Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 8

‘What is this?’

The system notifications were unfamiliar.

These messages had appeared moments before Suho’s death, yet he had no recollection of ever seeing them.

‘Is the system the reason I was sent back to the past?’

He hadn’t known.

When these notifications appeared, he had been nearly unconscious, hovering on the brink of death.

‘I remember reaching the peak of the Unity of Sword and Soul, mastering my first SS-rank skill. But transcendence?’

The system had clearly stated:

[ The system recognizes your achievement of transcendence and grants you an opportunity to grow even stronger. ]

[ Rebooting the system for player Ahn Suho. ]

It was because he had been the first to achieve the realm of transcendence that he was being given another chance.

So, was his return to the past not a coincidence?

It seemed that way.

This realization confirmed that everything he had experienced was real, not some dream or illusion.

‘Good.’

He had slowly begun to accept that he had returned to the past.

After all, that was why he sought out the Library of Memories.

But acceptance was one thing; certainty was another. There had been no undeniable proof.

Now that the system itself was vouching for this reality, there was no more room for doubt.

‘Alright, let’s do this.’

The important thing was that he had returned to the past, which allowed him to prepare for the calamities he knew would come.

With this knowledge, Suho solidified his resolve to rejoin public service.

With his foreknowledge and the backing of national authority, he might be able to end the Gates crisis far faster than in his previous life.

‘And I’ll keep an eye on those traitors too.’

But to do all this, he needed ample preparation.

Armed with the Library of Memories, Suho sat down and quietly began drafting a plan for the future.

Studying for tomorrow’s written exam?

Why would he worry when he had the Library of Memories?

Even without it, passing the written exam would have been easy.

Suho began organizing his thoughts.

***

With a rough plan in place, Suho left the Association and immediately hailed a taxi to Paju.

Now that he had resolved to become a civil servant again, he intended to maximize his efficiency.

After a while, the taxi pulled into Paju, and Suho arrived at none other than Nexus, the country’s most prestigious and largest private Hunter academy.

The academy was massive, like a small town, and Suho nodded as he saw the banner listing successful candidates’ names displayed on the outer wall.

Nothing attracted new students like proof of success.

That banner was Suho’s first target.

Inside the academy, Suho went to the front desk and said, “I’d like to meet with Director Kim Soo-ae.”

“The Director? Do you have an appointment?”

“No, I came here unannounced. I have a matter to discuss with her one-on-one.”

“Oh... It’s usually difficult to arrange a sudden meeting without a prior appointment.”

“If you tell her that the person who solo-cleared the unanticipated Gate at Sindorim Station earlier today is here, I’m sure she’ll agree to meet.”

“Si-Sindorim? One moment!”

Securing an exclusive meeting with the academy director wasn’t hard.

After all, Suho had a unique advantage—revealing that he was the one who had single-handedly cleared the unanticipated Gate at Sindorim Station that afternoon.

Thus, Suho was promptly invited to the director’s office.

“Nice to meet you. I am Kim Soo-ae, Director of Nexus Academy.”

Director Kim Soo-ae.

She was an executive of the Nexus Guild, the third-largest in the country, and Nexus Academy was its affiliated training institution—a subsidiary, in corporate terms.

Suho introduced himself in response to her greeting.

“Ahn Suho.”

Kim Soo-ae smiled politely, a smile only a seasoned professional could maintain.

“Yes, Mr. Suho. I understand from the front desk that you’re the one who solo-cleared the unanticipated Gate at Sindorim Station today?”

The story about Suho had already spread quickly through the media.

Though photos weren’t posted publicly due to privacy concerns, it was still enough to identify him.

At her question, Suho nodded.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Incredible. But I must ask—what brings someone of your caliber to our academy?”

From her perspective, this was the pressing question.

A person capable of solo-clearing an unanticipated Gate was already a proven Hunter.

Was he looking for a teaching position?

But when Suho stated his purpose, Kim Soo-ae had to admit that her guess was completely wrong.

“I’m here to propose a scholarship deal.”

“A... scholarship?”

“Yes, you’re aware that the Hunter license exams are being held at the Association tomorrow?”

“Indeed. We have 400 candidates from our academy taking it this time.”

“Nexus Academy’s scale is certainly impressive. I’ll also be taking that exam tomorrow.”

“What? You, Mr. Suho?”