Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 361

A considerable amount of time had passed.

The Poison Dragon’s venom was powerful.

Endo was ruined.

Having been struck on her pressure points, her voice sealed, she was like a vegetable—trapped in the prison of her own body, unable to move, forced to endure poison’s torment.

There was no danger of death.

The world’s greatest Player and the world’s greatest Healer stood constantly at her side, caring for her.

Su-ho tended to her diligently.

So diligently, in fact, that whenever he administered a new poison, he first detoxified the previous one with [Recovery] before injecting the next.

He even gave her short breaks.

That brief sweetness only made the next poison taste more hellish.

“Mmmghhh!!”

As the new toxin entered her system, she convulsed in agony.

But outwardly, she seemed almost docile—just trembling faintly while seated in the chair.

After feeding her poison and casting Heal, Su-ho checked the time.

'Just a little more.'

There is a limit to all things.

As much as he wanted to lock her away like Pi Seong-yeol and let her suffer endlessly, one subject for the Mega Crusher was enough.

Besides, Endo’s level was higher than expected. In the long term, managing her would become cumbersome and troublesome.

So he decided her punishment should be short and brutal.

After a long while, when he deemed she had suffered enough, Su-ho released her pressure points.

“Aahh...”

From her lips spilled a groan beyond description.

Her face was smeared with tears, mucus, and blood.

But Su-ho, without a trace of pity, spoke with a flat expression.

“You can talk now. This will be the last. If there’s anything you want to say, say it.”

“Why... why are you doing this to me...?”

“And why did you do what you did?”

“W-what...?”

“If you don’t know, then think of it as punishment. In truth, even aside from my business with you, you’ve already earned divine retribution. You think I don’t know? How many people you killed inside Gates under the pretext of ‘poison experiments.’”

“H-how did you...?!”

At her response, Su-ho frowned.

Just as he said.

The so-called “Gate Crimes.”

Crimes committed among Players inside Gates, with murder at their core.

Kill someone inside a Gate, and evidence almost never remains.

Of course, Su-ho had no proof.

But he remembered the things Endo always used to say before his regression.

“Once, I really wanted to test my new poison, so I purposely formed a party and went into a Gate. When I used it on them all, it worked so well, you wouldn’t believe it.”

And what always followed was:

“Just kidding, you know? Who would do something like that? Hahaha!”

Always brushed off with “a joke,” “a prank,” “you wouldn’t really believe that, would you?”

With no evidence, she could never be formally charged.

But Su-ho was certain.

If anyone had truly committed Gate crimes, it was Endo—and not just once, but countless times.

'Just the fact that she used her Myriad Poison on me proves it.'

And now, at last, he could confirm the truths of the past.

“It’s obvious. That’s the kind of woman you are.”

“What are you saying...!”

“Call it karma. You alive only causes harm.”

Su-ho struck her pressure points again.

Then he tossed her into the Subspace House, erased his traces, and finally left the house.

He had no intention of burning it down.

Sooner or later, she would simply be listed as a missing person.

One more bitter tie severed, Su-ho mounted Cheolma once more.

*

Time passed quickly, and Yamaguchi crumbled just as quickly.

The power of the state was overwhelming.

With the National Tax Service, the National Police Agency, and the Paranormal Ability Agency all deployed, Yamaguchi, leaderless, could not help but sink—even as Japan’s largest guild.

And that wasn’t all.

Just as promised to Vice Minister Miyamoto, Su-ho, together with Sumiyoshi, began smashing Yamaguchi’s sub-organizations.

Of course, not all of them.

Those who surrendered midway, raising the white flag, were absorbed into Sumiyoshi on humanitarian grounds.

But they were few.

Most of them had lived in darkness too long; it was impossible for them to suddenly become new people.

“Good progress.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So, nothing else I need to worry about?”

By now, Hiro had become Su-ho’s devoted subordinate—no, his loyal vassal.

How could he not?

Whenever Su-ho had spare time, he instructed Hiro in swordsmanship.

To Su-ho’s question, Hiro replied:

“The Yamaguchi sub-organizations are mostly resolved, but there’s one matter left—important enough.”

“What is it?”

“The Players affiliated with Yamaguchi.”

“The affiliated Players? Ah, right. Yamaguchi was still a guild.”

Guilds, like agencies, managed Players.

Which meant nearly every notable Player in Japan had been under Yamaguchi’s banner.

Though their roots were in the yakuza, when it came to management, they hadn’t used yakuza methods.

'They couldn’t, really. Top Players wielded power akin to weapons of war. You can’t control them with gangster tricks.'

Su-ho asked:

“What’s the problem?”

“With settlements and contract options, there seem to be many disputes. Normally, during absorption, we’d meet them and sign new contracts but...”

“But?”

“It’s fine for most of them, but there’s one—Kenji. He’s the problem.”

“Kenji?”

“Yes. Kenji of the Storm. Currently one of Japan’s very top Players.”

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