Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 40

Five minutes before.

Suho entered the square, moving confidently through its well-organized interior until he reached the Gate’s portal. Without hesitation, he stepped into the portal.

---

[Entering Gate.]

[Loading Gate information.]

**[Swamp of Despair]**

– *Entry Condition*: Open to all.

– *Maximum Participants*: Unlimited.

The Gate’s entry requirements were simple, but despite the lack of restrictions, it was infamous for having claimed more lives than even the Nameless Sword Gate. This was due to a mystery surrounding the place: up until now, no one had ever returned alive.

*“The Swamp of Despair—a place no one has returned from. But I know what’s here.”*

That knowledge gave Suho the confidence to enter without a second thought.

Upon entering, he found himself in a massive, dimly lit cavern. Before him lay a towering staircase leading upward, and at the top was a door that radiated a brilliant, almost ethereal light. That door was the exit, the portal to the outside. Clearing the Gate required only reaching that door.

*“Yet no one has succeeded.”*

Suho’s gaze dropped from the glowing portal to the staircase leading toward it. Statues, oddly shaped and scattered across the steps, appeared frozen in eternal lamentation. But Suho knew better.

*“These aren’t statues... These are the people who tried to clear the Swamp of Despair.”*

There were no monsters here. Instead, the staircase itself was the Gate’s trial.

This trial was known as *The Stairway of Despair*.

It was a terrifying staircase where each step filled those who climbed it with overwhelming despair. Only those with extraordinary mental fortitude or specialized protection skills could hope to reach the top.

*“To withstand this place, you need a mental protection skill of at least S-rank.”*

This was how the Gate earned the name “Swamp of Despair”—each step dragging challengers deeper into hopelessness until they became immobilized by their own despair, turned to stone as they faltered. These statues were the result of challengers succumbing to that despair.

But Suho felt nothing as he took his first step onto the stairway.

---

*Swoosh!*

In an instant, it felt as though he were falling, plummeting into a vast abyss.

[You have stepped on the Stairway of Despair.]

[A deep despair casts over you.]

As expected, the despair began to seep into Suho. But then—

---

[Dragon’s Blood is activated.]

[Due to the Dragon Armor’s Draconic Endurance effect, mental contamination does not occur.]

Suho smirked as he read the notification. Thanks to *Dragon’s Blood*, he was protected from any mental debuffs, an immunity provided by his *Dragon Armor*’s Draconic Endurance effect.

He took another step forward.

[You have stepped on the Stairway of Despair.]

[A deep despair casts over you.]

[Dragon’s Blood is activated.]

[Due to the Dragon Armor’s Draconic Endurance effect, mental contamination does not occur.]

With each step, the same message appeared. And each time, Suho was unaffected. He climbed the stairs lightly, as though taking a casual stroll.

All around him, stone statues lined the staircase, some even placed to the side to clear the path. By the midpoint, however, the stairway became barren; no statues were visible.

*“This place has broken countless challengers before they could even reach halfway.”*

Step by step, Suho ascended until he reached the very top of the staircase. Protected by Dragon’s Blood, he remained fully conscious.

Just before stepping onto the portal that led to the exit, he paused, looking back at the statues of those who had perished.

*“I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you with me.”*

Suho knew the identity of the first person who would eventually clear this place—someone known as *The Ascetic*, a martial artist with extraordinary mental resilience. The Ascetic had spent hundreds of days battling despair with each step he took, eventually clearing the Gate alone. However, he left the statues behind, knowing that any attempt to touch or move them would cause them to crumble.

Instead of reaching out to the statues, Suho clasped his hands and offered his respects.

“Thank you for your struggles.”

Then, he stepped onto the glowing portal at the top.

---

[Gate conquered.]

[The MVP of the gate conquest is ‘Suho Ahn.’]

[Additional experience points are awarded for being selected as MVP.]

[One bonus stat is awarded for MVP selection.]

[You have successfully conquered a gate that no one else could tackle alone.]

[For this remarkable achievement, the system awards you 5 bonus stats.]

[Level up.]