Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 101

[The Iron Valley has been conquered.]

Outside the gate.

Alongside the system notification, the line symbolizing the gate’s presence vanished, indicating that the gate had been cleared.

Thanks to this, the outside was thrown into complete chaos.

“W-what?”

“Why is that happening?”

“What’s going on with the gate line?”

“Wait, don’t tell me…”

“No way… could it be?”

The soldiers stirred uneasily.

Since it was still the afternoon, no one mistook this for a strange dream brought on by a midnight shift.

Major Kang Hyuk, who was standing by at headquarters, was especially shocked.

Shortly after, CCTV inside the square showed Suho and Jung Chulmin, and soldiers swarmed to the square entrance to await the two of them.

As soon as the two emerged, Jung Chulmin greeted them with an awkward smile.

“Haha… Ah, hello?”

“What happened here? Has the gate truly been cleared?”

“Haha, yes… well, to explain what happened…”

Taking responsibility as the exam supervisor, Jung Chulmin explained the sequence of events in place of Suho.

Technically, he was lying for Suho, but no one doubted Jung Chulmin’s story.

They only showed concern.

“Oh… are you alright?”

“Yes, thanks to Mr. Suho, I narrowly escaped with my life.”

“Huh… truly remarkable, just as his reputation suggests…”

When Jung Chulmin gave credit to Suho, Major Kang Hyuk and everyone else were impressed.

The scene was neatly wrapped up.

On the way back to Seoul, with Jung Chulmin driving, he said,

“You know, right? Even if I pretend not to know, this incident has already happened, so a few rules may change because of it.”

“For example?”

“They’ll likely scrap the tradition of allowing examinees to pick their preferred gate during Gate Management training.”

It was a reasonable measure.

Until now, they hadn’t interfered much, judging it safe enough, but now that there had been an unexpected attack, they would likely designate specific gates for training.

‘Well, it doesn’t concern me anyway.’

It was never some grand privilege; it was just a tradition intended to entice people to join the Gate Management Department.

‘If it’s a real issue, they could simply make sure candidates can’t pick sealed gates.’

In fact, there was also a way to prevent anyone from raising the issue.

Suho had Park Kyuman on his side.

But he couldn’t say that out loud, so Suho put on an apologetic face.

“I apologize. Because of me, the department’s valued tradition might disappear.”

Hearing this, Jung Chulmin let out a slight chuckle.

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Pardon?”

“I didn’t say that to make you feel guilty. I’m just letting you know how our actions might impact things in the future. To be exact, I’m teaching you how things are handled in the public sector. This is your first time in public service, isn’t it?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Do you know the difference between a company and a government office, Suho?”

“What would that be?”

“A company is profit-driven, so even if a process is risky, if the profit outweighs the risk, they might just overlook the danger. But it’s a bit different for public servants.”

Continuing to drive, Jung Chulmin went on.

“Groups that don’t need to make a profit focus solely on minimizing risk. To prevent such incidents from happening again, they often eliminate the risk altogether. The military is a prime example. I’m not sure about the military nowadays, but in the past, if a soldier choked or got injured eating instant ramen, they would ban ramen from the PX altogether.”

“… Isn’t that a bit excessive?”

“But it doesn’t matter to them. Officers don’t lose anything, so they make those decisions. They can just buy their ramen outside the base. But if the soldiers mess up, the officers face consequences, so they take extreme measures. Anyway, that’s part of why I pretended not to see anything. I wanted to see you in action at the gate, but I also thought it was better to lose one sealed gate than to lose the Management Department’s tradition.”

“…Oh.”

Until now, Suho had only pretended not to know, but he was genuinely impressed for the first time.

‘As expected of Chulmin hyung.’

He valued ideals and dreams but also knew when to be practical.

And his practicality wasn’t for personal gain but for the greater good.

That was the Jung Chulmin Suho knew.

Suho chuckled and said,

“Thank you for telling me. I learned a lot.”

“Haha, thanks for saying so. These days, some people just think of it as nagging when you teach them this stuff.”

“Those kinds of people are usually immature. You might become my mentor in the future, so I look forward to learning more from you.”

“A mentor… I’d really like that.”

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to speak more casually from now on?”

They had already been on informal terms as friends.

That’s why Suho wanted to quickly start talking freely with Jung Chulmin.

With a slight grin, Jung Chulmin replied,

“If you officially come under me, I’ll switch. But until then, let’s keep things professional.”

“Haha, understood.”

“Alright, I’ve told you what I needed to… oh, and obviously, you’ve scored full marks in this Gate Management evaluation. Considering you cleared a sealed gate, docking points would be a joke, right?”

“Thank you. So, will I move on to the Management evaluation tomorrow?”

“If nothing comes up, you’ll take the Management evaluation. After that, you’ll move to the Special Department. What do you think the Detection Department’s evaluation will be?”

The Detection Department’s evaluation.

He knew what it was.

But he feigned ignorance and asked,

“Since it’s the Detection Department, wouldn’t it be a test on gate detection?”

“Well, that’s the typical assumption, but a gate can appear anytime, anywhere. They monitor the mana levels in the area, and if it gets high enough, they take action… so it’ll likely be an evaluation of the preparatory process up until gate formation.”

“I see. And following the preparation process is as simple as following the manual, right?”

“If you follow the manual, you’re guaranteed a perfect score. Are you feeling confident again?”

Why wouldn’t he be?

He’d aced every evaluation so far.

“Of course. That’s how I’ve been handling each evaluation.”

“I figured as much. That’s why I’m not too worried about the Detection evaluation itself. What I’m concerned about is what you said to me in the valley.”

“What I said… about pressuring the Association President with media exposure?”

“Yes, that.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I was just about to set things in motion anyway. Speaking of which, I’ll also leverage this recent sealed gate incident.”

“Of course, you can’t hide the truth with just your hand. Clearing a sealed gate is definitely something worthy of praise.”

As Jung Chulmin spoke, Suho smiled and then made a call.

– Yes, Mr. Ahn?

The person who picked up the phone was none other than Jo Jin-hwi.

Suho spoke with a smile.

“You’re doing well, I trust?”

– Haha, thanks to you, Mr. Ahn, I’m always well. I heard you’re going through training as a probationary employee right now; how’s it going?

“Yes, the training program will be over soon, so it’ll finish quickly.”

– Huh? Already? How long has it been since you started?

Although Jo Jin-hwi had never experienced public service, he knew a fair bit about it.

Apart from being an excellent reporter, he was well-versed in the Korean Hunter Association’s workings as a player-specialized journalist.

Which made it curious to him.

Normally, even a short training process would take at least a month.

Suho replied with a laugh.

“I contacted you because of my training process. Here’s what’s happened so far…”

Suho left out the minor details but shared how he had aced the theoretical and practical evaluations.

“…which led me to conquer the Iron Valley’s sealed gate.”

Including the recent success in the Iron Valley.

When Suho finished his explanation.

– …

Jo Jin-hwi was silent.

It wasn’t a communication issue.

He was just too shocked to speak.

When there was no response, Suho asked again.

“Reporter Jo?”

– Ah, yes! Wow… I was so surprised that I couldn’t say anything for a moment, wondering if I heard right.

“Ah, I see.”

– As expected of you, Mr. Ahn. I knew you were extraordinary, but how are you already making history the moment you joined the Association? Isn’t that the best performance in Association history? I mean, if you score full marks on the remaining evaluations, you’ll be the first and only perfect scorer, right?

“That’s what I heard.”

– Indeed, the Sword God is different. But calling out of the blue and sharing these impressive feats… does that mean you’re planning something?

Suho chuckled at Jo Jin-hwi’s keen insight.

He really was sharp.

Suho replied with a laugh.

“Yes, I’m working on a project that’s pretty big, so I need some groundwork.”

– Haha, you should’ve told me earlier. I don’t know what the project is, but from what you’re saying, I’ll give you a media boost to elevate your reputation once more.

“Thank you, Reporter Jo, you really are amazing.”

– But hold on, is it okay to disclose your results while you’re still in training? I’d love to publish it, but I’m a bit worried for you.

At this, Jung Chulmin, who had been listening quietly, responded.

“It’s fine.”

– …Who’s this?

“I’m currently overseeing Mr. Suho’s training. I’m in charge of his evaluations, and I was just with him at the sealed gate.”

– Oh? Then you were…

“Yes, I was listening in.”

– …Haha?

Jo Jin-hwi laughed in surprise, caught off guard.

Then, with a wide smile, he asked Suho,

– Have you already gained an ally there?

“He became my ally. He was the first Association official I met.”

– Ah?

“Simply publishing my actions might make people think it’s just rumors, so it’d be good to add the phrase ‘according to an internal source.’ That would lend it credibility, don’t you think?”

– Absolutely. That’s plenty. Is there anything else you need?

“Not for now. Oh, but since you’re publishing, could you frame the sealed gate case as a great success that saved tax money and was overall a positive outcome? I wouldn’t want the people who authorized the sealed gate to face any backlash.”

– Understood. I’ll make sure it’s covered well. When should I publish the article?

“It’ll be reported to the military soon, so I’d like the world to know by tomorrow morning before I go to work.”

– Got it, message received. I’ll start right away and look forward to seeing that big project of yours.

“Haha, you won’t be disappointed. Take care.”

– Absolutely!

Excited, Jo Jin-hwi hung up.

Suho put his phone away and smiled at Jung Chulmin.

Jung Chulmin smiled back.

A new bond was forged between the two.