The man who charged with the momentum of a bull was clearly dangerous. The man's movement was so threatening that confronting him head-on might require preparing for a broken bone or two.

  Not only the timing but his strength was also off the charts.

  The force was strong enough to break the ribs of an ordinary person. It was closer to killing the opponent than subduing them.

  However, such an excessively honest and linear attack did not work on Jihyeon. Even without information about the opponent's ability itself, it didn't matter.

  Jihyeon merely drew upon a part of his knowledge to counter him. The momentum with which the opponent charged at him was certainly enough to make even Jihyeon feel the fear of death, but it stopped right there.

  The opponent, in a sense, did not know proper fighting. He merely utilized the power he possessed and a small amount of combat knowledge.

  What someone had taught him might be very effective at subduing people.

  However, for Jihyeon, it was not something that was impossible to deal with.

  Jujutsu—the knowledge of martial arts represented by Hapkido—was the most suitable countermeasure for dealing with such a rash opponent.

  "If I can use the opponent's power, there's no need for me to be stronger."

  Jihyeon muttered that and deflected the charge. That was the end of it. Even without a head-on clash of strength, merely moving his body as intended was enough to incapacitate the opponent.

  KWAANG!

  The charge towards Jihyeon missed.

  And the opponent slammed right into the wall. However, that was entirely due to the opponent's own force.

  The moment the basic premise of catching and throwing collapsed, his failure was already certain.

  But he seemed incredibly tough, as he tried to get up again. If this turned into a protracted battle, Jihyeon would ultimately be at a disadvantage. Originally, he had planned to just lightly stun him, but since things had come to this, Jihyeon decided to exercise his power more forcefully.

  "Annoying, but..."

  Jihyeon said that and used his power in a slightly different way this time. A flash of light burst from both his hands and immediately turned into a long whip that flew towards the opponent.

  Jihyeon already knew that it was impossible to knock the opponent down with an electric shock. That way would have caused the least pain, fewer aftereffects, and easier cleanup.

  But it was a different story for the opponent, who only felt a little pain even after being hit with enough force to cause a heart attack.

  And attempting to increase the voltage to forcefully stun him was dangerous. No matter how strong the opponent was, if he did that, it would be one of two things:

  Enduring it, or dying.

  50/50.

  Such a gamble was not to Jihyeon's taste. And Jihyeon did not want to see a person die by his hand. Jihyeon knew well that once he killed someone, he might stray onto a path from which he could never return.

  He had seen in so much history that the beginning of countless downfalls started with murder.

  Instead, what he chose was pure physical force.

  The tool used by the former Leader was known as one that controlled electricity, but in reality, it was a tool that materialized power itself.

  No one, except Jihyeon, correctly recognized that difference.

  Naturally, materializing power itself meant that it could inflict damage regardless of grounding facilities and could electrocute the opponent while ignoring lightning rods.

  This time, he chose the best method to take down an opponent who could withstand an electrical attack even in peak condition.

  "Take a good rest."

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  Jihyeon muttered that and released his power. A flash of light instantly filled the entire space.

  Simultaneously, the released power accurately struck a vital point on the man in front of Jihyeon. No one could remain unscathed after being attacked there.

  The target was to stun.

  Aiming for a spot that would certainly incapacitate the opponent, even without special external wounds, Jihyeon attacked with just the necessary amount of force.

  "Kuuh..."

  The opponent groaned, indicating the attack landed properly. If he collapsed just like that, Jihyeon would have nothing more to wish for.

  But the opponent seemed much tougher than expected.

  "I didn't expect you to get up..."

  Jihyeon muttered in disbelief, watching him slowly rising. No one should be able to get up from an attack of that intensity.

  However, the opponent was also formidable. He slowly rose, his expression showing confidence that an attack of this level would never be able to take him down.

  "I am more surprised. Your power is certainly enough to take down an ordinary person."

  Jihyeon looked at the man smiling at him with a bewildered expression. He was definitely strengthened by the tool's power. It was probably incredible resilience and superhuman strength.

  It would certainly not be easy to win through normal means.

  "Haa..."

  A sigh escaped him. Dealing with such an opponent was indeed bothersome. Therefore, Jihyeon decided to consider other possibilities.

  "A head-on confrontation is out..."

  If he wanted to kill, he could win unilaterally at any time. Jihyeon definitely had that power. If push came to shove, he could even keep using his power until the opponent was incapacitated.

  However, he wanted to avoid that.

  He knew that if he overused his power, Jihyeon himself might be consumed by the tool's darkness.

  "Then there is only one way..."

  Jihyeon muttered that and briefly looked around. Unfortunately, there wasn't much useful material here.

  It seemed to be a place originally used as an auditorium, and all it contained were many chairs. It wouldn't be easy to do anything with them.

  However, Jihyeon's expression changed when he spotted something. What was in his line of sight was none other than a microphone.

  The moment he saw the microphone, a slightly mean prank came to Jihyeon's mind. It might not work, but it was still worth a try.

  "Just in case, though."

  Jihyeon muttered that and suddenly shouted loudly at the opponent.

  "W-What are you doing?"

  The opponent covered his ears at Jihyeon's sudden shout. The moment he saw that, Jihyeon was sure of his victory.

  "Sorry, but hang in there even if it's painful!"

  Jihyeon said that and used his power to bring the microphone over. Then, he let out a sound slightly louder than the previous shout. It was a noise level that made the ears hurt a bit, but still tolerable for an ordinary person.

  Of course, he didn't forget to make the sound deliberately unpleasant.

  "Kuuuuugh!"

  It was exactly as he expected.

  Jihyeon's opponent clutched his ears and collapsed. It seemed fatal for someone with heightened senses, as he was trembling, which looked slightly dangerous.

  But Jihyeon did not approach. Instead, he just observed the opponent's condition from a distance. Seeing the man trembling as if having a seizure, Jihyeon felt the fight was over.

  The joy of victory satisfied him. But on the other hand, Jihyeon felt exhausted, realizing how dangerous this fight had been.

  He was a difficult opponent.

  The fact that his toughness and strength were enhanced meant he was an enemy whom ordinary attacks would not affect at all.

  A head-on confrontation was impossible.

  Jihyeon could cleave a rock with one blow if he was truly determined, but since he couldn't use that against a person, it was natural. The difficulty increased because crossing the line was something he must never do.

  But was he truly invincible? What about his other senses?

  The moment Jihyeon saw the microphone, he considered the possibility: that the strengthening of his toughness might be offset by a hypersensitivity of his other five senses.

  If so, it was worth experimenting. And confirming the hypothesis, he finished everything with a decisive blow.

  It was certainly a triumph, if one could call it that. But it wouldn't work again next time, so if they ever clashed again, he would have to find another method.

  Still, since the opponent was no longer a threat, he seemed safe to go back now. Jihyeon cautiously backed away, preparing to leave.

  The opponent still wasn't moving. Seeing that, Jihyeon felt a little sorry for him. But a fight had to be merciless.

  "Sorry, but... I can't die either."

  Making an apology that wasn't really an apology, Jihyeon turned and left. Having confirmed that the opponent could no longer move, there was no reason to stay here any longer.

  The door closed, and only one man remained. He was discovered later, after some time had passed.

  Returning home, Jihyeon instinctively felt that the work ahead would become even harder.

  Of course, he didn't think he would necessarily lose just because those people existed, but he had to accept that this would be a different kind of fight than those against people without tools.

  The opponent he fought today, as well as the guys who raided the Master's office, were the same.

  Ordinary people would never be able to handle them.

  "Perhaps the other side..."

  Jihyeon was now certain. The cult had become a military force that ordinary people could not confront.

  Perhaps, if they set their minds to it, they could even shake the country. But who and why were they doing this?

  The purpose of a cult should ultimately be something material, like money.

  "I just don't know..."

  Jihyeon muttered that, smiling bitterly. Everyone could infer that they were doing this because they wanted something, but anything beyond that was completely untraceable.

  "Let's sort this out first."

  Jihyeon stopped thinking and muttered. It was time to organize the information he had secured today in his mind. As he searched and organized the data, his thoughts might move in a new direction.

  Lying down quietly as if asleep, Jihyeon began to organize the data he had checked. Some of it was related to the cult's darkness itself.

  Even those things would surely help mobilize the police later. But deeper information was less visible than expected.

  However, Jihyeon soon realized. The fact that this was no longer the main base. It was just a public space, and the real one was in another area.

  "Do I have to go there..."

  Jihyeon sighed, thinking things had just become more troublesome.