The office was filled with silence. It was a stillness born from the fact that the owner of the room was feeling displeased. A few people were present in the office, but none of them possessed a sense of self. They simply performed their tasks and executed orders without a word.

  There was only one man who remained conscious—a man who once worked in the loan shark business and now sold Tools. Those who knew him still called him the "Loan Shark." The man known as the Loan Shark didn't bother to correct them. Since he still practiced moneylending as a side business, it was perhaps only natural.

  The loan shark business had brought the man immense wealth. It had also taught him countless invaluable trade secrets. While those secrets weren't particularly helpful in creating a so-called healthy society, what did that matter? To the Loan Shark, money was the only thing that mattered, both then and now. And to make money, one’s own safety was paramount.

  Money meant nothing if safety wasn't the top priority. Money existed to be spent. But if one's safety wasn't guaranteed, how could one even spend it? Thus, the Loan Shark was obsessed with his safety to a point nearing madness.

  Because of this, he changed his sleeping location every day and used more classical methods to avoid CCTVs. While there were Tools that could bypass CCTVs, using external Tools placed restrictions on the devices used to control other Tool users, so he regretfully had to forgo them.

  For such a man, the recent hunt for sellers was not good news. It was proof that the police weren't just sitting idle. Together with that damn brat in the hood, they had apprehended every seller except for the Loan Shark in a single day. None of them had been able to mount a proper defense. This was likely because the guy in the hood boasted overwhelming strength.

  The strength of the guy in the hood, which had even been broadcast, was no joke. He was an out-of-the-box nightmare. In front of him, even those who had gone beyond a rampage to become something non-human were crushed. Using electricity and telekinesis, he sometimes moved like the wind and at other times withstood attacks that could shatter boulders with his bare body. The Loan Shark wanted to ask how such a non-standard monster even existed. Thanks to him, the Loan Shark had also suffered significant losses.

  The more the city fell into chaos and approached a state of anarchy, the better his business tended to be. But because of that guy, even his own safety was now threatened. The Loan Shark had absolutely zero reason to feel good about that.

  The suppliers also reacted by saying they didn't particularly want to get involved with that guy. If they made up their minds to kill him, it wasn't impossible, but they didn't know how much of their forces they would have to commit to such a task. Furthermore, the supplier sent a message to avoid touching his family unnecessarily. At first, the Loan Shark didn't understand, but he soon nodded after hearing one more thing.

  The limiter on murder.

  What would happen if the guy in the hood lost his family and that limiter was released? Even if he went to prison, as long as he was alive, an opportunity for revenge would surely arise. But what if one died? Then there was nothing. All the past evil deeds would become meaningless. No, being killed would be better. What if he used all his abilities to inflict torture? That was something even the Loan Shark didn't want to think about.

  "What should I do about this?" the Loan Shark muttered, his mouth feeling bitter. Perhaps the prank had gone a bit too far. Because of that, he might have gained too many "fans." He couldn't stay like this forever. He had to consider how to handle things.

  No matter how dangerous it was, he couldn't just keep hiding here. He was like a shark. He was a human who could only breathe by constantly doing business and by breaking others. In terms of being human, he was the worst of the worst. But such people exist in the world. The Loan Shark smiled thinly, thinking of himself as exactly that kind of existence. To survive, he had to think of his own means.

  Moreover, it was time to worry about safety. If safety wasn't secured, ruin was inevitable.

  "Wait, come to think of it, I still have moves left, don't I?"

  The Loan Shark smiled as a cruel thought suddenly occurred to him. As is often the case in the world, a large incident can cover up a small one. If he could divert attention by giving his pursuers a "nice gift," he could set up a new hideout and handle other matters one by one in the meantime.

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  "Thinking back, there are still some guys left..."

  The Loan Shark thought of the organizations that had recently been crushed. They were fools who had crossed the line, intoxicated by the power of the Tools distributed to them without knowing their place. But even such fools were sometimes useful. Especially those idiots dreaming of revenge.

  To use their terms, they had joined organizations to live "cool" lives, and just when they were about to have some fun, they held a grudge against the guy in the hood who had ruined everything. If he egged them on a bit and handed out some Tools, they would surely lead the city into magnificent chaos.

  "I should ask for some 'discards'..."

  There were quite a few Tools that were essentially unusable. It wouldn't be bad to throw the entire city into chaos with those and, if necessary, give the credit to his esteemed supplier. The Loan Shark smiled at the thought.

  It would be fun. It would certainly be fun. It would be very fun. People would die, and in the chaos, he would be able to completely erase his presence. He didn't know if they would actually give permission, but so what? In life, one has to plan and try things first. Thinking that it would be very interesting if permission was granted, the Loan Shark began to flesh out his ideas.

  After the arrest of the Tool dealers, incidents caused by Tools decreased to near zero for a while. Jihyeon considered this a relief. Of course, there was still the Loan Shark who hadn't been caught, but it seemed more time would be needed for him. This was especially true because the Loan Shark seemed to run his own team dedicated to destroying evidence.

  For a while, he would have to focus on finding clues. As Seok-young was doing his best to solve the cases, Jihyeon also had to wait with patience. He was frustrated by the fact that he wanted to make them pay immediately but couldn't. Jihyeon could never forgive the Loan Shark.

  However, dealing with someone who hid themselves as obsessively as Jihyeon himself was no easy task. Thorough operation through point organizations. And the operation of firewalls and information protection based on technology from another world rather than local technology. Jihyeon clicked his tongue at that thoroughness and had to admit one fact: the Loan Shark couldn't be caught easily, but he was someone Jihyeon had to track down and catch until the very end. No matter how long it took.

  Still, when there are no immediate incidents, a person finds some breathing room. Jihyeon, like Seok-young, considered it a relief that he had a bit of a break. It's during such moments of leisure that one can research things. Jihyeon spent his time looking for ways to save those sacrificed by Tools and equipment. Of course, he knew that what he was doing might not be perfect and would have its limits. Nevertheless, there are things that simply must be done.

  The girl who was a sniper.

  Choi I-young.

  An orphan who lost her family and a victim of school violence. A child whose life had been twisted and who suffered because of debts that weren't even hers. Because he knew her past, Jihyeon tried to save I-young. Perhaps it was out of a sense of kinship, knowing that he might have faced a similar fate if things had gone wrong.

  However, the only thing he could do right now was visit her. Anything beyond that was impossible for Jihyeon. Visiting her again today, Jihyeon left the hospital, brooding over his helplessness.

  "Phew... Come to think of it, Min-a called me today."

  Suffocation weighed down on Jihyeon, but he couldn't remain tied only to that. Jihyeon didn't forget that Min-a had called him and headed to the meeting place. The meeting place today was none other than a coffee shop. It was where they always met. Taking off his hood and putting it in his bag, Jihyeon went to meet Min-a, hiding himself like an ordinary person.

  "Did you go there again today?"

  Min-a, who was waiting at the meeting place first, asked as she saw Jihyeon arrive. Jihyeon could only give a bitter smile at the fact that she seemed to know everything already.

  "I can't help it. She's a teenager. I don't have to care, but since I've learned everything, I can't help but feel for her."

  At Jihyeon's words, Min-a wore a sad smile. Of course, she knew well that Jihyeon wasn't doing this out of romantic affection for the girl named I-young. Nevertheless, her heart couldn't help but feel complicated.

  "Don't worry too much. I don't lay a hand on minors."

  Jihyeon spoke, hoping Min-a wouldn't take things too seriously. Because of the content about him she saw in the community, she was worrying a lot. Of course, it was close to meddling, but the feeling of someone who wasn't family directly worrying about him wasn't entirely bad. That was likely why Jihyeon hoped Min-a wouldn't worry too much. So, he tried to change the atmosphere slightly with some idle talk.

  "You're not that kind of person anyway. And I know why you're doing it..."

  Min-a's voice trailed off. Jihyeon let out a short sigh. It seemed she was indeed very worried. Added to that was likely a mix of jealousy, but Jihyeon knew well that he wasn't in a position to speak on that.

  "It's unavoidable. If bad guys didn't do bad things, this wouldn't happen. Still, I know well that you're always thinking of me..."

  Jihyeon started to speak, watching Min-a's reaction. At his words, Min-a's face turned red despite herself.

  "Sigh... You really... Don't worry too much. And... thank you."

  Jihyeon said as he drank his coffee in silence. Min-a, her face bright red, also simply drank her coffee.