Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 232

Kuyokuyo was no longer capable of doing business.

The room where Su-ho had been, along with the hallway, was filled with collapsed yakuza.

After waiting a bit longer, the Inagawa executive Su-ho had spoken to on the phone finally appeared.

He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with slicked-back hair, a suit, and the signature tinted glasses favored by gangsters.

Of course, he didn’t come alone.

He showed up with about a dozen subordinates who looked fairly capable. As expected of someone from a higher division, they clearly had better stats than the thugs Tsukuryo had brought with him.

Cigarette in mouth, the man stepped over the fallen trash and came to stand in front of Su-ho.

“You the one? The guy who called?”

“Yeah, that’s me. You the one who picked up?”

“Kuhuhu, yeah. I’m the one who picked up. So who the hell are you?”

“I’m a tourist from Korea.”

“Tourist?”

“Yeah, tourist. I’m even speaking Japanese for you, and you can’t understand what I’m saying? What’s your name?”

“I’m Koki. An executive of the great Inagawa. So how about you give your name too?”

“I’m Kim Su-ho. Alright, Koki. We both don’t have time, so let’s get this over with. Did you bring the compensation?”

“Compensation, huh...”

At the mention of compensation, Koki took a long drag from his cigarette, then snuffed it out by grinding it against the body of one of the guys lying nearby.

“Before that, let me ask you something. You said you’re a tourist from Korea, but judging by your skills, you’re no ordinary guy. You belong to a guild or something?”

“Do I need to tell you that just to collect some money?”

“It matters. Guys like us care about names and affiliations.”

“I don’t belong anywhere. I’m a freelancer hunter. If I had to say I belong to something, I guess it’s Korea, since I pay taxes there. That good enough for you?”

“I see.”

Koki nodded.

Then he gave a signal with his chin to his subordinates.

A kill signal.

Right.

He figured it was safe to take Su-ho out since he had no backing.

Good.

Su-ho had been worried they might say something annoying about compensation or try to negotiate.

Soon, Koki’s men quietly approached Su-ho.

But the result was the same.

Crack! Crunch! Thud!

Su-ho deliberately hit them hard.

They were a cut above the lower-level grunts, after all.

Even so, the outcome didn’t change.

Lower-tier, upper-tier—didn’t matter. In Su-ho’s eyes, they were all the same trash.

‘I took down Suiru and Kinya in one shot. These guys are nothing...’

Maybe that’s why.

As more and more of his men dropped like flies, Koki’s brow began to furrow.

And finally, when Su-ho knocked out the last one, he spoke.

“Why the hell can’t you people have a proper conversation? Is it that hard to compensate someone when you screw up?”

“......”

Koki, still locking eyes with Su-ho, slowly pulled a cigarette from his coat and placed it in his mouth.

And just as he reached for his lighter—

“Cut the crap.”

Su-ho, fed up with Koki’s theatrics, grabbed ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) a nearby liquor bottle and threw it.

Koki tried to catch it, but no chance.

He might have been Awakened, but Su-ho was on a completely different level.

The bottle hit him square in the forehead, and he collapsed backward.

“Let’s wrap this up.”

Su-ho couldn’t be bothered to call someone else over at this point.

He used Recovery on the unconscious Koki.

Koki groaned as he regained consciousness.

“Ugh...”

“Cut the moaning. Sit up straight.”

Smack!

A direct hit to the forehead made a loud crack and jolted him fully awake.

He tried to resist and raised his hand, but Su-ho was faster.

The moment Koki’s hand rose, Su-ho twisted it.

“Aaaargh!”

“Shh.”

Thud!

When Koki screamed, Su-ho jabbed him in the throat.

The scream stopped immediately, and Su-ho applied pressure point strikes across his body to restrain him without ropes.

Koki was soon forced to kneel, limp and powerless, staring at Su-ho with disbelief.

Su-ho snatched Koki’s tinted glasses and put them on himself.

“Why do punks like you always wear crap like this? Is this supposed to be cool?”

“......”

“I asked if it’s cool.”

“S-sorry...”

“I asked if it’s cool, so why are you apologizing? Seriously, whether it’s mobsters or yakuza, none of you ever listen when someone tries to talk nicely... Anyway, whatever. What’s your rank in Inagawa?”

“M-me?”

“Who else would I be talking to? If you keep spacing out, I’ll skin off all the ogre tattoos on your body, so take that seriously.”

“......”

Koki, realizing Su-ho was dead serious, pursed his lips.

Then, he finally answered.

“I’m ranked about 9th.”

“Ninth?”

Su-ho did a quick mental count, then furrowed his brow.

Ninth is kind of vague...

He glanced around, then called out to the manager, who had regained consciousness nearby.

“Hey.”

“Y-yes!”

“Stuttering again? Want me to smash your other thigh too?”

“N-no, sir!”

“Then get over here.”

The manager dragged his wrecked leg over and stood in front of Su-ho with great effort.

Su-ho asked,

“If you’re ranked 9th in Inagawa, do people actually recognize you in other places too?”

At that, the manager snuck a glance at Koki.

Hah. Look at this guy...

Su-ho turned to Koki.

“Hey.”

“Yes.”

“Close your eyes.”

“Yes.”

“Shut your ears too.”

“Yes.”

Then Su-ho looked back at the manager.

“Now speak.”

The manager looked at Su-ho like he was insane for a moment, but the fear kicked in, and he answered honestly.

“Yes, he is recognized.”

“You lying to me?”

“N-no, I swear! It’s true!”

“You’re just hyping him up ‘cause he’s watching you. Wake up. In this filthy world that only remembers first place, who gives a damn about ninth?”

“N-no! Usually, yeah, that’s the case, but Inagawa’s one of the top three guilds in Japan. Being in the top ten executives of a guild like that is a really big deal.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really!”

“Alright. Get lost.”

The manager scurried backward in a panic, and Su-ho turned to Koki again.

“He says that’s how it is. What do you think?”

“I think so too.”

“But it’s a world where only first place is remembered.”

“...The world isn’t the Olympics, is it.”

“So even in Yamaguchi or Sumiyoshi, they’d know your name?”

Yamaguchi was the name of the number one guild in Japan, and Sumiyoshi was number two.

Koki’s eyes trembled briefly at Su-ho’s question, then he nodded.

“Yes, maybe not the Oyabun, but the underbosses probably know my name.”

“Is that so...”

Kid’s got some conviction, huh.

Su-ho found that amusing.

So, he decided Koki would serve as a sacrifice.

Koki spoke up.

“Uh... Sir?”

“What?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“If it’s not too late... I’d like to offer you proper compensation that could appease you...”

By now, even Koki had realized it.

Just how terrifying the man in front of him was.

And at this point, if this got out to the public, it’d help no one.

In the yakuza world, power was everything—if word spread that he’d been beaten down, others would come swarming in to take a bite.

To Koki’s offer, Su-ho replied,

“Too late.”

“...Excuse me?”

“Going in and coming out of the bathroom isn’t the same—you guys are already too late. Should’ve handed it over when I asked nicely. Who the hell would accept it now? You think I’m trash like you?”

“...I’m sorry.”

“I’ll take something else instead.”

Su-ho picked up a sashimi knife that had fallen nearby.

It belonged to one of the yakuza who’d come into the room. Su-ho grabbed it, then took hold of Koki’s left hand with his other.

“They say yakuza cut off fingers or commit seppuku when they screw up, right? So I’ll just take one finger.”

“W-what? W-wait! I-I’ll give you however much you want! Please, just not the finger!”

“I’ll stop the bleeding. I’m good at healing.”

“That’s not—! AAAAAAAGH!!”

The finger came off in an instant.

A true master blames not the tool—even if it had been a dining knife instead of a sashimi blade, Su-ho could’ve cut it cleanly in one stroke.

After all, he was the world’s greatest swordsman.

Su-ho wrapped the severed finger in a napkin, stashed it in his inventory, and then used Heal and Recovery on Koki.

“Run your business with a conscience, yeah? A little humanity goes a long way. If you'd just thrown in a few more beers, I’d have let it slide. But how the hell do you charge me for a band I never even called? I’m out.”

With that, Su-ho walked out of Kuyokuyo without looking back.

No one followed.

After seeing what had happened, not a soul dared.

And just like that, Kuyokuyo’s business was over.

***

Su-ho got in a taxi and headed to his next destination.

This time, it was Akasaka in Minato City, Tokyo.

If Roppongi was the playground of the young and foreign, then Akasaka was a nightlife district more suited to the middle-aged and older crowd—but no less infamous for its indulgences.

Once he arrived in the bustling Akasaka district, Su-ho began to wander the streets aimlessly.

He soon spotted a loan office with its lights still on and knocked on the door without hesitation.

“Huh?”

The door opened to reveal a blond punk greeting him.

Su-ho peered past the guy and into the office.

Through the thick cigarette smoke, he could see a naked man kneeling on the floor.

Suspicious of Su-ho’s behavior, the punk shoved him and said,

“Who the hell are you? What’re you peeping into someone’s office for? You wanna die?”

“I’d rather not. I’m a tourist from Korea. I came to borrow some money.”

“Money?”

“Yeah, a lot of it.”

At the mention of borrowing money, the punk glanced inside and exchanged a look with someone, then shook his head.

“No good. We’re closed for the day.”

“What do you mean, ‘no good’?”

“What?”

“You’re not even Awakened, are you?”

“What the hell does that—?”

“Then get out of the way.”

[Pressure Point Technique has activated.]

Thud!

Su-ho struck his paralysis point, and as the guy collapsed, he pushed him aside.

Opening the door, Su-ho stepped into the office, where the loan sharks inside turned toward him, shouting things like nandakore.

“Japan’s great. So many punks everywhere.”

“What the hell’s your problem, asshole?!”

All the loan sharks rushed him.

Su-ho immediately activated mana detection.

He struck pressure points to immobilize the non-Awakened and punched out the Awakened with his fists.

Soon, every single punk in the office was down for the count—except for one man, still kneeling on the floor.

Su-ho asked,

“You the one who borrowed money?”

“Y-yes! That’s right.”

“Why?”

“Well...”

The man hesitated for a moment, then answered shyly.

“I... got into pachinko a little...”

“Figures.”

Su-ho clicked his tongue in disgust, then knocked the man out with a pressure point strike.

Next, he woke up the guy who looked to be the highest-ranking among the punks and forced him to his knees.

But maybe he’d knocked him out too cleanly—the guy still had fire in his eyes.

“Well, well. Still got fight in you?”

“You bastard... do you even know who you’re messing with right now?”

“This is the second time I’m telling you. Drop the act and show some respect.”

“Why don’t you go eat shit?”

“I gave you a chance.”

But you’re the one who blew it.

Su-ho struck the man’s malice point.

The worst pain the man had ever experienced in his entire life hit him like a freight train.

“GAAAHHHH!!”

Again and again, Su-ho alternated between releasing and pressing the malice point.

The man was completely broken.

He dropped to the floor and crawled like a beaten dog, eyes full of fear and submission.

“Should’ve done that from the start.”

“S-sorry...”

“Alright, question. You know about Sumiyoshi?”

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