The Academy’s Time Stop Player
chapter-55

"Alright then..."

After throwing the man into the gate, Hajoon cracked his neck and turned back.

Behind him lay three priests, hearts pierced by a blade, and six people tightly bound by ropes.

As cloth obscured the captives' faces, they were blind to their predicament and trembled with fear.

His smartphone buzzed in his pocket just then. Keeping his eyes on the captives, Hajoon reached into his pocket and pulled it out.

Ring- Ring-

-Ha, Hajoon sir! Is everything okay? I heard a loud crash from inside the house...

In response, Hajoon spoke evenly.

"Could you please call an ambulance?"

Hajoon left the entire case, including the crime scene investigation, to the Association and quickly returned to the Academy.

Chairman Kim Jeongyong from the Association had offered a ride, but Hajoon preferred to travel alone, so Chairman Kim Jeongyong stayed behind, leading the investigation.

"What a mess..."

As the investigation team from the Association inspected the crime scene, Chairman Kim Jeongyong felt a deep sense of regret towards Hajoon.

'So that's why he wanted to go alone...'

He had been concerned when Hajoon decided to confront the situation alone without backup. But now, understanding the reason, he felt a strange wave of admiration.

'I never imagined he chose to work alone to protect the people he had captured...'

Chairman Kim Jeongyong had seen Hajoon's decision to invade the villains' hideout alone as somewhat presumptuous. However, realizing the reason now, he couldn't help but feel guilt.

The young man had acted alone in secret to rescue people.

If a large group of heroes, including the Association's agents, had been involved, the villains might have detected them and harmed the hostages.

"Oh my... I'm so incompetent... How could I have been so clueless..."

Kim Hajoon, despite public opinion labeling him as an anomaly, was still a young boy.

The realization that he had left everything to such a boy in this incident brought a bitter smile to Chairman Kim Jeongyong's face.

This incident inspired the Chairman to make a promise to himself.

'I may not know what student Hajoon wants...'

Even though he didn't understand Hajoon's desires, he would support him to the fullest of his abilities.

Meanwhile, in Hajoon's dorm room on a Sunday morning.

"Yawn~"

Hajoon stretched lazily, waking from his slumber.

Having woken up refreshed, Hajoon checked the time and saw it was incredibly early, just 6 o'clock in the morning.

"Did I get up too early?"

Considering he had resolved an incident the day before, returned to the academy, and then went to bed early, it was logical for him to rise early. Plus, after a week of hard work due to midterms, it was normal to feel worn out.

But after more than 12 hours of sleep, he felt completely rejuvenated.

Gurgle-

"What?"

His stomach rumbled unexpectedly. Since he hadn't eaten anything and slept all day yesterday, hunger was inevitable.

Clad in plain slippers, a white long-sleeved shirt, and black pants, Hajoon stepped outside. Despite the early hour, there were several students jogging around the Hero Academy.

Then, he noticed a boy and a girl making a loud ruckus, as if they were racing cars, while jogging in the distance.

Confused, Hajoon watched the pair. Upon seeing him, they instantly changed course and began charging towards him at a terrifying speed, causing him to instinctively recoil.

Whoosh!!

They stopped abruptly right before reaching Hajoon, stirring up a cloud of dust that obscured his vision. One of the girls, peering at Hajoon, started to speak.

"Kim Hajoon? Surprising. Didn't expect to see you up so early."

"Cough! Wow...You two are quite enthusiastic, even in the morning."

The girl was none other than Lee Joohee, the student council president.

The boy next to her, casually observing Hajoon, was Han Siyoung.

Both of them were known in the game for their extreme dedication, often training together like this.

Hajoon covered his mouth with one hand to avoid inhaling dust, while waving the other hand to disperse the cloud, and responded,

"Just thought I'd grab some food since I woke up early."

"Really... If it's okay with you, let's eat together. It's on me. We were just finishing our workout."

With that, Lee Joohee turned to glance at Han Siyoung.

Han Siyoung just nodded, not expressing a word.

Hearing this, Hajoon scratched his cheek and mulled it over.

'Having a meal with the student council president and Han Siyoung...'

Were they planning to go to the restaurant he had only seen in the game?

He felt both anticipation and a slight nervousness.

After all, both he and these two were well-known students, not just in the academy, but outside as well.

'What should I do...'

Since they had offered, it was only polite to accompany them, right?

And besides, he was curious about the restaurant.

"Alright. Let's go together then."

"Hehe, then let's head to a restaurant I know."

The restaurant Lee Joohee had in mind was a Korean soup house.

You'd guess that a newly wealthy person like her would favor something like steak, but surprisingly, she liked this type of food.

"Wait... aren't those two Han Siyoung and Lee Joohee?"

"Huh? I think you're right."

"I heard they often visit this place, guess the rumors were true."

As Hajoon had anticipated, their presence drew the attention of everyone in the restaurant. Naturally, all eyes shifted to him as well.

It was slightly uncomfortable being watched while eating, but it didn't bother Hajoon, who was busy relishing his soup.

"Kim Hajoon. Are you ready for the practical exam?"

"The practical exam?"

Did he need to prepare for the practical exam?

According to his memory from the game, there shouldn't be any problem. He hadn't given it much thought.

"I'm not too worried about the written test, but the practical one is also significant, so it's better to prepare."

Hearing this, Han Siyoung appeared puzzled.

From his expression, Hajoon could guess what Han might be thinking.

Probably something like, shouldn't it be the other way around?

"The practical test this time will include a portion related to mana control, so it's good to prepare beforehand."

Upon hearing this, Hajoon looked at Lee Joohee as if he had misunderstood her.

Mana? As far as he knew, there wasn't any mana-related test in the midterm exam.

That's when a ding sounded, and a penalty notice and quest window appeared.

[A penalty is imposed due to a slight shift in the storyline.]

[The difficulty of the joint episode 1-2 'Midterm Exam' increases.]

[Sub Quest]

Quest Eligible Character: Kim Hajoon (Liber Laphilton Phil Ehrman)

Description: Score 90 or more points in the practical exam 'Mana Control'.

Reward: 1500 Experience Points

".........."

Time moved quickly, and a week had passed since the written exam.

He believed he had performed quite well in the written test.

It would be odd if he hadn't, given the amount of work he'd put in.

As always, the real challenge was the practical exam.

"Hup!"

"Hap!"

On Monday morning, following the weekend, inside the academy's training gymnasium, the special class students were gearing up for the practical exam.

Their preparation merely consisted of standing still, vocalizing their energy, and actively circulating their internal magical power.

Amid these students, Hajoon was standing with his eyes closed, arms crossed, deep in thought.

Upon seeing him, the other students started admiring Hajoon.

"Look at him. Can you imagine his level of focus?"

"With his skill level, he must hold enormous magical power, but why can't I sense any magic?"

"Don't you understand? He's definitely compressing his internal magical power."

"What?! Ah! So that's why there's no magical aura?"

"Yes, he's certainly managing a huge amount of magic power, condensed in one place."

"Indeed, the top student is the top student."

However, the real situation inside Hajoon was different.

'I'm screwed...'

How was he supposed to do this...

Truthfully, he was a bit anxious.

Not only was he unaware of the specifics of the exam, but he also had to employ magical power for it, and he couldn't figure out an effective strategy.

'If I do this wrong, will I end up with zero points?'

In a situation where he might not score at all, he needed 90 points...

Of course, he was aiming for a high grade, not just because of the quest.

Considering the upcoming 'student request' episode, he would need to achieve a top-tier grade like the other students to work comfortably.

'Was it 40 for the written and 60 for the practical?'

Top-tier grades were usually given to students ranking within the top six in the entire school.

That meant around half of the practical, 30 points, depended on this magic control test...

He had to somehow score perfectly or nearly perfectly.

Just as Hajoon was deep in thought,

A woman wearing a black pointed hat and cloak started to approach the students from the center of the gymnasium. She was a woman with flowing brown hair and a gentle face with teardrop-shaped eyes.

Of course, the students were both perplexed by the unfamiliar instructor's face and in awe of her.

The black pointed hat, a sign of a high-ranking wizard, demonstrated she was no ordinary wizard.

And she introduced herself with calm demeanor amidst the puzzled students.

"I'm Instructor Yeon Seonhwa, responsible for the magic control practical exam. I look forward to working with you."

With that, she offered a warm smile.

And all the students gasped in astonishment.

Yeon Seonhwa.

Undoubtedly, after Instructor Riella Harnis, she was the most renowned instructor at Rokia Academy.

"Isn't Instructor Yeon Seonhwa responsible for the third-year graduation class?"

"Huh? Really?"

Being responsible for the graduation class.

An instructor who teaches the final lessons to Rokia Academy's students.

In a way, it was a term that symbolized the most distinguished instructor in charge of practical training at Rokia Academy.

"Now, everyone. Let's start with an explanation of the test before we begin."

With that, she clapped once.

Simultaneously, a white table materialized in front of her, and on the table, a glass box filled with tiny steel balls became visible.

While the children were admiring the summoning magic that happened instantly,

Yeon Seonhwa picked up one of the steel balls with her finger and clarified the specifics of the test.

"Now, these steel balls weigh about 7kg, which is quite heavy for their size. Inside the glass box, there are about 100 steel balls of this weight."

"The test involves using magic to move the steel balls without touching them and creating the sculpture you want to imagine. Of course, you will be scored based on how many steel balls you move. Sounds simple, right?"

As she spoke, she reached towards the glass box and the steel balls began to float into the air, starting to form a new sculpture.

A bird fluttering its wings as if alive.

The children admired the sculpture with awe. The bird circled above their heads, then soared back into the glass box, and disintegrated back into steel ball pieces with a swoosh.

"Of course, we don't expect much at this level, but you understand the example, right? Now, please come up one by one."