Bully Lord

Part-192

When he arrived at his house and entered his bed room, he locked the door behind him and pulled the lamp out from the drawer where he had stashed it. The lamp was sleek, with a polished bronze finish and intricate engravings running along its surface. It looked ancient yet strangely modern, a fusion of both old-world charm and advanced craftsmanship.

He turned it over in his hands, searching for any sign of how it might work. There were no obvious buttons or switches. Hesitant but curious, James decided to focus on the lamp, trying to will it into action the same way he activated his system’s interface. Nothing happened.

He frowned. Maybe it required a trigger word or phrase?

James stood in the center of his room and spoke aloud. "Lamp of Time, activate."

The lamp remained unchanged, its polished surface glinting in the afternoon sunlight. James felt a little foolish, but he was determined to figure it out. He focused harder this time, speaking again with more confidence.

"Show me what you can do."

However, he abandoned the mystical approach and simply set oil lamp ablaze with fire.

To a soft, golden light began to emanate from the lamp’s base, casting a gentle glow throughout the room. The fire pulsed rhythmically, almost like a heartbeat. James’s heart raced. He felt an odd sensation in his chest, as if the air around him had shifted. His vision blurred for a moment, and when it cleared, he noticed something different—the world around him seemed frozen.

James blinked, unsure of what had just happened. Everything was still—completely still. The birds outside his window were frozen mid-flight, their wings suspended in the air. The clock on his desk had stopped ticking, its second hand frozen in place. Even the distant sound of chatter from the campus had vanished.

Had he... stopped time?

His mind whirled with excitement and disbelief. The Lamp of Time had activated, freezing everything around him. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of adrenaline. The possibilities raced through his mind. If time had truly stopped, what could he do with this power? Could he use it during fights, to gain an edge in battle? Could he freeze moments during exams to think through tough problems without losing a second?

But a deeper question also tugged at him—how long could he keep time frozen? And more importantly, how did he start it again?

James cautiously placed the lamp back on his desk, unsure of what to do next. As he sat down, another mission notification appeared on his front like a game.

**[Mission 24: Discover all functions of the Lamp of Time.]** 

**Reward: INT +5** 

**Penalty: Decreased stamina regeneration by 50%.**

James smiled. It looked like his journey with the Lamp of Time had just begun.

Though James had initially planned to relax, waiting for the frozen world around him to return to normal, his plans were abruptly interrupted when a mission prompt appeared in front of him.