The Academy’s Time Stop Player

8 o'clock in the morning, UK time.

At a superhero training center in the UK, Han Siyoung, Anna, Liam, Haruna Ruel, Lee Jooah, and Yoo Seolah had gathered during their vacation, synchronizing their schedules for a collective training session. Anna had organized this training to address and improve each individual's weaknesses.

“Hmm…”

There, Liam was intently observing a young girl sparring with Han Siyoung.

"It's quite obvious she's the one, right?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Anna, standing beside Liam, asked with a puzzled expression.

In response, Liam awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Well, I just have this feeling."

What he was certain of was the strong energy of a Mythic-rank artifact emanating from the girl. It seemed quite likely that she was the new owner of the recently-introduced Mythic artifact. While he could sense its energy, it wasn't visible to the naked eye.

Though he wanted to immediately inform the association president, instructions had been clear to simply observe without any investigation. So, for now, Liam did just that.

"Focus! Ugh!"

"Put more strength in your legs. The moment you slacken, you won’t be able to counter an attack."

"Oh, yes!"

The girl was a beauty with silver hair and reddish eyes.

Anna had brought her along and was providing some training, but had yet to reveal the girl's identity. Han Siyoung was also keenly observing and appeared curious about who she was.

"Who is she, exactly?"

"A potential junior of ours. Treat her well."

"She's aiming for Rokia Academy?"

"Yes."

"Hmm... Judging by her skills, it's a bit hard to tell. What's her specialty?"

"It seems she uses both magic and martial arts simultaneously."

"Is that so?"

Liam smirked at that revelation.

When the sparring session between Han Siyoung and the girl, apparently named Elaine, came to a break, Liam approached her with a sword.

"Han Siyoung, let's switch. I'll take over this time."

"Thank you."

Elaine greeted him with a bright smile.

To Liam, this girl named Elaine was indeed an enigma. It was clear that she possessed a Mythic-rank artifact, yet outwardly, she seemed utterly ordinary.

'Is she hiding its power?'

To Liam, it appeared so. After all, it was a Mythic artifact. Depending on its capabilities, its wielder could reach the level of a top-tier hero, or even surpass that. If this girl unleashed the power of her artifact, he could gauge her true potential.

Liam was deeply curious about her full capabilities.

"Shall we begin?"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing that, Elaine tensed up, clenching her fists and taking position. From her stance, it was evident that her fighting style was based on martial arts enhanced with magic. Considering she might be wielding the Mythic artifact, he decided to push her to a point where she might feel threatened and reveal her full potential.

However, just as they were about to start, the training hall doors swung open.

When every gaze was drawn to the entrance, a familiar face entered the training ground with a calm demeanor.

"Ah? Is that Hajoon?"

"He's here."

"...Did they invite Kim Hajoon too?"

Upon Hajoon's arrival, Liam looked at Anna with a questioning glance, to which she merely shook her head before speaking.

"They didn't invite him; he said he wanted to come."

"Hajoon did? He said he didn't want to last time."

"Well, he had his reasons."

Anna said, turning her eyes towards Elaine.

As the door opened to reveal Hajoon, Elaine greeted him with a bright smile.

"Ah, big brother!"

"…What?"

All eyes were suddenly on Elaine.

As everyone stared at her with puzzled expressions, Liam broke the silence with a hesitant question.

"Wait, was Hajoon your boyfriend?"

"...What?"

Hajoon, momentarily taken aback, looked at Liam as though he was seeing an idiot.

The flustered expression on Liam’s face made it evident he had misread the situation.

"Uh, no, it's not like that?"

"She's my younger sister."

"Uh... what?"

"Younger sister? They don't look alike."

"Was she born in England or something?"

A peculiar thought briefly crossed Liam's mind.

Watching Liam's confusion, Hajoon remarked, "Seems like you two were in the middle of something?"

"Yeah, uh-huh."

Hearing this, Hajoon calmly took a seat on a nearby bench and began watching Liam and Elaine. However, to Liam, Hajoon's relaxed gaze seemed like a silent challenge.

"Uh, well..."

And seeing Hajoon's demeanor, Liam felt the urge to bring out his best but decided it might be wiser to hold back for now.

An hour later, after finishing her training, Elaine approached Hajoon.

Hajoon opened his mouth, looking at the approaching Elaine, “Finished your training already?”

“Yes!” She replied with a proud expression.

It didn't seem easy, just by looking at her.

“I had no idea you'd be training with Senior Han Siyoung and Senior Liam.”

“...Senior? Anyway, what's that you're holding?”

“Hm? Oh, this? Hehe, it's an autograph from Senior Han Siyoung and Senior Liam. I plan to collect others too.”

Hajoon chuckled softly at that. His sister clearly had a soft spot for them.

Now that he thought about it, didn’t she once dream of entering Rokia Academy?

"Shush-"

Hajoon felt a bit uneasy.

Never would he have guessed that his sister would be a fan of them.

“Oh! There’s Senior Haruna! Senior!”

Almost instantly, spotting Haruna, who looked tired and yawned, Elaine ran over. Haruna, taken aback by Elaine's sudden enthusiasm, hesitated and turned her gaze to Hajoon.

Her expression seemed to ask, ‘Who is she?’

Hajoon answered, “My sister.”

“...Really? Since when?”

“Yeah.”

Haruna blankly stared at Elaine. Her stunned face was as if she couldn’t believe it. After all, judging by their hair and eye color, they didn’t resemble each other.

“Um, Senior, could you possibly give me an autograph here?”

“An autograph?”

“Yes.”

Hearing that, the corners of Haruna's mouth rose. Looking rather smug, she cast a glance at Hajoon, then, with a pleased expression, began signing the paper Elaine handed her with a teddy bear doodle.

“Wow! Thank you!”

“Sure, just let me know if you need more.”

“Yes. Hehe.”

With that, Haruna looked at Hajoon with a triumphant expression.

Though Hajoon wasn't the type to get irritated over such things, her look was mildly annoying.

“How about I assist with your training after a long time?”

Hearing that, Haruna stiffened.

The aura and confidence Hajoon exuded was unsettling for her.

“Well, um… I’m good, actually…”

“Elaine, you should watch closely. If you wish to join the academy, you should be able to do at least this much. Haruna will set a perfect example for you.”

“Oh! Okay. Got it.”

With that, Elaine eagerly watched Haruna.

And Haruna, feeling pressured, gulped down her saliva.

In truth, Haruna had come to this training reluctantly due to Anna's insistence.

Just as Hajoon was about to draw out his hammer,

Buzz-

“...?”

Suddenly interrupted by the vibration, instead of the hammer, Hajoon pulled out his smartphone to check the message.

Upon reading, his brows gradually furrowed.

"Shush-"

“...?”

“What’s going on, brother?”

After briefly staring at the message, Hajoon, with a hint of displeasure, muttered, “Seems like I need to make a trip to Korea soon.”

The President of the Korean Heroes Association, Kim Jeongyong, was deep in thought about a pressing matter.

"Hmm..."

Just two days ago, he received a call from Hajoon, a hero known as the "Irregular" of Korea.

"Is this about a house?"

"I've had a sudden situation. Can you help me out?"

"Yes, I can help, but it might take some time."

"That's fine. Just find me a sturdy house."

To Hajoon, it might've seemed like a simple request, but President Kim Jeongyong was facing a dilemma.

"A sturdy house..."

Though Hajoon had mentioned it casually, it was the most challenging specification.

The president felt overwhelmed, unsure of what standards to set for a "sturdy" house.

"I might need to build one."

Of course, in this age where construction had advanced due to magic beasts, magical creatures, and superhumans with special abilities, there were methods to build houses that couldn't be easily destroyed by the average superhuman's power.

However, the President's concern was that the villains targeting the Irregular might not fall into that average category.

"Hmm... Maybe after building the house, we can focus on reinforcing security..."

As Kim Jeongyong was contemplating this, his phone rang abruptly.

Startled by the sudden call, he picked up the phone. Soon after, he was greeted by the familiar voice of a young man, and with a gentle smile, he responded.

"Ah, Hajoon. What brings you to call?"

"..."

"Um... Yes?"

Upon hearing the next piece of information from Hajoon, President Kim Jeongyong's expression instantly hardened.

"Is that really true?!"

"Yes, so could you please open the gate?"

"Oh, understood."

Placing the phone back down, cold sweat began to bead on the president's forehead.

The news from Hajoon was startling.

In a certain abandoned factory, the villains who had caused an uproar in Korea had convened.

It was intel that an A-rank villain from the Villain Alliance, The Puppeteer, had made contact with a villain affiliated with the Altar.

6 PM, Korean time.

In a dilapidated building, villains from the Alliance and those affiliated with the Altar stood facing each other. Among them were the A-rank villain, The Puppeteer, several other Alliance-affiliated villains, and the newly emerged villains of the Altar, centered around officials Hamol and Giltan. The Puppeteer gazed at Giltan, a villain of the Altar, and spoke in an indifferent tone.

"So, the Altar wants to form an alliance with our Villain Alliance? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes."

"Why? What's the reason?"

"There's a girl the Altar is after. But right now, an Irregular protects her, so we can't lay a finger on her."

"Hmm..."

Pondering over this, The Puppeteer stroked her chin.

"So, you want our cooperation?"

"Yes."

"However..."

His eyes and words then shifted toward the villains of the Altar.

"You're not saying who this girl is."

"..."

The Puppeteer, recalling a past festival incident, already had an idea of who the girl the Altar was targeting might be.

But the fact that they were seeking cooperation and yet not revealing the identity of the girl they were after made it somewhat evident what their intentions were.

'It doesn't seem like they intend to kill her...'

Would this information be of any help to the Irregular?

The Puppeteer had already dismissed the thought of their offer or cooperation. What mattered now was feigning agreement to gauge the extent of their information.

"Well, fine. What's the benefit for us then?"

"We'll help you kill the Irregular."

"With the likes of you?"

While he wasn't particularly on the side of the Irregular, Giltan's claim seemed laughable.

The mere thought that a fledgling organization like theirs could aid in the assassination of the Irregular was hardly believable.

However, Giltan's subsequent words caused The Puppeteer's brows to furrow.

"Yes. We have a surefire way to kill him."