The Academy’s Time Stop Player

After exchanging a few words, Grayson was the first to enter the tent.

Considering it was 11 o'clock at night, it would be wise for him to rest now. However, Joa remained by Hajoon's side.

Curious, Hajoon looked at Joa and asked, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

"I probably should, considering what tomorrow holds. But I can't sleep. I guess I'm more nervous than I thought," she replied.

It made sense; tomorrow could be her last day, after all.

If things went as predicted, she would meet her end during tomorrow's dungeon expedition.

"So, what exactly did you see?" Hajoon asked.

"You mean the future?"

"Yes."

Hajoon nodded, wondering what she had seen that made her trust and bring him along.

In response to Hajoon's question, Joa calmly answered, "Under normal circumstances, I couldn’t tell you. The future can change. But I think it's okay with you, the Irregular."

"You think I’m different?"

"Yes. To be honest, I've never encountered something like this. It's quite intriguing."

As she spoke, Joa Elliot slowly opened her eyes.

Her violet irises fixated on Hajoon, and she continued, "Only one path exists for you, the Irregular."

"Excuse me?"

Hajoon looked at her with a puzzled expression, trying to decipher her words.

"What do you mean?"

"From my vision, there are multiple possible futures. Every action can change the course of the future, leading to numerous possible outcomes. But for the Irregular, I see only one path."

One fixed future.

Only one path for him.

A resolute, unchanging destiny.

Confident that it won't change anything, she candidly confessed, "I'm entrusting my life to you. In your future, I was alive."

"..."

"In a future with death, it's 'determined.' Normally, it's never fixed. But your existence has changed my future."

The moment the choice of death enters the equation, all alternate pathways converge on that single end.

Meaning every potential future is tainted by death.

But uniquely, in his presence, all those deathly outcomes vanish.

That's why Joa Elliot decided to entrust her life to him.

"So, what did you see inside the dungeon?" Hajoon probed.

Closing her eyes again, she recollected the scene from her vision when she foresaw her own death, "In the original timeline, I sacrificed myself to prevent the dungeon break."

A toll beyond imagination.

In that scenario, she had saved the other expedition members, but lost her life in the process of stopping the dungeon break.

"I was recognized by an 'entity' inside, honored for my power. It was, in a way, an honorable death."

"What's inside that dungeon?"

"There's an entity so vast it’s beyond our human comprehension. I couldn’t tell others about this future. There’s always a chance it could change. However, there’s one thing."

She reflected not on her own future, but on what was to come for Hajoon.

In the midst of a place teeming with countless magical creatures, a boy wields a golden hammer.

"You, too, will earn recognition from that 'being'. That's the future I've foreseen."

At the break of dawn, precisely 6 a.m.

Hajoon activated his Time Stop (SSS) skill just as the exploration team members were beginning to stir. He then pulled out a sleeping bag from his inventory and drifted into sleep.

Though any item used in the frozen timeline couldn't be utilized once the time resumed its flow, items retrieved from the inventory remained unaffected. This allowed Hajoon a restful sleep.

Having had a deep, refreshing sleep, he deactivated the Time Stop and continued their journey.

With Violet's assistance and using her flight magic, they directed their path toward the dungeon. After approximately five hours, when Hajoon was starting to feel a touch of boredom and let out a yawn, they finally approached their destination.

"Yes, that's the spot," Aiden pointed out, indicating a massive cave entrance.

It was a cavernous entrance, easily more than 20 meters in diameter. Staring at it, Hajoon couldn’t help but feel a pang of curiosity. Would such a vast cave typically be inhabited by monsters and magical beasts?

"Well, let's get ready," Grayson voiced, to which everyone nodded in agreement.

Violet gently set everyone down amid some shrubs a fair distance from the dungeon. As soon as they landed, the team immediately began their preparations for the dungeon exploration.

Once they were fully equipped and ready, the group promptly entered the dungeon.

The method to prevent the dungeon's breakout was straightforward.

There were two main strategies: either enter the dungeon and reduce the number of monsters inhabiting it by half to prevent the breakout from the outset, or completely conquer the dungeon, eliminating it and its boss monster. This time, the team chose the latter.

Considering the unforeseen circumstances and the boss monster's ability to control other monsters, it made sense to target the boss directly and then eradicate the dungeon.

"Then, I'm counting on you."

"Yes."

At Grayson's words, Hajoon nodded and took his position at the forefront.

The formation for this raid was such that Joa Elliot and Hajoon were at the front lines, while Grayson, as the tank, protected Aiden and Violet who were positioned at the rear.

This strategy was chosen primarily because of the physical prowess of Joa and Hajoon, who would spearhead the charge. The surprising factor here was Joa.

To be honest, Hajoon hadn't encountered her in the game, so he was unaware that despite her delicate appearance, she was a hero known for her strength.

'I thought she was a magician...'

Her slender arms had made Hajoon assume she would wield magic. But, to his surprise, she was a hero of brute strength, evidenced by her weapon of choice – a mace.

After all, being ranked fifth in the world wasn't merely about predicting the future.

"Now, let's move."

At Joa's command, everyone nodded in agreement, and with Joa and Hajoon leading, the team advanced.

Inside the dungeon, the air was thick with humidity.

After a few minutes of progression, Grayson voiced his concerns, "Something feels off. This doesn’t seem like a dungeon on the brink of a breakout."

As the tank of the raid team, Grayson knew that the early signs of a dungeon breakout were often indicated by a sudden and intense surge in magical energy. This surge usually occurred due to an abrupt increase in the number of monsters. However, the surrounding environment showed no such signs.

Although Hajoon couldn't sense the magical energies, if Grayson's observation was correct, then something was indeed wrong. There were monsters, of course, but not in the overwhelming numbers one might expect.

No sooner had Grayson finished speaking than a group of monsters blocked their path — five large beasts, each around 3 meters tall, known as Black Wolves.

"Take care of the rear, Grayson."

"Yes, leave it to me."

With that, Joa sprung into action.

Her previously leisurely pace shifted instantly. She darted with an almost imperceptible speed to stand before the Black Wolves and swung her mace horizontally. The force of her swing caused one of the Black Wolves' heads to explode upon impact. The momentum of her mace didn't slow, and it collided with another wolf, resulting in the same gruesome end.

In mere moments, Joa had taken down two Black Wolves.

Simultaneously, those in the rear – Aiden, Violet, and Grayson – began their own offensive.

One of the shadow wolves lunged mightily, aiming for the rearguard where they stood, but Grayson swiftly repelled it with his massive shield.

Soon after, the arrows and magic of Aiden and Violet directly struck the remaining two wolves, ending their first battle without any harm.

All the while, Hajoon hadn’t lifted a finger.

"How easy," he mused.

Choosing to stand guard alone was definitely the right decision.

Judging by their performance, they seemed well-rested and in top form.

However, Hajoon didn’t plan to just stand by and watch.

A forgotten job-change quest suddenly came to mind.

[Job-Change Quest]

Eligible Character: Kim Hajoon (Liber Laphilton Phil Ehrman)

Description: Slay the magical beasts. (52/100)

Reward: You will receive the title of Dwarf King Horton, the past owner of Maharazu.

Title: Destroyer

Approximately an hour had passed since they entered the dungeon.

Every time they ventured forward, a few magical beasts would appear, blocking their way. The party easily defeated these creatures and continued their journey.

"...It's a cliff?"

"..."

For the first time, the group came to a stop.

At the end of the dungeon, instead of an exit, they were met with a cliff leading downwards.

"What should we do?"

"..."

Grayson asked Joa.

Joa gazed down the cliff for a moment, lost in thought, before slowly speaking. "Let's go down. I believe there's a path beneath."

The group members unanimously nodded in agreement with Joa's decision. The depth of the chasm didn't seem insurmountable.

Using Violet's flying magic, they descended the cliff at a moderate pace. As Joa predicted, another pathway awaited them. However, the problem was the number of magical beasts, far more than they had encountered earlier.

Kruruk!

Krururuk!

By a quick estimate, there were at least 50 magical beasts surrounding them.

It did seem odd, though.

The number of magical beasts occasionally popping out above was considerably fewer for a dungeon on the brink of breaking.

Awooo!

However, that was just the beginning.

One of the beasts suddenly let out a howl, and like a cue, the surrounding creatures began to increase their howls and numbers.

"We're surrounded!"

"Ah... Now it feels like we're actually tackling a dungeon about to break"

"It was strange, right? The number of magical beasts above was too few."

While the exploration party was certainly tense, they still remained composed. After all, they were among the top-ranked heroes. Moreover, they wholly trusted Hajoon and Joa, who were leading the frontlines.

"Irregular, I'll cover the rear. Can you handle the front?"

"Sure."

Hajoon nodded.

Given the difference in the situation from earlier, with countless beasts surrounding them, it was time to adjust their positions.

"Be cautious. Stronger beasts are watching from the back."

At those words, Hajoon looked toward the rear of the encircling horde. At a glance, several beasts were noticeably larger than the others.

Not that it mattered much to him.

'Count them, Philaten.'

Understood.

With that, Hajoon raised his hammer, Maharazu. That's when the situation took a turn.

Krr, krurur?

Kiiing!

Wal! Wal!

A shift in the creatures' demeanor was noticeable. To be precise, not all, but a few of the magical beasts hesitated and retreated a step after seeing Maharazu in Hajoon's grasp.

"…?"

For now, dismissing it as mere coincidence, Hajoon approached the beasts, Maharazu in hand. But that single action caused a significant shift.

Awooo!

Krurur!

The atmosphere amongst the beasts changed dramatically.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Several of the monsters surrounding the group, including the massive one at the back, began to flee upon seeing Hajoon's hammer.

It was as if they were petrified just by the sight of the hammer.

Of course, some remained, clearly hostile towards the group, but the situation was peculiar. Half of the monsters that saw Hajoon's Maharazu ran away.

"What just happened?"

"Is this also the work of the Irregular?"

"…?"

Hajoon didn’t respond.

Even he couldn’t grasp what had just transpired.

That’s when Philaten understood the situation and spoke up.

-I see.

'...What do you mean?'

-These creatures. They recognize the presence of Maharazu.