

As it was, Liam’s body flew off and he was driven into the wall.

Fortunately, the protective barrier, one of the functions of the bell point, was activated and he was not seriously injured, but seeing that the barrier was broken, it seemed that it could not be used twice.

And as he allowed one attack, Liam knew.

The guy still only showed about tiny bit of his strength, including the magic aura he was letting out.

Liam stared at that guy with a nervous glare in his eyes, and again he took his posture…

“–”

That guy didn’t come.

Rather, he just looked down at himself arrogantly on the back of one Giant-Ant.

Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~!!!

And then his monstrous voice echoed again.

All the giant-ants began to move towards them at the monstrous roar.

* * *

The Ant King was feeling interested as he looked at the creatures he was seeing for the first time.

He had never seen such a creature before.

It looked like himself, but without wings that could fly and without arms that could break and throw an opponent, as if it were an inferior life form.

Yes, it was.

This was a life form similar to myself but not exactly the same.

Nevertheless, I became interested.

How could such a life form kill its own kins?

The king decided to watch.

The way he did it.

What he saw straight away was something sharp he had, including a strange movement.

It was similar to my own arm, but it was not attached to my body.

It made me curious.

So I kept watching him and soon found out the truth.

I found out that a life form that was not as developed as I was could use that thing to use strange skill.

The fact that the lower life form in front of me has powers that are not even half of my own, but can use that skill and weaponry to get close to my own power.

Then why not I just learn that skill?

The ant king began to learn by carefully watching the movements used by the creature.

* * *

Liam moved forward, stabbing and cutting at the swarming ants.

He had to approach them slowly, slashing at those that got close because the one that looked like the master didn’t move.

But there was no end in sight.

For with each kill, they would crawl back out again through the passageway, wail violently and attack with their menacing teeth.

Nevertheless, Liam cut down the ants as they approached them.

The students also helped Liam to prevent the ants from rushing in, but they lacked the strength and stamina to prevent the myriad of objects.

“Ugh!”

“Aaah…!”

Before long, they had exhausted their strength, and collapsed as their strength drained out of them.

In the end, Liam was left alone.

Even so, Liam didn’t give up, and he wielded his spear to kill the ants that tried to get close to them.

However, it was only a matter of time.

He couldn’t keep this up forever and ever, because…

“Haa, haa, haa… it’s tough…”

Liam’s vision is slowly blurring.

His body was a wreck and his mind was just a blur.

And suddenly, Liam felt like he didn’t fit the situation.

He felt that he was weak and boring.

(Would it have been an easy fix if Han-Shi Young had been in a situation like this?)

Han-Si-young.

A guy with unbelievable strength, who was 17 years old like me.

Only two years ago, I ignored him .

I despised him because I thought he was trivial.

I despised a man who had the arrogant title of the Sword King of future generations.

That’s why I fought him. I was defeated in a terrible way .

After the defeat, I realised it.

Within a minute of starting a slight bout, I found myself on the floor.

Han-Si-young.

He looked at me nonchalantly as I collapsed to the floor, and uttered words I didn’t understand.

— It’s a futile effort.

At the time, I thought it was a word of contempt for me.

But after getting to know him better, I realised that there was no malice in what he said.

However, this led me into deeper thoughts.

(Because I could use a mythical relic. A wasted effort, you say…)

So what would I be if I did not have a mythical class relic?

I felt like the relic was a big deal and I was not a big deal.

Therefore, I decided to make an effort that didn’t fit.

I followed Han-Si-young. and tried to learn the skills and make an effort.

I practised like crazy for 12 hours a day.

Fortunately, my efforts paid off.

However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t catch up with him.

“Ha, ha… speaking of which…”

Kim – Ha-Jun.

A guy who has strong power but doesn’t like to fight me.

In the confrontation with that guy I was really going to give it my all.

It was because I felt that I had to go that far to win.

However, Kim Ha-Jug refused to fight me.

I didn’t understand why.

If he was powerful enough to let himself move him so far, he should have been able to defeat me without difficulty…

I didn’t know why he avoided a fight.

With that in mind, I continued to I stab and cut.

I guessed certain facts.

(So I’m not even worth fighting against…)

Are you trying to let them know that I am an opponent that your prowess is not worth your strength and your efforts?

That’s why you don’t take seriously…

Just like the ant king who looks at me as arrogantly as ever in front of me?

“Huh… really…”

I was angry, but I had to admit it.

But if that’s so, to send him to such a place of death, really… He doesn’t seem to have a very good character.

If he makes it back alive, he’ll surely tell Instructor Li that that guy brought him the necessities of life and food.

(Huh… but really…)

Why is that, by the way?

-The reason for the heightened and refreshed emotions…

Fu~n!

I started to cut back and repeat the thrusts.

When so much time had passed and killed ants endlessly.

Liam eventually gave up thinking .

Now he just had to keep cutting them out in order to survive.

As such, now was the time when he gave up thinking and his concentration reached its peak.

(…?!)

The world began to flow slowly.

In the slow-moving world

My own body also started to move slower…

I began to see what I couldn’t see.

Liam in that slowing world swung his spear again.

He reduced his strength and swung the spear more precisely.

And without much force he was able to cut through an ant beast.

This time he swung his spear with a little more force.

Very shortly, a solid white line was drawn between the swung spear, and over 30 ants starting to split in half.

Then Liam stopped thinking and just let himself be carried by it.

Cutting down and moving forward .

. his steps gradually became faster and faster…

His body couldn’t keep up with the slow-moving world and began to accelerate rapidly.

One moment.

“Haa haa.”

Exhaling a breathless breath, Liam looked around.

Those ants, which he thought were infinite.

The ants he thought would spring endlessly through the passage.

He couldn’t see them any more.

All the ants on the surroundings, except for one, had died.

And.

— Kyeeeeeeeee-!!!!!

I had arrived in front of the king.

However, the strength of my body began to slowly slip away.

Slamming into the ground

In the end, my body fell forward without moving, and my vision gradually began to blacken.

(Almost…Just liitle more….)

I felt an unfamiliar feeling of elevation.

Even though my character is not this passionate.

I wonder why.

What makes me want to enter the boundary I saw earlier, even once.

I wanted to move just a little bit more.

If I could move just a little more, I could finish him off…

My body didn’t move.

My vision gradually darkened.

My body eventually reached its limit with that guy in front of me.

When I grit my teeth in frustration

— Thud…

Suddenly a boy with a familiar face appeared.

* * *

The King of the Ants.

He could not contain his excitement and was tremblling, looking at the skills that life showed me before my eyes.

I thought he would never be able to reach me.

Nevertheless, he grew against this countless number of my own men and eventually developed enough power to threaten his own neck.

They opened up my own potential.

— Thud…

Of course, He reached before my own eyes, but reached his limits and collapsed, but not me.

I can feel it just by seeing it once.

The fact that I can easily reach this state of being.

The king’s gaze turned to Liam, who had collapsed in front of him.

A grateful human being who had informed him of what ‘skills’ capable of.

In gratitude, the king decided to finish him off nicely.

Just as the king’s sharp hand was about to reach at Liam’s neck.

— Cling-. !!!!

“Damn, this ant bird X is a pain in the ass…”

The king was baffled by another person who suddenly appeared and blocked his way in front of him.

What is it?

How did he avoid his senses and get to this eye?

There were numerous thoughts, but there was only one course of action the king had to take.

— Kyeeeeeeeee-!!!!!

With a menacing roar, the king leapt at the human who appeared in front of him.

The human in front of him was infinitely weaker than the one who had just fallen before him.

I could tell by the air of energy I could feel.

The fact that this human being is even more trivial than the lower species.

Such a being blocked his way.

It was only natural that the king should be outraged.

However, it was the king who immediately recognised the anomaly.

The human in front of him stood nonchalantly without blinking, even when facing his own intimidation. For a moment, he felt as if he didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t care that much.

I knew what I had to do anyway, and the result would be the same.

But the King didn’t know.

The fact that the feeling he felt now was ominous.

— Kieeeeeeeeeeee…!!!

The king jumped towards the boy.

No, he tried to jump at him.

But suddenly his vision began to reverse.

A field of vision that went round and round.

Something was strange.

What is it? Is this another skills? but it was all right.

All I had to do was get up again and cut off the head of the person who had interfered with my joy.

But something was wrong.

I couldn’t move my whole body.

No, I couldn’t feel the sensations itself.

Slice!

When his head touched the ground like that.

The king finally realised.

His own death.