The Academy’s Time Stop Player
chapter-76

“It's unbelievable…”

Kim Jeongyong, the chairman of the Korean Hero Association, was at a loss for words about the current situation.

“It really is him…”

The body on the scene.

It was none other than the 'Destroyer', a high-risk S-rank villain of Korea.

“For him to be dead so silently without any chaos…”

The S-rank villain, Destroyer. The situation was such that even the Hero Association couldn't easily apprehend or kill him.

If confronted, his magic 'Meteor' could cause immense damage, making it necessary for the association to merely monitor him, especially if he was spotted in the middle of a city.

Recklessly provoking him could lead to massive casualties.

“We need to contact Matop immediately…”

Of course, Matop, who created the S-rank magic, Meteor, was responsible for developing counter-magic for it. Though with this incident, all those efforts may have been in vain.

“…”

A wave of unexpected emotion washed over Kim Jeongyong.

Obviously, he had an idea of who had defeated the S-rank Destroyer.

Starting from the Full-Power Man incident, preventing various terror attacks, and finally, taking down an S-rank villain, known as a national disaster…

"It's truly a relief that you are here, Hajoon."

And with this incident, he foresaw a significant possibility that might arise in Korea.

It's the first instance in Korea where an S-rank villain was taken down without any major casualties.

This incident would likely serve as a dire warning to the Villain Alliance.

S-rank Villain Destroyer.

The news of his death spread across the country in just a day, causing a stir throughout Korea.

[Who was the hero that confronted the S-rank Villain Destroyer?]

[Evidence of a great magic has vanished; was the grand magic Meteor disappeared in an instant?]

[The confrontation with an S-rank villain that resulted in Korea's first-ever zero casualties. Who could be the protagonist of this battle?]

[Based on the series of events, it's highly likely that the hero who confronted the Destroyer is an Irregular!]

"What series of events?"

Meanwhile, Hajoon was lying in bed, looking at the articles popping up in real-time.

But reading them, he found them utterly absurd.

There wasn't any proof that I was involved in this incident. Where did this so-called "series" come from?

Moreover, it was the Sword King who actually killed the Destroyer, not me. I just dealt with the meteor he dropped.

"This is ridiculous."

Soon after, Hajoon closed his eyes and turned off his smartphone screen. He thought it was a waste of time reading further since the more he read, the more stupid it became.

More importantly, he began to change into his school uniform, getting ready to attend school. Thanks to the Destroyer’s Meteor, the intensive training was paused, but it was only Tuesday, so he still had to go to school.

There were other concerns on his mind as well.

Although Hajoon was currently resolving all the incidents, one of his goals was to aid in the growth of the playable characters.

The intensive training that was supposed to achieve this was stopped due to the incident with the Destroyer, meaning the students' development likely hadn't occurred.

"Hmm... What to do? I did hear they're substituting the intensive training with another type..."

He was worried about the growth of the playable characters and was also bothered by the replacement training. With these mixed feelings, Hajoon arrived at school and entered the classroom.

Surprisingly, the instructor was already in the room.

"You're finally here, Kim Hajoon. Take your seat quickly. We have updates on today's schedule."

"Oh, yes."

With a puzzled expression, Hajoon promptly took his seat. Not just because the instructor arrived early, but he looked exceptionally worn out.

As soon as Hajoon settled in, the instructor, with a weary face, let out a deep sigh and began to speak.

"Sigh... Due to yesterday's incident, the intensive training has been stopped, and we've decided to replace it with another. I assume you're already aware of this?"

"Yes!"

The students responded energetically.

The instructor glanced around at the students, then fixed his gaze on Hajoon, letting out another exasperated sigh.

"Let me explain the replacement training. Simply put, it's combat training against individuals. Including our instructors, a few top students from the second and third years will assist in this training. The deadline is tomorrow. In this training, we aim to teach the fighting methods and techniques of villains."

Hearing this, the corners of Hajoon's mouth lifted into a sly smile.

The fact that the instructor had taken over was a notable change, as the training he mentioned was originally scheduled for the last three days of full-fledged training.

The instructor simply described it as a melee combat training session, but it likely wouldn't be a typical one.

As the instructor just mentioned, the training would be conducted in teams, with senior students from the 2nd and 3rd years, as well as instructors, assuming the roles of villains.

"Alright, we'll start the training in 30 minutes. Everyone, get ready. And Kim Hajoon."

"…Yes?"

"Come with me to the staff room for a moment."

At this, Hajoon wore a puzzled expression for a moment before slowly rising from his seat.

Following the instructor out of the classroom, they soon arrived at the staff room and took seats facing each other.

"Ah… this is truly a headache."

And with that, the instructor let out a weary sigh, bringing a hand to his forehead as if genuinely troubled.

Jang Hyunjun began, "You really made a big scene this time."

"..."

At those words, Hajoon simply stared back at Instructor Jang without saying a word, figuring that no one would believe even if he said the believed-dead Sword King was involved.

"Let me get straight to the point. Since you might not be aware, the upcoming training involves forming teams for melee combat. Of course, the first-year students will be the heroes, while the instructors and the 2nd and 3rd-year students will act as villains."

Hajoon was already aware of this. They would split into instructor teams and first-year student teams for a villains vs. heroes training session.

"Yes, but what is it?"

"Ah… due to you, we had to change the rules for the training."

At that, Hajoon cocked his head in puzzlement.

"The rules?"

"Yes. Honestly, if you participated in the training as it was, I doubt it would proceed properly."

Upon hearing that, Hajoon nodded, indicating his understanding. He also had a rough idea of what the instructor's concerns might be.

"At first, during the instructors' meeting, there was a proposal to exclude you from this training session. Of course, I opposed it. However, even I felt that the training might not go as planned if you were to participate."

"..."

You could have just opposed it, Hajoon thought. Now, because of the instructor, it seemed he would still have to participate in the training. Well, what's done is done.

"So, what's the changed rule?"

"One student from each class will be selected to join our instructor team. Naturally, from the special class, that would be you."

"It doesn't seem like a major change, does it?"

"Yes, similar arrangements will be made for the advanced, intermediate, and beginner classes as well."

Whether this was really fair was debatable, but for now, Hajoon simply nodded.

The instructor continued his explanation.

“The focus of this training is a hero versus villain confrontation. All students from the first-year special class will play the heroes, and our instructor team will be the villains. The key point is simulating a terror situation where the first-year students thwart the terror act. However, we're instructors. While we act as villains, we must also guide and educate the students.”

"So, I should do it too?"

"Think you can handle it?"

"No."

Hajoon immediately shook his head.

How could I possibly teach when I'm not even a proper instructor?

Well, if I were teaching playable characters, I could pinpoint their shortcomings to some extent. But to think of instructing the entire elite class? It's clearly impossible.

“Sigh... I thought as much. I've already assigned a role for you."

"What is it?"

"You just have to stand still and guard."

Upon hearing that, the corners of Hajoon’s mouth slightly rose.

Hajoon nodded in satisfaction.

“That works for me.”

“Good. Training starts at 9 o’clock, so be prepared in advance.”

“Yes.”

The current time was 9 in the morning.

All the students of the special class were currently gathered in the virtual indoor training arena.

The vast training grounds, with towering buildings and streets, resembled the heart of a bustling city, making it hard to believe it was indoors.

At the center of it all, an instructor was explaining the settings and rules for the upcoming training exercise to the students.

The rules were simple.

Four instructors, including Hajoon, would play the role of villains for this training exercise.

On the other hand, excluding Hajoon, all 21 students of the special class would act as heroes.

If all 21 students could join forces to press the red button located in the villains' hideout, it would signify a victory for the hero team.

"This training exercise is purely heroes versus villains. You should treat the instructors as villains and fully engage in battle with all your might. And in turn, we'll respond as the villains," the instructor stated.

His declaration to respond as villains wasn't just simple words. It was a genuine pledge to give the students a challenging experience without holding back.

"Now, everyone has heard the rules. The deadline is 9 a.m. tomorrow. We'll start at 9:30 a.m. with the sound of the siren. Everyone should strategize and prepare accordingly. That's all!"

"Understood!"

With a resounding response from the students, the instructor left the training ground.

And in his absence, all the students quickly began to gather and discuss their strategies.

"How about we form teams?" Yoo Seolah was the first to suggest.

"There are a total of four villains. Maybe we can split into four teams?" another student asked.

"Yes."

Given that there were four villains causing havoc, Yoo Seolah's idea was to form teams that would tackle each villain and another set of teams that would press the button.

"It's almost certain one of the instructors will be guarding the button."

"And the likelihood that the instructor is guarding it is quite high..."

"Well, we've determined the elite team who will press the button. Let's gather our strongest members," another student added.

"I'll stay hidden just in case. There could be injuries that need treatment. I think there's a reason they set the deadline for tomorrow," someone pointed out.

As the students exchanged ideas and formulated their strategy, the alarm sounded, marking the beginning of the exercise.

The moment the siren blared, all the students immediately began to sprint towards their objective: a building.

The red button they needed to press was located at the very top floor.

As they reached the entrance of the building, Anna promptly cast a flight spell on Han Siyoung, Liam, and Lee Jooah.

Following closely, Haruna used the Rune Language to soar through the sky, heading directly to the rooftop.

Of course, each floor had instructors waiting, but the main group of students had a clear strategy: leave the other instructors to the remaining students while the elite group would swiftly aim to press the button.

Upon reaching the rooftop, the group moved with utmost caution, slowly opening the rooftop door and quietly descending the stairs to the top floor.

"Huh?"

"Why is he there?"

But there was an unexpected problem.

“Huh? You've here?”

The person guarding the button turned out to be a young boy.