Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant - Chapter 69

Chapter 69

It was a liquid contained in a transparent glass bottle, and Suho checked its information.

[ Hammer2 ]

– Grade: C

# A drug neutralizer created by ‘Nam Haewon.’

# Exhibits strong neutralizing effects against the drug called ‘Illusion.’

Huh?

Is this for real?

Suho asked with a surprised expression.

“How did you do this?”

“This is an improved version of the neutralizer I made and took last time. So, I named it Hammer2, and because it’s an upgraded version, I was able to make it relatively easily. But I can guarantee its effectiveness. Hammer1 was Grade D, after all.”

“What…? But why did you name it Hammer?”

“Because the drug’s name is Illusion. I named it Hammer to signify breaking the illusion.”

Ah.

With that explanation, Suho remembered.

Nam Haewon had once mentioned in a future interview that an A-grade Hammer4 had saved his life.

‘Even if there was a prototype, making a second version so soon….’

It was genuinely astonishing.

Naturally, there was nothing more indicative of quality improvement than the rise in an item’s grade.

‘Items crafted by players are usually labeled with vague effects.’

Therefore, the grade of an item was the clearest proof of its value.

Suho spoke in genuine admiration.

“You are truly incredible.”

“Haha, not at all. This is all thanks to you, Hunter-nim. I was planning to try creating Hammer2 soon and was gathering money for the materials, but you provided both the lab and the material costs. I just did the synthesis grind.”

“Honestly, with enough time and money, I can create things like this with ease. Besides, I’m the only one with my synthesis trait, so there’s no public recipe for it, and it’s purely a matter of trying different combinations. Though, of course, I was lucky this time, since it came out pretty quickly.”

Nam Haewon spoke modestly, as if embarrassed.

Though he was humble, Suho’s thoughts were far from it.

In fact, he was getting even more excited.

‘He’s showing this level of skill already, so if he reaches Level 100 and his trait evolves to the next stage….’

He would likely grow at a rate incomparable to the past.

Suho smiled and spoke.

“This is truly a great achievement. Then, shall we mass-produce Hammer2 and distribute it immediately? I didn’t expect the neutralizer to be ready so quickly.”

“Now that I have the formula, as long as you provide the materials, I can make as much as you want.”

“Good, I’ll prepare it right away. By the way, Haewon, what’s your current level? In the documents, it was listed as Level 50.”

“It’s 51 now. I didn’t realize it, but apparently, you gain a bit of experience from successful synthesis?”

“Ah, really?”

This was news to Suho.

Realizing this, Suho decided to level Haewon up using synthesis for the time being.

The Digitation Dungeon could wait until he had helped every victim.

***

It went just as Jo Jin-hwi had anticipated.

– Where is the justice in Yeongdeungpo? Part 1.

Views: 512

The so-called ‘Yeongdeungpo Series,’ a special feature article.

A day had passed since the article was posted, yet the view count hadn’t even reached a thousand.

It was no surprise.

After all, how many places in society were experiencing similar slumification?

As such, even the police and Korean Hunter Association’s neglected requests for help in Part 1 of the article didn’t spark much attention.

However, neither Jo Jin-hwi, Suho, nor Nexus were disappointed.

This was merely laying the groundwork for the bigger picture.

And so, Suho dedicated himself to helping the victims until the next step.

“Here’s a box of neutralizers, food, and water. Please eat regularly and don’t skip meals.”

“Thank you, really, thank you so much.”

“We’ll eat well.”

“Thank you for your help….”

Suho succeeded in locating every creditor and drug victim the Changshik faction had been controlling.

Finding them wasn’t difficult.

With Nexus’s manpower and Banshee’s intelligence network, locating people was as easy as pie.

And, of course, he didn’t neglect to keep an eye on Im Changshik whenever he could.

“Recovery.”

[ Recovery is activated. ]

“Ugh! P-Please spare me! Save me! Please!”

“No, return.”

It seemed that being a high-level player and a warrior class gave him remarkable endurance.

Of course, Suho didn’t intend to kill him, but with Recovery, the occasional food and water, and a few doses of Illusion, it was enough to keep Im Changshik alive like a cockroach.

It was while Suho was engrossed in his relief efforts.

Buzzzz—

A call came in.

Seeing the caller, Suho lifted one corner of his mouth and answered the phone.

“Yes, senior.”

– Ah, Suho. Doing well?

“Yes, thanks to you. Are you doing well too, sir?”

– Oh, I’m always well. Anyway, about the commendation ceremony, I was thinking of holding it tomorrow. How does that sound?

“That’s fine with me.”

– Great, dress nicely and come to the association around noon. Everything will be set up, and I’ll be waiting. We’ll have plenty of reporters there, so maybe do a face pack before bed tonight.

“Yes, I understand. Thank you.”

– Alright, see you tomorrow then.

So, it was finally time for the commendation ceremony.

If everything went as planned, his special appointment would soon follow after the commendation.

Suho immediately called Jo Jin-hwi to inform him of the ceremony.

– Oh, if that’s the case, I should definitely attend. I’m sure PBS has been notified, so I’ll cover it.

“Yes, I’ll leave it to you. But are you sure? Even if the views are low, you did publish that special feature…”

– If the views are low, people won’t care. It’s fine.

“Well then… understood.”

– Haha, by the way, your special appointment is really just around the corner now. I bet there’s never been anyone in Korean Hunter Association’s history who joined as quickly and at such a high rank as you. Congratulations.

“Thank you. By the way, when are you planning to upload Part 2 of the article?”

– I was actually waiting for the right timing. I’ll upload Part 2 today and then cover the commendation ceremony tomorrow. By the way, Suho, this is just a personal question, but don’t you use social media?

“Social media?”

– Yes, if you were still with Nexus, they’d have likely suggested you open an account, like an official one.

“No, nothing like that was mentioned. It might be because of the timing of my transfer, but why do you ask about social media?”

– It’s a shame. An account for someone like you would have a significant impact. Even your fan café members have been hoping for it.

“Fan café?”

– You didn’t know?

A fan café.

Of course, he knew about it.

But the fan café Suho was familiar with was his past-life fan café, not a current one.

And based on the timing, there shouldn’t be a fan café yet.

He hadn’t even considered it.

“No, I didn’t know. What’s the café’s name?”

– An Shrine.

“Sorry?”

– It’s a combination of your name, Ahn Suho, and your title, Healer. They gave it a religious twist and named it An Shrine. Oh, and your fan name is Suho Priest, and fans call each other devotees.

– Suho Priests… really…

In his past life, his fan café had been called Suho Shield.

His class had been that of a swordsman, and he’d gained fame after he defeated the Sword Emperor.

But this time, the name was completely different.

‘As I expected, history has changed.’

The fan café already had over 30,000 members.

Looking at its size, Suho clicked his tongue.

“It’s quite active.”

– Yes, it’s already got 30,000 domestic fans alone. The posting speed is fast, and the activity is quite lively. So, given that you can’t participate in entertainment activities once you’re in the Korean Hunter Association, how about creating a social media account for fan engagement? I’m sure fans would love it.

“Hm…”

In other words, he was suggesting Suho do fan service.

But even in his past life, Suho hadn’t used social media.

He’d thought of it as a waste of time, prone to cause missteps.

Of course, he was aware of the positive aspects of social media.

And as a regressor, Suho was ready to reconsider his approach this time.

‘I know roughly which parts and incidents I need to avoid.’

With the Library of Memories at his disposal, the risk of unexpected mistakes was close to zero.

It was then.

While browsing through the fan café, something suspicious caught Suho’s eye.

It was the fan café president’s name.

‘Golden Horse?’

In that moment, a thought crossed his mind.

“Reporter.”

– Yes?

“I’m asking just out of curiosity, but the fan café president with the nickname Golden Horse, could that possibly be… you?”

– ….

“…It isn’t, right?”

– Ahem, how did you know?

“Because your nickname is Gold…”

– Ahem, yes, that’s correct. You have sharp instincts, Suho. But the café name and fan club name were chosen by vote, not by me.

“Ah… right…”

– Ahem, it’s all strategic. Guilds don’t usually create fan cafés. It’s better for me, as your designated journalist, to run the café to prevent issues later on. Plus, it makes it easier to manage and steer public opinion when necessary…

He wasn’t wrong.

Jo Jin-hwi was someone Suho trusted, and he wasn’t the type to use the fan café for personal gain.

Suho nodded, understanding.

“It makes sense if it’s you, Reporter.”

– Thank you for understanding. So, about social media? If you’d like, I could even manage it for you.

“You can handle that too?”

– I did some fan work back in the day. Besides, I run a blog. Managing your account would be like an official account—just updating it with big news occasionally.

“Hmm.”

That was certainly true.

Once he became a civil servant, he’d have to be even more cautious with his words and actions.

“Alright. I’ll create an account, but I’ll manage it myself. If you send me photos or text for posts, I’ll copy and post them.”

– Oh, that would be more than enough. And for the fans, maybe a few photos or selfies occasionally…

“I’ve never done that, so it might be difficult.”

– Haha, the first time is the hardest. After that, it’s easier. Of course, I’m not pressuring you. It’s just a suggestion if the opportunity arises. And if you want, I can even help. Alright, then let’s get the account set up. When you’ve created it, let me know the username. I’ll spread the word in the fan café, post the second article, and with the commendation ceremony article, you’ll draw followers quickly.

As soon as Suho agreed, Jo Jin-hwi began listing out plans eagerly.

Suho awkwardly laughed and replied.

“Yes, understood. Anything else?”

– No, that’s all for now. Oh, one last thing—one account on Stargram should be enough. It’s the biggest and trendiest platform right now.

“Got it.”

With that, the call ended, and Suho installed Stargram to create an account.

Then, he sent the account name to Jo Jin-hwi.

A short while later…

[zary456 started following ahnsuho0107.]

[new_year88 started following ahnsuho0107.]

[prime_king00 started following ahnsuho0107.]

[ive_love started following ahnsuho0107.]

[super_divar started following ahnsuho0107.]

[cuvely9456 started following ahnsuho0107.]

…

Notifications started flooding Suho’s phone.