Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 337

VROOOOM!

The mana bike roared forward.

Its destination: the source of the Yalu River.

Thanks to the combination of maximum output and [Linear Gate], the river soon came into view.

“There it is.”

No people in sight near the Yalu.

No monsters either.

Because of “them”—the ones who now occupied the entire river.

As Su-ho approached the river's edge—

FWSSSHH!

Something flew straight toward him.

He quickly turned his bike, dodging it, and brought the vehicle to a halt.

“It’s begun.”

It wasn’t a stray rock.

It was a spear—razor-sharp and clearly aimed to kill.

Su-ho dismounted and stowed the mana bike in subspace.

The mana bike was /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ a precious resource.

In rugged terrain like this, especially when traveling long distances alone, nothing beat the mana bike.

The moment he stored it, another volley of spears rained down on the same spot.

FWSSSHH!

CRACK! CRACK!

Naturally, none touched Su-ho.

The footwork of a master was different.

With minimal movement, he dodged them all with ease.

A few more rounds came, but the spears never once struck their mark.

That was the trigger.

— Chiiiiik!!

Unable to contain their rage, “they” finally showed themselves.

The ones who had been silently hurling spears from afar were none other than...

Lizardmen.

— Yalu River Lizardman, Lv. 207

Not just any Lizardmen—Yalu River Lizardmen.

That was their name.

Or more accurately, their names.

“Chaja?”

“Chajak?”

“Chajaja?”

More appeared one after another.

Not just a few. A swarm.

They multiplied like ants, and these were the very beings responsible for the calamity between China and North Korea.

“So they were only around level 200 in this era.”

Even so, considering the Cataclysm hadn’t even reached its midpoint yet, their levels were absurdly high.

But their true strength didn’t just come from levels alone.

“Chaja?”

“Chajak?”

“Chajaja?”

More and more of them appeared.

Their real threat came from numbers—insane, overwhelming numbers.

Watching them gather like a seething mass, Su-ho shook his head.

It reminded him of the past.

“Back then, the Lizardmen were over level 300—and there were far more of them.”

But back then, Korea and China had worked together to drive them out.

This time, he had come alone.

If China or any other country got involved again, it would only lead to complications later.

“Let’s start by leveling up a bit.”

Look around.

This wasn’t even a Gate.

And yet, monsters over level 200 roamed in droves.

You’d have to be a fool to pass that up.

Su-ho rolled across the ground, wrapping himself in buffs.

From the [Blood Armory], he donned a full-body [Blood Full Suit] that covered him from head to toe.

Then, sword in hand, he charged into the fray.

“Come at me, you bastards!!”

[ Lion’s Roar activates. ]

The sword dance began.

*

[ Your level has increased. ]

[ All stats increased by 1. ]

[ You have gained 1 bonus stat. ]

“Okay. That’s another one up.”

Who knew how much time had passed?

Su-ho had gained another level and checked his status window.

[ An Su-ho ]

Lv: 228

Class: Rage Crusader

Traits▲: <New Blood> <Hercules Candidate> <King of Fallen Nations> <Sealed Power of the Moon> <Power of the Sun> <Power of the Moon>

Strength (B): 51

Mana (B): 63

Perception (G): 63

Leadership (N): 47

Bonus Stats: 1

Level 228. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

A truly overwhelming leveling speed.

What was even better? There were still plenty of Lizardmen left.

“This is a gold mine. No doubt about it.”

In his past life, they were disgusting as non-lootable trash.

Now that he could steamroll them, they looked like walking bags of gold.

“Two more levels, then it’s on to the next step.”

Su-ho charged again.

And again, he slaughtered them.

Until—

[ Your level has increased. ]

[ All stats increased by 1. ]

[ You have gained 1 bonus stat. ]

He reached Level 230.

After allocating the bonus stat to Strength, Su-ho glanced around.

— Yalu River Lizardman, Lv. 209

— Yalu River Lizardman, Lv. 210

— Yalu River Lizardman, Lv. 208

— Yalu River Lizardman, Lv. 209

...

Still swarming.

But one thing was clear:

None of them exceeded level 210.

There’s an unspoken rule between monsters and Players—

If there’s a 20-level gap, most skills land reliably.

Sure, stats and other factors influence this, but as a rule of thumb, 20 levels is the safe margin.

“Not that I aimed for 230 just for that.”

He genuinely wanted to level up.

Opportunities like this didn’t come often.

“Chajajaja!!”

Unrelenting, the Lizardmen charged again.

At some point, they stopped throwing spears and started attacking directly.

That was just their nature—as bipedal warrior-types.

At that moment, Su-ho unleashed a wide-area charm.

[ Enthrallment activates. ]

The skill rippled out like a wave.

All the Lizardmen caught in it—every single one—ended up with heart symbols in their eyes, completely enthralled.

Su-ho recalled the skill’s info.

[ Enthrallment ]

Rank: S+

Applies an enthrallment effect to all targets, instilling powerful intimacy and loyalty.

Can be dispelled or resisted by strong willpower or mental immunity.

Can be maintained indefinitely as long as mana is supplied.

Upon expiration, the caster may choose to erase or preserve the enthrallment memories.

Unlike charm, enthrallment applies to all targets.

And it didn’t just generate affection—it instilled loyalty and deep emotional bonds.

That was the key to the Yalu operation.

Su-ho immediately activated [Disguise].

His new appearance? A Lizardman.

Thus, he became the centurion of roughly one hundred enthralled Lizardmen.

“Let’s go.”

“Chajak!”

Under Su-ho’s command, the group of a hundred moved as one down the Yalu River.

“Nice.”

Controlling a hundred monsters over level 200 and maintaining the effect was no easy feat.

Not just mana cost—high charisma was required too.

But for Su-ho, it was nothing.

His mana far exceeded the range of a typical 200s Player, and his mental fortitude and charisma were sufficient to wipe out hundreds of Lizardmen alone.

Even if the number grew, it wouldn’t matter.

But he had no intention of adding more.

“Chajak?”

“Chaja?”

As Su-ho’s troop began moving, nearby Lizardmen turned their heads.

But that was it.

The Yalu River was vast. And long.

Tens of thousands of Lizardmen lived here.

To them, a hundred moving together was no big deal.

That’s exactly what Su-ho had counted on.

He was planning to march straight to the Yalu River Gate.

Because to eliminate the Yalu River Lizardmen, he needed to destroy the portal spawning them.

This type of portal was called a Summoning Gate.

Unlike other gates, they didn’t allow entry—they simply kept spawning monsters.

They appeared only in specific regions.

And here, that region was the Yalu River.

Incredibly, in this era, humanity had yet to properly identify summoning-type gates.

“Still early Cataclysm.”

Even 200-level Players were rare.

Many nations had already fallen to various gates, but because they looked so similar, data classification was a mess.

Su-ho, however, knew everything.

Because he came from the final stage of the Cataclysm.

“And I know exactly where that summoning portal is.”

He continued downriver toward Sinuiju.

Eventually, Su-ho stepped up onto the water using [Cheongryubo].

Then he grabbed a subordinate’s trident—and hurled it.

[ Spear Throw activates. ]

Fueled by the skill, the trident soared across the distance—

CRACK!

—hitting precisely where Su-ho aimed.

“...”

The one struck stood up silently from a stone couch.

With a massive hand, he yanked the trident from his shoulder and turned around.

“Chrrrk?”

The target Su-ho hit was none other than a massive Lizardman.

He checked the name tag.

— Yalu River Minor Commander Lizardman, Lv. 225

Good grief.

Even the name was long.

Yalu River Minor Commander Lizardman.

Su-ho decided to call him Subcommander.

He had hit the Subcommander on purpose.

This wasn’t just hunting.

A subordinate Lizardman throwing a spear at a commander was a challenge.

Su-ho picked up another trident and aimed it again.

“Chch.”

A clear provocation.

Of course, he didn’t understand Lizardman speech.

But who cares?

Back in the day, people got by in foreign countries using nothing but gestures.

Lizardmen weren’t much different.

And sure enough—

“Chachachachacha!!”

The Subcommander cackled loudly in response.

So did the rest of the Lizardmen.

After all, this was his territory.

Everyone here was under his command.

Everyone—except Su-ho and his forces.

After laughing loudly, the Subcommander leapt from his stone couch.

SPLASH!!

As he hit the water, a massive wave surged outward.

Su-ho remained poised atop the river, standing on [Cheongryubo].

Then the Subcommander began shouting something.

“Chrrrk! Chchch, Chchja! Chrrrk, Chchch!”

What was he saying?

No clue.

But it probably meant something like: “You dare challenge me?”

Instead of replying, Su-ho simply raised another trident—

—then gestured.

“Chuaaaaa!!”

The provocation landed.

The Subcommander, unable to ignore the second challenge, grabbed a much larger, deadlier trident and charged.

Su-ho stood still.

And the moment the Subcommander closed the gap—

SWISH!

Su-ho swung the trident—gripping it like a sword.

SPLAT!!

Colored blood—typical of Lizardmen—sprayed from the Subcommander’s body.

[ You have defeated the Yalu River Minor Commander Lizardman. ]

With that system alert, the Subcommander dropped dead.

Su-ho grabbed the massive trident he had been holding.

It was large. Heavy.

But symbolically powerful.

He raised it and shouted to his Lizardmen:

“Chura!”

“CHURAAAA!!”

Their morale soared.

Su-ho rotated the trident’s head to point at the Subcommander’s former subordinates.

“Chura!”

They began glancing around at one another nervously.

Su-ho didn’t let up.

“CHURA!!”

With mana-enhanced volume, his shout rang out.

Overwhelmed, the Subcommander’s Lizardmen bowed their heads and submitted to Su-ho.

Now victorious, Su-ho raised his arm and pointed forward.

“Chura!”

And moved on.

Now, no longer a hundred—

But hundreds of Lizardmen followed behind him.