Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant - Chapter 46

Chapter 46

“…What? Who? Phantom Thief?”

– Yes, that’s correct, Senior.

Korean Hunter Association’s Special Unit.

Upon receiving Suho’s call, Pi Seongyeol furrowed his brow in astonishment.

– If you check the wanted list, you’ll find one under ‘Phantom Thief.’ They target only electronic wallets.

Following Suho’s explanation, Pi Seongyeol gestured to his subordinate, who promptly pulled up the Phantom Thief’s profile on his pad and handed it to Pi Seongyeol.

Pi Seongyeol silently reviewed the information on the Phantom Thief.

After reading it, he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

“There it is—the Phantom Thief. At first, we thought they were just hackers targeting electronic wallets, but since a large amount of magic was detected in the wallets they damaged, they were reclassified as villains, not ordinary criminals.”

– Yes, that’s correct.

“So, where are those guys now?”

– I took care of them all. I’m holding them separately. Naturally, I’ve prepared all the evidence, and while we don’t have all the stolen electronic funds, I’ve seized everything they had.

“What? Already?”

– Yes, Senior. I took care of things in advance, so all you have to do is lock them up.

Pi Seongyeol furrowed his brow again at Suho’s words.

It was a genuine furrow, one that also held a hint of admiration.

With a voice full of the distinct gruffness of an older man, Pi Seongyeol said,

“Wow… Junior, you’re really something else. I haven’t even briefed you on the job, but you already handled it as if you knew my style.”

– Haha, you’re too kind.

“Too kind? Some things can’t be taught. You’ve got a natural knack for handling things. Where are you now? I’ll send backup right away.”

– Thank you. The location is…

Suho provided the address and ended the call.

Then, he entered the basement where the Phantom Thief members had been staying.

Inside, he found Seo Giwon beating the so-called ‘boss’ and the other members, now referred to as the ‘Phantom Thieves.’

“Haa! Sorry! I’m sorry!”

“Please! Please! We were wrong!”

“Aaargh!”

Suho watched the scene with satisfaction.

What he had proposed to Seo Giwon back at the soup restaurant had come to fruition.

That proposal was for Seo Giwon to personally punish those who had wronged him.

And it was a punishment that involved physical justice.

There were many reasons why he suggested this, but the main one was to help Seo Giwon overcome any trauma that might still linger in his heart.

‘According to his autobiography, Seo Giwon suffered greatly from his past memories, even after disappearing.’

So, Suho had made the suggestion on purpose.

If Seo Giwon personally punished them in this way, it would provide him with various forms of mental relief.

‘If it’s not enough, I can always support him.’

He felt reassured.

After all, Suho had the Ring of Emotions.

At that moment, Seo Giwon, noticing Suho’s presence, wiped his sweat and bowed with a bright smile.

“Hyungnim, you’re here?”

“Yeah. Did you beat them a lot?”

“Yes, as always, just enough for them to survive.”

“Well done.”

Seo Giwon, looking refreshed, replied.

Seeing his satisfied expression, Suho once again marveled at how amazing the Ring of Emotions was.

Without it, Seo Giwon would likely struggle to even look at these guys, let alone punish them.

Suho began to heal the bloodied, writhing thieves, saying,

“The Special Unit will be sending people over soon, so let’s wrap this up.”

“Yes, then I’ll give it my all until the end.”

“Good mindset.”

At that moment, the members, overhearing the conversation, began pleading.

“Gi, Giwon, please! Please spare us! Huh?”

“Please! We’re begging you!”

“We’re so sorry!”

But Seo Giwon was resolute.

“Shut up.”

He picked up the club and began beating them again.

Watching him, Suho wore a satisfied smile.

Then, he started reviewing the various documents he had prepared in advance.

They were handwritten confessions from the thieves, detailing everything from their motives for committing these crimes to how they had kidnapped and imprisoned Seo Giwon, and how they had used him to carry out their crimes.

‘These documents should be enough.’

Seo Giwon was indeed an exceptional person, but Suho had no intention of hiding his existence from Pi Seongyeol.

After all, only Suho knew Seo Giwon’s true value at this moment.

‘Besides, hiding him would just raise more suspicion.’

So Suho planned to present Seo Giwon as a pitiful victim and divert Pi Seongyeol’s interest elsewhere.

He felt confident.

From what Suho knew, Pi Seongyeol wasn’t someone who took a liking to anyone unless their usefulness was proven.

After quite some time of healing and disciplining the four men, the Special Unit agents finally arrived in front of the villa.

But then—

“Well… Junior, you’ve been struggling all alone here?”

To Suho’s surprise, Pi Seongyeol himself appeared at the scene.

Seeing Pi Seongyeol, Suho quickly greeted him.

“Senior, you’re here? But with how busy you are, why would you personally…”

He was genuinely surprised.

He hadn’t expected Pi Seongyeol to come in person.

In response, Pi Seongyeol chuckled and said,

“Haha, consider it a surprise. We’re special comrades, aren’t we?”

Haha, special comrades, my foot.

But it was unexpected.

He didn’t think the busy Pi Seongyeol would come in person.

However, his direct appearance signified the level of affection and interest he held for Suho.

Looking at the thieves trembling on the floor, Pi Seongyeol asked,

“These guys… they’re the Phantom Thieves?”

“Yes, they are.”

“I see. But… why do they look like that?”

It was exactly as he said.

Although the timing was right after healing, the bloodstains on their clothes remained since the Light of Healing couldn’t remove those.

Yet, Suho replied confidently without any hesitation.

“There was some resistance during the apprehension.”

“Really?”

Pi Seongyeol glanced back at the thieves.

“But I don’t see any injuries.”

“I thought it best to treat them all, just in case.”

“What? Hahaha!”

Pi Seongyeol burst out laughing, tears even forming at the corners of his eyes.

He wiped them away as he spoke.

“Ah, this is hilarious. Junior, I never expected it, but your style is bold!”

“I apologize; I shouldn’t have, but since it was my first time on the field…”

“No, no. Do I look like I’m scolding you? It’s a compliment, a compliment. Since you haven’t been in the field, you probably don’t know, but…”

He trailed off, moving closer to Suho and lowering his voice.

“With normal criminals, it’s different, but with villains, as long as you don’t kill them, it’s fine. Our guys will treat them anyway, so there’ll be no evidence left.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. Honestly, even regular criminals, as long as you don’t kill them, you can beat them up. Our team is excellent at patching people up. How long are we supposed to be mindful of criminal rights?”

“As expected of the Special Unit.”

Pi Seongyeol spoke proudly.

This wasn’t news to Suho.

After all, he had worked in the Special Unit before.

He had even learned this approach from Pi Seongyeol himself.

‘How can you capture a Player criminal without causing any injury?’

In that sense, Suho thought it had been a great decision to choose the Healer role this time rather than Warrior.

In the past, he had always needed a partner healer or stuffed healing potions into criminals’ mouths, but now he didn’t have to.

As Suho handed over the prepared documents, Pi Seongyeol leafed through them, nodding.

“Wow, look at how clean these forms are. You’d be ready to deploy in the field right away.”

“Thank you.”

“With a clear motive for the crimes and the list of stolen accounts… but…”

Pi Seongyeol’s gaze shifted to Seo Giwon.

“They used that friend of yours?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

During the investigation, Seo Giwon sat there, doing his best to look pitiable, just as Suho had instructed.

In truth, Seo Giwon’s appearance didn’t require much acting to evoke pity.

The unkempt hair, the dark circles under his eyes, the torn, stretched-out T-shirt, and the pants that hadn’t seen a wash in ages—all testified to his harsh life.

Suho quickly added,

“Seo Giwon and those guys were from the same orphanage. The moment they learned of Seo Giwon’s unique abilities, they kidnapped and imprisoned him to use in their crimes.”

“Tsk, tsk, they deserve to be chewed up and spat out. But a cyber-type ability… I’ve seen a lot of abilities, but this is a first. What’s the principle behind it?”

“Since it’s not actual technology but a Player ability used for system crimes, they were able to break through complex electronic wallets.”

“Really? Then isn’t it somewhat dangerous? It seems like it should be monitored separately.”

“Is that necessary? As far as I know, Seo Giwon is the only one with this ability.”

“Is there no one with this ability overseas?”

“Yes. I was curious and did a search, but no one like that exists.”

“Really?”

Listening to Suho’s explanation, Pi Seongyeol nodded.

Then he narrowed his eyes, speaking in a casual tone.

“But… this Digitization ability or whatever it’s called, could it be used in a Gate?”

As expected.

Pi Seongyeol’s focus was on something else entirely.

No matter how rare the ability, the question was whether it held practical utility.

Suho quickly shook his head.

“I asked, and since it’s a cyber-type ability, it has no relation to Gates or similar situations.”

“Then it really is a skill limited to reality?”

“Yes, exactly. If there’s a security-focused guild, they might want him for that purpose.”

“Hmm. Security-focused, huh? Well, that means we don’t need him. He’s not useful for combat or support.”

“Yes, if that’s the criterion. But, Senior…”

“Hmm?”

“Would it be possible to ask about Seo Giwon’s fate? He is a victim, after all—surely he won’t be punished?”

Suho asked cautiously.

He purposely conveyed a hint of concern in his tone and expression.

This was intentional.

Since Pi Seongyeol held Suho in favor and Suho had proven his competence against the Phantom Thieves, Pi Seongyeol was likely to follow Suho’s wishes.

‘It would increase his favor toward me.’

Moreover, with Suho lowering his stance and humbly seeking his approval, how could Pi Seongyeol resist complying with a junior’s wish?

He was a calculating and authoritative man.

As expected, Pi Seongyeol chuckled, saying,

“Why, is your heart softening from caring for the victim?”

“It’s less about softening and more about how unfair it feels for him.”

“Haha, true. We can’t punish the victim, no matter what. The law is more humane and warm-hearted than you think. So don’t worry about the aftermath. He’ll be cleared of any charges, and we’ll even help him get compensation from those guys.”

“Really? Thank you, Senior.”

“Thank me for what? I’ve always been a fair man. But…”

Pi Seongyeol trailed off, narrowing his eyes again.

“How did you find out about this case in the first place?”