Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 67

When Suho exited the dimensional pocket house, the Changshik Gang's building was completely empty.

Naturally.

After the chaos he’d caused, no idiot would linger around the area.

Instead, Bulgasari sat nearby, patting its bloated belly after finishing its meal.

"You done eating?"

"Bul-bul."

"Go back and rest."

"Bul-bul."

Suho dismissed Bulgasari and contacted the Banshees, summoning them to Yeongdeungpo.

He had work for them.

After finishing the call, Suho headed back to Nam Hae-won’s house.

"Nam Hae-won?"

When Suho knocked, Nam Hae-won opened the door.

"Oh, you’re here?"

He greeted Suho with a forced smile, wrapped tightly in a blanket like someone suffering from chills.

It was withdrawal symptoms from Illusion.

"Well, it’s not like he only took it once or twice."

Recovery may have been excellent for treating illnesses, but drug addiction required long-term care. Even the best healing skills weren’t miracle cures capable of fixing everything in one go.

"Maybe higher-level skills could do it, but..."

Only specialized healers like Isabella could achieve such results.

"You seem to be experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. Let me help. Come in."

"Ah, thank you!"

Inside, the gangsters were nowhere to be seen.

After learning that the infamous Hunter Ahn Suho had dealt with them and discovering their headquarters had fallen, they had already fled.

Suho sat Nam Hae-won down and activated his skills and items.

Combined Healing

[The Ring of Emotions reacts to the target's strongest emotion.]

[The emotion detected is "Black."]

[Absorbing the target’s emotions.]

[Recovery activated.]

A radiant light enveloped Nam Hae-won. His trembling ceased, and his expression relaxed significantly.

Using both the Ring of Emotions and Recovery simultaneously, Suho couldn’t help but marvel at the synergy.

"The combination of the Ring of Emotions and Recovery is absurdly powerful."

Recovery healed physical wounds but couldn’t provide mental stability. Mental stabilizing skills were rare and typically only unlocked at very high levels. Suho recalled only a handful of healers ever mastering such skills.

"Most healers don’t specialize in pure healing."

For survival, many opted to become hybrids after leveling up. Late-game gates were akin to walking on thin ice, making pure healers like Isabella exceedingly rare.

"Well, Isabella was a specialized healer trained openly in Russia, so that’s a unique case."

Once Nam Hae-won was completely calm, Suho ended the Recovery.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, much better. Thank you so much, Hunter Ahn Suho."

"You recognize me now?"

"Haha... I was too out of it earlier. I apologize."

"No need to apologize. Here."

Suho pulled a document from his inventory and handed it to Nam Hae-won.

It was one of the debt contracts he had found in the Changshik Gang’s headquarters.

"This...!"

"I just disbanded the Changshik Gang. I found this among their records."

"Disbanded?!"

"Yes, disbanded."

"I... I can’t believe it..."

Nam Hae-won stared at the document in disbelief, his hands trembling despite the completed treatment.

Suho continued explaining.

"The amount you borrowed wasn’t much, but the interest rates were insane. No wonder the interest kept consuming the principal and spiraling out of control. Despite that, you were paying it back diligently. That’s probably why they resorted to injecting you with drugs to keep you under their thumb."

"...That’s right. Because of my personal trait, I could somehow keep paying off the debt. But that only made them keep me around longer, using drugs to trap me. They’re truly... truly evil people..."

As he spoke, Nam Hae-won’s voice cracked, and tears began streaming down his face.

It was only natural.

Before Suho appeared, his life had been nothing short of hell.

Sobbing, Nam Hae-won continued.

"Hunter, do you know how hard I tried? I went to detox centers and even secretly made antidotes and neutralizers to counteract the drugs. But every time, they found me and forced the drugs back into me..."

His efforts had been immense. He’d used his personal trait to create neutralizers in secret and sought help from detox programs, but the gang’s overwhelming numbers made resistance futile.

"The police and the association offered no help. They’re all... all the same. Just as evil as the gangsters."

Nam Hae-won wasn’t naive.

"Everyone’s too busy passing the buck."

"You’ve endured so much. But because you did, I was able to find you and help. Thank you for holding on."

"Thank you... thank you so much..."

Though Suho could have used the Ring of Emotions to calm him, he refrained.

"If I may ask... why did you attack the Changshik Gang so suddenly?"

"I happened to meet another victim recently, and that’s how I learned about the Changshik Gang. I couldn’t ignore it once I knew."

"Ah..."

"Also, I’ll be joining the Great Hunters’ Association soon. Think of this as me tackling the job a bit early."

"I see..."

"By the way, I have a proposal for you."

"A proposal?"

Suho asked, "Your personal trait... it’s 'Synthesis,' correct?"

People had dubbed him Mix Smith, a nickname reflecting his ability to combine materials to create something entirely new.

"Yes, that’s correct. I can combine two materials to create a single item with harmonized properties."

"In that case, I’d like to formally hire you. As I mentioned earlier, I encountered many victims of the Changshik Gang. I can’t care for them all alone."