The Academy’s Time Stop Player

The heroes' faces froze at the menacing warning.

It was hard to believe that such sincerity was behind a warning from someone they thought was an ally.

"…What?"

In this baffling situation, the Corpse Collector let out a hollow laugh.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

A woman kept thanking Hajoon, over and over.

She had just been in the clutches of the Corpse Collector's demonic hands.

'When did he move?'

The situation was so absurd it made him laugh.

The Irregular's movement, too fast for the eye, and the strange magic he indiscriminately unleashed on friend and foe alike.

An inexplicable, overpowering magical force.

Was this guy the Irregular that he'd only heard rumors about?

'More importantly...'

The Corpse Collector looked around.

What a absurd situation.

Had his demonic hands understood the boy's warning?

After the boy spoke, the demonic hands showed no further movement.

'No, can't they move?'

The Corpse Collector's eyes narrowed.

His gaze landed on a demonic hand frozen in an odd posture.

It seemed not that they had understood the Irregular's words, but that he had forcibly stopped them.

'Even the noise inside stopped, didn't it?'

Inside the airport building, the citizens' screams strangely stopped abruptly with the arrival of the Irregular.

Only the ferocious howling of his own demonic hands could be heard.

The Corpse Collector couldn't figure out what happened, but it was clear that the arrival of the Irregular had caused some change. He looked at the Irregular tensely for a moment.

That's when it happened.

The Irregular moved.

But instead of him, it was the heroes that the Irregular approached.

He stood in front of Jang Hanjung and said,

[What are you doing?]

His voice was strange, as if not one, but many were speaking.

Yet, it wasn't eerie but rather a voice that transcended humanity and emitted an overwhelming aura.

At the sound of his voice, the heroes, overwhelmed by his presence, stepped back, except for Jang Hanjung at the forefront who calmly stood in front of the Irregular and said,

"So you're the Irregular."

He coldly looked down at Hajoon.

To that, Hajoon replied in a heavy, somber voice,

[What are you heroes doing, not evacuating the civilians?]

"Are you talking about the Association's response plan?"

His eyebrows twitched in dissatisfaction.

He looked down at Hajoon and said,

"That approach is wrong. You know that, right? They tried to catch him that way in the past and failed."

Prioritizing civilian evacuation could alert the enemy and allow him to escape.

Though it was obvious, the Association had considered this.

It was natural to prioritize the safety of civilians over potential damage during the capture.

"If you stick to that method, when will you ever catch him? Especially now, with villains running rampant across the country. We need to take the risk and capture him now."

He clenched his fists tightly.

Simultaneously emitting magic, Hajoon began to counter the Corpse Collector's power.

His words continued.

"If you're going to preach, come out and do it. Don't mistake what should be done first."

[I've heard enough excuses for the mess you've created.]

"What-?"

Thwack! Whoosh!

And Jang Hanjung's words were never completed.

Before he could finish his question, his body was suddenly flung far away, crashing into a wall.

Thud!

"Kuhuk…"

[Stay put in the corner.]

Immediately afterwards, the man let out a small groan, collapsing to the floor and fainting, as the heroes' faces filled with shock, glancing at Jang Hanjung before shifting their gaze back to Hajoon.

Hajoon, facing the heroes, emitted his magic and said,

[Deal with the remaining demonic hands. If you act foolishly again, I'll break your limbs so you can't be heroes anymore.]

No hero responded to the warning.

They were simply overwhelmed by the boy's aura.

Though they didn't respond verbally, their actions showed compliance with the warning.

Some began to escort the woman Hajoon had saved out of the airport, while the others rushed towards the half-destroyed airplane to rescue civilians.

Watching them for a moment, Hajoon then turned back to the Corpse Collector.

And the Corpse Collector, looking at Hajoon, began to laugh cheerfully.

"Hahaha! Wow…, really."

His laughter, a mix of astonishment and incredulity, rang out cheerfully.

After laughing for a moment, he smoothed down his face and opened his mouth towards Hajoon.

"Truly a hero among heroes."

Jang Hanjung.

His emotions had gotten ahead of his actions as a hero.

His anger towards Hajoon in front of him overshadowed the safety of the citizens.

"A hero with such conviction is such a monster…"

Hajoon didn't respond to his words, instead casually walking towards him.

As if it didn't matter, the Corpse Collector just yelled something at Hajoon.

"Just and admirable. Is that why you're so popular?"

With that, his eyes flashed.

His eyes, filled with madness, stared at Hajoon as he continued.

"Why don't you respond, Irregular? Won't you open your mouth a bit before we fight?"

As he spoke, Hajoon had already reached right in front of him.

However, Hajoon passed him by and stood in front of the demonic hands behind him.

"…?"

Confused by this, Hajoon slightly turned his head and gritted his teeth as he spoke.

[Should a corpse be talking?]

Thwack! Puff!

In that instant, a huge boom resounded, and a large hole appeared right in the center of his chest, from which a faint golden light flowed.

"Cough!"

The moment it happened, a look of shock appeared on his face.

He began to cough up blood, his expression a complex mix of horror and confusion.

When? When did he attack? Am I going to die like this?

These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

But his thoughts quickly faded as his body began to tilt to the side.

His consciousness blurred, and his eyes slowly closed.

He didn't manage any response and just fell to the floor with a thud, dead.

"Tsk…"

After releasing his magic, Hajoon clicked his tongue in annoyance.

He felt a change in personality whenever he used his magic, especially if even a hint of anger was involved. It felt like he wasn't himself anymore.

In this case, he was irritated because he had to go to great lengths to save the civilians due to those heroes. After all, it was because of them that Hajoon had to suffer.

"Well then…"

Soon, Hajoon's gaze shifted to the pack of dogs made of bones in front of him.

The demonic hands created by the Corpse Collector.

Even though their master was dead, the demonic hands were still alive.

This was the annoying part.

The Corpse Collector's ability wasn't to control dead demonic hands, but to create and tame them.

They were aberrations created by harmonizing abilities and magic.

Creatures that only the Corpse Collector could create.

No wonder he was nicknamed the wandering dungeon breaker.

Of course,

[Die.]

It wasn't much of a problem for the current Hajoon.

The golden light of magic flickered in Maharazu.

Hesitantly, the demonic hands started to retreat, sensing the magic.

Hajoon then increased the size of Maharazu towards the pack of demonic hands.

When it had grown large enough to cover the entire pack, Hajoon slammed down the hammer.

Whoosh! Boom!!

After the incident was resolved, Hajoon left the cleanup to the Association and dragged his tired body back home.

As he entered, Elaine and Irian, still with dazed expressions, were sitting on the couch watching TV and greeted Hajoon.

"Oh, brother, you're back?"

"You're back? Wow…, but did you really handle that all by yourself?"

Irian pointed at the TV as she spoke.

The live broadcast showed a news anchor discussing the Irregular, including stories about Jang Hanjung and the guild.

The news showed Jang Hanjung being carried away on a stretcher and interviews with civilians rescued at the scene.

Irian's expression crumpled as he listened to the news report.

"Tsk- really stupid. If they can't handle it, they shouldn't start something. Pathetic, really pathetic."

Tsk-tsk-tsk-

With that, Irian clicked her tongue three times in a somewhat old-fashioned manner and shook her head.

Then he turned back to Hajoon.

"That guy, the Corpse Collector. You saved him when he was getting beaten, right? Pff, pathetic."

"……"

At that, Hajoon scratched his cheek awkwardly with his usual carefree expression.

That was me doing that...

Anyway, Hajoon didn't bother to respond and simply went upstairs.

"Huh? Where are you going, brother?"

"To the second-floor bedroom."

"Ah, you must be tired. Alright, good night."

"Yeah."

With that, Hajoon gave a brief reply before entering the bedroom and lying down on the bed.

Lying on the soft bed, he stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment and thought to himself.

'This is strange...'

His activity level today was a bit high, but thanks to his magic, he hadn't moved enough to be this tired.

Considering his current stats, he had reached the realm of superhumans, so he shouldn't be this tired from today's activities.

However, amidst these thoughts, fatigue overwhelmed him, and his eyes slowly began to close.

Well, regardless of the strangeness, he was definitely tired, so Hajoon let himself succumb to the drowsiness and fell asleep.

Rustle- Rustle-

Every slight movement brought an irritating sound from the floor.

Awakened by this odd noise, Hajoon furrowed his brows and opened his eyes, his expression turning into one of annoyance at the sight before him.

"...What's this?"

The sky was red.

As if made of blood, the sky was a deep crimson.

Hajoon slowly got up to survey his surroundings, and in that moment, his pupils narrowed.

The sky was dyed blood-red, and beneath Hajoon's feet were countless bones, forming the ground that stretched beyond the horizon.

Was this what the world would look like if it had been destroyed?

'Is this a nightmare?'

Logically, it would be easier to think of it as a nightmare.

But in this scene, Hajoon felt an eerie sensation.

Although the sight was unpleasant to the eyes, there was a strange familiarity about it.

As if he had been to a world like this before.

Rustle- Crack-

At that moment, the sound of something approaching reached his ears, and Hajoon turned to look.

A woman, walking slowly toward Hajoon, stepping on the ground made of skeletons.

She had snow-white hair and a matching white robe, exuding a sense of sanctity that seemed out of place in this world.

And Hajoon recognized her face.

"Philaten."

The curse affixed to Maharazu.

Philaten.

She approached Hajoon slowly and bowed respectfully before speaking.

"I greet the new king."

"…?"

At her words, Hajoon looked at Philaten with a puzzled expression.

Hajoon, finding Philaten's changed demeanor strange, asked,

"Why have you suddenly become so formal?"

"From the moment you wielded the power of destruction, you became the new king."

"King?"

At that, Philaten slowly raised her head to look up at Hajoon.

She faced Hajoon and continued,

"There must be many things you are curious about. I shall explain as we walk."