Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 11

It was certain.

After all, he had been the one to take Park Yong’s life.

“That crazy bastard was in this year’s cohort?”

Park Yong was a man who deserved to be called a madman.

No, he was genuinely insane.

He was a lunatic obsessed with swords and strength.

He wielded a sword like a man possessed, and his obsession with swordsmanship earned him the nickname “Mad Sword”.

Suho narrowed his eyes.

“So if both of us make it through, does that mean we’ll be peers?”

That was correct.

Of course, in this industry, they didn’t really care about terms like peers or senior-junior relationships, but if they had to, that’s what it would mean.

And Park Yong would probably pass the exam.

Suho couldn’t remember the exact details of his debut, but Park Yong was one of the world’s swordsmanship prodigies that Suho acknowledged.

“Hm.”

Suho stroked his chin, lost in thought for a moment.

Park Yong was a typical power supremacist who judged everything by strength alone.

Moreover, he had an insatiable thirst for power, and whenever he got the chance, he would seek out skilled opponents to challenge—which was how he ended up becoming a serial killer of Hunters.

Because of this, preventive measures had to be taken whenever possible.

If he ignored it, who knew what kind of innocent people might end up as victims.

“Annoying, but there’s no helping it.”

After thinking for a moment, Suho came up with a suitable approach and walked over to Park Yong.

He glanced at the name tag on Park Yong’s chest, confirming once again that it was indeed him before speaking up.

“Hello?”

“……?”

Park Yong gave Suho a quick glance before turning his gaze away.

Of course.

That was exactly the kind of person he was.

He showed no interest in anyone he deemed weak.

But on the other hand, he had an obsessive fixation on those he recognized as strong.

Because of this, Suho knew better than anyone else how to handle Park Yong.

Suho asked again.

“My name is Ahn Suho. Since you’re holding a sword, I assume you’re an aspiring swordsman. How about a sparring match with me?”

Suho waved the practice wooden sword he’d brought along.

At that, Park Yong scowled and spoke.

“Get lost.”

“Pardon?”

“I said get lost.”

Park Yong’s response was dripping with cynicism.

Just as expected.

Did he really think that would make me give up?

Suho smirked and asked again.

“That’s quite harsh. Could it be that you’re scared?”

In that instant, Park Yong’s gaze, which had been casually turned away, snapped to Suho, piercing him.

Oh, scary.

Just as expected of Park Yong, reacting sharply to any talk about strength.

Park Yong scowled and asked.

“What did you just say?”

“I asked if you’re backing out because you’re scared.”

“Are you something special? Why are you acting so cocky?”

“What if I am? Why, do you want to find out?”

“……Ha!”

With that, Park Yong sprang up from his seat.

“I was getting bored since it seemed like there were only small fries here. This is perfect. Fine, let’s see what you’ve got. Come on.”

“You should have agreed sooner. Follow me; there’s a training hall over there where we can fight.”

“……Crazy bastard.”

Seeing Suho’s confident demeanor, Park Yong let out a disbelieving chuckle.

He had never met anyone like this before.

Fortunately, Park Yong agreed to move to the training hall with Suho.

Although they were still waiting, it was technically the middle of the exam, and he didn’t want to risk being disqualified over some trivial scuffle.

“A spar? Well… okay, understood.”

The examiner looked slightly surprised by the sparring request but eventually nodded.

This wasn’t the first time he’d seen candidates like these.

Soon, Suho, Park Yong, and the examiner moved to a temporary sparring ring set up at the edge of the training area.

Of course, there was no one else sparring.

No one wanted to risk injuries on such an important exam day.

Maybe because of that?

Bored examinees started to gather one by one to watch the unexpected sparring match.

The examiner spoke.

“Both of you are only allowed to use the practice weapons provided by the Association. Since this is a spar, if things get too heated, I’ll intervene and stop it. Also, since this is during the exam, please be as cautious as possible. If you get hurt here, you might not be able to participate in the main exam.”

After agreeing that neither would hold the other responsible for any injuries sustained during the spar, they finally took their positions.

Watching the scene, the spectators began to comment.

“Wow, look at those guys.”

“How can they not wait until the exam is over before starting this crap?”

“Attention seekers, that’s what they are.”

“Whatever, who do you think will win?”

“I think the guy with the droopy eyes will win.”

“Why?”

“Because, you know, in comics, the guy with droopy or closed eyes is always the strong one.”

“That’s true.”

The “droopy-eyed guy” they were referring to was Park Yong.

Suho chuckled to himself.

“It’s not exactly wrong, but this time, it’ll be different.”

While Park Yong was impressive, Suho was even more formidable.

The examiner signaled the start.

At that moment, Park Yong immediately took up a fighting stance. But then—

“Huh?”

“What’s that guy doing?”

“Why isn’t he even drawing his sword?”

Unlike Park Yong, who was in a proper stance, Suho didn’t even draw his sword, leaving it sheathed at his waist as he stood still.

Some found it intriguing, while others shook their heads, thinking he was being arrogant.

“Look at that fool. He’s all style and no substance. He’s probably an otaku who got inspired by some swordsman character. I’d bet money on it.”

“What if he’s actually strong?”

“If he is, I’ll quit the exam right now and go eat pork belly.”

“Are you sure you’ll do it?”

Just as the spectators mocked him, Park Yong’s expression soured as well.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think? I’m sparring with you. Come on, hurry up and attack.”

“You little…!”

Seeing Suho standing with his sword still sheathed, not even taking a proper stance, Park Yong clenched his teeth.

He made up his mind.

Even if it meant paying a settlement fee, he was going to break at least one of this bastard’s bones… no, maybe two or three.

With that resolve, Park Yong charged at Suho with ferocity.

However, Suho remained completely still, and just as Park Yong’s sword was about to reach him—

Whoosh!

The sound of the sword slicing through empty air.

In that moment, Park Yong’s eyes widened.

There was nothing in the place his sword was supposed to hit.

Suho had subtly twisted his body, dodging Park Yong’s attack.

A stroke of beginner’s luck, perhaps?

Sure, there are lottery winners every week; it’s possible to dodge the first attack.

Thinking that, Park Yong immediately spun around, aiming a follow-up strike at Suho’s evasion path.

Or at least, he intended to.

Tap!

Just as he was about to swing his wooden sword, something pressed down on the back of it.

To his astonishment, it was Suho’s foot.

Before he could unleash his full strength, Suho had placed his foot on the sword, preventing him from swinging it.

Startled, Park Yong tried to push the sword forward with both hands.

He intended to forcefully shove Suho back to create some distance, but Suho didn’t budge an inch, standing firm like a rock.

Snicker.

Watching Park Yong struggling and grunting with embarrassment, Suho couldn’t help but chuckle.

Yes.

It must be embarrassing.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Suho’s level was 10.

He was, without a doubt, the highest-leveled and most powerful among all the unregistered Hunters in the country… no, in the entire world.

After all, unregistered Hunters were prohibited from entering Gates by international Hunter law.

At that moment, Suho, with his foot still pinning down Park Yong’s movement, pushed hard, sending Park Yong stumbling backward.

Unable to overcome the overwhelming stat difference, Park Yong stumbled back, nearly losing his balance.

The surrounding spectators fell silent, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them.

Everyone had expected an ugly brawl or one-sided beatdown, but none had anticipated the spar to play out like this.

The examiner was equally stunned.

“What… what is with this guy?”

The examiner, who hadn’t slept properly in days due to preparing for the Hunter exam, suddenly found himself wide awake.

He had seen countless candidates over the years, including elite students sponsored by major guilds, but he had never encountered anyone like Suho.

Suho grinned and spoke.

“What’s wrong? Not coming at me again? Don’t tell me you’re giving up?”

“You…!”

Fury surged within Park Yong, but he swallowed it, a corner of his mouth lifting.

He’d initially been enraged by Suho’s mockery, but as a meritocrat, he immediately acknowledged Suho’s skill.

After all, when it came to swordsmanship, no one was more serious than Park Yong, and he could tell.

That earlier display wasn’t some stroke of beginner’s luck or trick—it was the real deal.

Because of that, Park Yong also adjusted his stance.

“You’re interesting. I can see now why you were acting so cocky. From here on, I’ll take you seriously.”

“You looked pretty serious a moment ago too.”

“I was serious then, too.”

Park Yong lifted the corners of his mouth into a grin.

For a fleeting moment, his smile felt ominous, and Suho glimpsed the unique madness that he remembered as the true Park Yong.

It was satisfying.

“So, he’s finally warmed up properly.”

Good.

That was the plan all along.

Suho wanted Park Yong to fixate on him.

That way, he wouldn’t look at anyone else until he’d defeated him.

Park Yong shifted his stance, taking on a different guard.

Seeing this, Suho’s eyes widened slightly.

That was because the stance Park Yong had taken was the basic position of his own original swordsmanship style, “Dragon Swordsmanship.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Dragon Swordsmanship. Those who know him even call it ‘Mad Dragon Sword’.”

Why was it called Mad Dragon Sword?

Nothing complicated.

Because his nickname was “Mad Sword,” and his name was Park Yong (Dragon).

Considering he didn’t have a Hunter license yet, he couldn’t have fully mastered his original swordsmanship, so it was probably just basic swordsmanship for now.

At that moment, Park Yong closed the distance between himself and Suho in an instant.

His movement wasn’t ordinary.

The steps clearly had skill correction.

But.

“I have movement techniques too.”

Suho’s eyes followed Park Yong’s movements closely.

As if calculated by a computer, he twisted his body half a beat faster than Park Yong’s swings, watching the sword pass before his eyes.

Once.

Twice.

Even a third time.

Despite three consecutive misses, Park Yong didn’t seem frustrated.

He didn’t laugh maniacally, either.

He merely fixed his gaze on Suho with an unnerving level of concentration, and seeing this, Suho, just as the fourth strike was about to come, suddenly leaned forward, bringing his forehead into contact with Park Yong’s face.

Thump!

A dull sound.

Suho’s forehead hit Park Yong’s philtrum.

His hands still at his waist.

It was a headbutt.

Startled by the unexpected headbutt, Park Yong stumbled back a few steps.

He clutched his mouth, staring at Suho in complete bewilderment.