The Academy’s Time Stop Player
chapter-61

'Is it over...?'

Hajoon slowly lifted his hammer.

He briefly glanced down at the fallen demon before approaching Liam, who had fainted.

Hajoon looked down at Liam, deep in thought.

'I didn't expect this...'

To be honest, he hadn't anticipated Liam's sudden growth.

Whether that growth had taken place on the artificial island in the past, or during the recent battle with the demon, was unclear.

What mattered now was that Liam's display was undeniably an 'Awakening of the Superhuman'.

'When did he surpass the "Pinnacle of Limits"?'

The Pinnacle of Limits.

It's the 'Awakening' reachable when one's stats exceed 500.

For Liam, it didn't appear to be strength or stamina, but something else that had surpassed this peak.

While Hajoon couldn't currently verify Liam's exact stats, he was certain that one of Liam's stats had exceeded 500.

And in the game, Liam never reached beyond the Pinnacle of Limits.

Frankly, given Liam's innate talent, the game's creators probably didn't see the need for him to experience such a superhuman transformation.

'Well, this isn't so bad.'

Moreover, this unexpected turn of events was advantageous for Hajoon.

After all, if Han Siyoung, Anna, Liam, or Haruna grew on their own, it would reduce the challenges faced by Hajoon.

'Now then...'

Hajoon activated Time Stop (SSS).

After moving Liam to a safe location, he returned and took a moment to ponder.

With the demon defeated, they surely would've noticed and would be heading this way.

The Vigilante crime syndicate.

'Would he also come...?'

The final boss of Liam's episode.

If she found out about the demon's death, she would probably come.

However, Hajoon had reservations. Even with Time Stop (SSS), he wasn't confident in taking her down. If there was a chance, it would be a fully grown Liam with a Mythic-grade artifact that could possibly defeat her.

Still, he planned to give it a shot.

After all, he didn't know when he'd get another opportunity like this.

In the outskirts near Bukhansan, where people rarely tread.

"Millie, where is the Blood Demon?"

"Found it, captain."

The silver-haired girl asked the blonde woman, known as Millie, who smiled in response.

Soon after, the girl turned her gaze to the Mohican man and spoke.

"Hakuse, open the gate."

"Understood."

She directed her command at the Mohican man.

Hakuse, the Mohican man, stretched his hands upwards into the void, then, with effort, drew them downwards.

In that moment.

Whooosh!

A circular gate materialized in the air.

The silver-haired girl glanced at the gate, then back at Hakuse and asked.

"Is this the place?"

"It's certain. I set the coordinates using Millie's marker. This should be the right spot."

She nodded in response to Hakuse's explanation.

Just as she was about to touch the gate,

At that very moment,

[If you step through, you will die.]

A voice echoed in her mind.

The deep, foreboding voice warned her of impending doom.

She slowly withdrew her hand, attentively heeding the voice inside her head.

[Protect yourself.]

Heeding the echoing voice, she obediently complied.

Her eyes soon shifted, revealing vertical golden pupils. An overwhelming aura emanated from her, encompassing even Hakuse and Millie.

The aura itself wrapped around her body, and she began expressing words in a language incomprehensible to anyone else.

[∎∎∎∎∎∎∎∎.]

"Wh...what?"

"Captain? Why did you suddenly..."

The energy soon formed a protective barrier, which gradually faded.

Both Millie and Hakuse looked perplexed. However, the girl just stared intensely at the gate before proceeding towards it.

After a brief exchange of baffled glances, the duo followed her into the gate.

Upon arrival, they were greeted by a vast space filled with dampness and cold.

They looked around in confusion.

Suddenly,

Crash! Boom! Bang!

A massive force struck their protective shield.

A force aimed directly at their faces.

Although the force dissipated upon contact with the shield, both Millie and Hakuse were left in shock.

Then, before their eyes sat a figure, completely obscured by a peculiar mosaic.

It sat on the ground, holding a glowing golden hammer, simply observing them.

Millie's gaze quickly shifted to the hammer.

Her expression turned grave as she eyed the hammer.

"That hammer... Captain, could that figure be an Irregular?"

"An Irregular?"

"The most renowned superhuman in Korea right now. Rumor has it that at a young age, his raw power surpassed even Karthon."

"What? Someone like that exists?"

Upon hearing this, Hakuse stared at the figure in astonishment, while the silver-haired girl kept her intense gaze fixed on the mosaic-obscured being.

Whether she was an Irregular or something else, it didn't matter to her.

Instead, she simply asked, "Did you kill the Blood Demon?"

As she spoke, a massive rift appeared in the air directly above her, as if space itself had been torn apart.

From that rift, the golden eyes of a giant beast began to watch Hajoon.

Soon after, a fierce magical power surged from her, filling the vacant space and pressuring Hajoon.

Silently, Hajoon gazed into the void and let out a sigh.

Then, he thought as he struggled to his feet, looking wearied, "I didn't expect her to block it..."

Lain, the leader of the Villain Alliance, the main villain of Liam's main storyline.

One of the three most destructive languages in the world, and the origin of pure magic, 'Dragon Language'.

Judging by her eyes, she had been using the 'Dragon Language' even before entering.

"Hmm... What should I do now?"

Hajoon pondered.

Frankly, at this moment, he had no clear solution.

The moment she fortified herself with a barrier using the Dragon Language, there was no way to defeat them. The strength of the barrier itself rivaled the grand magic once manifested by Anna, so there was no immediate solution.

Still, with his hammer resting on his shoulder, Hajoon approached them.

He was still willing to try.

Opportunities like this might not come again.

"Stop."

Hajoon activated Time Stop (SSS).

He went straight to them, gripped his hammer tightly, and struck at the protective barrier.

At the moment, this was the only method he had.

However, he didn't release the stasis.

Hajoon's idea was to rely on the compounded force of repeated blows.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As he continued to hammer down, Hajoon thought to himself, "Let's try this for a month..."

It had been a long time since Karthon.

It was rare for him to devote so much time to just one opponent.

However, this time, he intended to accumulate the impact over the span of a month, all at once.

Of course, as this was his first attempt at this method, Hajoon couldn't predict the outcome.

[I see... So that's how it is...]

The moment he entered the area, Lain heard that voice inside her head.

[Lain, you can't defeat him as you are now. Run.]

Lain's expression twisted darkly at those words. He lifted his head, glaring into the eyes peering from the crack, and responded in a dragon-tongue,

[Are you saying I'll lose?]

[You might not die, but you can't kill him.]

[Shut up with your nonsense, Leanon. I'll handle him.]

Soon after, the Irregular rose slowly, gripping his hammer and began approaching Lain.

The moment Lain's dragon magic engulfed the arena, it was clear the Irregular stood no chance. The arena itself had become Lain's 'domain'.

Still, the Irregular's steps seemed calm and unhurried, seemingly unaffected by the oppressive dragon magic, even though the odds were clearly against him.

[Even so, you will lose.]

Leanon told Lain. Annoyed, Lain ignored him, keeping his gaze on the approaching foe. Suddenly, the Irregular's silhouette vanished.

The moment he disappeared, the voice echoed in Lain's head once again,

[He has transcended.]

Then it happened.

Kukukukukukukukukukung———!!!

The barrier crafted from dragon magic began to vibrate.

The vibration was so immense that it resonated throughout the arena.

Boom! The entire area shook violently like a massive earthquake, causing the ceiling to begin collapsing.

Rocks fell, and the vibrations engulfed the entire space like the tremors before a volcanic eruption.

The barrier wavered heavily. Lain's eyes widened in horror, and what followed was sheer chaos.

Crash!

The ground tore apart, and the three of them, still within the barrier, were swept away by the force, speeding through the air.

Boom! Boom!

The three of them, along with the barrier, burst through wall after wall.

And as they flew, a monstrous force stretched the barrier, delivering a massive blow to Lain's abdomen.

"Cough!"

Blood spurted from Lain's mouth, his face distorted in pain as he looked at the one responsible for this chaos - the Irregular.

When Lain set his eyes on him, they trembled uncontrollably, for the Irregular had suddenly appeared before the barrier, striking it again with his hammer.

Kwang!!! Kung!! Kung!! Kwakang!!

Once again, the barrier wobbled and they continued to be thrown uncontrollably, piercing through walls. Just when it seemed their tumultuous flight would never end, they crashed against the dungeon's end.

Gasping for breath, Lain slowly raised her head, her gaze fixed on the Irregular, who was steadily approaching her.

With his astonishing speed, he caught up to her in an instant, eventually arriving at this location. Lain tried to open her mouth to brace herself for the impending shock.

But, stifling a choked sound, she couldn't utter a word due to the pain causing her to cough up blood.

“Ugh!”

Lain clenched her eyes tight, anticipating the next shock.

Immediately after,

Crack-

A minute fracture began to form on the protective shield.

Lain's pupils trembled, as if shaken by an earthquake. She hadn't even imagined that her protective shield, manifested using her dragon language, could crack like this.

Now, the possibility of the shield shattering loomed.

Just as a hint of fear began to surface in her heart,

“Sigh…”

The Irregular merely exhaled while gazing at the crack.

This sight sent a flurry of emotions surging through Lain – confusion, shock, humiliation, and fear.

In the blink of an eye, her fear morphed into rage.

“You...!”

However, she could no longer move. Blood kept pouring from her mouth, preventing her from using her dragon language.

She simply looked up at him from her fallen position, her knees hitting the ground.

Though the cracks slowly healed, the humiliation in Lain's heart remained. She could only glare at him with a desire to kill.

It was then that Hakuse opened a gate from within the protective shield.

Hajoon, with an indifferent gaze, shifted his attention from the gate back to Lain, declaring,

“If we meet again, I’ll kill you.”

His tone was tense, a given considering the immense effort he put in only resulted in such a minor crack.

Even this tiny crack was repaired by her dragon power, so there was no immediate way to counter them.

Hajoon simply looked down at her with cold eyes before turning away.

As Lain glared at Hajoon's retreating back, he vanished in an instant. Clenching her teeth so hard that they bled and gripping her fists tight, she muttered,

“Damn it! Ugh!”

Though consumed with an indescribable rage, she had no choice but to let the Irregular go.