UTH CH 16 (Patreon)

(An: Apologies. I had to rewrite the final scene. There was a big plot hole)

At first, it didn’t feel real.

The moment I said the word, everything stopped. The colors of the world vanished, replaced by a monochrome white and black.

The ticking clock on the wall froze mid-sound. The faint rustle of the librarian’s papers went silent. Even the man himself was stuck in place, eyes half-lidded, hand paused on the desk as if someone had hit pause on a video.

I stood up slowly. My heartbeat was the only sound left.

I walked toward him and reached out. My fingers brushed his sleeve, but it didn’t feel like fabric. More like air with a shape. There was no weight, no warmth. Just an outline that looked solid but wasn’t.

I tried touching the book on his desk. Same result. My hand slid over the page without moving it, like the thing wasn’t real anymore.

I tested a few more steps, circling the desk, waving a hand in front of his face, and touching his head. Nothing. Not even the slightest reaction.

It was clear, I couldn’t change anything while time was frozen.

Yet my clothes felt normal. Did this mean that the only thing I brought with me in the Time Stop could still function?

What would happen if I used a bow and arrows or pulled the trigger of a gun in this frozen time?

I mused and noticed something else. My stamina was dropping like crazy.

The longer I stayed like this, the harder it became to move. My legs felt heavy, and my chest tightened as if every breath cost me something. A dull ache built behind my left eye, pulsing harder with each step.

I instinctively realized that if I continued like this, time would immediately start again and things might become tricky for me.

By the time I got back to my seat, I was staggering. The instant I sat down, sand started flowing again in the hourglass and the world snapped back.

The rustle of papers. The creak of the librarian shifting in his chair. Everything carried on as if nothing had happened.

I was left hunched over the desk, breathing hard, sweat sticking to my back.

Nearly no else noticed a thing. Except, maybe, the ones I couldn’t see—the ones watching.

Though nothing changed outwardly, I most certainly did and it was impossible for a pro like them to not notice how tired I was.

I wiped a hand across my face, trying to steady my breathing. My shirt clung to my back with sweat, even though I hadn’t moved more than a few steps.

So that was [Pause].

Powerful, but clearly limited not only by my own strength but also the scope of what I could accomplish.

I couldn’t touch anything, couldn’t move objects, couldn’t even flip a page. All I could do was walk around and look.

Good for scouting. Useless for fighting. Incredible for strategy.

At least for now.

Could I keep time stopped longer if I did not move and conserved stamina? Or did it have a clear time limit?

I leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. My body still felt drained, like I’d pulled an all-nighter. The ache behind my eye hadn’t gone away either. It throbbed with every heartbeat. If I pushed the skill too far, I wasn’t sure what would happen—but nothing good.

[The Silent Watcher laughs at the hatchling pretending to be a predator.]

I ignored the text.

This ability wasn’t a miracle button. It came with a cost, one heavy enough that I couldn’t treat it lightly.

Depending on how I used it. If I use it in the middle of a fight, the fatigue alone might leave me wide open the second time I restarted.

Still… even with those limits, it was a cheat. I could freeze the world and walk through it. Scout ahead in a dungeon. Dodge into cover without being tracked. Escape.

Options I didn’t have before.

From an outside perspective I might even look like I was teleporting.

The librarian coughed, shifting behind his desk. He didn’t even glance at me. To him, nothing had happened.

But I knew better.

And so did the ones watching.

I could feel them shift slightly and I am sure my changes must have seemed quite startling.

But even in their wildest dreams, they could never imagine what actually happened.

I clenched my fists. Once wasn’t enough to perfectly understand the skills. I needed to be sure.

“Freeze.” I muttered again.

The hourglass flickered back into view, sand halting mid-flow. The world locked down again.

Silence. Stillness. Then pain.

“Argh!” I groaned as pain filled my mind.

The strain hit me instantly. My left eye burned like someone had jammed a needle behind it. My vision blurred, and when I wiped at my face, my fingertips came away red.

Blood.

It trailed hot down my cheek, dripping onto the desk. My breathing grew shallow and I wobbled when I tried to stand up.

Each step felt like wading through deep water. I forced myself to stand, to take a few more strides between the shelves, but the pain only spiked sharper.

It was obvious, the skill was pushing past what my body could handle.

I stumbled back to the chair, collapsing into it with a harsh breath. The hourglass vanished, and sound crashed back into place.

The blood didn’t.

It ran fresh from my eye, staining the wood beneath my elbow. The librarian didn’t notice. But the ones watching? I knew they did.

[The Silent Watcher tilts his head, intrigued.]

I pressed a hand against my eye stained with blood and let out a shaky laugh. Half my vision was now red.

So this was the cost. Well, this was not something I could complain about. Compared to the immense possibilities this power held, the price was minimal at best.

Someone started approaching me. I was sure it was one of the people who had been watching me.

I smiled. I wasn’t the type who wanted to hide his power but as I was right now, there were still too many unknown and displaying the weakness of my skill so openly was not smart.

Though they might not know what I did, they would definitely remember and record what happened.

It was hard to say if I actually sat in the same place and position as I previously did. All those little things were hints I needed to conceal until I understood what was happening.

But…Did I need to worry about making mistakes?

I laughed quietly.

Obviously not.

It was time.

Time for the ultimate test. How many times could I freeze time?

“Freeze.”

Time froze again. But the world swayed around me. I wanted to stand up and leave. But this was beyond me.

I was only able to maintain the frozen time for a few seconds before cracks appeared all around.

“Ah…”

I fell down with a thud. My legs, now too weak to support my weight, collapsed entirely under me.

Blood clogged my throat. Fear filled my guts. The world froze for but an instant before freeing itself.

The ones who were rushing to me were now close enough for me to see their expressions. Worry and bewilderment was the theme of the day.

I wanted to apologize to them. Poor guys must be wondering what the hell was happening.

Sadly, speaking was now a luxury I couldn’t afford.

[The Silent Watcher wonders if this will be your most amusing death.]

I chuckled or I tried to, my voice coming like a strangled cry. My creepy stalker, here to lift my mood.

God knew I needed this right now.

It was scary. Definitely scary. Dying was scary and painful.

Feeling life slowly slips through my fingers made me grasp in the air.

It seemed like I had underestimated the price of using Time Stop a little too much.

But, I needed to know the limits of this power. Right here and now.

If death was a given…shouldn't I go out with a blast?

‘Freeze!’

There was no exact keyword necessary. My intent alone was enough and so, I froze the world for the 4th time in a row.

This was also the last time. I felt some blood vessels burst, blood flowed from my eyes, mouth, nose and ears.

My vision turned black after being dyed red and with that, bright words that seemed almost mocking appeared.

[You died.]

The words made sigh in relief for the pain left alongside life.

The hourglass appeared again. But instead of freezing, the sand shuddered, then flipped. The entire thing inverted in my vision, and the world lurched with it.

I wasn’t standing in the library anymore. The world blurred as I felt like I was now standing on a black shore while observing a flowing river.

Death this time felt much more painful than the first but it allowed me to prove one thing beyond a shadow of doubt.

[Would like to continue?]

[Yes] or [No]

When I first used Pause, I initially thought that I would faint at worst. But clearly, the power to stop time was more demanding than I initially expected.

It did not consume Mana but greatly exhausted my stamina.

Then what would happen if only stopped time after resting a little? What if I kept the time stopped for shorter amounts of time?

So many questions, so many things to discover.

Though it was scary and painful, the knowledge that I could grow stronger and explore my powers was simply exhilarating.

I sighed and explored my surroundings. This time I could feel no other presence. There was no Lurker here.

Clicking my tongue in wonder, I clicked [Yes].

I wanted to try again. Pain and failure would be a given. But the sweet taste of success at the end would be magnificent.

Things happened as suddenly as if I had joined some crazy Attraction park.

It felt like I was pressed against the banks of a raging river, the current screaming backwards, dragging everything with it. Books shuffled back into place. Footsteps retraced. My own movements rewound in jagged skips, faster than my mind could fully register.

My stomach flipped, my body swayed, but I remained rooted, forced to watch as time itself surged in reverse.

And then, as sudden as it began, it snapped.

I was back at my desk. My body felt whole again, no ache in my eye, no blood on my cheek. My heart hammered, but the fatigue had vanished.

And in front of me, the words that struck like a knife not long ago were once again repeated.

“Let me get to the point. You don’t have to come to the training center starting tomorrow.”

The Manager’s voice.

My last checkpoint.

I was back at the very beginning.

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(An: Now time for the action to start again. This was a short but meaningful arc I believe. Next chapter will have Cain start fighting and building his stats)