Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 318

Watching the soldiers rushing toward him, Su-ho narrowed his eyes.

Dorima Royal Army Lv.208

Dorima Royal Army Lv.212

Dorima Royal Army Lv.209

Dorima Royal Army Lv.210

...

An endless number of royal soldiers.

There were a lot of them.

Su-ho stood still in place, waiting until they finished forming up.

There was no tension.

The royal army’s levels barely reached into the 200s.

Sure, sheer numbers could overpower someone, but that only applied to normal human fights. For transcendent-level players like Su-ho, the outcome changed depending on the circumstances.

That’s why Su-ho, unconcerned, looked past the royal army toward his next destination.

The palace was long.

Like the Iron Horse Gate, it stretched in a straight path lined with several massive gates. The one Su-ho had just destroyed to enter was the # Nоvеlight # first of Dorima Royal Palace’s Five Gates—Ilmun.

And beyond the final fifth gate at the far end stood the King of Dorima and the ruler of Tamja.

Su-ho’s goal was to pass through all five gates and reach the final stage.

But knowing everything didn’t mean he planned to cheat.

The Logan Hell Gate had a strict progression order. Only by following that order could one minimize variables.

Do it exactly as in the reports. Only then can I obtain that thing here.

There was something Su-ho absolutely had to acquire here.

So even if he took liberties elsewhere, here in Pyongyang—especially in Logan Hell—he planned to stick to the manual.

Just then, the third quest appeared.

[A quest has been generated.]

[Palace Gate – Open the Second Gate]

Rank: S

Thanks to your actions, the first gate of Dorima Palace, Ilmun, has been opened.

Push forward and destroy the second gate, I-mun, opening the path for all.

The name of the third quest wasn’t anything special.

“Open I-mun.”

That was the name of the third quest.

And just like the report, nothing had changed.

After confirming the quest, Su-ho looked at the growing number of royal guards and knights gathering in front of him.

There were many.

But not enough to be threatening.

Even the strongest among them were only in the 210s.

No matter how many ants gather, they’re still ants.

But ants sticking to you is annoying all the same.

Guess I’ll use that for the first time in a while.

Su-ho made his decision and lightly kicked off the ground with his right foot.

From the floor, a blood-red aura surged upward, enveloping his body in a dark crimson suit.

[Blood Weapon has been activated.]

The crimson suit covering his body was Blood Weapon.

Blood Weapon took whatever form the user desired. As long as one had enough mana, it could regenerate and repair endlessly. And if the caster’s mana was high enough, it could block any attack.

Covered in a Blood Suit from head to toe, Su-ho reached out and grasped a blood sword in his hand.

The soldiers of Dorima, watching this strange transformation, instinctively tensed up. They had never seen anything like it.

Su-ho smiled.

He could sense a strong black aura coming from them.

Laughing at their fear, Su-ho used his Sound Transmission skill.

“None of you gonna come at me?”

S-rank Sound Transmission skill.

It allowed the caster to project their voice into the minds of all beings within a certain range.

Maybe that was why.

Having never experienced telepathy or Sound Transmission before, they reacted as if hearing a demon’s whisper, panicking in every direction.

“K-kill him!!”

“Aaaaahhh!!”

Their shouting was to drown out their fear.

They charged at Su-ho, yelling, and fired arrows without hesitation.

Su-ho admired their courage in attacking despite fear—so he decided to show no mercy.

Su-ho’s sword swung fast.

[Cloud Severance has been activated.]

[Enhancement has been applied.]

[The power of Cloud Severance has been further amplified.]

Slash!

A blood-red arc sliced through the radiant light.

Su-ho’s sword began butchering them all.

*

“M-monster...”

“H-he’s not human...”

Crunch.

He severed the breath of a trembling soldier whose name didn’t matter.

Su-ho let out a long sigh and looked up, pulling back the helmet portion of his Blood Suit.

His slightly damp hair was revealed, and he brushed it back with his now-bare right hand after deactivating the glove.

“Still, for 200-level mobs, they held out pretty well.”

Some were cut down in a single swing of his enhanced Cloud Severance, but others managed to block or endure a few attacks using shields or magic.

Still, that was fine.

If one strike didn’t kill them, he’d use two. If two didn’t work, then three.

It just meant more movement than expected.

Su-ho stared at the fallen soldiers of Ilmun for a moment.

Then a thought struck him.

Maybe... now it might work?

Thinking that, Su-ho pulled a necklace from his inventory and checked its info.

[Sealed Necklace of the Great Blacksmith]

Rank: S

A radiant legacy granted only to the Great Blacksmith’s most beloved heir.

To unlock the first seal, a familiar flame is required.

The first seal has been partially released.

Full release requires mana.

It was the Sealed Necklace of the Great Blacksmith.

He had acquired it along with a hammer, and partially released the first seal using a fragment of the Great Flame.

But due to a lack of mana, full release had failed.

He had tried many things to unlock the necklace.

Green stat mana, Movement Energy Technique—he had even tried combining both. But the necklace refused to unlock, and he had eventually tossed it into his inventory and forgotten about it.

But now, with his mana color changed to blue...

And with a river of blood flowing from the corpses of 200-level soldiers...

Maybe now, he could finally unlock the first seal completely.

Since I have to open the next gate anyway, it doesn’t hurt to try now.

He had already wiped out everything in the Ilmun zone.

In other words, there was no one left to interrupt him.

Su-ho immediately put the necklace on.

In that moment—

Whoosh!

The moment the necklace touched his neck, a massive surge of mana drained away.

“Tch... as expected, this thing’s crazy.”

Still, it was less dizzying than when he had green-colored mana.

As his mana rapidly depleted, Su-ho activated True Blood Drain.

[True Blood Drain has been activated.]

Stretching out both hands, Su-ho used Blood Drain to draw an immense amount of mana from the blood river around him into Blood Prison.

But the moment mana pooled inside Blood Prison, it was sucked into the necklace like water down a drain.

The push and pull continued.

And just when most of the surrounding blood had been drained—

Finally, the necklace reacted.

Piiiiing—

It glowed.

Was it working?

Just as he was getting hopeful—

Thunk!

The mana stored in Blood Prison was depleted.

And with it came a crushing wave of dizziness.

“Damn it!”

Su-ho immediately yanked off the necklace.

Then he dropped to one knee, barely managing to stay upright.

“...Whoa.”

A quiet gasp escaped without him realizing.

To his shock, the necklace hadn’t been fully unlocked.

Su-ho gave a hollow laugh.

“Seriously? Even that wasn’t enough?”

What the hell is this damn necklace made of?

Still, there was hope.

He had seen it glowing at the very end.

Su-ho calmed his breath and stood up again.

So basically, I just need a bit more mana than before?

He had a rough idea now.

Which meant next time, he’d definitely succeed.

Still, it was disappointing.

Judging by its structure, it looks like mana isn’t stored up—it all disappears each time it fails.

So much mana wasted...

Then again, it’s a good thing this costs mana and not money.

Shaking his head, Su-ho refilled Blood Prison with the remaining blood nearby and approached I-mun.

Then he drew his blood sword and swung it at the weak point detected through Eye of the Blacksmith.

[Steel Severance has been activated.]

[Enhancement has been applied.]

[The power of Steel Severance has been further amplified.]

Boom!!

I-mun opened.

And then—

[Quest objective fulfilled.]

[Quest completed.]

[You have leveled up.]

[All stats increased by 1.]

[You have gained 1 bonus stat.]

Su-ho gained another level.

“That’s far enough.”

Just as he entered past the destroyed gate, a voice rang out.

One of the royal soldiers stationed beyond I-mun warned him.

Su-ho narrowed his eyes and read their name tags.

Dorima Elite Guard Lv.215

Dorima Elite Guard Lv.217

Dorima Elite Guard Lv.214

Dorima Elite Guard Lv.219

...

The names had changed.

From Royal Army to Elite Guard.

Their levels were slightly higher too.

Maybe five to ten levels higher than those in the Ilmun zone.

But so what?

Su-ho once again covered his head and hands with the Blood Suit.

Right then, a new quest appeared.

[A quest has been generated.]

[Palace Gate – Open the Third Gate]

Rank: S

Thanks to your actions, the second gate of Dorima Palace, I-mun, has been opened.

Push forward and destroy the third gate, Sam-mun, opening the path for all.

No change.

Same structure.

Which meant he had even less reason to hesitate.

The elite guard captain of the I-mun zone raised his sword and shouted solemnly.

“You shall not pass bey—”

Crack!

A chilling burst of flesh.

The elite guard captain never finished his sentence.

[Throw has been activated.]

[Shadow Pierce has been activated.]

[Shadow Shackles has been activated.]

[Shadow Bleed has been activated.]

Su-ho’s thrown Guiyeong Spear had pierced through his skull.

“What was that?”

Su-ho was still deaf from using Ear Pressure Point.

So he just skipped the speech and killed him.

Then, like he did in the Ilmun zone, he used Sound Transmission to provoke them.

“I’m busy, so come at me all at once.”

“You crazy bastard!!”

The elite guards charged toward Su-ho in unison.

*

[Quest objective fulfilled.]

[Quest completed.]

[You have leveled up.]

[All stats increased by 1.]

[You have gained 1 bonus stat.]

“Whew.”

Another quest completed.

This was the quest for opening Sam-mun.

Su-ho canceled the Blood Suit on his head and hand to wipe away his sweat.

“Status window.”

[An Su-ho]

Level: 210

Class: Rage Crusader

Traits ▲: <New Blood> <Hercules Candidate> <King of Ruin> <Sealed Moon’s Power> <Power of the Sun>

Strength (B): 9

Mana (B): 21

Perception (G): 45

Leadership (N): 29

Bonus Stats: 3

Level 210.

An incredible rate of growth.

Now only the final fifth gate remained.

And the true start of Logan Hell began with the Fifth Gate.

Su-ho invested all 3 bonus stat points into Mana.

Then, confidently, he kicked open the final gate.

Boom!!

There was nothing particularly special about the fifth gate.

No—that’s not true. It was special. But Su-ho’s power was just too overwhelming.

As the gate fell and the final area beyond it was revealed, Su-ho saw him.

The last knight standing to protect the King of Dorima.

Dorima’s King of Knights Lv.235

A whopping level 235.

He pointed his sword at Su-ho.

Su-ho, expressionless, used a skill on him.

[Weaken has been activated.]