Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 169

Arriving at Cheongdam House, Martin Park glanced around and commented.

"You live in a modest place."

"Is that so?"

Cheongdam House... modest?

But considering the mansions owned by American millionaires, it made sense that he might think that way.

Martin Park wasn’t just anyone—he was a top-tier hunter ranked beyond two stars, an elite among elites.

‘And since he’s also an artist, the wealth he’s accumulated must be beyond imagination.’

That’s why people called him eccentric.

With that kind of money, he could have hired people to gather his painting materials.

But his obsession with craftsmanship made him insist on collecting everything himself.

Su-ho led him to a guest room.

It was one of the vacant rooms, spacious enough to rival the master bedroom of most apartments.

After looking around, Martin Park asked:

"This will do for my bedroom. Now, where’s the studio?"

"The studio... If you don’t mind the basement, I can set it up for you there."

"I don’t like basements. Too stuffy. If there’s a terrace, give me a room with one upstairs."

"...Understood."

Su-ho had assumed he’d paint in his bedroom, but the man was particular.

Still, without complaining, Su-ho gave him a vacant room on the second floor.

The second floor was just as spacious as the first, with plenty of unused space despite Nam Hae-won using part of it as a studio.

After explaining how the house’s facilities worked, Su-ho ordered all the supplies Martin might need.

Just as he was about to leave, Martin Park spoke up.

"Wait a moment."

He suddenly pulled out a notebook and a pen from his pocket.

Then, he walked out onto the terrace and sketched the scenery before him.

Finally, he added a massive full moon to the center—something that wasn’t actually there.

Tearing out the page, he handed it to Su-ho.

"Take this."

"...You already finished it?"

"This kind of thing can only be drawn in an unfamiliar place.

It’s a one-of-a-kind landscape, with a full moon added from my imagination.

It should work for what you need."

"Can I enter it right away?"

"You're in a hurry, huh? Well, it’s possible."

At Su-ho’s request, Martin Park activated his skill.

[ Player Martin Park invites you into his painting. Do you accept? ]

Of course, the answer was yes.

[ Entering Martin Park’s painting. ]

With a system notification, Su-ho was sucked into the sketched world.

Inside the painting, he found himself in the same second-floor terrace of Cheongdam House.

But instead of Martin Park...

A massive, glowing full moon loomed in the sky.

‘This ability is insane.’

Even though it was just a sketch, Martin Park had brought a full moon to life.

As moonlight bathed the landscape, Su-ho took out the Scroll of the Library.

Though it looked like an ordinary scroll, under the full moon’s glow, it shimmered.

[ The moonlight is full. ]

[ The Scroll of the Library has opened. ]

[ Do you wish to enter the Library of Martial Arts? ]

A prompt appeared.

As soon as Su-ho confirmed, his body was pulled inside.

***

[ You have entered the Library of Martial Arts. ]

Same as before.

No Gate notification, and nothing had changed.

A stone pagoda stood before him.

Without hesitation, Su-ho began climbing.

This time, the ascent was easier.

Likely thanks to his newly acquired Giant Strength.

The moment he set foot on the library plains...

SWOOSH!

An arrow came flying straight at him.

Su-ho instinctively tried to activate a skill.

But then—

Thump!

His heart pounded sharply.

It wasn’t an arrhythmia or anything like that.

Right after that single heartbeat...

He saw it.

A web of trajectories unfolded before his eyes.

‘This is...’

The arcs and lines before him—

They were the attack paths of the mechanized formation.

But...

The attack hadn’t even begun yet.

If he could see these trajectories already...

Then the reason was clear.

A small icon appeared in his field of vision.

Its name—

[ Dragon Sense. ]

‘Dragon Sense activated?’

Dragon Sense.

One of the abilities he had gained when he unlocked Dragon Blood’s third power, Dragon Grow.

A sixth sense.

A unique perception only dragons possessed.

‘I didn’t expect it to activate like this.’

Since he had never seen this skill before, he hadn’t known its activation conditions.

Now, it was clear—

It warned him of danger before it happened.

Thanks to Dragon Sense, Su-ho effortlessly dodged to where the trajectories didn’t overlap.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A barrage of attacks rained down.

But compared to sensing mana flow, avoiding them was far easier.

Finally—

CRACK!

A shattering noise echoed.

The mechanized formation came to a stop.

And then—

THUD!

A massive iron pillar rose before him.

At the same time—

SCREEECH—

A pair of arms extended from the pillar.

The Guardian of the Library had appeared.

[ A Boss Monster has appeared. ]

Su-ho shifted his gaze to the top of the guardian’s head.

— Guardian of the Library Lv. ???

Once again, its level was not displayed.

However, Su-ho knew that the guardian must have grown stronger.

Since the guardian mirrored the challenger’s stats, it naturally became stronger alongside him.

Without delay, the guardian began its assigned role.

[ The Guardian of the Library activates Battlefield of Conviction. ]

[ While Battlefield of Conviction is active, the Guardian of the Library’s status window will mirror the challenger’s exactly. ]

[ While Battlefield of Conviction is active, all combatants within its domain can only use the weapon designated by the Guardian of the Library. ]