---

Cheonhoobang.

One of the three major forces that dominate the underworld of mainland China.

In today’s world, where the overall combat power has been elevated due to the returnees, it’s only natural that criminal organizations are eager to recruit returnees.

Among them, particularly in Korea and China, due to the government’s stringent psychic ability regulations, many returnees have stepped into the underworld to acquire wealth and power on their own. The rigorous regulations intended for public safety have had the opposite effect.

Thus,

Even if it’s a foreign branch rather than the mainland, Cheonhoobang’s Incheon branch is filled with notable figures.

Let alone the doorman guarding the branch’s front gate—there’s no need to mention it.

“Hm.”

The name of the doorman standing that day was Wang Qian.

His long hair and beard, which looked like they were plucked from a movie set, along with his extravagant gown.

These were all markers of which world Wang Qian hailed from as a returnee and how proud he was of his background.

Being a doorman for a long time could become tedious, yet not a hint of weariness showed on Wang Qian. With sharp, hawk-like eyes, he scanned every passerby, assessing anyone who might seem suspicious even slightly.

“Hmm?”

And then, his radar reacted.

A man was plodding towards him from a distance.

At first glance, with unkempt hair and a scruffy beard, he looked like a beggar approaching for a handout.

However, his gait was overly assertive. His eyes were fixed straight ahead at Wang Qian. It was clear he had some objective in mind.

‘He doesn’t look particularly strong.’

Using his ability, Wang Qian sensed the man’s background.

However, it was nothing noteworthy. The term ‘first-rate’ felt like an overstatement. He seemed like someone who had merely stumbled upon a rare technique and learned martial arts by luck.

“Stop right there. If you come any closer, I won’t hold back.”

But Wang Qian didn’t ease his guard. There’s a saying, isn’t there? In the martial world, be wary of the elderly and children.

The gist was that one should never be complacent. Indeed, the seemingly unimpressive man, despite Wang Qian’s warning, boldly advanced a few steps.

“What’s your business? If you’re messing around, I’ll slice you up.”

Wang Qian placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Though not complacent, the man looked so lackluster it was laughable.

“This is your last warning. If you don’t step back willingly—”

“How polite for a criminal organization. You could give a hotel front desk a run for its money!”

“Get lost!!!”

Unable to tolerate it any longer, Wang Qian struck with speed akin to a whirlwind.

“I warned you! You brought this upon yourself!”

The power in his sword, the posture and speed with which he swung—everything was flawless, a display of a top-tier martial artist.

-Wham!!

Yet, in the next moment, an astonishingly intense aura erupted from the man before Wang Qian. It was as if a dam holding back a torrent of water had been broken.

“Huh?”

A peak master? No, certainly something beyond that—

-Thunk!!

“W-What?!”

Before he could register anything, Wang Qian felt a fist jab into his solar plexus, and his body slumped down.

If Wang Qian’s sword was a tempest, this man’s fist was pure lightning.

The attack not only went unseen, but his bragged-about techniques were never even given the chance to make an appearance.

With his feelings of indignation, he managed to reach out, but the man barely even glanced at him as he passed by.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

The man who had bypassed the doorman, Kwon Tae-ho, opened the door and entered.

“Hey? Who are you!”

“Chen must be here, but how—”

One by one, tension began to surface on the faces of those in the first-floor lobby.

On the way to the branch building, he had suppressed his presence to avoid drawing attention. However, now inside the concealed building, there was no need to hold back.

As they saw Kwon Tae-ho revealing his true power, the members of the organization gauged his strength in their various ways.

Those skilled in martial arts sensed the deep aura emanating from him.

Those proficient in magic felt the storm of magical energy swirling from his heart.

Those awakened to psychic abilities felt the immense flow of psychic energy surrounding his entire body.

Although everyone’s methods of gauging differed, they all quickly understood. The man before them was anything but an easy opponent. And he had come here to confront them.

“…Who are you?!”

To a man who barely managed to ask, Kwon Tae-ho answered by pulling out his executor’s license from his pocket.

“An executor? What’s an executor doing here?!”

“Wait, Kwon Tae-ho? Don’t tell me—”

Just because they were an organization from Chinatown didn’t mean they were oblivious to news from the outside. After all, Chinatown was merely a foothold; their criminal activities had spread nationwide.

Thus, they deeply understood what the name Kwon Tae-ho signified.

Had someone not said it before? If you want to live peacefully in the underworld, never get involved with an executor. Especially Kwon Tae-ho—if you ever ran into him, just don’t look back and run!

But unfortunately, this was their base. There was no place to run, and they couldn’t escape either.

“By the authority of the executor, I’m conducting an enforced investigation of this building from now on. No one can leave, and no one should attempt to escape until the investigation is complete. You’re welcome to resist as much as you want. If you can, that is.”

His calm voice delivering a death sentence.

As they silently raised their fists, the organization members steeled themselves for a desperate struggle.

“D-Damn…!”

“What are you all doing? It’s just one guy!”

“Tell the others upstairs to come down quickly!”

“Let’s take him out!!”

“Uwaaaah!!”

Even as he watched the members rushing in from all directions, Kwon Tae-ho exuded an air of confidence.

‘Alright, I’ve definitely attracted the attention.’

A diversion and a rescue. Among the two roles he took on in this operation, what he was doing now was purely a diversion, a bait.

Thus, his task was simple.

‘I’ll leave the rescue of the target to you, assistant.’

Until he received word from Yoo Seol that they had rescued her, he would rampage without showing any mercy.

It was what he did best.

*

Blocking the front gate and drawing the enemies in, Kwon Tae-ho.

However, it was only natural that a building used as a criminal organization’s stronghold wouldn’t have just one exit.

At the back of the building, there was an emergency exit for times of crisis, and of course, there was a doorman there too.

-Static! Intruder detected in the first-floor lobby! It’s an executor! Rapid support requested! Repeat! An executor has arrived! Rapid support requested!

At the voice coming from the radio secured to his shoulder, a tense expression crossed the doorman’s face. Yet, he did not budge from his post.

His duty was to guard the door. If something happened, he absolutely couldn’t leave. There was a chance someone could try to infiltrate this way in the chaos of the front entrance.

And indeed, just like now.

“Um, hello?”

Yoo Seol approached the doorman with a friendly tone. The doorman’s face showed visible confusion.

No wonder—he was already on high alert for intruders when a beautiful woman suddenly began speaking to him.

Kwon Tae-ho normally didn’t show it, but Yoo Seol was quite a stunning beauty. With distinct, delicate features and a tall, voluptuous figure, she wouldn’t look out of place on television or on the big screen.

Moreover, if she weren’t usually keeping her eyes closed, her somewhat mysterious aura would add to her charm.

“Can we have a little chat?”

Today, Yoo Seol was different. Her eyelids, typically closed, were halfway open, revealing sparkling purple irises.

These weren’t normal eyes. Instead of pupils, there were seven branches radiating out in a pattern, and behind them, bright beams resembling a machine’s circuitry were constantly crossing.

The shape of those eyes could never occur naturally, and they had a charm like a beautiful gemstone, compelling anyone who looked at them to keep staring unknowingly.

The doorman struggled to pull his gaze away.

“Um, what… is it?”

He replied absentmindedly, his voice trailing off in confusion.

Why was he talking to her so politely? Normally, he would have yelled for anyone approaching to get lost. Why was this different?

“Is there a waitress in this building who worked at the bar named Jangnyonggak? A Taiwanese woman named Liu Pei-pei?”

“Pei-pei? Well…”

He shouldn’t answer.

Even as he thought that, warmth and pleasant feelings flooded his mind, leaving him dazed. He felt an overwhelming desire to do anything to help the woman before him.

“Downstairs… I mean, in the basement… there’s a storage room for smuggled goods… she’s locked in there…”

“Oh, I see! Thank you! That’s really helpful!”

Saying that, Yoo Seol walked closer to the doorman. As her gentle hand brushed his shoulder and neck, it was enough to send him reeling.

“Good night.”

“Yes… Hehe, huh?”

-Thunk!

With a piercing noise, he flinched for a moment, then crashed to the ground. Yoo Seol was now holding a small syringe in her hand.

“Ha-yeon, come out. It’s over.”

Her tone had shifted dramatically from the previously soft, pleasant way of speaking.

“Wow…”

Ha-yeon, who had been waiting around the corner, couldn’t hide her shock at the sight of the collapsed doorman.

“Councilor! What did you do? Was that magic?”

“It’s similar, but not quite. It’s a curse.”

“A curse?”

“I got this way after a bet with a terrible witch back in the day.”

As Yoo Seol opened her eyes, the same pattern as before was revealed. However, this time, instead of purple, her irises were green.

“Wow… those are eyes that really draw you in the more you look! They’re beautiful…”

“Don’t stare too long. The more you look, the more they’ll draw you in and make you obsess over them. It’s that kind of eye technique.”

“Eye technique?”

Seven-colored eyes. Or the rainbow technique.

It was a supernatural ability that Yoo Seol had obtained forcibly from a witch in the past.

In those eyes were powers corresponding to the seven colors of the rainbow, from red to purple.

The orange one she used in a prior conversation with the head of police was a truth-seeking ability.

The green one she was showing Ha-yeon now was an X-ray ability, which she typically used to perceive her surroundings while keeping her eyes closed.

And the violet one she had used on the organization member a moment ago was a fascination ability.

It made the target feel unconditional affection toward her and compelled them to obey almost any command given, staying true to its basic function.

“Wow, that’s super convenient! Does that mean you can give orders to anyone as long as you have that?”

“Not really. It’s primarily effective against weaker opponents. For those above a certain level, it only creates a light fondness. If they surpass that, it won’t work at all.”

“Have you ever tested it on anyone?”

“…!!”

At Ha-yeon’s sharp question, Yoo Seol’s cheeks quivered slightly. However, she quickly smiled and brushed it off, as if nothing had happened.

“…Well, that’s not important right now. We found out where Liu Pei-pei is, so we need to hurry and rescue her.”

“Oh, right!”

“My eye technique typically allows only one power at a time, and it’s often hard to activate it on multiple targets. So, I’ll leave the fighting to you once we go in.”

“Leave it to me! I might look like this, but I’m pretty strong!”

Ha-yeon clenched her fists and took the lead, with Yoo Seol following behind, letting out a deep sigh secretly.

‘Against strong people, my eye technique won’t work at all. If I had known that earlier, I wouldn’t have made such a mistake.’

Though it had all passed, every time she recalled that moment in her dreams, it made her want to kick the blanket violently out of shame.

Pushing those past memories to the back of her mind, Yoo Seol followed Ha-yeon into the building.