Chapter 46

"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.Yôur favorite stories at novelhall.com

"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."

"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.