Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 49

At Suho’s proposal, Bae Donghyuk swallowed hard and asked back.

“...Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am. Since the contract period has ended much sooner than expected, this much is the least I can do.”

“......”

Bae Donghyuk paused, taking a moment to collect himself before responding.

Indeed, the contract had been shortened unexpectedly, leaving him with a sense of disappointment—no, to be honest, he was very upset about it.

If they left Nexus in just a month or two, it would look as though they had been used.

While they had already made some appearances with the Association at previous meetings, it’s always better to have everything firmly in place, as people’s attitudes can change unexpectedly.

In that sense, Suho’s offer to tackle an S-rank gate and turn over all the loot from it was a reasonable gesture to soothe the feelings of those involved.

‘Profit aside, if he’s going this far, there’s really nothing more to complain about.’

Then, what kind of gate did Nexus possess?

It was a gate with substantial potential for profit—something that had been secured with great effort.

But Suho knew.

A gate with high potential profits always came with a high level of difficulty.

‘That’s just how S-rank gates are.’

An unclaimed S-rank gate is a double-edged sword.

No matter how much a guild owns the rights to it, if casualties accumulate, the state would step in to reclaim control for safety management.

Because of this, Bae Donghyuk had refrained from attempting a full-scale conquest of the gate.

He had tried several times but had failed each time.

And that was when Suho had made his proposal.

Bae Donghyuk spoke.

“I appreciate the offer, but... Hunter, are you aware of the nature of the gate we hold?”

“I know. It’s the Miners’ Lair, isn’t it? A mine with an immense deposit of magic stones, but there are so many Earth Keepers inside that you can’t even gather the stones, let alone advance.”

“...You’re well informed. So, you must understand that we can’t just send you in alone because of the mining?”

“Yes, I understand. That’s why I suggested it. I’ll handle all the Earth Keepers inside myself. I’ll form the team, and all you need to do is send in a mining crew with us. There’s no rush—take your time. In the meantime, I’ll reinforce my team’s strength.”

Straightforward and efficient work.

Bae Donghyuk couldn’t help but laugh.

“Understood. And thank you. You could have kept the special recruitment a secret, but I appreciate you mentioning it first and being considerate.”

“It’s nothing. We’re in this together, after all, so this much is only natural. I’m the one who’s sorry for joining the Association sooner than expected.”

“Hunter, you’re really something...”

Bae Donghyuk was genuinely moved.

And with those words of gratitude exchanged, the call ended.

After the call ended, Suho stretched and muttered.

“Finally, I’ll get to see that guy.”

Suho was looking forward to tomorrow.

**Nexus Academy**, located in Paju.

Inside the personal training room reserved exclusively for S-rank guild members.

Suho appeared there, accompanied by **Seo Giwon**, whom he had recruited for his team.

“Wow...”

Seo Giwon marveled at the vast scale of Nexus Academy.

It was worth being amazed.

Nexus Academy boasted the largest scale in the country.

Especially the S-rank training center, which offered facilities of the highest caliber in Korea.

Pointing at the banshees who were already training under **Infinity**, Suho spoke.

“See those people who got here first?”

“Yes.”

“They’re my team members. And they’re also the people you’ll be working with from now on.”

“Oh... so they’re with the Nexus Guild, too?”

“No, not yet.”

“Huh?”

“Guilds have strict standards for skills. They won’t take in people whose abilities haven’t been verified yet.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

“Alright, let’s go ahead and wake them up and make introductions, like we talked about...”

Suho was about to explain the day’s schedule to Seo Giwon.

But then he heard someone approaching from outside and turned his gaze.

There stood a familiar face peeking in from outside.

It was none other than **Kang Dae-han**.

‘Oh?’

So he really did come after being told to meet him here if he wanted to.

The timing was perfect.

Suho had thought he would need to meet **Kang Dae-han** eventually.

Suho quickly moved toward the door and greeted **Kang Dae-han**.

“Hello?”

“Oh! Hello, Hunter Ahn Suho!”

Kang Dae-han greeted him in his typical bright, cheerful tone.

It was so like him.

Suho smiled and replied.

“I didn’t expect you to really come. It’s been a while, Hunter Kang Dae-han.”

“Haha, of course, I should adjust my schedule for you, shouldn’t I? Thanks to you, I passed my test.”

“Even if it wasn’t because of me, you would have passed the test someday, Mr. Dae-han. Please, come in.”

Suho naturally let him in and guided him to the lounge area in a corner of the training hall.

Seo Giwon was with them as well.

Introducing **Kang Dae-han** to **Seo Giwon**, Suho spoke.

“This is Hunter Kang Dae-han, who took the test in the same cohort as I did. He placed second and is currently affiliated with the Nexus Guild.”

“My name is Seo Giwon.”

“I’m Kang Dae-han.”

The two greeted each other, followed by Suho’s question.

“So, what have you been up to lately, Mr. Dae-han? Have you been assigned to a team yet?”

“Haha, I’m still in training, so rather than team assignments, I’m gaining field experience by rotating through various gates.”

Field experience.

It was exactly that.

Usually, when joining a guild, members were assigned to teams based on their skill level, and teams would tackle gates together.

However, a team wasn’t assigned immediately upon joining; basic field training was required first.

This was to increase survival rates.

Suho asked with a smile.

“That’s good to hear. Would you be interested in gaining some practical experience with me sometime soon?”

“W-What, with you, Hunter?”