Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 6

“Ah!”

“The gate is shaking!”

“No way?”

“Hey, the gate line is disappearing?!”

“Could it be that the gate has been cleared?”

When a gate is cleared, the external gate line collapses.

People outside can tell if a gate has been cleared by observing the disappearing gate line, and everyone watching the gate line crumble couldn’t hide their shock.

It was no surprise; after all, it was rare for an Unpredicted Gate to be cleared on the first attempt.

Seeing this, the association employees quickly reported to Jung Chulmin.

“Team Leader! The gate has been cleared!”

“Oh… I can see that myself…”

Jung Chulmin, who had been watching the situation unfold in real-time, widened his eyes in disbelief.

According to the firefighter’s report, the person who entered was definitely a healer.

And he had entered alone.

But he cleared an Unpredicted Gate?

Everyone couldn’t help but focus on the gate with murmurs of disbelief.

And it wasn’t just Jung Chulmin who knew about this fact.

Reporters who had heard the news quickly gathered, and soon after the gate line completely collapsed, a portal appeared, which would serve as the exit.

Through it, a single figure gradually emerged.

It was Suho.

“He’s out!”

“What the?! He’s really alone?”

“Unbelievable, did that person clear it solo?”

The sunlight was bright.

As Suho stepped out of the portal, he squinted against the swarm of people rushing toward him and scanned his surroundings.

‘Quite a crowd.’

Yet, no one dared to approach Suho.

The system had set up a boundary around the exit portal of a cleared gate, allowing only the conqueror to pass.

“Excuse me! Please look this way!”

“Who are you?”

“I’m a scout from the Immortal Guild…”

“I’m from the Hwarang Guild…”

People were trying to catch Suho’s attention by yelling and flashing cameras from beyond the boundary.

But Suho paid them no attention and looked around as if searching for someone.

Soon, he found the person he was looking for.

Suho approached the boundary and asked the person who had been staring at him.

“Are you Team Leader Jung Chulmin of the Korean Hunter Association?”

Hearing this, Jung Chulmin looked startled.

“What? Ah, yes. I am indeed Jung Chulmin, Team Leader of the Korean Hunter Association’s Gate Management Department… But do you know me?”

Taken aback by Suho’s familiarity, Jung Chulmin quickly introduced himself.

Seeing his reaction, Suho chuckled silently.

‘It’s nice to see him again.’

Suho knew who Jung Chulmin was.

No, they were more than just acquaintances; they were close.

After all, Jung Chulmin was destined to become the Association’s chairman someday.

‘I’ve never met anyone as dedicated and self-sacrificing as Chulmin hyung.’

If this was truly the past that Suho remembered, he had every intention of working with Jung Chulmin again.

Suho planned to join the association and become a public servant hunter this time as well.

Suho spoke.

“Let’s discuss this in detail at the association. I was going to head there anyway to get my hunter license issued.”

“Yes, of course… Wait, what?”

He needs to get a hunter license issued?

So, he’s just awakened?

Stunned by the implication, Jung Chulmin blinked.

* * *

Back at the association, after verifying Suho’s identity, Jung Chulmin was left speechless.

The impossible had happened—Suho was truly an unregistered hunter.

And what’s more, he was registered as a healer, the class considered the weakest of the four main classes.

‘How does this make any sense…?’

He had barely awakened, and as a healer, he had solo-cleared an Unpredicted Gate?

The situation was becoming increasingly absurd.

But it was all true, and Suho casually completed the aptitude test for his hunter license.

When all the tests were finished, Jung Chulmin took a look at Suho’s results and was once again left speechless.

‘What on earth…’

Jung Chulmin’s face showed utter disbelief as he reviewed Suho’s test results.

After all, Suho’s results on the aptitude and inherent potential tests were all average.

‘Actually, he scored slightly below the average for a healer.’

Going solely by the test results, Suho should have chosen the path of a warrior or an archer, not a healer.

But Suho was already clearly a healer.

He had directly witnessed Suho’s Light of Healing and Cure spells with his own eyes.

‘How am I supposed to explain this?’

Taking his eyes off the report, Jung Chulmin looked at Suho and asked.

“…If you don’t mind me asking, what did you do before this?”

Suho thought back briefly before replying.

“I was a college student.”

“Was? So you’re not anymore?”

“Yes, I dropped out.”

He remembered it clearly.

The day he got caught up in the Green Red Gate was the same day he submitted his dropout papers.

Why did he drop out?

Nothing complicated.

Suho had been a physical education major, but he found the strict hierarchy and so-called “toxic discipline” within the department unbearable.

So, he decided to leave, even though he had worked hard to get into that college.

Hearing this, Jung Chulmin nodded and asked.

“So, were you in a medical or nursing program?”

“I was a physical education major.”

“Physical education… Then why did you choose to become a healer?”

From Jung Chulmin’s perspective, this choice made no sense.

If Suho had been in a medical or nursing program, it might be understandable, but as a physical education student?

Shouldn’t he have chosen to become a warrior or an archer?

In response, Suho answered nonchalantly.

“I became a healer because I hate being in pain.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I mean it.”

Due to All Poison, he had decided to become a healer, so it wasn’t entirely untrue.

But in the present situation, that answer only served to leave Jung Chulmin even more baffled.

Jung Chulmin closed his eyes for a moment, then slowly continued his questions.

“Did you really clear the gate on your own?”

“Yes, you saw me come out of the portal alone, didn’t you?”

“That’s true… Then, may I ask about the process?”

“A monster appeared, so I fought it. I killed everything that came at me, and then I cleared it. For the record, the monsters inside were hobgoblins.”

“H-Hobgoblins?”

“Yes.”

With that, Suho took the head of the Hobgoblin chief he had kept from the Magic Stone inventory and placed it on the table.

Seeing this, Jung Chulmin’s eyes widened.

It was real.

“This… This is…!”

“It’s the head of the boss monster, the Hobgoblin chief.”

Suho also took out the Magic Stone that had belonged to the Hobgoblin chief.

“And this is the Magic Stone it had.”

“Unbelievable…”

A Magic Stone and the boss’s head.

These were undeniable pieces of evidence.

With Jung Chulmin rendered speechless, Suho finally spoke up.

“I can understand why you’re surprised. You’re wondering why a physical education student didn’t choose the path of a warrior or archer, and how a mere civilian could solo-clear an Unpredicted Gate, right?”

“Well… I can’t deny it.”

“But I assure you, it’s all true. I killed what I saw, and I chose the Beginner’s Sword because it felt familiar. And it’s also true that I became a healer because I hate being in pain. Once I get my license, I intend to continue my hunter activities.”

“Could you share why you decided to pursue this?”

“I hate monsters and gates. If you check my records, you’ll see that I lost my entire family in the Gate Shock Incident. Sure, my tuition was waived, and I was exempted from military service, but what good is any of that when my family is gone?”

“Is that why you entered the gate alone…?”

“Although it was an impulsive decision, I saw it as a chance to release some pent-up anger. I was also on my way back after submitting my dropout papers, frustrated with my department’s rigid discipline. So I had a lot of anger built up.”

“Hmm.”

Hearing this, Jung Chulmin quietly nodded.

After listening to Suho, he could tell that while it may have been impulsive, this man had been living with a lot of pent-up rage.

Suho continued.

“I also chose to major in physical education in case I awakened. I thought the training might help somehow. Though I never formally studied martial arts, I believed it was relevant. Now that I’ve become a player, dropping out seems like the right choice.”

Jung Chulmin listened intently to Suho’s words.

Seeing his seriousness, Suho decided it was time to drop the emotional appeal and give him a bait to pique his interest.

“That doesn’t mean I intend to live with anger forever. No amount of rage will bring back my family.”

With the shift in the conversation, Jung Chulmin looked a bit surprised.

“Then?”

“I want to continue my hunter activities, but I’d prefer to work in a role that ensures people’s safety. For example, with an organization like the Korean Hunter Association.”

Upon hearing this, Jung Chulmin’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning.

This was the last thing he expected to hear.

Perhaps that was why his curiosity about Suho grew even stronger.

“If you work with us at the association, you’ll live as a public servant hunter… Are you okay with that? A quick search will show that, frankly, our pay is… no, it’s far lower than private guild hunters.”

“I know. But you also have free access and priority rights for Unpredicted Gates and other gates, right? You also have the authority to impose severe penalties on player crimes. I want to work for the public good, not personal gain.”

“Oh…!”

Jung Chulmin couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

Though many claim to choose this path out of altruism, in reality, most prioritize job security and the fact that they don’t have to enter gates to make money.

It was as Suho said.

While the association hunters did have priority access to Unpredicted Gates, most gave up this right and auctioned it off to private guilds.

Why?

Because it was dangerous.

‘Very few public servant hunters are willing to enter a gate to clear it while receiving a meager salary.’

Because of this, Jung Chulmin felt his heart pounding.

Struggling to contain his excitement, he asked.

“Then, if you were to join the association, would you…?”

“I’d like to work in the field as much as possible. Preferably on gate-clearing missions.”

Ha.

Hearing this, Jung Chulmin nearly felt dizzy.