The Academy’s Time Stop Player-Novel

"3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second." When Hajoon heard this countdown, he looked at Irian with a shocked expression, frozen in place for a full 3 seconds.

After the brief silence, the first thing Hajoon asked about was the safety of their home.

"Is the house okay?"

"It seems to be fine."

Irian closed one eye, connecting her sight with that of a broken doll's eye.

From this shared perspective, fortunately, the house appeared undamaged.

The issue, however, was a tall figure with a pale body sitting casually on the sofa after seemingly intruding the house. Even more, the sofa had collapsed under the weight of the intruder.

'Oh, um...'

Should she bring this up? Or not?

Concerned that mentioning this would upset the Irregular beside her, Irian kept silent for now, watching the intruder's movements.

She recognized that imposing face.

A creature from Villante, a notorious villain group in the USA.

'Why is that monster here?'

The immortal Baron.

Though unsure about other matters, Irian felt the need to immediately convey this intruder's identity to Hajoon.

"That guy?"

Upon learning the intruder's identity, Hajoon appeared irked, his brows furrowing.

He thought, 'He arrived rather quickly.'

He had just learned that the association chairman had recently arrived in Korea.

"Um... what's happening?"

For a moment, upon hearing Chairman Kim Jeongyong's question, Hajoon was lost in thought.

What should they do?

While the house seemed intact for now, confronting the intruders might lead to destruction.

After a brief pause, Hajoon explained the situation to Kim Jeongyong.

"Did you just find out?"

"Yes, so..."

Hajoon then outlined the plan he'd come up with. Though initially puzzled, Kim Jeongyong eventually nodded in agreement.

"Alright, understood. I'll deploy the Gate agents immediately."

Hajoon had a simple request for Chairman Kim Jeongyong.

He wanted a gate agent positioned right in front of his house to open the gate in advance.

Though Kim Jeongyong found the request a bit puzzling, he followed Hajoon's wishes, opening the gate in front of his house and positioning agents nearby just in case.

Once everything was set up, Hajoon confidently opened the main door and stepped into the house, declaring, “There seems to be a lowly criminal in this esteemed residence.”

Hajoon's gaze began to sweep across the living room.

Dolls, presumably Irian's, were scattered everywhere. On the sofa sat a giant, his eyes closed in relaxation. The couch seemed to have sagged under his immense weight.

Hajoon's expression began to darken.

"You're here."

A figure with pale skin, unlike any human's, and a muscular body sat before him.

The immortal Baron slowly opened his eyes.

His black pupils fixed on Hajoon as he began to rise.

Even at a glance, he stood nearly 3 meters tall.

With a leisurely demeanor, he looked down at Hajoon and spoke, "So, you're the Irregular."

At the question, Hajoon responded with a cryptic expression, seeming both incredulous and unimpressed.

"Why is this home invader so relaxed and confident?"

"I heard you defeated Lain."

He asked Hajoon with a deep voice.

Ignoring the comment, Hajoon rummaged in his pocket, drawing forth a golden hammer, and approached him.

Seeing the hammer, the giant replied with a dry tone, “Fool. You cannot kill me.”

Hajoon responded with action.

Whoosh!

"?!"

For a moment, the giant's eyes widened.

The surroundings hadn't changed, but the location had, in an instant.

They now stood on a deserted beach, not a soul in sight.

On that beach, the boy known as the Irregular stood still, clutching his hammer.

Boom! Whooosh!

In that moment, a thunderous noise accompanied a crushing impact that pierced the giant's chest.

Baron, with narrowed eyes and a stoic face, glanced down at the boy, then shifted his gaze to the gaping hole in his chest.

He choked, "Guh-"

Coughing up blood, Baron's massive form began to lean forward.

As he fell, his gaze locked onto the boy, who emotionlessly watched the descent.

Bang! Hssss-

With a deafening crash, the giant fell, sand flying in all directions.

Baron, with a hole in his chest, lay motionless, blood soaking into the sands of the beach.

And there, Hajoon sat down in front of the fallen giant, waiting for him to rise.

Kim Jeonghan, Barthus, and Terhan.

The trio had a straightforward reason for following Baron: his undeniable strength.

They had once directly witnessed a duel between Baron and Karthon, a former S-class villain, due to certain events. Remarkably, in that intense battle, it was Karthon who yielded first.

Though the fight had no casualties, even Karthon hesitated and refrained from delivering the killing blow to Baron. This act alone bolstered their faith in Baron's capabilities.

They were confident in Baron's potential, not just to inflict serious damage on the Irregular, but also in his unyielding spirit, believing he would never be defeated.

With this in mind, they congregated at a certain location, using Terhan's unique ability to monitor the standoff between the Irregular and Baron. However, things didn't go as they anticipated.

"Terhan, what's happened?"

"Baron has vanished."

"We get that, but where did he go?"

Terhan, the man with orange curly hair and a bandage over his eye, possessed an ability called 'Share.' It allowed him to connect with and see through the eyes of animals, excluding humans.

So, having synced with a bird, Terhan could oversee the confrontation between the Irregular and Baron. But he was caught off guard when the two suddenly disappeared from view.

Still, Terhan had some insights into their possible whereabouts.

Terhan explained, "An agent from the association opened a gate nearby. They must've gone through there."

"Do you know the location beyond the gate?"

"I've connected with a bird on the other side of the gate."

Upon saying that, he immediately shared the vision from the bird's perspective.

"?!."

What he saw through the bird's eyes left him in utter shock.

With a trembling voice, he began, "Ba-Baron... he's been taken down."

"What?"

"What are you saying?"

It was a scene beyond belief.

The Immortal Baron.

To see such a formidable entity downed, with a gaping hole in his chest without having put up a fight, was surreal.

Yet, they knew Baron wasn't truly defeated. The severe wound would likely heal soon.

Terhan momentarily observed, awaiting the inevitable recovery. As expected, flesh began to cover the wound in Baron's chest, and he started to gradually rise.

But what followed next left Terhan even more astounded.

The Immortal Baron.

Hajoon calmly sat, knowing the reason why Baron was dubbed "The Immortal." He believed that the gaping wound on Baron's body would soon heal, allowing him to rise again.

"Cough!! Haah! Haah!"

In moments, the hole in Baron's chest started filling with flesh, his damaged lungs began to heal, and he took sharp breaths.

Hajoon, with an indifferent look, watched the entire process before helping Baron to his feet.

"Haah! Haah!"

Regaining his senses, Baron tried to grasp the situation. He recalled the massive hole in his chest and being defeated by Hajoon. That was his last memory before blacking out.

Then...

Bang! Whoosh!!

"Cough!"

It was like a replay of previous events.

With a face filled with horror, Baron touched his chest again, finding the same gaping hole. His strength ebbed away, and he began to collapse, falling to the ground once more.

Hajoon observed him briefly, then sat nearby on the sandy beach, patiently waiting for Baron's body to heal yet again.

At that moment, Philaten approached Hajoon.

"He has a strange body. It doesn’t seem to have power like yours. Is that why it's so frail?"

Indeed, as Philaten pointed out, Baron's body lacked magical energy. While it seemed he had traded this for an infinitely regenerating body, it naturally meant he couldn't exhibit the strength of a superhuman. This made it relatively easy for Hajoon, with his advanced abilities, to wound Baron's chest, although it still took some effort.

Certainly, Baron had an unusual ability to transform his body. However, Hajoon made sure to strike him down before he could leverage that transformation.

"If this continues, it seems it'll never end. What's your plan?"

"I'll keep him down until he gives in."

The title of "The Immortal" wasn't just a mere label.

Given Baron's capabilities, even for Hajoon, defeating him seemed impossible. In fact, if anyone had a chance to truly defeat Baron, it would probably be the power-awakened Han Siyoung and Lain. So, Hajoon, being neither of them, opted for a simpler method.

After all, he was the one with the most patience here.

"Looks like he's getting up again."

Hearing this, Hajoon stood up, gripping his weapon, Maharazu.

And just as Baron began to regain consciousness, Hajoon swiftly struck him down with Maharazu once again.

Had it been about 2 hours?

Suddenly feeling hungry, Hajoon stopped time, went to a nearby store to grab something to eat, and returned. As he waited for the man to regenerate, the moment the man's body restored, he hurriedly spoke with a calm tone.

"Enough."

"What...? Huh?"

"I surrender. So, will you stop this pointless act?"

Finally, he speaks.

As another 2 hours passed, even Hajoon was getting tired of it.

Hajoon popped the remaining noodles into his mouth and remarked,

"Why didn’t you speak up sooner? Would've saved me the trouble."

"You kept killing me before I even had a chance to speak."

Did he?

Strangely, Hajoon felt compelled to believe the man. Hadn't he tried to say something after the 20th hole Hajoon punched through his chest?

"What will you do to me now? Arrest me?"

The fact that the Immortal Baron was an indestructible superhuman was well-known not just in the U.S. but also domestically.

The organization known as Villante became famous partly because of Lain, who could control dragons, and the indestructible Baron.

Furthermore, capturing him was impossible. He didn’t have any magical power in his body to seal, and while he had shown Hajoon his countless deaths and recoveries, one of his abilities was to transform his body at will.

So, Hajoon’s warning to him was clear,

"Leave. And never return to Korea."

The Immortal Baron.

Hajoon knew his nature.

Though a villain, he didn't behave like the typical ones. As long as he wasn’t provoked, he was generally harmless. His villainous activities were limited to following the orders of Lain, the only person with a chance of killing him. Hajoon was confident that if he let him go now, the Baron would stay put.

"Is that so..."

In response to Hajoon's words, the man merely replied with a tranquil tone.

He slowly rose, brushing the sand off his body, and spoke,

"I promise. I won't return to Korea. And..."

As he said this, he turned his body, slightly glancing over his shoulder,

"You're the first hero I've met who can hold a conversation."

"...?"

"I like you. Many heroes are inflexible. I originally came to talk to you."

With that, he flexed his legs.

His bulging leg muscles propelled him upwards, but before leaving, he left a parting remark to Hajoon,

"If given a chance, I'd like to meet you again, Irregular."

Boom!

With that, the man shot up like a cannon, disappearing across the horizon with a sonic boom. Hajoon stood there, blankly watching him vanish.

"Why did he come?"