Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 167

A large, black sac, the size of a human head.

Martin Park eyed it suspiciously and asked,

“...What is this?”

“A Kraken’s ink sac.”

“A Kraken? You mean the Kraken?”

“Yes. Harvested from a boss monster that was at least several dozen meters long.”

Kraken was a general term—sometimes used to describe giant squids, sometimes massive octopi.

But Su-ho had chosen to call it a Kraken rather than the Sea God—because that name resonated better.

And it worked.

Martin Park’s eyes widened, intrigued.

Su-ho continued smoothly,

“You’ve always said that to paint something real, you need pigments harvested from the real thing. That’s why you traveled all the way to Korea, didn’t you? To find the legendary black pigment that can only be obtained in the East.”

“...You did your homework, I see.”

Martin smirked.

“Yes. I refuse to use synthetic pigments. All my colors come from true materials. And yes, I did come here searching for the fabled Eastern black. But—”

He narrowed his eyes.

“If this is a Kraken, then isn’t it a Western sea monster? How does that count as an Eastern mystery?”

A sharp observation.

But Su-ho answered without hesitation.

“Because this Kraken was caught in Korea.”

“...Korea?”

“Yes. And here’s the proof.”

Su-ho handed him a magic stone, freshly harvested from the Sea God.

A Tier 1 Boss Monster Magic Stone.

At 1-star and above, magic stones were more valuable than gold—and their export was strictly regulated.

This alone was enough to certify the ink sac’s authenticity.

Martin Park inspected the magic stone and swallowed hard.

“...Hmmm.”

“Something wrong?”

“It’s just... ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) the idea of a Korean Kraken is a bit...”

“Haha, it’s simple. Your name is Martin Park, but you keep the Park surname because of your Korean heritage, right?”

“...Well, yeah.”

“You see? Same logic.”

“...You really did your research on me, huh?”

“I’m a fan. A real fan. That’s why I went through all this trouble to track you down in Samcheok. And I collected this just today—for you.”

“...Today?”

“Yes. Solely for you.”

At those words, Martin Park’s eyes flickered.

Truthfully, he had been enthralled by the ink sac the moment he saw it.

After all—

The most valuable black pigment he could obtain came from mythical beasts.

And this?

A magical ink infused with mana?

Impossible to resist.

Even more so because it hadn’t been purchased—it had been personally harvested for him.

Martin Park, keeping his excitement in check, murmured,

“...You’re really desperate for this, huh?”

“Yes. Very.”

“Then I assume you’ll tell me why you need my painting?”

“Of course. I need it for humanity.”

“...What?”

Humanity.

Martin Park’s eyebrows knitted together, but then—

His lips curled into a smirk.

“...Interesting. Keep talking.”

Su-ho had hooked him.

Without wasting the opportunity, he began explaining—

Who he was.

Why he joined the Korean Hunter Association.

His ultimate goal.

As the story unfolded, Martin Park’s grin widened.

And by the time Su-ho was finished, the artist was smiling more warmly than ever before.

“Heh. So basically—you need to kill a giant for a trait quest. And you took the long way around to explain it.”

“Haha, you got me.”

“Pfft. Amusing.”

Martin chuckled.

“Alright. I like grand, noble causes. So I’ll sell you my one and only painting of a giant.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Su-ho stood and bowed slightly in respect.

Martin Park opened his inventory, rummaged for a moment, and then pulled out a small sheet of paper—

No larger than a palm.

Su-ho’s eyes flickered with recognition.

“...So this is David Slain by Goliath.”

“You’ve seen it before?”

“Only online. Never in person.”

He really had seen it before.

It was one of Martin Park’s most famous works—

And also the smallest painting he had ever created.

Martin Park had deliberately chosen a tiny canvas for it.

Since it was the only painting of a giant he had ever drawn, he wanted to make it special.

That quirk had only added to its fame.

Even the story behind the painting was intriguing.

Martin Park had reinterpreted the David and Goliath legend—

In his version, David doesn’t win.

Instead, he’s brutally slaughtered by Goliath.

Because, in Martin Park’s view—

A human without tools can never defeat a giant.

Martin Park nodded.

“So? What’s your plan? You know how my paintings work, right?”

“Yes. I want to enter the painting and fight Goliath directly.”

“...Shame.”

His paintings worked in two ways—

1. He could trap someone inside the artwork.

2. He could summon the artwork’s subject into the real world.

Su-ho had chosen the first option.

That was why Martin Park was disappointed.

If Su-ho had chosen the second option, he could have watched the battle in real time.

Still, he extended a hand. freewebnoveℓ.com

“Well, let’s get the payment settled first.”

“Here it is.”

“...This is incredible material.”

Taking the ink sac, Martin Park chuckled.

“Well, I hope you don’t die in there. I like weirdos like you.”

“I don’t intend to die. For the sake of humanity.”

“...Hah. Crazy bastard.”

Martin Park let out a low laugh and activated his skill.

A brilliant white light flared—

And then, a system notification appeared before Su-ho.

[Player Martin Park has invited you into the painting.]

[Do you accept?]

Of course.

Without hesitation, Su-ho accepted.

The moment he did, his body was sucked into the artwork.