Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 16

The Tower of Trial.

Commonly referred to as a “hunting ground,” this was one of the government-managed public gates where players below level 20 could freely grow and develop.

Among the reasons Suho had come here was the Tower’s conquest, just as he had told Jo Jin-hwi earlier, but the more fundamental reason was, of course, rpid growth.

After all, he was currently in a state where his level was virtually reset.

Alongside that…

“I have to obtain it here.”

The hidden piece that was only concealed in the Pangyo Tower of Trial.

That was one of the reasons Suho had come to this place.

Suho proceeded to check his status window.

[Ahn Suho]

– Lv: 10

– Class: Healer

– Strength: 20

– Stamina: 20

– Mana: 20

– Perception: 10

– Bonus Stat: 0

He had deliberately not increased his Perception stat.

The Perception stat, which activated sensory abilities such as dynamic vision or mana detection, wasn’t immediately necessary compared to other stats.

Having finished his preparations, Suho picked up his freshly minted Hunter license and headed toward the entrance of the Tower of Trial.

“Looking for a tank!”

“Need one melee DPS!”

“One support available here!”

As he approached the entrance of the Tower of Trial, he saw many people gathered.

All of them were people staying behind for party hunting.

Party hunting was far more efficient than soloing in the Tower of Trial.

“Of course, the more people, the less experience each individual gets… but, in the long run, it’s better to go together.”

But, just as he had told Jo Jin-hwi, Suho intended to climb alone.

He knew enough about the Tower of Trial.

Suho walked up to the Tower’s entrance, handed his license to the entrance staff, and requested entry.

The staff alternated between looking at Suho and his license before asking,

“Are you alone?”

“Yes.”

“Judging by your license number, you passed yesterday… If this is your first time, wouldn’t it be better to challege it with a party?”

Since the Tower of Trial was a public gate, the people managing it were all civil servants.

In other words, they were part of the Korean Hunter Association.

That’s why they gave advice like this.

Even though the Tower of Trial was a hunting ground meant for beginners, restricted to those below level 20, fatal accidents could still happen there.

“It’s alright. I’m more comfortable going alone.”

“Well… alright then.”

However, even if someone insisted on entering alone, there was no way to force them to change their mind.

The law had no provision for such cases.

After paying a small fee, Suho entered the door that the staff opened for him.

Beyond the door, a portal was visible, and Suho stepped into it without hesitation.

[Entering the Tower of Trial.]

[The Tower of Trial allows for mid-Trial abandonment…]

Upon entering the tower, a series of informational messages appeared.

He remembered them all.

So, he quickly skipped them.

There was little to worry about in the Tower of Trial.

One could abandon the Trial at any time during the ascent.

“By shouting ‘I give up,’ you get sent back to the entrance on the first floor.”

Thus, the Tower of Trial was relatively safe as long as one didn’t overexert themselves, which was a decisive reason why beginner Hunters flocked to it.

When he finally entered the first floor, a field about the size of a small sports ground unfolded before him.

[You have entered the first floor.]

[Starting the Trial on the first floor.]

The Tower’s announcement.

At the same time, slimes began to appear in his field of vision.

“Right, the first floor was slimes.”

Suho drew his sword from his inventory.

The sword was a beginner’s sword he had received from the system upon choosing his class.

Though he had bought another weapon from Dongdaemun Market, for now, he used the beginner’s sword.

It would suffice for the time being.

Suho started swinging his sword in earnest, preparing for the climb.

***

“This guy’s insane, isn’t he?”

After ending the call, Jo Jin-hwi stared at Suho’s phone number for a while.

At first, he thought Suho was crazy.

But then, considering his top score in the Hunter exam and the way he spoke, he didn’t seem like he was lying.

“What’s his angle?”

Even after hearing such an outlandish proposal, Jo’s instincts still pointed him toward Suho.

That was what troubled him the most.

Finally, after much deliberation, he made his choice.

“Oh, whatever. If it works out, great. If it doesn’t, so be it.”

Jo Jin-hwi began writing an article about Ahn Suho.

***

According to Suho’s memory, the official record for the Tower of Trial was the 49th floor.

Of course, that was based on the standards of his past life; the current record was known to be the 29th floor.

Even that was set with party play.

“It makes sense that they’d have to rely on party play.”

This was because, in the Tower of Trial, as each floor increased, so did the monster level proportionally.

For instance, on the 19th floor, monsters of level 19 would appear.

So, those attempting to Trial the highest record would form parties of level 20 Hunters, the maximum allowed entry level for the Tower of Trial.

That was the most efficient method.

However, a player who broke that conventional strategy appeared, and that person was the “Jang Pyungho,” once known as the “Fortress King.”

[You have cleared the 18th floor.]

[Moving to the 19th floor.]

After he hunted all the monsters on the 18th floor, a portal to the next floor appeared.

Without hesitation, Suho entered the portal, and as soon as he entered, the Trial began.

[You have entered the 19th floor.]

[Starting the Trial of the 19th floor.]

The monster on the 19th floor was only one.

Its name was the Red Gaine, with red skin, white hair, and a single horn on its head, known more by the nickname “Red Goblin” than by its actual name.

As soon as it spotted Suho, it charged at him, and he unleashed his sword in a burst.

Swoosh!

The sword, unleashed from his waist, struck the Red Gaine’s neck, leaving a massive sword mark even before it reached striking range.

A great fountain of blood spurted from its neck, and it collapsed in place without even approaching Suho.

[You have slain the Red Gaine.]

[You have cleared the 19th floor.]

[Moving to the 20th floor.]

Upon defeating the Red Gaine, a portal to the 20th floor appeared before him.

However, Suho showed no interest in the portal and instead approached the dead Red Gaine to flip its body over.

Normally, it was standard for the Tower’s monsters to slowly vanish upon death, but the Red Gaine was an exception.

The reason was that the hidden piece Suho was searching for was precisely with this creature.

Suho ripped off the necklace hanging around its neck.

It was a typical bone necklace, seemingly made from various animal fangs.

Of course, it couldn’t be equipped.

It wasn’t an item obtained through the system.

However, Suho’s goal wasn’t the necklace itself but rather the “small key” hidden among the bone necklace.

“There it is.”

The key was made of bone, and it looked so similar to the other bone decorations that it was hard to tell it was a key unless examined closely.

But Suho knew it was a key.

This was because it was the very key that had once shaken the world—the Alpha and Omega of “Fortress King Jang Pyungho.”

After obtaining the key, Suho began scanning his surroundings using mana detection.

Soon, he found an unnatural groove nearby, which he recognized as the keyhole Jang Pyungho had mentioned.

When he inserted the key into the groove, it fit perfectly.

Then, with a click, the key turned smoothly and slid into the hole.

[You have discovered the hidden lair of the Red Gaine.]

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

System alert.

It was a notification that he had found the Red Gaine’s lair.

At that moment, a new portal, rectangular in shape and shimmering, appeared in front of him.

‘So, this must be the famous entrance to the Fortress King’s stronghold.’

The Fortress King, Jang Pyungho.

Originally, he had been nothing more than a common, utterly ordinary Hunter player.

Then one day, in the Tower of Trial, he discovered the Red Gaine’s key and gained a unique skill, which was none other than the “Subspace House.”

Of course, subspace skills were somewhat common.

After all, there were many items in the world with subspace functions, not just subspace skills.

But even so, what allowed Jang Pyungho to become the Fortress King was a fundamental difference between the usual subspaces and Jang Pyungho’s Subspace House.

‘Jang Pyungho’s Subspace House allows living beings to enter.’

Normally, no living creature, like a person or an animal, could enter an inventory or a typical subspace.

However, in Jang Pyungho’s Subspace House, all living beings, including humans, could enter.

This was why Jang Pyungho could become globally renowned as the Fortress King.

Once he holed himself up inside the Subspace House, no one could pull him out.

For that reason, Jang Pyungho had many other nicknames besides the Fortress King.

Names like Submergence King and Endurance King.

When Suho stepped into the Subspace House, the surroundings changed once again, revealing the interior of the Subspace House.

‘This is the Subspace House….’

This was also Suho’s first time seeing the inside of a Subspace House.

It made sense, as only those whom Jang Pyungho permitted could enter this space.

Unlike typical subspaces, which were empty, the inside of the Subspace House was furnished like the interior of any other home.

Of course, it was currently tailored to the “Red Gaine’s” tastes, but Suho could redecorate it as he pleased.

Just then.

[The owner of the Subspace House has passed away.]

[The Subspace House requires a new owner.]

[Would you like to become the new owner of the Subspace House?]

The system’s prompt.

Just as expected.

The Subspace House was a skill bound to its user.

Now that its owner was dead, it would go to whoever claimed it first.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Suho nodded.

[You have become the new owner of the Subspace House.]

[Congratulations! You have mastered the Subspace House (S).]

[The Subspace House is now bound to you.]

[The Subspace House is influenced by your mana.]

An “S”-grade indicator attached to the Subspace House.

It was clearly the mark of an S-rank skill.

However, this time no bonus stat was awarded.

After all, this was not an achievement Suho had mastered on his own, but simply a discovery.

Once the skill was bound to Suho, the interior of the house began to transform.

Rumble—

With a faint tremor, the internal structure changed, and the space expanded.

This was because Suho’s mana exceeded that of the Red Gaine.

But that wasn’t all.

The interior, once decorated to the Red Gaine’s tastes, soon transformed to a clean design aligned with Suho’s preferences.

It now resembled a typical living room of a Korean apartment.

‘So, it really is influenced by the user’s mana.’

At that moment, the small key Suho had carried disintegrated and vanished.