The Academy’s Time Stop Player

On a Saturday morning.

Hajoon woke up early, aiming to get his tasks done quickly.

"Yawn~"

Still, he wished he could relax on weekends...

After a quick wash and getting dressed in his casual wear, Hajoon made his way to the principal's office. After all, he needed a ticket to visit Del Her and planned to ask Principal Choi Jungwon for one.

He knocked lightly on the door, and upon entering the office, he was met with a familiar face.

"You're here?"

Sitting on the office's sofa, sipping tea, was a face he hadn't seen in a long time. Hajoon looked quizzically at her, no, at Riella Harnis, and asked, "Where's Principal Choi?"

"He had some matters to attend to, so I'm here in his stead. It seems you're not too pleased to see me, considering you're immediately asking for Choi Jungwon."

Scratching his head, Hajoon replied, "It's just been such a long time since we last met."

"Where have you been all this time?"

"I'm not the idle sort, nor is Choi Jungwon. I've been handling the principal's duties in his absence."

Hajoon pondered this for a moment. Such a situation was unusual...

Regardless, he didn't dwell on it. Those in high positions had their personal affairs, after all.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Well... I came to get a ticket to Del Her."

"Ah, is that so? Take mine, then. Here, have it."

With that, Riella handed over a bundle of Del Her tickets. By Hajoon's estimate, there were at least 50. He knew that these tickets were rare and quite valuable.

"You're very generous."

"The creator of Del Her gave them to me, insisting I visit anytime. But I've never gone."

Either way, it wasn't a bad deal. Hajoon wouldn't need to continuously seek out tickets anymore.

Riella added, "If you need anything else, come to me instead of Choi Jungwon. I can provide anything."

"Got it. I'll be on my way then."

With that, Hajoon immediately tore a ticket. The scenery around him shifted from the principal's office to Del Her.

"Now, then."

Without delay, Hajoon headed toward the Hermes Guild.

After arriving at the Hermes Guild, Hajoon immediately had a brief conversation with Lorelei and then met with the Broker who had been staying there for a while.

"It's been quite some time."

The Broker, seeing Hajoon after such a long gap, looked surprisingly well. With a neatly groomed beard and hair, and dressed relatively well, he looked far removed from the old beggar-like man Hajoon remembered from before.

It seemed the Hermes Guild had been taking good care of him at Hajoon's behest.

Hajoon responded to the Broker with a light chuckle. "Have you been well, sir?"

"Thanks to you, I've been living quite comfortably in my old age. Looking at you now, you've grown a lot. You're a sight for sore eyes compared to before. I bet it's all thanks to the potion I gave you, hehe!"

At that, Hajoon scratched his cheek awkwardly. From the Broker's perspective, Hajoon's rapid growth might indeed seem due to the potion.

Name: Kim Hajoon

Level: 10 (+2)

Job: Novice

Title: None

Fame: 300

HP: 28(+5)

MP: 0

Strength: 40(+3)

Agility: 20(+5)

Stamina: 48(+5)

Defense: 0

Magic Resistance: 999(Max)

Spirit: 999(Max)

Comparing to before, he indeed had grown significantly. Not enough to compare to the current elite players, of course, but Hajoon was well aware of the game's growth system.

The higher the level and stats, the harder it becomes to increase them. He'd probably hit a limit someday. That made the Broker's potion all the more essential.

"So, have you come to get another potion? Want me to make one for you?"

The Broker said with a sly grin. His actions made him seem kind-hearted, but there was something sinister about his smile, maybe because he was portrayed as a villain in the game.

Hajoon cut straight to the point. "Sir, I apologize, but I have a favor to ask."

"Hmm? The only thing this old man can do is make potions, you know?"

"Yes. First, can you make me just one potion? I need to check something."

At that, the Broker promptly crafted a potion and handed it to Hajoon. Hajoon, after glancing at the small bottle containing the potion, put it in his pocket and spoke.

"Sir, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Huh? Me?"

"Yes. I'll get in touch with them first, would you be willing to meet them later?"

"Well... if it's a request from you, why not? After all, my current comfortable life is all thanks to you."

To Hajoon's words, the Broker surprisingly nodded in agreement. He must still believe Hajoon to be the son of some wealthy family.

"Yes, I'll get in touch later."

With that, Hajoon slowly rose from his seat.

"Heh, if you ever need the Spirit Potion again, feel free to come by."

"Yes, take care."

With that, Hajoon nodded slightly and left the room.

Without hesitation, he headed straight for the guildmaster’s office where Lorelei was.

"Oh, are you done with your talk?"

At her question, Hajoon simply nodded and took a seat on the sofa.

Lorelei cast a subtle smile in Hajoon's direction.

"Hehe, so what are you up to? Isn’t it about time you shared?"

In response, Hajoon handed over the Spirit Potion he just received from the Broker and began to speak.

"You know what this is?"

"Hm? Oh... this is the Spirit Potion? But why?"

"You might not know the details, but you're aware this has the power to enhance a superhuman's abilities, right?"

"But the side effects are quite severe, to the point of making it unusable, right?"

"Yes. The side effects are a result of its unique mana properties."

"But then... if that’s the case, it's practically unusable. Unless you can remove the mana’s unique trait..."

Suddenly, her previously smiling eyes widened in realization.

"...You don’t mean?"

Hajoon responded with a composed expression, as if to affirm her suspicion.

"Yes, there is a way."

"You mean that alchemist?"

"We’ll have to see for sure, but I think there's a possibility."

The alchemist, Lee Gayeon.

A year into the future, she develops a unique mana called Cold Fire and becomes an authority in mana trait combinations.

That’s why Hajoon thought of her.

If she can combine them, can't she also separate them?

"I have a favor to ask."

"Hm? Okay, I’ll help."

Surprisingly, she agreed easily, nodding in assent.

The gleam in Lorelei's eyes suggested intrigue and excitement.

She probably guessed what I was aiming for.

"Just hand this Spirit Potion to her?"

Upon her question, Hajoon nodded.

Lorelei, her lips curving into a mischievous smile, reassured him.

"Leave it to me. This kind of thing is my specialty."

It was 1 in the afternoon.

Inside an old brick building in Del Her, a woman with round glasses and black hair sat behind the counter, heaving a deep, despondent sigh.

Her name was Lee Gayeon.

She had bravely opened a store in Del Her a year ago, investing all her wealth. But the problem was that no customers came.

"This is really bad..."

At this rate, she would have no choice but to close her shop for good.

She recalled her plan from before she had opened her store.

After garnering popularity with the magical tools she had created, she hoped to secure a contract with a major guild or company, receive their sponsorship, and spend her lifetime researching and crafting.

It was perhaps the most dream-like plan any alchemist could conceive.

But it remained just that – a dream.

A foolishly naive dream.

"I'll give it one more year... then I'll really close the shop," she murmured, resting her head heavily on the counter.

Just then, the jingle of the doorbell rang.

"Ah! Welcome!"

From a previously despondent demeanor, she quickly transformed into a radiant smile and greeted the incoming customer.

Two tall men in black suits, wearing sunglasses, entered the shop.

Taken aback by their imposing appearance, Lee Gayeon hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can I help you with something?"

"Are you Miss Lee Gayeon?"

"Yes, that's me. How can I assist you?"

One of the men pulled out a phone from his pocket, briefly spoke to someone, and then presented her with a small bottle containing a green liquid.

Shortly after ending his call, he handed her the phone, saying, "Please take this."

"Pardon? Who is it?"

"The Guild Master of the Hermes Guild."

At that revelation, Lee Gayeon's eyes widened in shock, but she took the call nonetheless.

Still stunned, she heard a woman's voice from the other end.

"Hello~ Is this Miss Lee Gayeon?"

"Yes, it is. May I ask what this is regarding?"

"I have a favor to ask of you. Did our employees show you a green potion?"

"Yes, they did."

Her gaze shifted to the green potion. She was certain it was a potion crafted from magic.

Immediately, her expression turned to one of surprise. "Oh my! This has a distinct magical attribute, doesn't it?"

She quickly recognized that the potion contained a unique magic property. The voice, belonging to Lorelei, replied with a hint of amusement, "You recognize it?"

"Yes... but why have you brought this to me?"

"I'd like you to decompose one of the attributes of this potion."

"Decompose its attribute?"

"Specifically, one of its attributes has severe side effects. Do you think you can handle it?"

Upon hearing those words, Lee Gayeon stared at the potion in a daze for a moment before opening her mouth.

"I'll need some time, but I'll give it a try."

-If you succeed, I'd like to discuss a contract regarding you and the potion...

"Ah!"

At that remark, her eyes sparkled with realization.

Because she immediately understood what Lorelei meant.

This was a golden opportunity that had come her way.

Quite literally, it was like a golden egg had rolled into her lap.

"Please give me just a week. I'll find a way."

Her response this time wasn't uncertain as before but filled with confidence.

Hearing her words, Lorelei replied with a smile.

-All right. I'll see you in a week then.

Meanwhile.

After leaving everything to Lorelei, Hajoon returned to the academy's dormitory.

Of course, he could've done it himself, but he found it bothersome.

Well, even without mentioning it, his intentions seemed clear enough, and since Lorelei appeared interested in the task, she would likely handle it on her own.

Finishing things sooner than expected, Hajoon immediately lay down on his bed and checked his status window. Now that he had reached level 10, there were things to review.

Name: Kim Hajoon

Level: 10 (+2)

Job: Novice

Title: None

Fame: 2500

HP: 28(+5)

MP: 0

Strength: 40 (+3)

Agility: 20 (+5)

Stamina: 48 (+5)

Defense: 0

Magic Resistance: 999(Max)

Spirit: 999(Max)

"Hmm... Level 10, huh?"

When reaching level 10, a new skill window must have been unlocked...

Without delay, Hajoon checked the additional skills.

Skill 1. Anchor Release: 500P (Available at Level 5)

Time Stop Storage: 2000P (Available at Level 10)

And the second unlocked skill was named "Time Stop Storage".

Time Stop Storage...

To be honest, just by hearing the name of the skill, it was hard to guess what its capability was.

"Well, I'll understand once I use it."

Hajoon promptly purchased the skill. As the skill description followed, he read it with keen interest.