Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 334

[Shadow Movement has been activated.]

Vrooooom!

Returning to the Tumen River Station using [Shadow Movement], Su-ho immediately pulled out his mana-powered bike and set off toward his next destination.

He hadn’t obtained any meteor iron.

Instead, he got scolded with, “Why would something like that be in the national treasury?”

After that, it was business as usual.

As he traveled toward his next destination, he cleared every Cheolma Gate that appeared along the way.

Of course, now that his level had surpassed 200, clearing Gates no longer guaranteed a level-up. However—

[You have defeated the Oppressive Chain Warden.]

[The Gate has been cleared.]

[The MVP of the Gate Raid is Player ‘An Su-ho’.]

[Bonus EXP granted for MVP selection.]

[Bonus stat +1 granted for MVP selection.]

[You have obtained Fragment of Obsession (A) from the Oppressive Chain Warden.]

[Your level has increased.]

[All stats have increased by 1.]

[You have gained 1 bonus stat.]

Su-ho’s lips curled upward at the system messages flashing before his eyes.

Because he had leveled up.

At this point, just clearing Gates no longer meant instant level-ups.

But after accumulating enough, it added up.

And the levels gained this way felt even more valuable—earned through real effort.

“Open status window.”

[An Su-ho]

Lv: 222

Class: Rage Crusader

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

Strength (B): 41

Mana (B): 57

Perception (G): 57

Command (N): 41

Bonus Stats: 2

Already at level 222.

Thanks to hunting down Bratva and KGB Players, he had gained quite a few levels.

At this point, no Player could hope to catch up with Su-ho in level anymore.

'I wonder what kind of expression that bastard Alex will make when he hears about me.'

Alex Morgan—the Shield of America, who once played the tank role in the Final Crusade.

That bastard always believed he was the protagonist.

Partly because he was American, but more than that, he believed that as the tank who stood at the frontlines, he was the team’s most important member.

Which is why Su-ho looked forward to seeing his twisted expression all the more.

Thanks to Su-ho’s request, his Player Board profile no longer appeared.

But even if intel was sealed, the rumors about Su-ho would be everywhere.

And Alex would be drowning in inferiority complexes.

VROOOOM!

Su-ho cranked the bike’s output.

He had already cleared all the Cheolma Gates along the way to his final destination—now all that remained was the ride.

Eventually, after a long ride, he arrived at Aoji, located in Kyonghung County, North Hamgyong Province.

More precisely—Aoji Coal Mine.

Su-ho arrived at Aoji and glanced around at the unnervingly bleak surroundings.

'This place... it’s as desolate now as it ever was.'

Technically, the mine had long been renamed to the June 13th Coalfield, but people still called it Aoji Coal Mine.

Partly due to the name’s distinctive ring—but more so because the name “Aoji” had become iconic through media coverage and, more specifically, as the representative political prison camp featured in anti-communist education throughout the 1970s and ‘80s.

'If we’re talking notorious camps, there’s also Cholsan Mine in North Pyongan Province... and the monazite mine is infamous too. But ultimately, the system chose Aoji Coal Mine.'

That’s when it happened.

Thud-thud-thud-thud—

The ground began to tremble.

Su-ho stood still and watched the shaking earth.

Then, something burst forth from the ground.

Bones.

They were bones.

More precisely—Skeletons.

And not just them—

"Rrrrraaaaagh—"

Wailing sounds echoed.

When he looked up, ghosts and banshees were descending upon Su-ho, drawn to the scent of the living.

Yes.

The primary monsters of Aoji were undead.

It couldn’t be helped.

North Korea had more death and sorrow than most places, and this was one of its largest political prison camps.

So naturally, the Gate’s monster theme ended up being undead.

Su-ho clicked his tongue in pity.

"Tch. What else would you expect from Aoji?"

He immediately revved up the bike.

Honestly, part of him wanted to take them all out—but their levels didn’t even reach 200, and more importantly, there was a subway «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» station right next to Aoji Coal Mine.

'Gotta stick to the plan.'

Su-ho headed for Haksong Station, next to the mine.

*

[You have defeated the Oppressive Chain Warden.]

[The Gate has been cleared.]

[The MVP of the Gate Raid is Player ‘An Su-ho’.]

[Bonus EXP granted for MVP selection.]

[Bonus stat +1 granted for MVP selection.]

[You have obtained Fragment of Obsession (A) from the Oppressive Chain Warden.]

He had cleared the Cheolma Gate located at Haksong Station.

Even with the proximity to Aoji Coal Mine, it wasn’t that different.

After allocating his bonus stat into Strength, Su-ho headed directly to Aoji Coal Mine.

"Krrrragh!"

"Raaaaugh!"

The closer he got to the mine, the tighter the undead clung to him.

No time to dismount.

[Blood Armory has been activated.]

[Holy Enchant has been activated.]

Su-ho drew a blood-forged whip from the [Blood Armory] and wrapped it in [Holy Enchant].

Then swung it without hesitation.

Fwish! CRACKK-K-K!

As the whip lashed at high speed, it split the air with explosive gusts.

Once laced with holy power, the undead swarmed like moths to a flame—only to burst like mosquitoes hitting a zapper.

A few swings later—

Su-ho finally arrived at the mine’s entrance and plunged right in.

[You are entering the Gate.] 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

[Loading Gate information.]

[The Abyss of Despair]

– Entry Requirement: Level 200+

– Max Party Size: 4

Seeing the conditions, Su-ho’s eyes gleamed.

'As expected.'

A 2-star Gate.

So very Aoji.

Pyongyang’s Loganhell was notorious—but Aoji Coal Mine, with its wretched history, naturally had higher entry restrictions.

[You are entering the Abyss of Despair.]

System alert.

Su-ho’s figure vanished in a flash.

"Raaaugh—"

The mournful wails of ghosts and banshees echoed where he had stood.

*

As the flicker of teleportation faded, Su-ho’s surroundings came into view.

And the very first thing he made contact with—

Was the ground.

Su-ho was slammed face-first into the floor upon entry.

He rolled for a while before finally coming to a stop.

He hated this kind of thing the most.

2-star Gates sometimes dropped you from the sky, sometimes into water—but he hated the ones that just dumped you onto the floor the most.

Because there was no way to brace.

Just as he was barely regaining his focus—

"Huuhhhh..."

"Rrrrhhgh..."

"Hrrrahhhh..."

Crying voices echoed from somewhere.

Su-ho raised his head and looked toward the sound.

It was as dark as night all around him.

But that was fine.

He had a skill for this.

[Due to the effect of Original Vampire, you are unaffected by darkness debuffs.]

The skill activated, and his vision cleared.

And then, Su-ho could clearly see where he was.

He was underground.

Deep inside a mine.

Of course, this wasn’t actually the Aoji Coal Mine.

The Gate was located at Aoji—but this place was an entirely new environment modeled after it.

Su-ho knew exactly what this was.

He’d read the report in his previous life.

Just then, a quest alert popped up before his eyes.

[You have received a quest.]

[Despair Filling the Abyss]

– Grade: S

One day, fragments of despair invaded the lair of an Imoogi.

The master of the Abyss, tormented by these Thoughtforms, eventually became their host.

Defeat the Despair Thoughtforms and rescue the master of the Abyss.

'There it is.'

Su-ho’s eyes sparkled at the notification.

This Gate was more commonly known as the Aoji Gate than by its official name, Abyss of Despair.

The reason Su-ho had come all this way was to obtain the Imoogi’s Dream.

Naturally, it wouldn’t be easy.

Without meeting certain conditions, you couldn’t obtain the Imoogi’s Dream even if you cleared the Gate.

And unlike other Imoogi Gates, this one required Level 200 and allowed only a small party.

But it didn’t matter.

In fact, Su-ho could only smile.

Because as the quest made clear, the main theme of this place was Thoughtforms.

Thoughtforms were Evil and Dark-type.

And Su-ho was a Crusader with Holy and Light-type attributes.

There was nothing to fear.

Boom!

Su-ho stomped the ground.

A swirl of buff effects erupted around him.

[Blessing has been activated.]

[Holy Enchant has been activated.]

[Mana Perception has been activated.]

[Endurance has been activated.]

[Eye of the Blacksmith has been activated.]

That was all the prep he needed.

According to the old report, the monsters here were mainly skeletons and ghosts—just like outside the Gate.

And the Imoogi corrupted by Thoughtforms was at the very bottom.

Reaching it would require considerable effort.

Not because the monsters were strong—but because the mine was so narrow and rugged that only one person could fit through at a time.

'If I were an ordinary person, that is.'

Which is why Su-ho had prepared a method in advance.

He spoke.

"Bulgasari."

"Bulbul!"

Bulgasari burst forth at his call.

"We’re going to the bottom. Ignore any attackers and just keep digging. I’ll handle the ones that get in the way."

"Bulbul!"

"Good. Enlarge."

"BUUL!"

At Su-ho’s command, Bulgasari grew in size.

It became as massive as an excavator and immediately started digging down.

KRKRKRKRK!!

As Bulgasari tore into the earth, the ground shook like an earthquake.

Monsters began to swarm toward the source of the tremor.

Su-ho leapt onto Bulgasari’s back as it dug.

At the same time, he began swinging his sword.

[Cloud Severance has been activated.]

A wide arc of blade swept through the monsters.

Each strike was a one-hit kill.

None of the monsters in the Abyss could stop them.

As a result, Su-ho reached the final chamber almost as quickly as he would have in a Cheolma Gate.

[You have entered the Boss Room.]

[The Boss Monster appears.]

Brief notifications. Then—

RMMMMMMMMMMMMBLE!!

At last, it revealed itself.

The true master of the Abyss—deep beneath Aoji Coal Mine—devoured by Thoughtforms.

It was definitely an Imoogi.

But the creature before him wasn’t a noble dragon-to-be.

It looked more like a thousand-year-old centipede, slithering through the earth’s depths.

A grotesque number of legs sprouted from its sides. Its flesh was clammy and foul.

And above all—a hideous, unrecognizable head that didn’t resemble a dragon at all.

Su-ho checked its nameplate.

– Corrupted Imoogi Lv.230

Corrupted Imoogi.

That was its name.

And the moment he confirmed it—its attack began.