Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 94

Kang Seul-gi.

Technically, he wasn’t just a team member—he held the position of deputy team leader.

"His penchant for disassembling things aside, he was competent at his job."

When Su-ho greeted him with a smile, Kang Seul-gi responded with an awkward smile of his own.

“Oh, uh, hello.”

“Looks like you’re working on purification?”

“Yes.”

Short answers.

Su-ho hadn’t noticed it in his previous life, but now Kang Seul-gi struck him as a peculiar person. Normally, someone in his position might have made small talk or at least shown some interest in Su-ho’s groundbreaking purification method from earlier.

But Kang Seul-gi didn’t. Instead, he simply turned away and focused on his purification task, as if Su-ho weren’t there.

At that moment, Jo Geon-hyuk passed by and called out to Su-ho.

“Su-ho, can I speak with you for a moment?”

Seeing Su-ho hovering near Kang Seul-gi, Jo gently led him a bit farther away and spoke cautiously.

“You’ve worked hard today. If there’s nothing else on your schedule, feel free to call it a day.”

“Thank you. But if you don’t mind, would it be alright if I stayed a little longer to look around the Special Warehouse?”

“Hmm... there’s no harm in that. Just be careful around that deputy team leader you were just talking to.”

“The deputy team leader? Why?”

“Well... he’s a bit peculiar. Likes working alone.”

"Peculiar."

A tactful way of saying he wasn’t the most sociable person.

Normally, such a comment would dissuade most people from approaching Kang Seul-gi. But Su-ho needed a connection with him.

“Understood. That’s a shame, though.”

“Shame? What do you mean?”

“The items he’s working on... I think I’ve seen one of them before in the Sealed Gate.”

“The Sealed Gate?”

The mention of the Sealed Gate—along with Su-ho’s feigned familiarity—sparked Jo Geon-hyuk’s interest.

“Yes, but I can’t quite recall the details...”

“If that’s the case, you should’ve said so earlier! Come on, let’s go. I’ll talk to the deputy team leader myself.”

“Are you sure? If he’s uncomfortable, I can wait...”

“Nonsense! This is important—it’s related to purification work. That makes it part of the job.”

Jo was adamant. To him, Su-ho wasn’t just anyone—he was the discoverer of the 22nd purification method. Letting Su-ho inspect the items was more than justified.

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you, then,” Su-ho replied with a faint smile.

Jo strode confidently to Kang Seul-gi. “I’m counting on you, deputy.”

“...Understood,” Kang Seul-gi replied tersely.

Silent Observation

Once the arrangement was made, Kang Seul-gi returned to his work in silence. Su-ho stood nearby, watching him intently.

The atmosphere between them was quiet.

Kang Seul-gi didn’t acknowledge Su-ho’s presence, and Su-ho wasn’t bothered by the lack of attention.

Methodically, Kang Seul-gi continued his task. One by one, he picked up cursed items from the towering pile beside him, performing purification processes on each. If an item couldn’t be purified, he tossed it into the destruction bin; if it was successfully purified, it went into the storage bin.

This routine continued until, at one point, he was about to discard an item into the destruction bin when Su-ho spoke.

“Deputy Team Leader.”

“...Yes?”

“You missed a step in the purification process for that item.”

He had. Out of the 21 recognized purification methods, Kang Seul-gi had skipped one.

Su-ho’s observation halted Kang Seul-gi, who stared at the item briefly before nodding.

“You’re right. Thank you.”

Su-ho responded with a light smile and resumed watching Kang Seul-gi work.

“...”

From that moment on, Su-ho’s presence began to bother Kang Seul-gi. Yet, the deputy team leader didn’t say anything, continuing his work with machine-like precision.

But not long after—

“You missed another step.”

“Deputy Team Leader, that one too.”

“And that one.”

Time and time again, Su-ho pointed out small errors in Kang Seul-gi’s process.

The other members of Special Team 2 were too preoccupied to notice. They were busy documenting Su-ho’s purification discovery, contacting other departments, and reviewing existing materials. Even Jo Geon-hyuk had left them alone.

This left Su-ho and Kang Seul-gi isolated from the rest, an island of their own.

A Confrontation

After some time, Su-ho spoke again.

“Deputy Team Leader.”

Hearing his name, Kang Seul-gi paused and turned to Su-ho, his brow slightly furrowed. His expression seemed to ask, What now?

But he didn’t speak first, waiting instead for Su-ho to explain.

Su-ho, wearing his ever-friendly smile, said, “How about taking a break for some coffee?”

“Coffee?”

“Yes.”

“I’m fine. I don’t like coffee.”

“Then just listen to what I have to say.”

“What?”

“Have you been stealing items like this all along?”

The moment Su-ho finished his sentence, Kang Seul-gi’s eyes widened in shock for the first time. His heart began pounding in his chest.

“W-what are you talking about?”

“Do I look like an idiot to you?”

Su-ho stepped closer, still smiling. The gap between them shrank to just a few steps, their voices now low enough to be inaudible to anyone else.

Lowering his voice, Su-ho continued, “Admit it. You’ve been deliberately tossing usable items into the destruction bin to smuggle them out.”

“W-what? That’s ridiculous!”

“Are you going to keep playing dumb? If you keep this up, I’ll reveal everything you’ve been hiding—including what’s in your stomach.”

Kang Seul-gi froze, visibly rattled.

The accusation of item theft was one thing, but Su-ho’s mention of what was in his stomach struck a nerve. He swallowed hard, sweat trickling down his back and soaking his shirt.

Rrrr... rrrr...

“It looks so tame compared to what it’ll become later.”