Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 3

As soon as he entered the Gate, the surroundings changed.

Suho glanced around the Gate’s interior and muttered.

“It’s exactly the same.”

It was just as he’d seen in the past.

Thanks to that, Suho could fully realize that he had truly returned to the past.

He looked around at the scattered corpses of goblins lying on the ground.

The goblin corpses had green skin.

They were typical goblins, with slender limbs and bulging bellies.

However, while goblins had been scattered around the Gate’s entrance, the ones inside had been found dead.

Suho knew the reason for this.

Inside, there were special goblins who reigned as predators over the normal ones.

Suho began to move forward, taking slow, steady steps.

After a short distance...

*Squelch.*

The sound was what you’d expect when someone steps carelessly into mud.

The terrain had changed.

The ground was no longer solid but had turned into moist, sticky soil.

The humidity increased as well.

This environment was ideal for those creatures.

And then—

“Keeee...”

“Kiiiii...”

He turned his head at the eerie cries and saw two red-skinned beasts approaching him.

*They’ve finally shown up.*

Suho recognized them.

They were hobgoblins.

They looked similar to goblins, but with red skin, larger builds, and far more aggressive temperaments.

Yes.

This was the reason this Gate was named *Green Red*.

It was due to the creatures’ skin color.

Seeing them, Suho immediately drew his sword.

He began to sprint directly toward them.

“Kirik?”

“Kerik?”

The hobgoblins, noticing Suho, tilted their heads in confusion.

Despite making eye contact with them, he continued to approach, causing their minds to freeze for a moment.

But soon, they raised their weapons, ready for battle.

*Good. That’s exactly how I wanted you to react.*

I knew you wouldn’t run and would come straight at me.

Suho looked at the levels displayed above their heads.

– *Hobgoblin Lv.10*

– *Hobgoblin Lv.12*

Unlike the single-digit-level goblins, these creatures had levels in the double digits.

But so what?

Whether their level was in double digits or single digits, they were still just goblins.

Whether they were ordinary goblins or hobgoblins didn’t matter much.

To my eyes, they were all just insects.

Suho launched himself toward them.

The startled hobgoblins immediately thrust their weapons forward defensively.

*Just as I thought.*

Suho, who had been diving forward, abruptly planted his left foot and halted his charge.

At the same time, he bounced backward, creating a small gap between himself and the hobgoblins who had raised their weapons in defense.

A feint.

Suho used the gap he created to thrust his blade forward like a spear.

The sword pierced perfectly into the eye of one of the hobgoblins.

“Kreeegh!”

Without stopping there, Suho twisted the sword in a full circle.

*With the level difference, my sword might not be able to slice through their skin.*

That’s why he targeted an area with no defense—the eyes.

Of course, if there was a massive level difference or the monster’s attributes were extraordinary, this attack might not work.

*But against mere hobgoblins? Please.*

Suho twisted his sword once more and then pulled it out.

“Keeeeee!”

The hobgoblin, with its eye shredded, fell into a dazed state.

It wasn’t dead.

It wouldn’t die just from having its eye gouged out.

But thanks to that, I now had a one-on-one situation.

The other hobgoblin, startled, quickly withdrew its weapon and swung it at Suho.

But—

*Too slow.*

Suho watched the hobgoblin’s sword and dodged every swing with ease.

He didn’t counterattack.

Suho wanted something from the creature.

After several evasive maneuvers, it happened. freёweɓnovel.com

**[You have a high understanding of evasion.]**

**[The system is now assessing your talent.]**

**[Congratulations! You have mastered Dodge (B).]**

Got it.

I finally acquired one of the skills I’d been aiming for.

The Dodge skill was exactly what it sounded like—a skill that lets you evade nearby attacks as soon as you activate it.

Having acquired Dodge, Suho finally drew his sword.

He stopped his evasive movements and began parrying the hobgoblin’s attacks directly.

“Kirik?!”

The hobgoblin had put all its strength into its attack, yet somehow its swings kept missing the target.

It was bewildering.

Enraged, the hobgoblin swung its weapon even harder.

But the result was the same.

No matter how many times it swung, Suho, standing in place, deflected each attack with a few simple parries.

After some time...

**[You have a high understanding of parrying.]**

**[The system is now assessing your talent.]**

**[Congratulations! You have mastered Parry (B).]**

*Parry.*

A skill to deflect the opponent’s attack.

Parrying was a skill with a long history, enough to have dedicated weapons for it.