"Don't move an inch, or you're dead," warned Hajoon.
His voice broke the stillness in the department store. Roel and Jillian froze at his words, their eyes fixed on him.
"Ignore him! What are you waiting for? Kill him now!" shouted Zehar, ignoring Hajoon's threat.
As Zehar barked his orders, Hajoon vanished in an instant. Simultaneously, Roel and Jillian found themselves relocated to the first floor of the department store.
Bang! Whoom!
Something huge crashed before them, causing a deafening noise.
Boom!!!
"Ugh!!"
"?!?!"
Zehar was overcome with sudden pain, coughing up blood as his face twisted with agony. Roel and Jillian also wore expressions of shock.
"Is the old man deaf? He didn't listen," came Hajoon's voice.
Quickly, Roel and Jillian positioned themselves in front of Zehar, their backs shielding him from Hajoon. Seeing this, Hajoon could only chuckle.
Bang!!
"Ugh!!!"
"?!?!"
Hajoon disappeared again, leaving behind only the echo of Zehar's screams.
Roel and Jillian spun around to find Zehar under attack, with Hajoon wielding a hammer. They rushed towards Hajoon to defend Zehar, but Hajoon's warning stopped them in their tracks.
"If you keep this up, Zehar will die."
Faced with this reality, Roel and Jillian could only stop. They were helpless against Hajoon and powerless to protect Zehar from him.
"I didn't have the chance to ask earlier, but now seems like a good time, right?" Hajoon smirked at Zehar.
He'd killed Zehar instantly upon their first meeting, without asking a single question. But seeing Zehar's weakened state now, Hajoon's strategy shifted.
Zehar had exhausted almost all his mana controlling the department store's customers.
Without mana, if Zehar were to turn into a liquid, he would die instantly instead of reverting back.
In other words, Hajoon could strike as he pleased.
"First..." Hajoon's eyes shifted to Roel and Jillian.
He'd spared them so far only to extract information.
If not, he wouldn't have wasted time knocking out the controlled victims one by one. He could have simply killed Zehar.
However, he had indeed killed one of the magistrates, Dorje.
Because Dorje didn't seem like the type to talk.
Hajoon raised his hammer, pointing it at one of the magistrates.
"You, Roel," he started.
"Roel!! Jillian!!" Zehar shouted, interrupting Hajoon.
At the same time, Roel and Jillian made a swift decision.
Anticipating Hajoon's intention to extract information, they prepared to swallow the suicide capsules they had tucked between their teeth.
However, the capsules inexplicably vanished from their mouths. They looked at Hajoon in disbelief, to find their capsules in his hand.
Casually, Hajoon dropped the capsules on the floor and crushed them under his foot. He pointed his hammer at Roel again, who now looked at him with apprehension.
"So, now-"
"What the hell are you?"
Hajoon's brows furrowed in irritation. Roel had interrupted him, their words clashing. He scowled, gripping his hammer tighter.
"...Is it your place to ask questions?"
Thump!! Bang!!
"Ugh!!"
Roel was immediately struck down, a powerful blow to his face sending him sprawling on the floor. He writhed in pain, moaning.
Jillian, who had been watching the scene blankly, started to look serious. He couldn't understand what Hajoon had just done - to him, it seemed as though the boy had merely stood in his place.
Hajoon's hammer was now pointed at Jillian.
"Answer me first."
Jillian stiffened at Hajoon's words, swallowing nervously.
"Tell me the locations of the other pillars you've seen."
There should have been more pillars appearing later, but Hajoon decided he might as well deal with them all at once, considering the circumstances.
Jillian only hardened his expression, refusing to answer.
"I don't know. Just kill me."
Bang!! Thump!!
No sooner had Jillian finished speaking than he fell to the floor, his head hitting it with a hard thump. Hajoon immediately incapacitated Jillian by fracturing his limbs, preventing him from moving.
Hajoon then turned his gaze back to Roel.
"Do you know?"
Roel, writhing in pain, managed to lift his head slightly to look at Hajoon but didn't respond.
Hajoon waited for a moment, anticipating Roel's response.
"I'll tell you if you answer my question."
Zehar's eyes widened at Roel's words, glaring fiercely at him.
Hajoon landed another blow on Zehar with his hammer and asked,
Bang!!
"Ugh!!"
"Hmm...what's your question?"
"Are you also a 'Revelator' like the pillars?"
'Revelators' was a term referring to the pillars of the Altar.
The 'Revelators' were those who had read the 'Book of Revelation,' the main catalyst behind the formation of the organization known as the Altar.
At Roel's question, Hajoon took a moment to consider before nodding.
"If your assumption is correct, you're suggesting that I'm like the 'Revealed Ones', much like the pillars."
Despite Hajoon's confirmation, Roel only furrowed his brows.
"You're lying. You're not a Revealed One."
"Heh, you're right..."
Thump!! Bang!!
Hajoon struck Roel again.
"Hmm... was it a mistake to ask these lunatics?"
Hajoon remained composed as he reflected.
As he had anticipated, these ardent followers valued their faith over their lives.
Nevertheless, he chose not to kill them.
Even though Hajoon had failed to extract any information from them, he reckoned that it might be possible to do so once he reached the association.
Leaving Roel and Jillian behind, Hajoon turned his gaze to Zehar.
"Cough! Haah! Haah!"
Zehar was panting heavily. As Hajoon slowly approached, Zehar began to tremble in fear.
Zehar opened his mouth to speak, his eyes locked on Hajoon.
"What... what do you know?"
"If you don't want to die painfully, stop asking questions and just answer. You only have 15 minutes left."
Hajoon was under a time constraint due to the quest limit, so he wanted to hear the answer quickly and execute Zehar.
However, Zehar didn't seem to be cooperative.
"Haah! Haah! You... You wouldn't have read it, too! That revelation!"
Hajoon knew about the Altar's genesis.
The root of everything could be traced back to a book called 'Revelation.' This book was found in a dimensional dungeon by the three superhumans who would later become known as the pillars of the Altar. The book contained information about the creation and revival process of an entity referred to as 'God.'
"So, you want 'The Child of Everything,' too!"
'The Child of Everything' was a reference to Haruna Ruel, a user of the Rune Language. The 'Revelation' stated that 'The Child of Everything' was the key to reviving God, essentially, a sacrificial lamb for the birth of this deity.
"She is mine! No one can take her away!"
In a fit of rage, Zehar began to yell, perhaps sensing his impending doom.
At this, Hajoon chuckled softly.
All the Altar pillars likely shared the same belief: Haruna Ruel was a necessary sacrifice for the birth of their god.
But, Hajoon knew the real story behind the Altar and the secrets hidden within the scriptures. That's why he found Zehar's words amusing, a result of sheer ignorance.
"Is Haruna an object? Something to be owned?"
"I've waited for ten years to become her family. You're not worthy!"
Family...
Hajoon knew what Zehar had done to acquire Haruna. Yet he dared to call himself her family...
"Enough..."
Suddenly, Hajoon's expression turned icy cold.
He looked at Zehar, raising his hammer.
There was no need to listen anymore.
Judging by his reaction, Zehar wasn't going to disclose the locations of the pillars.
"Just die."
"Kugh! Khaaaak!!"
Zehar, as if in a desperate final effort, started to muster his remaining magic power, his body emanating a blue barrier that expanded all around him.
Hajoon watched with a cool demeanor.
He chuckled at Zehar's futile effort and swung his hammer in response.
And then...
Kukukukukung!! Kwaaang!!
A huge explosion, followed by a thick cloud of dust, began to envelope the surroundings.
Ding-
[Emergency Quest]
Quest available character: Kim Hajoon (Liber Laphilton Phil Ehrman)
Description: Kill the forbidden wizard Zehar within the time limit.
Time limit: (9 minutes 23 seconds)
Reward: 2000P
Ding-
[Success!]
[Rewards will be given.]
Having confirmed his reward, Hajoon checked that the villain was indeed dead and leaned his body against the fountain, sitting down.
"Ha... I'm tired."
His whole body felt weary and stiff.
It didn't take as long as when he was in the dimensional dungeon, but it still felt like strenuous work after a long time.
More importantly...
"How should I deal with this situation?"
Except for Hajoon, all the people inside the department store had collapsed and fainted.
He couldn't simply leave them and run away.
The silver lining was that those who had fainted wouldn't remember the events that occurred after they were brainwashed.
Of course, Jin Ahhan, whose brainwashing was incomplete, would remember.
"...I don't know."
Hajoon, lying flat on the floor, reached into his pocket and took out his smartphone.
He quickly dialed a contact from the Hero Association he had saved earlier.
Ring-ring- ring-ring- click-
-"Yes, this is Kim Jeongyong, the chairman of the Hero Association. What can I do for you?"
-"Chairman, it's me."
-"Wait, could it be? What can I do for you?"
-"I'll explain later. For now, could you please send several ambulances to XX Department Store?"
-"Excuse me? What in the world happened..."
-"I'll tell you later."
Click-
After finishing his sentence, Hajoon hung up the phone and sat down on the floor.
He comfortably laid there, waiting for the ambulances to arrive.
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