Chapter 24: The Time Reversal Trap

Desperation flickered in Jinyoung’s chest, but he forced himself to remain calm. The figure’s control over time was immense, but it wasn’t perfect. There had to be a way to counter it.

As the figure advanced, Jinyoung focused on his Space Manipulation. With a flick of his hand, he summoned several enchanted weapons from his personal dimension, launching them toward the figure. But once again, time warped around them, and the weapons froze in mid-air, hovering uselessly.

"I control the flow of time here," the figure said. "Your efforts are meaningless."

Jinyoung’s mind raced. Control the flow of time… The phrase repeated in his head. He needed to find a way to disrupt that control.

The figure moved closer, their sword raised for the finishing blow, when suddenly, Jinyoung felt a shift in the air—a subtle fluctuation in the flow of mana. It was faint, but it was there.

The figure’s control wasn’t absolute. Their manipulation of time left brief gaps, moments where the flow of time returned to normal. Jinyoung would have to time his attack perfectly.

As the figure’s blade descended toward him, Jinyoung gritted his teeth and waited—counting the milliseconds as the distorted space around him flickered.

And then it came—the gap.

In that instant, Jinyoung’s body blurred, and he activated Ultra Instinct, his movements becoming faster than thought. Time snapped back to normal as he darted behind the figure, his sword glowing with concentrated mana.

SLASH!

His blade cut through the air, striking the figure’s back with a force that sent them stumbling forward. The armor cracked, and for the first time, the figure let out a sharp gasp of pain.

Jinyoung didn’t waste the opportunity. He pressed forward, launching a barrage of attacks—each one perfectly timed to exploit the gaps in the figure’s temporal control.

The figure staggered, their movements slowing as Jinyoung’s strikes landed with precision. But then, with a snarl, the figure unleashed a surge of temporal energy, sending a wave of distorted time crashing into Jinyoung.

WHAM!

Jinyoung was thrown backward, his body slamming into the dungeon wall. Pain shot through him as he struggled to stand, his vision swimming. The figure approached, their black armor now cracked and leaking dark energy.

"You’ve delayed the inevitable," the figure growled, their voice laced with frustration. "But you cannot change your fate, marked one. You will fail the trials, and humanity will fall."

Jinyoung wiped the blood from his lip, his eyes blazing with determination. "I don’t believe in fate."

The figure raised their sword once more, but before they could strike, a sudden tremor shook the dungeon. The walls cracked, and the ground split open beneath them.

"What…?" The figure’s voice wavered as the entire dungeon began to collapse.

Jinyoung’s All-Knowing Eye flickered, revealing a surge of chaotic mana beneath the surface. The dungeon was unstable—it couldn’t contain the temporal energy the figure was using.

The figure cursed, their control over time faltering. The momentary disruption gave Jinyoung the opening he needed. He summoned all of his remaining mana, focusing it into his sword.

With a roar, Jinyoung unleashed a final strike—his sword glowing with both light and darkness, cutting through the figure’s armor and severing the flow of temporal energy around them.

BOOM!

The impact shook the entire dungeon, and the figure let out a scream as their body was enveloped in a vortex of collapsing time. The energy swirled around them, pulling them into the void.

But just before they disappeared, the figure’s voice echoed one last time.

"You haven’t won, marked one. This is only the beginning."

And with that, the figure vanished, leaving Jinyoung alone in the collapsing dungeon.

Chapter 25: The Aftermath and Revelation

Jinyoung barely had time to catch his breath before the dungeon’s collapse accelerated. The walls crumbled, and the ground beneath him split apart, threatening to drag him into the abyss. He activated his space manipulation, opening a portal just in time to escape the collapsing dungeon.

He landed back in the academy grounds, his body battered and bruised from the battle. His mind raced as he tried to process what had just happened.

The figure—an entity from beyond time itself—had been sent to stop him. To ensure that humanity failed the trials. And they had wielded powers that mirrored his own, but with an even greater control over time.

As he stood there, catching his breath, the system appeared once again.

[Warning: A new threat has emerged.]

[The forces of the ancient entities have begun to interfere with the trials.]

[Your mission: Uncover the true purpose of the dungeons and prepare for the coming conflict.]

Jinyoung clenched his fists. This was bigger than he had imagined. The dungeons weren’t just trials for personal growth—they were part of a cosmic war, and the ancient entities were now directly interfering.

And there was more. The figure’s parting words echoed in his mind.

"This is only the beginning."

A cold realization washed over him. There would be others—other entities sent to stop him, each more powerful than the last. His battles had only just begun.

But as he looked toward the distant horizon, Jinyoung felt something stir within him. A fire. A resolve.

He would survive. He would fight.

And he would uncover the truth behind the dungeons—no matter the cost.

The next few days passed in a blur for Jinyoung. His body was recovering, but his mind was far from settled. The encounter with the temporal entity had left him shaken, not because of the physical threat it posed, but because of the implications. His very existence—his return to the past—was a threat to forces far beyond anything he had imagined.

Each night, as he lay awake in his room, he could still hear the echo of the entity’s words.

“This is only the beginning.”

The weight of that warning clung to him like a shadow. The entity’s ability to warp time, freezing his attacks and controlling the flow of battle, was far beyond any power he had encountered. It felt like an omnipresent force, something woven into the fabric of reality itself.

And it wasn’t just one entity. There would be more.

Jinyoung couldn’t afford to remain stagnant. His powers were growing, but so were the dangers. He needed to get stronger—and fast. But more importantly, he needed to understand the truth behind the dungeons and why these ancient entities were so determined to stop him.