Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 176

Hwang Ga-on was a well-known warrior-class player.

Despite his massive frame, he was surprisingly agile, making him an effective hybrid user capable of both dealing and tanking damage simultaneously.

On top of that, his combat sense was exceptional, often handling the workload of two players on his own.

"Especially in one-on-one battles, I’ve rarely lost."

His Infinity Duel win rate was over 90%. That statistic alone was proof enough of his extraordinary prowess.

Because of this, Hwang Ga-on always kept an eye on other powerful players. Naturally, he was well aware of the Sword Saint, An Su-ho.

Especially the fact that Su-ho had single-handedly cleared multiple sealed Gates—a feat bordering on the absurd.

However, the Gates he had cleared were relatively low-level, and rumors suggested that he relied on tricks rather than raw strength.

"On top of that, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere as a swordsman player and was specially appointed as a Rank 5 civil servant. Anyone can see that he’s a government-backed project player."

That wasn’t just Hwang Ga-on’s own assumption.

Unbeknownst to Su-ho, one of the most popular conspiracy theories surrounding him claimed exactly that.

After all, he had burst onto the scene like a comet, performing one absurd feat after another.

So naturally, Hwang Ga-on had wanted to meet him.

More specifically, he had wanted to fight him.

And now, that opportunity had finally arrived.

Closing the distance in an instant, Hwang Ga-on brought his twin axes together, raising them behind his head before slamming them down like a war hammer.

It was his signature move—Thunder Strike.

"This is the end!"

As he thought that, his axes descended upon Su-ho with devastating force.

Yet, Su-ho did not move.

He stood there, unmoving, watching the twin axes fall toward him.

Hwang Ga-on, seeing Su-ho remain still, was certain of his victory.

At this distance, at this reaction speed, there was absolutely no way he could dodge.

However, at that moment—

Ssschkk!

A crisp slicing sound rang through the air.

What?

Was it just his imagination?

No. He had definitely heard it.

A sharp, cutting sound that only someone on the battlefield could detect.

Yet, Su-ho remained still.

That was when—

"Huh?"

Su-ho’s unmoving form changed.

A moment ago, he had been standing still, yet somehow, his blade had already passed beside Hwang Ga-on.

It was an outward slash.

And Hwang Ga-on was within its trajectory.

That realization struck him with a strange sense of unease.

If the blade was extending outward, that meant it had already cut through him.

But he felt nothing.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, something strange happened.

His strength drained away.

The descending twin axes, once as heavy as thunder, suddenly floated in the air as if they were feathers caught in the wind.

A fleeting moment.

Time seemed to slow.

Then—

Boom!

The axes, weightless just a second ago, crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.

They had been severed at the handle.

"......!"

Hwang Ga-on’s motion was completed.

His arms followed through with the downward strike.

But nothing happened to Su-ho.

The only difference was that Su-ho had extended his sword outward.

Yet, with that single exchange, the fight was already over.

Retracting his sword, Su-ho spoke.

"I was going to sever your arms, but I spared you and cut the axes instead."

"......"

Hwang Ga-on stood frozen, as if he had gazed into the eyes of Medusa.

It was too shocking.

Me? Of all people? Did I just lose my Thunder Strike?

It had happened right before his eyes. He had felt it with his entire body.

Yet, it took him a moment to fully process the reality of what had just occurred.

And when he finally replayed the moment in his head—

A chill ran down his spine.

Thud!

His legs lost strength, and he collapsed onto his knees.

"How... how is this possible...?"

If his fans had witnessed this, they wouldn’t have believed it.

Hwang Ga-on, nicknamed "The Viking" for his aggressive fighting style and refusal to surrender, had just lost his will to fight in a single exchange and had even fallen to his knees.

But he had no choice.

Hwang Ga-on was a high-level player, one of the best.

And because of that, he could sense the insurmountable gap between them.

Yes.

This was a wall.

The kind of wall he had only encountered a handful of times in his life.

Like when he had been beaten up by older kids back in elementary school.

That raw, primal sense of overwhelming defeat.

Watching the dazed Hwang Ga-on, Su-ho finally withdrew his Blood Sword.

Clicking his tongue, he looked down at the kneeling warrior.

"For someone with such good instincts, you sure got drunk on your own talent."

A shame.

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If Hwang Ga-on had been a little humbler, he could have become an even greater hunter and contributed to eradicating Gates.

But it was too late.

Too many people had witnessed this, and two barriers had already been broken.

Most importantly—

Hwang Ga-on had tried to kill him.

That was an irreversible crime.

Su-ho reached down and pressed several pressure points on Hwang Ga-on’s body.

They were key acupoints.

First, he took away his ability to clench his jaw.

Next, he drained the strength from his hands so that he couldn’t grip anything properly.

Finally, he disabled his waist, preventing him from standing up properly.

This should be enough for the two hounds guarding Cheongok Prison to rip him apart.

As a finishing touch, Su-ho struck a final sleep acupoint, knocking him unconscious.

Then, he turned to a nameless investigator who was staring blankly at him.

"Why isn’t he in restraints?"

"W-We did put them on him. B-But he asked to use the restroom, so we took them off for a moment..."

"What kind of idiot removes restraints for a high-level player?"

"I-I’m sorry! I didn’t think he’d do something like this since he’s so famous! I really apologize!"

"Tsk. This is too big of a mess to let slide. You’re definitely getting disciplined for this. Just put the restraints back on."

The investigator, looking as if he were about to cry, hurriedly restrained Hwang Ga-on once more.

Su-ho watched for a moment before suddenly going, "Ah!" and pulling out his phone.

He snapped a few pictures.

Just then, Kim Seung-hwan, who had been watching from afar, approached cautiously.

"H-Hunter Su-ho, are you alright?"

"Didn’t you see? I’m fine."

"Ah, well, yes... but still..."

"From what I heard, the investigator got tricked into releasing him. Don’t be too harsh on him. Oh, and I’ll handle the article about Hwang Ga-on myself."

With that, Su-ho wrapped up his business and left.

After he was completely out of sight, Kim Seung-hwan finally exhaled and slowly opened the door to the interrogation room.

It was a wreck.

There was no blood or filth, but the tables and chairs had all been overturned.

The most pathetic sight was Park Gyu-min.

The moment he had heard the commotion outside, he had curled up in the corner, shaking in fear, his hair disheveled.

Seeing that, Kim Seung-hwan sighed and pulled a chair back up.

"Let’s eat first. We have a lot to talk about."

Park Gyu-min, his jaw trembling, silently nodded.

***

Dawn.

Jo Jin-hwi finally returned home after a long time.

He took a hot shower and got ready for bed.

With everything set in motion, all that was left was to wait. That was why he had left the office and come to Kaiser Cheongdam for the night.

He had even treated himself to a drink, enjoying the rare moment of peace.

Just as he was about to drift off to sleep—

Bzzzz!

His phone rang.

It was Su-ho.

Jo Jin-hwi sat up and answered the call.

"Yes, Pro-nim!"

– Are you busy?

"Ah, no. I was just having a drink before bed."

– You drink before sleeping?

"Just a little, like a post-work drink... But what’s up?"

– The first phase of preparations is nearly complete. We just need to release the article... But if you were about to sleep, we can meet in the morning or around lunchtime instead.

"Ah, no! Let’s meet right now! Where are you?"

– I’m on my way to Seoul from Suwon. I’ll come to you. Are you at Kaiser or your officetel?

"Kaiser."

– Alright, I’ll be there soon. See you in a bit.

The call ended.

"Whoa..."

Jo Jin-hwi checked the time, then stared at his phone again.

It was almost 4 AM.

He had already drunk quite a bit and was about to pass out, but now he was wide awake.

No matter how much he tried to clear his head, the combination of a hot shower and a substantial amount of whiskey made it hard to stay focused.

"Should I... throw up?"

It was a serious dilemma.

At this rate, purging the alcohol from his system might be the only way to keep his mind sharp.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

A message from Su-ho.

Jo Jin-hwi opened it—

And his eyes widened.

"W-What?! Is this... Hwang Ga-on?!"

In the picture, Hwang Ga-on was unconscious, restrained in cuffs.

Behind him, a broken corridor wall was visible.

In the corner of the image, a small plaque read:

"Suwon District Prosecutors' Office."

"W-Wait, what?! This happened at the Suwon Prosecutor’s Office?!"

His drunken haze evaporated in an instant.

Morning.

Breaking News!

Shocking! A gambling den involving famous celebrities and athletes!A-list actress "A" exposed in Gangnam’s largest illegal gambling ring...Athlete "B" linked to illegal domestic junket operations...What is a junket room? The Suwon gambling bust that stunned the nation...From the early hours of the morning, PBS flooded the media with articles.

Su-ho had provided the exclusive information only to Jo Jin-hwi, who had mobilized his most trusted reporters for the job.

And the results?

A wildfire.

"Holy sh*t, this is insane!""I thought junket rooms were only a thing overseas, but they’re running them domestically too? LOL.""No way... Athlete B... Don’t tell me it’s Bang Ja-wook?""LOL A is rumored to be Lee Eun-ah. What’s gonna happen to her upcoming movie?"The {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} internet exploded.

But compared to what came next, this was nothing.

Noon.

"Famous Hunter Hwang Ga-on revealed to be part of the Gangnam junket ring!""Prime Guild denies any involvement: 'We had no idea.'”"Hwang Ga-on caused a scene at the prosecution office!"They had deliberately delayed releasing Hwang Ga-on’s involvement.

Because while the public loved scandals involving celebrities, news about Awakened individuals always made an even bigger impact.

"Damn, Ga-on is a real man. He even wrecked the prosecution office.""As expected of a Viking’s descendant.""Might as well give him a proper Viking funeral, LOL.""Ga-on, sail away!""ㅠㅠㅠㅠ f*ck, my oppa, what the hell is he gonna do now ㅠㅠㅠ I told him to keep his temper in check, but he just had to go full Viking... And now he’s finished."Watching the public uproar, Su-ho smiled.

Yes.

This was how you kept a scandal burning.

When the Park Gyu-min case broke, this momentum would ensure that it erupted into an inferno.

Su-ho checked the time and called Kim Seung-hwan.

– "Yes, Hunter-nim?"

"Is the interrogation finished?"

– "Yes, we’ve got the full report. He’s resting in my office now. I assigned an investigator to keep watch over him."

"Good. I’ll release the article in the evening, so prepare a response using the materials I sent you. I’ll send someone to pick up Park Gyu-min before then."

– "Understood."

Ending the call, Su-ho turned his attention to the sofa.

Jo Jin-hwi was still asleep.

After checking the time, Su-ho shook him awake.

"Reporter-nim."

"......"

"Reporter-nim?"

"Hngh... Hrk... Y-Yes?!"

"Wake up. You need to prepare for the evening article. The Park Gyu-min case is ready."

"Ah... ahhhh...."

Jo Jin-hwi, looking like a zombie, dragged himself to his desk.

Just then—

His body began to glow.

Startled, he stared at the light enveloping him, then looked at Su-ho.

Su-ho chuckled.

"Don’t panic. It’s just a healing spell."

"Ah... A heal...."

"Good luck with your work, reporter-nim."

"...Yeah. Good luck...."

With a melancholy expression, Jo Jin-hwi opened his laptop.