Chapter 99

From the hotel to Elaine's house, it took 30 minutes by car.

Thinking it wouldn't take much longer on foot given the 30-minute car ride, Hajoon immediately activated his Time Stop (SSS) skill upon hearing the news and walked straight to Elaine's residence.

Upon arriving, the situation at Elaine's house looked far from good.

The house appeared to have suffered from some kind of explosion and had collapsed. Moreover, the aftermath seemed to have gravely injured the two inside.

"Brother..."

Hajoon's gaze settled on Elaine. Blood was trickling down from a large wound on Elaine's forehead, and her face, on the verge of tears, was looking directly at him.

For a moment, a shadow crossed Hajoon's face.

He was sure he wasn't Liber, but an inexplicable rage surged within him.

With a chilling expression, Hajoon glared at the attackers who had assaulted Elaine.

Then, one of the attackers approached, laughing sneeringly.

"That one needs to die, right?"

"We intended to finish this quietly, but it seems we have one more to kill. Let's end this quickly before the heroes from the guild arrive."

As one of the attackers started to approach Hajoon, suddenly—

"!?"

"What's happening?"

The attacker stopped in his tracks. Even though he tried to move his feet, it was as if they were glued to the ground.

And it wasn't just him.

"What... what's this?"

"My legs!"

The rest of them were immobilized as well. It was as if their shoes had been fixed to the ground.

Approaching the frozen attackers, Hajoon issued a warning.

"Anyone who moves now dies."

The attackers' faces hardened, sensing an ominous aura. They too had realized that the boy standing before them was no ordinary individual.

Hajoon then took Maharazu from his pocket and enlarged it. The moment the golden hammer appeared—

"!?"

"The Irregular!?"

Panic spread across the attackers' faces. None of the gathered villains were unaware of that hammer.

As they were reeling in shock, Hajoon, holding the hammer, stopped right in front of the first attacker who had tried to approach him.

He activated Time Stop (SSS) and swung his hammer.

Crash!

First, ten blows to the face.

Crash!

Next, twenty powerful swings to the man's wrists.

Crash!

Finally, ten strikes to his ankles.

Hajoon deemed this sufficient. Due to the effects of the elixir, his strength had soared beyond 60.

When he released the Time Stop,

The ensuing scene sent chills down the spines of the other attackers.

"Kuhuk! Kuaaaaaaaaaak!!"

A spine-chilling scream echoed.

Frozen in place, his wrists and ankles twisted at unnatural angles, a fierce impact smashed into his face.

Although the force pushed his torso back, his legs remained immovable, preventing him from collapsing.

"Kuhuk! Heu! Heu!"

Bloodied teeth tumbled from his mouth.

Just as the time limit of the Time Stop on him ended and he started to lean backward, Hajoon promptly froze his upper body in place.

He stood there, fixed in place like a stake.

Hajoon activated the Time Stop (SSS) once again, striking the man's face.

Upon deactivating the time freeze,

"Kuhuk!"

Thud! Bang––––––––––––!!

His face bore the brunt of the impact, and as the stasis on his upper body was lifted, he crumpled to the ground.

"....."

"....."

Those who had witnessed the entire spectacle were frozen.

"Hee, Heeek!"

As the Time Stop (SSS) on their shoes ended, one of them, in panic, attempted to flee.

But then,

Whoom!

Boom––––––––––––!! Boom––––––––––––!! Boom––––––––––––!!

"....."

"....."

The young man who stood before them vanished, and a thunderous roar resounded from behind them.

With the ensuing shock, chunks of rock flew and dust billowed. The remaining culprits turned their horrified faces, catching sight of their comrade, who had just tried to escape, now lying in a deep crater.

"Told you not to move."

Moments later, through the settling dust, the figure of the Irregular stood beside the fallen comrade.

Only then did they understand the Irregular's warning, standing absolutely still without any sign of resistance.

However, Hajoon, showing no intention of sparing them just because they complied, approached them once more, clutching his hammer.

"So that's how it was... Hahaha!"

"Teacher!"

As Hajoon made his appearance, defeating the attackers, Darham was laughing more heartily than ever before.

He couldn't help but find the unfolding situation amusing.

"Hahaha! So, that's why Liber came back. And here I was, about to do something unnecessary."

It seemed silly to have been so worried.

Who would've thought that kid was the Irregular that caused such a stir?

Then again, it wasn't like that guy to come back without a reason.

Darham merely wore a broad smile, observing the unfolding situation.

All the while, Elaine watched in astonishment, trying to process the events.

'The Irregular? My brother?'

Elaine had certainly heard the rumors.

The hero wielding a golden hammer.

The Irregular.

The hero who single-handedly resolved major terrorist incidents in Korea.

Yet, she never imagined that hero was her brother.

Just then, a gate shimmered blue next to Elaine and opened.

A girl with platinum hair and agents of an association stepped through.

Upon seeing the girl, Elaine's eyes widened in recognition.

"Ah, Lady Anna!?"

It was Anna, the princess of England and the next great sage.

"You went silent in the middle of our communication. So, you were here."

Upon hearing Anna's voice, Elaine realized it was a voice she knew well.

Surprised, Elaine cautiously opened her mouth, "Wait, could it be... Sister?"

"I'm sorry for being late, Elaine. Let's tend to the injuries first."

As she said this, Anna extended her hand toward both Elaine and Darham.

Blue mana flowed from Anna's hands, forming a magic circle.

Soft blue light particles emanated from the circle, healing the cut on Elaine's forehead. However, it couldn't fully heal the gravely injured Darham.

Anna then addressed the agents who had followed her through the gate.

"He's critically injured. We need to move him to a nearby hospital immediately."

"Understood. I'll prepare a gate to the hospital right away."

As one of the agents prepared the gate, Elaine continued to gaze, still in shock, at everything happening around her.

The realization that her brother was the Irregular and that the girl who was with him in the morning was the princess of England seemed like a surreal dream.

Lost in these thoughts, Elaine was jolted back to reality by a loud sound.

Thud! Bang!

Hajoon, having just finished dealing with the assailants, approached the duo. However, his expression was grim.

It was a look Anna had never seen on him before.

Seeing him, Anna cautiously asked, "Is it all over?"

"No, there's still a place I need to go. Open a gate for me."

"What? Wait... are you planning to confront that guild?"

At her question, Hajoon simply nodded in affirmation.

Upon seeing Hajoon's expression, Anna felt uneasy.

While Hajoon always wore an annoyed look, his current face radiated an intense aura she had never sensed before.

At the very least, she could tell that Hajoon was angry.

"Alright... yes, I understand."

At Anna's response, Hajoon nodded and turned his gaze back to Elaine.

Elaine was still looking at Hajoon with disbelief.

Hajoon spoke to Elaine, "Stay with your grandfather. I'll return once I'm done with my tasks."

"Um, okay..."

Elaine clearly had more questions but clenched her teeth and held them back.

Soon after, the gate leading to the hospital opened. Once Elaine and Darham passed through it, an agent from the association opened another gate leading to the Roban Guild.

With the Perception Obstruction Bandage wrapped around his arm, Hajoon stepped through the gate.

He wouldn't let anyone who had crossed him get away easily.

"Teacher..."

Elaine gazed sorrowfully at Darham, who lay in the hospital room.

Even to Elaine's eyes, Darham's current state did not look particularly promising.𝓃օν𝔢𝙡bᎥ𝔫.𝙣𝔢𝐭

However, Darham responded with a hearty chuckle upon seeing her concerned expression.

"Heh heh heh! Don't fret, young one. I intend to live for quite some time. More importantly, I'm curious about what's to come."

Elaine looked puzzled by Darham's cryptic words.

Ever since dinner, he had been speaking in riddles, leaving Elaine struggling to understand the current circumstances.

Moreover, she couldn't fathom why her older brother had come to save her, especially when he always seemed to dislike her.

"Elaine."

Darham called out to her, his demeanor much softer now as he gazed into her eyes.

Seeing her expression, he said, "I can tell what you're thinking."

She didn't reply, merely affirming silently with her silence. After all, her teacher had always been adept at reading one's thoughts through mere expressions.

"Why did he rescue me? He despised me so much."

Elaine remembered that day vividly.

Seven years ago, the day her brother left her at an orphanage, promising to return soon.

She waited— a day turned into a month, a month turned into a year. It was only after a year had passed that she realized he had abandoned her. That heart-wrenching realization made her weep uncontrollably.

Those painful memories made Elaine's head droop slowly, sadness clouding her face.

Seeing her like this, Darham gently said, "Don't resent Liber too much."

She stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

"He had his reasons."

Hearing this, Elaine lifted her head, eyes filled with questions.

"What do you mean?"

Darham, with a tender smile, began to explain, "Liber didn't come looking for you because of his regrets."

She waited silently for him to continue.

"Liber was simply keeping his promise."

Hearing this, Elaine's face turned to one of shock.

Darham then confidently assured her, "Liber loved you, Elaine. He was just clumsy in showing it."

That day.

The day when Liber visited Darham's home alone and made a plea.

Darham remembered that moment vividly. It was the moment he understood all of Liber's actions towards Elaine.

"I will return someday."

Closing his eyes gently, Darham recollected Liber's words.

"Please look after Elaine until then."

With a gentle smile curling on his lips, Darham softly said, "He kept his promise, Elaine."