I Became the Academy’s Time-Stopping Villain – Chapter 63

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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The human child had given up. He was just running, desperate to survive.

[A skill—ugh…?!]

“That’s… the end.”

A face filled with fear. He was terrified of death and violence, barely able to keep his eyes open.
Ares predicted his end.

“Are you blind?”

“What?”

Athena said.

“Do his eyes look like someone who has given up?”

“What—hmm?”

That child didn’t give up. He hadn’t given up on survival.

[…Shit]

“Ah, right, I forgot about that skill.”

He stopped time for a brief moment to pull himself away. But Ares was still as cynical as before.

“He’s going to die anyway. How could that weakling survive something my children couldn’t handle?”

“Sometimes, the instinct to survive is stronger than the desire to kill.”

“Ha! Don’t think you’re always right, Athena. War and battle are completely different things.”

“…Sounds like a muscle brain.”

“You bitch!”

“Hey~ calm down! At least he’s trying to protect our children!”

Hermes stepped in before Ares could start a fight. But the atmosphere had gotten bad. ‘He’s probably not going to survive.’ They’d probably die. He had hoped that that idiot would be their only hope.

[Huff, huff, huff!]

“That guy… he’s getting used to it?”

“His vision got wider. He’s even getting some time to breathe.”

“Wow, he would’ve been a great fit as my apostle!”

He was unexpectedly resilient. He was slowly getting better. Hope began to bloom.

*Dodge! Dodge!*

He dodged every attack with a strange rhythm. Athena nodded.

“The instinct for survival is stronger than anything else.”

Running away wasn’t a ‘heroic’ thing to do. But managing to ‘run’ and ‘survive’ against a troll showed that he was more than an ordinary human.

“…He is certainly different than that other disciple…”

Hera admitted that. At least, he was better than a reckless idiot. It was just a desperate cry, but also an instinct for survival. ‘But it was just his instincts’. It was the worst quality for a hero, but not bad for a human.

‘If he can hold on…’

Chronos’s divine word. If he could just hold on for five minutes, everyone could be saved. She clasped her hands together and cheered for the child in the lower realm.

[…Huff…]

“That guy… his aura changed.”

“He’s reading his breathing.”

“Whoa, he’s barely dodging every attack!”

He dodged and dodged again. It was like he had finally caught his pace. He was moving a step ahead of every attack. As if he knew where the enemy was going to hit. He didn’t need to rely on Chronos’ power anymore.

[Counter]

“Whoa! Look at him go!”

“Is he going to do it? Is he really going to do it?”

He blocked a troll’s attack, and raised his fist.

“[Youth-Power Punch]!”

“He did it!!”

A punch to the troll’s face. Blood sprayed from its broken nose. Ares and Hermes cheered, their hopes rising again.

“…Hmm.”

Athena smirked. Hera exhaled, a sigh of relief. The 5 minutes had passed, and they were waiting for the help to arrive.

[….Huh?]

“…What’s wrong?”

He looked confused and kept stuttering.

[Guh….!]

[Huh… what… ]

“No! Dodge!”

He was hit by the troll’s club and went flying. Hera immediately understood what was happening.

“…Chronos, did you manipulate time?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Ha!”

Yes there was. Problems were overflowing.

“That kid lasted 5 minutes, like you said. Then as a God, you should reward him, right?”

“You’re talking nonsense. The five minutes have not passed.”

“That’s because you stopped time—wait a minute.”

Why?

“I can’t feel… your ‘power’ in him anymore?”

“Of course not. I took it back.”

“Why… no, wait…?”

He had taken his power back. He could do that. It was within his power. But taking back the power he had given so easily was a breach of the fundamental rules.

“The child in the lower world is young, naive, and foolish. I won’t deny that, but…”

He had given his word. But he ignored it, took back what he had given, and completely destroyed his promises.

‘You bastard…!’

There was no problem with that. The time was still within the five minutes, and it wasn’t wrong to punish a child for disobeying his god. But it went against all common sense.

“You need to learn your place. It was the only thing holding you back from success!”

Hera could only look at the foolish boy.

The boy who was betrayed by his god. What was he thinking?

“Chronos. Are you serious?”

A gaze filled with despair. He had lost his will, and his power.

“If you’re going to do this, at least, give back his power. I know it’s a punishment, but this is too much!”

“It’s none of your concern.”

“Chronos!”

“Haa…”

Hera was reprimanding him. Chronos sighed.

“You’re too loud.”

“Ugh…!”

Pressure. The air grew heavy. The space was hard to breathe in. Hera remembered she was in Chronos’s temple. No matter how weakened he was, he was still a god within his domain. He was not someone that she could fight against.

“That child is my child, and my decision is final.”

“…I was speaking as a god, as someone who brought a child to this world.”

“I will only make him pay for rejecting me. I will never try to kill him.”

He would show him his place. ‘I will not kill my own child’.

“After all, your children are already safe. You can see them in the light.”

“That’s…”

“You got what you wanted, so what is your problem?”

“…”

Chronos was right. Their children had escaped, but it was only thanks to Chronos.

‘But still…’

It was too much, it was cruel.

“You have forsaken my name, you must feel pain, and understand that I am your only master. If you try to hide behind fear, then you will pay for it!”

“…Tsk.”

A voice that was telling you to only listen to him, and obey him. A boy, betrayed by his god, with no hope left. What would he do? ‘He will probably cry’. Cry and beg and become his dog. He didn’t care for anything.
Hera felt disgusted, but also pitied the boy. He was pure and always looking at the same woman, but he was being tormented by that disgusting old man. Hera could only watch and clench her fists.
A boy who had been abandoned by his god. A boy who had been used as he pleased. He said—
[…Yeah, well.]
As if nothing happened.
[Injustice.]
As if he had expected it.
“…”
He stood. With his old rusty dagger. He rose. He was ready to face violence that was beyond his capabilities.
[Huff…]
He steeled himself. He gathered his courage. Even though his hands were still trembling. Even though his legs wanted to run away, he—
[…I have to do it.]
He started running. Not to win, but to survive.

“…Ah…”He wasn’t a hero. He wasn’t a genius that was born once in a century. He was just a human, a weed growing along the side of a road. There was nothing special about him. There was no reason to believe. He was just a human, but still, somehow they all, they started to look forward to him.
“You…!”
He was someone that even the gods began to rely on.
Hera had begun to support him.