The Academy’s Time Stop Player
chapter-71

Thursday, precisely at 11 a.m. Korean time.

Whoosh!

Han Siyoung, Yoo Seolah, and the bodyguards in charge of Isabella’s protection gazed at the portal forming within the hotel room.

Crossing borders using such gates was prohibited. However, an exception was made this time, thanks to an agreement between the American Hero Association and the Korean Hero Association.

Of course, the influence of the great hero Adrian played a part as well.

Soon after, through the gate stepped Hajoon, Isabella, and an agent from the American Hero Association who had opened the portal.

“Isabella!”

“Seolah!”

Seeing Isabella, Yoo Seolah hurriedly approached and hugged her.

Yoo Seolah looked at Isabella with concern, to which Isabella responded with a bitter smile.

Yoo Seolah asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, thankfully… All thanks to Hajoon.”

Hearing that, Yoo Seolah turned to Hajoon with a smile, “Really… Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, something terrible might have happened.”

To her words of gratitude, Hajoon stared blankly at Yoo Seolah for a moment and yawned with a weary face. He then glanced at the bed and responded briefly to Yoo Seolah.

“Yeah.”

“...Are you tired?”

“Yeah, a bit.”

Yoo Seolah looked at Ha-joon’s face, puzzled. While he did seem tired, there was a radiant glow to his complexion. In short, despite the fatigue evident in his expression, his face seemed exceptionally healthy.

Isabella clarified, “Hajoon actually played around without sleeping at all.”

“Oh…”

“Of course, I just introduced him to some good restaurants and rested.”

True to her words, Hajoon had stayed up for two days, making the most of his time. Understandably, since it was his first trip abroad, every moment was precious. Thanks to the Association's portal operator, travel time was minimized. In his excitement, Hajoon roamed around without rest for two days. Upon returning to Korea, the accumulated fatigue hit him all at once.

To put it simply, right now, Hajoon just wanted to sleep.

“I’ll take my leave now,” said the agent who had assisted with the portal, standing beside Hajoon.

Unsurprisingly, she looked as exhausted as Hajoon. After all, she had stayed up with him for two days, aiding his sightseeing by maintaining the portal.

In gratitude, Hajoon gave her a respectful nod. Thanks to her, he had been able to see everything he wanted within the short time frame.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“No problem. I’ll be off now.”

“If there's anything in the future, I'll contact you again.”

“...”

With a slightly alarmed expression, the agent nodded politely to Hajoon and quickly vanished through the portal. Despite their brief association, Hajoon felt a sense of camaraderie...

Of course, this is just my personal opinion.

"Well, then..."

Ignoring the gaze of the children and security guards, Hajoon lay down on the bed. He then slightly turned his head to look at Han Siyoung and spoke.

"I've had my fair share of hardships. Now it's your turn."

There was a moment of silence. Han Siyoung stared at Hajoon with a calm expression. Then, with a small smile, Han Siyoung nodded slowly and responded.

"Understood. You rest."

Including Han Siyoung, those present knew roughly what had transpired in the U.S. That's why Han Siyoung readily agreed. At the very least, after everything that happened in the U.S., Hajoon deserved a break.

"Alright, take care then."

With those words, Hajoon immediately closed his eyes. Within not even three seconds, he was snoring softly in his sleep.

The annihilation of Barus, the American villain group, was a staggering event even within the U.S.

To begin with, the Barus organization was considered as formidable as the famous Vigilante, so the fact that such a group was wiped out by a single hero sent shockwaves throughout the country.

Furthermore, according to those who were rescued, they spoke of a hero, his entire body obscured by a mosaic, wielding a brilliant golden hammer.

Naturally, people knew who this hero was.

It was the 'Irregular,' the exceptional young man with unprecedented powers who resolved all the incidents and accidents in Korea.

Of course, until this event, the Irregular was only famous within Korea. It wasn't internationally recognized.

Put simply, who would believe the news that a young boy single-handedly thwarted a dimensional dungeon and laid low an S-rank villain? It just lacked credibility.

So, while many in the U.S. knew of his name, few genuinely believed in him. However, after this incident, the perception began to change.

To be precise, they started to believe in the existence of the Irregular, a superhero with seemingly implausible powers.

Undoubtedly, the influence of the wealthy individuals who had been kidnapped by Barus – or more specifically, those whom Hajoon had rescued – played a significant role.

As a result, there was a current craze within the U.S. for this unidentified superhero, igniting an 'Irregular Boom.'

Meanwhile, at the American Heroes Association:

"This is... quite troublesome."

Inside the office of the American Heroes Association's president, a middle-aged man with a white beard and neatly styled hair pondered with a contemplative expression.

His name was Andre Heut, a former top-tier hero who had retired and now served as the president of the association. He was deep in thought, considering the information he had received from his agents.

"To think he not only annihilated Barus on his own but even had the power to harm the esteemed Adrian Heights."

Adrian Heights, the grand hero symbolizing America.

When Andre heard that this iconic figure of strength had been brought down by a young boy, he couldn't believe it.

Especially since he had personally witnessed Adrian Heights' immense power during the past great turmoil. And now, such a formidable figure was defeated by a mere boy.

It was truly shocking news for President Andre.

He pondered with a grave expression.

To be frank, he saw the current situation in Korea as dire.

Ever since the new sage awakened his powers, a series of events had erupted.

The only thing he was mulling over was whether to trust this boy.

After some thought, an idea flashed across his mind.

Regardless, it was an undeniable fact that they had received help from the boy.

"We might need to revise our strategy..."

After all, no one can predict the future.

Thus, he briefly stopped the strategy he was carefully planning to execute and opted for neutrality.

Meanwhile, as the Irregular phenomenon was sweeping through America. It wasn't just confined to the U.S. alone.

[Irregular does it again! America's representative villain group, Barus, has been decimated!]

[The Irregular who moved to America! Once again, he single-handedly saved the people!]

[Superhuman ability researcher Park Sangtae suggests that Irregular may possess multiple abilities?]

[The American Hero Association expresses gratitude to the superhuman Irregular who obliterated the Barus villain group. They officially designate him as a hero, setting him on the path to global hero rankings.]

It was Friday morning, 7 a.m.

As countless headlines like these flooded the internet, Hajoon woke up.

"What's going on?"

When he awoke, he found himself not in a hotel room but in the academy's dormitory.

What happened? Who moved me here while I was asleep?

Hajoon tried to recall any fleeting memories.

"Uh... was it that security guy?"

He had a vague memory, perhaps of being carried by one of Isabella's security team members, or maybe he had dreamt it.

"Yawn~"

Well, at least I woke up on time.

Hajoon got out of bed and changed into his school uniform. That's when he noticed a note on his desk. He stared blankly at the paper. Written on it were words of gratitude, along with a phone number.

From just a glance, Hajoon had a good idea of who might've left it. As he was about to chuckle and head out of the dorm, his phone rang.

Ring-ring-

Startled by the sudden call, Hajoon turned to his phone and answered it. The caller was Lorelei Hills, the guild master of Hermes.

[Heh, you're up? I was getting worried since you weren’t answering.]

"A call?"

[Yes. I think I called about four times? I figured you'd be up by now, so I tried again, and here you are.]

"Right, so what did you call for?"

[I found the alchemist. She was closer than I thought.]

At that, Hajoon smirked in satisfaction.

Because they had located her faster than anticipated.

"I'll visit this weekend," Hajoon informed her.

[Okay~ Thanks for the task, by the way. I've transferred the reward to your bank account, so check it out.]

"Alright, I'll check. Thanks."

With that, Hajoon ended the call. He decided to check the deposited amount later and made his way straight to the classroom.

"Yawn~"

Maybe it was because he hadn’t fully recovered from the fatigue of the last two days, but he felt sleepier than usual.

He thought of catching a quick nap at his desk before the morning roll call began.

Upon reaching the classroom, Hajoon immediately slumped over his desk and dozed off.

Perhaps an hour had passed?

"Kim Hajoon, wake up."

Roused by the familiar voice of the instructor, Hajoon groggily woke up. As he looked up, the instructor was conducting the morning roll call right on schedule.

At that moment, Hajoon's eyes shifted to the words written on the blackboard.

"Hmm..."

Rubbing his eyes and looking at the board again, Hajoon couldn't help but frown.

"Club activities and a training camp?"

The two terms, which obviously seemed bothersome, caught Hajoon's attention.

Is it that time already?

"What's written on the blackboard outlines next week's schedule. Submit the club activity application forms through each group's leader by this weekend. And starting from next Monday, there will be a three-day training camp."

While club activities were one thing, Hajoon's attention was fixated on the training camp.

To be honest, there wasn't an episode more annoying to Hajoon than the training camp episode. It was similar to an event episode but solely existed for the growth of playable characters in this episode.

It's indeed a must-go episode for those four... but...

"Hmm..."

For Hajoon, it wasn't necessarily a required episode. Well, as a student, he was obliged to attend, but if he really intended to skip it, there were ways to do so.

However, there was a reason he hesitated. He had noticed something off during Isabella's episode.

'Why hasn't any penalty been triggered?'

Strangely enough, no penalty popped up in this recent Isabella episode. He was aware that he messed up several episodes previously and expected penalties...

"Hmm..."

His gaze returned to the training camp. Hajoon didn't have any concrete intuition, but for some reason, he felt uneasy.

"Sigh... It's probably nothing."

The training camp was designed with various high-intensity trainings to enhance superhuman powers. Hajoon let out a deep sigh. His powers had indeed grown, but when compared to an average superhuman, he still had a long way to go. Fortunately, he had the Time Stop (SSS) skill.

He had no choice but to rely on it to get through the training.