He was on the verge of crying. Though I didn’t hit him, his expression was distorted as if in agony. It was a sight to behold. Among the faces I had seen thus far, his was the most astonished.

I helped him stand when he was about to fall to his knees, and his intense emotions were conveyed to me. I handed him the memo with instructions I had prepared for him. At the top of the list was a reminder to exercise caution so that my current disguise was not discovered.

Kim Ji-Hoon was naturally quick-witted. He couldn’t escape being a delinquent due to his family background before the Stage of Advent, but he began to shine as the stage began. He survived me, Lee Tae-Han, and the Chinese Awakened. He led the citizens of the Savior’s City as a third power during the time he was under Lee Tae-Han, which spoke volumes of his cleverness.

He was strong against the weak and acted weak to the strong. This could be a flaw, but who wouldn’t be like that? It was one of the tactics of survival. In particular, the fact that he had successfully handled missions under the command of Lee Tae-Han, such as consistently eliminating rebel forces within Revolucion (12) and taking on dangerous quests, was evidence of his exceptional wit and intelligence.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I helped him up.

“There...