Seok-yeong had been sniped. When Jihyeon heard the news, his blood ran cold.

  Fortunately, he wasn't dead, but he was far from unharmed. He would need at least several months of recovery. The emotion Jihyeon felt upon learning this was pure, unadulterated rage.

  It wasn't just anyone. Seok-yeong was one of the few people Jihyeon could truly call an ally. Jihyeon never tolerated his people getting hurt.

  He would hold whoever was responsible accountable. This wasn't merely for Seok-yeong's revenge. If such a person was out there, it was certain that others around him—including Min-ah—would eventually be targeted as well.

  Jihyeon gnashed his teeth. However, he didn't plan on making a scene by rushing out to find the enemy immediately. Instead, he intended to crush them thoroughly with an absolute advantage in information. For the first time in a while, Jihyeon directed all his abilities toward intelligence gathering.

  His consciousness drifted through the net. He began scouring records that the police normally kept hidden from the public.

  He found a lead faster than expected. Through his vast experience, Jihyeon had developed numerous ways to backtrack even the most careful Tool users.

  CCTV footage held the moment Seok-yeong was shot. Based on that, he calculated the trajectory of the attack. Recalling the capabilities of the sniping Tools he had encountered before, he narrowed down the potential locations.

  The exact spot was soon identified. Now, all that remained was to track the shooter's path away from that point. Jihyeon combed through every nearby camera. It was exhausting work, but he didn't care. He pushed his abilities to their absolute limit.

  And soon, he knew who had caused the incident.

  However, Jihyeon clicked his tongue as he looked into the eyes of the perpetrator through the screen. The eyes of the one who sniped Seok-yeong were not those of a normal person. Nor were they the eyes of someone who had gone berserk.

  They were the eyes of someone being controlled by a device. Equipment that dominates a Tool user. When governed by such a thing, a human ceases to be human.

  "Phew..."

  Jihyeon let out a long sigh. He had experienced this before—specifically, with what had happened to Lee Young.

  The man who twisted Lee Young's fate. The man who brought nightmares to the entire city. The merchant of death who sells Tools—the Loan Shark.

  It seemed he had returned. Jihyeon thought the man had barely escaped the previous crackdown, but he had resurfaced. Sniping Seok-yeong was likely a declaration, a signal announcing his return.

  The Loan Shark was still far from being a normal human being. It was exactly the kind of move expected from a man who acted like the source of a plague, driving ordinary people toward misfortune.

  It was both bad news and good news. The city would fall into chaos again, but this time, Jihyeon could finally deliver judgment. Of course, it wouldn't be easy. The man had fled and caused chaos several times before. Returning to the city now meant he had likely prepared something unthinkable.

  But it didn't matter. Whatever it was, Jihyeon intended to shatter him. Fortunately, Jihyeon was no longer the man he used to be. Not only did he have Ha-hyeon as an ally, but Jihyeon himself had grown incomparably stronger.

  "Let's do this," Jihyeon muttered as he disconnected from the net.

  Tomorrow, he would pass on the information and move the police. Together with them, he would finish the Loan Shark once and for all. It was for Seok-yeong, for himself, and for Lee Young.

  Jihyeon's eyes burned with a rage more intense than ever before. Yet, at the same time, he was colder and more composed than he had ever been.

  "We have a lot to settle with each other..."

  Jihyeon muttered to himself as he washed his face. Then, he closed his eyes. A great battle was waiting. It was time to rest. To fight in peak condition.

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  Jihyeon fell into a deep sleep. He looked like a predator resting before a hunt.

  The day's work was over. Returning to a room hastily contracted in a new city, the Saleswoman collapsed onto the sofa.

  As expected, serving under the Loan Shark was no life for a human. Though her path was already stained with sin, she was finally saying goodbye to a life that had made her heart so heavy.

  That fact made the Saleswoman happy. The feeling of being liberated from that bottomless hell was indescribable. She smiled at the thought.

  She felt no emotion regarding her betrayal of the Loan Shark. He was a man who shouldn't have been alive in the first place. She sometimes thought her brother's condition was a karmic debt for her own actions. Nevertheless, the one who actually laid hands on him was the Loan Shark.

  If she could have killed him, she would have done so long ago. But when her brother was held hostage, the story changed. She had no choice but to follow his orders, watching her brother work like a machine.

  She never knew how long it would last. She had despaired at the fact that she had to work like a slave for his whims. But she had no moves. There were no options left for her. Without her brother, she was just a powerless woman.

  The Loan Shark had talked as if he knew how to cure her brother, who had become a living machine. It was a lie. He knew nothing. In fact, he had caused the damage without a second thought. But the Saleswoman, unable to get close to the truth, had no choice but to trust his words.

  Because of that, he had a hook in her nose.

  She knew no other word to describe the situation back then. She had to live with her weakness held against her. That was perhaps the most terrifying trait of the Loan Shark. He often bluffed, acting as if he possessed things he truly didn't. Bluffs were one of the most important tools in his trades.

  The fate of those who fell for his lies was obvious. It was like wrapping oneself in explosives and jumping into a fire. Yet, she couldn't blame the victims. After all, she was no different.

  She had to use her talents for him to save her brother, who had wandered onto a path of no return after being deceived by a bluff. There was no need to mention how many lives she had ruined in the process. Selling the cheapest Tools meant absolute destruction.

  The Saleswoman couldn't put into words how much she had suffered while selling them. A mountain of karma, as vast as the tears and screams of those people, had piled up upon her.

  However, she never expected that karma would open a new path for her future. Someone had noticed her outstanding sales record and scouted her. Naturally, the Saleswoman accepted the offer.

  Now, she was directly employed by the very source that supplied the Tools. The reason to sacrifice others for the Loan Shark's twisted pleasure had completely vanished. Instead, she only had to work for what her new master wanted. If she did that, her new master would surely heal her brother completely.

  And in fact, the new master had the ability to do so. The Saleswoman had already seen with her own eyes that her brother had regained a small sliver of his reason. There was no reason not to be loyal.

  Her new master, So-young, was much easier to talk to and more generous than she expected. It was also true that she possessed superior technology, as she supplied the Tools directly.

  So-young told her: if she created a more "interesting" situation, she could generate the energy needed to restore her brother in the process. Her brother indeed improved, and the Saleswoman saw for herself that a mysterious power was at work.

  But So-young mentioned that the energy was still insufficient. She apparently needed much more. The reason she scouted the Saleswoman was that the more Tools were sold, the more energy would be generated. It was a high evaluation of the Saleswoman's sales skills.

  The Saleswoman didn't actually know what that "energy" was. She was someone who knew nothing beyond selling. But if she saw results, that was enough. She would do her best to restore her brother.

  Now, the Saleswoman's task was to sell more Tools to the people of the city. Unlike with the Loan Shark, there was no longer a reason to sell the lowest-grade items and force people into a berserk state. So-young didn't want that anymore either.

  Instead, she could sell Tools for daily life—Tools that were safe because they were expensive. The profit margins were high, and they weren't forcibly taken away like before. That fact made her feel a bit more at ease. Aside from the fate of those who went berserk, the Loan Shark had been atrocious in seizing profits. It was pure tyranny.

  But there was no need for that now. Since the Tools didn't cause a berserk state, any problems were the buyer's responsibility, and the money came in reliably.

  The only remaining concern was where to do business. Naturally, it was easier for the Saleswoman to work where she had lived before. But that would be impossible as long as the Loan Shark was there.

  However, So-young seemed to already have a plan.

  "I'll hand over the Loan Shark's position to you later, so for now, focus on selling new products in other cities."

  The words So-young had spoken came back to her. She didn't know if it would truly happen. The Loan Shark still held great power and was a man who would use any cruel means necessary.

  But for now, there was no need to worry about that. The city the Saleswoman was in charge of was not where the Loan Shark was located.

  For now, she would just enjoy this life. Wasn't it enough to earn plenty of money and heal her brother?

  With that thought, the Saleswoman stood up. She was tired, but her heart was much lighter. She had to wash up to work again tomorrow. She had to remove her makeup before sleeping, or her skin would break out. She didn't want that. It was a waste to spend her hard-earned money on treatments.

  And so, the Saleswoman went to wash. There was no longer the heavy weight in her footsteps that there had been before.