The Academy’s Time Stop Player

The time was around 7 in the evening as the sun was setting.

Anna shivered in fear.

It wasn’t for no reason. After finishing her work, she had arrived at Hajoon's mansion. The mansion itself gave off an eerie aura, and a chilling scream had just echoed from inside.

-Ah, ah! Wait, no! Please, no!

"Could... could that have been an illusion?"

Anna cautiously moved towards the main entrance of the mansion.

Of course, the door was already shattered, so there was no need to open it.

When she arrived in the spacious hall through the entrance,

"Wha?!"

Anna's eyes widened in shock.

She lost her words, her eyes filled with horror, and hurriedly approached a person who had collapsed next to her.

"Ex... excuse me! Are you okay?"

"No need to wake him."

"…?"

Hearing that familiar voice, Anna swiftly turned her head.

For a moment, she looked blankly at the approaching boy, then spoke.

"Huh? Hajoon? Did you do this?"

"Yes."

"But, who are these people?"

"I don't know. I was just about to find out."

"…?"

Anna looked at Hajoon with a puzzled expression.

And then, Hajoon explained to her the situation that had just occurred.

"So... these people were targeting you?"

"It seems so. They appear to be villains."

"Hold on. Let me contact the association."

With that, she immediately took out her smartphone to contact the association.

A few minutes later, a gate opened in the mansion’s garden, and people who appeared to be agents from the Hero Association poured into the mansion. They bowed respectfully to Anna before proceeding to manage the scene.

The time was 8 pm.

After entrusting Anna with the on-site cleanup, Hajoon returned to the hotel and lay on the bed, lost in thought.

"Why are they so tight-lipped... tsk."

He had tried interrogating the one who seemed like the leader, but it had ended in failure. Contrary to his appearance, the man was surprisingly tight-lipped. Judging by the situation, it seemed he knew a lot.

Ding-ding-

Just then, Hajoon's phone vibrated with an incoming call. He promptly picked it up, and the caller was Anna.

"Yes, Mr. Hajoon. You're at the hotel, right?"

"Yeah. What's up?"

"I've identified the identity of the superhuman who attacked you. Um... from what I checked, he doesn’t seem to be a villain."

"...Then, is he a hero?"

"…Yes."

At that, Hajoon let out an incredulous chuckle. The idea of being targeted and attacked by a hero was beyond his imagination.

"But it seems he's not just any hero."

"...What do you mean by that?"

Anna calmly explained the situation. The superhumans who attacked Hajoon were heroes affiliated with the Roban Guild, a major British guild.

Roban Guild.

It had risen to prominence in just six years and, according to Anna, had many heroes with criminal records or those who had their hero licenses revoked.

A guild that surged in prominence due to the sheer number of superhumans in manpower-strapped Britain.

"The ones who attacked you did have hero licenses, but they'll likely lose them after today's incident. Of course, even without a license, they can still partake in activities like dungeon raids. And there are many such superhumans in the Roban Guild."

"So, it's a guild made up of superhumans who've had their licenses revoked?"

"Yes, not all of them, but many. It doesn’t seem like an ordinary guild."

"From what I see, it seems like a bunch of thuggish bastards formed a guild?"

"Well... if we compare it to Korea, then yes?"

Even without a hero license, one wasn't necessarily restricted from all activities.

Perhaps they could be described as mercenaries?

Most of these individuals prefer running guilds for dungeon raids rather than doing hero activities.

Anyway, that information wasn't the crucial part. Hajoon spoke up.

"Can you handle the aftermath?"

"Uh, pardon?"

"I can't just leave the guild I messed with, right?"

"Uh... Mr. Hajoon? How about we calm down and go there together... hmm?"

Anna, who was continuing her sentence, suddenly stopped speaking. Shortly after, in a flustered voice, she urgently conveyed a message to Hajoon.

"Uh, what?! Mr. Hajoon, there’s been a report of a villain attack."

"A report came in?"

"Yes, but the address is..."

“Sigh…”

“Hm? Teacher, why are you drinking so much today?”

At Elaine's house.

Seated at the dining table, Elaine gazed with curiosity at her teacher, who was uncharacteristically consuming more alcohol than usual.

After all, her teacher, a high-ranking mage of Matop, often preached the importance of maintaining one's senses and typically shunned alcohol.

Catching her gaze, Darham Hills looked back at Elaine with a hint of amusement in his eyes. Then, with a slight grin, he responded.

“On a day as splendid as this, when else should I indulge, Elaine?”

“Hmm? Did something good happen?”

“Something good? Ah, yes, there was something.”

Saying this, Darham took another hearty gulp of his beer, letting out a relaxed sigh with a faint smile on his face.

Elaine simply smiled in return.

She wasn’t sure what made him so cheerful, but his happiness was infectious, making her feel joyous as well.

“Elaine.”

“Yes?”

At that moment, Darham, lifting his head, looked directly at Elaine. His expression had shifted to a more solemn one.

Darham spoke, “I'm aware of your thoughts about Liber, whom you met after so long.”

“Why bring up that topic out of the blue?”

Elaine frowned slightly at the unexpected subject.

Stroking Elaine's hair gently, Darham continued. But his words were far more shocking than his gentle demeanor suggested.

“Elaine, you should leave this place with Liber.”

“What...? Why would you say something like that all of a sudden?”

For a moment, Elaine's expression froze in surprise.

She couldn't wrap her head around what she had just heard.

Yet Darham continued, undeterred by her reaction.

“You've mentioned wanting to attend Rokia Academy, right? Then Korea would be a good choice.”

“No, that’s not what I’m asking about!”

Unable to contain her frustration, Elaine abruptly stood up and raised her voice at Darham. But Darham just calmly met her gaze.

“Please, give me a reason! Why are you suddenly asking me to leave?”

Even as Elaine's voice grew louder, her eyes quivered, clearly shaken by the unexpected instruction. Especially since it meant leaving with her brother who had once abandoned her…

However, Darham, seeing Elaine's turmoil, remained silent and resolute.

Finally, Darham stated, “In any case, I have nothing more to add. Pack your things early tomorrow and depart with Liber.”

“Ugh!”

With gritted teeth, Elaine swiftly left the dining area and headed straight to her room upstairs. Darham, watching her retreating figure, let out a sigh of mixed emotions.

“Sigh… It's been 7 years.”

He paused for a moment, casting a forlorn gaze towards the ceiling, and reminisced about the memories from 7 years ago.

On that fateful night, where the dark sky poured with an endless rain, a young boy, barely 10, had approached his home alone, seeking help. Even now, he was filled with regret for the decisions made that day, burdening the young child with too much.

"If only I hadn't sent you away back then..."

He momentarily lost himself in the memories of the past, gently gazing up at the ceiling. With the boy's face, which he hadn't seen in a long while, fresh in his mind, he slowly closed his eyes.

The time was 8 PM.

It was when Darham was quietly seated on the sofa with his eyes gently closed.

Flicker-

"Damn it."

Suddenly, the entire house plunged into darkness as if there had been a power outage.

Then, a creaking noise followed, signaling the front door opening. Darham's expression stiffened, and he cautiously rose from the sofa to grab the staff he had hung on the nearby wall.

Clearly, someone had entered, and not with good intentions.

He slowly shifted his position, leaning against the wall while channeling magic into his staff.

Just then, a familiar voice called out, "Master?"

It was Elaine, who had just emerged from a room.

"Shoot!"

Almost simultaneously, the intruders, who had stealthily advanced from the entrance, spotted Elaine and rapidly lunged toward her. From the sounds of it, it wasn't just one but multiple intruders.

Whoosh!!

One of the intruders manifested their magic.

From the intruder's hand, a magical circle appeared. From this circle, multiple beams of green light erupted, all headed straight for Elaine.

In response, Darham also unleashed his magic. Stepping in front of Elaine, he raised his staff and slammed it onto the ground. A magical circle materialized on the floor, and from it, a blue gust of wind rose, forming a semi-circular protective barrier. Thanks to Darham's timely intervention, the green beams collided with and were blocked by the barrier.

With a fierce glare, Darham shouted at the intruders who had dared to invade his home, "Who the hell are you?!"

Yet, the intruders remained silent, only offering a mocking smirk in reply.

One of them slowly approached the protective barrier.

"If we want to end this quickly, a little chaos is inevitable," he mused.

The man reached out, placing his hand on the barrier. Almost instantly, an intense heat began emanating from his hand.

What transpired next was an explosion of staggering magnitude.

BOOM—!

Crackle- Crackle-

The aftermath of the explosion was dire.

Houses had crumbled due to the massive blast, and furniture lay scattered, consumed by the crackling flames.

And at the epicenter of it all,

"Khh... Hah..."

Darham lay on the ground, coughing up blood and gasping for air.

He hadn't been able to fully withstand the force of that tremendous explosion.

Next to him, the fallen Elaine carefully rose to her feet, coughing. Blood dripped steadily from a wound on her forehead, but she paid it no mind as she slowly approached the injured Darham.

"Master!"

Elaine hurriedly approached and knelt beside him.

Seeing the blood pouring from his mouth, her eyes widened in horror.

"Master! Please, stay with me! Master!"

"Elaine."

Reaching out with a trembling hand, Darham gripped her arm firmly.

Despite continuously coughing up blood, he managed to convey his urgent words to her.

"Flee from here. You mustn't stay...,"

"But, Master!"

"I'll be fine. Just go..."

Yet, before she could react,

"?!?!"

Footsteps sounded from behind Elaine.

Turning her head slowly, she saw the approaching figures, her eyes trembling in fear. They looked at Elaine and Darham, discussing amongst themselves.

"What should we do with the man?"

"Kill him and burn the remains. As for the girl, keep her alive. We'll need her magic."

As they spoke, the figures lunged toward Elaine, who braced herself for the worst. Just as she closed her eyes,

Thud- Thud-

Footsteps echoed from the opposite direction.

Slowly, Elaine opened her eyes, and the attackers shifted their attention following her gaze.

"Who's that?"

"When did he get here?"

A boy with black hair and piercing black eyes stood defiantly.

Hajoon surveyed the scene before him, alternating between the menacing figures and the destroyed house, his expression turning dark.

"I don't take kindly to those who destroy homes..."