Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 124

Lee Dal-won collapsed unconscious on the spot.

He wasn’t dead.

How could he be? Su-ho had deliberately controlled his strength.

The reaction from those around him, however, was even more absurd.

“...”

“...”

“...”

The silence in the room was absolute.

But it wasn’t because they were afraid of Su-ho.

Each person glanced at Lee Dal-won briefly, then immediately returned their attention to their cards.

That was just the kind of place this was—a gambling den.

Still, there was one person who showed some interest.

Just one.

The tattooed man who had earlier pocketed Su-ho’s tip.

“Hey!” he barked.

The tattooed man strode toward Su-ho, his brow furrowed. He glanced at the unconscious Lee Dal-won and then turned to Su-ho.

“If you’re going to cause a scene, do it outside. Don’t disrupt the mood in here.”

That was all he said.

Thanks to that, Su-ho was able to hoist Lee Dal-won up and quietly leave the gambling den, heading for the rooftop of the building.

The rooftop was empty.

Su-ho unceremoniously tossed Dal-won onto the ground.

“...”

No reaction.

Had he hit him too hard earlier?

Su-ho used Recovery to revive the man.

“Ugh...”

Lee Dal-won groaned as he regained consciousness. The moment he fully awoke and saw Su-ho, his face twisted in fear.

“Wh-why are you doing this to me?!”

Instead of answering, Su-ho pressed a pressure point on Dal-won’s neck.

He then jabbed several points on the man’s lower body, locking his energy flow and immobilizing him. Only then did Su-ho speak.

“Guys like you usually seem to have all the luck with people. You’re not even good-looking, so how did you manage to fool someone like Yoon Hyun-hee?”

“Ugh...!”

“See this?”

Su-ho pulled out the debt certificate he had taken from On-gang Cash and waved it in front of Dal-won.

“I’ll keep this short. Divorce Yoon Hyun-hee and never show your face to her again. If you do that, I’ll nullify this debt.”

“...!”

Dal-won’s eyes widened more than Su-ho had ever seen before.

Shock was one thing, but the man’s gaze was filled with pure, unadulterated joy, as though he had witnessed a miracle.

“Tsk, even if I handed him a treasure like the Rhotiple, he wouldn’t look this happy.”

Su-ho asked calmly, “If you agree, nod your head.”

Nod! Nod! Nod!

Dal-won nodded frantically, his head moving so vigorously it was almost comical.

At least it was fortunate Yoon Hyun-hee wasn’t here to witness this.

If she had seen this pitiful display, it would have broken her heart all over again.

Clicking his tongue, Su-ho pulled out another document.

It was a divorce agreement.

“This is a mutual divorce form. Put your thumbprint on it.”

Su-ho grabbed Dal-won’s hand and smeared his bloodied thumb from his forehead onto the paper, creating a makeshift ink stamp. He then had him stamp the other prepared documents as well.

Only after completing the paperwork did Su-ho hand over the debt certificate.

Dal-won’s trembling hands clutched the certificate, his eyes quivering with a mix of relief and disbelief.

As Su-ho unlocked the pressure points on Dal-won’s legs, he asked casually, “Are you left-handed or right-handed?”

Dal-won raised his right hand in response.

The moment he did, Su-ho immediately jabbed the pressure points on the man’s wrist and hand. He followed this by pressing another series of points on his lower body.

The result was permanent damage.

“Ugh?!”

“I’d love to cripple you entirely, but I’ll settle for this. Since you’ve used your mouth to hurl insults, you’ll lose your voice forever. Since you used that hand to hit your wife, you won’t be able to use it properly ever again. And as for...”

Su-ho’s gaze shifted downward to the man’s groin.

“As a man who failed in his duties as a husband, consider this punishment. Be grateful this is where it ends. The only reason I’m not killing you is because part of this is society’s fault for creating people like you.”

“...”

With his task complete, Su-ho turned and left the rooftop.

***

Having dealt with the issue of Lee Dal-won, Su-ho headed to the cold noodle restaurant where Yoon Hyun-hee worked.

Since there was still some time left before her shift ended, he decided to have a meal there first.

“I’ll have cold noodles with sashimi, beef pancakes, and dumplings, please.”

The order was taken by none other than Yoon Hyun-hee herself.

She gave Su-ho a slightly perplexed look but, seeing as he was a customer, she accepted the order and went about her duties.

When the food was served, Su-ho enjoyed his meal thoroughly.

As he was finishing his meal, Yoon Hyun-hee, now out of her work uniform, approached him.

Seeing her, Su-ho asked, “Are you done with your shift already?”

“The boss let me off early.”

“Oh, is that so?”

What a considerate boss.

Su-ho offered a polite nod of gratitude toward the restaurant owner before stepping outside with Yoon Hyun-hee.

After they had walked a short distance from the restaurant, Su-ho pulled out the divorce papers he had obtained from Lee Dal-won.

“What’s this...?”

“The moment I mentioned the debt, he didn’t hesitate for even a second before stamping these papers. Everything you need for a mutual divorce is already signed. All that’s left is for you to sign them and submit the documents. These days, the process for a mutual divorce has been simplified due to changes in the law.”

“...”

Yoon Hyun-hee was momentarily at a loss for words as she stared at the divorce papers in her hands.

The sight stirred many thoughts within her.

But she didn’t cry.

In fact, she felt grateful.

Thanks to Su-ho, she could put her feelings in order much faster than she had anticipated.

Su-ho had also refrained from mentioning the offer Lee Dal-won had made about “introducing his wife.” There was no need to twist the knife and hurt her further.

After folding the papers and putting them into her bag, Yoon Hyun-hee said, “You seemed to have anticipated all of this and prepared everything in advance.”

“It’s less about anticipation and more about my dislike for unnecessary hassle. I prefer to be prepared for every possible outcome.”

“...I have a few questions. May I ask them?”

“Feel free.”

“If I go to Cheong-ok Penitentiary, will I be able to see my brother?”

“Visits require the inmate’s consent. But if you’d like, I can pass along your request. Your brother said he wasn’t confident about facing you.”

“Then, please let him know I’d like to see him. Also... I’ve been meaning to ask this but kept hesitating...”

After a brief pause, she finally asked, “My brother’s girlfriend... How is she doing now?”

“She passed away.”

“What?”

“After everything that happened, and with Yoon Hyun-chul being sent to Cheong-ok Penitentiary, she fell into despair and ended her own life.”

“Ah...”

This was something Su-ho hadn’t even mentioned to Yoon Hyun-chul.

Su-ho knew the truth but had avoided bringing it up, and Yoon Hyun-chul had deliberately kept silent about it.

But Yoon Hyun-hee needed to know. She deserved to know.

“...So, did my brother kill all of those people?”

“Well, if we’re speaking in terms of the end result, yes.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“One of them survived originally. At the time, it was a one-versus-many situation, and while your brother intended to kill them all, one of the perpetrators managed to narrowly escape death.

“However, that man was eventually caught and imprisoned for his crimes. Because of the nature of his charges, he ended up in Cheong-ok Penitentiary. It was there, while they were incarcerated together, that your brother killed him.”

“Ah...”

It was an inevitable outcome.

If the survivor had been a civilian criminal, he would have been placed in a separate facility to avoid potential retaliation. But since they were all Awakened criminals, most of them were sent to Cheong-ok Penitentiary due to their heinous offenses.

This kind of incident was bound to happen.

Su-ho then asked, “What about you, Ms. Yoon? What are your plans now?”

“What do you mean?”

“You came to Daejeon because of your husband, didn’t you? Now that you’re divorced, there’s no reason for you to stay here, is there?”

“Well...”

He wasn’t wrong.

The only reason she had moved to Daejeon was that it was her husband’s hometown.

But it wasn’t as if she had a hometown of her own to return to.

As she hesitated to answer, Su-ho offered a suggestion.

“Why not move to Seoul?”

“...Seoul?”

“You grew up in Seoul, didn’t you? It’s a good place to start fresh. Not only is Seoul safer than Daejeon, but the money your brother left behind is more than enough to support you in a secure area.”

Su-ho fiddled with his phone and sent a message to hers.

“That’s my contact information. I know today has been overwhelming, so take some time to think about it and let me know. Also, you don’t need to worry about Lee Dal-won. I’ve ensured he won’t show up in your life again. I even made it a condition that he stays out of sight. You can keep the security deposit for the house you’re living in as well.”

“Ah... Thank you.”

“And don’t forget to contact me about transferring your brother’s assets. Oh, one more thing—may I ask a small favor?”

“A favor?”

“Yes. I need to provide proof to your brother that I met you. Could we take a photo together?”

“...A photo?”

“Please?”

“Oh, alright...”

With her permission, Su-ho politely took a selfie with her.

“Thank you. And one last thing...”

After taking the photo, Su-ho extended his hand toward her.

[ Healing is activated. ]
[ Recovery is activated. ]

A warm glow enveloped her as Su-ho used two skills on her.

This was to erase any bruises she still had from Lee Dal-won’s abuse and to heal any lingering minor ailments she might have.

Finally, having completed his tasks, Su-ho bowed politely and headed toward Daejeon Station.

When he arrived at Seoul Station, his phone began to buzz.

It was a call from Jo Jin-hwi.

Su-ho answered.

“Yes, Mr. Reporter?”

– “Mr. An, where are you right now?”

“I’m at Seoul Station.”

– “Seoul Station? Not Daejeon?”

The reason Jo Jin-hwi was asking this...

Actually, the reason he had called at all was due to a post Su-ho had made on Stargram while riding the train.

– “Yuseong Cold Noodles in Daejeon are delicious.”

It was the second post Su-ho had ever uploaded to his account.

Just like the first post about Park’s Snack Shop, it was a simple photo of food accompanied by a single line of text.

Even this time, the only hashtag he had used was #GreatEats.

But the response was explosive.

– “The Sword Saint says Yuseong Cold Noodles is a great spot!”

– “Let’s all head to Yuseong Cold Noodles!”

– “Damn it, this was my hidden gem. Now I can’t enjoy it quietly anymore.”

– “Wow, train tickets to Daejeon are already sold out.”

– “His first recommendation was amazing, so this place must be legit too.”

The likes and comments on the post were already flooding in, despite it having been posted not long ago.

That was why Jo Jin-hwi had called.

After all, Su-ho was supposed to be in Seoul, not Daejeon.

“I just took a quick business trip,” Su-ho explained.

– “Ah, I see. By the way, did you really get assigned to the Gate Division?”

“Oh, I meant to tell you. Yes, I’ve been reassigned to the Gate Division. Division Chief Pi Seong-yeol himself confirmed it.”

– “It seems things turned out exactly as you wanted. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. The official announcement should come out tomorrow, stating there was no favoritism or royal treatment involved.”

It was amusing.

Strictly speaking, Su-ho should have been assigned to the Special Division based on merit. Yet, in response to a bit of public uproar, the Association had sent its youngest-ever perfect scorer to the Gate Division instead.

“But thanks to their lack of backbone, I can now do as I please.”

Jo Jin-hwi chuckled. – “So, how about a quick photo session on your way to work tomorrow?”

“Do I look like an idol promoting a new album? Why would I need a photo session?”

– “Consider it fan service. It’s also a good way to show there’s no controversy. Lots of people in your fan café are requesting pictures of you.”

“Alright. You’ve always helped me out, so I’ll meet you at the entrance during my morning shift.”

– “Haha, thank you! Oh, by the way, since your probation period has ended, shouldn’t we have a small celebration? I bet they didn’t even give you a commendation, despite you being the youngest perfect scorer.”

As expected of Jo Jin-hwi.

He had a knack for picking up on such things.

Su-ho laughed. “How about a casual drink at my place later?”

– “Sounds great! See you later then!”

With that, the call ended, and Su-ho, chuckling to himself, headed toward the parking lot at Seoul Station where his car was waiting.