The Academy’s Time Stop Player
chapter-157

Poisoner's eyes widened.

Struggling to break free from the killing intent that was suffocating him, he gathered all his strength and slowly stood up.

Sweat dripped from his face to the floor as he began to gasp for breath.

‘Who could it possibly be…’

His eyes stared blankly into space.

The entity that had sent this killing intent towards him.

He couldn't even begin to imagine its existence in his mind.

It certainly wasn't an energy that could be emitted by a human.

“Hey.”

At that moment, Eraser's voice brought Poisoner back to his senses.

He looked at Eraser, who was standing beside him, with a dazed expression.

Eraser clicked his tongue in annoyance and spoke.

“We need to hurry, there’s no time.”

“...Yeah, got it.”

Poisoner responded with a still dazed look.

He seemed to be lost in thought.

Eraser shook his head and moved forward.

Poisoner followed him and then spoke.

“Didn’t you feel it?”

“I did, it’s like a monster’s magical power.”

It wasn't the wrong thing to say, but it wasn't what Poisoner wanted to hear.

It wasn’t just the level of the magical power.

It was so intense that it carried a massive will within it.

‘We need to finish this quickly.’

That's why he instinctively knew.

That it was searching for him.

“Let's get started.”

“Alright.”

Upon reaching the stair door just below the top floor, the two began to execute their plan.

Poisoner slowly crouched and placed his hand on the floor.

Simultaneously, an ominous purple mist flowed from his body and seeped through the door gap.

Soon after, screams came from beyond the door.

“Khek!”

“Aaagh!”

From the other side of the door, the sound of someone falling to the floor and screams of agony could be heard.

But shortly after the screams subsided, Poisoner and Eraser opened the door and entered.

Agents holding artifacts in the long corridor had all collapsed on the floor, foaming at the mouth.

Eraser handed Poisoner two transparent crystals and spoke.

“Break these when you face Joa Elliot, just in case.”

Eraser.

Inside these transparent crystals created by Eraser was his characteristic magical power. When broken, the magical power seeping from the crystal temporarily weakens the abilities of a superhuman.

However, Poisoner shook his head.

Of course, he thought he didn't need his abilities.

“There's no need. They’ll die instantly once they come in contact with my poison.”

“...Alright, hurry up then.”

With those words, Eraser’s body gradually rippled away and disappeared.

With all this commotion, the chairman at the top floor must have noticed by now.

In the meantime, Eraser planned to single-handedly block agents trying to reach the top floor.

It probably wouldn’t take Poisoner long to kill Kim Jeongyong.

Poisoner nodded at Eraser’s words and climbed the stairs to the top floor.

However, with each step he took up the stairs, Poisoner was seized by a strange sensation.

‘What is this…’

Sweat streamed down his cheeks.

It wasn’t from physical exertion from merely climbing a few steps.

It was a certain feeling.

A warning not to go any further up these stairs.

An instinctual plea to give up and run away.

Gulp-

He swallowed dryly.

Then, at some point, Poisoner reached the door leading to the top floor.

He gritted his teeth, steadied his mind, and opened the door.

“How dare you attack the association!"

Beyond the door stood Kim Jeongyong, the chairman of the Heroes Association of Korea.

In front of him were several agents, and next to Kim Jeongyong was Joa Elliot, watching Poisoner with a mace in hand.

Of course, Poisoner had anticipated this situation.

In fact, it was so predictable that he couldn’t help but laugh.

What was he afraid of?

What was that strange feeling he had just experienced?

He had thought some unimaginable monster might be waiting beyond the door.

His instincts had been screaming at him to run away.

Surely this situation should have been normal.

“Did you use an antidote?”

Poisoner, regaining his composure, spoke.

However, there was no answer to Poisoner’s words.

Of course, he didn’t need an answer to know.

It was obvious that they would use an antidote against him.

But what they didn’t know was that his power had grown.

“Let's see if this works too.”

Poisoner Sacheol, an S-rank villain, accidentally awakened an ability related to poison, so his characteristic magic was also poison-based.

His body, entirely composed of poison, emitted an ominous purple magical energy, and a purple mist began to billow out.

The purple mist slowly filled the space, spreading towards Kim Jeongyong, Joa Elliot, and the association agents.

They were probably underestimating him, thinking the antidote would do its job.

But what they would end up witnessing was them dying in agony, poisoned by his toxin, as the potency of the poison had become fatally concentrated with the growth of his magic.

But at that moment.

“?!”

Swoosh!!

Poisoner’s eyes widened in shock.

The aftermath of the golden magical energy that burst from behind him began to spread, engulfing the poison mist he had created.

The golden particles filling the space created an almost dreamlike scenery, momentarily dazing Kim Jeongyong, Joa Elliot, and the agents.

But only Poisoner stood there, trembling with a face frozen in fear.

‘It’s him!’

A will conveyed through the golden magic.

A great killing intent, the entity emitting that intent was right behind him. Poisoner slowly turned his head to look back.

And the moment he turned around, his face began to stiffen.

‘What is that…’

The surreal scene unfolding behind him.

Suddenly, he found himself in a different space.

A scene that couldn't possibly be inside the association's building.

Whoooosh-

He stood in a place where the ground was made of skeletons.

Skeletons piled up like mountains all around, and the sky had turned blood-red.

It was reminiscent of hell.

“……!?”

Soon after, a boy appeared in that place.

The boy, emanating golden magic and holding a hammer, was approaching Poisoner.

With each step the boy took, the bones making up the ground began to quake.

Creak- Crack- Whoooosh!

Arms made of bones sprouted from the ground, flailing about.

The risen bone arms slowly began to wrap around Poisoner.

As they enveloped him completely and obscured his vision at last.

“…Gasp!”

Poisoner snapped back to reality.

And when he looked again, everything had disappeared.

The countless bones that had formed the mountains and ground.

The deep red sky like blood.

All the surreal scenes he had just witnessed had vanished as if they were an illusion.

Only one thing remained.

“…….”

The boy was still standing in front of him, not having disappeared.

[Is it you?]

The boy spoke.

It was a voice too alien to be the boy's.

[Are you Sacheol?]

At that question, Poisoner Sacheol's face stiffened.

He knew for sure.

This boy was the owner of the killing intent that had been directed at him just moments ago.

“Kkuk!”

Poisoner Sacheol immediately stepped back to escape the boy's range.

He extended his hand towards the boy, releasing a cloud of poisonous mist.

As the emitted smoke began to envelop the boy.

Swoosh! Thud-

“?!”

The situation unfolded in an instant.

His eyes shook with shock.

The poison mist he had released was swallowed up by the boy's golden magic and disappeared.

At the same time, something thudded to the ground.

He slowly looked down at his body.

Suddenly, his savagely torn off left arm was lying on the ground.

“Khek! Kkeuk!!”

He groaned in pain and knelt on the floor.

Soon, Hajoon approached Poisoner, who had fallen to his knees.

Hajoon, stepping on Poisoner's fallen left arm, spoke as if chewing him out.

[Go ahead, try to resist again.]

With those words, Poisoner lost all will to resist.

How was he supposed to resist?

He had just realized that he was facing a monster of a completely different level.

With no will left to resist, Poisoner simply bowed his head.

Fear seeped into his bones, causing Poisoner's body to tremble.

He wanted to curse his past self for delusionally thinking he had become stronger after receiving power from the strange man.

He had dared to show hostility towards such an entity...

[Have you given up?]

Hajoon looked down at Poisoner, who had given up resisting, with cold eyes.

He was still seething with anger, and seeing this creature so easily give up filled him with disgust.

Then, Poisoner, terrified, spoke.

“It wasn’t me.”

[…….]

“Someone else told me to do it. I, I just followed his orders.”

Those few words made Hajoon's eyes flicker with realization.

He extended his hand towards Poisoner.

Golden magic flowed out, scanning over Poisoner's body.

A strange magic, unlike anything human.

He could tell it was the same type of magic as his own.

[How presumptuous.]

Hajoon's face twisted in disgust.

Even knowing of his existence, the audacity of those who carried out such acts was revolting to him.

Hajoon, with a twisted expression, spoke to Poisoner, who was bowing his head.

[Resist till the end. Do you think I'll let you die easily?]

Realizing something, Poisoner’s eyes became unsettled.

Whether he surrendered or resisted, his fate was sealed.

So, he resisted.

“Aaah! Aaaah!!”

He let out a terrible scream and swung his remaining hand at Hajoon.

From his hand, sharp, dark poison in the shape of claws burst forth, rushing towards Hajoon.

But as soon as the poison touched Hajoon's magic, it was neutralized and disappeared, and Hajoon's hand brutally grabbed Poisoner's head.

“Khek!”

[I'll give you a dreadful rest.]

In that moment, the surreal scene unfolded again in his eyes.

A space filled with bones and corpses all around.

Different from before, the bone-made corpses came to life, grabbing Poisoner and starting to drag him into the ground.

[Even in death, you won't find peace.]

“Ah! Aaah!”

With those words, Poisoner realized his fate.

This space, filled with countless bones.

He would be buried here until he became one of these things.

That was his final scream.

Thump-

In the end, he lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

His eyes were empty, as if his soul had been extracted.

Hajoon, after coldly looking down at him for a moment, turned his gaze towards the void.

Golden magic from Hajoon's body emitted a massive wave, spreading out.

The vast wave spread beyond the area, across the country.

Sensing a certain presence that had entered Korea, Hajoon shouted with a will infused in his magic.

[Listen! Those who have set foot on this land!]

A heavy voice flowed from Hajoon’s mouth.

[You will surely pay for today’s deeds.]

The unapproachable wave of magic, as if representing Hajoon's rage, surged.

Hajoon’s final words followed.

[I will give you all the most terrible death.]