One-sided violence.

  There was no other way to describe the fight unfolding before their eyes. The hooded man, wielding a lash of lightning, mercilessly attacked the being that had become an aberrant entity.

  Time and again, the aberrant being was flung aside by the lightning whip. It was slammed into the ground and smashed against walls.

  To an ordinary observer, this might have been called excessive. A single strike possessed enough power to kill a normal person instantly.

  Yet, despite this, the people did not protest against the hooded man. Instead, they cheered for the one-sided violence.

  This was because, despite being attacked repeatedly, the aberrant being continued to snarl, its combat instinct burning as if ready to pounce at any moment.

  It was self-evident whose neck those teeth and claws would target if it weren't brought down.

  When the hooded man first appeared, people were simply in awe. His mere presence shifted the atmosphere of the place.

  When the creature transformed into its aberrant shape, the shock was profound. It was a fragment of unreality that no one could have imagined.

  It was something resembling a wolf. Perhaps a legend made flesh.

  A werewolf.

  An image born from the ancient fear of the wolf—humanity's greatest rival and competitor of the past. But people had always thought of such things as existing only in legends. Something that couldn't possibly exist in reality.

  Yet, the people here were witnessing that very legend manifest in reality. Ordinarily, it would have been the shape of a nightmare.

  But in front of the hooded man of recent rumors, the nightmare was no longer a nightmare.

  Dressed in ordinary clothes but with his face firmly hidden, the hero appeared suddenly and fought against evil. It felt like witnessing a scene from a movie. People were excited, and the battle was now heading toward its climax.

  Of course, a grand struggle between two sides might not have been bad to watch. However, if one were truly swept up in such a fight, it would be difficult even to recover a whole corpse. A one-sided battle where good defeated evil was much easier on the heart.

  Or perhaps, despite that, a sense of anxiety lingered.

  If the aberrant being collapsed under the one-sided assault, everything would be fine. But the evil did not break even under the hero's attacks. It was exposed to lethal blows multiple times, yet it seemed entirely indifferent.

  With bared teeth and eyes brimming with hostility, the nightmare looked ready to tear out the hooded man’s throat the moment an opening appeared. Those watching couldn't help but shudder at that gaze.

  Still, for now, it was okay.

  Though they should have run away, those who couldn't miss this spectacle remained, forgetting the danger as they continued to watch the fight. If this one-sided violence continued, they would eventually see it.

  The victory of the hero. And the defeat of evil.

  But sometimes, reality denied the sight people wanted to see.

  Bang!

  The sound of a gunshot. A small explosion. And a brilliant light that blinded everyone.

  When people opened their eyes again, the aberrant being had vanished. The hooded man appeared unharmed, but he turned toward the source of the attack with a gaze filled with rage.

  However, he did not stay there long.

  "Huh?"

  Someone cried out in confusion. Like fading smoke, the hooded man disappeared. All that remained were the traces of destruction.

  Through them, the people realized that what they had seen was not a lie. But at the same time, they felt fear. They had witnessed that the world had now become a battlefield for beings who transcended human limits.

  In a state of slight terror, the people stood dazed for a while, staring at the remnants of the battle.

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  He wasn't dead.

  There was no way Jihyeon would be taken down by something like that. However, Jihyeon couldn't hide his complicated feelings about the fact that he had failed to strike the being down.

  It seemed another player had intervened. It was undoubtedly someone connected to that aberrant creature.

  Jihyeon thought he had experienced something quite interesting. But the other side must have learned something this time as well: that there are those in this world who cannot be defeated by a mere sniper. The one who attacked likely didn't know that Jihyeon was constantly protecting himself with telekinesis.

  Had he truly intended to kill the aberrant being with all his might, Jihyeon might have briefly turned off the telekinesis protecting him. If he had, he would be dead right now. He hadn't realized his habit of always leaving a final line of defense would be this helpful.

  But that habit would continue. Perhaps forever.

  That aside, Jihyeon felt a slight doubt as to why the enemy did not attack again. Of course, it wasn't particularly strange. It might have been because the order was to rescue the creature rather than to kill Jihyeon. They surely knew that if Jihyeon got serious, their tricks wouldn't work twice.

  If Jihyeon truly used his full power, finding a hidden sniper was not difficult at all. And there was no future for a sniper discovered by an enemy.

  The enemy was wise. To be precise, it would be correct to say the one giving the orders was wise. They must have ordered the sniper to retreat immediately if they couldn't take him down in one shot.

  As a result, Jihyeon was forced to simply watch the aberrant being escape, unable to do anything. It was an inevitable result, as he had momentarily lost his sight and had no choice but to protect himself.

  In a way, it was an unbearable humiliation. He couldn't forgive them for playing him like this.

  "Damn it..."

  Muttering a short curse, Jihyeon let out a sigh. He was angry. But he couldn't act on emotion alone. Only by accepting failure and defeat can one move forward.

  Thus, Jihyeon suppressed his emotions and thought of what he had to do now. First, track the aberrant being.

  But that wouldn't be easy. If he showed himself recklessly here, another sniper shot might come flying. The opponent was definitely a Tool User. Jihyeon had tried to find them after the initial attack but failed, which was proof enough.

  He had no choice but to prioritize his own safety. Against a sniper using tools, they would be able to find him even if Jihyeon concealed himself with a tool that hid from CCTV. Playing around against such a person was a suicidal act.

  "Tch..."

  Clicking his tongue, Jihyeon carefully avoided any potential snipers and climbed the tallest building in the city. From there, he intended to use all of his abilities to find the sniper and the aberrant being.

  But the enemies had already completely vanished. Even the aberrant being had hidden in a place that Jihyeon's abilities could not reach.

  "Son of a... they really planned this to screw with me."

  Jihyeon didn't hide his rage toward the enemy who had managed to land a solid blow. But he couldn't deny the fact that, resultantly, he had failed.

  Still, he had learned that he could definitely handle the aberrant being if it showed itself again. Vowing not to miss next time, Jihyeon withdrew.

  The man ran until he reached a place where no one was around. His aberrant body, reacting to survival instincts, allowed him to run at a speed far exceeding that of a human.

  He couldn't miss the chance. To survive, he had to run no matter what. He ran even ignoring the orders given to him.

  And when he reached a dead-end alley, the man returned to his original form. At the same moment, the man collapsed.

  He had no more stamina. He wanted to move, but he was starving. In this state, he could do nothing.

  There was something he had to do. Although he had fled according to survival instincts, he had to return to work once his stamina recovered. He didn't even know what it was, but it was something he had to do.

  To do that, he had to move. But he was hungry. He had to eat something.

  But there was no food. He had to hunt and eat something, but the fact that he couldn't was agonizing. But why did he have to eat?

  The man's head spun. He wanted revenge on the one who tried to crush him with overwhelming power, but he was hungry. He didn't even have the strength to hunt.

  All that remained was the fact that he might starve to death like this.

  Hungry. No strength. His consciousness slowly faded. The man felt himself coming to an end. He shouldn't die like this, he couldn't die, yet death approached him.

  It was then.

  Something entered his mouth. It was a liquid with a sweet taste. The man's tongue moved. And by licking it, he began to regain consciousness just a little.

  "@#@#@#@#@#@#"

  The one putting something in his mouth was saying something, but the man couldn't understand it. However, the man knew that if he attacked the opponent, he wouldn't be able to get this food.

  Therefore, without any hostile action, the man focused on eating the sweet liquid being put into his mouth.

  "!@!@!#$!@#!#$@@"

  The opponent spoke unintelligible words again. But the man didn't care. He simply focused on licking and eating the sweet liquid leaking from what had been dropped on the ground.

  The man continued to lick it until a certain amount of strength returned. The opponent sighed at the sight. The man didn't know why. But when the opponent gave him another piece of food, the man simply focused on eating it.

  His stomach was somewhat full. The man felt like he could stand up. But he hadn't fully recovered yet.

  What remained after the transformation wore off was agonizing pain. He hadn't felt it while in his aberrant form. But the impact of the attacks had steadily accumulated.

  "Ugh..."

  The sound leaking from his mouth was an expression of pain. As his senses began to wake up, the man slowly started to feel fear.

  How much would it hurt? How painful would it be? He was afraid. He just wanted to sleep without thinking about anything. Come to think of it, his body was getting hot.

  He could just leave it to his instincts. Suddenly, he didn't want to think about anything. His stomach was full and his body hurt, so he should just sleep.

  His eyes closed. The man did not resist the sleepiness. Showing an unexplainable sense of trust in the one who had given him food, the man closed his eyes.

  Drowsiness overtook him in an instant. The last thing the man remembered was the fact that someone was carrying him away. But why would that matter?

  In perfect darkness, the man's consciousness melted away.