The Academy’s Time Stop Player
chapter-44

"Hmm... This one?"

Jin Ahhan's response to Hajoon's information was surprisingly nonchalant.

This reaction began to gradually frustrate Han Jayul.

"Then who else would we recruit? Isn't that why you asked me to find out about him in the first place?"

"Huh? No, that's not why."

"What?"

Han Jayul was flabbergasted by Jin Ahhan's quick response.

Then why did she ask for this investigation?

"Then why did you ask me to find out about him?"

Jin Ahhan responded with a faint smile.

Han Jayul was left dumbfounded by Jin Ahhan's response.

"Because he's cool."

"......"

What did she just hear?

Han Jayul's mind went blank for a moment.

She could slowly feel a headache coming on.

Jin Ahhan, with a smile, opened her mouth to address a bewildered Han Jayul.

"If he really solved all the incidents mentioned in this report and still chose not to publicize himself, it's clear that he didn't do it for fame or glory, right?

Isn't it?"

"Uh... well, I guess?"

"To me, it seems like he's driven by goodwill. That makes him even more admirable to me."

"So, you just wanted to see his face, and that's why you asked me to find him?"

"Well, yeah? But of course, if he's okay with it, it wouldn't hurt to invite him to our guild."

Han Jayul could feel a sudden headache coming on.

Even though she had known her sister for a long time, there were moments when she found it impossible to understand her sister's train of thought.

"Ha... Now that we know who the Irregular is, what do you want to do?"

"Hmm... If what you say is correct, I want to talk to him. And for starters, I'll try to invite him as you suggested."

"That's a given, sis... Ah, forget it. I'll leave that part to you. I don't want to add more work to my plate."

"Hehe, got it."

She was a sister who was completely different when working compared to her usual self.

It would be nice if she could be as reliable in her daily life as she is when she's working.

"I'll be going then. And keep this information to yourself. Don't tell the others."

"Sure, go ahead. Good job."

The following morning.

Just like the day before, Jin Ahhan set out on patrol with the children.

"Alright, let's give it our best today!"

"Yes!"

"..."

"..."

Although Dan Yeseul was energetically clenching her fists, both Hajoon and Haruna wore expressions as if they were about to doze off.

Come on, isn't a 6 a.m. patrol too diligent, no matter how you look at it? The academy's school time starts at 8 a.m.

Barely awake, Hajoon followed Jin Ahhan with sleepy eyes.

They had been walking for about 10 minutes when they arrived at the same park where they had patrolled the day before.

"So, from here..."

Upon reaching the park, Jin Ahhan, full of energy, turned around. She scanned the children with her eyes and spoke up.

"Today, let's split into Team 1 and Team 2 for patrol."

Teams 1 and 2? What did she say again?

Hajoon answered vaguely in agreement while rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Alright then, dependable Yeseul will be the team leader for Team 2."

"Ah, yes!"

Upon hearing this, Dan Yeseul's eyes sparkled as she looked at Jin Ahhan. Well, being recognized by the fourth-ranked hero in the country is certainly a pleasant thing.

Hajoon just wished time would pass more quickly. This episode of Haruna's story was simply a formal one to introduce one of the Three Pillars of the Altar, Zehar, and not about any big incident unfolding.

In other words, there was no particular need for Hajoon to stay here now that he had killed that guy and resolved the matter yesterday.

As he stood there, half-asleep with his eyes closed, he heard Jin Ahhan's voice.

"Alright, Hajoon, let's go too."

"...where to?"

As he slowly opened his eyes at her words, he realized Dan Yeseul and Haruna were nowhere in sight.

Hajoon tilted his head in confusion, and Jin Ahhan covered her mouth with her hand, chuckling.

"Where else but on patrol."

"...just the two of us?"

"Did you hear what I said earlier?"

Hmm... what did she say again?

Something about splitting into two teams for patrol?

His drowsy brain could only vaguely recall, but Hajoon nodded anyway.

"Great! Let's go!"

With that, Hajoon followed her, yawning. It was a quiet morning at the park around 6 a.m.

She likely didn't expect any villains to show up this early, so the patrol felt more like a leisurely walk.

After about an hour, Hajoon started to wake up and looked around with clear eyes. It was 7 a.m. Still, the only people visible in the park were joggers.

"Shall we take a 10-minute rest and then patrol somewhere else?"

"Yes, let's do that."

At her suggestion, Hajoon immediately took a seat on a nearby bench to rest.

With a deflated posture, Hajoon sat, vacantly gazing at the lake in the center of the park.

"Hehe, you really do sleep a lot."

Jin Ahhan fetched a warm coffee from a nearby vending machine and handed it over to Hajoon.

Yawning and stretching, Hajoon accepted the coffee, "Thanks to you, I'm fully awake now."

"Hehe, really? That's good."

Jin Ahhan joined Hajoon in aimlessly staring at the lake. Suddenly, she sidled up to him, her hands beginning to fondle his arm and leg.

Hajoon turned his head, casting her a strange look.

"Why are you suddenly harassing me?"

"Huh? I just wanted to check how muscular you are. Hmmm... But, I can't feel any mana. Are you deliberately hiding it?"

Jin Ah- han's demeanor was surprisingly confident.

This left Hajoon a bit taken aback.

Was she always this bold?

"Can you stop touching me? It's a little embarrassing."

"Huh? Just a moment, a little longer."

"Huh? Hey! If your hand moves any higher, it'll really be sexual harassment."

"Hmmm..."

Jin Ahhan, pausing at his words, crossed her arms and cocked her head, her expression perplexed.

Hajoon began to wonder what she was really trying to do.

"Are you sexually frustrated or something?"

"Wow... Do you realize your comment is worse than what I did?"

"You started it."

"Hmmm... that's true."

"Haa..."

Was Jin Ahhan always this bold?

In fact, she appeared more than just bold. She was outright brazen.

"Alright, now that we've had our rest, shall we get moving again?"

"Oh, yes. Let's go."

Hajoon rose and followed her.

Jin Ahhan was puzzled.

'Hmm... Is it not him after all?'

Upon checking Hajoon's physique, she didn't find his strength particularly impressive. Moreover, his mana felt almost nonexistent.

'So why did the probability calculation come out so high...?'

After all, the probability calculation of the autonomous system has never been wrong...

She briefly glanced back at Hajoon.

He was still trailing behind her, his steps feeble and his face blank.

'He's an irregular?'

That thought unexpectedly made her chuckle.

'Nah, that's impossible.'

She brushed off the absurd thought and refocused her attention on the patrol.

Four hours had passed since Kim Hajoon left the park and patrolled the city streets. It was now 11 AM.

"Hero Jin Ahhan, aren't we going to eat?"

Hajoon was famished after aimlessly wandering the streets for four hours.

Shouldn't it be time to call it a day and head back?

"Let's endure a little longer. Our patrol will end after one more hour."

"One more hour?"

"Yes. After that, we can switch with the afternoon team."

At her words, Hajoon decided to hold out a little longer.

'One hour isn't that long…'

One hour would pass by quickly, wouldn't it?

Having previously spent months lost in a maze, one hour seemed bearable.

With the thought of enduring just one more hour, Hajoon followed Jin Ahhan once more.

About 50 minutes must have passed when a sudden incident occurred, with only 10 minutes left until their shift change.

"Screams!!"

"Someone's been stabbed!!"

"Call 119! Someone, call 119!!"

In the midst of patrolling, Jin Ahhan rushed over upon hearing the scream.

Two pedestrians were bleeding, having been stabbed, and two criminals holding knives were seen running away.

Of course, Hajoon also witnessed this scene and thought to himself,

'What's wrong with those crazy bastards?'

Stabbing civilians and running away in front of a top-ranked hero?

Did they, too, fall under some sort of mind control?

"Hajoon!"

"Yes. I got it."

Naturally, Jin Ahhan started to chase the fleeing criminals.

Following her lead, Hajoon also began to run.

His running speed was much slower compared to hers, so he activated his Time Stop skill when the distance between them grew too large, and stealthily followed her.

While chasing the fleeing criminals, the two perpetrators suddenly split up in different directions.

Seeing this, Jin Ahhan was at a loss, which is when Hajoon stepped in and yelled,

"I'll chase after one of them. You follow the other."

"Be careful! They could be superhumans judging by their running speed!"

"Yes."

Hajoon responded nonchalantly and pursued one of the criminals.

When he was finally a fair distance from Jin Ahhan, Hajoon activated his Time Stop skill.

He then approached the fleeing criminal with a stern expression.

"What kind of lunatic are you?"

Yesterday's situation was understandable.

They were simply citizens controlled by Zehar.

But today, he couldn't understand it at all.

What kind of lunatic would stab a citizen and flee in front of a top-ranked hero?

Hajoon got closer to see the lunatic's face before handing him over to the Heroes Association or the police, planning to give him a bit of a beating first.

As he approached the man, he froze the moment he saw his face.

"What…?"

His eyes were inverted, revealing bloodshot scleras, and his face was flushed with red.

His muscles swelled as if they were about to explode, piercing the skin and letting blood seep out.

The moment Kim Hajoon saw this, he knew.

"Is it… real brainwashing?"

Hajoon knew exactly what the situation meant.

Zehar was still alive.

Ding-

A system notification appeared for the first time in a while.

[The system highly commends Kim Hajoon for defeating 'Forbidden Magician Zehar' 1/2.]

[Due to a minor change in the story, the difficulty of Haruna Ruel Episode 1-1: 'Doubt' of 'Lost Memory' increases.]

Ding-

[Emergency Quest]

Possible quest character: Kim Hajoon (Liber Laphilton Phil Ehrman)

Description: Defeat the Forbidden Magician Zehar within the time limit.

Time Limit: (30 minutes)

Reward: 2000P

"Wow…"

Hajoon was momentarily dizzy.

It had been quiet lately, and now everything is rushing at once?

What's with Zehar?

"How did that guy survive?"

Could he possibly have another ability that Hajoon didn't know about?

His ability was solely to turn his body into a liquid.

And a liquefied body cannot move unless it uses magic.

Considering his simplistic ability…

'Did he perhaps make two bodies?'

Regardless, Hajoon didn't think it was that crucial.

After releasing the brainwashed citizen using the cancellation of Time Stop, he led him into the alleyway.

Once Time Stop was deactivated, Hajoon opened his mouth towards him.

“I know you're watching. Tell me quickly.”

Immediately after, the brainwashed citizen started vomiting blood and called out Hajoon's name with a distorted voice.

“Kim Hajoon.”

The man slowly turned around and started looking at Hajoon.

With bulging eyes and constantly spitting blood from his mouth, he started muttering something.

“I caught you quicker than I thought. I wanted to summon you through this guy, but I can't. You're the owner.”

The corners of his mouth began to rise.

With bulging eyes and bloody mouth, he looked at Hajoon.

Slowly opening his mouth with a ghost-like face, he said,

“If you want to save your friend, come to the XX Department Store.”

Thud-

After those words, the brainwashed citizen collapsed and passed out.

“……”

Upon hearing those words,

Hajoon's face gradually twisted in annoyance.

A wave of uncontrollable anger was about to wash over him, but after calming down and thinking about it, he found it ridiculous and chuckled. Then, thoughts began to spin in his mind.

Or rather, the circuit of happiness started running.

“A hostage situation...?”

He's trying a hostage situation against me?

While it was absurd, on the contrary, the corners of Hajoon's mouth slowly started to rise.

He must have prepared thoroughly.

They probably chose a drastic measure to kill me, that secretive organization, he thought.

First, the place he was asked to come to was a department store bustling with people.

'I wonder if those official bastards are also here?'

Guardians who serve and protect the pillars of the Altar.

Each pillar of the Altar is accompanied by three officials.

Each of them possesses the power of an A-rank villain.

Given the situation, Hajoon wished everyone was gathered.

Wouldn't it be nice to dispose of all the trash at once?

"Stop."

Hajoon immediately activated Time Stop (SSS).

First, he took the unconscious citizen and laid them down at the entrance of a nearby hospital. Then, he leisurely walked towards the department store the bastard had mentioned.