The Mythology Games

Chapter II

Three days after his encounter with Kronos, he found himself in a brawl trying to defend a girl from being robbed by thugs. Sure, he had stolen from stores and people, but he could tell from their faces that they were not only going to rob the maiden but had... other intentions for her. Though having to live on the streets for a period of time, he still has not yet lost his morality of preventing misfortune from befalling others.

However, when he glanced at their faces, he immediately regretted his decision.

They were the ones that beat him up a few days ago.

One of them with a scar on his right brow recognized him and shouted, "boss, it's the stealing brat from before!"

The man with a scar on his face glanced at his direction. "So you want to pick a fight with us again, thief?"

Julius recalled the brawl they had a few days ago. That also brought up the memories of receiving time powers from Kronos. Though not fully believing the seeming madman, no ordinary person could make cards disappear into people's bodies and know their backstory. This time, he was confident.

"No man with morals could just stand by when a lady is violated by thugs," Julius said. Putting on a brave face, he tried to hide his fear, but he could still hear his voice trembling.

"Stop trying to fake that you're not scared." The man stared at him, "Besides, it's 5 on 1. There is no chance in hell that you will win against us."

Following that announcement, a small guy rushed in, trying to get the first hit. But Julius had been living on the streets for seven years, and of course, he had learned how to fight. Dodging the little man's punch, Julius sent his elbow down to the back of the head. After taking one hit, the ignorant person groaned and collapsed onto the ground.

"This kid...!" A thin man stabbed his knife towards Julius. He dodged sideways, yet the stab quickly turned into a cut. It was due to his imbalance that the swipe missed. After that narrow miss, Julius sent in a kick to the stomach, staltering the man. With swift movements, he twisted the man's wrist and took hold of the weapon. A palm strike to the forehead defeated another enemy.

They started to look wary. A teenager that cannot defeat three men now finished two of their members in a few seconds. It was not possible, though, to learn such techniques just in two or three days. They wanted to leave, but their own pride stopped them from backing off. That would be an action equivalent to admitting defeat to a boy who is wet behind the ears.

It was at the same moment when they showed signs of backing off that Julius noticed something strange.

They looked slow.

Normally, no matter how much he increased his thinking speed or experienced adrenaline bursts, people did not slow down that much. The difference was barely visible. But now, they looked like that they slowed down by two to three times. Besides, he can feel that his power, speed, and agility have also increased. He knew that without these changes, he would never develop such skills in three days.

He corrected himself. Two days, twenty hours, seventeen minutes and forty seconds. Wait. Why did he know the time so precisely? He found that in a corner of his brain kept a timer that counts time as it goes by. It was until now that he realized that he had truly received time powers from Kronos, whether he liked it or not. He had to survive to bring his mother back to life. Now, his mission is to defeat the gang in front of him.

The rest of the gang dashed into motion. But to Julius, it looked like that they were merely jogging. That is why he used this chance to try out his powers.

"Time Stop -The World!"

A golden shockwave exploded with Julius at the centre. The waves sent everything into stop motion. Recalling that if Earth were to stop its spinning suddenly, everything would be sent flying at faster than the speed of sound, he braced for impact.

There was none.

He also started to wonder if he could still breathe as air should also be frozen in time, but he discovered that he could still intake and exhale air. Everything is tinged with yellow now, but that did not stop him from finding his opponents that are frozen in a running position. Then, he walked over to them finishing them off, each with less than three hits. Despite the fact that their time continued upon contact, they were confused by the view of the not-moving world and their fallen comrades.

After finishing the leader off, Julius snapped his fingers and everything went back to normal. Using it for approximately thirty seconds, he could hear an emotionless voice in his head saying, "Thirty minutes used. Thirty minutes left." He assumed that was the "cost" of using his abilities and he set The World as a ratio of a second for a minute as his payment.

Stealing them of their valuables, he justified his actions by their action and was disappointed when he only found $30. He decided to get himself full to prepare for the Mythology Games five days, three hours and forty minutes later.

Days passed by quickly. In a blink of the eye, it is already the seventh day. Julius walked out of the fancy Italian restaurant he had just dined in. He could still recall the faces of the astonishing beautiful female and handsome male inside the restaurant. Leaving the thought behind, he checked the remaining time. Five minutes. He went into a bathroom stall nearby as the timer reached the last minute. When it hit zero, golden light surged around him, spiraling and sending the doors flying. As he glowed white, he considered what is there for him to remember. With a nonchalant shrug as he was one with no family and friends, he welcomed the infinite possibilities that are going to expand before him. After all, he got a once-in-a-life chance to see dragons and fairies. With that thought, he disappeared from the Mortal Plane.