The Academy’s Time Stop Player

TL/Editor: looloo

Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun

Illustrations: Here

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It was Sunday morning, around 11:30 a.m.

Hajoon had left the academy early to walk around the city.

He strolled casually, taking in his surroundings.

Normally, he’d be asleep at this hour.

But today, he was awake because of the rescheduled Dimensional Dungeon.

The Dimensional Dungeon was a remnant of the Age of Great Chaos, believed to have vanished 70 years ago. It was about to appear suddenly in the heart of Seoul. Moreover, it was a special condition dungeon, known for its extreme difficulty.

"Is this the place?" Hajoon asked when he reached the anticipated location of the Dimensional Dungeon. He looked around.

The lively city center, teeming with fast-paced people, was soon to become the site of the Dimensional Dungeon’s gate.

This gate would consume those nearby, trapping them inside the dungeon.

It would be impossible to rescue everyone trapped in the Dimensional Dungeon. The exact spawn location was unknown, and the dungeon’s energy drew people in too quickly to react. Even if he saw it happen and activated Time Stop (SSS), he would be too late.

’I should wrap this up fast and go to sleep...’ Hajoon thought, hoping he could at least save some people, excluding those initially trapped.

He entered a nearby café, sipping iced Americano to kill time.

The current time was 11:40 a.m. He still had 20 minutes.

Ding-

The doorbell rang as a girl with striking green hair walked into the café. Hajoon watched her, surprised. Soon, the girl approached him.

"Hmm..." he chuckled in disbelief.

Riella Harnis. She sat down across from him and smiled.

"Were you following me?" he asked.

"I wouldn’t say ’following.’ I was concerned about yesterday’s incident."

"That’s what we call ’following.’"

"Heh, you should have known I was there. You didn’t say anything, so I assumed you were okay with it."

Hajoon sighed in annoyance. What odd misunderstanding did this old woman have?

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I just told you. I was worried about yesterday, so I followed you."

"It’s okay. I forgive you."

"You ungrateful... Your face doesn’t match your rudeness."

Hajoon quickly relaxed his irritated expression and shrugged his shoulders.

Hajoon continued to sip his iced Americano, his eyes looking out the window.

Riella observed him closely, her thoughts returning to Choi Jungwon’s words from the day before.

-"I think the moment I pass on my teachings to the boy will be my last."

’This child will be there at Choi Jungwon’s end...’

Choi Jungwon hadn’t said anything further, only keeping the future he knew to himself.

’Choi Jungwon... your fate is truly curious...’

Whether this was a Sage’s fate, Riella couldn’t know. But the thought of this irreverent child being with Choi Jungwon at his end seemed fitting, and she found herself nodding.

’You’re wrong this time, Choi Jungwon. This boy isn’t who you think he is...’

Choi Jungwon had told her about Hajoon’s great power and his many acts of salvation. He likely thought Hajoon would become a symbol of peace in the future. Yet, knowing Hajoon’s character, Riella believed this to be a misguided judgment.

’Most importantly, this child...’

Lacked the ’responsibility’ a hero should bear.

"I’ve heard a lot about you from Choi Jungwon. You’ve saved many people," Riella said.

"I just... I didn’t want to die," Hajoon replied.

Riella studied him, his words sincere. It was a typical response from a ’normal person,’ not a ’hero.’

"So, you’re prioritizing your life?"

"Isn’t that obvious?"

"Yes, it’s a natural thought. You save because you can, not risking your own life in the process."

"Yes."

His answer was calm, firm, and understandable. It wasn’t a question of right or wrong. Hajoon simply didn’t have the temperament to bear the symbol of peace.

He had power and good intentions, but they could transform into a crushing responsibility, one he couldn’t bear. That’s why he hid his powers and his reputation.

"Are we leaving now?" Riella asked, standing.

Seeing her rise, Hajoon looked at her and nodded. "Yes, let’s go."

"Wouldn’t it be better to wait a bit longer?"

"What do you mean?"

Hajoon didn’t reply, his gaze drifting outside. Riella followed his gaze.

And then:

[Dungeon Emergence Time : (1 second)]

...

[Dungeon Emergence Time : (0 second)]

Kukukukukung――――――!!

The entire city began to shake. The Dimensional Dungeon had arrived.

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Raei Translations

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The transformation was instant.

Whoosh... Boom!

A deep, violet energy materialized out of nowhere, engulfing people and simultaneously solidifying into a massive gate.

Everything happened within a single second.

"What the...? What is that?!"

"People were swallowed up!"

"Ahhhhhh!"

A Dimensional Dungeon.

The harbinger of the Age of Great Chaos had manifested at Dongdaemun Station in Seoul.

Kaboom!

Soon after, the dungeon’s shockwave swept across the area, causing destruction in its wake.

Crash! Bang———!!

"Ah!!!!"

"What the...? What is that?!"

"Help! Save me!"

Windows in the surrounding buildings shattered one after another. Cars were tossed about by the shockwave, crashing into each other. The air was filled with the echoing screams of the people.

Then, suddenly, it was silent.

"Huh?!"

Riella looked around in confusion.

The screaming had stopped abruptly, replaced by an eerie tranquility. As she looked around, she noticed the café was empty.

There was no one.

Everyone, except her, had vanished.

As she blankly stared at this terrifying scene, a voice startled her.

"You don’t have to help, you know?"

"Huh?!"

She turned to find Hajoon, watching her with a tired expression.

"How...? Did you do this?"

"Since you seem fine, I’ll be leaving."

With that, Hajoon disappeared from sight, leaving Riella staring in bewilderment. She cautiously opened the café door and surveyed the scene outside.

It was catastrophic.

Damaged buildings, destroyed cars, shattered windows as though from a beastly raid.

But the most startling aspect was the absence of life.

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Raei Translations

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At the gate of the Dimensional Dungeon, an association agent stood next to a polished, young man.

The agent bowed his head to the man, who was scanning the dungeon’s entrance with a serious gaze.

"Is this the so-called Dimensional Dungeon?"

The man, Kim Seunghwan, also known as Wingman, was a top-tier Korean hero, ranked 80th worldwide.

"When will the other top-tier heroes arrive?" Wingman asked, his eyes focused on the Dungeon.

"We’ve contacted them. They should arrive soon."

The association had already requested support from all top-tier Korean heroes to rescue the people trapped within the Dungeon.

"The rescue team... failed?"

A touch of surprise flitted across Hajoon’s face.

According to the report, the top-tier heroes who had attempted to enter the dungeon to rescue the trapped individuals couldn’t even pass the entrance due to an enormous barrier. In other words, their initial rescue attempt had ended in a total failure.

The news was followed by an urgent request from the Korean Hero Association, pleading for assistance from heroes all around the world.

It seemed that the Dimensional Dungeon had returned to stir chaos once again, seventy years after the Age of Great Chaos.

Hajoon sighed, rubbing his tired eyes.

"But why... why did the dungeon appear all of a sudden? Was there some sort of warning sign I missed?"

The emergence of a Dimensional Dungeon was not something that could be predicted. It would suddenly appear, swallowing up everything in its vicinity.

However, Hajoon felt uneasy. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had overlooked something crucial.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed.

[You have a new message.]

Hajoon opened the message, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Riella?"

The message was from Riella Harnis. Hajoon wasn’t expecting her to contact him, especially since their last encounter was a bit awkward.

He opened the message, and his eyes widened even further.

[Hajoon, we need to talk about the Dimensional Dungeon]

It seemed that the Dimensional Dungeon had not only stirred the Hero Association but also others who had been observing the situation from the sidelines.

Hajoon let out a long sigh and dropped his phone on his bed.

"So much for a peaceful day off..."

It looked like his day was going to be busier than he thought.

Whether he liked it or not, he had once again been dragged into the whirlpool of chaos caused by the Dimensional Dungeon.

Fortunately, when he checked the article, he found no significant deviations from the game’s original storyline.

The dungeon’s location, along with the rumor that it was the most challenging among all the Dimensional Dungeons, confirmed it was indeed a Conditional Dungeon.

’Well, is that a relief for now?’

He had been worried, to tell the truth.

He had chosen to intervene and save the people because it just felt wrong not to.

He had thought this action might change the future and bring about a system penalty. But, to his surprise, all remained quiet.

Could it be because the episode had been significantly advanced, resulting in a major change in the future?

It appeared the system wasn’t overly sensitive to minor changes.

The fact that no system notification had popped up even after two hours proved that.

’Well, then...’

There was nothing left for him to do now.

Knowing how the Dimensional Dungeon episode ended, all that was left for him was to sit back and wait.

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