Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 165

For a moment, Su-ho thought he had misheard.

But the so-called Sea God repeated himself in the same booming tone.

—Kahahaha! You pathetic creatures! Not a single one of you will leave this place alive today!

His voice was so exuberant that it almost felt... jovial.

What was this?

Had this thing always been like that? Su-ho glanced up at its head, trying to check its nameplate.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёnovelkiss.com.

But the creature was too tall. He couldn’t see it.

Still, there was no doubt—it was a boss monster.

And in that moment, Su-ho realized why he could hear such words from it.

[Animal Communicate is currently active.]

It was the ability he had copied from Kim Noah.

Understanding the truth behind it, Su-ho smirked.

‘So, at the end of the day, this thing is just an animal too, huh?’

Regardless of whether it called itself the Sea God or a boss monster, its true identity remained the same—a colossal octopus.

Just {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} then—

“Deploy the barrier! Now!”

“Yes, sir!!”

A sharp command rang out from an unfamiliar man.

A mage.

One whom the ship’s captain had wisely stationed aboard in case of emergencies.

The commanding mage was the lead magician, and upon his order, his subordinates spread out and began chanting.

Before long, runes and spell formations appeared around the ship, coalescing into a massive protective barrier.

[A barrier has been created to protect the ship.]

[The barrier is not invincible. If the boss monster is not defeated in time, the ship will sink.]

A system alert flashed before Su-ho’s eyes.

A warning.

Defeat the boss before the barrier breaks.

But that wasn’t all.

[Bonus points will be awarded based on the remaining durability of the barrier when the boss monster is defeated.]

[Bonus points will be awarded based on the number of surviving mages when the boss monster is defeated.]

[Bonus points will be awarded based on the number of surviving crew members when the boss monster is defeated.]

More notifications popped up.

It was a quest.

A quest that rewarded bonus points.

Su-ho’s eyes gleamed.

‘These usually translate into extra loot or experience points!’

There was no way he was letting this slip through his fingers.

At that moment, a massive tentacle slammed into the barrier.

Kwaaaang!!

It was like a battering ram striking a fortress wall.

The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the barrier. Some of the mages groaned in pain, staggering.

They were linked through a spell circle to sustain the massive barrier, which meant that every blow was evenly distributed among them.

Seeing their distress, Su-ho frowned.

‘My bonus points!’

Every single action mattered now.

If this kept up, he’d end up with nothing.

‘Absolutely not!’

He had to end this—fast.

Determination flared in his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Su-ho sprinted toward the bow of the ship.

The boss monster’s tentacle was stretched in that direction.

Kwaaaang!!

The tentacle struck the barrier again, pressing against it.

And the moment it did, Su-ho leaped.

At the peak of his jump, he activated his Double Jump ability, launching himself even higher.

The distance was precarious.

No matter how high he jumped, he couldn’t quite reach the tentacle.

But that was fine.

Because in that moment, Su-ho extended Blood Weapon, elongating it like a staff.

Kwachik!!

The weapon pierced into the monster’s tentacle.

Compared to the sheer size of the limb, the wound was as insignificant as a splinter lodged in a tree trunk.

But it was enough to anchor him.

And as the tentacle withdrew—its attack having failed—Su-ho was pulled along with it, straight toward the boss monster’s body.

That was exactly what he had aimed for.

By closing the distance like this, the boss’s aggro would shift to him, ensuring that the barrier, the mages, and the crew remained safe.

As he was dragged closer, Su-ho let go of his Blood Weapon without hesitation.

Then, summoning a new one, he reshaped it into a pair of spiked boots—like ice climbers’ crampons.

He landed atop the monster’s massive body.

The boss finally noticed him, roaring in confusion.

—Aaang?! What the hell are you?!

Two massive tentacles shot toward him.

Su-ho ran.

The boss was fast.

Faster than one would expect from something of its size.

But Su-ho was faster.

Splat!

The monster’s own tentacles slammed into its own body, piercing through its thick hide.

—Ghhhhhiiii! What are you?!

The creature howled in rage.

From its perspective, Su-ho must have seemed like a cockroach.

An enormous elephant might be powerful, but if a cockroach clung to its body, even the most dexterous trunk would struggle to swat it away.

And Su-ho knew it.

‘That’s the downside of massive creatures. If they lack defensive measures against close-range threats, they end up harming themselves.’

He summoned Blood Weapon once more.

This time, he forged it into a Blood Sword.

The spiked boots remained.

He was far from done.

Normally, Su-ho could only summon one Blood Weapon at a time.

But ever since Blood Weapon had evolved into True Blood Weapon under the influence of True Blood, he could now summon multiple weapons simultaneously.

‘As long as I have enough stored blood in the Blood Prison, I can create as many Blood Weapons as I want!’

Wielding a Blood Sword, Su-ho immediately cast buff skills on himself.

[Holy Enchant is activated.]

[Blessing is activated.]

Two distinct auras of white light enveloped his body.

With the buffs complete, he kept running, eyes locked on the incoming tentacle.

Just as the massive limb was about to strike him, Su-ho gripped his sword with both hands, pouring both magic and blood into it.

The blade extended—far beyond its usual size—growing over ten times longer.

[Cloud Slash is activated.]

Swish!

Everything fell into place at the perfect moment.

Like a frog catching a fly, the extended blade sliced through the massive tentacle in a single, fluid motion. Bolstered by the momentum of his swing and enhanced by Holy Enchant, the strike cleanly severed a limb many times thicker than his own body.

—Graaagh?! How dare you?! You insignificant worm! How dare you?!

The boss monster howled—not just in pain, but in sheer, seething outrage.

It wasn’t simply because of the injury.

It was the humiliation.

Like an elephant enraged by a cockroach, the so-called "Sea God" couldn't accept that a mere human had severed one of its sacred limbs.

That thought amused Su-ho, and a smirk crept onto his lips.

The irony was almost too much.

An oversized octopus acting high and mighty?

And now, completely consumed by rage?

That alone made this fight worth it.

—You will not leave here alive!!

Furious, the boss monster lashed out with its remaining tentacles.

Three of them surged toward Su-ho.

An octopus had eight limbs.

With one already lost, it had seven left.

Su-ho sprinted across its slippery skin, effortlessly dodging the incoming strikes.

He didn’t just evade.

The moment he sidestepped the last tentacle, he twisted his body mid-air, extending Blood Sword once more like a frog’s tongue snapping out.

[Cloud Slash is activated.]

Swoosh—Slash!!

—Gyaaaaaagh!!

Despite the wide arc of his swing, he could only cut through two tentacles this time.

Still, considering the monster’s sheer size, taking out two more limbs was a massive achievement.

Now, only five tentacles remained.

Losing nearly half its limbs in an instant, the so-called "Sea God" let out a bloodcurdling scream.

[The Sea God howls in rage.]

[A boss-tier Fear effect is activated.]

So that was its name.

Sea God.

Hah.

What kind of god gets its limbs hacked off so easily?

Of course—

[Dragon Blood nullifies all Fear effects.]

[Dragon Blood's Spirit effect renders you immune to intimidation.]

Su-ho wasn’t affected at all.

He stopped dodging.

Instead, he charged straight for its forehead.

Seeing him rush forward, the boss monster, seething with hostility, made a decision.

A desperate one.

One it had hoped to avoid.

[The Sea God uses Black Aqua Mist.]

A thick, dark mist spewed from its mouth, instantly shrouding its entire body in an impenetrable black fog.

It was ink.

A natural defense mechanism.

With vision now obstructed, the monster assumed Su-ho would be helpless.

Confident in its advantage, it brandished its remaining four tentacles like swords and attacked blindly.

A grave miscalculation.

Swish—Slash!

A sharp pain.

A distinct slicing sound.

The boss monster’s eyes widened in shock.

Then, from within the darkness, a chilling voice rang out.

“You idiot.”

It had heard it.

That mocking, spine-chilling voice.

The voice of the one who had just cut through its flesh.

It was Su-ho’s voice.

He had severed more of its tentacles.

Of course he had.

The Sea God thought that blinding its opponent would be enough to turn the tide of battle.

But Su-ho wasn’t hindered in the slightest.

[Original Vampire Effect: You are unaffected by Darkness.]

Darkness wasn’t limited to nighttime.

Even if it came from ink, as long as it was darkness, Su-ho was immune to it.

With most of its limbs now severed, Su-ho rushed toward its head without hesitation.

The timing was perfect.

The ink had darkened the entire area, creating shadows.

And shadows belonged to him.

From within the darkness, Su-ho summoned Guiyeong Spear—his Shadow Spear.

Like a matador preparing the final thrust, he aimed for the monster’s forehead.

“Alright, octopus! Time for the final blow—Shime!”

—Shime?!

Su-ho hurled the spear.

The boss monster, completely unfamiliar with the term, had no time to react.

The spear struck its forehead—right at its nervous center.

"Shime" was a term used in fish markets.

It referred to the Ikegime technique—a method of severing a fish’s nerves to preserve its freshness.

When used alone, it was called Shime.

When used as part of Ikegime, it ensured the fish wouldn’t struggle, keeping its meat fresh.

Normally, octopuses and live squid weren’t given Shime treatment.

But just because it wasn’t commonly done didn’t mean it couldn’t be done.

And so, Su-ho applied it to the so-called "Sea God."

With darkness cloaking the battlefield, the Shadow Piercing effect activated, ensuring the spear severed its nerves completely.

[Shadow Piercing is activated.]

Kwachik!

His prediction was spot-on.

As the spear struck, the monster’s body slowly turned pale.

[You have slain the Sea God.]

The victory was his.

And with that, Su-ho had successfully taken down a god.