Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 151

After arriving near the gate they decided to tackle, a familiar car roared in their direction shortly after.

It was Jo Jin-hwi’s yellow Ferrari.

Jo Jin-hwi got out of the car, waving his hand in greeting.

“Hey! Inspector Ahn!”

Jo Jin-hwi’s face looked bright.

But up close, despite his bright expression, he had noticeable dark circles under his eyes.

Suho cast Heal and Recovery on him and commented.

“You have pretty deep dark circles. Did you stay up all night?”

“Wow, a Heal from the Sword God…! Is it okay to use this so freely?”

“It’s just a small amount of mana.”

“Hehe, if that’s the case… yeah, I’ve been staying up all night. I’ve been so busy with a special feature article recently.”

“Special feature article? Oh!”

“What? You actually forgot about it, didn’t you?”

“No way, not a chance.”

In truth, he had briefly forgotten.

Between the prison stay and everything else on his mind over the past five days, Suho had momentarily forgotten what he’d asked Jo Jin-hwi to help with.

Suho smiled and asked.

“So, how is the preparation going?”

“Yes, just as I mentioned last time, I’ve tracked down retired national hunters who didn’t receive fair compensation, and I’ve interviewed those who are struggling in hospitals. The desk has also approved it.”

Suho’s request to Jo Jin-hwi.

It was regarding the compensation system for government-employed hunters at gates.

Currently, the government was taking all loot acquired by national hunters in the gates into government coffers.

And that was a problem.

Already earning less than the average guild, the hunters couldn’t afford to upgrade their gear since their loot was being taken, leading to frequent accidents inside the gates due to insufficient specs.

And this inevitably resulted in a chronic manpower shortage.

While this system would eventually change, Suho wanted to reform it as quickly as possible.

‘This will strengthen the Korean Hunter Association’s power.’

The strength of an organization ultimately originates from its powerful individuals.

The reason the Korean Hunter Association was looked down upon domestically and internationally was that it was composed entirely of civilians or powerless hunters, from the leader down to the national hunters under its umbrella.

How could those who weren’t even in the industry understand what was needed?

Therefore, Suho intended to reform the system from its foundation.

And the starting point was gate loot compensation.

He had done it before.

He had already reformed this system once in his past life, so why not a second time?

Suho nodded.

“That’s good to hear. Let’s sketch out a draft after we clear this gate.”

“Sounds good. But here…”

Jo Jin-hwi pointed toward the gate.

“Are you planning to clear this place?”

“Yes, I specifically chose this place.”

“…You know where this is, right?”

“Of course. That’s why I came here.”

“…Wow.”

Jo Jin-hwi applauded Suho’s confidence.

After parking, they met the manager of the place.

The manager looked at Suho and introduced himself.

“Hello? I’m Major Kim Seong-ho, the manager here. I received a message from Team Leader Jung.”

“Nice to meet you, Major. I’m Assistant Team Leader Ahn Suho from Special Authority Team 2, and this is reporter Jo Jin-hwi, who will be covering this mission.”

“I’m Jo Jin-hwi.”

When Jo Jin-hwi handed over his business card, Kim Seong-ho quickly accepted it.

After glancing at the card, Kim Seong-ho looked at Suho.

“I’ve been briefed, but… are you really planning to clear this place alone?”

“Yes, that’s right. I chose this place on purpose.”

“On purpose?”

“Yes. I suggest we discuss it in detail after I clear the gate.”

“Oh, right! I shouldn’t keep a busy man waiting. I’ll guide you immediately.”

Kim Seong-ho seemed to share Jo Jin-hwi’s concern.

It was understandable.

This place was notorious for its high casualty rate.

However, Suho entered the square without hesitation.

Soon, the portal appeared, and Suho stepped through it.

[Entering the Gate.]

[Loading Gate Information.]

[Dark Canyon]

– Entry Condition: Level 100-140, must possess at least one Red Stat.

– Maximum Entry: 2 people.

The entry conditions were strict.

The maximum entry was only two people, with high-level restrictions and a requirement for at least one Red Stat.

But that was precisely why he had chosen this place.

The more difficult the conditions, the easier it would be to draw attention upon success.

‘I picked this place specifically to make headlines.’

The Dark Canyon, in particular, had a high rate of injuries rather than fatalities.

This was because, despite its difficulty, it was a return-type gate that allowed retreat.

Right after Suho entered the gate, a notification popped up.

[Entering the Dark Canyon.]

As it was a one-star gate, he received another alert upon entry.

Suho looked around as the surroundings changed rapidly.

Inside an ordinary-looking cave.

At the end of the cave was a passageway, with no door, filled with pitch-black darkness.

‘It’s really dark.’

The name of this place, Dark Canyon, came from the pervasive darkness.

Without a flashlight, it was impossible to navigate the canyon, making the environment itself a significant obstacle.

Of course, that didn’t apply to Suho.

The moment he stood in front of the cave entrance, a notification appeared.

[Due to the Original Vampire effect, you are unaffected by darkness restrictions.]

With the skill effect activated, the darkness parted before Suho’s eyes, revealing the true appearance of Dark Canyon.

Suho looked around and nodded silently.

Indeed, it was the Dark Canyon.

Dark Canyon wasn’t dangerous merely because of the darkness.

The narrow path, barely wide enough to balance on, became progressively narrower as he moved forward.

Moreover, the path was not a straight line but twisted and turned, with sharp pillars jutting out from the walls like traps.

In the distance, he could see the entrance to the next area.

This meant that the difficult terrain and darkness here were the first trial.

Therefore, Suho proceeded without hesitation.

Thanks to the Vampire effect, he wasn’t affected by the darkness, so it was just an exercise in avoiding obstacles.

Then, suddenly—

Whoosh!

As he walked forward, something like a tentacle shot out from the edge of the cliff.

Suho evaded the tentacle’s attack without panic.

It happened again, and again.

The creatures were deliberately extending their tentacles to trip him up.

But Suho just clicked his tongue, avoiding all of them.

As he approached the exit, the creatures’ attacks became more frequent and direct.

However, Suho dodged each one.

Since he could see everything and knew they were there, it was easy.

Finally, as he reached the exit, Suho turned to examine the edge of the cliff.

A tangle of tentacles lay at the cliff’s edge, belonging to low-level monsters known as “Cliff Anemones.”

‘A lot of challengers have died because of these.’

This was still just a one-star gate.

The darkness and terrain effect of the first trial were merely the appetizers; those creatures were the main course.

This was the reason for the high casualty rate.

Even if one managed to secure visibility with something like luminous powder, the narrow path reduced maneuverability, and those creatures would relentlessly obstruct any challenger.

Suho looked forward toward the next trial.

The next area was also cloaked in darkness.

But Suho could see it.

A mountain of unknown chests piled high in the darkness.

But all of those were traps.

The chests contained hidden monsters, the “Mimics,” lying in wait for challengers.

This time, however, he couldn’t simply avoid them as he had before.

The path to the next trial was blocked by the mountain of chests.

Yet Suho remained unperturbed.

He even smiled.

If it were the old him, Mimics would be nothing more than a nuisance, but in his current state, they were excellent practice targets.

Suho activated a skill.

[Mana Detection activated.]

As Mana Detection activated, ripples spread around him like drops in a still lake, revealing the surrounding mana in his field of vision.

Among the pile of chests were flickering clusters of mana, as if they held a hidden candle—these were the Mimics.

Suho quietly cast a blessing and summoned his Blood Sword.

[Blessing activated.]

[Blood Weapon activated.]

He took his stance, raising his sword slowly.

“Phew.”

He took a deep breath.

Then held his breath.

Lowering his gaze, he raised his sword explosively in sync with his exhale.

Slash!

The target was the closest Mimic.

It must have been overly eager, positioning itself there to be the first to attack any challenger.

But that greed cost it dearly.

Because of that foolish greed, it became the first to lose its life.

[You have defeated a Mimic.]

Was it due to the increased stats from the blessing?

The Mimic, known for its durability, was split in half in a single strike.

But Suho wasn’t satisfied with that kill.

So he reset his stance.

Slash!

This wasn’t Severing Steel or Cloud Slash.

It was just a simple, quick slash.

From an efficiency perspective, it was a crude move, but for Suho, this was a necessary process.

To master ‘that technique,’ just as he’d slashed a wyvern on Sky Peak Mountain, he had to keep swinging his sword until the system acknowledged him.

Slash!

Suho’s sword cut across another diagonal.

***

Time passed.

[Your level has increased.]

[All stats have increased by 1.]

[You have acquired 1 bonus stat.]

By the time he had almost finished cutting down every chest in the second trial,

Suho’s level had risen.

He invested his bonus stat in mana, then dealt with the last Mimic.

He didn’t cut it hastily.

Again, he held his breath and struck with perfect form.

[You have defeated a Mimic.]

But the system didn’t respond.

Suho sheathed his sword with a hint of disappointment.

‘It’s taking quite a while.’

But he understood.

After all.

It made sense.

The skill he was aiming to master was something he hadn’t acquired until he’d surpassed level 200 in his past life.

Thinking this, Suho moved toward the next trial.

The moment he reached the next area—

[You have entered the Boss Room.]

As soon as he entered the next area, a notification announced his entry into the Boss Room.

The surroundings were still shrouded in darkness.

But Suho, unaffected by the darkness, saw it clearly.

‘No wonder no one has ever succeeded here.’

At first glance, it appeared as darkness itself.

That was understandable.

Something massive was blocking his view, whether near or far.

Upon closer inspection, he could see its name tag.

[Colossal Giant Mimic Lv.132]

Colossal Giant Mimic.

That was its name.

The creature’s level was only 132.

But astonishingly, no one who had entered the Dark Canyon had managed to defeat it.

Because, apart from its massive size, the Mimic was hidden within a huge hunk of steel.

The Colossal Giant Mimic had always fought this way.

Despite being the boss monster, it would exhaust challengers who barely managed to clear the second trial, then pounce on them once they were completely drained.

The creature intended to do the same this time.

It observed the challenger’s expression.

But the challenger was smiling.

He looked as if he’d discovered a goldmine.

‘This will make an excellent training dummy.’

Suho laughed and raised his sword.