The Academy’s Time Stop Player

TL/Editor: looloo

Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri

Illustrations: Here

Zahart's headless gaze was directed towards Han Siyoung.

The human who had severed his neck.

However...

No emotion was visible in the calm gaze of the boy.

[Not a hint of emotion can be felt...]

Clearly, the boy in front of him was a survivor of that village.

Yet, there was no sign of resentment or anger towards him from the boy.

Emotions that should exist and be expressed by humans...

[What reason do you have to stay here?]

The King of Humans asked Han Siyoung.

After a moment of silence, instead of answering, Han Siyoung looked down at him and asked,

“You said it wasn’t intentional. What does that mean?”

Zahart had said he didn’t intend to destroy the village.

In response to Han Siyoung's question, Zahart answered honestly,

[It was just bad luck. The village just happened to be there when I first came to this world.]

“......”

[After the village disappeared, that was it. It was merely swept away by a disaster that is me.]

It was merely a coincidence.

When he first stepped into this world, the village happened to be there, and the massive destruction caused by crossing the space swept away the village itself.

That was the truth and the reason the village disappeared.

And to that answer, Han Siyoung had no words.

He just looked down at him with calm eyes, watching him.

No emotion, especially not anger, was visible within.

Knowing it was the end, yet driven by curiosity, Zahart couldn’t help but ask,

[It’s my turn now. Why don’t you resent me?]

“......”

[Are you devoid of emotions? Surely, I must have killed your parents.]

There was hostility, but the emotions reflected did not contain any hatred or anger.

Even with such a response, Han Siyoung's expression remained unchanged.

The absence of any emotion made him seem to Zahart like a human without feelings.

However, after hearing Han Siyoung's next response, he understood,

“I hold no grudge against you.”

[...Why?]

“I simply stood against you and swung my sword.”

[...Is that so?]

Zahart's face sank as if he had let go of everything in life, accepting that as the answer.

[So, you swung your sword simply because you stood against me. Anyone would have.]

Hearing that response, Zahart could tell it was no lie.

The one in front of him was truly steadfast.

Possessing an unshakeable spirit like Mount Tai.

[I see why the ‘Sacred Marks’ chose you…]

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a sword emitting a brilliant white light manifested in Han Siyoung's hand.

With a calm expression, Han Siyoung lightly swung the sword with one hand.

Ssshh-

His head was cleaved in two, turning into white glowing ash that began to disperse slowly. Lastly, a thought crossed his mind.

‘There shouldn’t be any energy of the Sacred Marks left in this world...’

This is another world.

The energy of the Sacred Marks, exclusive to the previous world, shouldn't exist here.

Then there is only one reason.

The energy of the Sacred Marks exists in this world for one reason alone.

‘It followed me here...’

When he crossed dimensions to come here, many forms of energy, including magic, followed him.

Likely, the energy of the Sacred Marks was among those remnants.

‘In the end...’

Realizing he had created the entity that would kill him, Zahart chuckled emptily as he vanished into the last remnants of light.

“......”

Watching his disappearance quietly, Han Siyoung then turned and left the scene.

“Cough!”

“Are you okay?”

Meanwhile, Hajoon had left the cleanup to Han Siyoung and returned to the Sword King.

Seeing he seemed to have internal injuries, he took out a potion and handed it to him. After drinking the potion, he seemed somewhat healed, breathing more comfortably than before, and spoke.

“Thank you. But, where is Siyoung?”

“He’s on his way.”

“What happened to Zahart?”

“I killed him.”

At that answer, he gave a bitter smile and said,

“You've helped me again.”

“It was Han Siyoung who finished him off.”

“That child…?”

The Sword King wore a slightly surprised expression.

Just as was about to stand up and go look for Han Siyoung, he emerged from the bushes at just the right moment.

“......”

“......”

The Sword King and Han Siyoung looked at each other, and a quiet silence fell between them.

After the silence, the Sword King quietly said to Han Siyoung,

“Come with me. There’s something I want to show you.”

Without a word, Han Siyoung nodded and followed him.

After about 30 minutes.

As the night passed and the sun began to rise,

The Sword King, Han Siyoung, and Hajoon arrived at a certain place.

A wide plateau on the mountain summit.

It appeared to be a graveyard with about 30 tombstones laid out.

Standing in front of the cemetery, the Sword King looked down at the tombstones with a bitter face and spoke,

“These are the villagers. We couldn’t find all the remains, but we buried those we could find with all the respect they deserved.”

“......”

Han Siyoung silently approached his side.

Following his gaze, he too looked at the tombstones.

"These villagers showed me kindness long before you were born. They were good people…”

15 years ago, after the dimensional dungeon crisis was resolved, dungeons and monsters still threatened people's lives.

It was also when the Sword King was actively on duty.

“This place was also my haven. I lived here as part of the village for decades, and I thought it would be where I’d spend my last days.”

For him, it was also the haven where he planned to spend his retirement.

For decades, he had fought in battles across numerous dimensional dungeons, and he had planned to settle in that village for a peaceful life in the end.

However, during his brief absence,

The village was swept away by a massive disaster, and at the center of what was once the village stood a man.

It was the second greatest despair he had faced in his life.

He fought the man, prepared to die amidst the bloodshed.

In the end, the man escaped, and he lost him.

The Sword King walked around the vanished village with heavy steps, hoping against hope for survivors.

He managed to find the only survivor of the village.

“Your parents protected you with their lives, and that’s how you survived.”

His gaze was fixed on a grave.

Han Siyoung approached the grave and slowly knelt down to look at it.

Watching him for a moment, the Sword King slowly spoke.

“I'm sorry for only telling you now.”

“......”

Han Siyoung silently looked at the grave for a while.

His face was tinged with a faint sadness.

Then, slowly standing up and turning to look at the Sword King, Han Siyoung spoke.

“I'm curious why you only told me now.”

His voice carried politeness without any hint of resentment.

It wasn’t a question born out of resentment for being informed late, but simply out of curiosity for the reason. Hearing the question, the Sword King couldn’t face Han Siyoung and lowered his head as he answered.

“I wanted you to live a normal life.”

Unaware of the existence of the culprit behind the villagers' death.

He wanted him to live a normal life like any other child.

To make many friends, adapt to society, and lead a normal yet happy life.

“You would have been consumed by revenge if you knew.”

He didn’t want him to waste his life on revenge at such a young age.

Revenge could be carried out by him, who had lived long enough and had no regrets in life.

However...

Han Siyoung shook his head at his words.

Contradicting him, he continued shaking his head.

“Even if I had known, I wouldn’t have changed.”

At that moment.

The Sword King's eyes widened.

Slowly raising his head, the Sword King looked at Han Siyoung, who was observing him.

And Han Siyoung, who always maintained a calm expression, showed a faint smile.

“This path was my choice.”

Han Siyoung said.

Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have been consumed by revenge.

He didn’t resent his master for telling him late, and even if he hadn’t known, his path wouldn’t have changed.

His goals and dreams, firmly set by himself, would remain unchanged.

“I wanted to earn your recognition.”

He wanted to become strong enough to surpass his master.

That was his goal, and it hasn't changed even now.

His dream would be fulfilled by earning his master's recognition.

Thus, by doing so, his master could also look at him with relief.

“I…”

Like the great heroes who saved the world from dimensional dungeons in the past, he too wanted to become a hero. He still admired and respected them, and it was his greatest goal.

His dream was to become like his master, one of those great heroes.

“I want to be a hero who protects others.”

He wanted to become a hero who could reassure people.

That was the dream Han Siyoung wanted to achieve.

“…Siyoung.”

Watching him, the Sword King realized.

When he heard what this child most desired, the Sword King finally understood.

That it was he who had been stuck in the past.

“You are…”

Looking at the boy who was not just the child of his memories but was moving straight towards his dream.

The Sword King could finally face Han Siyoung directly.

The boy had grown, and he was just stuck in the past.

“So it is…”

A hero who wants to protect others.

The Sword King could faintly sense that he was also a part of Han Siyoung's dream.

“No matter what I said, you intended to become a hero.”

“…”

To that, Han Siyoung simply nodded without replying.

The Sword King approached Han Siyoung.

Reaching for his sword at his waist, he approached Han Siyoung and extended his hand to caress his.

“You’ve worked very hard…”

The traces of his efforts were visible.

The calluses on his hands indicated the extent of the effort he had made so far.

He gently placed his sword against Han Siyoung's hand, softly handing it over to him.

As he looked at Han Siyoung with a bitter smile, his eyes widened.

“This is…”

“This sword is no longer needed by me.”

He continued with a kind smile.

“I trust you, Siyoung.”

That smile was like a comfortable sigh of relief, as if letting go of a weight of life.