The Academy’s Time Stop Player

"Hal will handle number 1, and I'll take on number 32."

Upon hearing Lain's statement, everyone seemed to agree, nodding their heads.

"Is that the best approach?"

"If number 1 isn't exceptional, Hal can deal with it discreetly."

"We just need to retrieve the item, right? Understood."

"And the time?"

Hakuse asked about the timing of the operation.

In response, Millie spoke up.

"Let's go with 10 p.m. That seems most appropriate."

"Is that when the parade takes place? Then again, we might be able to vacate the hotel room around that time."

Time flowed, and it was now 10 in the evening.

While all the children went to watch the parade of Barbadon, Liam was alone in his hotel room.

He had seen the parade multiple times, and he was not in the mood to watch it again.

"Ugh, a loss of $10,000."

Fortunately, the first one left in the middle of it.

After that, he managed to purchase a decent float from the parade, earning back $10,000.

However, it was still a loss.

Under normal circumstances, he would have made a clear profit of at least $50,000.

He thought, "I just bet on the wrong person."

Liam lay down on the bed, gazing at the ceiling with a sulky expression.

With nothing else planned, he might as well go to sleep early.

As he was about to close his eyes...

“?!”

Suddenly, Liam's eyes flashed open.

He felt a sudden surge of power.

"What... what on earth is that?"

This power felt extremely aggressive.

Could this truly be the power emitted by a human?

It seemed that the owner of this energy was trying to suppress it, but the faint aura was very eerie.

'A sorcerer?'

Liam’s gaze darted towards the room door.

Through the door, the power flowed.

The being emitting this strange energy was right outside his room.

In a split second, Liam swallowed hard and quickly hid behind the wall next to his bed.

Then he heard it.

From beyond the door, a woman's voice echoed, "Millie. There's a problem."

Her voice was confident, as if she had no intention of hiding her presence.

Creak-

In the next moment, the locked door opened effortlessly.

With a steady rhythm of footsteps, an unknown woman entered the room.

As she stepped in, she declared, "There's someone else in this room."

The moment Liam heard those words, chills ran down his spine.

Whoosh! Bam!

Before he could react, a fearsome figure swiftly approached him, grabbing him fiercely by the face, as if to silence him. He lifted Liam's face upwards with ease.

"Ah!"

Liam’s eyes met the eyes of the woman who had gripped his face.

She had intimidating dragon-like eyes and silver hair.

Upon seeing her face, Liam's eyes widened in recognition, and so did the woman’s.

'Villante?!'

"Liam Martel."

Upon seeing Liam’s face, the woman's expression turned furious.

Holding Liam's face firmly, she spoke to Millie, "Millie, change of plans."

"What? Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Liam's here. I'm going to kill him."

"Liam Martel?"

In that moment, Liam reacted immediately.

Liam swiftly rotated his waist, launching a kick at Lain's face. After breaking free from Lain's grasp, he stepped back, gripping the weapon he had procured at the auction: a sword.

Although it seemed an ill fit for Liam, traditionally a spearman, he was in desperate need of any available weapon at the moment.

Without hesitation, Liam charged towards Lain.

Swinging his sword wide aiming for Lain's neck, Lain calmly met his gaze, unwavering.

Despite a fleeting moment of uncertainty, Liam's determination in his swing didn't falter.

The sound of metal clashing resonated when Liam's blade made contact with Lain's neck.

His sword was forcefully repelled, its path diverted by Lain's neck, which appeared to be covered in black scales, reminiscent of dragon skin.

Almost immediately, Lain retaliated.

With a fist clenched tightly, she lunged at Liam, her outstretched punch targeting his midsection.

Clang! Boom!

“Ugh!”

Liam managed to deflect Lain's powerful punch with the flat of his sword, but the sheer force sent him hurtling back, crashing into a wall.

Stunned, he slumped to the ground. Through blurry vision, he saw Lain advancing towards him. She stared down at him, slowly extending her hand.

Just then, a voice pierced the tension.

"Wait! Captain! You can't kill Liam!" It was Millie's voice echoing in Lain's ears.

Lain's face momentarily contorted in frustration at Millie's urgent plea.

With narrowed eyes and gritted teeth, Lain demanded, "What do you mean?"

"Hal has been captured!"

"By whom?"

"The Irregular, it's him!"

At this revelation, a look of surprise washed over Lain's face.

At 10 o'clock sharp.

Hal stood a short distance down the hotel corridor, gazing intently at the door of a particular room.

However, a suspicious expression marked his face.

For a moment, Hal studied the door, then turned to Millie. "Millie, are you sure about that room?"

-"Yes, I'm certain. Why? Is there an issue?"

"The guy who bought the artifact, didn't they say he was some big shot? But there's no bodyguard guarding the room."

Typically, someone who uses the VIP room at a major auction and holds such stature would have a bodyguard or two. This seemed too lax.

With his vast experience, Hal couldn't help but be skeptical.

-"That is odd, isn't it?"

"Well, let's check it out."

As he spoke, even the clothes Hal wore began to turn transparent.

Hal, now fully invisible, moved silently to the door of the target room. Reaching out, he activated his power on the door.

His ability was 'Invisibility'.

A power that allowed him to turn both objects and himself invisible.

Using this ability, he made a small portion of the front door transparent and began to observe the scene inside.

"...It's dark, so there's no one... wait a minute? Is someone asleep?"

-"Asleep?"

"At least that's fortunate. I'll handle it quietly, just wait."

With those words, he carefully opened the door and stepped inside.

In the dimly lit room, he looked around and soon spotted the room's occupant, lying on the bed.

'...What? Just a kid?'

A young boy with jet-black hair and a weary expression.

Although the room was too dark to see the boy's face clearly, something about him gave Hal an uneasy feeling.

As Hal continued to stare at the boy, suddenly -

The boy's eyes snapped open.

In that instant, shock registered on Hal' face, his pupils dilating as his complexion paled.

A chill ran down his spine.

Had he been discovered?

No, his invisibility was still intact.

Believing he wouldn't be noticed if he remained still, Hal stood motionless, barely breathing.

While Hal tried to blend in with the shadows, the boy slowly rose from the bed.

And then.

Whoosh! Bang!

"Ugh!"

A powerful force hit Hal squarely in the gut.

Before he could react, he found himself thrown against the kitchen wall. The boy, now on his feet, approached Hal with a relaxed stride.

"You're Hal from Villante?"

The boy's voice echoed in the room.

Hearing that voice, panic overtook Hal, his eyes widening in terror.

"Who... who are you? Wait."

Realizing he'd been exposed, Hal dropped his invisibility, fixing a hardened gaze on the boy. But even before the boy could answer, Hal had already figured out who he was dealing with.

"The golden hammer..."

A young boy, not yet an adolescent, with black hair holding a golden hammer.

Seeing the boy, an image of a notorious creature from Korean legends flashed through Hal' mind.

A hero unparalleled, who single-handedly resolved every terror incident in Korea: the Irregular.

"Could it be!?"

-Hal! What's going on?

Hearing Hal' scream over the radio, Millie responded in urgency.

"It's Irregular! He's here!"

-What did you say?!

"No, this can't be happening! Ahhhh!"

Crash!

Suddenly, after Hal' scream and a loud bang, silence engulfed the communication line.

Millie's expression grew stern, and then a young boy's voice echoed through her earpiece.

"Hey, can you hear me?"

-Irregular...

"Gather all your men at this location within 10 minutes. If you don't, Hal dies."

Millie's face hardened further upon hearing this cold proclamation.

They had been outmaneuvered.

Who would have thought that Number 1 was Irregular?

Then a transmission came in from Lain.

"Millie, change of plans."

"What? Hold on, what do you mean?"

"Liam is here. I'll kill him."

"Liam Martel?"

In that moment, Millie's thoughts raced.

With Hal captured, an idea to save him emerged.

Millie shouted desperately at Lain.

"Wait! Captain! We can't kill Liam!"

Hajoon was baffled by what he heard from Millie.

'Why was he captured?'

By now, he should have been enjoying the parade with the kids.

But the situation wasn't that surprising.

Hajoon looked at the notification that popped up before his eyes.

[Penalty given for changing the future.]

[The episode’s difficulty increases.]

"Ah, so it was this?"

No wonder everything was going too smoothly.

In the original episode, Liam and Lain were to meet at 11 PM, after the parade. Liam had gone to see the parade with the kids in that episode.

However, it seemed that Liam, who didn't attend the parade, was left alone at the accommodation and captured by Lain.

Hajoon felt cornered and had no choice but to comply with Millie's proposition.

"What's the timing?"

-Bring him to the designated place by 1 AM.

Hajoon frowned, realizing his limited options.

The deal was straightforward.

Exchange Hal, who he's captured, with Liam, who they have.

Considering Lain's nature, being the leader of Villante, she wouldn't easily abandon a comrade.

While they might intend to simply exchange hostages and depart, Hajoon wasn't going to let them off that easily. If they were to meet face-to-face for the exchange, why not seize the opportunity when it arises?

-Remember, Hal must return safely. If not, we can't guarantee Liam Martel's life either.

"Ugh, what... What happened? Where am I?"

As Millie spoke, Hal came to his senses with a bewildered look.

Whoosh! Bang!

"Ugh!"

Hajoon swiftly knocked Hal out again with a swing of his hammer and confidently spoke into the radio.

"Fine, understood."