Instant Kill, Time-Stop Spellcaster

Kyle.

The hero who saved the world.

The strongest spellcaster.

He was reincarnated.

With a new name, Kang Hyun.

Not in his original world, but on Earth in the 21st century.

At first, he felt like he was on cloud nine.

“My chronic vocal nodules… they’re gone!”

Vocal nodules for a spellcaster?

The worst curse imaginable.

Even so, he was the strongest. Yet he always had regrets.

If only he hadn’t had those nodules, he could’ve reached even greater heights.

He might not have died during the final battle.

But now he was reincarnated, and of course, they were completely healed.

Those damned vocal nodules!

Reborn Kyle, now Kang Hyun, made a resolution.

“I’ll take care of my throat properly this time.”

Throat Care Rule #1.

Stay hydrated.

Throat Care Rule #2.

Always stick to Rule #1.

“Disciple, fetch me some water.”

“Lukewarm, I assume?”

“Exactly.”

Always wear a mask.

Speak less.

“Here you are, sir.”

He drank the water brought by his elf student.

Pure filtered water—a marvel of modern civilization.

Earth truly was amazing.

“Thanks to science and technology, life is convenient. Peaceful. And the water is great, don’t you agree?”

“This is the nth time you’ve said that. My ears are about to sprout calluses.”

“No amount of gratitude is enough. Appreciate the world you live in.”

“Teacher, you sound like a boomer.”

“You want to die?”

Everything was good.

Except for one thing.

When he reincarnated, he discovered a “gate” leading back to his original world was open.

And the black world tree he had sealed at the end? It was breaking free.

The gate was invading Earth.

But hey, his vocal nodules were gone!

Time to kill it again.

What’s stopping him?

He sipped his water.

Actually… a lot.

“…When am I going to awaken?”

“There you go again. Just drink your water.”

How could the human species on Earth have zero mana?

After the two worlds connected, a tiny fraction of humans started awakening.

Only awakened ones could use mana.

But they were, literally, a tiny fraction.

Even after his reincarnation and all these years, Kang Hyun showed no signs of awakening.

Ding!

[The Hero’s Allocation has been activated.]

[You have awakened.]

[Receive the Blessing of Growth to oppose the Black World Tree.]

“Pffft—!”

“Ugh! What’s happening, sir!?”

Is this for real?

[Analyzing the awakened individual…]

[A seal on your abilities has been detected.]

During his final battle, the Black World Tree had sealed his spells.

This led to his death.

Though he successfully sealed the Black World Tree in turn…

If only his throat had been fine back then.

‘Why is the seal still here?’

[Initiating the unsealing process.]

[With each condition met, a random spell will be unsealed.]

Ding!

[The spell 【Stop】 has been unsealed.]

Kang Hyun shot to his feet.

The water up his nose and his drenched student were no longer relevant.

‘I can feel it!’

Mana!

The unsealed spell!

“Wait, why did you spit water everywhere? Where are you going, sir?”

“I’m going to report my awakening!”

“What!?”

Kang Hyun threw on a coat and dashed out.

Then he paused.

‘Oh, right. My mask.’

Warmth and moisture protection were essential for throat care.

Especially in this season of changing weather.

He donned a black mask and stepped out of [Kang Hyun’s Magic Academy].

After a few minutes of walking, a plaza unfolded before him.

He stopped in front of a statue.

At the center of the plaza stood a monument to the seven heroes, including his past self, Kyle.

A hundred years had passed since Kyle’s death and the connection between Earth and his original world.

Now Earthlings learned about and revered the heroes.

Why?

To encourage awakened individuals.

To close the gates.

If the gates weren’t closed, monsters would overrun the cities, leaving devastation in their wake.

Heroes were awesome. They were great.

Awakened ones, who wielded powers akin to heroes, were also awesome and honorable.

To instill this perception, nations across the globe actively idolized the heroes of the other world.

“Mommy, I want flowers!”

“Sure, sweetie~”

A child approached a florist, handed over a crumpled bill, and received a clover bouquet.

The child placed it gently before Kyle’s statue.

The mother smiled warmly.

What a sweet, innocent child, showing respect to a great figure!

Hero worship was said to be beneficial for children’s emotional development.

Flowers piled up before the statue.

People still occasionally brought offerings.

That’s why the plaza had four florists in sight.

The funny thing was, the hero being honored was alive and standing right there.

‘Thanks a lot.’

It was heartwarming.

If only that gate weren’t there.

“Mommy, when will that go away?”

“We gave the flowers, now let’s go. The gate is dangerous!”

Kang Hyun frowned.

A gate had appeared at the edge of the plaza a few days ago.

It was disrupting the view.

A raid team had gone in, so it would disappear soon enough.

Kang Hyun ignored it and enjoyed the moment.

Admiring his own statue.

Maybe it was the awakening, but it seemed even cooler now.

‘They did a great job.’

Truly, he was grateful.

Grateful, but—

‘They could’ve preserved the spells too.’

Maybe designate them as cultural heritage or something.

Spells were considered too hard and had fallen into disuse.

No one could use them anymore.

Once the signature of ancient heroes, they were now just special effects in movies.

‘Still, having my achievements honored like this isn’t bad.’

Looking at the statue, he often reminisced about his comrades.

“Wait, what’s that?”

Suddenly, a bird-shaped monster appeared out of nowhere.

Flap—

It collided with the statue.

Crash.

The statue’s head snapped off.

Kyle’s head.

“You son of a—!”

My statue!

What the hell is a monster doing here?

“Ahhhhhh!”

“The gate has collapsed! Run!”

“Mommy! Mommyyyyy!”

The plaza descended into chaos.

The gate began spewing monsters.

Alarms blared.

WEEEOOO WEEEOOO—

[Gate collapse detected. Citizens, please evacuate to the nearest shelter. This is a public safety alert…]

People scattered in a panic.

But Kang Hyun stood still, staring at the pouring monsters.

‘I can’t take this.’

His throat itched.

It screamed to use a spell.

After reincarnation, he’d waited so long for this moment!

‘Just once. Just one target.’

Excitedly, he cleared his throat.

‘Wait, what?’

In the distance, a child fell.

The one who had placed clover flowers before his statue.

A monster descended upon the child.

“Mommyyyyy!”

“No! Suna!”

Kang Hyun pulled down his mask.

“【Stop】.”

The word reverberated through the plaza.

And the plaza stopped.

The pouring monsters.

The fleeing people. The scattering flowers.

The fallen child, the screaming mother, and the monster looming above them.

Everything stopped.

“Uh….”

This wasn’t what he meant to do.

He’d aimed for just the one monster.

But it had been so long, he’d miscalculated the resonance.

He tried to undo the spell immediately, but he’d used up all his mana in that one move.

‘Damn this Earthling body!’

Now an F-rank, freshly awakened.

His mana reserves were pitiful.

The frozen people darted their eyes toward him.

He quickly pulled his mask back up and adjusted his hood.

‘Will this be a problem?’

Abusing awakening abilities was a serious crime.

But he’d accidentally frozen everyone.

‘In the end, it worked out.’

No casualties.

The spell would fade on its own eventually.

And it had bought time for the military and other awakened ones to arrive.

Yeah. No problem.

Time to leave.

“My apologies, everyone.”

The plaza remained eerily silent.

Ahem.

His throat felt dry.

Time to hydrate.

###

The daily morning current affairs program, Everlasting Glory, was live on air as usual. The broadcast opened peacefully in Hero Square, but viewers quickly noticed something odd.

“Mom, the TV’s frozen. Is it broken?”

“Contact support.”

It wasn’t a TV malfunction. Posts began appearing on the broadcaster’s community board:

└ Is it just me, or is the screen stuck?

└ Broadcasting mishap?

└ Can’t they get live broadcasts right?

└ Chill. Live shows have their risks.

At first, everyone thought it was a technical issue. Then they noticed something strange.

└ The screen isn’t frozen; look! The clouds are moving.

└ Wait, there’s a bird flying in the background.

└ What’s going on?

Awakeners—those with special abilities—were no strangers to media coverage, practically living like quasi-celebrities. But one who could stop time? That was unheard of.

The scene of the world coming to a halt was mesmerizingly surreal, like a cinematic masterpiece.

└ Did I switch to a movie channel by mistake?

└ Same here. Thought it was a film at first.

The imagery resembled something out of an epic movie about heroes, where time-stopping abilities were showcased as ultimate finishing moves.

Passersby at the square marveled, snapping pictures and videos that went viral on social media.

“Hi, YouTube! I’m live-streaming this right now. See this? It’s not CGI. I’m standing in a frozen world!”

└ Isn’t that Hero Square?

└ Such clickbait. Classic YouTubers these days.

└ Ridiculous levels of clickbait. Reporting this.

“No, seriously! Look, even random people are taking photos over there!”

└ Is this real? It’s happening right outside my house! I just checked.

└ No way.

The phenomenon quickly gained public attention, with reports confirming the square’s gate collapse. Awakened combat units were deployed, and miraculously, no casualties occurred.

It was the bizarre stillness that prevented any loss of life. Finally, people began to believe the videos weren’t doctored.

In the heart of Seoul, an unprecedented anomaly captured the world’s attention, with survivors’ testimonies making headlines.

“I thought we were goners. I even considered sacrificing myself as bait just to save my child!”

Gate collapses were the most feared disasters, often leading to catastrophic loss of life. This time, the collapse happened in densely populated central Seoul and involved colony-type monster floods, known for inflicting massive civilian casualties.

But against all odds, a miracle occurred.

A child, who had been pulled into the media spotlight, appeared before cameras, exclaiming, “Kyle saved me! I gave him flowers, and he saved me!”

Her sparkling eyes reflected pure admiration.

“He said, ‘Stop!’ I heard him say it!”

While no one except the child believed in Kyle’s reincarnation, one thing was certain:

[A new S-Class Awakener emerges!]

A D-class awakener and a renowned professor of Gate Studies.

He spoke passionately on the broadcast.

###

Kang Hyun completed his Awakener registration and returned to the academy.

But suddenly, his diligent student Aden rushed toward him, panting.

“Te-teacher! Look at this!”

She shoved her phone in front of him.

“What is it?”

As the saying goes, “A thief’s foot burns.”

In fact, he had a pretty good idea of what it was.

It was a popular talk show analyzing awakened individuals.

However, it wasn’t a regular broadcast, but an emergency live broadcast.

[You’re an S-Class Awakener? Professor, please explain it in detail.]

[That’s definitely ‘Word’ magic.]

[Word magic? Isn’t that a legendary technique? It’s so difficult, something that disappeared in the modern age, like Kyle’s technique.]

It was so complicated.

Once thought to be a technique exclusive to dragons, it was also called “Dragon Magic.”

[Actually, it hasn’t completely vanished.]

[Really?]

[Word Magic is the original form of magic. Even today, first-class simple magic still resembles enchanting in structure.]

[So is that a first-class spell?]

[Are you kidding?]

[Just a joke.]

The sound of the audience laughing followed.

[Survivors testified that they clearly heard the word “Stop.” ]

【Stop】 was far beyond a first-class spell.

[That’s the high-level Word magic used only by Kyle!]

[So, are you saying no current S-Class magicians can create such a spectacle?]

[At present, no one can. That’s why it’s certain that this person is S-Class!]

[Who could it possibly be?]

[An isolated genius who rediscovered the hero’s legacy. There’s no other explanation.]

Kang Hyun sighed in relief.

Right, no one would reach the insane conclusion that the hero had been reincarnated.

It would be normal not to believe it.

One day, he would reveal it to the world.

That the hero, Kyle, had returned.

But…

‘Now is not the time.’

The people from the World Tree would come after him, eyes blazing with intent to kill.

‘They wouldn’t have revealed my face, right?’

Just as this thought crossed his mind, it was mentioned on the broadcast.

[What? All the CCTV cameras were down?]

‘That’s right.’

He had expected this.

It was all because of the new monsters that had appeared at that time.

‘Monsters from that world, I’m familiar with them.’

Humans from Earth were still in the process of gathering data.

Unlike them, Kyle had killed every monster there was.

[Oh no, it was an electric bird that emitted EMP pulses!]

[It’s a new species that has never been recorded before.]

[Ah, that’s why the raiding team failed!]

[The dangers of the gate come from the unknown.]

“Give me some water, disciple.”

“Yes, teacher.”

He was getting dry from the tension.

Hydration, hydration.

[So… does that mean we can’t find the person?]

[Thankfully! Our lab was able to restore one frame of CCTV footage!]

“Pfft!”

“Kyaaah! Teacher! Please!”

Aden, soaking wet or not, pulled the phone right in front of Kang Hyun’s face.

[Here, take a look!]

The quality of the photo was terrible.

But Kang Hyun was clearly visible in it.

[This matches the testimony exactly! A black hood with a skull emblem, a black mask!]

It was a good thing that he had changed clothes at home before heading out to register as an Awakener.

‘…I guess I can’t wear that hood anymore.’

Still, the photo quality was so bad that it seemed difficult to specifically identify him.

The broadcast continued.

[Very rarely, the legacy of a hero has been discovered in the world beyond the gate, Thea.]

[Those who find it typically rise to the strongest S-Class ranks, right?]

[Exactly.]

[Could this mysterious S-Class be the same?]

[No doubt about it! This is the legacy of Kyle, one of the greatest heroes!]

The professor clenched his fist.

[You must respect Kyle a lot.]

[Is there anyone who doesn’t?]

[True!]

Ugh.

Stop painting such a flattering picture of someone else’s face.

[Look at this! This person casually used high-level Word magic, then calmly walked away, leaving the aftermath to the military!]

He had actually fled.

[The only thing that mattered was saving the citizens! There’s no need for glory! Don’t look for me! Even though I had to keep my identity hidden due to certain circumstances, I couldn’t just walk past the citizens in front of me!]

He had awakened just then.

[Maybe the position of the Four Heavenly Kings in the world of Awakening will be altered! Now that it’s been revealed that such a talent exists in Korea, we must secure their identity and protect them!]

In the modern world, the power of an Awakener equates to national strength.

And this was an S-Class talent, no less.

Only two S-Class individuals existed in Korea!

The whole world would be searching with burning eyes.

It was the appearance of a super-class talent with the potential for major leaks.

The live comments section was already bursting with excitement.

Alongside that, Aden, the academy’s only student, was also fired up.

“Wow! This is amazing!”

Aden was squealing with excitement.

Usually, she seemed like a gloomy nerd, but when it came to things like this, her energy would rise, and she would act more feminine.

“The legacy of Hero Kyle has been resurrected! Is this a dream!?”

“Stop overreacting.”

“It’s not an overreaction!”

It wasn’t anything special for Kang Hyun.

Of course, it wasn’t. After all, Kyle was Kyle.

But for Aden, who was a huge fan of Kyle, this was world-shattering news.

“How is this not an overreaction?! He was a great hero, the most powerful man in history, who succeeded in sealing the World Tree in his final battle, extending the lifespan of the world significantly! He was the founder of magic, and known as the Father of Magic, and he united the kingdoms of Thea, founding the first union! And he brought together not only the six other heroes but also countless other figures under one banner—”

Classic otaku behavior.

When she got on a subject she liked, the TMI would just keep coming.

But to be listing Kyle’s achievements right in front of Kyle himself?

“Kyaaah! Please stop!”

It was so cringe that Kang Hyun couldn’t bear to listen.

The fabric of time and space seemed to contract in discomfort!

The great Kyle was writhing in agony on the floor.

“This kid, to think she’s talking about magic beyond what I can even grasp…”

“Anyway! Kyle’s legacy, Word magic—this is just so thrilling and amazing!”

Aden’s blue eyes sparkled like jewels.

“I don’t know who it is, but I really want to meet them and have a magic discussion…”

Aden hopped up and down in place.

Her impressively large chest bounced up and down along with her movements.

“That’s me.”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“The mysterious S-Class from the broadcast.”

“Haha. I see.”

Kang Hyun’s laugh was completely unconvincing.

So fake.

He wiped the wet floor where the water had spilled.

Aden helped him out too.

‘Did they say I’m the third S-Class to be born in Korea?’

I’m not S-Class though.

I can use enchanting magic and fight well, but my stats are those of a newbie who just awakened.

‘Well, if my mana keeps increasing…’

I’ll be able to crush most S-Class Awakeners.

No, what do you mean “S-Class” by today’s standards?

It’s the rebirth of Hero Kyle.

It’s going to be much higher than that.

Why? Because my throat is clean.

I’ve said goodbye to vocal cord strain!

I can now use enchanting magic all I want!

‘Anyway, I’m not S-Class right now.’

If I gain attention now, it’ll be a problem.

The World Tree side will come for my head.

But the world is already putting too much expectation on me.

Especially Aden, the Kyle fan right in front of me.

“Word magic! Kyle’s Word magic!”

Aden loves magic.

That’s why she’s been truly attentive during Kang Hyun’s lessons.

Even when others called him a fraud.

Even when the academy was on the verge of collapse.

Of course, she still didn’t believe in Word magic.

“Well, I don’t care about that anymore! Now that I’ve awakened, I can raise the Word magic myself!”

“You’re doing it again. What Word magic? Stop scamming people.”

“Do you want to taste 【Die】?”

She just doesn’t trust people.

“Forget it. Let’s go to the dungeon!”

“Huh? When did I say that?”

“Now!”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t stand the itch in my throat any longer.

###

In fact, after running out of mana, they departed the next day.

“Let’s take a taxi.”

“You’re a debt-ridden failure from a ruined academy. What taxi are you talking about?”

“…They say you can earn a lot once you become an Awakened.”

In the end, they decided to take the bus.

However, while waiting at the bus stop, Aden screamed.

“AAH!”

Aden collapsed from the shock.

She suddenly had a seizure on the street.

People around them quickly stepped back.

“What, what’s going on?! Why is she—?!”

“Aah, aah, aaah… Mana… Mana blockage…”

“Mana blockage?”

Oh, that’s right, she had a condition.

But was it mana blockage?

“Wait, this…”

Now that he was awakened, Kang hyun could feel the mana in him, a sensation carried over from his past life.

Unlike before, he could sense Aden’s condition.

Mana blockage had clogged her blood vessels.

If left untreated, her insides would be messed up, and she would die.

“Ugh, ambulance…”

“You won’t survive until the ambulance arrives.”

“Ugh, no…!”

Fear and tears filled her blue eyes.

“Excuse me.”

“Huh? What…?”

He placed his hand on Aden’s chest and injected mana into her.

It was the mana control technique of the great hero Kyle.

The mana moved through Aden’s blood vessels with precision.

It reached the troublesome blockage.

After a short while, Aden’s seizure subsided.

“Huh?”

“I only performed emergency treatment for now.”

“Uh, wait, huh?”

“You’re covered in dust. Let’s just go back for today.”

Aden started feeling herself, still disoriented from nearly dying.

The onlookers murmured around them.

“Good thing! He must be a healer!”

“Wow, she collapsed on the street, and she met such a rare healer. It’s like a drama.”

“That woman is incredibly lucky.”

“Are they traveling together?”

Some even pulled out their phones, ready to take pictures.

“Excuse me, you’re a healer, right? I have heart disease—”

“Please, take my business card. I’m the director of a clinic around the corner.”

“Sorry.”

“Excuse me, wait a moment!”

Kang hyun hurriedly took Aden and left the area.

The two returned to the academy.

“What did you do?!”

“I handled it.”

“Huh?”

It was a relief it worked out well.

They almost lost a promising aspiring mage.

‘Her talent is extraordinary. She can’t just die like this.’

Aden was a magic genius.

She was even a great talent by the standards of Hero Kyle.

But she was born with misfortune.

“Mana blockage, huh?”

Such a pity.

Aden was from another world, Thea, not Earth.

And she was an elf.

Despite being an elf, she was small and physically weak.

Her chest was unusually large, though.

‘Well, she has pointed ears, so she should’ve been born with mana.’

But she was cursed with mana blockage.

She couldn’t use mana in her body.

That’s why she was cast out of her prestigious family.

‘Actually, it’s an unfair situation.’

Kanghyun knew the cause of the disease through his past life’s experience.

‘The problem is, she’s too talented.’

Her mana purity was too high by birth.

The mana density was so high that it solidified in her blood vessels.

That was mana blockage.

“Well, it’s not going to be fixed by just saying ‘I did well.'”

“Why not? It worked, didn’t it?”

“When I was little, the best doctors and mages in Thea could only barely handle it when I had a seizure…”

“Wow, sounds like you were from a really wealthy family.”

“That’s not the point!”

It was the point.

Money.

‘Awakened people make a lot of money, right?’

He had to pay off his debts.

His ultimate goal was, of course, to defeat the Black World Tree.

But not just yet.

‘Honestly, right now everything’s pretty peaceful.’

Besides, he was still too weak.

It was better to get stronger slowly.

No need to rush.

‘I’ll get stronger with this system thing!’

In his past life, he had only been struggling with nothing but brute force.

Since Kyle was born as a lowly mercenary.

He reached the peak, but it was terribly inefficient.

‘Overworking myself led to things like that damn vocal cord strain.’

The other six heroes were all from prestigious families.

‘Though I was often ridiculed for being of low birth.’

Now, even those taunts felt nostalgic.

But those were memories he’d never relive.

Anyway!

This life would be different.

‘I’m going to follow the elite path this time!”’

Easy and fast growth!

He’d make a lot of money!

“Ugh, come on… Can you tell me how you did it?”

“Would you believe me if I told you?”

“Teacher, you’re my lifesaver. What do you think I see you as?!”

“I am Kyle’s reincarnation!”

“Ugh, this guy!”

“Ha! What about you, elf? You said you believed me!”

Aden made a face as though she was tired of it.

It seemed like she was giving up.

“Since you seem unwilling to say it, I’ll stop asking… But now that you’re awakened, does that mean you’ll quit the academy?”

“Yeah, I should. There’s no point in running an academy with no students.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll still teach you.”

“But you chased away all the students yourself.”

“They were the ones with no talent! What was I supposed to do?”

“Your standards for talent are ridiculously high.”

“What?!”

Aden sighed.

“Honestly, labeling a B-rank mage as talentless was too much.”

“How can someone worse than you, who has no mana, be a B-rank? These days, people only care about stats, and…”

“Heh.”

Aden gave a strange smile as her foot scratched the ground.

She seemed quite happy.

“The talent standards of the world are all wrong, right? How is it possible for someone as talented as you to be kicked out of your family just because you didn’t have mana?”

“Oh, hehe. Stop it already~”

“Stats aren’t everything. Tch.”

She felt sorry for Aden.

She was a true genius.

But she had been cursed with a terminal illness that neither modern magic nor medicine could cure.

Well, there was a cure, but it wasn’t known.

“In my prime, I would’ve fixed your illness.”

“Oh, come on, teacher. Don’t joke around by touching on others’ suffering.”

The cure involved breaking up the blockage in her blood vessels.

But it required exceptional mana control skills.

‘Her magical talent is perfect. If only I had a bit of mana myself… Wait a second.’

Now he had mana.

“Hey, come here. I’ll fix your mana blockage.”

Now he could fix it.