The Academy’s Time Stop Player - C.100Nov 11, 2023

As soon as Hajoon arrived in front of the guild building, he stepped inside. Right next to Anna, a portal opened, revealing a middle-aged man.

A middle-aged man in a neatly-tailored blonde suit.

It was Lucas Pollihan, the president of the British Hero Association.

Upon spotting Anna, he quickly approached her, sweat dripping from his face. He gasped, "Anna, what on earth...!"

With wide eyes filled with shock, President Lucas took in the chaos unfolding before him.

Boom! Crash!

"Arghh!"

"Please, save me!"

Horrific screams and loud crashes echoed from within the Roban Guild building.

And the cause? A single superhuman.

President Lucas already had an inkling of what had transpired. He'd heard news that the Roban Guild, one of the major guilds in Britain, had angered the Irregular.

"Anna," he pleaded, "Can't you find a way to stop him?"

But his thoughts were clear: any intervention should be through proper channels and legal means.

"President."

Anna interrupted. For some reason, her tone felt imposing.

"Do you know that the Roban Guild harmed the Irregular's younger sister?"

Lucas was taken aback. While he had caught wind of the news, he wasn’t privy to the specifics.

"Is that... really true?"

"And," Anna continued, her gaze directed towards the Roban Guild building.

Following her gaze, President Lucas also looked.

Boom! Crash!

"Arghh!"

"Choke! Cough!"

The building still echoed with cries and explosions.

Looking at the scene, Anna posed a question, "Who do you think can stop this? You, President?"

Silence.

The Irregular, ranked 6th among world heroes. It was said that any superhuman within the top ten held power equivalent to an entire nation.

In essence, in the hero-deprived nation of Britain, there wasn't a single hero capable of stopping him.

Confronted with this undeniable reality, the speechless President simply closed his eyes and sent silent prayers towards the Roban Guild.

“Who is that guy?”

“Did he use some sort of disguise on his face?”

The security guards stationed at the main entrance of the Roban Guild looked perplexedly at the young man entering through the main gate.

A mosaic-like filter obscured his face, making it impossible to ascertain his true identity. Yet, he confidently strode into the guild.

"Never seen someone so audacious. Does he not realize where he is, to enter without a shred of fear?"

"Hey, he might be some crazy guy. We should send him back."

"Well, hiding his face like that, he's probably up to no good."

While the guards were conversing and chuckling amongst themselves, one of them, visibly shocked, began trembling uncontrollably.

“Wha... Why's he acting like this?”

“Jack, are you okay?”

“Could it be...?”

Jack, the stunned guard, squinted at the approaching young man.

The youth with the pixelated face.

A certain figure came to Jack's mind upon seeing him.

“Good heavens... Is he sick in the head? Heut, deal with him.”

At this, a man named Heut nodded and approached the boy.

What transpired next was over in a flash.

Crash! Whooosh! Bang!

“...”

“...?!”

Heut, who had approached the young man, was sent flying past his colleagues, slamming into the wall behind them.

For a moment, an eerie silence pervaded the guild. The guards, in their collective shock, couldn’t understand what had just transpired.

Then, their gazes converged on the boy from before.

He was now holding a magnificent golden hammer.

Instantly, the eyes of the guards widened in sheer horror.

“Is that... the Irregular?!”

“Why is the Irregular here?”

Realizing that they were facing the Irregular, they felt paralyzed. There wasn’t a single elite among them unfamiliar with the sheer might this boy wielded.

But, given the display he had just put on, it was evident that he wasn't here for friendly reasons.

As guards, it was their duty to stop the Irregular.

“How are we supposed to stop him...?!”

If they were up against any other hero, they might have had a chance. But against the Irregular?

Some of the guards remained frozen, unable to move. Only a few brave souls believed they stood a slim chance if they tried to overpower him together.

Of course, it didn't end well for them.

Crash! Thud!

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

The charging guards were sent flying in all directions, crashing into walls. Some screamed in pain with broken limbs.

Having effortlessly dispatched the incoming guards, Hajoon proceeded forth, now standing in front of those who had merely watched, paralyzed by fear.

Hajoon, with Maharazu resting on his shoulder, asked coldly, "Where is the guild master?"

The guard hesitated, and Hajoon slowly raised his hammer in response.

Seeing his actions, the guards quickly spoke up, "He's... he's in the guild master's room on the top floor!"

Upon hearing this, Hajoon immediately turned and walked towards the elevator.

In the office of the Roban Guild.

A stern-faced man sat on the sofa, lost in thought, absentmindedly stroking his chin. 𝐛𝐞𝗱𝗻𝐨𝐯𝗲𝗹.𝐜𝐨𝐦

His name was Roban Chester.

He was the guild master of the Roban Guild.

'Hmm... The news is late...'

There was no word from his contacts.

By this time, there should have been some form of communication, yet there was none.

However, he never considered the possibility that the plan had failed.

After all, he had prepared superhumans with the strength equivalent to high-ranked heroes for this plan.

Although these individuals had issues in the past, Roban was confident. He simply believed that time would sort things out.

Just then.

Boom! Crash!

"What...?"

A loud noise echoed from outside the guild master's office.

"Arghhh!!"

A scream followed.

Roban's eyes narrowed instantly.

He quickly picked up the phone to check with one of his contacts.

Ring... Click.

-Yes, Guild Master.

"What on earth is happening outside?"

-Sorry, I'll check immediately and get back to you-...?!

Click. Beeep...

The call was abruptly cut off.

As if the guild member on the other line had seen something horrifying.

And only then did Roban feel that something was seriously wrong.

This felt out of the ordinary.

The guild member he had just spoken with was among the elite heroes of the guild.

For such a member to be so startled and hang up...

Then.

Bang!

The office door flew open, and a man rolled into the room. Seeing the state of this man, Roban's eyes widened in shock.

It was the very elite hero he had just spoken with.

"What the hell...?"

Following closely behind the man was a young boy.

Upon seeing the hammer in the boy's hand, Roban's eyes started to tremble.

"The Irregular?!"

A face obscured by a mosaic, and a golden hammer in hand.

It was unmistakably the hero known in various circles as "The Irregular".

"W-Wait! Why are you here?"

"......?"

Hajoon, on the other hand, felt that he recognized the man before him.

No, it was a face he had seen somewhere.

After a moment of thought, Hajoon pulled out a photograph from his pocket.

It was a picture found at the Ehrman family mansion.

In it, a man dressed as a butler.

Comparing the face of the man in the picture to the one before him now, they were unmistakably the same.

A dry chuckle escaped Hajoon's lips.

If his guess was correct, the guild master here had some association with the man in the picture.

Hajoon then unraveled the bandage wrapped around his arm.

The moment the mosaic concealing his face disappeared,

Roban instantly realized why he hadn’t received any communications up until now.

Irregular... No, Roban recognized the name.

"Liber..."

Liber Laphilton Phil Ehrman.

The eldest son of the family he once betrayed.

In the boy's hand was a golden hammer.

"It can't be... No way..."

Roban's face slowly turned pale.

Facing an unbelievable reality, his legs gave out, and he sank to the floor.

The boy, known in the world as "Irregular."

Understanding that the boy was indeed Liber, everything started to make sense.

His plan had failed.

No, it was destined to fail.

Especially since the boy he was targeting turned out to be the Irregular.

"You've come for revenge, Liber."

Roban mumbled, realizing the reason for Liber's return.

After seven years, Liber had finally returned.

He must have been certain that he could take him down.

And now, the boy with the golden hammer slowly approached him.

"W-wait!"

Roban backed away until he hit a wall, his face contorted in fear.

But he wasn't ready to give up just yet.

Especially since he had a powerful ally he could rely on.

"If you kill me now, you'll regret it. The Belhar family won't stand by idly."

He still had hope.

The Belhar family.

One of the heroic families that shone brightest during the Age of Great Chaos.

Even the Irregular wouldn't dare to face that family alone.

Roban waited with anxious eyes for Hajoon's response.

All he heard, however, was a scoff that seemed to say, "You must be joking."

"It's ridiculous..."

Hajoon was clearly baffled.

Since their confrontation began, Roban kept veering off-topic.

While it was true he had come for revenge, it wasn't for the reasons Roban believed.

With a cold stare, Hajoon said, "You're delusional, aren't you?"

"W-what?"

Roban was mistaken.

While Roban rambled about revenge and things that didn't make any sense, Hajoon's reason for seeking him out was simple.

"We'll talk later."

With that, he took a step closer to Roban.

Roban's eyes filled with terror.

"You're superhuman, so you must be tough, right?"

Hajoon raised his hammer.

Then, looking down at Roban, he added, "I'll spare you."

"W-what?"

Roban looked shocked, unable to understand Hajoon's intentions.

But unlike what Roban believed, Hajoon really did intend to spare him.

Of course, not without some suffering.

Regardless of the reason, since Roban had provoked him, Hajoon thought it was only fair to let him suffer a bit before letting him off.

He raised the hammer again.

He immobilized Roban by freezing him in place and brought the hammer down.

A resonating sound echoed.