The Academy’s Time Stop Player-Novel

"Alright then..."

Hajoon slowly rose from his seat.

Lorelei looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Lorelei asked, "Huh? Where are you going?"

"To the dormitory."

"...Didn't you just say you'd help?"

"Yes."

Hajoon nodded calmly, continuing, "Can you let me know once you're kidnapped?"

"...What?"

Lorelei couldn't help but make a flabbergasted face at that statement.

"May I ask what you mean by that?"

Naturally, Lorelei needed to ask for Hajoon's intent, and he responded candidly.

"We're just speculating that the Sura Guild is making a move, right?"

"Exactly."

"There could be others on the move, so I want to watch the situation a bit."

Of course, Hajoon had no intention of staying in Del Her and protecting it over the holiday.

In any case, their aim is probably the potion, so they wouldn’t harm anyone other than kidnapping them.

Thus, all Hajoon wanted was to identify the culprits behind the kidnapping and find a reason.

A reason for him to intervene.

"Please let me know if you get kidnapped."

"Uh, okay... I guess I understand for now."

A day passed, and it was now 6 PM on Saturday.

Inside Rokia Academy's exclusive training room for students.

"Why is he here?"

"Don't know, he says he's here to exercise. Is he for real?"

"Wow, it's my first time seeing him work this hard."

All the students exercising in the room were looking at a boy with astonishment.

This room, filled with various workout equipment and designed with the latest technology to aid students' growth, had an unexpected visitor.

"Kim Hajoon is really training."

"Surprisingly..."

Kim Hajoon.

Among the students, he was renowned as a lazy genius.

Yet, seeing that very boy sprinting passionately on the treadmill seemed almost unreal.

Of course, there was a specific reason for Hajoon's sudden enthusiasm.

It was to test the efficacy of the recently completed potion.

The potion, in the game, granted superhuman strength but came with major side effects. However, the refined version that Hajoon had eliminated these side effects and genuinely had remarkable benefits.

Name: Kim Hajoon

Level: 10

Job: Student

Title: None

Fame: 2500

HP: 28

MP: 0

Strength: 42 (+2)

Agility: 20

Stamina: 49 (+1)

Defense: 0

Magic Resistance: 999 (Max)

Spirit: 999 (Max)

He had run for just around two hours, and there were already signs of improved stats.

It could be because Hajoon's stats were initially low, resulting in a faster growth rate. But even considering that, this was swift progression.

'This should be enough.'

Hajoon stepped off the treadmill and started preparing to head back to his dormitory.

Having ascertained the potion's effects, he didn't see the need to continue his exercise.

More than anything, Hajoon wanted to return to his dormitory quickly and indulge in his limited weekend leisure.

Upon arriving back at his dorm, after a brief shower, he laid down on his bed, ready to relax and watch a movie on his smartphone.

Ding-ding.

An unexpected call.

It was from Lorelei Hills, the guild master of Hermes.

Of all times, she chose to call right after his workout?

With a slightly annoyed expression, Hajoon stared blankly at his phone before answering.

He was soon greeted by the composed voice of Lorelei from the other end.

-"They've made their move. Lee Gayeon and the Broker have been kidnapped."

She delivered the news of the kidnapping with such nonchalance.

Of course, it was intentional.

Hajoon asked, "Where are they?"

-"They are currently escaping into the shadows in Del Her."

"Alright, got it."

Immediately after hearing that, Hajoon tore a ticket from his drawer that led to Del Her and found himself in the central fountain square of Del Her.

After quickly scanning his surroundings, with a weary sigh, he activated the Time Stop (SSS) skill.

Everything that followed was resolved swiftly.

The culprits who had kidnapped the Broker and Lee Gayeon and were trying to flee were a group of three.

Hajoon had captured one of the three and promptly moved him to the Hermes Guild. Both the kidnapped Broker and Lee Gayeon were safely transferred to the Hermes Guild as well.

All of this had transpired in a mere 5 minutes.

Inside the guild master's room of the Hermes Guild,

Lorelei couldn't help but be inwardly amazed, "Wow, you dealt with it much faster than I expected?"

After she was informed over the phone, only 5 minutes had passed.

In those 5 minutes, he had rescued the kidnapped Broker and Lee Gayeon, and on top of that, captured the kidnapper? To Lorelei, it was an incredible feat, bordering on the unbelievable.

"So, did you interrogate them?"

"Well, no need. Just by looking at the tattoo on his back, I could tell he's from the Sura Guild."

Lorelei had initially wanted to interrogate one of the captured villains immediately, but there seemed to be no need.

Just by confirming the goblin-shaped tattoo on the kidnapper's back, it was clear he was a member sent by the Sura Guild. It was as they had expected, so it wasn't too surprising.

"So, what's the plan now?"

At that, Hajoon pondered for a moment, chin in hand.

Watching him, Lorelei suggested, "For starters, we could use the captured kidnapper to pressure them. Though, I sense that's not what you're truly after."

Hajoon was somewhat familiar with the nature of the Sura Guild.

If they went by what Lorelei suggested, they'd likely kill the captured kidnapper to erase evidence and then repeat a similar incident.

"Sigh, on my day off too..."

Lorelei chuckled, "Planning to make a move?"

"Yes."

Why not?

Considering the future, it'd be better to handle this matter thoroughly.

Hajoon stood up from the sofa and stretched.

Then, retrieving the Perception Obstruction Bandage from his pocket, he wrapped it around his arm and looked at Lorelei.

"There's a Gate user in the Hermes Guild, right?"

"Yeah, there is. Want me to open it right away?"

"Yes, let's deal with this quickly."

In front of a high-rise building in Xi'an, China.

A peculiar figure, its entire body masked in mosaic, entered the building.

Naturally, this strange sight attracted the attention of many. Soon, men in black suits, appearing to be security personnel, approached the mysterious entity.

"What's this about?"

"Why is it covered like that? Is it here for some terror act?"

"Such a weirdo. Get rid of it before the guild master finds out."

Soon after, the men began speaking in Chinese.

Given the mosaic covering him, Hajoon couldn't understand what they were saying.

Not that he was particularly interested in what the men below were discussing...

He promptly used a translator on his phone and showed the translation to the men.

One of them, after reading the translated message, widened his eyes in surprise and began communicating with someone else.

Moments later, a man, who seemed to be a security guard, looked at Hajoon sternly. He gestured for Hajoon to follow him and spoke.

"Come with me. The guild master wants to see you."

Grasping the guard's intent through his gestures, Hajoon followed him onto an elevator.

The elevator ascended to the top floor of the high-rise. As it arrived with a soft ding, Hajoon found himself in what looked like the guild master's office.

Following the guard's lead, Hajoon stepped inside.

There, a burly, bald man awaited him, seated comfortably on a sofa.

"So, you're the one. You have something to discuss about the elixir?"

The man continued speaking in Chinese.

However, Hajoon recognized him. The top-tier hero of China and the current head of the Sura Guild.

Wei Huan.

"What do you wish to discuss?"

The man began releasing a powerful aura, attempting to intimidate Hajoon.

Hajoon briefly met Wei Huan's gaze, took a seat opposite him, and spoke.

"Do you speak Korean?"

"...?"

After hearing Hajoon's Korean, Wei Huan pulled out a pair of earpiece-like devices from his pocket. He handed one to Hajoon and wore the other. Once Hajoon placed the earpiece in his ear, he began to hear fluent Korean from Wei Huan.

"You're Korean. So, what brings you here? You do know where you are, right?"

In response, Hajoon silently reached into his pocket and placed an elixir on the table. Wei Huan chuckled at the sight.

"What's this play? A trade, perhaps?"

Suddenly, his amused expression turned menacing.

Exuding even more of his powerful aura, he continued, "You seem to be from the Hermes Guild. Are you confused? Shouldn't you have brought our guild member you captured first?"

As he spoke, the door to the guild master's office suddenly swung open. Four muscular men entered, moving to surround Hajoon.

Two top-tier heroes and two high-grade heroes.

Immediately after, Wei Huan broke into a sly smile, turning his gaze to Hajoon and said, “What a fool. Do you even know where you are, coming here alone? Turn this brat into a half-wit and send him to Lorelei. And let it be known, this is the final warning—"

Suddenly, Wei Huan's expression stiffened dramatically.

With an incredulous look, he stared at Hajoon. The four superhumans standing behind Hajoon also seemed dumbstruck, simply staring at him in bewilderment.

"...What are you doing right now?"

Without a word in response to Wei Huan's question, Hajoon unexpectedly opened the lid of the potion and began to drink it.

After emptying the entire bottle, Hajoon placed it back on the table and asked, “The four behind me, they're elites?”

"...What?"

“Perfect timing.”

With that said, Hajoon slowly stood up. He then took Maharazu from his pocket and began to enlarge it.

Soon, a golden hammer appeared in Hajoon's hand.

“...What the—?”

“That's...!”

The moment everyone, including Wei Huan, laid eyes on the hammer, their expressions began to harden.

And then, everything happened in a flash.

Boom! Crash! Bang! Boom!

It took only 10 seconds.

That's all the time it took for everything to unfold and conclude.

“......”

Wei Huan sat frozen on the floor, trembling uncontrollably. His complexion was ghastly pale.

He couldn't believe what had just transpired.

The moment that guy took out his hammer.

Boom—! Bang—!

Two high-ranking heroes had their arms and legs grotesquely twisted. Unable to even let out a scream, they were thrown into a distant wall, disappearing from sight.

Thud—! Crash—!

The next victims were his most trusted elite heroes. They were taken down so quickly, their legs buckling beneath them, that one had his head hit the floor before he could react.

But perhaps befitting elite heroes, one of them managed to keep his consciousness, lifting his head just enough to glare at Hajoon.

As a response, Hajoon swung his hammer down.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Arrrrghhhhh!”

The guild leader's office was soon filled with the agonizing screams of the fallen hero, intensifying Wei Huan's terror.

Eventually, the man hit the floor face-first, passing out, and a haunting silence took over the room.

All this had transpired in a mere 10 seconds.

Stunned by the impossible reality before him, Wei Huan instinctively stood up from the sofa only to collapse to the floor. Cold sweat poured from him. Elite and high-ranking heroes had fallen without even a chance to react. And all of this happened in mere seconds.

In the aftermath of this storm-like event, all Wei Huan could do was tremble in fear, waiting for the words of this irregular wielding the hammer.

In the face of such overpowering strength, Wei Huan couldn’t muster the slightest movement.

“Ha......”

Soon after, a sigh came from the irregular.

Startled, Wei Huan flinched.

The irregular slowly approached Wei Huan and took a seat on the sofa in front of him, looking down with an indifferent gaze.

Swallowing hard in the engulfing silence, Wei Huan braced himself.

"Hey."

“......”

"Answer me."

“Yes, y-yes?”

"I'm not normally this aggressive, tsk-"

“......”

Wei Huan had no response.

All he could do was nod compliantly, driven by his instincts for survival.

"One more wrong move, and you're finished."

"I-I'll keep that in mind."

"Remember, next time, I might just destroy the entire guild."

With those final words, Hajoon slowly rose from the sofa.

Exiting the guild leader’s office, Wei Huan remained immobilized by fear.