Evening arrived early in the outskirts. In the city, one never felt inconvenienced even after sunset thanks to the countless lights, but the outskirts were different. The sun dipped below the horizon much faster, and people's silhouettes vanished easily into the darkness.

  And it was inconvenient.

  The Loan Shark called this place the boondocks, even though it was located close to the city. To him, this was merely a place to stay temporarily before moving on.

  That was perhaps only natural. While coming here for safety was a good move, daily life was far too cumbersome. They said one would get used to it, but for the Loan Shark, life here was filled with nothing but discomfort.

  Here, he had to drive quite a distance just to buy a single item. He had never lived a life where he had to take a car to a nearby convenience store just to buy a pack of cigarettes.

  But that was the daily routine here. Those living near the building where they stayed naturally drove out whenever they had errands, often traveling twenty to thirty minutes just to shop.

  One might argue that the same could happen in the city, but driving a car just to buy a single pack of cigarettes was a different story altogether. Compared to city life, the level of convenience was worlds apart—especially when compared to being able to pop into a convenience store whenever one pleased.

  Consequently, there were more than a few irritating occurrences. Even ordering food from a nearby Chinese restaurant took over thirty minutes just for delivery. In fact, one had to be grateful that a Chinese restaurant even existed here. If he wanted to eat anything else, he had to go to a larger area, and whether he could find what he truly wanted to eat there was another matter entirely.

  Since this was his first time experiencing such conditions, the Loan Shark found it absurd that a place so close to the city could be like this. Though, of course, that was likely why it was safe.

  Still, it wasn't all bad. In this place without a single CCTV camera, there was a sense of freedom from worry. Doing business via the internet and phone was sufficient. Having to buy burner phones in bulk meant sending a proxy, which was a bit of a hassle, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

  Furthermore, despite the inconvenience, the air was fresh. He liked that one thing. Watching the sunset had also become a pleasure for the Loan Shark; the sunsets here were far more spectacular than he had expected.

  Yet, despite these minor grievances, his lifestyle remained unchanged. The Loan Shark still reaped profits through the tears of others. He delved into people's desires and extracted gain from them. Whether a person was ruined in the process was of no concern to him. The only difference now was the manner in which people broke down compared to when he ran his joint business of online gambling and loan sharking.

  Watching a person be completely destroyed by a Tool—how thrilling that was. Even if he earned a little less money, this was enjoyable in its own way.

  Not that his profits were low. Sometimes, he reaped additional gains just as a person was about to lose their sanity completely. A little trickery with the contracts, and the money would surely land in his hands. If there were many competitors, it might be a different story, but the competition had already been wiped out. He had nothing to worry about.

  Of course, if one's tail is long, it might get caught. He was well aware of that risk. But why else had he prepared the Salesman? Furthermore, he had established various countermeasures to avoid the possibility of his information being backtracked.

  He had installed additional booby traps on the Salesman. If they tried to dismantle their Tools recklessly or attempted to spill information to others, they would go bang.

  To the Loan Shark, money was everything. Everything else was meaningless. The only other thing he cared about was his own safety. If he were caught, it would be the end of everything, so he prioritized his safety above all else.

  In that sense, coming here had been a very good decision. The Salesman worked hard to earn money, and he could simply enjoy watching the funds grow.

  However, for now, there was only one Salesman. He intended to keep increasing the number of dealers. That way, he could enjoy himself more stably. In the meantime, he would be able to draft new business plans, as he could refine his existing operations while selling the Tools.

  With a tiny spark of hope for the future, the Loan Shark stepped out of his office. He felt suffocated inside.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  The people working in the office were all capable, without exception. The only problem was that they were essentially human machines devoid of ego. The Loan Shark, who normally didn't trust people, trusted their abilities. But that was, quite literally, more akin to trusting a tool. Moreover, they were the worst conversationalists. Since they had no ego, jokes didn't work on them.

  Perhaps that was why? The Loan Shark found himself thinking, belatedly, that it might have been good to leave some of his subordinates with their egos intact. But it was too late for that. Nothing would change by dwelling on it now. For now, he just had to make do with what he had.

  Instead, he had recently taken to enjoying walks. Since there was nothing to do inside but work, he enjoyed wandering outside to stretch his legs. He knew he had to be careful, of course. Even if he was in the outskirts where there were no CCTVs, he always had to keep the worst-case scenario in mind.

  That was why the Loan Shark only took his walks in the evening—specifically, at the point where the boundary between night and day met. It was the perfect time for a man like him, who could live neither in the light nor in the dark. He stepped outside right at that hour.

  Of course, those inside would continue to work hard even in his absence. They would earn money for him. Since they were already a community bound by fate, they would do well on their own without him needing to worry.

  So, leaving them for a while, the Loan Shark tasted the outside air. Unlike the interior, which felt almost unpleasant, the air outside was fresh.

  "Phew... money is good, but a man's gotta walk a bit."

  Saying so, the Loan Shark walked slowly down a path where no one ever came. A single subordinate followed behind him. It was a subordinate tasked with security. If the worst happened, he would intentionally go on a rampage to charge at the enemy and, if necessary, eliminate the threat to the Loan Shark by self-detonating.

  Of course, nothing like that had happened yet. And hoping it would stay that way, the Loan Shark walked slowly. No one came by; only cars passing in the distance traveled on the slightly removed roadway. Slowly, yet watching the landscape that seemed unchanging but was shifting, the Loan Shark walked on. His thirty-minute to one-hour walk was just beginning.

  "Hello. Out for a stroll?"

  It was then. Two women approached from a short distance away and spoke to the Loan Shark.

  "Oh, it's been a while. But what brings you here today without any notice?"

  The Loan Shark spoke to the two women who appeared before him. Thinking that today might bring something a bit more enjoyable than usual, he smiled.

  "Shall we walk together? It will be a somewhat long story, though."

  Soyoung spoke as she stood beside the Loan Shark. Meanwhile, Se-hee stood a short distance away, near the subordinate in charge of security.

  "I don't mind. But what is it you want to talk about?"

  The Loan Shark asked, curious, as he continued his walk. Then Soyoung spoke.

  "Attracting attention is all well and good, but I was hoping you might choose a different method now."

  Soyoung smiled as she spoke. The Loan Shark wondered if she was trying to reprimand him for the flashy incident he caused to make his move. Of course, he didn't care what she had to say. Once the Tools were sold, it was up to the buyer to handle the rest. No matter what she said, the Loan Shark intended to let it go in one ear and out the other.

  "So, are you telling me not to do it?"

  The Loan Shark asked, trying his best to avoid sounding too snide. However, he couldn't entirely hide the irritation, and a hint of aggression seeped into his tone.

  "Of course not. We want to say that you are doing a fine job. It's just that, from now on, don't just use that kind of 'discard' grade stuff."

  Soyoung smiled slightly as she spoke. At her words, the Loan Shark couldn't help but laugh. Even without her saying so, he had been preparing his own supporters, including snipers. It was still in the preparatory stage, and he was currently testing them through some consumables.

  Someday, he would be able to accomplish much more through the people he prepared. But for that, he needed time. In the midst of this, Soyoung's words were a quite tempting proposal.

  "We are currently preparing new products. Instead of using only discards, we'll give you test products for free or at a low price, so why not give them a try?"

  Soyoung looked at the Loan Shark as she spoke. To him, those words represented a deal where he couldn't lose. Once a Tool was sold, it invariably led to an incident. Since no one could suppress their own desires, they would rampage, leading to accidents.

  There were grades to the Tools, and some carried no risk of rampaging, but the ones the Loan Shark currently sold were not such high-end items. In the first place, none of those who bought Tools from him wanted high-end items without the risk of rampaging. No, they were all people who used them while accepting their own ruin, so nothing could be said for them.

  "That sounds interesting. But what profit is in it for us? You know they might end up sold to the police, right?"

  At the Loan Shark's question, Soyoung smiled.

  "It's no problem if a few are sold off. That's why the cult members are there—to deal with such matters. And you're preparing your own subordinates as well, aren't you, Boss?"

  The Loan Shark snorted at Soyoung's words. This woman was the head of supply, so naturally, she knew everything. Thus, this reaction wasn't strange.

  "Very well. Then I will prepare new dealers and have them ready to sell high-end products as well. After all, a new 'brand' is necessary."

  The Loan Shark spoke with an air of importance. He knew better than anyone that words like "brand" were ultimately meaningless. Still, pretending to have some standing didn't hurt.

  "Yes. As always, I like that you're quick to understand. You can discuss the details with Se-hee. You are someone who always fully satisfies our expectations, so we look forward to working with you. Your 'customers,' as always, create a great sensation even among people in other cities."

  Soyoung spoke and came to a halt. It was her way of saying she was finished with the walk. However, the Loan Shark did not stop. Instead, he simply waved his arm and continued his stroll.

  "That is a fairly decent proposal."