A few minutes later, Liam had gotten everything he needed.

The leader of the group, now sitting against the wall, bruised pride outweighing his bruised, had finally broke under Liam's calm stare and confessed the truth.

The boy on the ground was named Min Jae—18 years old, same age as Liam. He lived with his mother and his younger sister, Yeonhee, who was sixteen. Their father had died a few months ago… but apparently, he had left behind a debt.

A debt of $30,000.

To a legitimate bank, this would have been manageable, with structured payments, extensions, maybe even forgiveness programs.

But the father hadn't borrowed from a bank.

He borrowed from loan sharks. They are predatory lenders operating in the shadows of Seoul. And when he died, the sharks came for the only thing they could still squeeze:

His family.

Min Jae wiped blood from his lip, speaking weakly.

"They came to our house. Threatened my mom. Said they'd trash her store if we didn't pay. I tried to protect my sister… but they just keep coming back."

Liam listened silently.

The leader added, shame flickering in his eyes.

Liam's jaw tightened slightly in disappointment at how common this story was.

Loan sharks were parasites.

They thrived on desperation, misery, and fear.

And they often used teenagers—reckless, misguided, vulnerable teenagers—as their tools.

Liam took a slow breath. He could walk away, as this wasn't his fight. It wasn't his responsibility.

He wasn't a superhero, nor was he planning to spend his vacation cleaning up local criminal activity.

But then his eyes drifted back to Min Jae, with his back hunched, bruised, trembling, but still glaring up with defiant eyes that refused to break.

That look…

It reminded Liam of himself. Of the boy he had once been, before the system changed him.

Liam exhaled softly.

"Alright," he said.

Both Min Jae and the gang leader blinked in confusion.

Liam stood and stretched his neck lightly, as if deciding something trivial.

"Thirty thousand dollars, right?" he said. "Ridiculous interest rates too, I assume."

"Y-Yes," Min Jae whispered.

Liam clicked his tongue.

$30,000 wasn't even spare change to him. It wasn't even the equivalent of losing a single chip while playing poker last night.

But for this kid… it was a mountain.

A suffocating mountain.

Liam stepped forward and crouched again, meeting the boy's eyes.

"You want this to end?" Liam asked calmly. "For your mother and sister to stop living in fear?"

Min Jae's throat tightened. "…Yes."

"Then I'll handle it," Liam said quietly. "Completely."

Min Jae's eyes widened with mic of confusion, disbelief, and hope collided in his expression.

"W-Why…? Why would you help me?" he asked, voice trembling.

Liam smiled faintly.

"Because I met you today," he replied simply. "And I'm not the type to walk away from someone who crossed my path needing help."

He stood and dialed a number on his phone.

Within seconds, Daniel's voice answered, sharp and professional.

"Sir?"

"Send the nearest Korean branch team to my location," Liam said. "Bring a recovery kit, legal specialists, and a negotiator. And send a vehicle for transport."

"Understood, sir."

Liam hung up.

The gang leader swallowed hard. "…Who are you?"

Liam gave him the smallest smile.

"No one you need to know. And no one you ever want to cross again."

The leader nodded quickly.

Min Jae tried to stand but stumbled. Liam grabbed his arm lightly and helped him balance.

"You'll be fine," Liam said to him. "Just stay close."

Three minutes later, a sleek black Mercedes van pulled up to the mouth of the alley. The door slid open and a woman in a black suit stepped out.

"Sir," she bowed. "We're here."

Liam motioned toward Min Jae.

"He and his family now fall under our care. Handle everything they need. Medical bills, home safety, legal protections, debt payoff, and relocation if necessary. No limits."

"Yes, sir."

She turned to Min Jae and softened her tone.

"You're safe now. Please come with me."

Min Jae looked at Liam with wide, overwhelmed eyes.

"Thank you… I don't know how to—"

"You don't need to say anything yet," Liam said calmly. "Live your life. Take care of your family. And when you're older… remember this moment."

Min Jae nodded slowly, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

The woman guided him into the van and it drove off.

Liam dusted off his coat and checked the time.

Vacation resumed.

***

Walking through Gangnam again… and a troubling thought

Liam continued strolling down Gangnam's clean sidewalks, letting the cold breeze brush past his face.

But his mind wasn't entirely on the scenery anymore.

Helping Min Jae was easy, simple and barely an inconvenience.

But only because Liam happened to be nearby. He couldn't be everywhere. He couldn't help every person. And even if he wanted to… Earth wasn't built for powered individuals.

Yet a part of him—small but persistent—wondered:

What if others could be strong too?

Wouldn't the world be safer?

Wouldn't fewer people suffer?

Wouldn't fewer families fall prey to monsters hiding behind uniforms, money, or fear?

Liam frowned slightly.

The Molecular Enhancement Nanites…

But Liam doubted any normal human could survive that.

His mind kept turning. He felt that there must be something else. Another option.

So he asked directly.

System. Is there a way to enhance ordinary humans? To increase their strength, durability, potential?

[Impossible.]

Liam narrowed his eyes.

Impossible? Why?

[The power structure of your universe is fixed. Laws of nature dictate that no proper superhuman can exist. Only by taking full control of the universe could you rewrite these laws.]

Liam clicked his tongue.

"That's annoying," he muttered aloud.

He wasn't planning on dominating the universe anytime soon. He had enough on his plate.

Still… the idea nagged him, as he continued walking.

A new thought hit him.

But what about the system store? All those items were created by someone, right? That means enhancements exist.

He asked the system again.

So in theory… could I give someone abilities from the store?

[In theory: yes.]

Liam stopped walking.

In practice?

[Extremely dangerous.]

[Your survivability was high due to your pre-existing stats, physique, and compatibility. A normal human's success rate would be below 5%.]

Liam exhaled slowly.

That made sense. The nanites nearly tore him apart from the inside. A normal body that's unprepared and unenhanced would be shredded instantly.

He rubbed his temple lightly.

"So I can't create a team of Espers yet. Shame."

Still, the idea refused to disappear.

One day… he thought. One day, Earth won't be so fragile.

He would change the laws and rewrite the universe if he had to.

But later. Much later.

Right now… he wanted to enjoy his vacation.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a mint gum, and popped it into his mouth.

"Back to relaxing," he murmured, just as his phone started ringing.

He glanced at the caller ID.

Daniel.

Liam sighed softly.

"Vacation really doesn't want to let me breathe," he muttered before answering.

He lifted the phone to his ear.

"Yeah?"

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