The office had not been fully restored yet. And the injured men were still confined to the hospital.

  Despite this, the Master was smiling as if something joyful had happened. All his subordinates were terrified by his appearance, but the Master paid no attention to such details.

  He had never imagined that the cult would be this problematic.

  Even if it was a religious corporation, there were lines that had to be maintained. Yet, the cult had crossed the line too far.

  It was enough to mobilize the National Tax Service (NTS). And quite significantly at that. This fact delighted the Master.

  If one were to pick the most fearsome government office in peacetime, it would undoubtedly be the NTS.

  Countless criminals had no choice but to become compliant once the NTS was involved. How many famous criminals had fallen due to tax issues?

  Even for a religious corporation, the same applied. Taxes are absolutely not something to be trifled with. If you make a mistake, all that remains is a ruined life.

  The Master himself was very sensitive about taxes, as he also ran legitimate businesses. Although the specifics could all be delegated to an accountant, the fact remained that the business could be ruined if things went wrong.

  It was a funny story.

  The life of the back alleys is to ignore the law and live as one pleases. Yet, the Master was always dissatisfied with the fact that there was nothing they could do about taxes.

  But the world runs on the flow of money. If a group's money is tied up due to tax issues, that group will collapse.

  The youngster named Jihyeon mentioned this point and told him something. It was the practical weakness of the cult. It would likely be a scandal big enough for the news.

  What could be better than giving the cult a hard time by using the very thing that always annoyed him?

  Therefore, the Master mobilized all his legal, tax accountant, and regular accountant connections to prepare something.

  What Jihyeon had provided was merely a hint. Nevertheless, that hint was sufficiently fatal.

  "Let's see how spectacularly they get ripped apart."

  The Master muttered that as the documents were all prepared, grinning widely. It was an expression of joy at the fact that the opponent's destruction was ready.

  Ignoring the terror on the faces of his subordinates who saw this, the Master immediately reported the cult to the NTS. He didn't forget the cunning move of borrowing someone else's name for the report.

  And a few days later, the NTS moved.

  A few days after the Master's action, NTS agents stormed the cult's main headquarters. They were there to conduct a search for legitimate law enforcement purposes.

  Naturally, the cult members were completely unprepared for this and showed no reaction. Who would have expected people to come for a seizure and search because of taxes?

  It was something you would only see on television. And it was also something they definitely did not want to experience.

  However, the emotionless NTS officials entered and started putting numerous items, including documents, into the boxes they brought, to be used as evidence.

  The reported amount this time was unexpectedly large. It was a situation where the extent of the corruption was unknown. Therefore, quite a large number of employees were deployed for the seizure and search.

  Consequently, the cult was in utter chaos.

  Some foolish individuals tried to resolve the situation by flaunting their violence, but that was an act tantamount to suicide.

  The heads of the devotee groups had to do their utmost to stop these hot-headed individuals. If a violent incident were to occur, the police would once again storm the place.

  If that happened, the wound that was barely being stitched up would be torn open again. That would be fatal to the cult.

  Furthermore, if their bank accounts were frozen due to tax enforcement, it would be the end.

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  However, the cult had no choice but to cooperate. Unnecessary actions, as always, brought fatal results.

  Therefore, the eyes of the devotees were filled with rage, but they did not interfere.

  In a sense, it was a masterpiece.

  Even a self-proclaimed lofty religious order cannot exist separate from the secular world. No one expected that this would be the way their subordination to the state's influence would be proven.

  Regardless of the feelings of the devotees, the officials were faithful to their duties. All documents were confiscated, and all places that were normally inaccessible were ordered to open their doors.

  This was probably the worst-case scenario for them.

  But the local residents watched the scene with interest, or with amusement, thinking it was just deserts.

  And in this atmosphere, Jihyeon realized that the time he wanted had come. The Master had handled things much better than he expected, and now this opportunity had arisen.

  Jihyeon decided to enter every open door, even if he wasn't sure he could. Since he already knew the internal structure well, his planned movements were perfect.

  Cautiously, Jihyeon entered the building. Using the true power of the tool that nullifies CCTVs—invisibility—it would be difficult to spot him.

  The confusion made up for the slightest lack of perfection, allowing Jihyeon to examine the desired locations one after another.

  Of course, this was an adventure.

  To obtain truly necessary information, one must always take risks. If things went wrong, he might have to face death in the middle of the enemy camp.

  Nevertheless, Jihyeon took the risk. It was because he felt he had to finish this job.

  By the way, Jihyeon felt puzzled that there were no alarm systems. Even with the maximum use of the tool that nullifies CCTVs, tools that could detect him did exist.

  If they were determined, it would certainly be possible with the cult's financial power. But they hadn't done so.

  Jihyeon felt curious about that fact. But knowing that even seemingly perfect enemies can have weak spots, the thought soon left his mind.

  Instead, Jihyeon surveyed the necessary areas and headed for the server room. He planned to acquire the data there and return immediately to sort through the information.

  This was not a good place to stay for long. Fortunately, the server room door was also open due to the seizure and search, and Jihyeon acquired the information as if drinking a beverage through a straw.

  Unfortunately, he didn't check exactly what information was there, but securing it was paramount for now.

  "There's much more here than I thought."

  Jihyeon said that, making the server room's information his own. Classifying them in a safe place would surely allow him to learn much more.

  It was time to go back. Jihyeon immediately headed for the stairs. Since the entrance was still chaotic, he could use that moment to go straight home.

  But then, Jihyeon felt someone's gaze. It was the gaze of someone who recognized him.

  "This is a mess."

  Jihyeon said that and cautiously moved to a space where he could fight. Fleeing was over the moment he was discovered.

  It would be better to deal with the person in a suitable place and leave. Fortunately, the building called the cult's main headquarters was quite large, and there was space to fight.

  Jihyeon chose one such location, entered the room, and waited for his opponent.

  A moment later, the opponent arrived and spoke with admiration.

  "Remarkable. Did you deliberately come here? To fight me?"

  Jihyeon said nothing. But the opponent began to speak regardless of Jihyeon's attitude.

  "I have no intention of fighting you. I only came to take you. You are not worthy of possessing the great power. You must return your power to the one with true qualification."

  Jihyeon felt confused by the man who spoke without waiting for his words. The man had clearly recognized him.

  It seemed it didn't matter even though Jihyeon had distorted visible light to conceal his appearance.

  However, he couldn't just be surprised.

  Judging by what the man was saying, he was not normal. Distorted beings, as always, were dangerous.

  "Someone with a tool came to catch me. Am I recognized that much?"

  Jihyeon said with a tinge of sarcasm. But the opponent did not react to his words. Instead, he trembled with anticipation for what he considered his mission.

  It was fanaticism.

  He didn't know what kind of fanaticism it was for, but there seemed no need to explicitly state that it was something he should never get close to.

  "I'd like to decline."

  Jihyeon said that, pulling out a little of his power. It was an electric attack intended to stun the opponent before he could react.

  Stun gun.

  Jihyeon thought he could surely knock the opponent down if he used the power to completely incapacitate him with one hit.

  The attack hit the opponent accurately. The intensity was just right to cause a blackout. Until now, there had not been a single opponent who didn't collapse before it.

  However, Jihyeon soon had to admit that he needed to revise his assumption.

  The opponent's expression was contorted, but he did not collapse. Though he felt pain, he did not fall. Instead, he recovered and spoke to Jihyeon.

  "Electricity? This is the sacred power possessed by the former Leader. I suspected it, and indeed, you must return this power to the rightful owner. It is not a power for a heretic to possess."

  And then, the man took a stance as if to take Jihyeon down with a tackle. The well-executed stance suggested that if Jihyeon were caught, there was a chance he would be surely subdued.

  Jihyeon had no particular feeling about the content of the opponent's words. But he considered it dangerous that the opponent had shown his intention to attack him.

  He probably took that stance because he was confident that he could surely incapacitate Jihyeon.

  Jihyeon began to think about what the best course of action would be. Various ways to incapacitate the opponent without killing him flashed through his mind and disappeared.

  However, a way to subdue the opponent without killing him did not easily come to mind. It was because if he only intended to kill, drawing out the true power of the tool would be enough.

  But was that okay?

  Jihyeon pondered for a brief moment. He knew well that no matter how much power he had, he did not have the right to kill another person.

  "Now. Let's go!"

  As Jihyeon pondered his next move, the opponent charged at him. Taking a defensive posture to protect his head, as if he didn't care about any attack, the man resembled a bull.

  A critical moment.

  For the first time since he gained his power, Jihyeon met the opponent's attack, gripped by the fear that he might actually die.

  Only the flashing light filled the space where the two were.