The Academy's Time Looper-Chapter 47: Ego

Slowing down despite the massive fireball being only a few steps away from him, Athen confusedly glanced around.

For the last ten seconds, the only words that had been echoing in his brain were:

"RUN!"

"MAKE IT TO THE INTERSECTION AND DODGE"

"DON’T LET THE FIREBALL CATCH YOU!"

However, now, all those thoughts had suddenly disappeared

Why was he running again..?

Athen couldn’t quite recall.

Raising his hand and quite literally scratching his head in confusion as the fireball got closer and closer to him, Athen fully halted a couple of meters away from the intersection ahead.

This place he was in...it wasn’t real.

An empty coliseum like this would require millions of coins to build, so Athen doubted that they would build one just for a professor test.

From Kai’s map, Athen had only seen one coliseum located within the confines of the academy, and its layout was completely different.

The arena he had seen in this coliseum was flat and empty, whereas the academy’s arena was full of obstacles and various training equipment.

Perhaps the professor had teleported him out of the Academy and into a coliseum that they had rented for the day?

No...the principal had specifically mentioned in the rules that leaving the academy was prohibited, no matter the circumstance.

There was no way a professor would break that rule and take him out of Aetherhelm Academy grounds.

So...then, where was he?

Behind the fireball, Athen could spot Professor Caldris leaning against a wall and leisurely watching the fireball near him, with no intentions of intervening.

If a normal fireball ever hit him, Athen knew he would immediately die, and he doubted that a professor would let a student die.

In the first place, Athen had never been running away from the fireball because he thought it would kill him.

He knew that dying wasn’t a possibility, so he was just running and dodging so that he could pass the professor’s test.

Maybe this was an illusion?

Could it be similar to the pitch-black void world he had been sucked into earlier?

If so...then shouldn’t his ability cooldown be completely useless?

It was an illusionary world, so nothing he did here would matter.

Athen knew he could use his time-stopping ability multiple times in a short period of time from his journey to the academy, but what stopped him from doing that was the punishment.

But since this was an illusionary world where nothing mattered or technically happened, there wouldn’t be a punishment, right?

Athen was hesitant to test it out as his last punishment, where he had almost died and been flooded with spiritual figures, but it seemed like it was now his only option.

Running away would definitely be impossible as the fireball would reach him before the intersection.

The fireball was also perfectly the width of the entire hallway, so climbing the walls wouldn’t work either.

Thus, Athen was left with two options. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Activate his time-stopping ability or simply accept defeat in this professor challenge.

The dangerous option, using his ability, carried a lot of risks as there was no telling what punishment he would receive this time if he did receive one.

And the positives weren’t all that good either.

Sure, Athen would probably pass the test if he abused his time-stopping ability here, but it wasn’t like he was in any rush to gain a professor’s approval.

After all, he had two weeks.

However, as Athen pondered the decision, a voice kept repeating in his head.

"Do it."

"Look at that professor; he’s just lounging back and relaxing. He clearly made this test impossible to make you suffer, so don’t you wanna fuck up his plan?"

"Who the hell are you? Are you some noble who meticulously calculates the cons and pros before making every decision?"

"No! You’re a damn beggar, so act like it! Be impulsive and stupid; always choose the riskier option."

"What’s the point of this special power of yours if you don’t fucking use it!?"

It was like there was a little devil on his shoulder whispering directly into his ear without stopping.

There was no need for Athen to be irrational and use his time-stopping ability.

After all, today was only the first day of the long fourteen-day challenge.

The devilish voice’s entire justification was that it would be a good way to get revenge on the professor.

This teacher clearly didn’t plan to let any student pass their test or gain their approval with this ridiculous challenge.

Weapon skills, mana control, or combat intuitions wouldn’t help in a situation like this.

And, based on the fiery sparks still surrounding Professor Caldris’s wand, Athen knew that even if a student managed to dodge this fireball, countless more would be sent until they failed.

Unfortunately, time wasn’t infinite, so the window for Athen’s decision was about to close as the fireball was now mere centimeters away from disintegrating him.

Before Athen could choose, the devilish voice sounded inside his head one last time.

"Go on, make the right decision, you arrogant fuck."

Turning around to face the incoming fireball, Athen kneeled down and opened the briefcase he had been carrying this entire time, revealing a sleek-black crossbow inside.

Had he really become that arrogant after reaching the academy?

Without any hesitation, Athen slid the briefcase forward, allowing it to glide on the silky red carpet and go right under the fireball.

Standing up, he opened his eyes wide and focused on his breath, ignoring the blazing heat around him.

Why was he acting like such a weakling?

He was quite literally a one-of-a-kind, a special existence.

Not only did he possess a mystical time-stopping ability, but he was also a regressor.

Who could stop him?

A measly-ass fireball like this surely couldn’t.

Shaking his head, Athen attempted to dismiss the arrogant thoughts circulating in his head...however, they didn’t disappear.

Had the devilish voice infiltrated his head?

Perhaps, but it was too late.

Looking past the fireball and at the leisurely professor watching him, Athen smirked and closed his eyes.

Maybe it was his ego acting, but punishment or not, he really wanted to see that professor painfully rolling around on the ground.