Chapter 45 Part 15: Connivance.

She said she adjusted her internal time based on her heartbeat, but that wasn’t her true ability.

Simply speeding up her internal time to analyze the situation was merely a supplementary aspect of her power.

Her real ability was to accelerate her body to its absolute limit for a certain period.

Of course, such a great power came with a heavy burden.

The first time she used it, she couldn’t even move properly, let alone control her body; it felt like her heart would explode.

Kim Aram understood, for the first time, what it felt like to die.

If she misused her ability, her heart would surely burst, and she would die.

But even so, she wanted to win.

Even if her heart exploded, she didn’t want to back down.

Hadn’t she endured countless hardships and trained relentlessly for this very purpose?

“Brace yourself…!”

With that low utterance, Kim Aram activated her ability.

A sensation she would never get used to came over her.

It was as if time had stopped, and everything around her had frozen.

Kim Aram clenched her fist with all her might in that suspended time.

For about one second, she unleashed a merciless barrage of blows.

From her perspective, about six to seven seconds had passed.

Time began to flow again, but she didn’t stop her onslaught.

She could see Lee Yeji’s bewilderment.

Encouraged by this, Kim Aram ignored the pain in her fists and continued her offensive.

‘If not now, I’ll never get another chance…!’

Kim Aram didn’t back down.

If she gave Lee Yeji even a moment’s respite, she would be cornered.

So, she drove her fist into her stomach with all her might.

Her friend’s face contorted in pain, but she didn’t stop, continuing to batter her face, starting from her upper body.

Her lungs felt like they were tearing.

Her heart felt like it was about to burst.

She couldn’t feel anything in her tightly clenched fists.

“Ah, ugh…!”

Her limit arrived in an instant.

Kim Aram forced her spinning vision to focus and glared at the enemy before her.

Lee Yeji was silently looking for an opening, as if to say, ‘Is this all you’ve got?’.

And of course, she had no intention of stopping here.

“Uaaaaah!!!”

Now.

Now, now.

Now, now, now.

Not wanting to let go of the opportunity she had seized, Kim Aram continued her relentless barrage.

This wasn’t a turn-based game. This moment, right now, was also her turn.

So, she continued to press her advantage and push Lee Yeji back, until.

“Ah.”

Kim Aram realized that Lee Yeji had slipped her punch and was counterattacking.

She knew she had to block, but her body wouldn’t move properly.

A sharp pain erupted.

Kim Aram gritted her teeth, feeling Lee Yeji’s fist dig into her side.

She tried to regain her composure, but it was difficult.

An attack unlike any she had felt before… a single blow that erased all her fighting spirit.

Kim Aram managed to withstand the blow and regained her balance.

“You, this…”

Muttering that, Kim Aram gritted her teeth again.

Lee Yeji was exuding a menacing aura, as if she was saying, ‘I’m going to kill you.’

It was enough to make her cower, but for some reason, it was less intense than the muzzle of that gun.

So, she could overcome it.

Unlike then, she could move.

Because she wanted to win. Because she didn’t want to back down.

Kim Aram used her ability again, knowing her body was at its limit.

Time stopped again.

She trembled, then threw another punch.

Starting with that first strike that penetrated Lee Yeji’s ribs, she began her barrage again.

After dozens of blows in what felt like six to seven seconds, Kim Aram caught her breath.

“…Kuh!”

Lee Yeji’s body was pushed back.

Kim Aram didn’t miss the opportunity and slid across the floor.

On one hand, she wondered if she could really win against Lee Yeji.

Seeing her still standing after taking so many hits, she was beyond astonished; she was dumbfounded.

But such weak thoughts soon disappeared.

In this brief moment, Kim Aram once again sought to grow her ability.

A desperate 0.5-second body acceleration.

Kim Aram maintained a much smoother movement than before and leaned back.

With a loud *thud*, Lee Yeji’s fist struck the air.

She then leaned forward, using the momentum to push off the ground.

Time stopped once more.

She efficiently used two seconds of her perceived time to evade Lee Yeji’s attacks.

And naturally, she wrapped her body around Lee Yeji’s arm and secured her position.

“It’s… over…!”

A perfect chokehold.

And Kim Aram didn’t stop there.

Lee Yeji was a snake beastman.

She already knew that she wouldn’t be able to knock her out without properly choking her neck.

So, she used her tail as well, wrapping it around her neck as if she were hanging her.

Now, she could win.

With that thought, Kim Aram continued to choke her.

If she could just hold on for a few more seconds, she would win.

So, she resolved not to let go no matter what, when Lee Yeji shook her body violently.

Of course, Kim Aram didn’t let go.

Just as she was about to cling on with every ounce of her strength, her body tumbled to the floor.

“…What?”

Kim Aram was stunned for a moment before she understood the situation.

Shedding skin.

Lee Yeji had clearly shed the skin of the area she had grabbed to escape the chokehold.

“That’s cheating…!”

Muttering that, Kim Aram let out a hollow laugh, then gritted her teeth.

She had clenched them so hard that her jaw was numb, but she clenched them even harder to regain her focus.

Her lungs screamed. The blood that dripped from her fists formed a puddle.

She wanted to collapse, but her heart, which felt like it was about to explode, throbbed and shouted to her.

Didn’t she want to win?

“Of course, I want to win…!”

And Kim Aram responded to that cry by desperately using her ability.

Immediately after, time completely stopped.

She stood still for a while, savoring the sensation.

The thrill of having evolved in the face of death coursed through her body.

But on the other hand, she also felt a sense of crisis.

Her body, pushed to its absolute limit, had given her one last chance.

Although her ability had evolved, her depleted stamina hadn’t returned.

So, let’s end it this time.

With that resolve, Kim Aram clenched her fist one last time.

She spread her feet shoulder-width apart, prepared for the upcoming barrage, and filled her lungs with air.

The final 4 minutes and 11 seconds began.

“Brace yourself!!!!”

With a desperate cry, Kim Aram threw her fist with all her might.

And she began to throw punches as if she were going to shatter Lee Yeji’s head.

No matter how much of a beastman Lee Yeji was.

No matter how she had managed to withstand nearly a hundred punches.

She didn’t think she could withstand a hundred blows to the head.

So, Kim Aram continued her fierce attack, even as she coughed up dark blood.

She didn’t even consider conserving her strength for the next preliminary round.

“For me, this… is the final!!!”

With that cry, a desperate series of blows followed.

It was a force that would have knocked out an ordinary person long ago, but Lee Yeji maintained her consciousness even as the final moments ticked away.

No, she wasn’t just maintaining her consciousness.

“…Are you done?”

Kim Aram panted and glared at Lee Yeji with eyes full of hatred.

She could see her standing there, as if nothing had happened, despite having her face battered so relentlessly.

Lee Yeji raised her hand and wiped the blood from her nose with the back of her hand.

It was as if she was saying, ‘If you have something to say, say it now.’ Kim Aram clenched her fist instead of replying.

She could see the bone that had broken and pierced through her skin.

She could also see the blood she had coughed up, staining the floor.

‘Ah, I don’t think they can broadcast this.’

Thinking that for a moment, Kim Aram realized that the final moment had come.

She glared at Lee Yeji, who had just taken her stance, and took her own.

Kim Aram aimed for her jaw, but Lee Yeji’s fist embedded itself in her stomach faster.

With a sensation of something breaking, Kim Aram finally lost consciousness.

When she regained her senses, she was already in a hospital room.

Kim Aram realized that she was in a hospital affiliated with the academy.

She could see her family members beside her, flustered and panicked.

“…Me.”

She tried to say something, but then she began to sob.

She wanted to tell her family that she was fine and have a normal conversation, but she was too frustrated.

In the end, she asked for some time alone and sobbed in the private room for a while.

She had put everything on the line, believing she could win, but she had lost. That’s what frustrated her.

On the other hand, she also vaguely understood that she had no choice but to lose, so she just sighed.

There was still another chance.

So, she thought that she could win again in her second year, when her phone vibrated.

Kim Aram stared blankly at the name that appeared on the screen and answered the call.

“…Lee Yeji? Hello?”

– Hello? Aram, is that you? Run.

“Wh-what do you mean, suddenly?”

– Run, I said. Jump out the window or something. You’re strong enough now that you won’t get hurt if you jump.

“What are you talking about? Ah, the doctor is here.”

Saying that, Kim Aram turned her head.

And that was the last moment she remembered.