The Academy’s Time Stop Player

TL/Editor: looloo

Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri

Illustrations: Here

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"This is it!! The opportunity has come!!"

"“““Waaaah!!!”””

Boom! Boom!!

A massive rumble shook the ground.

The thunderous noise was caused by the dwarves who surrounded the giant's body, jumping onto it.

Zelnof shouted at the dwarves atop the giant with all his might.

"Expose its heart!!"

"“““Yes!!”””

The dwarves' shouts echoed grandly in the sky.

They skillfully began to carve out the giant's chest with hammers and axes.

An overwhelming force.

Each time one of them swung a hammer or an axe at the giant's chest, its massive body jolted violently.

Boom!! Boom!!

[Arrgh!! Get off!!]

The giant roared simultaneously.

It wasn't a scream of pain.

It was a roar filled with rage as it started to thrash its whole body.

Boom!! Boom!!

"Aaah!!"

"Graah!!"

Because of this thrashing, the dwarves who had started to gather from all directions were flung high into the sky.

No matter how many thousands of dwarves there were, they couldn't completely immobilize the giant's massive body.

To shake off the dwarves clinging to him, the giant exploded with chaotic magic from his whole body, spewing it everywhere.

Thud, thud, thud!!!

"Aaah!!"

"Evade!! Protect yourselves!!"

With Zelnof's shout, the dwarves who had climbed onto the giant's body jumped off to the ground to avoid its magic.

Soon, the giant's magic exploded in all directions, sending dwarves flying into the sky.

Hajoon, using time stop, managed to move to a slightly distant place, avoiding the shockwave.

At that moment, with a loud thud, Zelnof, who had barely jumped off the giant's body, landed on the ground next to Hajoon. He slung a giant axe over his shoulder and spoke.

"Still got a sturdy body."

At the same time, a golden light gathered to Hajoon's right, revealing Philaten.

She nodded at Zelnof's words and spoke.

"Even if we expose Gigantmakia's heart, breaking it will require a tremendous force."

"Yeah, we can't break its heart with half-hearted strength."

As they conversed, Hermold, carrying a massive hammer on his shoulder, approached Hajoon and spoke.

"The monster that slaughtered and devoured our kin, its magic must be infinite. If this continues, it'll turn into a war of attrition. We need to find a way."

Hajoon agreed with those words.

Indeed, they needed to find a way.

Judging by the current battle, even if they temporarily overpowered it, it would eventually turn into a war of attrition.

Therefore, there was only one way.

The same method as before.

Hajoon had to stop time and pierce its chest.

'It won't be easy within a month or two.'

If he could amass an enormous force, it might be possible to break its heart.

Boom!! Boom!!

Then, the giant king, who had fully risen, shook the ground as he approached Hajoon.

With a thud of his foot, dwarves flew in all directions due to the impact.

In that scene, Zelnof, Hermold, and Philaten stood in front of Hajoon, glaring at the approaching giant.

"We'll create an opportunity, Your Majesty!"

"Somehow, we'll expose its heart!"

Zelnof and Hermold shouted to Hajoon, preparing to move.

In that situation.

Hajoon let out a bitter smile and grasped Maharazu.

'In the end, it's back to square one...'

Even with tens of thousands of dwarf troops, it was ultimately something Hajoon had to do.

He would stop time, pierce the giant's chest, and keep impacting the heart until it broke.

Hajoon slowly passed by Zelnof and Hermold.

As he was about to activate time stop,

"Your Majesty."

At that moment, Philaten's voice came from behind him.

Hajoon turned his head to look at her.

She continued speaking to Hajoon with a serious expression.

"We are your subjects. We are ready to follow you anywhere. So please, don't make that face."

Philaten had spoken the words unconsciously when she saw Hajoon's expression.

It was as if the king was about to leave somewhere alone, and worry filled her words.

Upon hearing this, Zelnof and Hermold also respectfully knelt before Hajoon.

"As Philaten said, you are our king."

"No matter the journey, we are prepared to stay by your side."

At this, Hajoon chuckled.

They were reliable allies.

Of course, they were reliable, but there was only one way right now.

Then it struck him.

'Wait a moment.'

An idea flashed in Hajoon's mind.

His eyes widened as if he had realized something.

'If the power of creation can do anything...'

The power of creation that Hajoon imagined was almost omnipotent.

The power to create anything.

If it could change the sky and transform the bone-structured dwarves into something else.

Wouldn't it be possible to do this too?

Hajoon decided to act immediately.

"Zelnof, Hermold."

"“Yes! Your Majesty!””

"We need to bring that thing down once more."

If this was possible, it was worth a try.

There was no risk for Hajoon whether he succeeded or failed.

Hajoon spoke to the two strongest dwarves present.

And the two responded with broad, cheerful smiles.

"That much is easy."

"The king commands!! Bring it down again!!"

"““Yes!!!”””

As Hermold shouted, all the gathered dwarves roared and charged at the giant king once more.

At the same time, Hajoon moved to the forefront using time stop.

"Let's go!"

"The king leads! Follow him!!"

"““Waaaah!!!”””

A magnificent shout that shook the ground.

With their shout, Hajoon leaped high towards the giant.

At the same time, the enlarged Maharazu struck the giant's chest directly.

Boom!!!!

With a massive impact, the sound of collision echoed as the giant king, blocking Hajoon's Maharazu with both arms, was pushed back.

[You worthless insect!!]

Once again, Hajoon swung Maharazu.

In response, Gigantmakia also swung his massive fist at the enlarged Maharazu.

Whooosh!!

A tremendous sound as if tearing through the air.

However, the giant's fist never reached Hajoon's hammer.

At that moment, the giant's body began to tilt backward.

[What is this?!]

The giant's eyes glanced down at his feet.

There, dwarves with massive hammers and axes were striking at his feet.

As the giant's fist cut through the air and Hajoon's Maharazu struck the giant's chest once more,

Boom!!

The giant's massive body fell backward with a tremendous rumble.

[You...!!!]

Soon, with eyes blazing fiercely, the giant glared at Hajoon, who stood atop his chest.

[I will tear you limb from limb!!]

With those words, the giant quickly reached out for Hajoon.

In that brief moment,

Hajoon smiled faintly and implemented the plan he had just thought of.

"Time stop."

Tick- tock- tick- tock-

The sound of a clock's second hand moving could be heard.

However, this time, the sound wasn't just in Hajoon's ears but was heard by all the dwarves gathered here.

"What is this...?"

"What on earth is happening...?"

Every dwarf present in the mental world stared at the current spectacle.

The strange ticking of the clock's second hand gradually slowed, and as if time had stopped, the clouds in the sky and the giant's swinging arm also began to slow and come to a stop.

Everyone watched the scene with bewildered faces, and soon, their gazes focused on Hajoon, who had caused this situation.

Standing atop the giant's body, Hajoon looked at the dwarves gathered here and smiled with satisfaction.

'Looks like it worked.'

The power of creation.

The absurd magic that created everything Hajoon imagined.

It seemed the power's ability wasn't limited to objects.

As the current scene showed, the dwarves had also entered the space where time had stopped.

What Hajoon had done was simple.

He had just created a new ability within the time stop power.

One that allowed everyone he wished to enter this space.

"Alright, everyone."

In the quiet stillness, everyone gathered there looked at Hajoon.

Their faces showed an inexplicable excitement.

As they tried to control their rising emotions, Hajoon raised Maharazu high.

"“““Waaaah!!!”””

Their powerful cheer filled the space.

Without even needing to hear the answer, they all knew they had already won the war.

"Hahaha!!"

"I thought I was really going to die back then! But look, I'm alive and well, and I managed to chop off that bastard's toe."

"“““Hahaha!!”””

In the space of the stopped time in the psychic world.

With the victory of the war, a feast among the gathered dwarves was held.

Originally, the plan was to stop time and have the dwarves strike the giant's heart together, but their boisterous nature led to an impromptu feast.

Of course, Hajoon didn't mind.

After all, breaking Gigantmakia's heart in the frozen world would take a long time.

Since things had turned out this way, he thought it would be nice to enjoy some leisure with those gathered here.

"Hahaha!!! It's been so long since I tasted such good liquor! This stuff is amazing!!"

"Here, try this food called chicken!! It's absolutely fantastic!!"

"And how about the pizza!! What a great world we live in! Hahaha!!"

By the way, Hajoon created the food for the feast.

Thanks to the power of creation in the psychic world, anything was possible.

To enhance the mood, he even changed the sky to night, setting the atmosphere for the feast.

Seeing them all laughing, chatting, and drinking heavily seemed very dwarvish.

"Alright, everyone! Raise your glasses! To our king!!"

"“““To the king!!”””

In such a scene, Hajoon also raised his glass and enjoyed the feast.

Then, Zelnof approached Hajoon.

Holding a huge keg of liquor in one hand, he drank deeply as if it were water.

Yet, without showing a sign of intoxication, he looked at Hajoon with a broad grin and spoke.

"To think our king is a transcendent who controls time."

"Hahaha!! That explains his strength."

Hermold, with his hearty personality, agreed with Zelnof's words and laughed happily.

Hajoon looked at the two and asked.

"It will take some time to break its heart."

"Hahaha!! Will it take longer than the time we spent as the dead? We'll follow you anywhere!! Let's do it together!! Your Majesty!!"

Hermold burst into laughter as he answered.

Zelnof nodded in agreement with Hermold's words and then spoke.

"It seems the king hasn't fully understood the power of creation. When you inherited and awakened the power of creation, this place became another world."

"Another world?"

"Yes, think of it as a dimensional space with a physical form, not just a psychic world. And here, you could be called a ‘god’."

Somehow, Hajoon understood those words.

In this world, everything Hajoon wanted was possible.

At the same time, the magic required to bring the psychic world into reality was no longer being consumed.

This was proof that this place itself had become another world.

"“““Hahaha!!”””

"Huh?"

At that moment, Hajoon turned his head towards the sound of laughter coming from the upper half of the giant.

There, Philaten and the dwarves were seen dancing and singing in a circle, their arms around each other's shoulders.

It was the first time Hajoon had seen Philaten dancing so joyfully and smiling happily.

Watching them with a pleased smile, Zelnof spoke.

"That's her original personality. She used to laugh a lot. Even though she's human, she has a very dwarvish personality."

For some reason, Hajoon understood Philaten better.

Her former comrades had been killed by the giant king, and she had carried a heavy burden alone until now.

Seeing her revived comrades must have brought her immense happiness.

"“““We killed the giant king~ That bastard of a giant king is dead~”””

Of course, the song they sang was rather crude, but still.

Hajoon smiled at Philaten and took a sip of his drink before asking.

"Philaten was human, after all?"

"Yes, she is human, but King Horton took her in. Consider her his adopted daughter."

I see...

Hajoon had always been curious.

She always looked human.

"Alright, everyone, we need to start working tomorrow, so let's drink in moderation!"

"“““Yes!!!”””

"Just one keg each! Lift your kegs! For tomorrow!!"

"“““For tomorrow!!!”””

With that, the dwarves joyfully lifted their kegs instead of glasses.

They were indeed impressive drinkers.

They drank from kegs as if they were cups.

Hajoon watched them and smiled as he emptied his glass of water.

At that moment, Hermold stopped drinking and scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.

"Oops, I drank too much. I need to go to the bathroom!"

With that, Hermold staggered towards the giant.

Hajoon and the dwarves burst into laughter at the sight.

Time passed slowly.

As expected, the dwarves, skilled in crafting, spent their time building houses to live in and even constructed a massive castle, considering Hajoon as their king.

During this time, they never stopped working diligently to break Gigantmakia's heart.

For several months, they worked to break through Gigantmakia's tough chest and expose its heart. From then on, Hajoon fixed the giant's body in place.

They needed a cumulative force to destroy its heart all at once.

"I should have expected it when they asked for the materials..."

Hajoon looked at the castle with a slightly bemused expression.

At the center of the castle stood a statue resembling Hajoon.

"Alright, everyone, let's get ready!"

"“““Yes!!”””

And the work began.

Some of the stronger dwarves climbed onto the giant's body and worked on striking its heart.

Of course, the task itself wasn't difficult.

Being dwarves who excelled in crafting, they created a device that delivered consistent impacts without exerting much effort, allowing the cumulative force to gather.

"Alright, everyone, this is the last day!!"

"Let's give it our all!"

Nearly a year had passed since they began living there.

Hajoon could sense that their time in this place was coming to an end.

"The chaotic magic in its heart can be offset with the power of creation."

"Yeah, well... is it time?"

Hajoon's gaze shifted to the clock tower in the center of the village.

It was a countdown.

A countdown set for exactly one year.

"Everything is ready."

Philaten, standing next to Hajoon, spoke with a gentle smile.

Hajoon nodded and approached the giant.

The time had come.

In ten minutes, the year would be up, and it would be time to release the time stop.

Hajoon climbed the stairs leading to the giant's heart, carrying Maharazu.

All the gathered dwarves watched in breathless anticipation.

Hajoon raised Maharazu high.

"Such immense power."

The power of creation, formed by the collective wishes of the dwarves gathered here.

As long as their wishes continued, the power of creation would not be exhausted.

[00:00:59]

As the countdown reached one minute,

Hajoon glared at the ominous purple light emanating from the giant's heart and prepared to release the time stop.

The time had come.

It was time to destroy its heart.

Even if he failed, it didn't matter.

After all, Hajoon had infinite time.

"Everyone!! Brace for impact!!"

"““Yes!!”””

At Hermold's words, the dwarves in the lead raised massive shields made of silver iron.

All the gathered dwarves watched the scene in tense silence.

[00:00:00]

The countdown reached zero.

Hajoon released the time stop.

In that moment, the scene before the time stop was reenacted.

[Die!!!]

The giant's massive arm swung towards Hajoon.

But amidst this, Hajoon calmly watched and merely smiled.

He swung Maharazu down towards the giant's heart.

In that instant,

A brilliant white light enveloped the area, offsetting the chaotic magic emanating from the heart.

As the heart lost its chaotic magic for a brief moment,

Boom―――――――!!!!

A massive shock shook the ground as Hajoon's strike hit Gigantmakia's heart.

[Ugh! Gah...!]

The death throes of the giant king, Gigantmakia, echoed.

Its shocked eyes fixed on Hajoon, shaking as if in an earthquake.

Simultaneously, the heart shattered by the cumulative force gathered over a year, disintegrated into white particles scattering everywhere.

[You, you...…]

As its heart was destroyed, the giant king tried to say something to Hajoon, but that was it. The light slowly faded from Gigantmakia's eyes, and the hand reaching towards Hajoon fell to the ground with a thud.

Simultaneously, the giant's body began to crumble and return to the earth.

Hajoon quickly descended from the collapsing body and stood before the dwarves.

"The giant king is..."

"Finally..."

Their eyes filled with an inexplicable sense of emotion.

As silence briefly settled over them at Gigantmakia's death,

Hajoon smiled broadly at them and raised Maharazu high into the air.

With those words, Zelnof also raised his massive axe and let out a powerful cheer.

"Our victory!!"

"““Waaaah!!!!”””

With those words, a thunderous cheer filled the air.

---