The air within the Hunter Association shifted once more. What seemed unthinkable to the lesser officials became reality under the authority of Vice President Go Tae-hyun, the man who held the true power behind the Association. Lee Seong-jun, the returnee shrouded in mystery, had requested something dangerous—something only he could attempt. He would interrogate the captured assassin, Kim Ki-yeol, with his own hands.
At first, hesitation filled the room. For a villain who had already lost everything but his life, there was no reason to yield information. Yet Seong-jun's calm presence carried the certainty of someone who had walked through the depths of countless battlefields. He knew how villains thought, how fear bound their tongues, and how pride made them silent. With quiet persistence, he gained permission. Within hours, the arrangements were complete.
Not all were at ease with this decision. Among the police assigned to guard the prisoner, unease grew. Team Leader Kim Young-jun reminded Seong-jun of the danger—if harm came to the prisoner, the Association could face the scrutiny of the Human Rights Commission. But Seong-jun's quiet smile was enough to still his doubts. If Seong-jun had wished harm, the assassin would never have been taken alive. The truth of those words silenced the team.
The appointed room was dark, its atmosphere suffocating. At its center sat Kim Ki-yeol, one of the dreaded Shadow Brothers. Though fear flickered in his eyes, his lips curled with arrogance. He believed the law itself shielded him. Prison would not frighten him; in a den of villains, he would still reign as a top predator. He welcomed the idea of living comfortably behind bars, confident that no one could truly touch him.
But before him stood Lee Seong-jun—the man once crowned as the Blood Demon and later as the Demon God in the Thousand Continents. Against such a being, bravado meant nothing. When Seong-jun's gaze sharpened, an invisible weight filled the air. Kim Ki-yeol's smirk faltered. His heart pounded beneath an unseen storm of killing intent that crushed his will to resist.
What came next was no ordinary method of questioning. From the shadows of his past life rose a memory of one of the Blood Cult's greatest figures: Bi-hyeong, the peerless interrogator. Bi-hyeong had once forced the proud vice-leader of the Murim Alliance to confess, uncovering secrets that shifted the tides of war. From him, Seong-jun had inherited a terrifying art—Searching the Mind of No-Self.
This forbidden martial art allowed one to invade the human brain with blood energy, stripping away will and turning even the strongest into helpless dolls. The risk was immense—one mistake could rupture the mind entirely. But for Seong-jun, who had mastered blood control to a divine level, failure was unthinkable.
Still, strategy mattered. If Kim Ki-yeol was reduced to a mindless puppet too soon, suspicion would fall upon the Association itself. Enemies hidden in the shadows—perhaps even the Hwanseong Guild—would realize something unnatural had occurred. Instead, Seong-jun allowed Kim Ki-yeol's arrogance to linger. He let the villain show his usual defiance, so that spies lurking within the Association would believe nothing had changed.
Then, at the perfect moment, Seong-jun struck.
A single step forward. His finger pressed lightly against Kim Ki-yeol's forehead. At once, blood energy seeped inward, invading the man's mind. Pain unlike any blade erupted within him. His body trembled, his lips sought to scream, but a strong hand covered his mouth, silencing him. His limbs no longer obeyed. His eyes filled with terror as his consciousness slipped under the weight of another's will.
The mighty assassin who once mocked the law now wept like a child. Tears streamed down as fear overwhelmed him. No cry could escape. No strength remained. He was no longer a predator—only prey, bound by chains unseen.
Moments later, outside the chamber, stunned reports reached Vice President Go Tae-hyun. The impossible had occurred. The once-arrogant villain now answered every question with the meek obedience of a lamb. Secrets poured forth—secrets not only of the Shadow Brothers' contract, but of the guild that had pulled the strings: Hwanseong. Alongside this revelation came a trove of intelligence on countless villain groups that had long plagued the Association.
The results were overwhelming. For Go Tae-hyun, there was no question who had made this miracle possible. The returnee, Lee Seong-jun, had achieved the impossible once again. With this information, the Association could finally strike back against the villains that had haunted them for years.
Go Tae-hyun's eyes burned with determination. With a voice that brooked no hesitation, he commanded his subordinates to prepare immediate operations. The war against the underworld had entered a new stage, and the returnee at its center had lit the first spark.