Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 316

A few days later, the Purification and Reunification Operation finally began.

Broadcast stations and countless online media outlets were flooded with coverage of the campaign, and people across the globe—domestically and abroad—focused intently on Korea’s northward push.

It was a spectacular sight.

The advancing Hunters looked like ancient generals marching to unify the nation.

There were presidential speeches, congratulatory messages from celebrities, and even celebratory performances by singers.

But amid it all, the one who drew the most attention—naturally—was Su-ho.

Viewers kept scanning the broadcast screens, searching for any sign of him.

“Where’s the Sword God?”

“Where’s Ahn Su-ho?”

“Where is he?!”

But Su-ho was nowhere to be seen.

Only the prominent Hunter Players representing each guild and coalition appeared on screen.

And rightly so—because at that very moment, Su-ho was already deep in North Korea.

[ You have defeated the Chainwarden of Suppression. ]

[ The Gate has been cleared. ]

[ MVP of the Gate Clear: ‘Ahn Su-ho’ ]

[ MVP bonus: Additional EXP awarded. ]

[ MVP bonus: 1 bonus stat granted. ]

“Hmph.”

While the ceremony of northern advance was in full swing, Su-ho had infiltrated Pyongyang alone and was sweeping through the Iron Horse Gates.

He narrowed his eyes as the notifications popped up before him.

‘Now that I’ve hit level 200, even clearing a 1-star Gate doesn’t raise my level.’

Once you enter the 200s, clearing 100-level Gates no longer guarantees a level-up.

A regrettable shift.

He’d been grinding those Gates efficiently for steady level gains until now.

Still, he had to clear the Iron Horse Gates.

Even if it didn’t yield levels, he needed to see the hidden options on the Sealed Iron Horse.

Su-ho checked the time and thought,

‘They should be breaching North Korea about now.’

He’d spent the last few days grinding through his workload to ensure nothing required his attention during the operation.

Tasks were well delegated. The system was already running smoothly in his absence.

He had also assigned the zones to participating guilds.

For reference, only three guilds—Hexagon, Prime, and Nexus—participated solo. The remaining mid-tier guilds had formed temporary coalitions based on regional names.

Gyeonggi, Incheon, Gangwon, Jeolla, Chungcheong, Daegu, and Busan—seven in total.

Dividing the coalitions by region had been Su-ho’s idea.

It made things easier to manage and would simplify settlement procedures once the operation concluded.

‘All that’s left is for me to do my part.’

While the guilds pushed north, he’d strike key Gate targets in advance—primary strongholds meant to support the Yalu River Gate.

‘Gaeseong and Mount Kumgang are done. Now I just need to hit Pyongyang, Sinuiju, Hamheung, Rason, and Baekdu Mountain.’

Among those, Su-ho had chosen to start with Pyongyang.

Because Pyongyang held the single most important element tied to the Yalu River Gate.

Having just broken the Chains of the Iron Horse, Su-ho headed straight for the next one.

*

[ You have defeated the Chainwarden of Suppression. ]

[ The Gate has been cleared. ]

[ MVP of the Gate Clear: ‘Ahn Su-ho’ ]

[ MVP bonus: Additional EXP awarded. ]

[ MVP bonus: 1 bonus stat granted. ]

[ Level up achieved. ]

[ All stats increased by 1. ]

[ 1 bonus stat acquired. ]

Another Gate cleared.

Su-ho had once again shattered the Iron Horse’s chains and finally straightened his back.

“Status window.”

[ Ahn Su-ho ]

Level: 205

Class: Rage Crusader

Traits▲: <New Blood>, <Candidate of Heracles>, <King of Ruin>, <Sealed Power of the Moon>, <Power of the Sun>

Strength (B): 4

Mana (B): 8

Perception (G): 40

Leadership (N): 24

Bonus Stat Points: 6

He had cleared every subway station in Pyongyang.

The result? Three levels and a handful of chain fragments.

Shaking his head at the awful efficiency, Su-ho sighed.

‘If it weren’t for the Iron Horse, I’d never have bothered with this place again.’

But what could he do?

He’d started it. He had to finish it.

Having unsealed the Iron Horse and collected its chain fragments, Su-ho finally stepped outside.

He didn’t forget to assign his stat points.

Every single bonus stat went into mana.

Then he looked far off into the distance—at a solitary, towering spire.

A tower as grand as the one in Jamsil: the Juche Tower.

A monument to North Korea’s Juche ideology.

You couldn’t see it from here, but beneath it were the famous statues once idolized by the regime.

‘Though I’m sure they’re all rubble by now.’

Gazing at the Juche Tower, Su-ho shifted his focus elsewhere.

One of the sites he’d originally targeted in Pyongyang—no longer worth his time.

The reason? Level efficiency.

‘If it had been a 1-star dungeon, I might’ve hit it.’

The Juche Tower, like the Challenge Tower from before, was a multi-floor Gate where each level granted solid EXP. If you cleared it efficiently, it was a great place to farm levels.

But not anymore.

If he were still in the 100s, maybe. But now, it would just be a waste of time.

Same with other sites.

Kim Il-sung Square, the Juche Tower, and the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun—none were worth hitting anymore.

The subway stations were the only exceptions.

Those were necessary to awaken the Sealed Iron Horse.

‘So now, there’s only one place in Pyongyang worth targeting.’

Su-ho unfolded his map and marked the location.

Then, with Bulgasari in tow, he set out.

“Let’s go, Bulgasari.”

“Bul-bul!”

Bulgasari bounded forward.

Their destination? The heart of North Korea—the Central Committee Headquarters of the Workers’ Party of Korea. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

‘Codename: Building No. 1. That’s what they used to call it.’

This building once housed the office of Chairman Kim Jong-un. Just a bit further was his private residence.

But now, the place looked drastically different from the version once shown on media.

And of course it did.

After the Cataclysm, the HQ was fortified into a citadel to protect against monsters and rebellious Awakened.

And it wasn’t just the HQ.

All of Pyongyang had changed.

Even as North Korea’s capital, the Workers’ Party didn’t have the resources to protect the entire city during the Cataclysm.

So Chairman Kim concentrated all key facilities around the HQ, turning it into a massive fortress.

Ironically, those actions led them straight to ruin.

Because the fortress, built to keep intruders out, ended up spawning multiple Gates within—turning it into a prison no one could escape.

Su-ho recalled the day the advancing Hunters first breached the gates of Building No. 1.

He had been there too.

After all, it was the epicenter of Pyongyang.

Su-ho now stood before the entrance.

The front resembled a medieval European castle—deep trenches, wide gate. A drawbridge connected the path only when deployed from within.

‘No wonder no one could approach from outside.’

At the time, everyone believed it to be an impenetrable iron wall.

But who would’ve guessed?

That fortress built to protect them would become their cage.

Standing atop Bulgasari, Su-ho summoned Guiyeong Spear.

Then hurled it at full strength toward the fortress’s upper wall.

[ Spear Throw activated. ]

Shaaah!

Guiyeong Spear shot forth, piercing the air.

And then—

[ Shadow Movement activated. ]

Su-ho’s body warped to the top of the headquarters.

From there, he saw it all:

The inside of the Workers’ Party Central Committee Headquarters—now a living hell.

Tak.

Su-ho landed at the fortress’s summit, a gasp escaping him involuntarily.

The place once called “Building No. 1” or “the HQ” was now known among Hunters by another name.

Logan Hell.

A portmanteau of Mugan Hell (Endless Hell) and Ro, from the Joseon Rodongdang (Workers’ Party).

A fitting name.

Because Logan Hell truly was endless torment.

Su-ho watched the People’s Army patrolling within—

No, monsters wearing the skins of the People’s Army.

‘And that’s exactly why this place got its “Hell” name.’

They weren’t soldiers.

They were skeletons rotting inside tattered uniforms—grotesque corpses posing as men.

The dominant monsters in Logan Hell were none other than Skeletons.

Su-ho’s gaze swept down the palace road stretching through the center like a European boulevard.

The interior of Logan Hell resembled a small fortified city.

Major facilities lined the main road, and at its far end stood the headquarters building—and beyond it, Chairman Kim’s mansion.

And in that very place stood the Gate that had started it all.

A massive portal—the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) root of the entire nightmare.

Su-ho narrowed his eyes at the Logan Hell Gate.

‘Still not a mega-Gate yet.’

Back when the offensive into North Korea began, most top-tier Hunters were just hitting level 200.

At that time, the Logan Hell Gate had ballooned into a near 3-star mega portal.

But this time, Su-ho had moved in far earlier—and the portal’s size indicated a 2-star grade.

Good.

Had it been 3-star, even he might’ve struggled.

Su-ho exhaled lightly, then activated Blessing.

[ Blessing activated. ]

His Strength stat doubled, erupting with power.

Then Su-ho summoned Guiyeong Spear again—and hurled it toward the lone floating Logan Hell Gate.

[ Spear Throw activated. ]

Shaaaa!

The spear tore through the air.

Skeletons across Logan Hell turned at once to its trajectory.

But Su-ho ignored them.

As Guiyeong Spear reached the apex of its arc, he used Shadow Movement again.

Of course, one throw wasn’t enough.

He summoned Guiyeong Spear again, hurled it, then used another leap.

And finally, Su-ho reached the Gate.

The moment he touched the portal:

[ Entering Gate. ]

[ Loading Gate Info... ]

[ Lords of the Throne of Greed ]

Entry Requirement: Level 200+

Max Entry: 300 participants

Simple conditions.

But a staggering entry cap.

Proof of just how brutal Logan Hell truly was.

Yet Su-ho didn’t flinch.

He stepped forward without hesitation.

[ Entering “Lords of the Throne of Greed.” ]

System alert.

And in the next instant, Su-ho’s figure blinked out of existence.