The Academy’s Time Stop Player

"Gah! Ugh!"

The pain was evident as he groaned, collapsing and writhing on the ground.

Elaine, seemingly in disbelief, shouted at Hajoon, "What were you thinking, hitting him there?"

"Eh?" Hajoon looked taken aback by her reaction.

Hajoon asked, "Do you... like him or something?"

"Well... not exactly."

Thank goodness.

From Hajoon's perspective, even if he wasn't related by blood, he still felt a responsibility to protect his sibling from such people.

Though Elaine felt the main issue was elsewhere.

As she was about to decline whatever was offered, she was taken aback to see the guy get kicked. She sighed deeply, glancing at the man named Zhang Jiudong, who lay on the ground, eyes barely open, beads of sweat dripping as he waited for the pain to subside.

"Where are the others?"

"They went ahead to the training grounds. I was waiting to go with you."

"Alright, let's go."

At Hajoon's casual response, Elaine momentarily gazed at the still writhing Zhang Jiudong.

With no hesitation, Hajoon began to leave the scene. Elaine prepared to follow him.

Just then, the guy slowly got up, eyes filled with rage, glaring at Hajoon. "You bastard!"

Hearing this, Hajoon turned to face the now-standing Zhang Jiudong. His rapid breathing and perspiration indicated the pain hadn't fully subsided.

"This crazy freak!"

The angered man was fuming, not just verbally but physically too, as he charged at Hajoon.

Hajoon, seeing him approach, prepared to invoke some sort of ability.

That's when it happened.

Whoosh! Thud!

In an instant, Li Chen, with her hair flying, appeared in front of Hajoon, catching Zhang Jiudong's incoming punch with one hand. In quick succession, Zhang Jiudong threw a series of punches using both hands, but Li Chen blocked all of them with just one hand. Finally, she grabbed Zhang Jiudong's wrist and flung him towards a wall.

Boom!

Zhang Jiudong, from the impact, spat and collapsed to the floor. Though he hadn't passed out, he glared at both Hajoon and Li Chen with a twisted expression. Li Chen coldly approached him.

Li Chen remarked, "I did warn you not to mess around."

Zhang Jiudong, struggling to maintain his composure, gritted his teeth.

He suddenly got up, ignoring Li Chen, and exited the training grounds. Li Chen, letting out a soft sigh, approached Hajoon.

"Our teammate was out of line. I'm sorry."

Li Chen bowed, apologizing to Hajoon.

Upon hearing her words, Hajoon gazed at her impassively, offering no reply.

To be fair, she had apologized more reasonably than he'd expected.

Hajoon remarked, "It seems you have difficulty managing your team members."

She exhaled heavily, "Yes, as you can see. His temperament makes him hard to control. Moreover, he's marked by the Sura Guild, so I can't interfere too casually."

The Sura Guild, ranked second in China.

It was a name he hadn't heard in a while, especially since the controversy of the 'Elixir Incident'. Although the Hermes Guild's influence had waned after that event, the Sura Guild's position as China's second-best remained intact.

Even if she was the daughter of the top-ranked Paewang Guild, she couldn't afford to be careless.

However, Hajoon didn't seem particularly concerned.

He asked, "If he bothers me again, can I handle it my way?"

There was an edge to his indifferent tone that Li Chen couldn't ignore.

Handle it? Surely he didn't mean... killing?

With a growing sense of who Hajoon might be, Li Chen appeared more tense. Taking a deep breath, she finally replied, "Alright."

"Let's leave."

"Yeah, alright."

"That ended rather quickly..."

Elaine followed Hajoon, her face displaying a mix of shock and disbelief. Haruna, with an unperturbed expression, trailed behind Hajoon as they exited the arena.

The next morning at the headquarters building of the Sura Guild in Xi'an, China.

In the guild master's office of the building, shouts from the Sura Guild's leader, Wei Huan, echoed.

"What? What are you talking about?"

-"Sir, it's just that Zhang Jiudong was severely injured during a sparring match-"

"Do you think I asked the same question twice? So why did his limbs break and he got seriously hurt during the match? That doesn't make any sense!"

It's said that during an international exchange match, a promising fighter, spotlighted by the Sura Guild, was severely injured and couldn't compete.

How could such a situation happen?

How could one sustain a bone-breaking injury during a sparring session?

"Who was responsible for this?"

-"Well, it was someone unrelated to the current exchange match."

"What? That's your excuse? It's clearly an act of retaliation!"

He wasn't even a contestant in the exchange match and yet he was so severely harmed by an outsider.

Wei Huan could clearly understand the implications.

It was evident that someone harbored ill intent and retaliated against the Sura Guild.

"Contact the Korean Hero Association right now! Bring him to me immediately!"

-"Yes, understood."

Following Wei Huan's words, a guild member quickly ended the call.

A few hours later, Hajoon, who was relaxing on a sofa watching TV, received a call.

The caller was Kim Jeongyong, the chairman of the Korean Hero Association.

With a puzzled look, Hajoon answered the phone.

"Hello?"

-"Ah, Hajoon. How have you been?"

"I've been fine... What's the matter?"

-"By any chance, were you the one who broke Zhang Jiudong's arms and legs at yesterday's exchange match venue?"

I didn't exactly "break" them, but I did throw him against a wall. Did they break in the process?

Anyway, Hajoon admitted his involvement, given the circumstances.

-"This morning, the Sura Guild from China lodged a complaint. However, don't worry too much. I'll handle it. I just thought you should be aware of the situation."

"What did they ask for?"

-"They demanded the arrest and extradition of the superhuman who attacked Zhang Jiudong. Or at least to acknowledge and approve the arrest. But don't worry, I'll settle this matter."

Though assured, Hajoon felt a bit uneasy.

Considering the Sura Guild's reputation, they might break the law. By the time the association responds, some guild superhuman might have already sneaked into Korea. Once identified, they'd surely try to kidnap him.

"How annoying."

Feeling irritated, Hajoon thought.

He had clearly warned them before: One more misstep and he'd dismantle the guild altogether.

Rising from the sofa, Hajoon, stretching his neck, said to the chairman,

"I think I should pay them a visit."

-"What? What do you mean?"

"I'll handle it. Could you inform the Sura Guild? Tell them I'll be visiting."

-"Alright! I'll get the gate ready for you."

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