Unless one can fly, humans are ultimately bound to walk upon the earth with two legs.

  It was a simple truth. Without any other special abilities, pushing off the ground to move forward is the fundamental method of human locomotion.

  If so, it was hardly strange that one could hinder movement by obliterating the ground that must be stepped upon. How many people suffer major injuries simply by failing to watch their step and misplacing a foot?

  Needless to say, if the ground itself vanished the moment a foot was planted, the results would be catastrophic. Falling forward would be a mercy; the mere thought of the impact on ankles and knees was enough to make one shudder.

  For an opponent capable of moving at speeds exceeding human limits, this would be a fatal blow.

  If he could use his power with absolute precision, he could surely neutralize the opponent completely.

  Jihyeon knew this was his only path to victory. Given his own reaction speed, there was no other answer.

  However, theory is easy; practice is another matter. Without sufficient grit and perfect timing, it would remain nothing more than academic speculation.

  The crux of the matter was whether he could actually execute it. If he was too fast, the opponent would simply dodge. If he was too slow, Jihyeon would be forced to allow an attack.

  And if he allowed an attack, defeat was certain.

  In the best case, he would be knocked unconscious; in the worst, he had to be prepared for death. At a time when he had to face a larger conspiracy, it would be indescribably hollow for everything to end like this.

  Of course, that was not what Jihyeon wanted.

  While he couldn't win every time, he believed it was not his destiny to be defeated in such a manner.

  He steadied his breathing and waited for the moment.

  Just once.

  He would create a barrier strong enough to block the enemy's attack exactly once, and then pour all his remaining focus into this single strike.

  It was a gamble.

  Though it was only one attack, for an ordinary person, it would likely be fatal. A punch with that much velocity behind it could easily shatter a human skull.

  If he focused entirely on defense, enduring wouldn't be a problem. But that would only drag the fight out, and if more of their comrades appeared, Jihyeon would be the one in trouble.

  "Phew..."

  Jihyeon felt himself trembling. It was unavoidable, given the razor-thin margin of the upcoming confrontation.

  One mistake, and he dies.

  But if he succeeded, he could neutralize the opponent without killing him. Injuries were inevitable, but that wouldn't have been an issue if they hadn't attacked Jihyeon in the first place.

  Fortunately, the man in charge of defense remained stationary. If he had been constantly harassing Jihyeon, this kind of tactic might have been impossible.

  However, they ultimately could not overcome their own limitations.

  One was a moving fortress, and the other was a high-speed striker.

  As long as they were bound by set rules, they would never deviate from them. Thus, Jihyeon staked his chances of victory there.

  He approaches.

  The opponent knew the exact reach of the electrical whip Jihyeon had swung several times to keep his distance.

  He had already calculated the limits of the attack. He knew well that the moment Jihyeon swung next, that gap would be the moment of decision.

  Jihyeon deliberately swung the electrical whip with weakness. And the moment the flash skimmed the ground, the opponent charged in. He likely viewed this strike as a mere attempt to maintain distance.

  But they didn't know.

  They didn't realize Jihyeon's power was not merely flashing electricity. In reality, the whip he swung was still exerting its influence on the ground.

  Though nearly invisible to the opponent's eyes, the electrical whip lay on the floor like a planted mine. The moment he stepped over it was the crossroads of victory and defeat.

  Focusing his consciousness to react at a speed momentarily equal to his opponent, Jihyeon activated the whip exactly before the man's foot could land.

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  The opponent might be faster than Jihyeon, but at this distance, the power of electricity was far swifter than his movements.

  In an instant, a force equivalent to a lightning bolt cleaving a bronze statue shattered the ground.

  Simultaneously, the opponent's foot went directly into the pulverized earth.

  "W-What?!"

  The opponent could not hide his bewilderment. He clearly hadn't expected to experience the ground vanishing beneath him the moment he thought he had successfully moved in.

  But it was already too late. The leg that had plunged downward the moment it tried to find purchase became the source of agony.

  "Aaaaaagh!"

  No matter how reinforced one's musculoskeletal system might be, few could endure all that momentum concentrated into a single leg.

  Even a simple fall would have caused a major injury.

  His specialty—extreme speed—offered no help in this situation. On the contrary, it multiplied the injury several times over. As that extreme velocity transformed into damage, the bones and muscles of his ankle, knee, calf, and thigh screamed in agony.

  All that remained was a neutralized man. Unable to withstand the pain radiating from his leg, he lost consciousness on the spot.

  Even if he were to wake, his leg would likely be in a state too gruesome to look at. Despite him being an enemy, Jihyeon couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

  But it wasn't over yet.

  "You bastard!"

  Seeing his comrade fall, the man with the defense-boosting tool shouted in a rage-filled voice and charged.

  To stay still while a comrade was taken down would be the ultimate humiliation. To him, the partner who had received a tool alongside him was more precious than anyone.

  So, he moved for revenge. He moved to strike Jihyeon down, regardless of the consequences.

  However, Jihyeon knew well that while using his ability, the man couldn't even walk properly. While his comrade was still active, the most he could do was approach very slowly.

  He looked like someone carrying a massive weight. The sheer amount of physical energy required to take a single step forward was beyond words.

  But that implied an equivalent exchange.

  High defense and low mobility meant the reverse was also true.

  To reach Jihyeon and even attempt a punch, the enemy had to release his ability. For those using low-grade tools, resisting instantaneous impulses was difficult.

  Instead, because of that, he was able to approach faster than before. In his eyes, there was only the sight of Jihyeon bringing down his comrade.

  It was no different from abandoning his own strength.

  Jihyeon was accustomed to dealing with such people. When one surrenders everything to emotion and fails to utilize their strengths, only defeat remains.

  Caught in his rage like a wild boar, the man rushed at Jihyeon at his maximum possible speed.

  Had he stopped using his ability and simply sprinted, it might have been more dangerous. The distance wasn't that great, and if he had simply pushed forward with momentum, Jihyeon might have been momentarily flustered.

  But the opponent didn't abandon his ability entirely. Nor did he run particularly fast.

  To Jihyeon, who had just been fighting an opponent moving with superhuman speed, this pace was barely different from standing still. Attacking him was now far too easy.

  "Argh!"

  A scream rang out. It was the signal of defeat.

  Jihyeon simply moved the electrical whip he had created without the slightest tremor.

  He aimed for the back of the opponent's neck.

  If the man had given up movement and utilized his full ability, he might have protected his entire body, but the moment he chose to move, his defense was as good as gone.

  With a physical force sufficient to knock a person out, combined with an electric shock, nothing remained but defeat.

  "Ugh..."

  Under the surgical strike, the opponent collapsed. His body spasmed slightly, signifying that the electrical attack was more intense than his defense.

  But it wasn't enough to kill. He would likely wake up in a few hours.

  Victory.

  Jihyeon felt satisfied with the fact that he had won a difficult fight. But not everything was finished yet.

  The fatigue that followed the release of tension urged Jihyeon to rest, but he did not.

  Instead, Jihyeon cautiously approached the fallen opponents. It wasn't for the purpose of medical treatment.

  Rather, this was another punishment to be inflicted upon them. But it was a result that wouldn't have happened if they hadn't come after Jihyeon.

  Since this was the consequence of their own actions, whom could they blame? Jihyeon thought as he focused his mind.

  Then, with the delicacy of a surgeon, he began to dismantle the two tools from their bodies, controlling his power with precision.

  "I suppose low-grade items are simple enough..."

  Jihyeon muttered after expertly extracting the two tools. Fortunately, they hadn't used the tools for long, so there seemed to be no side effects other than a period of lethargy.

  However, the injuries sustained in battle were unavoidable. Jihyeon had no intention of worrying about that.

  Still, he had done all he could by using their phones to contact someone to come pick them up.

  "The question now is what to do with these two tools..."

  Jihyeon muttered, putting the newly acquired tools in his pocket. These would now become subjects for his experiments.

  If things went as planned, they would be a great help in his future use of tool abilities.

  "Hmm... I see."

  After recovering the tools, Jihyeon secured a wealth of information from the two men. All the data they wanted to hide was now Jihyeon’s, as they no longer had their tools.

  Once he had secured all the necessary information, Jihyeon turned away without hesitation. Instead of the satisfaction of victory, the unpleasantness of the newly gained information weighed heavily on him.

  This entire fight was already being watched by someone. In a way Jihyeon did not yet understand.

  Jihyeon’s footsteps as he descended were filled with dissatisfaction, thinking he had been outmaneuvered. It was the sting of defeat that a small victory could not compare to.

  Failure.

  And defeat.

  Accepting that fact was not particularly pleasant. However, considering it was a test to gauge the opponent's strength from the beginning, it was an acceptable result.

  "Hmm... Good application. Not bad."

  So-young watched the entire process from within her car. She felt a significant amount of interest in Jihyeon's combat style.

  Of course, that didn't mean she intended to leave Jihyeon alone. He was clearly an opponent that had to be brought down. However, it seemed she would need to think more about how to proceed.

  "What to do..."

  So-young said with a peculiar expression. Jihyeon had surely realized he was being monitored. And he would likely prepare an incredibly dense surveillance network of his own.

  The invisible war between them had now begun. Thinking it would be a difficult struggle, So-young simply let out a sigh.

  A fight where she held little advantage. Feeling the daunting weight of a challenge she had never faced before, So-young started her car and returned to her office.