Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 336

“White Tiger?”

It wasn’t a mistake.

The creature with snow-white fur and sapphire-colored eyes was indeed the White Tiger Su-ho knew of.

“Wow. I’m really seeing a White Tiger in my lifetime.”

He had been through countless Gates.

No, in the entire history of the Cataclysm, there probably wasn’t another Player who had explored as many—and as varied—Gates as Su-ho.

And yet, astonishingly, he had never once encountered a White Tiger.

Not just the White Tiger.

Su-ho had never seen any of the Four Divine Beasts, often called Guardian Deities.

That’s why he looked at the creature’s name tag with anticipation.

— Cheonjibeom (Tiger of Heaven and Earth), Lv.245

“...Hm?”

Su-ho tilted his head.

Cheonjibeom?

Not White Tiger?

Could it just be a lookalike?

But by all appearances, anyone would say that was the White Tiger.

Still, it seemed the system wouldn’t lie.

With a sinking suspicion, Su-ho checked the other creature’s name tag.

— Cheonjisa (Snake of Heaven and Earth), Lv.245

Same deal.

Cheonjisa.

It didn’t say Azure Dragon, but it certainly resembled a mystical eastern dragon—and in Su-ho’s past life, it had been the boss of the Baekdu Gate and the Lord of Cheonji.

“So they’re not actually the Four Divine Beasts after all.”

Makes sense.

It wasn’t even the Cataclysm’s midpoint yet. It’d be far too early to be encountering a being like a Guardian Deity.

Just then—

[ A quest has been generated. ]

[ Cheonji Duel to the Death ]

For ages, two spirit beasts have been mortal enemies atop Mount Cheonji.

Each seeks to kill the other, absorb their power, and become the true Lord of Cheonji.

Choose one to support and help them claim dominion over Mount Cheonji.

A quest had appeared.

Its name: Cheonji Duel to the Death.

Reading through the objective, Su-ho nodded slightly.

“So I just have to side with one of them.”

It didn’t ask him to kill either directly.

Just pick one and help them win.

That was a key detail.

Failing to fulfill the stated conditions might result in partial achievement recognition—like what happened during Hercules’s second trial.

— Kyaoooooo!!

— Kyaaaaaaah!!

BOOM!!

As the quest appeared, Cheonjibeom and Cheonjisa clashed violently.

The impact unleashed a massive shockwave that tore through the earth and air.

Of course, Su-ho took no damage.

His level was over 220.

And theirs? Level 245.

Even accounting for them being boss monsters, Su-ho’s stats easily outclassed both Cheonjibeom and Cheonjisa.

So the only real question now was—which one would Su-ho help?

He narrowed his brow and immediately started calculating.

He disliked arbitrary choices.

After all, a butterfly’s wings could cause a hurricane.

His seemingly minor choice could trigger massive changes.

So he reflected on the past and gradually reached a conclusion.

“Let’s keep it simple.”

THUD.

Su-ho stomped the ground.

[ Blessing activates. ]

[ Holy Enchant activates. ]

[ Mana Perception activates. ]

[ Endurance activates. ]

[ Enhancement activates. ]

[ Eye of the Blacksmith activates. ]

He cast all his buffs in one sweep.

Then repositioned himself.

He moved to higher ground, where he could overlook the battlefield.

Once there, he used another skill.

[ Disguise activates. ]

His chosen form: a large tree.

Given the surroundings, it wouldn’t look out of place even from afar.

Having finished preparations, Su-ho summoned and hurled the Guiyeong Spear.

[ Guiyeong Spear activates. ]

[ Spear Throw activates. ]

FSSSH—CRACK!!

[ Shadow Pierce activates. ]

[ Shadow Shackles activates. ]

[ Shadow Bleed activates. ]

The spear struck Cheonjisa square in the head.

“Kyaooooooo!!”

Cheonjisa howled in pain.

The moment the spear hit, Su-ho immediately canceled it, erasing all trace of its origin.

Enraged, Cheonjisa began searching the surroundings.

But there was nothing to find.

Su-ho had only sniped ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) from a distance using Spear Throw.

“Can’t risk being discovered.”

The quest objective wasn’t to kill, but to provide support fire.

As Cheonjibeom charged Cheonjisa again, Su-ho seized the opportunity and hurled another spear.

[ Guiyeong Spear activates. ]

[ Spear Throw activates. ]

FSSSH—CRACK!!

[ Shadow Pierce activates. ]

[ Shadow Shackles activates. ]

[ Shadow Bleed activates. ]

“Kyaooooooo!!”

Another shriek.

It was starting to feel like one of those old tales, where a kind-hearted scholar slays a serpent in return for a magpie’s favor.

“Nice and clean.”

Su-ho didn’t stop there. He even summoned and hurled a Blood Spear or two, recalling them upon impact to avoid detection.

Eventually, the message he’d been waiting for arrived.

[ You have defeated Cheonjisa. ]

Cheonjisa was dead.

Much easier than expected.

Naturally so.

As far as bosses went, it wasn’t particularly tough. The level gap wasn’t massive either.

Among the various reasons Su-ho had chosen to kill Cheonjisa, one stood out most:

Crappy loot.

In his past life, Cheonjisa had ruled the Baekdu Gate and looked every bit like a dragon.

But when Su-ho finally defeated it?

It dropped practically nothing.

That’s why he went with Cheonjisa this time.

“No point repeating a future I already know leads to disappointment. Better to bet on a new one.”

At that moment—

“Kyaoooooo!!”

Cheonjibeom let out a mighty roar.

Then, radiant light burst forth from its body. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

[ Cheonjisa has died. ]

[ The only spirit beast remaining on Mount Cheonji is Cheonjibeom. ]

[ Mount Cheonji’s power is being absorbed by Cheonjibeom. ]

As the notifications rolled in, Cheonjibeom’s form began to change.

It grew larger, more divine—and its level rose even higher.

Then, just after its transformation—

WHOOSH—

Cheonjibeom turned its head.

It was looking directly at Su-ho.

Had he been found out?

Before he could fully process it, Cheonjibeom soared through the air and landed with a THUD right in front of him.

“...”

Su-ho remained disguised as a tree.

No good would come from being exposed.

But now that it was up close, it really did look even more like the White Tiger.

Cheonjibeom, eyes glowing blue, sniffed and examined the “tree.”

Then, after a step back, it spoke.

— “Why don’t you show yourself now, hmm?”

A polite question.

Su-ho hesitated briefly, then canceled his disguise.

“Haha, guess I’ve been caught.”

— “Who are you? Why did you attack Cheonjisa? Do you not understand how sacred our duel was?”

Cheonjibeom’s voice matched its appearance—deep and resonant.

But there was a trace of anger in it.

As he said, he viewed Su-ho’s interference as a desecration of a holy battle.

Su-ho paused, then slowly replied.

“I’m a hunter hired by the villages around Mount Cheonji.”

— “A hunter?”

“Yes. The people have lived in constant fear because of your endless fighting. So they hired me to end it once and for all.”

— “How dare a mere human...”

“How dare I?”

— “What?”

“You're now the Lord of Mount Cheonji. That means it's your responsibility to care for those who live in your domain. Calling them ‘mere’ is beneath you.”

— “...”

Cheonjibeom fell silent.

Because Su-ho wasn’t wrong.

The tiger ultimately acknowledged his misstep.

— “Very well. I apologize. That was my mistake. But was that truly why you intervened in our battle?”

“Yes. You’ve fought long enough.”

— “That may be so, but...”

Cheonjibeom narrowed its eyes.

Then asked,

— “But why did you choose Cheonjisa? You could have attacked me instead.”

“Because it's a snake.”

— “What?”

“Most snakes are cruel and treacherous. Sure, maybe Cheonjisa wasn’t. But humans know snakes as sneaky and evil. Tigers, on the other hand—are noble, courageous, and just. Maybe you're different. But based on what we know, we chose you. Because the tigers we know are wise and righteous.”

A classic face-saving technique.

When flattered like this, most won’t contradict it—especially in front of others.

Just as expected—

— “Courage... Wisdom...”

Cheonjibeom was already mumbling those words under its breath.

Su-ho met its eyes.

“So, which are you? Are you the same as Cheonjisa? Did we choose wrong?”

— “No. Absolutely not. You chose correctly. Cheonjisa was wicked, cowardly, and deceitful. I, by contrast, am brave, just, and upright.”

“I see. Then that settles it. Congratulations on becoming the new Lord of Mount Cheonji.”

— “The new Lord... of Mount Cheonji!”

The new Lord.

He’d forgotten for a moment.

But yes.

He was the new Lord now.

The realization filled Cheonjibeom with pride, and it let out a mighty roar that shook the heavens.

[ Cheonjibeom acknowledges you. ]

[ A true Lord now reigns over Mount Cheonji. ]

[ Quest complete. ]

The quest was complete.

A smile curled at Su-ho’s lips without him realizing.

“Just as I thought.”

The point of this quest was earning recognition from the spirit beast.

So Su-ho had tried coaxing it—just in case.

“Thank goodness it’s so simple-minded.”

Just then—

[ You have acquired the Rune of Life Evolution (S). ]

The quest reward dropped into his hands.

And it was an item he knew.

“Wait, this is...”

Su-ho inspected it.

[ Rune of Life Evolution ]

Many mysterious runes exist in the world. The Rune of Life Evolution is one of them.

It can evolve a living being into a higher-level existence.

Usable only on living organisms.

Cannot be used on beings with too high a tier.

Just as the description said.

There were many types of runes.

Among them was the “Evolution Series,” like this one—capable of raising a creature’s tier.

“Some can even evolve things into beings beyond a single step.”

The fact that such a rune dropped now meant Su-ho’s level had truly passed into the 200s.

“Killing Cheonjisa was definitely the right call.”

In his past life, Cheonjisa never dropped anything like this.

And now? He’d gotten it despite being lower-leveled than he was back then.

It meant his gamble had paid off.

As Su-ho pocketed the rune, Cheonjibeom spoke.

— “Tell the villagers: their wishes have been granted.”

“Understood.”

— “Kyaoooooooooo!!”

With that, Cheonjibeom howled once more, like a wolf, then leapt skyward and vanished into the distance as a faint silhouette above Cheonji.

Only after Cheonjibeom was fully out of sight—

[ The Gate has been cleared. ]

[ MVP of this Gate clear: ‘An Su-ho’. ]

[ Additional EXP awarded for MVP selection. ]

[ Bonus stat +1 granted for MVP selection. ]

[ Your level has increased. ]

[ All stats increased by 1. ]

[ You have gained 1 bonus stat. ]

The Gate was cleared.

Su-ho allocated both bonus stat points to Strength and closed his status window.

“And now at last...”

He had hit every major point in North Korea.

Only two targets remained:

Sinuiju and the Yalu River.

Naturally, the Yalu River came first.

Coming to Baekdu had been intentional.

The Yalu River marked the massive border between North Korea and China—but not completely.

From Baekdu, if you go toward Sinuiju, you reach the Yalu River.

If you go toward Russia, you reach the Tumen River.

But around Baekdu itself, there’s no river.

That’s why Su-ho came here before launching the Yalu campaign.

Before stepping through the portal, Su-ho made a final check—his route, his items.

Once preparations were complete, he stepped through the exit portal.