A few days had passed since I burned the letter.

  I tried to return to an ordinary life, but it wasn't as easy as I thought. Even when I woke up in the morning, sat before the meal Mother prepared, or occasionally stopped by the boxing gym to work up a sweat, that name kept circling in one corner of my mind.

  'Seo Ji-woo.'

  The ashes of the burned letter had blown away in the wind, but that name alone remained inside me. The fact that someone knew me, was watching me, felt strangely uncomfortable yet simultaneously curious. Someone who knew the starting point of all this. Someone who had similar experiences to mine. Who could he be?

  GNOM remained quiet. Only occasionally leaving the word 'be careful' inside me, staying silent as if waiting for something.

  It was late afternoon. As I sat on the living room sofa and absentmindedly picked up the remote, an urgent voice flowed from the TV screen.

  [Breaking news. Mass brawls are currently occurring throughout downtown Hangook City. Citizens are attacking each other without reason in major areas including the plaza in front of City Hall, Gangnam Station, and Hongdae streets, and police who have been dispatched are unable to control the situation...]

  The remote nearly fell from my hand. The screen changed, and an unbelievable scene was unfolding within it.

  In the middle of the plaza, dozens of people were swinging their fists at each other. Pushing, knocking down, screaming. An office worker in a suit was yanking someone's hair, and a student in uniform was lifting a trash can while shouting.

  Police tried to stop them but were overwhelmed. Even the police officers themselves seemed affected, showing signs of guarding against each other.

  But something was strange. The faces of the people on screen held something other than simple rage. Beyond expressions twisted with anger, deep sorrow was visible, and the eyes of people crying out in tears contained indescribable despair.

  There was no reason. No agitator, no specific incident, no clear trigger point.

  Just... madness. Collective, inexplicable madness.

  'Kang Chul...'

  GNOM's voice echoed from deep within my mind. Unlike usual, the tone was cautious and tense. I could even feel GNOM's presence moving inside me, trembling slightly.

  'Something's strange. It's... completely strange.'

  "What is?"

  'This... isn't a physical attack.'

  I stared intently at the TV screen. People kept fighting. But GNOM was right. No bombs, no guns, no terrorists. No chemical gas, no traces of explosions.

  People were simply... collapsing on their own.

  'Something is contaminating people's minds themselves. I told you before. That there are other liquids. That there's one more special existence among them.'

  A sinking feeling hit my chest. Something cold surged from deep within.

  "Don't tell me... this is it?"

  'I'm not certain. But... I can feel it. I've sensed something like this before, but this is stronger. More... dangerous.'

  Fear was mixed in GNOM's voice. It was an emotion I'd never heard before. Even when fighting Tiger Tattoo, stopping Kim Min-jun's Apocalypse, or facing Park Seong-min's spatial abilities, GNOM had never been afraid once.

  But now was different.

  There was no hesitation. I jumped up from the sofa and ran to the front door.

  "Kang Chul, where are you going?"

  Mother, who had been washing dishes in the kitchen, poked her head out. Her face was full of worry.

  "Just... something urgent came up."

  "Did you see the news? It's dangerous outside right now. Don't go."

  For a moment, I properly looked at Mother's face. Wrinkled hands, eyes full of worry, water spots on her apron. Instinctive love trying to protect me was contained in every expression.

  We hadn't had a proper conversation since the Bruce Lee incident. I was hiding dangerous activities from her. If I...

  'No. Not now.'

  "It's okay, Mom. I'll be right back."

  Leaving Mother's worried face behind, I ran down the stairs. Each step echoed, and the sound overlapped with my heartbeat.

  The moment I stepped outside the building, I extended my spatial awareness. When I closed my eyes, the world looked different. The entire city's structure unfolded in my mind as a massive three-dimensional map.

  The heights of buildings, the widths of streets, the density of people, and... the center of chaos.

  'The plaza in front of City Hall... that's where it's worst.'

  Precise coordinates were imprinted in my mind. A secluded alley on one side of the plaza, a CCTV blind spot. I had to go there.

  With a sensation like the world folding and unfolding, I appeared in an alley on one side of the plaza. The dizziness of teleportation was familiar now, but the scene that unfolded before my eyes was something I could never get used to.

  #########

  What I'd seen on TV was on a completely different scale.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The plaza was total chaos. Hundreds of people were rushing at each other, and screams, shouts, and crying mixed together to create one enormous cacophony. Police tried to restrain them but it was useless.

  Even the police officers themselves seemed swept up in rage, pushing each other and falling into confusion.

  But what was more horrifying wasn't the scene itself. The air itself was strange. Heavy, suffocating, as if something invisible was pressing down on everything around.

  With every breath, one side of my chest tightened. Even the air entering my lungs felt heavy.

  "What is this..."

  I activated Intelligence Fragment. Information began processing rapidly in my mind. Nearby CCTV footage streamed in real-time, and hundreds of posts uploaded to SNS were analyzed.

  Communication records, traffic data, even police radio transmissions. All information poured in at once, forming a massive puzzle.

  But there were no answers.

  'No agitator. No traces of external manipulation. No explosive reactions. No chemical substances detected. No radio interference.'

  The data showed everything was perfectly normal. No problems at all. But the scene before my eyes was clearly abnormal.

  I extended my spatial awareness too. The structure of surrounding buildings, underground spaces, even the sky above. I thoroughly scanned whether there were any hidden enemies or devices, or explosives or weapons physically present.

  'Nothing. Really nothing at all.'

  But there was definitely something. Something invisible but clearly existing. An inexplicable crushing pressure weighing on my chest.

  Heavy, suffocating, breathless feeling. As if a giant hand was slowly squeezing my heart.

  'What is this feeling...'

  I approached closer. A man was yanking a woman's hair, and the woman was screaming while clawing at the man's face. Both had bloodshot eyes, and their lips were stained with blood.

  Blood and flesh were stuck under their fingernails.

  "Stop it!"

  I shouted while stepping between them. I activated Power Fragment carefully, very carefully. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just needed to separate them.

  Adjusting my strength to the minimum, I pushed the two people to opposite sides.

  But then.

  Suddenly, both people's gazes locked onto me simultaneously.

  In those eyes... pure hatred was contained.

  "That bastard's the problem!"

  "It's all his fault!"

  "Kill him! We have to kill him!"

  The two rushed at me simultaneously. The people who had been hating each other moments ago were now charging at me as their common enemy. Other people nearby also turned their heads one by one.

  And then... slowly, very slowly, they began walking toward me.

  "What the..."

  Ten people, twenty people, thirty people. In an instant, dozens surrounded me. Everyone's eyes were full of rage and hatred.

  But beyond that was something deeper. Sorrow, despair, pain. As if they themselves didn't know why they were doing this, moving while swept up in uncontrollable emotions.

  "Don't do this! Snap out of it!"

  I activated Power Fragment again. Carefully this time too, controlling my strength to avoid hurting anyone as much as possible. Converting it not to a shockwave but a pushing force.

  A gentle shockwave spread in all directions.

  People were pushed back. But they didn't fall. They staggered, losing balance, but soon regained their footing.

  And then... they stood up again.

  The fallen people rose as if nothing had happened. They seemed unable to feel pain. Even with blood flowing from their palms, scraped knees, and wounds on their faces, they rushed at me again without caring.

  As if the sensation of pain itself had disappeared.

  "Please snap out of it!"

  I shouted, but it was useless. People's faces grew increasingly strange. Their pupils lost focus, and incomprehensible muttering flowed from their mouths.

  Words like "Kill... kill... kill everyone..." kept repeating.

  'These people... aren't normal. Completely... not normal.'

  #########

  That was when it happened.

  Something began surging from deep within my chest.

  Rage.

  Inexplicable, uncontrollable rage rushed in like a tidal wave.

  'What... why... why am I so angry?'

  My fists clenched on their own. So hard my nails dug into my palms. I gritted my teeth. Hard enough that my jaw hurt.

  My heart pounded as if it would explode, and all the blood vessels in my body heated up. My hands trembled. No, my entire body trembled.

  'Calm down... calm down...'

  I told myself, but the rage didn't subside. It only grew stronger. As if someone else existed inside me, and they were screaming.

  And sorrow rushed in together.

  Endlessly deep, bottomlessly deep sorrow. My eyes grew hot. My throat choked up. With every breath, my chest felt like it would tear apart.

  'This... isn't my emotion...'

  But I couldn't be certain. Was it really not my emotion? Or was it an emotion that had always been inside me, now amplified?

  The boundary between real and fake blurred. I began to feel confused about even who I was.

  'Kang Chul! Snap out of it!'

  GNOM's voice rang in my mind. But unlike usual, there was no certainty. The voice was trembling.

  'This... this isn't your emotion!'

  "I know... I know..."

  'No, wait... something's strange...'

  GNOM's voice trembled even more severely.

  'What is this... I'm confused too. Whether this is your emotion, my emotion, or something injected from outside... I can't tell...'

  It was shocking.

  Even GNOM was confused. The Core, the complete original liquid. Even GNOM, the source and mother-like existence of all fragments... was powerless before this emotional attack.

  Strength left my knees.

  I collapsed to the ground. The rough surface of the asphalt dug into my knees, but I felt no pain. People around me still rushed forward, but I could no longer raise my hands.

  My mind was in chaos. No, that expression wasn't enough.

  Rage, sorrow, despair, fear, loneliness, hatred. Every negative emotion poured in at once, creating a whirlpool. Hundreds of voices cried out simultaneously inside me.

  Power, Intelligence, Space—all were useless.

  An enemy that physical force couldn't stop. An attack that data couldn't analyze. A wave that couldn't be avoided even by transcending space.

  'I can't win...'

  It was the first time. The first time I felt completely, utterly powerless.

  I'd defeated Tiger Tattoo. Subdued him with Power. I'd also stopped Kim Min-jun's Apocalypse. Stopped it by hacking with Intelligence.

  I'd overcome Park Seong-min's spatial abilities too. Faced them with the same spatial abilities.

  But now... I could do nothing.

  There was no method of response at all.

  'Kang Chul! Retreat now!'

  GNOM's voice barely reached me. Faint as if echoing from far away.

  'If you stay here any longer, you'll be in danger! You'll be completely swallowed! Move right now!'

  I squeezed out my last remaining strength. I recalled spatial coordinates in my mind. The nearest building rooftop. A place without people. A quiet place.

  The world twisted and unfolded, and I appeared on a building rooftop.

  #########

  My legs gave out and I collapsed.

  I was out of breath. As if I'd barely escaped from underwater. Cold sweat poured from my entire body, and my hands trembled uncontrollably.

  My heart beat so fast that my chest felt like it would tear.

  I pressed my hand against the rooftop railing and barely maintained balance. The cold texture of concrete transmitted to my palm. That coldness awakened me to reality.

  I looked down.

  The plaza was still in chaos. People continued fighting. Ambulance sirens wailed, and more police were arriving, but the situation wasn't improving.

  Rather, more and more people seemed to be affected.

  "My power..."

  I repeatedly clenched and unclenched my fist. Sweat soaked my palm.

  "For the first time... it didn't work."

  'Kang Chul...'

  GNOM's voice came cautiously. Not the usual confident tone, but a voice mixed with fear and awe.

  'This enemy is... on a completely different level. A fundamentally different existence from all previous enemies.'

  "I know."

  I lowered my head. Sunset light cast long shadows across the rooftop floor.

  "I might not be able to win. No... I don't even know how to fight."

  Silence flowed. Neither GNOM nor I said anything. Only the sounds of chaos echoing from the plaza below rode the wind to reach us.

  #########

  A few minutes passed. Or was it dozens of minutes?

  My sense of time had grown hazy.

  Slowly, very slowly, I took deep breaths. Once, twice, three times. Cold air entered and left my lungs.

  My heartbeat gradually slowed. The trembling in my hands also gradually subsided.

  'Let's calm down. I can't do anything in a panic state.'

  I closed my eyes and organized my thoughts. I had to look at the data again. Only facts, not emotions. I had to find a pattern.

  I carefully activated Intelligence Fragment. This time, instead of the emotions at the scene, I focused on finding the starting point of the incident. I traced back the timeline of the riot that occurred at the plaza.

  I rewound CCTV footage in chronological order. Who started fighting first, what state they were in before that, and... where this emotional wave had originated.

  Data began fitting together like a puzzle in my mind.

  'North... the wave spread from the north.'

  The epicenter of the emotional wave. Though it couldn't be measured physically, I could estimate it by tracing back the sequence and locations where people began to be affected.

  Like ripples spreading when a stone is thrown into a pond, this emotional wave had also started from one central point.

  'In the direction of the old residential district... about 3km away.'

  GNOM said quietly.

  'Right. I feel something from that direction too. Faint, but... it's definitely there. Something like a mass of sorrow.'

  I slowly stood up.

  My legs still trembled slightly, but I could stand.

  "I can't run away."

  I clenched my fist. This time there was no trembling.

  "People will keep getting hurt. They might die. Because of me... because I ran away."

  'But Kang Chul, if you get hit again...'

  "I know. This time I need to find a different method."

  I stared toward the epicenter. Sunset was dyeing that side of the sky red.

  "Strength won't work. Intelligence won't either. Space won't either. Then... with what?"

  There was no answer.

  But I couldn't just stay still.

  'Be careful, Kang Chul.'

  GNOM's voice sank heavily.

  'Protect your mind firmly. This enemy... will attack your inner self. Everything you've been hiding, everything you fear, everything you regret—it will drag it all out.'

  "Got it."

  I climbed onto the rooftop railing. Below was a drop of dozens of meters, but I wasn't scared anymore.

  I jumped.

  I activated spatial movement in mid-air. I drew coordinates in my mind, approaching the epicenter one step at a time. From building to building, from street to street.

  The streets were still chaotic. People crying, people fighting, people sitting helplessly collapsed. All those scenes captured in my eyes.

  I walked through it all.

  Into the invisible wave, into the swamp of emotion.

  Darkness was deepening. The sunset had completely set, and long shadows fell across the streets. Streetlights began turning on one by one, and their light felt even more surreal amid the chaos.

  The epicenter was getting closer.

  With each step I took, the crushing pressure in my chest intensified. But I couldn't stop. Whatever was waiting for me there, whatever existence there was, whether I could win or not, I had to go.

  People were suffering.

  I was the only one who could respond.

  I couldn't run away.

  I didn't stop walking toward the epicenter. Into the darkness, toward the mass of sorrow, I kept walking.