The Academy’s Time Stop Player-Novel

Meanwhile, at the Sura Guild.

"They're handing him over?"

Yes, that's correct.

Upon hearing that the Korean Heroes Association was handing over the individual responsible for defeating Zhang Jiudong, Guild Master Wei Huan furrowed his brow.

Frankly, he hadn't expected the Korean Heroes Association to willingly share such important information, even if it were for the sake of international peacekeeping activities.

That's why he had preemptively dispatched a few guild members to Korea.

Yet, their sudden willingness to cooperate had taken him aback.

Especially since the person himself had declared he'd come in person.

Who would do such a thing unless they were overly confident or foolish?

"Don't underestimate us too much."

Even if that guy was the grandson of a prominent Korean guild or the son of a top-tier hero, it didn't matter.

After all, that guy was practically on the Sura Guild's watchlist – or more precisely, had offended the Sura Guild directly.

Ah, he just came through the portal.

"Direct him to my office immediately!"

Understood.

He didn't know what this audacious individual was thinking, but there were no plans to simply turn him away.

To dare challenge the Sura Guild and then boldly show up meant he viewed the guild as trivial.

A few minutes later, footsteps echoed from beyond the corridor. A soft knock sounded at the guild master's door.

Knock- Knock

"Come in."

Suddenly, even before the invitation was fully extended, the door swung open.

For a moment, Wei Huan couldn't help but smirk in disbelief.

The one who so confidently barged in appeared to be the young boy at the heart of this incident.

Furthermore, the boy entered and nonchalantly plopped down on the sofa as if he owned the place. Wei Huan had never encountered someone with such audacity before.

"Have I ever met someone so brazen?"

Unable to hold back, Wei Huan rose from his chair, his power radiating from him. His intense aura filled the room, causing the desk to split in half and cracks to form on the large windows behind him.

That's when the boy spoke.

"It's been a while."

"......?"

Upon hearing the boy's voice, Wei Huan's expression shifted to one of confusion.

He stopped his advancing steps, recognizing the voice.

A familiar voice.

But when had he heard it before?

"......"

Suddenly, a memory of a particular boy flashed through Wei Huan's mind.

His face, initially flushed with anger, began to pale rapidly.

How could he forget?

That voice...

"No, could it be...?"

Wei Huan's complexion turned ashen, a stark contrast to just moments before.

Goosebumps covered his entire body.

Within seconds, his color drained, and he was drenched in cold sweat.

He knew exactly who this boy was.

How could he not recognize him?

That monster had calmly left after committing such terrible acts.

Back then, his face was obscured by a mosaic, but that voice was unforgettable.

The hellish memories of that time began to replay in his mind.

'Next time, I'll destroy the guild itself.'

A chilling warning.

He recalled kneeling before him, overwhelmed by the sheer violence he displayed.

As he thought of those memories, an indescribable fear crept over me.

It felt as if death was hovering before his eyes.

"Has he gone mad?"

"How dare he, in front of the Guild Master!"

"No, stop!"

Immediately following, the two guild members who brought Hajoon started threatening him with glaring eyes.

Seeing this, Wei Huan weakly reached out, trying to intervene, but it was too late.

Crash! Boom! Bang!

It all happened at once.

The moment the golden hammer appeared in the boy's hand, one of the guild members was thrown against the wall, while the other lay on the ground, writhing in pain.

"No, no!"

Seeing this, Wei Huan, paralyzed by fear, let out a whimper. Hajoon calmly sat back on the sofa, looking at him with weary eyes.

Thud!

"Sit."

Hajoon pointed to the opposite sofa after slamming something on the floor.

Trembling, Wei Huan obeyed, sitting across from Hajoon, too terrified to meet his gaze.

Then Hajoon spoke to him, "You came when I called. Anything to say?"

"..."

"I clearly said I'd destroy the guild the next time."

All Wei Huan could do was blink in disbelief at the grim reality.

Could it really be? He cautiously asked Hajoon, "Is the Irregular the one who did that to Zhang Jiudong?"

"Yes."

"But, why?"

The question was, why would someone of your stature harm him, or rather, a kid like that?

With a sinister smile, Hajoon responded, "That bastard messed with my sister and had the audacity to challenge me."

Such a damn fool!

Not only did the Irregular have a sister, but that reckless fool had dared to harm her.

It was clear he was in the wrong.

Moreover, causing such a commotion to find the perpetrator, it was natural for the Irregular to be furious.

Simply put, the situation was beyond redemption.

If only I had looked into this matter more thoroughly.

"I apologize. Please, can you forgive me just this once?"

There was no other way.

Considering the Irregular's power and influence, even the second-ranked guild in China could vanish in an instant.

Following the apology, Hajoon simply gazed silently at the speaker.

In the midst of this silence, an anxious Wei Huan spoke up first.

“We'll handle Zhang Jiudong ourselves. So, please...”

The guild seemed on the verge of collapse, all because of a single promising recruit.

Although Wei Huan's decision was clear, Hajoon had yet to respond.

Amid the tension, Wei Huan nervously swallowed.

Then, Hajoon met his gaze, slowly opening his mouth.

“I'll spare the guild.”

“Th-thank you.”

However, Hajoon rose from his sofa, holding a golden hammer.

With a gesture, a bottle filled with red liquid materialized from his hand.

“What... is that?”

“Still, there's a price to pay.”

Thinking of a way to eliminate the second-best guild in China felt like a hassle.

Relying solely on force wasn't an option; they'd need behind-the-scenes maneuvers. This would likely require seeking assistance from the Hermes Guild, involving both time and money on Hajoon's part. Simply put, it felt bothersome.

It seemed the only way was to hold this individual responsible.

Hajoon lifted his hammer.

Wei Huan's eyes trembled in fear.

“Wait, just a second.”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three thuds resonated.

Wei Huan's head was now pressed to the floor of the guild leader's office, his limbs visibly crushed.

“Ugh…”

Given his stature as a top-tier hero, he surprisingly remained conscious.

Hajoon uncorked the potion and sprinkled it over him. Leaving only a brief warning, he exited the guild leader's office.

“There won't be a next time. Remember that.”

“Ugh…”

Whether Wei Huan heard the warning or not was uncertain, but judging by his demeanor, it seemed unlikely he would cause any more trouble.

Hajoon departed from the office, leaving behind the wounded man.

After all, he'd been treated; he'd probably get up on his own.

After visiting the Sura Guild's headquarters, Hajoon enjoyed a week of leisure at home.

Now, only a week remained of his vacation, and the main event of the International Exchange Match in the rookie division had begun.

"Wow, there are so many people."

The main event took place in a coliseum-style arena.

Despite the early hour, many had already filled the seats.

Haruna scowled as she gazed at the bustling crowd before her. She had been staying with Hajoon for a while under the guise of learning Korean from Elaine. Hajoon even offered her a room on the second floor of his house.

Considering a recent incident involving Haruna, it seemed like a reasonable decision.

There were rumors of an ambush during this tournament, but it was unpredictable, given how future events could change unexpectedly.

So, throughout the event, Haruna was kept close. There wasn’t any major suspicious activity, but perhaps it was because she had a protective presence nearby.

"So bothersome," Haruna complained, looking tired and irritated.

She detested crowded places and was as reluctant to move about as Hajoon. It was no surprise she wore such an expression. After all, she didn't even attend the stadium in the original story. She had been ambushed when she was alone.

"We could've watched it on TV..."

"No, let's go and see for ourselves," urged Elaine.

Initially, Hajoon wanted to stay at home and watch on TV, just like Haruna. But on second thought, he felt it would be better to be out in the open. If he stayed at home, it might seem too obvious and invite an ambush.

He couldn't be sure if they'd attack in this crowd, but he was prepared to leave Haruna alone if it meant luring the assailants out.

In this episode involving Haruna, a significant figure from the Altar was set to appear.

"Ah! There are three empty seats over there!"

With that, Hajoon, Elaine, and Haruna took the vacant seats.

Naturally, watching made them peckish, so they bought some chicken, cola, and other snacks. Conveniently, a table was right in front of them, making it easy to dine.

After a few minutes, the match finally began.

As each game progressed, the vibrant cheers of the audience were somewhat deafening for both Hajoon and Haruna.

The main matches were more intense than the preliminaries; competitors weren't holding back, making it quite the spectacle. The scenes were reminiscent of action-packed movie sequences.

After several matches, a giant electronic board on one side of the stands displayed images of a familiar young boy and girl.

The match was between Han Siyoung of the Korean team and Li Chen of the Chinese team.

"Was this the match I was thinking of?"

Li Chen, the daughter of the guild leader from China's Paewang Guild, had capabilities and skills on par with Han Siyoung.

The in-game battle between the two had been intense to watch.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Soon after, the match began with the sound of the alarm. Both, right from the start, clashed with their full power, causing sparks to fly around them from the sheer force of their collision.

Even though Han Siyoung was giving his all, he widened his eyes in surprise, not able to push Li Chen back. In contrast, Li Chen gave him a confident smirk.

The match proceeded fiercely and for a bit longer than Hajoon had anticipated. Neither showed signs of giving in, their strengths matched evenly.

But, the tide of the match shifted at a certain moment.

Li Chen activated her ability.

"No way! That ability!"

"To think she possessed such a rare ability."

Several spectators gasped in shock. It was an uncommon ability that defied conventional physics. It was similar to the power of Zehar from the past, one of the pillars of the Altar, who could turn his body into liquid. While observing, it seemed Li Chen's ability was even more advanced than Zehar's.

Her ability was called 'Dark Mist'. It allowed her to transform her body into a mist-like form, rendering her invulnerable to any physical attacks.

"To think she could compete equally with Han Siyoung with such an ability, impressive."

Given the flow of the match, Han Siyoung seemed to be at a disadvantage. No matter how skilled, being a disciple of the Sword King, one would think he couldn't combat the mist.

Both had been giving their all from the start, clearly pushing their physical limits.

However, Hajoon wasn't too worried. He seemed to know what was coming.

"Is he about to awaken?"

In this exchange episode, Han Siyoung's awakening would make its debut. Just when everyone present anticipated Han Siyoung's defeat, he would harness the power of his ability.

Soon after, as Hajoon predicted, a blinding, immense light started radiating from the arena.