CRASH!
With a deafening roar, the arm of the giant crumbled, scattering in all directions.
For a fleeting moment, everyone gazed in astonishment at the spectacle. However, the giant, seemingly unfazed by the loss of its right arm, swiftly began to swing its remaining left arm towards Hajoon.
WOOSH! CRASH!
Yet again, the outcome remained unchanged.
Cracks appeared on its remaining arm, causing it to crumble and scatter everywhere. Shortly after, Hajoon raised his great hammer, Maharazu.
WOOSH!
In a blink, the head of the hammer expanded to a size large enough to envelop the entire body of the giant. With seemingly minimal effort, Hajoon let the weight of the colossal hammer fall upon the giant.
WOOSH! BOOM! WHOOSH!
A massive explosion ensued, accompanied by a shockwave that dispersed the surrounding sand. The giant crumbled, turning back into mere dirt, but it was evident that it hadn't been defeated yet.
SWISH!
Dirt began to rise around Hajoon and his companions, surging like tentacles of an octopus, aiming to pierce through them like sharpened stakes. Hundreds of these earthen spikes lunged at them, but the group wasn't just standing idly.
“Renka!”
“Yes!”
At Yukio's signal, Renka extended her arms towards the oncoming stakes.
From her palms, a torrent of water with an incredible destructive force gushed out, drenching the earthen spikes. At that moment, Yukio activated her ability.
Her body emanated coldness, and the drenched land began to freeze solid.
CRACK! SNAP!
True to their reputation as top-tier heroes, they had managed to freeze the ground deep enough to prevent more dirt from rising.
However, the terrain beyond their frozen area was still under the dominion of the Sandman.
RUMBLE!!
The ground vibrated with a loud noise. Excluding the area they had frozen, the surrounding land began to undulate like ocean waves. Trees were buried in the soil, tilting over. Shortly, the group realized the intention behind the Sandman's machinations.
Soil began to rise around them, attempting to bury them.
"Perish!”
As the Sandman uttered these words, a colossal figure began to rise, its upper body emerging, arms spread out. It then lunged at the group.
Their pupils dilated in horror.
Even as top-tier heroes, they couldn't possibly freeze such an immense volume of dirt in an instant. Setting aside the rest, Hajoon stepped forward.
Surveying the area, he softly uttered just one word.
“Stop.”
A mere, calm command.
Yet, the phenomenon he triggered left them in sheer disbelief.
“What... What?!”
“Unbelievable…”
Everything around them came to a stop.
The turbulent ground, the massive pile of earth rushing towards them, even the gigantic figure – all froze as if time itself had come to a standstill.
In that space, only a serene stillness prevailed.
"?!"
At the exact moment the phenomenon occurred, Sandman's eyes widened in surprise.
"Damn... He's truly a monster."
A spectacle that greatly surpassed any phenomenon a superhuman with awakened powers could produce. Even though he had been identified as an 'Unchained' in Japan and had reached an S-rank, he couldn't help but be shocked by the boy who had just unleashed this extraordinary event before him.
Yet, even if he had stopped all the sand in this vicinity, he could simply gather sand from elsewhere.
Deciding this, Sandman activated his ability to attract nearby sand.
"?"
But not a single grain moved.
Perceiving something wrong, Sandman's eyes began to shake vigorously.
"It couldn't be...!"
He tried to attract sand from a slightly farther distance and even beyond that, but there was absolutely no movement.
It was then that Sandman realized the boy hadn't merely stopped their immediate surroundings.
He had immobilized the entire mountain.
But the astonishment didn't end there.
With a deafening sound, a vast wormhole, as dark as the abyss, began to open in the sky. As everyone watched in shock, Hajoon merely murmured softly.
"Store."
In an instant, the vast wormhole started sucking in the giant's body with an irresistible force.
Sandman felt a primal sense of danger.
Being sucked into that wormhole, he suspected, would spell the end, even for someone as formidable as himself.
Desperate to escape from the giant's body, he tried to move.
"Ugh!"
But he couldn't budge an inch.
The giant's body, which he had once considered an extension of his own, now imprisoned him like a colossal boulder.
'No, this can't be happening.'
He struggled desperately, but the wormhole continued to draw the giant in relentlessly.
At that moment, Sandman felt the terror of 'death.'
'Am I to perish this way? Is this the end for me?'
"No! Nooo!!"
Sandman screamed, writhing in an attempt to survive.
Shortly after, as if mocking his desperation, the wormhole sucked in only the giant's body.
It seemed to have no interest in the core being, merely discarding it.
With a whoosh and a thud, Sandman, having been expelled from the giant's body, crashed to the ground. Dazedly, he scanned his surroundings.
"Did... Did I survive?"
Collapsed on the ground, he looked up to the night sky with a dazed expression.
The massive rift in the night, the wormhole, evoked an indescribable terror, as if heralding the apocalypse. Yet, carelessly, it absorbed only the giant and then faded into nothingness.
“You're alive?”
A smile tugged at Sandman's lips, relief evident in his features.
Yet, his brief moment of respite was soon shattered.
Before him approached a radiant, dazzling light.
Under this dark sky, the glow was so pure and intense that even Sandman felt it held a certain divinity. Oblivious to the fact that it differed from the engulfing darkness that had previously instilled terror within him, and potentially heralded death.
He simply stood there, transfixed by the glow.
“You kept me waiting.”
The light spoke.
Or more precisely, a boy holding a brilliantly shining sword did.
And the moment Sandman saw the boy, the hope in his eyes was immediately replaced by the raw despair.
He recognized the boy's identity now.
“Damn it...”
He chuckled sarcastically.
But this time, his laughter was that of a man resigned to his fate.
For he knew what awaited him next.
There was no escape from that sword, not by manipulating the earth around him, nor by transforming his own body into soil.
“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have come to Korea... I shouldn't have listened to that guy from the Villain Alliance.”
"All those empty promises of a grand upheaval, that it would be the era of the villains..."
Despair mixed with a hint of self-deprecation, he could only let out a wry chuckle.
Then, Han Siyoung raised his sword.
Han Siyoung simply stared down at him with emotionless eyes, and swung.
Whoosh! Thud-
After vanquishing Sandman, the group descended the mountain.
Detecting the commotion, reporters had already gathered around the mountain’s base. Association agents were stationed, holding them at bay.
Among the agents, a familiar middle-aged man rushed towards the party. It was Kim Jeongyong, from the Korean Hero Association.
“Whew! Whew! Hajoon, I’ve heard about it. Is Sandman...?”
“He's dead.”
“Ah... As expected, you’ve succeeded in subduing him. I’m relieved. You've all worked hard. We'll let the agents handle this place. Any injured heroes will be taken straight to the hospital. Let’s go.”
Given the operation was carried out in Korea, President Kim Jeongyong of the Association likely already knew about the Sandman hunt.
Of course, he probably hadn’t expected the situation to get this chaotic.
Thankfully, they managed to block reporters swiftly.
“Hero Yukio, can you explain the situation later?”
“Yes, I understand.”
Yukio nodded. Initially intended as a quiet surprise operation, the mission had escalated unexpectedly. An agent standing next to the president then opened a gate.
They first opened a portal to the hospital to move Kato, who was severely injured. With Renka's help and a few Association agents, he was transferred to the hospital.
Of course, Yukio decided to go to a different location with the president to explain the situation.
Before closing the hospital portal, President Kim Jeongyong addressed the group, "Has anyone been hurt? It’s best to get even minor injuries treated…”
“I'm fine. Thanks to someone's help, I wasn't hurt too badly.”
Yukio flashed a warm smile, glancing at Hajoon.
“That's good to hear. Han Siyoung, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Alright then. Let’s all rest for now and discuss later. You’ve all truly worked hard. I’ll have you guided to a nearby hotel. Let’s go.”
The next morning.
After spending the night at a nearby hotel, Hajoon and Han Siyoung returned to the academy, leaving the task of explaining the situation to Yukio. There was no need for all three of them to be present for that.
Meanwhile, in the comfort of his dormitory bed, Hajoon checked his status window for the first time in a while.
Name: Kim Hajoon
Level: 19 (+4)
Job: Student
Title: Destroyer
Fame: Immeasurable
HP: 40 (+10)
MP: 0
Strength: 95 (+18)
Agility: 60 (+15)
Stamina: 80 (+15)
Defense: 5 (+3)
Magic Resistance: 999(Max)
Spirit: 999(Max)
Skills: Time Stop(SSS) Indomitable Will(SS) {Always Active}
“It's increased quite a bit.”
The status window, which he hadn’t checked in some time, had undergone significant changes. Above all, both his level and his stats had greatly improved. Though his fame had shifted from a number to words, he decided not to fuss over it.
However, what caught Hajoon’s attention was his strength stat.
‘I've reached a strength of 95 already.’
No wonder he felt so tireless even after extensive physical activity. Would he soon be able to run up trees like some superhumans or jump to a height of about 5 meters? Well, he hadn’t tried yet, but it seemed very possible.
With that thought, Hajoon got up from his bed. He hadn’t moved around much due to his Time Stop skill and was curious about his current physical condition. Just as he was about to jump and test his strength...
Knock- Knock-
A knock sounded at his dormitory door.
"Hajoon! Are you in?"
It was Anna’s voice.
With a slightly puzzled expression, Hajoon approached the door and opened it. Anna stood before him, seeming a little hesitant.
“What is it?”
“Um, well... Can I ask you for a favor?”
“I have something to do, so I’m not sure.”
In reality, he had no such plans. He had merely taken the day off after defeating Sandman, intending to relax. In other words, he was simply not in the mood. Anna, having known Hajoon for some time, caught the hint. His face all but screamed his reluctance.
With a sharp look, Anna said, “Come on, just help me this once.”
“Sigh... What do you want?”
“Can you spar with me?”
“...What?”
