Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant - Chapter 78
Chapter 78
The place Suho hurried to, upon Pi Seongyeol’s call, was the head office of the Special Division.
When he arrived, Pi Seongyeol greeted him with a smile as he rose from his seat.
“Junior, you’re here?”
“Yes, Senior.”
“Have a seat.”
The office was much larger and more sophisticated than Lee Wan-ik’s.
Perhaps this was the difference in power.
After Suho sat down, Pi Seongyeol took a can of drink from a refrigerator beside him and placed it in front of Suho.
“I heard you were having some fun in the Awakening Department?”
“Not at all.”
“Not at all, huh… I heard you made quite a splash. As expected of you, Junior. You always deliver results beyond expectations.”
“Thank you.”
“Drink up first.”
“Yes.”
At Pi Seongyeol’s urging, Suho opened the drink and took a sip.
Then, Pi Seongyeol finally spoke.
“The first person you brought in was Kim Goong-won, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I heard you went to Acro Tower?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Did you only see Kim Goong-won there?”
A subtle expression.
So, he knew everything?
Then the conversation could be quick.
Without a change in his expression, Suho answered immediately.
“I also saw Son Baek-geum.”
“Then why did you leave him there?”
“I thought he was beyond my capacity to handle.”
At those words, Pi Seongyeol’s expression changed briefly.
To be precise, his eyes sparkled, and the corners of his lips lifted.
“Interesting. What makes you think I was talking about his size?”
“Aren’t you asking about his connections?”
“Ha-ha!”
Pi Seongyeol burst out laughing at Suho’s response.
Then he took a sip from his own can, still smiling, and placed it down.
“Right, I was talking about his connections. So, you left him because you thought he was beyond your capacity?”
“To be honest, yes.”
“Then why didn’t you report it to me?”
“I waited because there was no proper justification.”
“Justification?”
“Yes, no matter that I’m planning to join the Special Division, I’m not yet an official member, nor has your name been mentioned. I thought it would be presumptuous to bring up Son Baek-geum’s case without justification. So, I waited. I figured either you or the Vice President would eventually call me.”
“Ah…”
At Suho’s answer, Pi Seongyeol’s brows furrowed slightly in admiration.
He couldn’t help but admire Suho’s answer, as it was exactly what he had hoped for.
Pi Seongyeol then spoke, raising the corners of both his lips.
“Suho.”
“Yes, Senior.”
“Well done.”
“Thank you, Senior.”
“Alright, from now on, if there’s anything beyond your capacity, report it all to me. I’ll tell you what to do.”
“Understood.”
“You don’t even ask why?”
“Since there must be a reason, there’s no need for me to wonder.”
“Heh… you cheeky guy.”
Pi Seongyeol laughed so hard his shoulders shook.
It was proof that he was genuinely pleased with Suho.
He took out a card from his wallet and handed it to Suho.
“You’ve done well. When today’s over, treat yourself and some friends to something delicious. Not something cheap like pork belly, but go all out on high-grade beef or seafood. If you want to drink, drink. No matter the cost, don’t worry about it.”
“No, I can’t accept it. I haven’t done anything to deserve this.”
“Hey, when an elder gives you something, just take it with a thank you.”
“Thank you.”
“Alright, keep up the good work. See you later.”
After taking the card, Suho stood up, gave a light bow, and left the office.
As he tucked the card Pi Seongyeol had given him into his pocket, he thought.
‘There must be something between the Vice President and Pi Seongyeol.’
He hadn’t expected things to go by so smoothly without any discussion.
He had at least thought he would be asked to bring in Son Baek-geum, but Pi Seongyeol hadn’t said a word about it, which felt suspicious.
‘Hmm.’
After a moment of contemplation, Suho took out his phone and called Seo Giwon.
– Yes, Brother.
“Hey, I’m going to send you a few numbers soon. I need you to collect all their photo albums, text histories, call logs, and messenger chat records. If necessary, take Hyunmin with you.”
– Yes, understood.
“You’re not even asking whose they are?”
– If you ask me to do it, I’ll do it.
At those words, Suho laughed.
This must have been the same feeling Pi Seongyeol had when he laughed earlier.
Suho spoke.
“Alright, do the work, and let’s grab dinner after you’re done. Talk to Haewon about what you’d like to eat. I’ll buy something expensive.”
– Awesome, got it!
“Good.”
After ending the call, Suho sent several contact numbers to Seo Giwon, including Pi Seongyeol’s.
***
After meeting with Pi Seongyeol, Suho headed to the Non-Awakening Department with Um Joon-sung.
The two first met with Division Head Lee Sehyun of the Non-Awakening Department, who greeted Suho enthusiastically.
“Ah, Suho, you’re here?”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Ahn Suho.”
“Ha-ha, take a seat, take a seat. I’m Lee Sehyun, Division Head of the Non-Awakening Department. I’ve heard a lot about you. I heard you did an amazing job in the Awakening Department?”
Upon meeting Suho, Division Head Lee opened with a shower of compliments.
Suho smiled faintly and responded with humility.
“Not at all.”
“Come on now. I heard you even scored perfectly on the theory test. It’s no good for such a talented person to be overly modest, is it? Ha-ha, just joking. By the way, do you know what you’re supposed to do here in the Non-Awakening Department?”
“Yes, I heard briefly that the focus is on finding unregistered players.”
“That’s right. But finding unregistered players is like looking for a needle in a haystack, so unless there’s a specific tip, we don’t usually investigate. So, find just one person, no more, no less. That’ll conclude your evaluation in our department.”
As expected.
Suho had anticipated that the Non-Awakening Department would involve locating unregistered players.
So, he had already shortlisted some candidates to locate and register.
Suho responded confidently.
“Understood.”
“As expected of Hunter Ahn Suho. So full of energy. Now, here are some reports from past tips, and for further guidance, Officer Um will assist you. Best of luck, Hunter Ahn.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best.”
“Good, good. Well, take care.”
The treatment he received after just one successful achievement was remarkably different.
Suho was pleased.
It felt good to be welcomed wherever he went.
Moving to the meeting room in the Non-Awakening Department, Um Joon-sung handed Suho the reports given by Lee Sehyun.
“As the Division Head mentioned earlier, the goal is to identify an unregistered player. But as he also pointed out, finding an unregistered player is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack, so it’ll be challenging to even find one.”
“It’s alright; we still have to try.”
“I expected no less from you, Suho. I’ll call in the assigned staff now.”
“Yes, understood.”
After finishing his explanation, Um Joon-sung stood up.
While he went to bring the new contact, Suho began reviewing the documents he had been handed.
‘These are purely from tips, nothing else.’
It was inevitable.
An unregistered player, by definition, was someone you wouldn’t know about until they confessed themselves.
‘If their level had risen, it might be different, but there’s not much one can do at a low level.’
To level up, one had to enter a gate, which required registering as a player and passing the Hunter test.
Of course, one didn’t necessarily have to pass the Hunter qualification test, but player registration was mandatory.
This was to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.
However, some people still refused, as they either loathed the idea of becoming an Awakened, or worked in jobs restricted to non-players.
‘It’s mainly athletes.’
Additionally, some avoided registration due to societal perception or other reasons.
The Non-Awakening Department’s role was to find and register such people.
In this regard, Suho had already shortlisted candidates for his field evaluation.
Just then, someone opened the door to the meeting room.
It was Jo Seonggil, the unregistered investigator assigned to the Non-Awakening Department’s field evaluation.
“Hello, Suho?”
“Oh, yes. Hello.”
Jo Seonggil, the unregistered investigator.
He was also an unfamiliar figure to Suho.
After addressing Suho as an intern, he sat across from him and spoke with his trademark grin.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I heard you achieved some record-breaking results in the Awakening Department.”
“Not really. I just followed the evaluation criteria.”
“Ha-ha, then I suppose you’ll do the same here in the Non-Awakening Department. By the way, Han Hoseong, the Administrator from the Awakening Department, and I joined together. He kept praising you so much that I couldn’t help but look forward to meeting you.”
Apparently, Han Hoseong had been praising Suho enthusiastically, becoming one of his biggest supporters.
It made sense.
After all, Han Hoseong had once viewed Suho more negatively than anyone else.
As Suho replied with an awkward smile, Investigator Jo spoke with a subtle expression.
“So, how about you try working solo again this time?”
So that was his intention?
Alright, he had been planning to make the same request this time as well, so there was no need to refuse.
Suho nodded.
“Yes, I’ll try working solo again this time.”
“Ha-ha, understood. If you run into any trouble, feel free to contact me.”
“Yes, I will.”
After concluding his meeting with the Non-Awakening Department staff, Suho stood up to meet the individuals he had singled out for evaluation.
***
Shoo!
An arrow was released.
And.
Thunk!
The arrow landed squarely in the bullseye.
It was Park Goong’s arrow.
The coach shouted.
“First place goes to Park Goong. He’ll be representing us in tomorrow’s competition.”
“Wow…!”
Everyone marveled at the coach’s words.
But at the same time, they seemed unsurprised.
“Of course, it’s Goong.”
“Park Goong’s class remains unshaken.”
“With this skill, Goong will probably win the tournament again.”
“Don’t you think?”
Park Goong.
He was the pride of the Ansung High Archery Club and the country’s most promising archery prodigy.
Everyone believed it without a doubt.
And Park Goong himself believed it as well.
After training, one of the team members spoke to Park Goong.
“Goong, what are you up to after this? We’re planning to go to karaoke; you should come along.”
“Nah, you guys go ahead. I need to help out at my mom’s shop.”
“Man, it’s the day before the tournament, and you still have to help out at your mom’s shop?”
“Sorry, but I feel better that way.”
“Gosh, aren’t you the filial son?”
“Right? Goong’s the only filial one; the rest of us are delinquents.”
“Hey, fair point.”
“Alright, see you tomorrow then!”
“Yeah, sorry~.”
Park Goong was famously devoted to his mother.
Living alone with his single mother, he would help her at the shop every time training ended early.
It had never felt burdensome.
In fact, he thought of it as natural.
He believed he was where he was now because of his mother, who supported his dreams despite difficult circumstances.
So, once again, Park Goong headed to his mother’s shop to help.
But then.
“…Huh?”
Just as he arrived at the shop.
Park Goong couldn’t believe his eyes.
Because standing in his mother’s shop was none other than the famous “Hunter Ahn Suho.”
Blink.
Park Goong blinked as he looked at Suho.