Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 5

However, the sword hadn’t fully pierced through.

The creature’s skin was thick, and the level difference was over twice as much.

But that didn’t matter.

Suho actually hoped this thing would hold out as long as possible.

Whoosh

The hobgoblin leader swung its axe toward Suho, who twisted his body to evade it.

Then, like a spring, he jumped up and slashed at its inner rib.

Slash!

Again, the same result.

The wound wasn’t very deep.

Because of its thick hide.

But Suho continued, swinging his sword again.

Slice!

Another slash cut through flesh.

Thrust!

And another stab.

Over and over.

No, dozens of times.

Suho kept his movements confined, circling around the creature as he inflicted wound after wound.

The hobgoblin grew angrier with each strike, desperately trying to catch Suho like a beast chasing its own tail.

But none of its attacks could reach him.

The metallic scent of blood filled the air.

Mixed with the ambient humidity, it combined with the creature’s sweat into a pungent stench.

However, Suho didn’t seem affected as he provocatively addressed the hobgoblin.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

“Gr…rraah…”

Beasts don’t understand human language.

But this one surely understood the meaning behind Suho’s taunt.

Taunting doesn’t have to be done with words alone.

Enraged, it let out another roar and swung its axe at Suho.

But once again, the movement was too large.

Suho twisted slightly to dodge the swing and thrust his Beginner’s Sword through the gap like a spear.

This time, the hobgoblin’s thigh, which had seemed impenetrable, split open like cloth, leaving a deep, punctured wound.

Splurt!

Suho immediately withdrew his sword.

Blood spurted from the hobgoblin’s pierced thigh like a fountain.

At that moment—

[ You have a high understanding of thrusting. ]

[ The system is now reassessing your talent. ]

[ Congratulations! The grade of your Thrust skill has been adjusted to A. ]

[ The penetration power of Basic Swordsmanship (B) has increased by 50%. ]

His Thrust skill, once B-grade, had been upgraded to A-grade.

As a result, the penetration power of his Basic Swordsmanship had increased by 50%.

Good.

It’s finally finding its proper place.

But Suho didn’t indulge in his satisfaction for long and refocused on his attack.

And that was just the beginning.

Suho circled the hobgoblin once more and used his upgraded Thrust skill again.

With the improved skill, creating new openings in the hobgoblin’s body became much easier this time.

“Graaaaah!!”

The hobgoblin leader roared in agony.

This cry immediately triggered its Fear skill.

The roar was Fear itself, and a boss monster’s Fear often had additional effects.

But this time, it was nothing more than a loud noise.

As expected.

Fear could only take effect once.

Suho chuckled slightly.

“Once fear is conquered, it can never consume you again.”

From then on, Suho began to pierce the hobgoblin’s body as if he were bullfighting.

Dozens of times over, until the creature’s entire body was riddled with holes, bleeding profusely.

Thud!

At last, it fell to one knee.

But it wasn’t dead yet.

Of course.

Suho had deliberately avoided striking its vital points.

Standing over the collapsed creature, Suho shook the blood from his sword and spoke.

“Light of Healing.”

[ Using Light of Healing. ]

[ The designated area is beginning to heal. ]

Light of Healing.

A basic healing skill that restores a designated area.

The wound he’d inflicted on his left hand to dispel Fear had already healed.

And he hadn’t taken a single hit from the hobgoblin leader.

But Suho used Light of Healing on the injured hobgoblin leader.

‘I can’t let you die just yet.’

He meant it.

Suho had a skill he wanted to acquire from it.

This skill would be even harder to obtain later, so he had to get it now, even if it was tedious.

The hobgoblin leader didn’t understand his motives.

It only stared at Suho, who was healing it, in confusion.

Why is he healing me?

At that moment, the hobgoblin leader locked eyes with Suho.

Suho’s gaze was as dry and detached as could be.

There wasn’t a trace of sadism or sympathy in his eyes.

Instinctively attuned to emotions, the hobgoblin could sense what lay in Suho’s gaze.

Boredom.

It was pure boredom.

Coupled with the cold detachment of someone viewing it as nothing more than a tool.

Feeling a shiver course through its body, the hobgoblin leader was overcome with dread.

Once it had healed enough, Suho raised his sword again.

“Now, let’s start over.”

Wham!

Suho kicked the hobgoblin in the chest, knocking it to the ground to provoke it.

“Raaaaargh!!”

The infuriated hobgoblin charged at Suho once more.

***

How much time had passed?

Despite the extended battle, the hobgoblin was still alive.

And there was only one reason for that.

“Light of Healing.”

It was all thanks to the recovery skill Suho used.

They had spent a considerable amount of time, and the results were evident.

His Basic Swordsmanship, Basic Footwork, and Parry skills had all been upgraded to A-grade.

And then—

“Hiiick!!”

The hobgoblin visibly recoiled as Suho raised his hand to activate Light of Healing.

At last, the creature’s primal spirit had been broken.

But it still wasn’t enough.

Suho activated Light of Healing again, ignoring the hobgoblin’s trembling.

After it was sufficiently healed, Suho kicked it in the chest once more, knocking it down.

Thud!

The creature hit the ground.

Following their established routine, it should spring back up and charge him again.

But—

Tremble, tremble…

To his surprise, the hobgoblin didn’t charge.

Instead, it remained cowering on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

Its primal spirit had been so thoroughly broken that it had lost the will to fight entirely.

Seeing this, Suho chuckled.

‘This should do.’

Breaking a monster’s primal spirit is harder than it seems.

Especially if that monster is a boss.

But Suho had finally succeeded.

The method was simple.

He had inflicted physical pain until its primal instincts were crushed.

Of course, this approach doesn’t work on every monster, but for this one, it did.

Though the creature was just a goblin, it had the resilience and mental fortitude of a boss monster.

‘Any lost stamina can be restored with healing skills.’

Suho approached the now docile hobgoblin leader and prodded it with his foot.

Their eyes met.

As soon as they did, the hobgoblin leader, still trembling, lowered its head and curled up even tighter.

And then—

[ You possess such overwhelming presence that you have even subdued the primal spirit of a boss monster. ]

[ The system is now assessing your talent. ]

[ Congratulations! You have mastered Intimidation (A). ]

Perfect.

Suho had finally gained one of the must-have skills: Intimidation.

Intimidation is a rare skill that allows the user to crush an opponent’s will based on sheer presence.

‘It’s also a defensive skill that offers resistance against various mental attacks.’

That was why he had pursued it.

Someone with natural charisma is less likely to have their will broken.

In that sense, Intimidation is heavily influenced by one’s innate talent.

‘Of course, it can be learned through trickery, as I did.’

This was why he needed to acquire it as soon as possible.

As the story progressed, monsters’ primal spirits became stronger, to the point where they’d sooner die than break.

Having secured Intimidation, Suho lifted his sword again.

It was time to finish things.

But even at the end, there was still one more thing to gain.

So Suho gripped his sword with both hands, took a deep breath, and struck without hesitation.

Slash!

The creature’s neck was severed cleanly.

The enhanced cutting power from upgrading his swordsmanship to A-grade made all the difference.

At that moment—

[ You have a high understanding of decapitation. ]

[ The system is now assessing your talent. ]

[ Congratulations! You have mastered Decapitation (B). ]

Suho smiled at the notification.

He had gained one more skill from the hobgoblin leader.

The Decapitation skill, which grants additional effects when beheading an enemy.

‘This concludes my business here.’

As the hobgoblin leader’s head hit the ground—

[ You have defeated the hobgoblin leader. ]

[ The Gate has been cleared. ]

[ You have successfully cleared the Gate solo. ]

[ The MVP of the Gate clear is Ahn Suho. ]

[ As MVP, you receive additional experience points. ]

[ As MVP, you receive 1 bonus stat point. ]

[ Your level has increased. ]

[ All stats have increased by 1. ]

[ You have received 1 bonus stat point. ]

His level had increased.

The experience from defeating the hobgoblin leader, along with the rewards for clearing the Gate and being named MVP, had added up.

With that, a portal to the outside appeared before him.

But the system notifications weren’t over yet.

[ You have reached Level 10. ]

[ The system wishes for you to grow even stronger. ]

[ The system is granting you greater power. ]

[ You have received 5 bonus stat points. ]

[ All Healer class-exclusive skill levels have increased by one. ]

[ You have acquired Cure (E). ]

Perks for reaching a double-digit level were granted.

The perks included 5 bonus stat points, a new skill, and an upgrade for all Healer-exclusive skills by one rank.

Of course, the only Healer skill Suho had was Light of Healing, but at this stage, that was more than enough.

Suho nodded after seeing the notifications.

‘I’ve finally obtained Cure.’

Cure is a skill specialized in treating diseases, and once it reaches its final form, it can even heal the All Poison that once led Suho to his death.

In that sense, Cure was the skill he was most pleased to acquire.

Suho distributed the bonus stat points he’d gained across Strength, Stamina, and Mana, then closed the status window.

Instead of immediately heading for the portal, he stabbed his sword into the hobgoblin leader’s chest.

He felt a hard sensation at the tip of his blade.

A magic stone.

‘Nice, it’s a big one.’

Judging by its size, it was at least C-grade.

After collecting the magic stone and other materials, Suho finally began walking slowly toward the portal.

‘By now, they’ll be waiting at the entrance, I’m sure.’

He was certain now that this wasn’t a dream—it was reality.

So it was time to see that face again.

The face of the person who had once been closest to him.