Everyone has a line that shouldn't be crossed. The moment that line is crossed, nothing that happens is surprising.

  If there was one line Jihyeon absolutely couldn't allow to be crossed, it was his family.

  He would never forgive anyone who threatened his family's safety. That was Jihyeon's ironclad rule now.

  For him, the gangsters showing up at his home was crossing that line.

  To Jihyeon, that act was a threat to his family. Naturally, it was unforgivable and something that had to be utterly crushed.

  Moreover, they caused trouble for his neighbor. How could that sin be described?

  It could even be said that the sin deserved death. There are things you can touch and things you cannot. It's only natural to pay the price for crossing the line.

  Therefore, Jihyeon went to their office.

  What was about to begin was revenge and a warning. Of course, it would be good if they learned a lesson from it, but it didn't matter if they didn't.

  What was important to Jihyeon was that they didn't do anything unnecessary for a while.

  Jihyeon, wearing a mask and a hat to conceal his appearance, manipulated all the CCTVs along his route before starting what was about to happen.

  It was absolutely necessary to prevent any possible pursuit.

  He might be overthinking it, but it didn't matter. Even if it was paranoid, one must be thorough when there is a need to hide oneself.

  "Hoo..."

  Jihyeon lightly exhaled. And then, in silence, he headed toward the gangsters' hideout.

  Since he already knew the location, there was no hesitation in his steps. Knowing their information, he was well aware that now was the best time.

  Isn't it best to sweep them all away when they are gathered? Jihyeon felt a slight surge of excitement imagining what was about to begin.

  "What is it?"

  On the third floor of a dilapidated building.

  There were so-called gatekeepers in front of the gangsters' hideout. Their menacing faces made them highly effective at intimidating people.

  Useful consumables to block unnecessary visitors and serve as meat shields to buy time if necessary.

  Of course, those who survived might get a chance to climb to a higher position, but such people were extremely rare.

  But for fools, this was probably the only hope they had.

  These men had forcibly bulked up for the roughest work. Their big bodies, typical of those who use their fists, were obvious just by looking at them.

  They didn't conceal their ferocity, ready to throw a punch at anyone who crossed them.

  With expressions that always seemed dissatisfied, they were the kind of people no one wanted to deal with.

  Approaching such people head-on would mean one was either exceptionally brave or a madman.

  But Jihyeon was neither.

  Looking at them with contempt, Jihyeon approached without saying a word. Talking to trash that wasn't even worth mixing words with was just a waste.

  Therefore, Jihyeon didn't answer the question.

  Instead, he used his ability. With a momentary flash, all the gatekeepers collapsed.

  It was instantaneous.

  The time it took for them to fall must have been less than a second. They weren't even given time to comprehend the situation, let alone resist.

  All that was left was for them to tremble in some unknown agony.

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  No one died.

  But though there might not be any permanent after-effects, they were experiencing pain they would never want to experience again in this world.

  Direct strike to the nervous system.

  It didn't need to be strong.

  Just enough power to completely incapacitate the opponent. Merely looking at them was enough.

  How to avoid killing them, leaving no after-effects, but only trauma.

  If he didn't have the tool, it might be impossible, but Jihyeon had the power he recovered last time in his body. The cult leader might have used it to kill people, but Jihyeon was different.

  Jihyeon could control the power perfectly, and through it, he could display overwhelming strength.

  But he couldn't be satisfied here.

  The fallen men were just small fries. The real targets were inside. Since they had no protective equipment, Jihyeon could immediately sense how many people were inside.

  Although they had set up a locking tool, it was nothing to Jihyeon.

  Jihyeon glared coldly at the door and opened it. The electronic lock was designed to be difficult to open, but it was completely ineffective against Jihyeon.

  "What? Who are you?"

  A gangster asked in a bewildered voice, seeing Jihyeon enter without a word.

  The voice was filled with confusion.

  When the lock suddenly burst open, no one inside was left unstartled.

  And the person who entered was an unknown man.

  However, the main gangster and his subordinates, who had been through a lot, quickly regained their composure and made no attempt to hide their hostility, realizing the enemy was just one person.

  To them, distinguishing between friend and foe was simple.

  Anyone who showed hostility was an enemy. And Jihyeon, standing without saying a word, was an enemy.

  But Jihyeon didn't react to the gangsters' judgment.

  Instead, there was just a flash.

  Thud

  The sound of people collapsing was heard.

  Just like the gatekeepers, everyone inside collapsed. They were all suffering, uttering incomprehensible sounds.

  It wasn't a particularly dramatic scene. To someone outside the building, it would have looked like someone briefly turned a flashlight on and off inside.

  But that was enough.

  There was no need to do anything more. No words were needed, and no further action was required.

  A single flash was enough.

  All that remained was the cleanup.

  Jihyeon transmitted all the data inside to his phone as a precaution, then destroyed all of it.

  With that, they wouldn't be able to take any action for a while.

  The loss of phone numbers, in particular, would be devastating. Jihyeon knew well that people these days rarely memorized phone numbers.

  If all the backups were destroyed, the business they spoke of would face a huge problem.

  But their business was not legitimate anyway. Was the path of a gangster ever normal?

  Of course, there were some legitimate businesses. But those were just disguises. Illegal activities sometimes require a legal mask.

  Naturally, Jihyeon had no reason whatsoever to forgive such things.

  "Hmm..."

  Jihyeon sighed lightly, turned around once more, and destroyed all electronic devices, including the computers.

  For a while, they wouldn't be able to contact anyone or do anything.

  Once the cleanup was done, Jihyeon started looking for the spoils he should take. Fortunately, he was able to easily retrieve the equipment they had purchased expensively.

  'So this is the tool that neutralizes CCTVs...'

  Jihyeon thought, looking at the very small box. It wasn't a large box.

  But this was real. Jihyeon's ability confirmed that this device not only neutralized CCTVs but also created a veil that even his ability couldn't fully pierce.

  'I wonder if I can absorb this power like the one I absorbed last time?'

  Jihyeon considered the slim possibility. It might be possible. However, he had no intention of confirming it here.

  Instead, Jihyeon put the small box in his pocket and went outside. Of course, he didn't forget to leave a warning message before leaving.

  —Don't bother me again—

  The powerful force, like lightning that destroys everything in a single strike, carved the message by scraping away the wall.

  This would probably give them an excellent lesson. They would now learn that the enemy they faced was no ordinary human.

  Jihyeon checked everything and went outside. This time, he activated the equipment that neutralized CCTVs to hide his presence and move.

  Just like when he arrived, Jihyeon disappeared, leaving behind only the fallen men.

  None of them had external injuries, but a terrible pain dominated their entire bodies. For several hours until they fully recovered, they had to suffer in agony from pain they couldn't experience anywhere else in the world.

  "Interesting. Yes, interesting."

  The gang leader, who heard the news that the office in his territory had been crushed, burst into laughter.

  However, the laughter was cold and filled with murderous intent.

  He was furious.

  How dare someone touch his subordinates? He was already sensitive to such matters as he was scheduled to fight another faction soon.

  But there was no way to deal with it right now.

  The identity of the attacker was unknown. He neutralized the CCTVs, instantly took down all the subordinates, and then vanished.

  It was a challenge directed at him.

  The boss couldn't help but be enraged. He didn't know who did this or why, but he planned to make them pay the price if caught.

  Yet, at the same time, the boss was impressed.

  Not only did the person cleanly finish his objective and disappear, but the fallen subordinates were perfectly subdued without any external injuries.

  That was something ordinary people could not dare to do. But the attacker had done it perfectly.

  It was an achievement too great to be attributed to just one person.

  If he could somehow make this person his own, the skill level was high enough to be considered a proper initiation test.

  Even amidst his fury, the boss couldn't suppress his greed.

  He instinctively felt that if he could make this person his own, no one in the world of the night would be able to touch him.

  Power, money.

  Everything must be manageable within one's capacity. Anything more consumes the person.

  However, sometimes an uncontrollable desire twists people.

  "Find him. Let's see what kind of person he is."

  The boss commanded.

  It was an absolute and mandatory task.

  His subordinates would naturally think of revenge, but the boss had to look a little further ahead.

  Thinking he wanted to see the face of the attacker, the boss smiled cruelly once more.