Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 93

Suho held no grudge against Micronizer.

At least, not in this life.

In fact, he only harbored positive feelings.

After all, thanks to the items Micronizer had painstakingly crafted in his previous life, Suho now possessed several powerful items he wore.

‘I never expected his trolling in the past life would help me in this one.’

In that sense, Micronizer was one of the people Suho needed under his command in the Korean Hunter Association.

Jo Geonhyuk smiled and spoke.

“Well then, without further delay, shall we proceed to the second test?”

“Yes, understood.”

“The test site is prepared in advance. The second test will be split into purification and destruction… but you know what purification and destruction refer to, right?”

“Yes, purification involves removing the curse option from cursed items that can be purified, while destruction is the incineration of items that cannot be purified or stored.”

“You’re exactly right. Then let’s begin with the purification assessment.”

The purification assessment took place in a temporary testing room known as the Purification Wing.

As soon as Suho entered the Purification Wing, he received protective gear as a precaution against any potential incidents.

‘Special Team 2 is far more dangerous than other places.’

Of course, Suho could handle things without this gear, but how many here knew that?

Soon, the evaluation began, and Suho, entering the test room alone, received a box containing a cursed item covered with a cloth screen.

‘I hope it’s something I know.’

As he thought this and lifted the cloth,

‘What’s this…?’

Suho’s eyes widened slightly upon seeing the item.

It was an item he knew far better than he had anticipated for a test subject.

The moment he examined the item, Jo Geonhyuk’s voice sounded over the internal speaker.

– You may begin the purification process using the tools in front of you. Go ahead and start.

The time limit was two hours.

There were 21 types of purification tools laid out in front of him.

The reason there were 21 tools was that humanity had thus far discovered 21 official methods for purifying cursed items.

‘Eventually, there’ll be over 50 methods.’

Item research was progressing globally, after all.

In that regard, the cursed item Suho received for testing had quite a few purification methods.

‘Even beyond these 21 tools here.’

However, among the 21 tools laid out, one method did apply to this item.

That was likely why they chose this as the test cursed item.

Yet Suho planned to apply an unpublished purification method.

This way, he could naturally approach Micronizer.

‘But releasing this method now might cause quite a stir…’

Oh well, no big deal.

My schedule’s what’s important.

First, Suho checked the information on the cursed item he had received.

[ Humdant ]

# A fruit harvested from a Humu tree.

A simple description.

The Humu tree, commonly referred to as Humumok, was a magical tree often found inside gates, with a prominent characteristic of frequently dropping Humdant fruits.

For that reason, Humdant was inherently classified as a cursed item.

It originated from a magical tree, after all.

However, the Humdant fruit appeared plump and its flesh looked appetizing, leading those who first discovered it to consume it, only to suffer varying degrees of poisoning symptoms.

And that wasn’t all.

Besides its toxic effects, if struck forcefully, the Humdant fruit would release toxic spores, creating a sort of poisonous mist.

‘That’s why it’s classified as a cursed item.’

Cursed items aren’t anything special.

Any harmful aspect not listed in the item’s description would cause it to be categorized as a cursed item.

Shifting his gaze, Suho looked at the purification tool designated for the Humdant, the Mana Torch.

The Mana Torch was an object powered by mana rather than gas, known for emitting a fairly strong heat when mana was infused.

When subjected to intense heat, the Humdant’s toxic properties, spores, and explosive nature would be removed, leaving edible flesh.

After a brief contemplation, Suho looked around.

Hmm.

The only suitable place here was the floor.

Then, I’ll have to do it on the floor.

Adopting a pitcher’s stance, Suho threw the Humdant at the ground with the force of a ground ball.

At the same time, the people outside observing him shouted in unison as Suho prepared to throw the Humdant.

“Hey, hey!”

“What are you doing!”

“No, don’t!”

“What are you thinking!”

But Suho was faster than them.

Boom!

Suho slammed the Humdant to the ground with all his might, producing a thunderous noise.

Ding-ding!

Alongside the noise, shards from the impact flew against the reinforced glass wall.

The thrown Humdant had shattered the ground.

Dust didn’t rise.

The coating on the floor was too well-done for dust to form.

This left everyone in shock.

As there was no dust, everyone outside could clearly see Suho’s actions, along with the Humdant embedded in the floor.

After a brief moment of stunned silence at Suho’s sudden move, Jo Geonhyuk, regaining his senses, grabbed the microphone and shouted excitedly.

– What do you think you’re doing!!

Naturally, he was furious.

Every place managed by Special Team 2 required safety on par with research labs or construction sites.

However, Suho paid no heed and lifted the embedded Humdant, saying,

“I completed the purification process.”

– What? Purification?

“Would you like to take a look?”

Suho cheerfully held out the Humdant, his smile so pure and devoid of malice that it left everyone watching bewildered.

“What on earth…?”

The first to respond, predictably, was Jo Geonhyuk.

He quickly donned his safety gear and entered the test room.

But as he checked the information on the Humdant Suho held out, Jo Geonhyuk’s eyes began to tremble.

“H-Huh…?”

“Right? It’s purified, isn’t it?”

“H-How is this possible?”

“The curse options are all removed. It’s now safe to consume or expose to physical impact. Also…”

Suho brought the Humdant closer, waving it before him.

“It now has a slight healing option.”

Healing!

At this unbelievable word, everyone outside rushed in, one after another, to examine the Humdant.

And as they checked the purified Humdant’s information, they could hardly believe their eyes.

“How?”

“It’s real?”

“This, it actually works?”

“But didn’t the purification methods include physical impact…?”

It was true.

As the onlookers pointed out, one of the 21 purification tools included a Shock Hammer designed to purify cursed items by impact.

Suho explained.

“The Shock Hammer exists, yes. But the method I used activates an option when a greater impact than the Shock Hammer is applied.”

“A greater impact than the Shock Hammer?”

“Yes, if a player with less than a 1-star strength rating or a normal-level strength stat uses the Shock Hammer, they wouldn’t be able to trigger the hidden healing option of the Humdant.”

“Then, what strength is required?”

“At minimum, a Red-grade strength stat is needed. Only that level of strength will activate it.”

“Red grade… Ah, wait! We should write this down! Right now!”

“Someone call in the team! If this is true, it’ll cause a huge stir in the academic world!”

Suho’s expectations were right.

With Suho’s revelation of a new purification method, Special Team 2 members began calling their teammates, eagerly discussing Suho’s discovery and the transformed Humdant.

In the midst of it all, Kim Seokhoon was astounded.

He knew Suho was unusual from the first test, but to get such results in the second test… especially in the purification assessment, was beyond imagination.

So, Kim Seokhoon approached Suho and asked,

“S-Suho?”

“Yes?”

“You do realize this is an incredible discovery, don’t you?”

“Oh, is that so?”

“It’s not just ‘is that so’! If this is real, from now on, every purification worker worldwide will add this method to their process. In other words, you’re the discoverer of the 22nd purification method!”

“Well, that’s good news. But then, how does this affect my assessment?”

“…Pardon?”

“You’re not going to give me the lowest score because I didn’t use an official method… are you?”

“Oh, nonsense! Don’t worry! I’d never allow such a thing while I’m around!”

Suho’s question was answered not by Kim Seokhoon, but by Jo Geonhyuk.

With the most enthusiastic look of the day, Jo Geonhyuk approached Suho with an excited voice.

“Suho, don’t worry at all. Honestly, you surprised me today. How did you come up with this method?”

“I discovered it by chance while exploring a Sealed Gate.”

“A Sealed Gate? Oh, right! You’re the one who cleared a Sealed Gate solo! Wow, but in a Sealed Gate, how’d you find time to discover such a thing?”

“Like I said, it was a coincidence. The method I found is based on a major impact, after all.”

“Oh, I see. But why didn’t you reveal it sooner?”

“I forgot, and I didn’t even know about purification methods. If not for this Special Appointment exam, I wouldn’t have known there were 21 methods.”

“What? Hahaha! Oh, you’re quite an amusing person! Don’t worry, Suho. You pass the second test just like this! I’ll personally see to it you get a perfect score. By the way, do you know any other methods?”

“Well, I’ll give it some thought.”

“Great, that’s perfect. If you think of anything, let me know right away. And as soon as we’ve compiled the data, I’ll inform you immediately. This discovery could earn you a lot!”

Jo Geonhyuk was so thrilled that he mixed respectful and casual language in his speech.

Suho, however, paid it no mind, and Kim Seokhoon chuckled at Jo Geonhyuk’s declaration of passing Suho on the second test.

“Haha, if the team leader says so… then I have no objections.”

There’s no worry.

Anyway, he was royalty-level, with orders from the higher-ups to handle him gently.

Amused by their synchronized agreement, Suho laughed.

“Thank you. I’ll be in your care, then.”

“Sure… but, with things going this way, it looks like the schedule needs some adjustment… Suho, do you want to receive the Research Analysis assessment today?”

“If it can be done quickly, that’d be great for me.”

“Oh… please wait just a moment.”

Suho’s exceptional performance required yet another schedule adjustment.

As a result, Kim Seokhoon immediately headed to the Research Analysis Department, while Suho, left alone again, scanned the bustling surroundings before focusing on one individual.

Suho approached him and greeted him naturally.

“Hello?”

The person Suho greeted was none other than Team Member Kang Seulgi, famously known as the Mad Scholar of Destruction.