Jihyeon finished dinner and lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

  He thought it was a good thing he went today.

  But on the other hand, there were many things that weighed on his mind. A lot of things.

  First, the direct visit itself was a great relief. In the case of closed cults, many members don't use the internet, so intimate information often doesn't show up even if CCTVs are hacked.

  However, visiting in person allowed information to flow in like a flood. Thanks to this, Jihyeon was able to fully understand the internal affairs of the cult that he hadn't known before.

  "So, I know that the cult's upper echelons, who suddenly gained power one day, stabilized the chaos after the former Leader died, but then, who gave it to them?"

  Jihyeon mumbled and thought to himself.

  The cult currently had three candidates for the Leader position, and they were using the powers of fire, water, and wind, respectively. However, they didn't gain these powers through awakening.

  It was power given by someone. And it was connected to the dead former Leader.

  The dead former Leader had established the cult and gathered people after obtaining the power to manipulate electricity—specifically, the tool.

  The start of numerous tragedies was also from that time. Mina, whom he saved, was also threatened with her life because of that tragedy.

  However, the former Leader obtaining the tool was by no means her own will. It happened because someone forcibly implanted the tool into her.

  He didn't know all the detailed inside stories. But still, one thing was certain:

  Someone was moving beneath the surface. And that someone was not from this side of the world.

  Jihyeon took out the tool that nullified CCTVs. It wasn't integrated with him, but it wasn't very big, so it was easy to carry around.

  This, and the two powers in his body, all originated from a single source. But why were these things circulating?

  "So, what is the goal?"

  Jihyeon was more concerned about the entity behind it than the cult matter requested by the Master, which could be considered the start of this whole thing.

  Since the cult could be slowly withered to death, starting by cutting off their funding if they became too bothersome, Jihyeon momentarily put off his concern for that part.

  Instead, he focused his thoughts on something more important.

  The tool to nullify CCTVs, which most organizations now possessed, and the tool to detect it. And humans who could use extraordinary abilities like himself.

  All these things were connected. And they led to one conclusion.

  All those things were circulated for an absolutely bad purpose. But Jihyeon could not figure out what they were trying to achieve through all of it.

  Jihyeon felt a sense of dread.

  Anyone would feel the same way if they found out that a conspiracy was moving somewhere they couldn't grasp. Even though he had showered and the room temperature was just right, cold sweat dripped from Jihyeon's forehead.

  "Do I really have to hunt down those high-ranking guys to find out?"

  Jihyeon muttered that, steeling his resolve. It seemed that this wouldn't stop unless he crushed all three candidates in the cult and obtained the information.

  Naturally, that was a very dangerous thing to do. But for a safe life, he couldn't afford not to do it.

  Jihyeon knew well that a conspiracy progressing in this manner was not merely a matter of a few bucks but affected the lives of everyone, including himself.

  "Ah, if my ability were perfect, it wouldn't be this difficult..."

  Jihyeon mumbled in annoyance. The power to gain information certainly held infinite possibilities.

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  However, its limits were also clear, and it didn't work properly against those who possessed tools from the other side.

  But on the other hand, Jihyeon shuddered at the thought that if his ability were intact, his own information might leak to the other side.

  Fortunately, his ability was not intact, but one thing was certain.

  Failure.

  Jihyeon gained his power only through a combination of failure and coincidence. He was, so to speak, an irregularity. So, no matter what he did, he would be a joker to them.

  "Hoo..."

  A sigh escaped him. Jihyeon felt like things were expanding into an area he couldn't handle, making him needlessly anxious.

  "I wish I could get a little more of an answer... but it's still far away. A long way off..."

  Jihyeon thought that, operated the switch, and turned off the light. No matter how much he thought, no answer was coming right now. In that case, the best thing to do was sleep soundly.

  The mind works best when one eats well and rests well. Moreover, fatigue was creeping in. It was foolish to forcibly resist it.

  Closing his eyes, Jihyeon fell into a deep sleep, the kind where he wouldn't know if someone carried him away.

  The Master's office should have been full of subordinates for a meeting today.

  But the scene unfolding before him now was humiliating, if one were to call it that. Not only the Master but also a significant number of his subordinates who were still standing shared the same emotions.

  Humiliation, rage, and a sense of defeat.

  It was only natural, watching his subordinates being unilaterally beaten by the flimsy devotees of the cult.

  The Master's subordinates were, naturally, men who had built up their bodies to be suitable for this kind of work. Their muscle strength was superior to ordinary people, and their intimidating faces were enough to make one tremble just by looking at them.

  Anyone would be dumbfounded to see such men being unilaterally beaten by devotees.

  But reality was reality.

  Using some unknown power, the cult members knocked down the Master's subordinates one by one.

  "Why the hell are you doing this?"

  The Master shouted and asked. Then, one of the cult members replied with a blank look.

  "You know the one with the power, don't you? The one with the power. Hand him over."

  The Master didn't understand what that meant. The phrase 'the one with the power' didn't immediately make sense.

  But soon, he realized. They probably meant Jihyeon. Jihyeon must possess the kind of power those crazy bastards would be looking for.

  However, they could have talked nicely if needed. The cult must have been well aware of his friendship with the former Leader.

  The Master was dumbfounded by this behavior.

  "Have you forgotten that I was acquainted with the late Leader? What kind of disrespect is this?"

  The Master said that and prepared for a counterattack. But soon, the Master and his subordinates could not move their bodies.

  "W-What's going on?"

  The Master couldn't hide his confusion, feeling his body stiffen. Then, one of the cult members grinned and mumbled.

  "Wipe them all out. Wipe them all out, wipe them all out!"

  The cult member who spoke seemed somehow strange. But his strangeness wasn't important right now. The Master's subordinates fell one after another, bleeding under their attacks.

  He had been through all sorts of terrible things, but this was a first. The Master could only watch in anger as his subordinates collapsed.

  It was fortunate that the cult members hadn't brought knives or other weapons, but even so, the unilateral violence made even the tough subordinates unable to get up.

  And now, only he remained. The Master sighed. He didn't know why they were attacking like this.

  But as if his thoughts didn't matter, the cult members approached. And just as the violence was about to begin.

  "It seems you are having some trouble."

  The Master had never once thought that a suddenly heard voice would make him so happy. But right now, it sounded like his last hope for survival.

  The owner of the voice was none other than Jihyeon. For some reason, the Master knew better than anyone that Jihyeon was the only one he could trust in this situation.

  The cult members also reacted to his voice. But Jihyeon, wearing a mask and a pulled-down hat, was too common a sight for them to immediately remember his features.

  "Let's clean this up first, and then we'll start."

  Jihyeon said that and unleashed his power. The office, which had instantly turned into a mess, was filled with flashing light.

  "Is that the power that woman possessed..."

  The Master mumbled that, admiring Jihyeon's power. It was no longer human. Once again, the Master was relieved that he had chosen not to confront Jihyeon.

  The flashing power, moving freely, possessed a deadlier force than lightning itself.

  It didn't necessarily need to be powerful in terms of destruction.

  The power, moving subtly and surely incapacitating the opponents, was utterly dangerous. It was neither too strong nor too weak. It just needed to incapacitate the opponents.

  Controlled force. Yet definite effect.

  This subtle yet precise attack could incapacitate a thousand ordinary people. The cult members collapsed instantly without even being able to scream.

  The Master sighed, realizing why the drug-selling Boss's organization had been wiped out.

  "I was lucky. Truly..."

  The Master mumbled that and got up. Fortunately, his body could now move as he willed.

  "To be cleaned up so quickly, has the era really changed to one I can't keep up with?"

  The Master lamented that and checked on his subordinates one by one. Meanwhile, Jihyeon also examined the collapsed cult members.

  "Are you okay?"

  The Master asked, waking up his subordinates one by one. Fortunately, some hadn't been beaten too severely and soon got up. They would surely make those who did unnecessary things pay the rightful price later.

  But that was a problem for later.

  Relieved that they had survived for now, the Master asked Jihyeon.

  "By the way, how did you know to come?"

  Jihyeon replied simply to that question.

  "It's a trade secret."

  Jihyeon just said that and smiled. Although the Master felt absurd at his words, he didn't ask further.

  "Then do you know why they came looking for you?"

  The Master asked something else instead. They had demanded that he hand over Jihyeon. He had the right to know what that meant.

  "I'll have to investigate that now. I also need to find out why these guys are acting like this."

  Jihyeon just said that and continued to examine the fallen men. Then, he began to explain to the Master, who had been waiting patiently.