Sitting on the hospital bed, Kyle let out a weary sigh.

He had already received several visitors, and he hated it.

Not because people came to see him, but because he knew how many plans they had postponed because of him.

Blake and Amanda were both busy people, yet they were currently standing outside his ward, waiting for the doctors to allow them in.

’Why is it always me? Why am I always fighting people or monsters stronger than myself?’

Thinking back to today’s battle, there was no doubt in his mind.

That man had been a Special Grade.

His stats were higher than Kyle’s, and if the fight had dragged on any longer, the outcome might have been very different.

[Host, you have made significant progress due to your recent battle.]

Kyle rubbed his forehead.

"Before that, tell me something. How exactly did I cut that man so easily?"

Setting aside the difference in strength, his blade shouldn’t have been long enough to slash through the man’s entire body.

[Host, there are three things you need to know about what you achieved in that moment.]

[First, congratulations on using God’s Eye on your own. Despite the danger and difficulty of the situation, you successfully activated it. You have also completed your quest.]

A smile tugged at Kyle’s lips.

He knew the battle hadn’t lasted three full minutes, yet the system had apparently judged him based on his effort and results.

[Second, you partially activated the skill Overlord, which should not have been possible with your current body and experience.]

Kyle frowned.

’What do you mean?’

[Once activated, the Overlord skill should remain active until its duration expires. However, when you used the skill on your own, you enhanced your physical abilities for only a brief instant, just long enough to execute your opponent.]

Kyle blinked.

"..."

That meant he had actually overridden the skill’s normal application.

That was insane.

[It was a blessing in disguise, Host. Even that brief surge of power was already pushing your body beyond its limits. Until your body adapts to that level of speed and strength, it is far safer to remain in that state for as little time as possible.]

Kyle still looked puzzled.

’So let me get this straight. Instead of simply increasing my stats, I used Overlord to adapt to my enemy’s speed and just long enough to defeat him?’

[Indeed, Host. As for how you achieved that, even the system has no explanation.]

Kyle stared blankly ahead.

Crazy.

He could adapt.

’Sounds like a certain general.’

The thought amused him.

’Anyway, tell me about the blade. I’m very curious about that.’

[The system was about to explain.]

A brief pause followed.

[The system has already listed several applications of Genesis available to the Host, such as fortification and basic healing.]

[What the Host used during that battle was another application known as Weapon Enhancement.]

[The Host temporarily increased both the strength and size of the blade, making that execution possible.]

Kyle crossed his arms.

’That sounds absurd. Why would I suddenly do something I’ve never done before at that exact moment?’

[The Host may review the recording of that moment through God’s Eye if the Host doubts the system’s explanation.]

’Wait, I can?’

Kyle’s eyes widened before he quickly shook his head.

’No, wait. It’s not that I don’t trust you. That’s not true at all.’ He paused before adding, ’I’m just curious about this feed feature. Can I really revisit that moment?’

[Indeed, Host. Every use of God’s Eye leaves a record within your mind. Through God’s Eye, you can revisit those moments at any time.]

[It is similar to recalling the stats of a person you have already assessed.]

Kyle nodded appreciatively.

’Nice. Then show me exactly what happened back then.’

...

Outside the room, Amanda paced back and forth while Blake stood against a nearby wall, speaking with someone over the phone.

The expression on his face made it clear that this was far from a casual conversation.

A heavy atmosphere lingered around both of them.

After all, this was the second time in just two weeks that Kyle had ended up in a hospital bed.

Just then, a man stepped out of the elevator, prompting Blake to end his call.

"Officer Timothy," he greeted as the two men exchanged a firm handshake.

"I apologize for everything that transpired," Timothy said in his usual serious tone. "It was a failure on our end. Our surveillance should never have allowed Kyle to end up isolated and cornered in that situation."

Amanda stepped forward.

"Vice Commander, this wasn’t an anomaly crossing over from the other side. The people who targeted Kyle were all human. How did the surveillance team fail to notice them?"

Timothy understood her frustration.

The department responsible for ensuring nothing slipped through had failed once again to anticipate a threat.

And Kyle’s situation made the matter even worse.

Ever since joining the PSC, he had become a subject of constant attention.

Especially for today’s raid.

Because of the superstition surrounding the operation, many people had been watching it closely.

And despite all those eyes, this still happened.

"There have been theories that they somehow interfered with our surveillance feed to gain entry," Timothy explained. "It’s possible they used the same device to disrupt our communication signals as well."

Blake frowned.

"Wait... didn’t they pull off something similar during the resort incident?" he asked. "Exactly how easy is it for someone to get their hands on military-grade equipment?"

Timothy nodded.

"I’ve already submitted a red notice to the central government regarding the matter. An investigation is currently underway."

"But who were they exactly?" Amanda asked. "And why are they targeting Kyle?"

She struggled to understand it.

It felt as though Kyle couldn’t go a single day without attracting some dangerous entity.

Timothy fell silent at the question and briefly glanced at Blake.

"It’s the League, isn’t it?" Blake suddenly said.

The statement caught both of them off guard, though for entirely different reasons.

Amanda was stunned by the revelation itself.

Timothy, on the other hand, was surprised that Blake had connected the dots so quickly.

Blake narrowed his eyes.

"Did you know that those thugs who attacked the resort were also connected to the League?" he asked the Vice Commander.

"I... heard about it." Timothy’s brows furrowed. "So you’re saying they were targeting Kyle back then as well?"

Blake shook his head.

"I highly doubt it. The resort incident and today’s attack had completely different objectives."

His voice remained calm, but the edge beneath it was impossible to miss.

"However, that’s not the part you should be focusing on."

Timothy’s expression tightened.

Blake took a step forward.

"What you should be focusing on is infiltration."

The hallway seemed to grow quieter.

"More than five hostile operatives managed to enter Montclair within a short period of time, and the PSC had no knowledge of any of it." His gaze locked onto Timothy’s. "The first time can be called a mistake. The second time stops looking like incompetence and starts looking suspicious."

A heavy silence followed.

Blake folded his arms.

"So before you dedicate more resources to searching outside, Vice Commander Timothy, perhaps you should start asking whether the problem is already inside your own house."

The displeasure in his eyes was unmistakable.

He wasn’t making a suggestion.

He was questioning the integrity of the entire organization.

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.