RE: LORD OF TIME

"You... How did you do it?"

William looked at Kevin, who was staring at him with a pale face and thought for a moment.

From the original timeline, William knew that Kevin was an arrogant asshole who looked down on everyone.

Although he was arrogant enough that you would want to beat him just by talking to him, his character wasn’t actually that bad.

During the war against the Abyss, he had already become the head of the Dreadmere Family and inherited the title of Duke.

And he was actually someone who always fought on the frontlines, holding the Northern Frontline against the Abyssal invasion.

William’s contact with Kevin while he was inside the academy had been limited. Other than seeing him a few times and occasionally hearing about how arrogant he was, William didn’t know much about him.

Especially after the academy ended and Kevin later inherited the title of Duke, their paths rarely crossed.

Although William didn’t have much contact with him, he knew that Kevin had changed a lot after becoming a Duke and had also protected many people on the Northern Front during the war.

’Maybe his current arrogance is just youthful whim. He has a Legendary Grade Trait, a powerful background, and has already been declared as the next heir. If he doesn’t show some arrogance with that kind of setup, then I don’t know who should.’

Everything flashed through William’s mind in an instant, and in the end, he decided to take a gamble.

’If it works, he might be able to become stronger a bit faster than in the original timeline, and his arrogance might also be cured. But if it doesn’t and he comes back later to look for trouble, I will beat him until even his own mother wouldn’t recognize him.’

William walked outside the crumbled ring and looked down at Kevin, who was kneeling on the ground with a pale face.

"The way you use your trait is completely trash. Letting your trait run wild while you don’t do anything, do you think everyone is trash with weak willpower?" He said with a look of disdain.

"Forget about me. Even the little kids in my village would be able to break free from the effect of your trait because, since childhood, we have had to face a lot of problems that cultivate our Willpower. As long as your opponent’s Willpower is strong enough, they can easily break free from the effect of your trait."

Kevin felt as if he had been struck by a hammer upon hearing William’s harsh words, and his face turned even paler.

"Trash control... Even children can break free..." He muttered with a blank look, looking as if his soul was about to leave his body.

For someone like him, who had always been praised for his talent and strength, hearing those kinds of words was truly a hard blow.

Moreover, he couldn’t even refute William because he had seen with his own eyes how easily William had broken free from the effect of his trait.

Seeing Kevin looking as if he was about to lose his will to live, William was taken aback and quickly spoke again.

After all, he didn’t want Kevin to turn into a useless person who had lost all motivation.

"But if you use your trait properly and take control of it yourself instead of simply letting it run wild, you will be able to bring out its true power. For example, instead of merely showing your opponent their fears, try manipulating those fears and turning them into something even more dangerous. Or instead of showing them their existing fears, create new fears for them."

Kevin’s eyes regained some of their luster, and he asked in a hopeful voice.

"Manipulate their fears... Create new fears... Can I do that?"

William shrugged his shoulders.

"It’s up to you to find out."

As he spoke, William turned around to leave. Then, he seemed to remember something and glanced back at Kevin.

"By the way, I hope you brought someone familiar with you. Because I don’t think you will be able to walk back on your own."

Hearing William’s words, Kevin remembered what he had said to him earlier, and his face flushed with embarrassment.

’It’s actually quite fun to tease this arrogant fellow.’

William thought as he began walking toward the stands where Liam and Alicia were.

The students in the stands were still in a state of shock, and they looked at his retreating figure with astonishment.

"Just what was that final attack? I feel like even I wouldn’t be able to withstand that attack." A third-year student who was at the Peak of the Star Commander Realm asked with a shocked look on his face.

"Was that a skill he used at the end?"

"How can a skill used by a Star Warrior be so powerful? It must have been something else."

"If it wasn’t a Skill, then was that a Battle Art?"

"Damn, look at that barrier. It even has cracks in it."

"Since he managed to damage the ring’s barrier, doesn’t that mean the power of that attack had reached the Star Lord Level?"

"How is this possible? How can he defeat Kevin so easily?"

Maya’s mind was in complete chaos as she stared at the crumbled ring with her eyes wide open.

She had sparred with Kevin in the past and had been defeated by him. Knowing his strength, she had been certain that even if both of them possessed Legendary Grade Traits, Kevin would easily be able to defeat William.

However, reality had turned out to be completely different.

As someone from one of the Duke Families, she had seen a lot of things and was certain that the move William had used earlier had already exceeded the scope of the Star Commander Realm.

That attack was powerful enough to even injure a Star Lord, which was simply absurd considering William was only at the Middle Stage of the Star Warrior Realm.

"Just what the hell is this guy?"

Similar to Maya, Edrin was also shocked.

After what had happened earlier, Edrin wanted nothing more than to tear William apart.

Similar to Maya, he had also believed that he was far stronger than William. But after seeing that final attack, his confidence completely crumbled.

’This guy might become an obstacle in my path.’

He thought inwardly, and killing intent flashed within his eyes.

Standing in one of the top stands of the battle arena, Norman looked at the figure walking away, his breathing uneven.

"How can his control over his trait have reached the second stage? A Star Warrior simply doesn’t have enough soul power to manifest the power of their trait in the outside world."

Norman’s mind was in complete chaos, as it was the first time in his long life that he had seen something like this.

In fact, it wasn’t just Norman who was shocked to his core. Many other powerful figures in the stands had also recognized the move William had used earlier.

"President, the thing he used just now... It wasn’t a skill or battle art, right?"

Joseph, the president of the Student Council, took a deep breath before speaking in a low voice.

"The sword move he used at the end was an extremely powerful battle art, but a battle art alone couldn’t display such power. The reason he nearly destroyed the entire ring was because he successfully manifested the power of his trait into the outside world."

He paused before adding.

"And his trait seems to have a very powerful amplification effect on sword moves. Didn’t you notice earlier? The instant he manifested the power of his trait, the entire ring turned into a domain of sharp swords, nearly cutting down Kevin without him needing to do anything."

Noah’s breath hitched, and he asked with his eyes wide open.

"But, President, isn’t manifesting a trait’s power into the outside world only possible for people at the Star King Realm and above?"

Joseph remained silent upon hearing Noah’s question, as he himself was very confused.

After thinking for a moment, he instructed Noah.

"When you meet him next time, ask him if he’s interested in joining the Student Council."

As William walked toward the stands, the people who came across him automatically parted ways, looking at him with awe.

William didn’t care about this and soon reached Alicia and Liam, who were also standing there with their eyes wide open.

Seeing William, they hurried over to him, and Liam quickly asked.

"Holy crap! What was that move you used just now?"

William chuckled when he saw Liam’s shocked expression and patted him on the shoulder.

"Let’s go. I will explain it while we eat."

As he spoke, William was about to leave with Liam and Alicia.

But just then, a voice echoed inside his mind.

’Brat, come to the top stand to see me.’

Hearing Norman’s voice, William’s footsteps paused, and his lips curled upward slightly.

’It seems he finally confirmed his guess.’