Time never stopped.
After William entered the Fantasy Continent, everyone continued going about their lives in the real world as per usual. It was just that there were more people gossiping about the Supreme Pontiff of Light.
The Supreme Pontiff was as shameless as William.
He took advantage of the fame he had received from defeating the Thunder God and started to expand the Temple of Light's influence.
All the branches of the Temple of Light in the Legendary continent started recruiting more Temple Knights and clerics.
Obtaining the title of the strongest expert in this continent increased the influence of the Supreme Pontiff of Light. In a short period of time, the Temple of Light welcomed the addition of more than 700,000 Light element professionals.
Of course, it wasn't that only Light element professionals had been chosen. However, they were more likely to be selected.