Lying in the hospital, the Master realized how reckless he had been only when the true pain finally hit him.

  If his subordinate hadn't hit that guy in the back of the head, he would have been the one to die.

  But ultimately, the result was what mattered.

  He survived. And they captured him.

  With just these two facts, the Master felt that his injuries were worthwhile. However, he would now be stuck in the hospital for a while. It would be impossible to run his businesses or do any work.

  "I have terrible luck."

  The Master muttered that in his private room. He had used a familiar route to enter the private room directly from the emergency room.

  His treatment was now largely finished. Thanks to that, all he had to do was rest.

  The Master thought.

  For a while, his businesses and everything else were ruined. It would take quite a long time to recover, and it would take months before he could move properly.

  Of course, his subordinates were not fools, so he would return to the field sooner than expected, but the damage was still too great.

  "Kuh."

  Pain.

  The pain that spread throughout his body during a moment of carelessness made the Master grimace. It was natural, as he had been hit by an unknown force so strong that it was a miracle his bones weren't broken and his internal organs weren't ruptured.

  He had already been given plenty of painkillers.

  But sleep wouldn't come. No, he couldn't sleep. The fuzziness in his head actually made it impossible for the Master to sleep.

  "You're alive, not dead."

  It was then.

  Someone opened the door and entered. Since he had commanded the surviving subordinates to guard the door outside, no strange person would dare to enter.

  But there was one exception.

  Jihyeon didn't care. He was a man with the power to annihilate all the guards and enter if he wanted to.

  "Brat. What is it?"

  The Master asked with a slight hint of welcome. Jihyeon then smiled bitterly and said.

  "I didn't expect this at all. I didn't know something like this would happen. Fortunately, it doesn't look like the worst."

  Jihyeon said that and examined the Master from head to toe. The Master always hated Jihyeon's gaze, but now he just sighed as if he had given up.

  "I have to get revenge, don't I? For my safety, too."

  Jihyeon said that, smiling bitterly. The Master nodded at his words.

  "So are you going? No need for long words anyway."

  Jihyeon nodded at the Master's words.

  "I have to go. Before things get any bigger. Take care of yourself."

  Jihyeon said that and immediately turned away. It seemed there was no need for talk.

  Just by looking, Jihyeon seemed to know everything. The Master felt fear on one hand and reassurance on the other from that sight.

  "Then, I'll properly ask for some revenge."

  The Master said to Jihyeon as he left.

  "I'll charge you extra."

  The Master simply laughed heartily at Jihyeon's words.

  Jihyeon left the hospital, thinking. He needed to hurry.

  If he dragged out the time any longer, he didn't know what the cult would do. The cult seemed to be in an extreme rush.

  Jihyeon didn't intend to drag things out either. He had thought it wouldn't be solved all at once, but now he absolutely had to move.

  Thinking that, someone bowed their head towards Jihyeon as he headed outside. He saw who they were: the Master's subordinates.

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  They looked somewhat intimidated. They were huddled like fight dogs who had tasted defeat.

  They were terrified of the power that defied their common sense. And they were placing their hopes on Jihyeon, a being beyond the norm that they knew.

  Jihyeon was inwardly speechless.

  Just a while ago, they were mutually hostile. Thanks to the Master's generosity, they were now in an uneasy alliance, but Jihyeon might turn them into enemies at any moment if they crossed the line.

  But now, for the Master and his subordinates, Jihyeon was a symbol of hope.

  Jihyeon was the proxy who would carry out their revenge. This was definitely not a pleasant situation for Jihyeon.

  Their gaze was even burdensome.

  Nevertheless, Jihyeon said nothing to them. Instead, he nodded, expressing his intention to fulfill what they were thinking.

  After all, he had to crush the cult for his own survival anyway.

  If their goals aligned, there was no need for awkwardness. Therefore, Jihyeon left without saying a word.

  However, the place Jihyeon headed to was not the cult.

  There was something else he needed to do now. So Jihyeon headed towards the other building where the Master's subordinates were.

  The man who had caused trouble in the Master's office was now tied up. Although he should have immediately gone to the hospital after being hit hard in the head and knocked out, no one cared about that.

  To them, the man was nothing but an enemy. But they couldn't kill him either.

  An unknown power was flowing around the man, who was knocked out from the hit to his head. The moment they tied him to the chair, that power dominated the surroundings.

  Lashing out against that power, which reacted sensitively to hostile actions, was suicidal. That force, which could even break walls, was simply terror.

  In fact, a few foolish ones who tried to kill the man had their arms and legs broken.

  As a result, the remaining people were in fear. All they could do was glare at the man without anyone daring to approach.

  The Master's subordinates were gripped by the fear that they might die when he woke up, not knowing what to do. The restraints they used would probably be undone very easily.

  Yet, they couldn't use guns or anything else. It was a situation where they couldn't do this or that. Then came the lifeline of salvation: Jihyeon.

  "Excuse me for a moment."

  Jihyeon said that immediately upon arrival and walked inside. Although this place was unknown to anyone other than the organization members, Jihyeon walked in naturally, as if he had been part of the organization for a long time.

  But those who already knew of his existence did not interfere with Jihyeon's entrance. Instead, they were watching with expectation, wondering what they would witness as witnesses to what was about to happen.

  As Jihyeon entered, the man just opened his eyes.

  "Heeh..."

  Jihyeon muttered to himself in admiration the moment he saw the man. Like others, the man had the power to perfectly conceal his information.

  It was as if something was preventing only that information from being seen. But for Jihyeon, who had experienced this several times, such a barrier was not a problem.

  "Who are you?"

  The man looked at Jihyeon and asked. He thought the man's condition would be poor after being hit in the head, but surprisingly, the man reacted normally.

  "I suppose I am the person with the power you want."

  Jihyeon introduced himself that way. Simultaneously, the man fully released his power.

  "Quite something..."

  An invisible force was pressing down on Jihyeon's neck. But Jihyeon used his own power to block it.

  "That is not yours to possess. The sacred power that will determine the successor of our cult. That is—Kuk!"

  Jihyeon ignored the man's words and approached. The man looked visibly flustered, perhaps never having dreamed that Jihyeon would approach, disregarding his power.

  "Sorry, but I don't have time for a long story. Whatever you think, from our point of view, you're just a cult."

  Jihyeon said that and placed his hand on the man's body. The man looked at Jihyeon with a tense expression, unsure of what he would do.

  But that expression soon turned to pain.

  "Kuaaaaaak!"

  The man screamed. Pain, which he had never experienced since overcoming the trials of the great ones and becoming the Executive's foremost apostle, flowed through the man's entire body.

  "Phew... Harder than I thought."

  Jihyeon ignored the man's reaction and concentrated on what he had to do.

  He had done this once before. Therefore, Jihyeon used his initial power without hesitation.

  Near-unlimited access to knowledge—and control over the otherworldly tool.

  That was a power none of the cult members possessed. Only Jihyeon could wield that power.

  Although only incomplete fragments had become his, Jihyeon could still perfectly control that power.

  Recalling the memory of the time he absorbed the source of the Leader's power—the otherworldly tool—Jihyeon slowly began to make the man's tool his own.

  He ignored the warning sounds ringing in his head.

  Instead, being careful not to kill the man, Jihyeon began to extract the tool implanted in his body.

  "Kuaaaaaak!"

  The man screamed. He continued to cry out, tormented by the pain no one had ever experienced.

  The uncontrolled power, as much as his screams, destroyed everything around them, but Jihyeon didn't care at all.

  Apart from putting up a minimal barrier to avoid getting hurt himself, Jihyeon focused everything solely on removing the tool.

  Slowly, yet surely, he removed the fragments of the tool clinging to the nerves, changing them into his own.

  This was a surgery that should have been performed by those skilled in such matters.

  However, Jihyeon continued the work based on his experience and the increasing knowledge he gained with every contact with the otherworldly tool.

  "Kuk..."

  The man collapsed, seemingly unable to endure it anymore. And almost simultaneously, Jihyeon took his hand off the man.

  "Phew... That was tough..."

  Jihyeon muttered quietly and sank to the floor. The Master's subordinates behind him looked surprised at his state, but Jihyeon ignored them.

  It would take some time for the new foreign object that had just entered to become his own. It wasn't long, but it was quite a painful moment.

  Grit his teeth, Jihyeon slowly began to turn the new power into his own. The Master's subordinates had no idea what was happening but were simply afraid as the atmosphere inside the room changed.

  "Haa... That hurts like hell."

  Jihyeon complained and got up. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and his hands and feet were trembling.

  But Jihyeon's expression was bright. It was the face of someone who had achieved something.

  "Then, let's talk for a moment. That person will no longer be able to use strange powers."

  Jihyeon said that, addressing the person in charge of the location. Behind him, the man was convulsing, having lost consciousness.