The Academy’s Time Stop Player

A heavy silence enveloped the room.

The quiet was so profound that the sound of a gulp echoed clearly.

Within this silence, three villains stared at a boy wielding a hammer.

"........."

"........."

"........."

The Irregular.

His sudden appearance sent chills down the spines of those present.

They believed they were well-hidden, impossible to be discovered.

But who would have thought he would pinpoint them amidst such a vast crowd?

Soon after, the eyes of two villains from the Altar met.

One of them, with a determined look, gave a slight nod, while the other clenched his teeth in apparent frustration.

Without expressing a word, they reached a mutual understanding. And just as one of the Altar's villains was about to rush at Hajoon—

"Stop! Don’t move!"

Suddenly, Terrorboom raised his hand, shouting.

All eyes, including Hajoon's and those of the two villains from the Altar, shifted to Terrorboom. Terrorboom, pointing up with his finger, prepared to shout again at Hajoon.

"The bomb's already set. If I flick this finger—"

But in that instant.

Terrorboom couldn’t finish his sentence.

BOOM—CRACK—THUD—!

"Argh!"

Terrorboom's head hit the ground, his raised hand breaking with a horrific snap. What followed was a series of explosive and brutal blows.

BOOM—!

CRASH—!

THUD—!

With each resounding impact, a crater formed, dirt and debris erupting into the air. The faces of the Altar's villains watching this scene turned to stone.

As if they foresaw this very carnage befalling them in the near future.

Terrorboom's screams eventually faded, and when the dust settled, his condition was pitiful. Though he seemed to be alive, given his feeble movements, it appeared as though every bone in his body had been shattered.

The Altar's villains who had witnessed this scene were left utterly speechless.

"........."

"........."

They had no words, their faces hardened.

Their plan was now completely ruined due to the recent events.

They couldn't even react slightly to the speed of the Irregular.

Given the circumstances, sacrificing one to allow another to escape was also impossible.

"I did warn the Alliance..."

With those words, Hajoon, who had been smashing Terrorboom with his hammer, once again rested it on his shoulder.

He then turned his gaze back to the Altar's villains.

Crazed zealots ready to give up their lives for their religion and beliefs.

By the look in their eyes, there was no sign of resistance, but he still needed to be cautious.

Hajoon calmly approached the two remaining villains.

For the villains of the Altar, it was the first time their fear outweighed their faith.

After the situation had settled, in a quiet alley of the academy, a gate opened. Included among those who stepped through were Chairman Kim Jeongyong and four guild agents.

The number of agents dispatched to clean up the scene seemed small, but it was due to Hajoon's request to keep things low-key.

"Sigh… As expected, you've taken care of everything. We'll handle the rest from here."

With that, the four agents efficiently moved to secure the villains with restraints. Given their condition, restraints might've seemed unnecessary, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

The situation was swiftly resolved, but the Chairman couldn't help expressing his unease to Hajoon.

"Young Master Hajoon."

"Yes?"

"Will everything be alright? Can we continue with the festival…?"

From his words, Hajoon could guess the Chairman's concerns.

He probably suspected that other villains, not just the ones they encountered, had infiltrated the academy. Hajoon understood his concerns but wasn't too worried.

He had Puppeteer on standby just in case.

"Yes, don't worry too much. I've made preparations."

"Well, if Young Master Hajoon says so, that's reassuring. But this incident was unexpected. I didn't think the Villain Alliance would act even after our warning."

That caught Hajoon off-guard as well.

He hadn't expected them to be so brazen, especially after showing them that video. While some of it might be due to the penalties, he felt there was another motive.

"Anyway, if you need further assistance, please contact the guild anytime. I have matters to attend to and must leave now."

With that, the Chairman gave a respectful nod and stepped back through the gate.

Once he was gone, Hajoon looked at Puppeteer, stored in his chest pocket, and asked, "So… Why did they attack?"

Naturally, he assumed Puppeteer would have some insight.

However, the response he received wasn't what he expected.

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure."

"You don't know?"

Hajoon's brow furrowed in irritation.

But Puppeteer, sounding rather wronged, added, "While I might not know, the Alliance isn't that organized. I'm just here following orders."

It made sense. The Villain Alliance was just that – an alliance. It wasn't a group united under a grand ideology like the Altar but a gathering of individuals with aligned objectives.

It would be unrealistic to expect them to operate with the efficiency and coordination of a well-oiled company.

And suddenly, recalling The Puppeteer's words, Hajoon couldn't help but wonder why he had come to this place.

In the game, the primary reason the Puppeteer sought out the academy was to assassinate Anna, with Han Siyoung thwarting that attempt being a part of the episode. However, with the current change in circumstances, Hajoon speculated that the Puppeteer's intentions might have shifted.

"So, what was your original purpose?"

The Puppeteer hesitated for a moment, seemingly uncomfortable with the question.

Soon after, with a reluctant tone, he responded, "It was terrorism. I was simply ordered to cause a disturbance here."

Inside a high-rise building.

In an office located on the top floor, a man sat comfortably on a sofa, smoking and gazing at the ceiling.

He had an imposing demeanor, accentuated by a skull tattoo on his left shoulder. His name was Jang Hwan, one of the top heroes in Korea, holding the rank of the nation's second-best.

He shifted his gaze toward the terrace, or more precisely, to something approaching from beyond it. Something with immense power, radiating hostility, was heading straight for him. And it wasn't just walking; it was flying directly towards him.

"Seriously..."

A chuckle escaped his lips. He wasn't sure who or what was coming, but one thing was clear: it was a villain. Only a villain would approach with such blatant malevolence.

"It's always something new," he mused.

Moreover, this approaching entity was alone. It was audacious enough to confront him, Korea's second-ranked hero, all by itself. Realizing this, a smirk formed on Jang Hwan's face.

Even if he'd been relatively inactive lately, he hadn't expected anyone to treat him as such an easy target.

Slowly rising from the sofa, he grabbed his weapon that was placed nearby. With the sound of electrical current, the weapon, shaped like a spear, activated. He simply waited for the intruder, poised and ready.

Soon after, with a resonating whoosh, the approaching figure turned out to be an old man. In one hand, he held a hefty wooden staff.

His face and body were concealed by a hooded black cloak, leaving only his white beard visible, hinting at his age.

The old man calmly landed on the terrace and began observing Jang Hwan through the window.

Jang Hwan couldn't help but let out a sarcastic laugh in response.

"Heh, who are you? You certainly look like a villain, but it's my first time seeing that face."

If the old man had been a renowned villain with some repute, Jang Hwan would undoubtedly recognize him. However, this old man's face was unfamiliar, even though the aura he radiated was comparable to an A-rank villain.

The old man then took a step forward. What happened next was perplexing to Jang Hwan. It was as if a droplet had fallen onto a calm lake, causing ripples in space. The old man seemed to pass through the terrace window, effortlessly entering the room.

Jang Hwan sneered with incredulity. "Do you even know who I am to barge in like this?"

"It seems a lot of time has passed. Judging by the fact that you've forgotten my face."

As the old man spoke, Jang Hwan's grip on his spear tightened even more.

The moment the old man stepped through the window, the room was enveloped in a magical power, one that dwarfed what had been felt just moments prior.

For a split second, Jang Hwan's eyes narrowed, sizing up the elder.

Feeling the old man's magic, Jang Hwan surmised that he wasn't dealing with some ordinary villain.

Crackle! Zap!

Without hesitation, Jang Hwan activated his ability.

A vicious blue current surged around his body, and his eyes shone with a brilliant blue light.

Assuming a defensive stance, as if ready to hurl a spear at any moment, he challenged the elder, "Who are you?"

"There's no need for you to know. It's useless information anyway," the old man responded dismissively.

With a resonating hum, the magic enveloping the room began to concentrate in one spot.

At the heart of this magic, space itself seemed to warp, twist, and rupture, reshaping the very landscape around it. It was as if a black hole had formed out of thin air.

The elder's power was manipulating space itself.

Witnessing this spectacle, Jang Hwan's smirk vanished. "You...?"

"The one they call 'Irregular' in the outside world sent a warning through a video," the old man remarked, his staff striking the ground with a pronounced thud.

Immediately, the black hole hovering above the old man began to expand even further.

"It seems we should send a warning of our own to the Hero Association and to him," the old man said, a malicious grin creeping across his face as he locked eyes with the hero in front of him.

"Wouldn't you agree, hero of our time?"