The Academy’s Time Stop Player

7 P.M.

Kim Hajoon and Han Siyoung, back at the academy, made a beeline for the principal's office.

"Ho~ So this is the Elixir..."

Sage Choi Jungwon began to study the Elixir with curiosity.

That's because he immediately recognized what it was composed of as soon as he saw it.

"I see, so it’s a special kind of magic... The magic itself has been mixed with water and sold. If this magic feature truly acts as a growth booster for superhumans, it deserves the name Elixir. But..."

Suddenly, Sage Choi Jungwon's eyes began to squint.

"I'll have to check for side effects... It doesn't look that promising to me."

He quickly looked away from the Elixir and turned his attention to Hajoon and Siyoung.

Sage Choi Jungwon began to smile warmly as he observed the two.

"Thank you. For agreeing to my request."

"Not a problem."

"Yes. It's okay."

"Hehe, still, you've fulfilled my request, so I should do the same for you. Let me know what you want. I'll do anything that's within my power."

Hearing his words, Siyoung fell silent, appearing deep in thought, while Hajoon crossed his arms and began to ponder. Sage Choi Jungwon, patiently watching them, spoke as if he understood their dilemma.

"You don't have to decide right now. Take your time, and let me know when you've figured it out."

He then glanced out the window.

It was already dark, the sun had set.

"Oh, it's already exam time and I've taken up too much of your time. Go and rest for today. It's getting late."

"Understood."

At his words, Siyoung nodded slightly and slowly rose from the sofa.

However, Hajoon paid no mind to Choi Jungwon's words and continued to cross his arms, lost in thought.

"Hmm..."

Soon, Hajoon, having finished his pondering, turned to look at Choi Jungwon.

"I have something to say."

Choi Jungwon was slightly taken aback by his words but looked at Hajoon with intrigue.

"I see, then what about Siyoung...?"

"I'll go now. It seems like you two need to talk."

"Hehe, alright. Rest well."

Soon after, Siyoung left the principal's office, leaving Hajoon alone with Choi Jungwon.

Hajoon, now alone with Choi Jungwon, rubbed his chin thoughtfully before slowly speaking up.

"What do you plan to do if the side effects of this Elixir turn out to be severe?"

"I was thinking of managing it within my means. My initial plan was to capture him and ban the sale."

"Can I take care of this case then?"

At his words, Choi Jungwon looked at Hajoon, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.

"You mean you?"

"Yes."

"Ho... That's intriguing. Why?"

In response to that question, Hajoon paused for a moment, then shared his reasoning.

"It looks like it's true that the Elixir boosts the abilities of superhumans. Of course, the side effects are harsh."

"I see. So you already knew about the Elixir's side effects."

"Yes."

"So what's your plan for this Elixir?"

"I plan to get rid of the side effects and use it."

At his words, Choi Jungwon could only stare at Hajoon, his eyes filled with shock.

In truth, Sage Choi Jungwon had also thought about this approach, but it seemed fundamentally impossible.

The reason being, the side effects were also a characteristic of the magic.

As far as he was aware, there wasn't a method to remove a magic's characteristic in the world yet.

Hearing Hajoon casually suggest he could do it, Choi Jungwon couldn't hide his curiosity about his method despite his disbelief. He asked Hajoon with a serious expression.

"If the characteristic of the magic itself has side effects, then that's part of the magic too. You claim you know how to remove this characteristic?"

Hajoon's response to that question was short but filled with assurance.

"Yes, I know how."

At that moment, upon hearing these words,

Choi Jungwon couldn't help but smile instinctively.

Based on the results confirmed with the sage's eyesight,

It was telling him that Hajoon's answer was nothing but the truth.

After finishing his conversation with Sage Choi Jungwon, Hajoon headed back to his dormitory.

Although Hajoon wanted nothing more than to fall onto his bed as soon as he got back, he had some chores to finish first. After a bit, he sat down at his desk and laid out his textbooks.

"Alright then..."

Hajoon loosened his body and immediately started studying.

It had been a while since he last studied, but he hadn't forgotten how.

Could he forget the study techniques that had allowed him to rank 10th in the entire school during his student days?

Hajoon started to concentrate, recalling his old study habits.

Scribble- scribble-

The sound of the pen on paper filled the room. In that moment, Hajoon couldn't hear anything but his own writing, his eyes locked on the textbook in front of him.

His dedication and focus were relentless.

It was these qualities that let Hajoon maximize his concentration.

About an hour went by like this.

At some point, Hajoon's hands, which had been moving freely, stopped suddenly.

Hajoon slowly put down his book and crossed his arms, starting to think.

"Hmm, seems like tackling problems is a bit too much?"

Using his dedication for focused study wasn't a bad approach.

His focus was so intense that he managed to memorize in 30 minutes what usually took him an hour.

He was confident he could finish memorizing subjects in just a week, but the issue was subjects that needed understanding, like calculations.

Especially when he didn't understand the problems themselves.

[Assuming that the monster of a random dungeon is a lower-ranked monster with a danger level of 3, define the expected danger level of the dungeon and calculate the magic density of the dungeon. (The number of lower-ranked monsters in the dungeon is 53.)]

Seemingly, this was one of the simpler problems.

It was a subject about dungeon analysis and interpretation, but who would have studied such a topic in reality?

While memorization was doable, he needed help from someone for subjects requiring basic calculations.

His concentration improved, but not his understanding.

"Well then..."

Hajoon quickly started to think of a solution.

If it's too much on his own, he'll do it with someone else.

If he doesn't know the answer to a problem, he can ask someone who is good at studying.

As Hajoon was thinking about who he could send a picture of the tough problem to, his phone unexpectedly rang.

His phone displayed messages from Anna, Yoo Seolah, Lee Jooah, and a number still saved as Liam.

[Anna: Are you okay with the exam? I'm here to help if you have any questions.]

[Yoo Seolah: Hajoon, if there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask anytime. I'll explain it well.]

[Lee Jooah: Hajoon, do you want to study together later when you're free?]

[010-XXXX-XXXX: Ha-ha! Isn't this the biggest challenge of your school life, Hajoon?]

"Phew..."

Did he seem like he was bad at studying?

Seeing these responses, he felt somewhat embarrassed to ask due to his pride.

Especially Liam's mocking tone was annoying.

Should he just block him?

'Sigh, what should I do about this...'

It was at that moment.

Knock- Knock-

At the sound of someone knocking, Hajoon's head turned.

Thinking, 'who could that be?', he opened the door only to find a familiar girl standing there.

He was surprised by her presence.

"Weren't you supposed to be in the hospital?"

At his words, the girl, looking at Hajoon, let out a slight smile.

It was the Student Council President, Lee Joohee.

"I came to thank you."

Hajoon, surprised, invited her into the room.

He couldn't help but ask, still feeling a bit odd.

"Your injury?"

"It's already been treated."

"And you were discharged from the hospital today?"

At Hajoon's words, Lee Joohee looked away as if she felt guilty.

From her reaction, Hajoon could guess.

'She escaped...'

He wondered if this was always Lee Joohee's nature.

Though he was surprised that she had something urgent enough to say that she'd run out of the hospital, it wasn't a big problem.

Hajoon sighed and spoke to her.

"Sigh...Don't push yourself when you're not fully healed yet."

"I'm sorry. It's my first time receiving help... I didn't know how to express my gratitude."

With those words, Lee Joohee gently smiled.

"If there's anything you need, tell me. As long as it's within my power, I'll help."

"I'll reach out if there's anything in the future."

"You say that, but you never reach out. You don't even come to the life counseling."

"Hmm... But I don't exactly-"

About to say there wasn't anything, Hajoon suddenly had an idea and quickly picked up a book that was lying on the desk.

"Then, could you teach me this?"

At his words, Lee Joohee looked confused.

"Is it really okay with just that?"

"If I need something later, I'll reach out. But right now, this is urgent."

"Understood. What are you curious about?"

Hajoon took out all the subject books that required calculations.

He handed them to Lee Joohee and spoke.

"Everything."

Since the opportunity came up, he planned to fully memorize everything.

And so, time passed, and it was finally Friday.

Hajoon's studies were going smoothly.

Due to the large amount of material to cover, Lee Joohee came to Hajoon's place every day to teach him. Each day as she taught Hajoon, she couldn't help but feel surprised.

"You're surprisingly good at studying."

To be honest, it was a bit astonishing.

She had heard stories from Jooah and from his behavior, he didn't seem to be the studious type. Nevertheless, to her comment, Hajoon merely chuckled and replied.

"It's because President Lee teaches me so well."

That was not an empty compliment.

Her teaching method itself was quite comfortable, he thought.

"Well, that's a relief then. It means I've fulfilled my promise well."

"Yes, well. Could you also teach me on Saturday and Sunday?"

"Sure, however, I think it would be better if we changed the location from your place tomorrow."

At her suggestion, Hajoon looked at her with a confused expression.

"Why?"

At Hajoon's question, Joohee explained with a slightly troubled expression.

"There's a troubling rumor going around the academy."

"What rumor?"

"Well... Students are getting the wrong idea because I keep visiting your place every evening."

"........"

Upon hearing that, Hajoon silently understood the situation.

The situation was a bit silly, and it seemed that a headache-inducing rumor had started because he was studying diligently.

"Ah, I see."

Well, he couldn't cause her trouble because of his request, so Hajoon accepted her concern.

Just then, his smartphone rang, signaling a new message.

Hajoon took his smartphone from his pocket and checked the message.

Immediately after checking the message, the corners of Hajoon's mouth began to lift.

"President Lee."

"Hm?"

"It seems I won't be able to make it tomorrow. Let's study on Sunday."

At his words, Lee Joohee tilted her head in curiosity.

Hajoon turned his attention back to the message.

The sender of the message was none other than Chairman Kim Jeongyong.

[We have found the headquarters of the Altar.]