The Academy's Time Looper-Chapter 52: Seeker

Waving his hand up and down, Athen confirmed that it was incorporeal by watching it simply phase through the red carpet below.

"So...they are different?"

Though they had the same color, the purple hue surrounding Athen’s hand right now made it spirit-like and able to phase through objects.

But, before activating his time-stopping ability, his hand had just been normal, despite being surrounded by the same purple hue.

Putting that aside, Athen rushed forward at Professor Caldris’s frozen figure with his fist already raised high.

Making sure not to phase directly through the professor’s body and risk merging, Athen made a detour around until he was finally facing Caldris’s back.

At that moment, the purple hue surrounding his figure started to flicker.

However, the purple hue surrounding Athen’s hand remained solid and purple.

Counting the time until time resumed to normal in his head, Athen cocked his fist all the way back before rushing it forward.

Then, as Athen’s charging fist was a centimeter away from hitting the professor’s back, the purple hue surrounding Athen’s figure disappeared, leaving only his hand covered in purple.

Without even noticing Athen’s disappearance from beside him, the professor still looked down at his smartwatch with a laid-back expression.

As Athen’s purple fist met the professor’s mana-covered back, time seemed to pause.

The two mana forces seemed to fight amongst each other as the purple hue attempted to break its way through the mana surrounding the professor’s figure.

However, the outcome was decided within seconds.

While Athen had concentrated all his mana within its fist, neglecting any sort of defense, the professor had stretched his mana out so that it surrounded his entire body.

Though, without a doubt, the professor’s light-blue mana was stronger, it could not withstand the sheer concentration of Athen’s purple mana.

Thus, a hole just big enough to accommodate Athen’s fist appeared in the mana surrounding the professor’s back.

However, during the short period of time when Athen’s purple mana force had to fight against Caldris’s blue mana, the teacher managed to react.

Instead of attempting to repair the hole in the mana surrounding his back to block Athen’s attack, the professor instantaneously raised his sword.

Without any hesitation, Caldris raised the sword right above his shoulder so that its tip was facing Athen’s head and thrust it backward.

To Athen’s surprise, as his purple fist finally made contact with the professor’s body, it...abruptly halted.

His fist hit the professor’s back...then just lost all its momentum and stopped as if it had just hit a barrier.

It didn’t bounce back; his fist simply remained touching the professor’s back.

That’s when Athen saw it.

Only after breaking through the mana initially surrounding the professor’s back could it be spotted.

A small sliver of mana as wide as a fingernail was covering the teacher’s entire figure.

He had two layers of mana-protection.

While his purple fist attempted to break through the teacher’s second layer of mana defense, Caldris’s sword was already inches away from piercing right through his head.

Athen had the time to dodge...but he physically couldn’t.

His fist was basically stuck to the second layer of mana that protected the teacher’s back, preventing him from moving.

Athen’s purple mana force was still fighting with Caldris’s second layer of mana, so he couldn’t remove his fist.

In other words, he was glued to the professor and unable to dodge the incoming mana sword jab.

However...Caldris had failed to notice one thing.

The professor was still looking forward while Athen was behind him.

In other words, Caldris couldn’t actually see Athen with his two eyes; he was simply relying on instinct and his fighting experience.

Closing his eyes, Athen grinned and cleared his thoughts, only listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

Feeling a sudden gust of wind rush onto his face and hurl his jet-black hair back, revealing his forehead, Athen immediately removed his hand.

And thankfully, his still purple-highlighted hand simply phased out of the second layer of mana that protected the teacher.

With his fist now free, Athen halted for a moment, strategizing on how to break through the professor’s second layer of mana.

If he moved again, he would have to make another hole in the first layer and then also break through the second layer of mana around the teacher.

There was no way he could do that before Professor Caldris counterattacked, so that plan was discarded.

He also couldn’t just move slightly to the right or left as the hole in the first layer of mana would be angled and, thus, not big enough to fit his entire fist.

So, his only other option was to remain here.

However, if he stayed, the mana sword would hit him.

While Athen did consider simply ducking down and avoiding the mana sword, he believed it to be too risky.

The professor...was strong. Athen knew that best.

It was possible that he would sense Athen’s dodge with his intuition and jab his sword downward, immediately eliminating Athen.

Athen would have to break through the second layer of mana and actually hit the teacher’s physical body before the sword hit him.

But...was he capable of doing that?

Caldris had god-like reflexes, so his sword was already less than a second away from piercing Athen’s skull.

There was another option...after all, there were now less than five seconds left in the challenge.

Right now, while time was still frozen, Athen could just...run away and easily pass the professor’s test.

As he saw it, Athen believed he had two choices.

Gamble or Fold.

There were two possibilities if he gambled.

If he broke through the professor’s second layer of mana before the sword hit him, Athen would achieve both his goals.

Beating the professor in a fight and completing the first requirement of the entrance exam.

However, if he failed, he would not complete either of his goals and would have to spend fourteen more days trying to pass another professor’s test.

Finally, if he folded and ran away, he would be able to complete one goal.

Just then, a sudden familiar voice popped into his empty head.

"Again, with this bullshit? You’ve already made your choice, you arrogant asshole."