Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 234

“You know quite a lot, don’t you?”

“It was a major incident, after all.”

The Blood Pool incident.

Originally, the Chairman of Sumiyoshi wasn’t Hiro.

The official Chairman had been Sumiyoshi Kenta.

But of course, even though he held the title, he wasn’t a real chairman like Hiro is now.

He was just a figurehead.

That’s because, unlike Yamaguchi or Inagawa, where the influence of the chairman or representative was absolute, Sumiyoshi’s real power lay in the hands of the coalition of top-ranking bosses.

‘They propped up a puppet chairman while the other bosses took turns pulling the strings.’

But at the time, Hiro wasn’t one of those powerful bosses.

Back then, he was just a latecomer who had joined the Sumiyoshi coalition much later in the game.

And so, he refused to be involved in drugs, clubs, or any of that business.

What he focused on was solely the raid business.

And unlike other factions that tried to recruit strong subordinates, Hiro insisted on being the strongest himself.

He fought on the front lines and leveled up directly. And when he finally became the single most powerful combatant in all of Sumiyoshi—

He lifted his head.

And at the regular meeting held at the chairman’s estate, he slaughtered all the bosses of Sumiyoshi.

Because the pond at the estate was filled with blood that day, the event came to be known as the Blood Pool incident.

‘Then he seized the empty chairman’s seat and rebuilt the entire organization from the ground up.’

The organizational structure, the chairman’s influence, and even the upper hierarchy...

Once Hiro took power, nothing could stop him.

And even in the midst of all that, he never slacked on one thing: clearing gates and training himself.

That’s why Su-ho had come to him—not anyone else.

Su-ho spoke with certainty.

“That’s why it had to be Sumiyoshi. Unlike other organizations, your guild has a chairman who continues to train himself and personally clears gates. I believe that through collaboration, we could achieve significant progress.”

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Sumiyoshi also ran the largest raid business in Japan.

But Su-ho didn’t feel the need to say that out loud.

Hearing Su-ho’s explanation, Hiro leaned back in his seat, still smiling.

“Very well. Let’s say that’s a valid reason. But there’s still one thing I’m not fully convinced about.”

“You mean how I plan to give you half of Inagawa?”

“Exactly. You may think lightly of them, but Inagawa is still the third-largest guild in the country. In fact, in terms of scale, they’re not all that different from us.”

“I understand. But Chairman, did you take over Sumiyoshi just because it was big?”

“What’s that supposed to... Don’t tell me you’re planning to kill all of Inagawa’s executives?”

“If necessary.”

“Hah... seriously...”

Hiro let out an involuntary laugh at Su-ho’s immediate, unhesitating answer.

This wasn’t just a matter of brute force.

Sure, the world had become a place where human lives were as cheap as flies, but law enforcement still existed, and murder was still a serious crime.

If Inagawa’s executives—leaders of Japan’s third-largest guild—were killed overnight...

Worse yet, if a foreign group was behind it instead of another yakuza, it would cause chaos.

Japanese police, and even the JHA—Ineungseong—would never let it go.

But Su-ho remained calm and indifferent.

“I’ve heard that when yakuza want to expand their territory, they wipe out rival bosses and absorb their domains and men. There’s no need to overthink it. We’ll do the bloodletting. Sumiyoshi just needs to quietly claim the land left without an owner.”

“......”

Everything had been said.

Now, the decision was Hiro’s.

Hiro stared at Su-ho for a while.

A bit longer than usual—for a man who valued efficiency, it was uncharacteristic.

Then, after some delay, he finally spoke.

“Does Union truly have the capability to deal with Inagawa quietly?”

“Yes. We’ll handle it discreetly.”

“I value results, but I also care about the process. I don’t want anything like bombings or terrorist attacks. If the police or JHA catch on, the hassle isn’t worth it.”

Su-ho understood exactly what he meant.

No matter how tempting half of Inagawa was, if the operation became messy, it wouldn’t be worth the trouble.

There’s a reason people don’t like eating fish with too many bones.

Su-ho nodded.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I plan to handle this one myself.”

Hiro raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“You’ll do it alone?”

“Yes. When you want to keep things quiet, working alone is the best option.”

“I see. But it won’t be easy for a foreigner to pull off something like this alone in a place like Japan.”

“I’ll take care of it cleanly.”

“Hmm...”

At Su-ho’s confident reply, Hiro rubbed his chin and chuckled.

“May I ask your level?”

“Just over 160.”

“160, huh... What’s your class?”

“Swordsman.”

“A pure swordsman?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Oh?”

His lips rounded in surprise at the term pure swordsman.

It was a rare thing these days.

“So we’re the same, then. But are you really sure about this? Some Inagawa executives are over level 180, you know.”

“If you’re worried, I can demonstrate my abilities.”

“Your abilities?”

“Yes. I’ve heard you enjoy sparring with swords. Of course, sparring and actual combat are different things, but if you’re concerned, why don’t we cross blades once?”

“Shall we?”

Hiro responded immediately, without a second of hesitation—just as expected from a man obsessed with swordsmanship.

“Let’s change locations. I have a training room on the floor below.”

Below?

But this was a luxury penthouse.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

And yet, surprisingly, what Su-ho had assumed was a single-floor penthouse turned out to be a two-story duplex.

“I bought the lower floor too and converted it. Space was a bit tight.”

Eighty pyeong at least—and that’s tight, huh...

Well, everything’s relative.

“As expected, the Chairman of Sumiyoshi operates on a whole different scale.”

The entire lower floor was his private training hall.

Pointing toward the swords hanging on the wall, he asked,

“Shall we use wooden swords, or live blades?”

“This is both a sparring session and a test of proof, so I’ll leave the choice to whatever you find most convincing, Chairman.”

“Haha, I like bold personalities like that. Alright then—let’s use wooden swords. If used earnestly, even a wooden sword can cut like a real one.”

That was Hiro for you.

Because of his genuine love for swordsmanship, his philosophy around swords was as healthy as anyone’s could be.

‘That kind of composure is something only true masters have.’

There were also many different kinds of wooden swords to choose from.

From size to weight, it was clearly prepared with guests in mind.

Su-ho picked up a few, tested them, and finally chose one that felt right before stepping into position.

He also got into stance as he spoke.

“What kind of swordsmanship do you use, Mr. Su-ho?”

“It’s my own original style. You’ve probably never seen it before.”

“Oho, I see. I’m the same. I prefer creative techniques invented by individuals over standardized ones. In that sense, I look forward to this.”

Hiro’s swordsmanship—

Su-ho knew it well.

He was the founder of Yasuda-ryu, a style he continued to refine and develop.

As a swordsman, Hiro was someone worthy of respect.

And just as Su-ho respected him, Hiro would give the same respect to any swordsman who proved themselves.

‘This is the perfect opportunity to build rapport.’

Operating freely in a foreign country like Japan required local allies.

And if that ally wasn’t just a business partner, but something more—someone tied by deeper bonds—there was no better relationship than that.

Which was why he’d chosen Sumiyoshi for a variety of reasons.

The two exchanged a polite bow, then slowly raised their wooden swords and took their stances.

There was no referee or whistle, but the match had clearly begun.

Still, both men remained perfectly still.

Right.

They were waiting—each daring the other to make the first move.

Su-ho observed Hiro’s posture.

It was tight, without gaps. Anyone could see it was the result of relentless effort.

‘In terms of swordsmanship alone, he’s probably in Japan’s top three.’

But if there’s no opening, you simply make one.

This wasn’t ornamental swordplay—it was a real combat style meant to break enemies.

Which is why Su-ho made the first move.

Just as expected, Hiro’s lips curled faintly the moment Su-ho approached.

Seeing someone step in first—he considered it the move of an inferior fighter.

The moment Su-ho swung at him, Hiro, as if waiting, parried and launched a counterattack.

And in that very moment—

“...!”

Hiro’s eyes widened like saucers.

He had definitely blocked the strike and countered—but somehow, Su-ho’s sword was already at his stomach.

Meanwhile, Hiro’s blade hadn’t even reached Su-ho yet.

Seeing Hiro’s wide eyes and stunned expression, Su-ho lowered his sword and spoke.

“Thank you for the match.”

“......”

At those words, Hiro also slowly lowered his sword.

Then he let out a low laugh and said,

“Haha... you’re truly formidable. Honestly, I couldn’t even react.”

“It was just luck.”

“Haha! Come now, don’t ruin it with excessive humility. You’re clearly more skilled than I am. If you’re this good in a simple spar, I can’t even imagine how fearsome you must be on a real battlefield.”

“Then... will you trust me now?”

“Of course. So, about that—would it be alright if I asked for a few more sparring rounds?”

“As many as you’d like.”

At that request, Su-ho knew—Hiro was completely taken with him.

So he kept sparring until Hiro was satisfied.

‘In my previous life, Hiro would've been thrilled beyond belief.’

Hiro had been a huge fan of Su-ho.

He had reached out several times wanting to cross swords, but due to scheduling, they’d only sparred two or three times at most.

Yet Hiro had been ecstatic even with that, always expressing sincere gratitude.

How much time passed, who could say?

But as expected, Hiro never landed a single clean hit on Su-ho.

And for good reason—someone like Hiro would immediately notice if Su-ho held back in a spar.

So Su-ho simply crushed him with raw skill.

And that was fine.

Hiro wasn’t someone who got upset over things like that.

‘If anything, he’s probably thrilled to have found a wall to surpass.’

Eventually, drenched in sweat, Hiro collapsed to the floor with a big smile.

“That was a fantastic instructional spar.”

“Not at # Nоvеlight # all. It was a friendly exchange, not an instruction.”

“With a gap like this, it was clearly instructional. I’ve learned something—that makes it a lesson.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

“I always speak from the heart. And on that note, I’m looking forward to the Inagawa matter as well. I’ll let Gokon know, so if you need help while proceeding, don’t hesitate to contact him.”

“Understood.”

“So, when do you plan to begin the operation?”

To that, Su-ho replied,

“I plan to start as soon as I leave here.”

“Immediately, huh...”

At that, Hiro stood up, made a quick call, then said,

“In that case, how about I at least give you a brief explanation before you go?”

“Explanation?”

“Yes—regarding Inagawa’s organizational structure and business locations.”

At his show of goodwill, Su-ho smiled.

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