The Academy’s Time Stop Player

TL/Editor: looloo

Schedule: N/A

Illustrations: Here

join the discord! Here

"Wasn’t that just a recoil phenomenon?"

"Why did it vanish out of the blue?"

"It must be an old artifact. Sometimes, the recoil doesn’t happen."

"Really?"

"Wow... The top student got lucky. Even a legendary artifact’s recoil was a dud."

It was not uncommon for artifacts unearthed from old dungeons or ruins to disappear without triggering a recoil.

Given this, the students weren’t overly suspicious of Hajoon.

Even though the grade of the artifact had high value, it was still one provided to students.

It was the kind of artifact that wouldn’t break, no matter the intensity of training, boasting endurance and appropriate traits.

The artifacts given to the students were generally of this value.

"Um... that is..."

Amid the students’ chattering, Liam Martel eyed the hammer in Hajoon’s hands with a hint of regret.

"It’s a pity. I should have picked that one first."

Liam had selected a different artifact despite this one being legendary, all because of the potent curse it bore. However, it appeared the curse didn’t trigger properly due to the artifact’s age.

If an artifact bears such a powerful curse, it’s expected to have features beyond its grade.

"Well, what can we do? Besides, the hammer doesn’t suit me."

Truthfully, the visible traits weren’t bad for a legendary artifact. Sadly, the weapon just wasn’t his type.

His primary weapon was a spear, after all.

Meanwhile, Han Siyoung was studying Hajoon intently, his eyes narrowed.

’What was that just now?’

For a split second, he had lost sight of Kim Hajoon’s movement.

It may have seemed like he barely moved, but Kim Hajoon definitely had.

’That guy...’

Soon, Han Siyoung noticed the slight shift in Hajoon’s position.

Just as the curse took form and exploded into a woman.

Hajoon was not where he had initially been.

’When did he move?’

The movement was slight, looking at the empty spot. But it was undetectable.

As he continued to observe Hajoon.

"Alright, everyone gather round."

At the sound of Han Eeseul’s call, Han Siyoung reluctantly turned away.

---

Raei Translations

---

A few minutes ago.

Inside the space where time has stopped.

’What is this now?’

[Emergency Quest]

Eligible character for quest: Kim Hajoon (Liber Laphilton Phil Ehrman)

Mission: Break the curse of the great King Horton.

Reward: 50 Experience Points

This was, in fact, his first encounter with such a quest.

He had never seen this quest during his gameplay.

But the word ’emergency’ suggested some level of danger.

’Well... let’s see...’

During the time stop, Hajoon had tried various things.

In the frozen space, only he could move, but something was slightly off. Specifically, his clothes fluttered.

Noticing this, Hajoon quickly grabbed Maharazu and attempted to stop time.

However, contrary to Hajoon’s expectations, Maharazu stopped.

It simply hovered in the air, frozen like everything else.

He could move it freely, but swinging it around lacked a certain feel.

It was like swinging something in a gravity-free space.

He decided to investigate this aspect later.

"Let’s see how durable this is."

First, he swung the hammer three times before unfreezing time.

However, there were no visible changes.

’Swinging it full force three times didn’t work.’

It might not be as resilient as the Full-Power Man, but it seemed like it would take some time.

’So... how much do I need to hit it...’

With no other choice, he started to beat it for about two hours.

Finally, when he unfroze time, there was a reaction.

[Roaaar!!]

Holes started to form all over it.

What caught his eye, though, was the smoke rising from the holes, signaling it was healing.

He activated the time stop again.

’Two hours won’t be enough.’

Finally, he gripped the hammer tighter and pounded away for a long six hours.

After hammering for six hours, he stepped back and unfroze time.

[Kyaaaaaaa!!]

A horrifying scream echoed as holes appeared, and it started to crumble.

At the same time, a system window popped up before Hajoon.

[Emergency Quest]

Eligible character for quest: Kim Hajoon (Liber Laphilton Phil Ehrman)

Mission: Break the curse of the great King Horton.

Reward: 50 Experience Points.

[Success!]

[The reward is given.]

[Your level has increased!]

’So it worked...’

He had only beaten it because he didn’t know how to break the curse, but the curse had been lifted.

After confirming the creature’s disappearance, he activated Time Stop.

Why? Because even with the stamina of an average person, he had labored intensely for six straight hours.

He could persevere using the mental power from his skill, but rest was still needed.

He strolled to a tree providing shade from the sun and simply laid on the ground.

"Yawn~ This isn’t so bad, after all."

[Destroyer’s Hammer Maharazu]

Rank: Legendary

Features: {Evolution} {Unbreakable Steel Bones} {Size Adjustment} {Weight Adjustment} {Ego Philaten’s Curse}

Description: The mighty hammer of Dwarf King Horton.

He decided to read the features later.

Right now, it was time to rest.

Hajoon planned to sleep deeply before waking up.

---

Raei Translations

---

A moment later.

Well, not just a moment by Hajoon’s standards.

It felt like he had been in a deep sleep for at least four or five hours.

However, similar to his past with the Full-Power Man, his body started to ache from muscle pain.

’I want to sleep more...’

Thinking about the next practical lesson, he wanted to raise his hand and head straight to the infirmary, but he didn’t have a good reason to.

Maybe he should have pretended to break the curse and then just collapsed?

"Line up in four rows!"

When Han Eeseul gave the signal, twenty cadets sprang into action.

As a point of reference, I was at the back of the line led by Anna, who headed the first team.

Anna had been in front of me initially, so it was only natural that I ended up on her team.

"You already know what the afternoon class involves, so I’ll skip the introduction."

His words elicited a blend of excitement and nerves among the cadets.

Our first afternoon practical was a group monster hunt.

A century ago, a sudden surge of magical power sparked massive change, and monsters that had mutated due to this magic began to appear.

These monsters came in all kinds of forms. Not much was definitively known about them, but due to their habit of breeding anywhere, mountains or otherwise, they were deemed a critical threat to citizen safety, second only to villains.

"Handling monsters is a fundamental duty of a hero. Each team will pick a monster type to tackle, and if you successfully hunt the monster within the set time, you pass."

As he spoke, the unmistakable noise of the notification window popping up rang out.

[Sub Quest]

Eligible character for the quest: Kim Hajoon (Liber Laphilton Phil Ehrman)

Description: Hunt a certain number of monsters.

(Monsters 0/25)

Reward: 35 Experience Points

This time, however, it was a side quest, not a main one.

Hajoon’s lips curled into a smile.

’Forget it.’

His plan this time was to let others do the heavy lifting.

---

Raei Translations

---

I found myself lightly jogging through a vast sunlit field surrounded by thick trees.

Why, you might ask?

Because I’d already been left behind by the others.

Just 5 minutes prior.

"Wow... The valedictorian has less stamina than I thought."

"Right, how did the valedictorian manage?"

Of the four groups, each made up of 5 members, ours was the slowest.

We’d all started at the same time, but due to my below-average stamina, the team had to match my pace.

"Hey? Are you joking? Why are you so weak?"

"Did you become the valedictorian out of luck?"

Cheon Inhan and Ma Jinhan, both from my group and clad in spears and gauntlets over their muscular frames, had these complaints. Seeing their disgruntled faces, all I could do was sigh.

The other two were Anna and an American exchange student named Millie who used a long sword. They didn’t voice any complaints, but their dissatisfaction was clear on their faces.

Honestly, it wasn’t stamina that was the problem here.

Stamina could be compensated with willpower and determination.

Furthermore, Maharazu could also adjust its size according to my needs.

The moment I thought it was a bother to carry, it responded by shrinking.

But the real issue at hand was the running speed.

’How am I supposed to keep up with these people sprinting at car speed?’

That was Hajoon’s conclusion after seeing the pace of the other groups firsthand.

The students were faster than anything he had encountered in the game.

Some climbed trees like monkeys and hopped between them, while others levitated and flew.

Speaking of which, Anna was the one levitating right in front of me.

She was making up for her subpar stamina, not as low as mine but still lesser than the others, with magic.

"Sigh… Just go on without me."

Hajoon had no choice but to stop running.

He could have reached the destination quicker than those in front of him by activating Time Stop, but he couldn’t use it. Especially not in front of these people, particularly not in front of Anna, he didn’t want to draw attention.

He had already forfeited the quest.

"Damn it! You should’ve said so sooner!"

"Exactly. Hey! Let’s go quickly!"

Cheon Inhan, who had been leading the way, picked up his pace, which was now significantly faster than before. The others followed suit.

Anna, who had been watching me from the air, turned and left without a second thought.

I started slowing down, aimlessly watching the others pull further ahead.

"Ah, shoot, they complain so much."

I paused for a moment to catch my breath.

Already behind schedule, I decided to stroll at my own pace. After a few minutes of leisurely walking through the forest...

Suddenly, a thunderous noise echoed around me, and the forest floor shook as if something had detonated.

Presumably, the other teams had already begun their monster hunts.

’I wonder if our team has started yet?’

When I eventually reached the location, I found Anna and the others already hunting.

The monster our team had selected, per Anna’s suggestion, was the ’Black Hound.’ Despite its name, it was a creature as large as a tiger or lion, with a muscular body, black fur, and striking red eyes. It possessed significant strength and speed, even among the lower-level monsters.

’It’s a shame I don’t have any popcorn.’

Observing the monster hunt, something I couldn’t experience in reality, felt like watching a scene from a movie.

Given the situation, I didn’t have to lift a finger.

After all, the students were preparing to finish off the monster, as though it was nearly defeated.

Suddenly,

"Argh!"

Ma Jinhan rushed at the Black Hound and began choking it. The Hound writhed and rolled, putting up its final fight.

As a result, Ma Jinhan couldn’t withstand the backlash and was flung far away.

"What the--!"

Furious, Ma Jinhan immediately rose and lunged at the Black Hound once more.

At the same moment, a giant wasp, about the size of a human head, started to crawl out of the ground from where Ma Jinhan had been thrown.

Ma Jinhan’s face turned ashen the instant he noticed the wasp emerging from the ground.

"Damn!"

"What the hell did you stir up!"

"Everyone, snap out of it!"

At Anna’s sharp warning, everyone regrouped and braced themselves as the number of wasps emerging from the ground steadily grew.

The count easily reached around thirty.

Under usual circumstances, Anna’s magic could somehow manage this, but...

-Grrr...

The Black Hound was still alive.

"Damn it."

Hajoon casually picked up Maharazu.

He slowly approached the creatures and activated Time Stop.

---