Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 393

The myth of the Three Precious Children, known as “Mihashira no Uzunomiko,” names the three most important deities in Japanese mythology: the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami, the Moon God Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, and the Sea God Susanoo no Mikoto.

Which meant—the portals marked with the sun, the moon, and the waves very likely each held one of those gods beyond them.

“Gods, huh...”

Wouldn’t that make the difficulty far too high?

Not just anything, but deities on the level of the Three Precious Children.

Of course, he hadn’t come here without knowing this was the Heavenly Realm, but now that he was actually facing it, he couldn’t help but feel unsettled.

“So that’s why the Stone Fragment of Takamagahara had a season restriction on it.”

Still, what could he do?

Now that he was here, he had to clear it.

It had been hard enough just getting in.

He couldn’t start trembling just from a name now.

Right—he had dealt with the Three Great Wraiths and the great evil spirits; why not the Three Precious Children too?

Su-ho checked each portal in turn for additional information.

That was when he discovered he didn’t have the choice to challenge whichever Gate he wanted.

[ You cannot enter this yet. ]

[ Prerequisites are required. ]

Specifically, the sun and moon—the Sun God’s Gate and the Moon God’s Gate—were inaccessible.

The only one available was the Sea God’s Gate.

No helping it.

Su-ho stepped up to the Sea God’s portal and touched it.

[ Conditions met. ]

[ Retrieving Gate information. ]

[ Low and Furious Sea ]

Entry Requirement: Level 240 or higher.

Variable Condition: Maximum entry of 5 people. For each person fewer, overall difficulty decreases by 20%.

[ Do you wish to enter the Gate? ]

The system’s presentation had changed.

Because the Second Cataclysm had begun, and this Gate had been locked behind a season restriction.

The “variable condition” was a prime example. Reading it, Su-ho smirked at the system’s pettiness.

“Yeah, about time. Difficulty-down bait.”

The system’s true aim was the death of players.

Not some meaningless “massacre” death, but deaths after desperate struggle—that was what it relished most.

That made for better entertainment.

So it set traps like this.

Reading the note about reduced difficulty for fewer entrants, one couldn’t help but harbor a glimmer of hope.

“And by now, player growth is at its peak.”

From what Su-ho knew, the Second Cataclysm triggered once there were over 100 players at level 200.

At first glance, that seemed like an easy condition, but not everyone on Earth was even an Awakener, and most of those who awakened died miserably before ever becoming 2-star players.

“In that light, 100 players at level 200 is no small feat.”

The system wanted players to die, yes—but as mentioned, it wanted them to die clawing and thrashing to the end.

That was why it paid close attention to balance in player growth, but the conveniences or intentions hidden by the system were left for players to discover by banding together.

“The most annoying part was that all of this only became apparent at the very end of the Cataclysm.”

If one were to follow the system’s intent—the most orthodox method—players should have abandoned divisions like nations or guilds, and instead formed a single last-chance consortium, nurturing players under the public mission of ending the Gates.

But Su-ho knew.

That would never happen.

“What kind of consortium with those selfish bastards?”

Having been stabbed in the back at the end himself, Su-ho understood human selfishness and greed better than anyone.

So there was only one way.

“I’ll monopolize growth myself and stop it personally. That’s the surest way.”

There was no one to trust.

More precisely, the only one he could entrust such great matters to was himself. The trustworthy lacked ability, and those with great ability were not to be trusted.

With that conviction, Su-ho stepped into the Gate.

[ Entering the Gate. ]

The alert chimed.

And at once his vision changed.

Whhhoooosh!

Wind slammed into his face.

Su-ho was in the sky.

To be precise—he was falling from the sky.

“It’s begun.”

He had gone through this before: Gates accessible only past level 200 or in the mid-phase of a Cataclysm usually began like this.

Not all of them, but those with any special characteristics often had extremely unfriendly introductions like this.

Plummeting, Su-ho immediately pushed off thin air and shot upward.

[ Leap activated. ]

A spacious double jump.

At the same time, he summoned the Iron Horse and settled smoothly onto its back.

“Hihihiiing!”

The clever Pegasus, though forged of iron, bore its master softly.

Riding the Iron Horse, Su-ho glided with ease.

In the past, he would have had to rely on Qingliu Steps, scattering water with every move, but now, thanks to the Iron Horse, that was unnecessary.

Able to scout far more elegantly, Su-ho gazed down below at leisure.

The Susanoo Gate, called “Low and Furious Sea,” was a typical isolated-type Gate: surrounded on all sides by sea, with only a single large white island within it.

“Nothing obvious right away.”

Especially on the island.

Even an uninhabited island should have at least a tree or two, yet there was nothing. Just white sand.

So naturally, Su-ho’s gaze shifted to the sea.

Dark waters.

Instead of waves, a faint ripple rolled across the surface, its deep tone contrasting starkly with the white sand island. The vivid contrast struck Su-ho with an odd sense of discord.

“Feels like they deliberately laid a dark sea as a screen.”

Seeing was believing.

Su-ho immediately activated Mana Perception.

[ Mana Perception activated. ]

The skill lit up all magical presences beneath the water’s surface.

Seeing that, Su-ho’s lips curled.

“Well, well.”

As expected.

The dark sea against the bright sand was a kind of camouflage veil, hiding something.

And that something was massive.

What was it?

The sprawling, elongated shape suggested not a living creature but a landform.

As he swept his gaze, Su-ho realized his assumption was completely off.

Yamata no Orochi Lv. 255

Well, damn.

So it was Yamata no Orochi?

If not for the nameplate, he wouldn’t have guessed in a hundred years.

“But why’s it so big?”

He couldn’t see its form yet—it was still beneath the waves—but even its silhouette defied imagination.

“Wait. The Yamata no Orochi I know had eight heads, right?”

Stretching his neck, Su-ho scoured the area, but no matter how he looked, the thing was all one mass.

“Fine, it’ll show itself when it’s time.”

In any case, the difficulty was already significant, as expected of a Gate on the Three Precious Children’s level.

If he hadn’t had the Iron Horse, the moment his feet touched the surface, that colossal beast would have rushed him.

But Su-ho had Mana Perception, and he had the Iron Horse.

“Time to show why cavalry is dozens of times stronger than infantry.”

Su-ho began casting his buffs immediately.

[ Blessing activated. ]

[ Holy Enchant activated. «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» ]

[ Endurance activated. ]

[ Enhancement activated. ]

[ Eye of the Blacksmith activated. ]

“Let’s test the waters first.”

Before swinging his sword, Su-ho clenched his off-hand and thrust it upward.

[ Wave Strike activated. ]

A skill copied from the Lizardman King—Wave Strike.

When he cast it, the sea’s surface within range split apart like the Red Sea.

Wave Strike was originally an attack skill that stirred the sea into crashing waves. But with high mastery, one didn’t need to target an enemy; it could be used for environmental manipulation like this.

As the sea parted, the colossal Yamata no Orochi finally revealed itself.

“So I wasn’t seeing things.”

Its size and level were far greater, but beneath the sea, it was indeed the Yamata no Orochi he knew.

As soon as Su-ho confirmed the monster’s true identity, he swung his blade.

[ Cloud Severance activated. ]

[ Enhancement applied. ]

[ Cloud Severance’s power grows stronger. ]

Shaaah!

The arc lashed out.

Like a whip, it carved across the immense serpent’s body.

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa!

“Kiaooooo!!”

Fwoooooshhh!

And the deluge began.

With Yamata no Orochi’s shriek reverberating, the beast thrashed madly, its massive body generating tidal waves big enough to engulf the island itself.

“So the island was a trap too.”

With no other solid ground, players unable to fly would have been swept away without mercy.

In that sense, the Iron Horse was the greatest treasure Su-ho had obtained in North Korea.

“Krurrr...”

Bearing fresh wounds, Yamata no Orochi raised its long body above the sea at last.

Yet still, it had only one neck.

“What the...?”

Wasn’t it supposed to have eight?

Whatever. If the heads went from eight to one, that was a blessing in itself.

Fewer heads meant fewer things to worry about.

Then the beast turned its gaping maw toward Su-ho.

“Gwoooooooaah!!”

From that mouth erupted a sound so immense it was like a dump truck blasting its horn inside a tunnel.

Enormous.

Big enough that even using his Giantification skill might not have felt sufficient.

But this wasn’t even a boss—just a welcoming monster. Wasting a high-risk skill would be luxury.

Clutching the Iron Horse with one hand, Su-ho directed it downward.

“Close in tight!”

“Hihihing!”

A hair’s breadth apart.

Su-ho managed to slip past Yamata no Orochi’s charging maw by the slimmest margin.

But this wasn’t evasion—it was approach.

Skimming alongside like a bullet train, green foxfire flared around Su-ho’s body.

[ Foxfire activated. ]

His stats surged.

At the same instant, gripping his Blood Sword, he lifted it like a shark’s fin and streaked along Yamata no Orochi’s body.

Kzzt-zzzzzzzt!

The impact sparked like metal grinding on metal.

So tough were Yamata no Orochi’s scales.

But though its level outstripped his, its mana stat did not.

Which meant—the Blood Sword, scaling off mana, was inevitably harder than the serpent’s scales. And so—

Slaaash!

Su-ho’s blade cleaved through Yamata no Orochi’s elongated body.

Sploosh!

Blood gushed forth, staining the sea bright crimson in an instant.

And soon after—

Kuguguung!

After another exchange, Yamata no Orochi succumbed once again to Su-ho’s blade and sank beneath the waves.