The Academy’s Time Stop Player

Anna reminisced about the situation during their training at the time.

Back then, Hajoon was so overwhelmingly powerful that no one could match him.

It felt as if his talent and power were nothing significant.

More than anything, even though he had the ability known as 'Sage', in front of Hajoon, one felt powerless.

When she saw him effortlessly erase the debris of a building, her confidence diminished even further.

"Really... can I even do it?"

Anna felt her own inadequacy.

It made her gloomy to the point where she lacked motivation.

"..."

Anna already knew.

Although she was upset by the provocation Hajoon mentioned during their training, she thought he said it considering her well-being. Therefore, she believed that he surely knew a way.

He was the man who made her feel powerless, yet also the one who fostered her growth.

However, such simple questions were hard for her to voice now.

Perhaps because of the awkward relationship they had maintained for the past week?

Anna just scratched her cheek, while Hajoon calmly followed her.

Did they keep walking?

Whooosh~

When they reached the breezy rooftop of the building, Anna spoke for the first time.

"Wow... the view here is beautiful."

Perhaps because the building was near a mountain?

Looking at the panoramic view of the mountain, Anna smiled subtly.

Hajoon, standing beside her, looked at the same view with an indifferent expression.

"What do you think, Hajoon?"

"..."

Following the mood, Anna naturally tried to strike a conversation with Hajoon.

Hajoon didn't respond for a moment.

He just continued gazing at the scenery.

Then, Hajoon slowly turned his head.

He looked at Anna and softly asked, "Do you have something to say?"

"..."

Anna hesitated, searching for the right words.

She sighed heavily, a tired expression evident on her face.

Finally, her honest feelings were clear to see.

Taking a moment, Anna then spoke up.

"Hajoon."

"Yes?"

"You mentioned it before, didn't you? Asking if I would act the same way in front of Karthon."

"Oh, did I?"

With that, Anna lapsed into thought for a moment.

She silently gazed at the scenery, then slowly started speaking.

"Could you have killed Karthon in the hotel back then?"

"..."

Various thoughts crossed Hajoon's mind.

I felt like I knew why Anna was asking me this question, given her current emotions and intentions behind it.

Hajoon spoke, "Don't you believe in yourself?"

"..."

"To kill Karthon?"

Anna's silence seemed to affirm the statement.

Upon realizing this, a soft sigh escaped from Hajoon's lips.

Looking at Hajoon, Anna said, "It's only natural to lose confidence when you see such things during training."

She wore a bitter smile. She had given her best, but compared to the skills displayed by Hajoon, she felt insignificant.

While looking at Anna, Hajoon, with his typical calm demeanor, pondered. Having seen the culmination of Anna's story, he knew the future perfected version of her.

The pinnacle of magic. Anna Elizabeth Hartel, the Infinite Sage.

This would be her renowned title, especially impressive given she would earn it at the young age of 19. Her ultimate destiny was to defeat the game's final boss, Karthon, concluding her quest for vengeance.

'Hmm.'

Naturally, being destined as the Sage, she would face countless hardships. Villains of the future would relentlessly target her, intending to eliminate the future Sage.

The 'Doppelganger' that was emerging was after her for the same reason.

Yet, at the same time, Hajoon thought her concerns were unfounded. The challenges Anna faced would certainly mature her mentally. Nevertheless, her growth, being preordained as the Sage, was inevitable. Her growth in power was just a matter of time.

But now, she seemed doubtful.

"I've... lost my confidence," she admitted.

She seemed uncertain about her own future.

"Can I really kill him?"

The once-confident face of Anna now appeared overshadowed by a dark cloud. There was a sense of lost zeal in her eyes. Observing this, Hajoon let out a quiet sigh before confidently stating, "You can. Definitely."

"But even you couldn't kill him," Anna reminded him.

At that, Hajoon chuckled, "Back then, I was greatly swayed. By a damned system and because of Anna's future. Of course, there were other reasons too."

Hajoon then questioned, "So, are you leaving the revenge to me?"

At those words, a thought anchored itself in Anna's mind. Remembering it, she looked at Hajoon with eyes filled with shock.

"You didn't... Could it be? Did you not kill him because you wanted me to?"

While there were other reasons, Hajoon, for the moment, nodded in agreement.

Anna was taken aback by what was said.

To think he had spared that villain because he wanted to be the one to kill him...

She was momentarily at a loss for words.

It wasn't a typical thought process.

An S-tier villain is a title given when an individual's sheer power surpasses that of a nation, and that man, Karthon, is known as one of the worst villains in history.

Naturally, he's a villain who should be killed on sight.

Yet, Anna felt like she understood why Hajoon had chosen this approach.

"Let's do it this way."

She heard the reasoning from Hajoon's own lips.

For a moment, Hajoon's expression became dead serious.

Looking intently at Anna, he spoke.

"Whoever finds him first gets to kill him."

"What does that mean?"

"The person who finds him first gets the choice."

It was just as Anna had expected.

The boy before her was even stronger than she had imagined.

He could easily kill Karthon.

Yet, the reason he spared him was also for his own revenge...

Hajoon continued, "But, if I find him first, you'll just stand back and watch. Don't interfere."

"..."

"Well, he'll probably be dead before anything happens anyway."

"Are you saying you'll avenge me?"

"No."

At that, Hajoon looked even more serious, shaking his head.

Hajoon added, "I don't particularly hold a grudge against him. I don't plan on letting him live, but I don't want to torture him either. I'll just kill him."

Anna's expression turned to one of surprise.

It was exactly as he said.

Regardless of Karthon's strength, danger, and his past wrongdoings, to Hajoon, Karthon was just another common villain.

Not a subject of vengeance, just another villain to kill.

To Hajoon, that was all Karthon was.

For a moment, Anna's expression softened.

She silently looked down, deep in thought. Complex emotions swirled within her.

But then, she decided.

"I understand."

She knew exactly what she needed to respond with.

Anna slowly lifted her head.

And she began to look Hajoon squarely in the eyes.

Her eyes sparkled, her face returning to its usual confident state.

"Just promise me one thing."

Seeing her like this, the corners of Hajoon's mouth curled up in satisfaction.

It seemed she was back to her usual self, no need for excessive worry.

"When it's my turn, don't intervene at all."

After the conversation with Anna, Hajoon returned to his hotel room and immersed himself in the hot spring water.

"It's refreshing."

He blankly raised his head and looked at the sunset scenery.

It seemed to be a pretty popular hot spring.

After all, there was an open-air hot spring installed on the balcony of his private accommodation.

"Phew..."

In that tranquility, Hajoon's thoughts drifted to Anna.

Although it was planned, he felt he had successfully reignited her desire for revenge.

Hajoon wanted her to crave vengeance. In the game, her quest for revenge was a driving force for growth. In some ways, her revenge was also the reason they were at the Rokia Academy where the sage Choi Jungwon was present.

If she were to lose her thirst for revenge, the ensuing developments might deviate significantly from Hajoon's predictions, like her potentially dropping out of the academy.

Well, thankfully, it seemed things were resolved.

"Ah, this feels good."

Hajoon submerged his entire body, closed his eyes, and relaxed. He felt a bit drowsy but had to eat in an hour, so he planned to sit on the massage chair in a few minutes.

After some time relaxing, he checked the time and got out of the hot spring.

While drying himself off with a towel and about to change, suddenly,

"Ah!"

A surprised scream echoed. Hajoon turned his head towards the door.

Standing there, with a flushed face and hands covering her eyes, was Jooah. She was peeking at him between her fingers.

For context, Hajoon had changed his trousers but was still shirtless.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, uh, haha!"

She awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

"I just... was curious about what you were doing... Were you just in the hot spring?"

"Yeah."

"Can I use it?"

Hajoon looked at her with a slightly incredulous expression. Why come here when she has her own hot spring in her room?

Reading his expression, Jooah gave an awkward smile and explained, "Ahaha, I just wanted to try this one since I'm here. And I was curious about how different this hot spring is."

"Alright, whatever."

Hajoon didn’t mind, so he just nodded.

He then proceeded to the changing room and headed to the living area, sinking comfortably into the nearby massage chair.

This was the best part.

Who would have thought there'd be a massage chair inside the accommodation?

As Hajoon was enjoying the massage, suddenly,

-My lord.

Philaten reached out to him.

10 minutes later.

"Sigh..."

Lee Jooah emerged from the hot spring room, her face fresh and radiant, a soft smile gracing her lips.

She opened the living room door, her eyes scanning the room until they settled on the refrigerator. Her gaze then shifted to Hajoon, who was still lounging in the massage chair.

"Hey, can I have some banana milk?"

"Why not," Hajoon responded nonchalantly with a nod.

She stretched, arms reaching upwards, then rose from her chair.

"You know we're meeting for dinner by 8, right?" Hajoon asked.

"Yeah, I know," she replied, sipping her milk contentedly.

Hajoon smiled with satisfaction. "Alright, then."

He headed towards the entrance of their accommodation.

Having just enjoyed the hot spring, Lee Jooah wore a content smile as she followed Hajoon.

Suddenly,

Click-

Hajoon locked the door. Lee Jooah, standing right behind him, looked on with a puzzled expression.

Slowly, Hajoon turned to face her, his face betraying a hint of unexplained anger.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"You..."

With a piercing glare, Hajoon confronted Lee Jooah, "Who are you?"