Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 54

"Uh, Hunter Ahn Suho?"

Choi Yun called out Suho’s name in surprise, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he summoned his blood sword, gesturing toward Bang Dueok’s remaining men and asked,

"Anyone else want to continue?"

At his words, Bang Dueok's subordinates glanced at each other before cautiously lowering their weapons.

There was no talk of revenge. Instead, the second-in-command, eyeing his opportunity, was the first to place his weapon on the ground.

"Let's avoid any trouble. Go on ahead."

A smart move; with Bang Dueok out of the way, he could easily take over the gang himself.

Suho pointed his sword at the second-in-command and said,

"Hand over the entrance fee again."

"What?"

"You broke the rules, so pay a penalty."

"...Understood."

The second-in-command headed back to the tent, returned with a bag containing the entrance fee, and handed it over. Suho stowed the bag in his inventory without bothering to check its contents, then turned to Choi Yun.

"Shall we go?"

"Ah, yes!"

The two got into Choi Yun's car, and she started the engine, quickly driving them away.

Once Bang Dueok’s crew was well out of sight, Choi Yun spoke up.

"Thank you."

"Of course, you should thank me."

"What?"

"I don’t take gratitude that’s only words. Pay it back later."

At Suho’s confident demand, Choi Yun looked at him, mildly taken aback.

"You’re pretty sharp, aren’t you?"

"It’s reasonable. After all, I had to step in anyway."

He was right. Realistically, Choi Yun wouldn’t have been able to handle the situation alone.

"...So yes, I am grateful."

With that, Suho handed her his phone.

"Put in your direct line. I’ll contact you again."

"...All right."

After saving her number, Suho stayed silent for the remainder of the drive. When they crossed back over the border and returned to Paju, Suho had her drop him off near the academy instead of at Paju Village.

Before they parted, Choi Yun asked,

"Can I call you first next time?"

"If you find a decent gate, sure."

"Heh, understood."

Without a hint of hesitation, Suho left her, and Choi Yun watched him disappear in her rearview mirror, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Much better than I expected..."

She restarted her car and drove away.

---

### A Few Days Later

Suho spent the following days in Infinity, helping his team train without exploring any new gates. Thanks to his guidance, his team members could now last a full minute against Suho’s avatar.

"That’s enough."

"Hah... hah..."

"Ugh..."

"Whooo..."

At his signal to stop, the team members collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. Suho nodded in approval as he watched them.

"Not bad. You’ve all improved over the past few days."

Seo Giwon responded, still catching his breath.

"...Would’ve been strange if we hadn’t improved."

"True. You had to, given I was the one teaching you. Speaking of which, tomorrow’s the day."

"Tomorrow?"

"The gate expedition I mentioned earlier. We’re scheduled for tomorrow, so be here at 9 a.m. sharp. We’ll head to the gate together from here."

"Tomorrow, just like that?"

"I told you to stay prepared. So, are you saying you’re not ready?"

"N-no, I’m ready."

"Gates always appear unexpectedly. I’m letting you off early today so you can rest up. Be in top condition."

Suho took out his wallet and handed each of them two 100,000-won bills.

"Go eat some good food, maybe even visit a sauna. Let’s meet tomorrow, fully prepared."

With that, Suho left with Seo Giwon, heading back to Kaiser Cheongdam. Jinhwi Jo wasn’t there, as it was only 3 p.m., and he was still at work.

As Seo Giwon slumped on the couch, Suho looked at him and said,

"What do you think you’re doing?"

"Just resting..."

"Resting? We’re going hunting."

"...Huh?"

"You’re not level 60 yet, right?"

"Oh, no, not yet."

"Let’s get you to 60 today so you can go into the gate tomorrow. Unlike everyone else, you haven’t had much physical training. So at least have another skill prepared."

"Ah..."

Suho had a point. Seo Giwon was a mage, and Suho hadn’t placed as much emphasis on weapon training for him.

'Eventually, I’ll train him in that too, but not yet.'

For a non-physical class like a mage, it was unrealistic to gain useful weapon skills from just a few days of training.

As Suho set up his laptop, Seo Giwon asked,

"By the way, Hyung."

"Yeah?"

"My ability could help level everyone else too, right? Why only me...?"