Stopping Time To Freeze The Monster

"How are Mom and Dad doing? Have they been well lately?" Dean inquired as he walked alongside his younger brother, the warm glow of the street lamps casting elongated shadows over the pavement.

Devan tapped his chin thoughtfully before responding nonchalantly, "They're doing fine. Although Dad rarely opens up about his work or well-being, I can tell he's alright, considering his mood hasn't changed much. As for Mom, she's doing well too. I heard from Uncle Rudy that her company is getting ready to launch a new technology that's supposed to be groundbreaking."

"Oh?" Dean's interest was piqued as he asked, "What kind of technology?"

He didn't know much about his father's work because he never asked, and his father never told either. However, he knows about his mother's work because she is quite influential in the technology industry and often appears on the news.

Devan continued, "I don't know all the specifics, but I heard from Uncle Rudy that the company is set to unveil a special pair of glasses. Apparently, they can distinguish between normal people and Awakeners. And there's even a feature that measures an Awakener's physic energy."

"Glasses that can actually differentiate between an ordinary person and an Awakener while also measuring psychic energy levels? That's truly groundbreaking," Dean mused, his mind racing with the implications of such an invention.

Awakeners were indistinguishable from regular people when they weren't using their superpowers. As a result, most ordinary individuals couldn't tell the difference when Awakeners were mingling among them.

These special glasses could help normal people exercise caution when interacting with Awakeners.

Currently, there is no standardized index to measure an Awakener's power, making it challenging to determine who is stronger or weaker. However, there's a saying that those who awaken their powers earlier tend to be stronger than those who awaken later simply because they have more time to practice.

Of course, this statement is not definitive. Some individuals who awaken later possess incredibly powerful superpowers, even without extensive practice—like Dean's Time Stop ability.

Dean was confident that many other superpowers out there were as strong as Time Stop or even stronger.

In any case, the creation of these super glasses is a positive development; they might aid the Superpower Division in establishing an Awakener power index.

"Let's stop discussing Mom and Dad. Brother, I actually came here to surprise you." Devan said as he suddenly stepped in front of Dean and walked backward.

"What? Your unexpected arrival at this hour has already surprised me. I don't need another surprise," Dean replied, rolling his eyes.

"Come on, I want to tell you that I just awakened a superpower!" Devan said with a hint of excitement.

As soon as Dean heard that, he immediately stopped in his tracks and stared at Devan with wide eyes as if he had misheard.

"You what?"

Dean thought that awakening a superpower in his family was impressive enough. But who would have thought his younger brother had also successfully awakened his superpower?

Are their mom and dad's genes really that extraordinary?

Could they also be secretly Awakeners?

Devan grinned and repeated, "Brother, I've awakened a superpower!"

Dean quickly shook off his initial surprise and asked curiously, "What kind of superpower did you awaken?"

Devan scratched his head and replied, somewhat embarrassed, "Well, it's not as flashy as yours, Brother. My superpower is called Recollection."

"Recollection?" Dean tilted his head in confusion.

"Simply put, I can access and display the memories of individuals," Devan explained.

"You can read people's thoughts? Can you read my mind right now?" Dean asked, intrigued.

"No, Brother," Devan quickly shook his head. "I can't read people's minds on command. But if you allow me, I can access your memories. Of course, I would need to touch your head first."

"I see..." Dean felt a secret wave of relief washes over him.

He was actually a bit afraid that his younger brother could read his thoughts. He had two major secrets: he was a reincarnator from another world, and he possessed multiple superpowers.

He worried his mind might accidentally reveal those secrets to his younger brother.

"Your superpower—"

Just as Dean was about to comment on his younger brother's superpower, a peculiar disturbance in the sky caught his attention.

BOOM!

The ground trembled beneath them as a colossal toad plummeted from the sky, landing with a thud not far from where they stood.

"That's-..." Devan exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock, and he quickly darted behind his brother for cover.

Dean frowned, his expression shifting from surprise to contemplative scrutiny of the bizarre creature in front of them.

Above the giant toad's head, he noticed a listless and naked man whose body was partially fused with the frog's body.

"A monster?"

In this world, just as humans could mutate into Awakeners, animals could also mutate into Monsters.

The toad that had just appeared was a prime example of a monster.

However, what puzzled him was why this toad had a half-human body fused onto its head.

Amid his confusion, he suddenly heard the monster shout angrily, "Herrald, don't push too far! I have not committed any crime in your territory. Why do you insist on arresting me?"

"Although you haven't committed harmful acts in Gordon, you have committed many crimes in other places. We, the Superpower Division, are tasked with apprehending criminals like you before you can harm more civilians in the future." Herrad stepped out of the shadows, his voice firm and his presence commanding.

"Damn, you government's dog! Since you do not intend to let me off, I will let you know that I'm not a pushover." The Fourth Lord revealed cruelty on his face.

Then he looked towards Dean and Devan, who were watching from afar.

Witnessing this, Herrald's face instantly changed drastically, and he snarled, "Dare you!"

"Hahahaha," The Fourth Lord laughed hysterically and said," Herrald, I'll make you know what it's like to lose the civilians you're so desperate to protect!"

After saying that mad words, the Fourth Lord, whose body had fused with that of a giant toad, launched himself into the air, leaping toward Dean and Devan.

"Boys, be careful!" Herrald shouted at Dean and Devan. He then focused his psychic energy on his legs, squatted down, and jumped after the Fourth Lord.

For a brief moment, both a monster and a human soared toward Dean and Devan simultaneously.

"Brother, shouldn't we run?" Devan asked fearfully.

"Stay still," Dean replied curtly.

He stared indifferently at the monster that jumped toward him, its mouth wide open as if it were about to devour him and his younger brother.

The moment it loomed in front of him, Dean closed his eyes briefly and clicked his teeth together with a measured calmness.

In that instant, time itself seemed to come to a standstill.

Everything within a 100-meter radius was suspended in a surreal stillness—passersby caught mid-laugh, cars halted in the middle of the street, leaves floating gently to the ground, the wind ceasing its whisper through the trees, and streetlamps blinking as if caught in an endless loop of light. It felt as if the world had pressed pause on a remote control.

Everything around him seemed to hold its breath.

Gazing up at the menacing, gaping maw of the monster that towered over him, Dean extended his right hand, fingers splayed. As his palm connected with the slick, jagged edge of the monster's mouth, he uttered, "Freeze!"

Whoosh!

In an instant, a surge of icy energy exploded from his palm, radiating outward like a shockwave and engulfing the monstrous figure in a frosty embrace, transforming it into an immobile ice statue.

"It's a pity you met me..." Dean whispered with an indifferent expression.

He felt no mental burden when freezing monsters or even people to death, despite it being his first experience with it.

Some might label him cold-blooded, but he didn't care about that.

Perhaps it was because he had already died once; his perspective on life and death was just different. To him, it was a natural part of existence, and there was no point in dwelling on it.

As the countdown reached its end, fifteen seconds slipped away like grains of sand, and the Time Stop effect dissipated with an electric hum. The world, once frozen in an eerie stillness, burst back to life.

With a heavy thud, the colossal monster, suspended mid-air in a moment of freezing, fell to the ground, its massive form crashing into the earth yet somehow remaining intact, a monument to its otherworldly resilience.

Devan, who had sought refuge behind his brother, gasped at the sight.

At the same moment, Herrald, who had been ready to leap in to protect the boys, stumbled down in disbelief as he caught sight of the frozen Fourth Lord sprawled on the ground. He then looked at Dean with an astonishing expression.

"You—" Herrald attempted to voice his thoughts, but the current situation rendered him speechless.

"Let's go!" Dean calmly said to his younger brother, completely ignoring Herrald's bewilderment. Without waiting for a response, he began to stride away from the scene.

"Ah, uh," Devan, shaking off his shock, quickly gathered his senses and hurried to keep pace with Dean, his heart racing with a mix of fear and excitement.

"Wait!" Herrald called out as he watched the mysterious boys making their escape. "Who are you guys?"

Unfortunately, Dean had no intention of stopping or answering.

He acted out of necessity, not desire. If it hadn't been for the monster suddenly attacking her and her little brother, she probably would have just watched the scene unfold briefly and then walked away.

The good thing was that he was a registered Awakener, so he wouldn't get into trouble for using his superpower in public, as long as he didn't use it to harm civilians. 

What he did just now could be considered self-defense, and even as part of the Superpower Division, Herrald had no authority to apprehend him.