Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 364

“Hmm.”

Looking at the eight severed necks, Su-ho couldn’t help but snort.

It was worth a snort.

And the result before his eyes wasn’t all that strange, either.

Yamata no Orochi’s level was 224.

By comparison, Su-ho’s level was 236.

Was it just the higher level?

No.

His stats were far superior as well.

In such a situation, how could Su-ho’s enhanced slash not cut off eight heads at once?

There was no way.

Especially since the enemy had been hit with [Weaken], losing half its strength.

Kraaaaaa!!

Yet even with its heads severed, Yamata no Orochi did not die instantly but lunged at Su-ho.

That was the nature of serpents.

Even when decapitated, for a time they kept enough life to bare their fangs at their attacker.

It was common knowledge when facing serpent-type monsters.

So Su-ho did not let down his guard. He swung his sword again at the eight heads charging like a final desperate strike.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The heads of Yamata no Orochi split in half, becoming sixteen pieces.

Now it was truly finished.

Cut both crosswise and lengthwise—unless it was a planaria, how could it regenerate?

As the eight heads twitched and finally ceased, Su-ho turned his gaze to the body.

Grrrrrr!

Its heads were gone, but it was not dead.

Yamata no Orochi was famous not only for its eight heads but also its eight tails.

Which meant the eight tails, and the massive body binding them together, all had to be severed as well.

In that instant, the headless tails lunged like octopus tentacles toward Su-ho.

Swoosh! Slash! Slash!

He cut down several of the tails.

One tail lunged sharply at him, and he struck it away.

From that tail came an interesting sound.

Kaaang!!

The clang of metal.

Hearing it, Su-ho’s lips curved upward.

“So, there you are.”

The highlight of Yamata no Orochi wasn’t its heads or its body, but its tails.

And that was exactly what Su-ho had come here targeting.

Having found his mark, Su-ho swiftly closed in.

Slash! Slash! Paaah!!

The tails lashed furiously, but none could block Su-ho’s path.

Severed tails dropped limply to the ground, unlike the heads they did not move again.

And then, cutting through the body, Su-ho stood before the tail that had given off the metallic clang.

The monster’s state was miserable.

It had lost its brother-heads and tails, and its body binding them together was pushed to the brink.

The lone remaining tail, without eyes, nose, or mouth, somehow still evoked the image of fear.

Raising his sword, Su-ho spoke.

“You fought hard.”

[ Steel Severance is activated. ]

[ Enhancement is applied. ]

[ The power of Steel Severance is greatly increased. ]

Slash! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

The blade cleaved deeply.

And the final tail was cut cleanly from the base.

Brrr...

It twitched like a salted worm for a while, then went still.

[ You have slain Yamata no Orochi. ]

[ The Gate has been cleared. ]

[ MVP of the Gate clear is ‘An Su-ho’. ]

[ Bonus EXP granted for MVP selection. ]

[ 1 Bonus Stat granted for MVP selection. ]

Yamata no Orochi had been defeated.

His level did not rise.

Because while Yamata no Orochi was two-star grade, the gate itself was only one-star.

A shame, but it was fine.

If he had come here during the mid-Cataclysm, the difficulty would have been incomparable.

'Better to lose a level’s worth of EXP and finish it easily.'

At worst, it was just a single level difference.

Humming, Su-ho approached the tail he had cut last.

Once split open, it would reveal the true reason he had come here.

So he thought—when suddenly:

Crackle!

A burst of blue sparks.

What?

A barrier?

Impossible.

He had never seen such a phenomenon, nor could there be one.

The gate had already been cleared—how?

Even as he thought this, new notifications appeared before his eyes.

[ ■■ takes an interest in Yamata no Orochi. ]

[ ■■ makes a new proposal to ???. ]

■■?

Who was ■■?

??? must be the System.

But with the names blacked out, it was frustrating.

Regardless of Su-ho’s frustration, ■■ and ??? began exchanging between themselves.

And ■■’s proposal was accepted.

[ ??? accepts ■■’s proposal. ]

[ A new quest has been generated. ]

[ Gate information has changed. ]

“What?”

At the unexpected ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ alert, Su-ho muttered aloud.

But the water had already spilled.

A new quest appeared before his eyes.

[ Incomplete Recognition ]

Grade : S

# Reattempt the second labor, which had only received half recognition of the 12 Labors.

# By ■■’s proposal and ???’s approval, the existing Old Legend Gate will be used, and the boss monster Yamata no Orochi will have its data altered to fit the second labor.

# Defeat the altered Yamata no Orochi and receive complete recognition from ■■.

“Ha!”

Reading the quest, Su-ho let out a dry laugh.

So ■■ was Hera?

Realizing the truth, his brow furrowed.

'I must have really gotten on her nerves.'

No wonder.

After all, the Twelve Labors of Heracles began with Hera’s hatred.

And Su-ho’s current identity was ‘candidate Heracles.’

In that sense, it was only natural to incur Hera’s enmity.

'Fine. They say if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. This was a problem I’d face sooner or later. I’ll take it head-on and enjoy it.'

He chose to see it as a good thing.

It was bound to happen anyway.

What difference did it make that it came now?

Rumble rumble rumble!!

Suddenly, the earth shook.

With the quest confirmed, the gate and monster data began to change.

The butchered remains of Yamata no Orochi sank into the ground.

“Hey—!”

In the sudden chaos, he realized he had forgotten something: loot.

He had neglected to collect it.

But it was too late.

The corpse had already sunk, and the gate and monster data were shifting in real time.

The canyon vanished. Jagged rocks rose, forming a rugged rocky gorge.

Su-ho stood firm.

Could it be preparing to attack already?

Just then, from the center of the gorge came a grotesque sound—along with a new presence.

Kraaaaaaaaa!!

With an ear-splitting roar, it appeared.

This time, it was Yamata no Orochi with nine heads.

Its scales gleamed red, its body linking the nine heads far larger than before.

Su-ho narrowed his eyes at the nameplate.

Yamata no Orochi of Crimson Ruin Lv.256

Yamata no Orochi of Crimson Ruin.

That was its new name.

But the name didn’t matter.

The level did.

Utterly maddening.

It was 20 levels higher than Su-ho.

Clearly deliberate.

At that moment—

Kiaaaaaaah!!

Kiaaaaaaah!!

Kiaaaaaaah!!

......

Nine shrieks.

Nine heads made it nine times as loud.

[ Yamata no Orochi of Crimson Ruin uses Boss Monster-grade Fear. ]

[ Dragon Blood is activated. ]

[ Fear nullified by Dragon Blood’s "Dragon Mind" effect. ]

Of course.

As expected, it used Fear.

Su-ho pressed his fingers to his ears, blocking his hearing.

The world fell silent.

“Much better.”

Thud!

With preparations done, Su-ho stomped the ground.

[ Blessing is activated. ]

[ Holy Enchant is activated. ]

[ Mana Perception is activated. ]

[ Endurance is activated. ]

[ Enhancement is activated. ]

[ Eye of the Blacksmith is activated. ]

New buffs surrounded him.

The ones he had dismissed after the first fight—he had to use them again.

Immediately, Su-ho cast [Weaken].

[ Weaken is activated. ]

Fwaaaah!

The skill’s effect burst out, striking the serpent.

But with a 20-level gap, how long it would hold was uncertain.

So the plan: speedrun.

Su-ho charged forward.

Kiaaaaa!!

The leader among the heads howled, and the other eight lunged at him.

Without slowing, Su-ho summoned the Guiyeong Spear and hurled it at the leader’s head.

Swoosh!

The spear tore through the air.

The eight heads swarmed to intercept it.

Did they sense danger instinctively?

No.

This Yamata no Orochi was only a shell—a thrall of Hera.

Meaning it acted under Hera’s counsel.

But the Guiyeong Spear was faster.

Boom!

The eight heads tangled in the air.

The spear broke through and hurtled toward the leader.

Just before impact, Su-ho activated Shadow Step.

[ Shadow Step is activated. ]

Whoosh!!

Su-ho appeared where the spear had been.

Right before him, the leader’s maw gaped wide.

A true contest.

The monster timed its bite to swallow him whole.

But Su-ho had predicted it.

The moment his position swapped with the spear, he swung the sword already in motion.

[ Rage Mode is activated. ]

Fwaaaah!

Orange light erupted. And—

[ Steel Severance is activated. ]

[ Enhancement is applied. ]

[ The power of Steel Severance is greatly increased. ]

Shhhrrk!!

A killing blow.

With his Rage gauge full, Su-ho unleashed it without hesitation.

He swept his blood-red blade in a horizontal arc.

The orange-glowing strike split the monster’s jaws in two.

But then—

Swoooosh!

As if mocking him, the torn mouth sealed back together.

“What the—!”

And the beast swallowed Su-ho whole.

Watching, someone could not hide her laughter.

It was Hera.

She truly wanted Su-ho dead.

She had always lurked, waiting for the chance—and now it had come.

Raising the level by 20 had pushed the System to its limit.

But Hera hadn’t stopped there.

She had also granted several of her blessings.

Among them: absurd regeneration.

And the Hydra’s mythical, lethal poison.

Which meant—the moment he was swallowed, Su-ho would be drenched in venom, suffering a horrific poisoning.

'Now, what will you do?'

Hera’s lips curled upward.

Fwoosh!

Flames erupted.

From Yamata no Orochi’s mouth. And then—

Fwaaaaah!!

Flames gushed from its eyes, nose, and mouth.

“......!!”

Hera’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The torrent of fire forced the serpent’s maw open.

And from within, something that should not have survived—emerging like a monster, no, like a dragon, breathing fire—

was Su-ho.