Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 83

The next day.

As usual, Suho went to work.

He had completed the paperwork for Nexus and Kim Geon’s family the day before.

So today, he only needed to hear the results of the comprehensive evaluation from the Awakening Division and proceed with his department transfer.

With this in mind, Suho arrived at work in a relaxed mood, only to encounter someone completely unexpected at the Korean Hunter Association’s entrance.

“Hunter!”

It was Park Goong.

Delighted by the surprise guest, Suho greeted him warmly.

“Park Goong? Hello!”

“Ah, yes, well….”

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing, just… here.”

In response to Suho’s question, Park Goong handed him a black plastic bag.

Inside was the savory aroma of sesame oil.

It was tuna kimbap.

Handing Suho the bag of kimbap, Park Goong spoke with a bashful smile.

“My mother made this for you, Hunter. She wanted to thank you… you know, for everything. The social media post and all that you did with the reporter—it’s all thanks to you.”

Thanks to Jo Jin-hwi’s article, Park Goong’s restaurant had gained even more fame.

Now, long lines formed outside even before the store opened, and they had to hire additional staff just in case.

Even with all the busyness, Park Goong had come early in the morning to the Korean Hunter Association, purely to express his gratitude to Suho.

To him, Suho was nothing short of a benefactor.

Park Goong continued speaking.

“I wanted to call you, but I didn’t know your number, so I just decided to come here, thinking I’d meet you if I waited.”

Hearing this, Suho chuckled.

“If I’d known you’d wait like this, I’d have given you my number. I’ll enjoy the kimbap. Could you thank your mother on my behalf?”

“Yes, I will. But actually….”

“Yes?”

“I’m curious about something—could I ask you a question?”

“As many as you like.”

“Why are you so good to me?”

At Park Goong’s question, Suho let out a light laugh.

“I haven’t done anything special for you.”

“Pardon?”

“I posted about it on social media simply because your mother’s food was delicious. It’s my personal account, so I can post whatever I want, right?”

“Well, I guess so? But with the reporter, it seemed like….”

“Did the reporter say that?”

“No, no, it just felt like maybe you had tipped them off.”

“Then you don’t really know who reported it.”

“Ah….”

Park Goong responded awkwardly to Suho’s words.

Because it was true.

Suho smiled and said.

“Anyway, I’ll enjoy the kimbap. It’s unfortunate you can no longer shoot archery, but I believe there’s a better path ahead. You’re very talented, Park Goong. By the way, have you changed classes?”

“Oh, yes! Actually, I’ve changed to an archer.”

“That’s great. Do you have any plans to work as a Hunter?”

“I’m still considering it. The only reason I changed classes was because notifications kept popping up in front of me, so I had no choice.”

“True enough. But, in my opinion, I think scouts from guilds will start flocking to recruit you soon.”

“The reporter said the same thing… do you have any guild recommendations?”

Guild recommendations.

Suho laughed at the perfect timing of the question.

He smiled and answered.

“For me, of course, it’s Nexus. I used to work there.”

“Ah… then I’ll go with Nexus.”

“Isn’t that decision a bit hasty?”

“Haha, no, actually, I’d thought about becoming a Hunter. Now that I’ve awakened as a player, I won’t be able to continue sports, so there aren’t many options left. I figured I might as well try being a Hunter.”

“Then, how about meeting with Nexus? I’ll arrange for some of their staff to visit your mother’s restaurant.”

“Really?”

“Yes, anyway, you won’t start working as a Hunter immediately. You’ll need some training, so it’s better to go somewhere that can accommodate you.”

“Ah… I came to thank you, and you’re helping me even more.”

“Helping? It’s nothing. I’m just glad you can still shoot your bow. Ah, here’s my personal contact—reach out anytime you need help.”

“Thank you, Hunter!”

After exchanging numbers, Park Goong repeatedly bowed his head in gratitude.

Suho waved at him and walked into the association with a smile on his face.

Along with the aromatic tuna kimbap.

“She packed quite a bit.”

Just at a glance, there seemed to be at least ten rolls.

As Suho scanned his ID card and entered the Korean Hunter Association, his phone began to vibrate.

A call was coming in.

But the caller was an unexpected figure.

“The Vice President?”

What could it be?

Why was he calling?

Suho answered the call.

“Yes, Vice President.”

– Where are you?

“I just arrived at work.”

– Then come see me in my office.

Click.

Park Gyu-min hung up right after speaking his piece.

Suho chuckled at this and made his way toward the Vice President’s office.

He had a rough idea of why he’d been summoned.

As he entered the high-floor Vice President’s office, Park Gyu-min was there waiting for him alone.

Greeting Suho with a welcoming expression, Park Gyu-min spoke.

“Come in, Hunter Ahn. Have a seat.”

“Yes, Vice President.”

He sat as directed.

However, the situation seemed urgent as he wasn’t even offered a drink.

As soon as he settled in his chair, Park Gyu-min’s questions began.

“I’ve heard about your achievements in the Awakening Division—it was impressive, wasn’t it?”

“It was nothing. I only did what needed to be done.”

“No, no, for a mere duty, the scale of what you accomplished was substantial. That’s just like you, Hunter Ahn. Anyway, I had a question arise while watching you work, which is why I called you here.”

“A question?”

“Yes. Considering both the awakening and non-awakening aspects, it seems that you’ve consistently tackled difficult tasks. Especially with the non-awakening evaluation, you handled things that weren’t even part of the assessment criteria, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What’s your secret?”

A secret.

Suho smiled inwardly at this question.

‘So, it’s you—you’re the one behind Lee Wan-ik.’

All the matters concerning the Awakening Division…

Particularly the question focusing on non-awakened cases, made it likely that Park Gyu-min was somehow involved in the recent military exemption scandal.

‘Otherwise, there’d be no reason for him to be curious about the source of the documents.’

The Vice President had pawned off the handover duties assigned by the Association President onto his subordinates, so why would he suddenly be interested in Suho’s work methods?

It was clear something was bothering him, hence his curiosity.

In any case, what should he do about this?

After a moment of deliberation, Suho decided to throw out some bait.

“I simply conducted an investigative inquiry based on some tips I received.”

“Inquiry?”

“Yes.”

“But the tips didn’t seem to have much to do with the draft-dodgers we apprehended, did they?”

Ah.

So he’d already reviewed the tip-offs?

Well, thanks to that, it was now clear.

Seeing how anxious Park Gyu-min was, Suho was certain that Park Gyu-min was behind Lee Wan-ik’s human trafficking schemes.

Suho nodded and spoke.

“Of course, aside from the tips I received, I also used information I gathered and obtained through some contacts.”

“Contacts?”

“Yes, it’s a network I built while working as a Hunter, and they provided me with a bit of assistance when they heard I was conducting field evaluations.”

“Assistance? Who are these people who would go out of their way to help you?”

“They’re simply individuals who work in the intelligence field. They mentioned that they have connections in various places and provided me with some information as a service.”

“Connections? What connections?”

“Well, here and there….”

“Alright, just where is this ‘here and there’?”

As Suho continued to evade, Park Gyu-min finally lost his temper.

Suho secretly smiled.

The fish had taken the bait.

Suho quickly pretended to apologize and answered.

“I’m sorry. It felt inappropriate to disclose since it involves government agencies.”

“Government agencies? So, are you saying there’s a connection even within our Association?”

“That, I’m not entirely sure….”

“Ahem, Hunter Ahn, aren’t we closer than this?”

Closer? In what way?

Suho feigned a look of discomfort on purpose.

Seeing this, Park Gyu-min became even more flustered.

“Hunter Ahn, sharing these things among people like us improves the flow of information and contributes to the Association’s development. What would I do with that information anyway? I’m merely curious as one of the leaders in the organization, so please, just tell me.”

It was an implied threat rather than a request.

Noticing Park Gyu-min’s impatience, Suho finally acted as if he were reluctantly revealing something.

“Yes, I heard we have a connection within the Korean Hunter Association as well.”

“Huh… who’s out there knowing things that even I don’t?”

“I’m not sure about the details either, but I was told this by someone reliable, so it’s probably someone connected to the organization.”

“Connected to the organization?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm….”

Park Gyu-min stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Then, with a serious expression, he leaned in and whispered.

“Hunter Ahn.”

“Yes?”

“Those people with the so-called ‘information’—could I meet them too?”

“Pardon? That might be difficult. They are extremely reluctant to reveal their identities….”

“Then I’ll meet them as a client.”

“Even so….”

“Ahem, are we really going to be like this?”

“…I’ll ask them.”

“Give me an answer by today. Can you manage that?”

“…Understood.”

“Alright, you can go now. Oh, by the way, I called you in today to commend you for your work. I personally have a lot of appreciation for you, Hunter Ahn. I’ll be watching.”

“Thank you.”

“Good.”

Commend him, my foot.

He’d summoned him purely out of curiosity about the information source.

Yet, Suho was able to leave in good spirits.

Things seemed to be going better than he expected.

Leaving the Vice President’s office, Suho made his way toward the Non-Awakening Department with a faint smile.

The scene in the Non-Awakening Department was the same as the day before.

The investigation into the draft-dodging scandal was still ongoing, and the people he had seen yesterday were still outside the investigation room, including Hong Won-seok.

Hong Won-seok looked utterly exhausted.

And understandably so.

The archery finals had already started, but he was still at the Association, with nothing he could do.

But that wasn’t all.

Hong Dong-seok still hadn’t apologized to his younger brother.

Suho nodded as he thought.

‘They’re reaping what they sowed.’

It wasn’t as if he had avenged the previous life’s Park Goong.

He’d merely followed the law.

Thus, by law, Park Goong had been required to register his awakening, which removed him from the competition, and as soon as he resolved the issue with Park Goong, Hong Dong-seok was immediately apprehended.

The timing of the arrest wasn’t deliberately set to coincide with the finals.

Since the moment Hong Dong-seok became involved, Hong Won-seok’s participation in the tournament would have been impossible regardless of timing.

As Suho waited in a nearby conference room, Um Joon-sung, who had arrived late, appeared.

“Ah, Mr. Suho. You’re here early?”

“Yes. By the way, has my evaluation been completed?”

“Ah… haha… well….”

Um Joon-sung rolled his eyes awkwardly, then laughed uncomfortably.

“I’m really sorry, but there’s been a bit of a backlog in the Awakening Department, so could you wait a few more days? The evaluators are extremely busy, so it might take a bit longer to finish.”

What kind of excuse was this?

Suho’s brow furrowed slightly.