"We've caught him."
In the deepest recesses of the Barus headquarters.
There, a man named Borhel, wearing a black mask and with a scar over one eye, was in contact with someone. On hearing Borhel's statement, the other end responded with a skeptical chuckle.
-So, you're saying you've captured, no, kidnapped him?
"Yes. He's probably the same guy the Alliance has been looking for."
-Hmm... The leader of Barus is an even bigger idiot than I thought.
Borhel's eyes slowly narrowed at the sudden insult from the person on the other side of the call.
The voice from the phone continued.
-Does he seem like someone who would get caught easily?
"But he was actually captured."
-Then...
Just then.
BOOM!! CRASH!!
A massive explosion echoed from the floor above, shaking the entire building.
Borhel's eyes narrowed dangerously.
The voice from the phone resumed.
-He probably let himself get caught on purpose.
"..."
-I'm ending the call. I don't think there'll be any reason for us to do business again anyway.
Click-
Just as the call ended,
"Damn it..."
"Are you Borhel of Barus?"
"!?"
As soon as he heard that,
Borhel made a quick decision.
He immediately used his ability to disappear into the shadows.
But before his entire body could blend in,
CRASH!!!
A powerful blow precisely targeted at his face, shoulder, and abdomen hit him.
"Kuh!!"
His body, which was about to disappear into the shadow, was knocked back, and with a whoosh, he was flung against the wall next to him.
CRASH!!!
"Ugh!!"
Having taken a massive hit, Borhel spat out blood and lifted his head, and
Immediately, without the opportunity to react or time to think, another shockwave followed.
CRASH!! CRASH!! CRASH!! CRASH!!
The onslaught of blows came like an endless storm.
With the force of the blows, the wall slowly crumbled, fragments flying everywhere, creating a dusty atmosphere.
"..."
At this moment, realizing something, Hajoon paused his hammering and stared at the spot.
The person was missing from the deep crater in the wall.
In that brief moment, he had hidden in the shadows.
Just then.
[Behind you!]
Whoosh!!
At Philaten's warning, Hajoon spun around in an instant. Simultaneously, a dagger was hurtling towards Hajoon's heart.
Hajoon barely managed to dodge the dagger.
However, he couldn't completely avoid it.
The blade grazed Hajoon's chest slightly before embedding itself in the wall.
-So, your strength really is extraordinary. But how foolish to naively give me a chance to hide in the shadows.
Then, his voice echoed around the room.
The space around gradually began to shroud in shadows, and at the same time, Hajoon's body began to stiffen slowly.
Starting from his chest, his legs began to paralyze, and his entire body started to stiffen.
Hajoon's brows slowly furrowed. He had known in advance that the villain's dagger was laced with poison, but he had not taken it into consideration.
After all, he never thought he would be wounded by the blade.
"Tsk-"
Hajoon clicked his tongue in irritation. Following this, the villains of Barus began to swarm towards him.
They started to surround him, and Borhel, who had been watching the situation, opened his mouth.
"Irregular, you will die here today-"
And before he could finish his sentence, Hajoon activated Time Stop (SSS).
But the moment he stopped time, his legs gave way, and he fell to the ground.
He lay flat on the floor, letting out a tired sigh.
"Ah...damn it."
The poison was slowly spreading throughout his body.
Still, there was no sign of panic in Hajoon's emotions.
On the contrary, he was composed.
The emotions he felt right now were annoyance and irritation.
His emotions of anger or panic towards death had long been extinguished by his Indomitable Will (SS). Of course, he didn't even think his current situation was precarious.
"I didn't think the day would come when I'd have to use this."
Hajoon thought to himself and then summoned it. An ability he had never used after acquiring the power of Time Stop (SSS).
"Store."
Potion items: 1. Lower Potion 10P 2. Medium Potion 150P 3. High Potion 250P
"High Potion."
Shop window.
Honestly, he didn't think he'd ever need to use it.
It's not like he ever opened it after finding no use for it.
Hajoon promptly bought the high-level potion.
Soon, a bright white beam of light twirled around Hajoon's hand, and a very deep red potion materialized. He forcefully moved his gradually stiffening body, opened the potion, and gulped it down. And the effect was immediate.
His stiffening body began to move again.
Hajoon clenched and unclenched his hands, got up from his spot, and once again held his hammer.
However, before striking the villains again, Hajoon looked at the shadows surrounding them.
Borhel was hiding within the shadows.
Fortunately, if he strikes the shadow, he can inflict damage. His ability is not perfect.
The problem was accurately finding him hidden in this vast shadow and striking him.
While possible, Hajoon did not want to waste his energy that way.
With that thought, Hajoon momentarily released Time Stop (SSS).
"...How?"
And the moment he released the Time Stop (SSS), Borhel narrowed his eyes and glared at Hajoon.
By now, he should be down...
In the heat of the moment, Hajoon surveyed his surroundings with a detached expression.
The villains, too, assumed their stances and began to slowly approach him.
Ignoring them, Hajoon turned to Philaten and posed a question.
"Philaten."
[Yes, Master?]
"How big can you grow?"
At his question, Philaten replied, with a surprisingly cheerful tone,
[As much as you wish, Master.]
The moment he heard that answer, the corners of Hajoon's mouth lifted subtly.
Borhel, having caught sight of that smirk, felt a tremor in his eyes.
He knew instinctively.
The Irregular was about to attempt something.
But before he could react, the Irregular had disappeared, leaving behind only the golden hammer he had been wielding, standing alone on the ground.
That's when it happened.
BOOM!
It all happened too fast to react to.
The hammer left behind by the Irregular grew suddenly to a size that engulfed the entire area.
Naturally, the villains, unable to react to the speed, were crushed under the massive hammer. Simultaneously, the hammer began to grow even larger, causing the entire space to crumble.
BOOM! BOOM! CRASH!
"Arghh!"
"Gahhh!"
Borhel's eyes trembled at the sight of the unfolding chaos.
He knew if he stayed there, he too would be crushed under the hammer.
He quickly morphed into a shadow, aiming to escape to the surface.
But before he could,
Whoosh!
A gigantic golden wall bore down on Borhel.
That was the last thing Borhel remembered.
Following Hajoon's instructions, Isabella and the others climbed the stairs and opened a door resembling a bunker to escape the villains' stronghold.
What met their gaze was a broad expanse of sunlit desert.
Aside from a road visible in the far distance, the barren wasteland offered no other signs of life.
Having successfully escaped with the others, Isabella turned to look back at the villains' base where she last saw Hajoon.
Worry gleamed in her eyes.
"Hajoon..."
The moment she uttered his name, a familiar voice rang out from behind.
"You're still here?"
"Ah!... Wait, how...?"
Isabella stared at Hajoon with a dumbfounded expression. In response, he simply said, "You should stand back."
"Stand back...? But, look over there!"
Suddenly, villains began to pour out of the bunker's entrance.
At first, Isabella thought they were chasing after her group, but something was off. Their faces were all contorted in terror as they ran, screaming in fear.
"Help!!"
"Oh, my God! Holy shit!!"
"Please! Fuck!!"
Stunned, Isabella observed the chaos. The other escapees also wore incredulous expressions as they watched the fleeing villains.
"Back up a bit," Hajoon instructed again.
"What do you...?"
That's when it happened.
Rumbling tremors shook the ground as if an earthquake had struck. Cracks began to appear, widening and deepening.
Suddenly, the fleeing villains began to shoot upward from the split earth like a geyser.
The people watching could only stare in awe and confusion.
"What the..."
"Holy shit! What now!"
Everyone, including Isabella, directed their gaze towards the sudden eruption. In a mere instant, a massive pillar had sprung from the ground.
A colossal pillar glowing a brilliant golden hue.
The onlookers were struck speechless, their eyes glued to the dazzling sight.
"Oh my god..."
"Incredible..."
"..."
Meanwhile, Hajoon, too, stared at the pillar. He had acted in a fit of annoyance, but the result was even more monumental than he'd anticipated.
With that massive column in view, he pondered about how to handle the situation but ended up sighing.
"Eh... Whatever."
Somehow, it'll all work out. After all, he had resolved the issue without much effort - that was a win in his books.
Hajoon plopped down onto the ground. He handed over the phone he had taken from Borhel to Isabella, all the while absentmindedly observing the golden pillar. Upon receiving the phone, Isabella asked,
"This is··········."
"It's time to get in touch now that the job's done."
"Ah!"
At those words, Isabella hurriedly made a call somewhere, and Hajoon momentarily rested, using the immense pillar as a scenic view.
As soon as Isabella contacted the American Heroes Association, the situation unfolded rapidly.
Within minutes, vehicles and rescue helicopters from the association converged on the scene, joined by American heroes. Before their arrival, Hajoon shrunk the size of Maharazu and swiftly retrieved it.
Thanks to the Association's vehicles and helicopters attracting attention, he was able to recover it in a very brief moment.
Naturally, the sudden disappearance of Maharazu left those present in awe yet again.
Regardless of the crowd's reaction, Hajoon heaved a sigh of relief.
By 11 a.m., American time, in a certain Las Vegas hotel, Hajoon was soothing his fatigue in the hotel's bathtub.
The villains' base had been in a desert near Las Vegas.
Therefore, the hotel where Hajoon currently resided was in the same vicinity.
It was said to be a famous five-star hotel in Las Vegas.
"Not bad," he mumbled, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
The reason they treated Hajoon so considerately was, of course, because the American Heroes Association recognized him.
Considering their past negotiations, it would be strange if they hadn't.
"Now then," Hajoon murmured as he stepped out of the bathtub after a brief shower. As he pondered what to do next while wearing a robe, a knock sounded at the door.
Knock- knock-
A man in a neatly tailored black suit with blonde hair stood on the other side when Hajoon opened the door. He gazed at Hajoon and spoke, "Mr. Kim Hajoon?"
"Yes?" Hajoon responded.
"You've got a call."
The man, who appeared to be an agent, handed over the phone and left. Hajoon eyed the incoming call on the phone before accepting it.
"Are you alright?" an all too familiar voice asked from the other side of the phone.
Who was it? It was a familiar voice, but he couldn't quite remember. Hajoon asked straightforwardly, "Who is this?"
"Hehe, it's Emma. We've met once before, remember?"
"Oh..."
He recalled now, she was the scout from the American Heroes Association who had visited his home. Remembering, Hajoon asked her immediately, "So, why did you call me?"
"As expected... Mr. Hajoon, you are an irregular. First of all, I called to express our gratitude for your assistance with the recent incident."
Hajoon did not reply. Naturally, they would have realized this too, but he had no intention of speaking the truth from his own mouth.
"Ah, and I am really sorry, but there is something we would like to ask of you, Mr. Hajoon."
At this, Hajoon's eyebrows narrowed slightly. What request? He had taken care of one American villain group, what more did they want?
Before deciding to refuse, he resolved to at least hear out the request.
Hajoon asked,
"What is the favor?"
-I sincerely apologize, but I've already reached out to Miss Isabella...
Emma proceeded to explain the favor.
Upon hearing the details of the request, Hajoon couldn't help but grimace in irritation.
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