Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant - Chapter 52
Chapter 52
The place where Suho arrived was a large lake.
And in the center of the lake was a rocky island, just big enough for one person to stand on, where the master of the forest resided.
Sitting in meditation like a monk, his body was covered in moss and sprouts, blending so seamlessly with nature that he seemed like part of the lake itself unless one looked closely.
It was at that moment.
The figure, who had been sitting quietly, began to slowly open his eyes.
A yellow glow shone.
There were no pupils.
His eyes, similar to those of the Ents, opened as two horns sprouted on either side of his forehead like a demon’s.
Large, ornate horns.
They were even bigger and more magnificent than those of reindeers that had lived for decades.
Finally, when the growth of the horns ceased, information about him appeared above his head.
– Twisted Forest Ruler, Marleon Lv.100
Marleon.
That was his name.
He was the first druid Suho had encountered in this life, and also the first monster he had faced with a triple-digit level.
Seeing Marleon’s level, Suho briefly thought to himself.
‘Finally, a one-star rank.’
There are many ways to classify monsters, but generally, anything below level 99 is starless, while those at level 100 or above are called one-star, two-star, and so on, based on their level.
In that sense, Marleon was the first one-star monster Suho had encountered in this life.
Marleon, having opened his eyes, slowly stood up.
As he rose, the vines entwined between the rocky island and his body snapped, and the moss fell away.
However, Marleon seemed utterly indifferent to it, and once he stood up, he spoke.
– An uninvited guest has arrived.
“We never invited you either.”
– ……What?
“Who opened a portal on someone else’s land and now calls others uninvited?”
– ……?
Unable to comprehend Suho’s words, Marleon frowned.
It was only natural.
Those who appeared on Earth through the system were nothing more than monsters or pawns crafted for the game by the system.
Of course, not all gates worked this way, but at least this place wasn’t supposed to be one of them.
After finishing his words, Suho raised his Ghost Shadow Spear and activated his skill.
[Holy Power is being activated.]
As Holy Power activated, a pure white aura enveloped the Ghost Shadow Spear.
Upon seeing this, Marleon narrowed his eyes.
– Are you a servant of the gods?
“As if.”
Suho threw the spear as he replied.
[Spear Throw has been activated.]
Spear Throw activated smoothly, and the Ghost Shadow Spear flew forward at high speed.
The target was his chest.
However.
Clack!
Amazingly, Marleon caught the spear flying toward his chest as if it were nothing.
“Oh?”
He actually caught that?
Indeed, a one-star rank was different.
With a stern expression, Marleon glared at Suho, still holding the spear.
Seeing this, Suho quickly used Blood Weapon to summon an orb resembling a throwing weapon.
Then, he threw it directly at Marleon.
Or rather, he aimed at the handle end of the Ghost Shadow Spear he had thrown. Then—
Thunk!
Thud!
The orb created by Blood Weapon struck the spear tip accurately, propelling it forward like it had been hammered, piercing Marleon’s chest.
Drip—
Blood began to flow from his chest, where the spear blade was partially embedded.
Marleon silently looked down at it.
Then, in an instant, the air around him distorted as he released a terrifying killing intent.
[Marleon is enraged.]
[The forest begins to tremble in fear at Marleon’s wrath.]
[A terrifying killing intent seeps into you.]
It was enough to make his skin prickle.
But.
[Dragon Blood is activated.]
[Due to the Dragon Armor’s Draconic Endurance effect, you are immune to the killing intent.]
In the end, he was just a mere druid.
Suho thought.
‘So what if he’s one-star? He’s just a deer before a dragon.’
Seeing that Suho remained unaffected despite his intense killing intent, Marleon chuckled with interest.
– You’re using an amusing spell.
“As if. It’s the result of rightful effort.”
Suho gestured, canceling the Ghost Shadow Spear and Blood Weapon.
Then, he summoned the Ghost Shadow Spear again and imbued it with Holy Power.
– Another of the same trick?
“This time, it’s different.”
Once again, Suho threw the spear.
But this time, he aimed not at Marleon’s body but at the shadow beside him.
Marleon didn’t dodge.
He realized that the spear wasn’t directed at him.
Thanks to that, the Ghost Shadow Spear struck his shadow perfectly.
Looking at the spear embedded near his feet, Marleon asked.
– What are you trying to…
At that moment.
[Shadow Bind is activated.]
[Shadow Bleed is activated.]
Two skills activated simultaneously upon hitting the shadow.
Seeing this, Marleon smiled, as if amused.
– So that’s it.
But that was all.
As the shadow effects activated, he sneered briefly and casually slapped the Ghost Shadow Spear away with the back of his hand.
Splash!
The spear flew off and splashed into the lake.
Watching this, Suho muttered in disappointment as he retrieved the spear.
“Guess that doesn’t work either….”
After all, the level system didn’t exist for show.
Then, the only option left was a head-on clash.
Summoning his Blood Sword, Suho gripped it in his hand, and Marleon tilted his head, asking.
– Is that all the tricks you have?
“Pretty much.”
– Pathetic beyond words.
Marleon raised his hands.
Suddenly, the surface of the lake around him began to bubble.
[Marleon is summoning the Water Elementals.]
The system’s notification appeared.
At the same time, roots, resembling the roots of an ancient tree, surged up from the bubbling lake surface, spreading out like the legs of a spider in the manner of a tentacled creature.
Marleon, who had summoned the Water Elemental Roots, spoke.
– I wonder how long you can withstand against my forest.
“I’m curious about that too.”
Ssshhhhh!!
As soon as Suho finished speaking, multiple strands of Water Elemental Roots shot out in an instant.
Suho calmly began running along the lake.
Bang!
The first Water Elemental Root struck at Suho.
But Suho was faster.
The first Water Elemental Root struck the spot where Suho had just passed, leaving a deep hole.
Suho turned in the opposite direction of where he had been running and gripped his Blood Sword tightly.
Without any hesitation, he swung his sword at the Water Elemental Root embedded in the ground.
[ Execution has been activated. ]
The sword, falling vertically, drew a line of red light and struck upon the Water Elemental Root.
However.
Crack!
The sword stopped, having only managed to cut halfway through with a sharp cracking sound.
At that moment, other Water Elemental Roots simultaneously lunged at the spot where Suho stood.
Furrowing his brow, Suho quickly retrieved his sword and backed away.
Boom!
The Water Elemental Roots exploded into the spot Suho had just dodged.
Suho, having evaded, immediately regained his balance and raised his sword again.
Taking a short breath, he swung the sword once more.
Crack!
The descending sword struck another Water Elemental Root.
Once again, the Blood Sword couldn’t fully slice through the Water Elemental Root.
Another Water Elemental Root attacked from above, and Suho evaded and swung his sword again.
Yet even now, he couldn’t fully sever the Water Elemental Root, leaving only half a scar.
Seeing this, Marleon scoffed at Suho’s swordsmanship.
– A pitifully weak swordsmanship.
“True, for now.”
With that response, Suho once again stepped back.
And he swung his sword again.
Marleon moved his Water Elemental Roots once more, endlessly pursuing Suho with the intent to kill him.
The same pattern repeated.
After around twenty repetitions, Marleon began to feel irritation.
– You dodge well, like a rat.
Marleon summoned additional Water Elemental Roots to overwhelm Suho.
But no matter how many Water Elemental Roots there were, Suho always dodged them at the last moment, endlessly swinging his sword.
In this process, Suho engraved numerous sword scars on the bodies of the Water Elemental Roots.
Some of the Water Elemental Roots, unable to withstand Suho’s slashes, were even cleanly cut off.
But that wasn’t Suho’s intention.
It was merely that a Water Elemental Root already bearing sword scars happened to be in the path of his swings.
On the contrary, Suho deliberately aimed for fresh spots without any scars and swung his sword there.
And that wasn’t all.
Suho didn’t even use his Holy Power.
Had he slashed with Holy Power against Marleon’s Water Elemental Roots, imbued as they were with a murky attribute, he could have cut them down in a single blow.
That was why Marleon was curious about Suho’s intentions.
– ‘What is he scheming?’
As the battle dragged on, Marleon’s head began to cool slightly.
Initially, he was vexed by Suho’s slippery movements, but as the chase continued, he could not help but grudgingly acknowledge Suho’s movements.
– ‘His swordsmanship itself is worthless, but when it comes to movement alone, he’s no pushover.’
That’s why Marleon had no intention of leaving the lake.
The reason he had settled here, in this vast Twisted Forest, was because the expansive lake served as a natural fortress, and below the lake lay the roots of ancient trees that would act as his sword and shield.
At that moment.
Slice!
Suddenly, one of the Water Elemental Roots was cleanly severed.
What?
Did I see that wrong?
Marleon widened his eyes momentarily, but soon regained his composure.
It wasn’t the first time one of his Water Elemental Roots had been cut.
– ‘Probably one that got cut from accumulated damage.’
Just as he thought that.
Slice!
Another Water Elemental Root was severed.
And Marleon’s eyes visibly widened.
– ‘That one just now….’
He hadn’t seen it wrong.
It was definitely cut.
And this time, it was a completely intact Water Elemental Root, bearing no previous sword scars.
At that moment.
Slice!
Another Water Elemental Root was severed.
Simultaneously, a slight smile appeared on Suho’s face, which had been focused the entire time.
‘The strike is coming together.’
How many residents of the forest had he cut down to get here?
The feel of it was familiar.
It was a technique he’d used countless times.
But the current Suho, who had returned to the past, and the system observing him didn’t yet understand what he was doing.
That’s why it took time to prove and adapt.
The technique he used so naturally in his previous life had to feel natural to his hand and appear seamless to the system.
No, this entire process needed to look like a series of ‘realizations.’
The peak was in sight.
He’d cut down three Water Elemental Roots in one go.
And finally, at the moment Suho’s Blood Sword swung toward the fourth Water Elemental Root.
Slice!
Another success.
The Water Elemental Root fell downward.
At that moment.
[ Your understanding of swordsmanship surpasses anyone else’s. ]
[ The system acknowledges your remarkable swordsmanship and has fully recognized your ‘Execution.’ ]
[ As a result, your ‘Execution’ skill has reached a new grade, qualifying as a new technique at the supreme level. ]
[ Congratulations! Your ‘Execution’ skill has been upgraded to S-rank. ]
[ Your Execution can now even cut through steel. ]
[ Sword Understanding has been activated. ]
[ The will of the Nameless Sword residing within the Suho Sword responds to your refined swordsmanship. ]
[ ■■ nods approvingly at your progress and blesses you. ]
[ ■■’s essence now resides in the Suho Sword. ]
[ Congratulations! You are now the inheritor of the swordsmanship style ‘Empty Void Style’ from ■■. ]
[ Suho Sword information has been updated. ]
[ Execution information has been updated. ]
[ You have mastered ‘Empty Void Style – First Form: Severing Steel (S+).’ ]
Empty Void Style.
A gleam of excitement flashed in Suho’s eyes at the sight.