The air outside was different from the inside. Unlike the tension-filled space, the air Jihyeon tasted at the moment of liberation put him at ease.

  At the same time, Jihyeon couldn't help but tremble. It wasn't simply because the tension had lifted after confirming his safety.

  Killing Intent.

  Jihyeon had never displayed this level of killing intent toward an opponent in his life. He could show hostility, but he had never once looked at someone with the emotion of wanting to outright murder them.

  But in the gangster's office, Jihyeon displayed a killing intent he had never shown before. He had thought that the moment he crossed the line, he would kill the opponent.

  That was dangerous.

  Being consumed by killing intent could happen in an instant. Jihyeon barely managed to control himself in that precarious situation. If he hadn't left immediately, Jihyeon would have electrocuted everyone in that room.

  Of course, if killing intent could be used properly, it could become a very useful tool. He wouldn't have to shed blood to subdue others.

  But that was only if things went well.

  The thought that he really could have killed someone if he made a mistake made Jihyeon shudder. The sweat running down his forehead felt as cold as his anxiety.

  Of course, he could have the thought of killing the opponent. Furthermore, he could recall and reproduce the knowledge of people who had actually killed others. Since Jihyeon could reproduce martial arts, mimicking killing intent was not impossible.

  However, drawing out a killing intent that felt as if it had been retrieved from the deepest swamp was impossible. Even Jihyeon himself was chilled by the coldness of the killing intent, which was a first for him.

  Jihyeon sighed.

  He thought he would be fine, but the negative influence of the tool that controls electricity seemed unavoidable. The malice of the one who created it struck him anew.

  Now that he thought about it.

  The cult leader was consumed by that power and committed evil deeds. The formerly benevolent woman completely changed after gaining the power to control electricity.

  What would happen to him?

  If he didn't have the power, it would be over. But if he was consumed by it, the fact that it would also be over would remain the same. Realizing once again that he was walking a tightrope made him sigh.

  "Can't be helped."

  Jihyeon muttered, as if trying to reassure himself. But he knew this was not okay.

  "It's ridiculous..."

  He wanted to live a normal, peaceful life, but what on earth was this? Jihyeon realized once again that his life was tangled.

  "Life is funny how it works out."

  Walking home, Jihyeon muttered that and smiled. The way things unfolded, completely different from what he expected, was absurd yet strangely fascinating.

  He had eyes that could see all the information in the world, yet he couldn't see the future.

  Therefore, he would continue to live entangled in various incidents. It would be a life far from peace.

  But it could be a life full of thrills. It would surely be interesting. And if he began to enjoy such a life, he wouldn't be satisfied with peace.

  Contradiction.

  That was the contradiction. Wanting both peace and thrill simultaneously. Still, the thrill stimulated Jihyeon more right now.

  "So, people who fall into this kind of life end up having no choice but to live that way, huh..."

  Jihyeon smiled wryly, recalling the figures of people he found in countless records. He couldn't read the future, yet it seemed to be drawn, almost within his grasp.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Tch."

  Jihyeon clicked his tongue and headed toward his house. Hoping fervently that nothing bad would happen. After all, thinking about it wouldn't change anything.

  It was something he would eventually have to experience by confronting it. So, Jihyeon concluded not to think about unnecessary things now and quickened his pace.

  The storm had passed. The office was quiet. But the air inside was different again.

  The lingering trace of killing intent was so severe that merely breathing it in was enough to cause terror.

  Thanks to this, only one person remained in the rather large office: the executive gangster. The rest of the gangsters had all gone downstairs.

  The gangster clicked his tongue, thinking they would have to be closed for business for a while.

  It was an extreme loss, as he hadn't imagined this would happen after barely renovating the office. The damage was too great for the price of humoring the delinquent's obvious lie.

  But it wasn't entirely without gain. At least for the gangster. It wasn't pleasant, but he had learned about the dangers that lay ahead.

  The gangster thought.

  It was safe to say that he had never been scared before, having lived a life where he was considered a madman in his own right.

  Nevertheless, he had been scared. By the eyes of a young punk.

  It was incredibly humiliating. If anyone heard the story, they would laugh at him mercilessly.

  Naturally, such a thing shouldn't be tolerated. If one's pride was damaged, it must be repaid. That was the law of this world.

  However, he had to admit what was true.

  That he was scared of that guy. And that he didn't want to get involved with him anymore.

  Dare to challenge a man who demonstrated he could kill him without moving a finger if he wanted to?

  At least he couldn't do it.

  No matter how fierce the beast, it can't even bare its teeth in front of the one who broke its spirit. He was the same.

  He hadn't expected to be reduced to this by a mere punk, but in that moment, the gangster experienced it.

  His own powerlessness in the presence of a non-human entity. It was a nightmare, and he would never be able to overcome it. It was different from the opponent sending killing intent.

  It was like an absolute death sentence.

  Even curses wouldn't come out. It just felt like an inevitable fate.

  And that fact gave him one certainty.

  The fact that Jihyeon was dangerous.

  Whether he crushed the office or not no longer mattered. Only the fact that he had messed with a dangerous person was important.

  He didn't want to think about it, but those eyes were something even criminals could never possess. He wanted to know what kind of life he had lived.

  However, judging only by the data that came into his hands, Jihyeon had lived a very ordinary life. The life of a normal young punk who didn't cause trouble and even got into college.

  But he had eyes like that?

  Something was seriously wrong. Digging deeper could genuinely lead to death. In this world, where prioritizing one's own life was natural, wasn't it fundamental not to do things that were certain to result in death?

  Still, if only the gangster had been affected, he might have been able to end it by simply washing his hands of it.

  However, the problem was that all the gangsters belonging to this office were affected. Every single one of them who saw those eyes was broken.

  Especially the delinquent, whom they planned to use as cannon fodder, was so severely psychologically shocked that he couldn't bear it and was eventually taken to the hospital. Perhaps he would live with psychological problems forever, depending on the case.

  If so, he should gather his wits and go now, but he didn't have the courage to do so.

  No, this was something he couldn't handle anymore. All talk of investigations or whatever had to stop now.

  "Damn it. Why can't I forget those eyes..."

  The gangster complained once more. But he didn't have the confidence to dig into it. If so, there was only one thing he had to do.

  "Is there no answer but to call the Boss?"

  The gangster muttered that and just sighed. Then, he took out his phone.

  In his office, the Boss's lawyer once again slowly reviewed the data he had secured.

  The manager had not lied. He was certain of that fact. He also confirmed from the CCTV footage that he had suddenly collapsed.

  "It is known as a tool that neutralizes CCTVs, but it actually disturbs not only optics in general but also vision. However, not many people possess the knowledge to handle it properly..."

  The Boss's lawyer felt doubt. Within his knowledge, there was no one who could use the ability to disturb a person's vision.

  The Boss's lawyer was one of the few people who had directly met the seller. And he knew a few secrets he hadn't even told the Boss.

  That was why he was surprised. Because this was impossible.

  "To think there's a person who can use that function. But people from that side should find direct intervention almost impossible..."

  The Boss's lawyer muttered that and began searching through something. Something that bothered him had come to mind.

  "Is it this guy, after all..."

  Recalling the stories he had recently heard from the police, the Boss's lawyer pointed to one person.

  It was the man who kept appearing in recent noisy incidents. The man's name kept coming up in connection with the cult, redevelopment issues, and scammers.

  "There's a possibility. Just a possibility."

  The Boss's lawyer thought that and searched for information. Fortunately, simple news could be checked immediately without having to go out and investigate these days.

  "Hmm..."

  He seemed like an ordinary university student, but it was clear that something was up. If this person moved for some reason, he also became curious about the mastermind behind him.

  There were many questions. Although he had been a bit noisy recently, crime was distant from his life overall. No, even the recent events could be dismissed as just having bad luck and frequently encountering criminals.

  "It couldn't be that, could it?"

  The Boss's lawyer thought. Because that was too foolish. Surely he wouldn't be moving for a reason like seeking revenge for his family?

  Still, he always had to consider the what if. The lawyer's job, as always, was to consider every possibility of the opponent based on boring laws and crush them.

  So, the Boss's lawyer decided to prepare for the what if. That would prevent the Boss's anger from being misplaced.

  "Then, what should I start with..."

  The Boss's lawyer muttered that and began planning his next steps.