Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 185

Jeong Cheol-min was visibly excited.

It wasn't excitement driven by anger.

It was simply excitement from enthusiasm.

Especially since he had never called Su-ho with an honorific before, anyone else would have been very surprised to hear it.

But since it was Su-ho, it didn't seem to matter, and Su-ho greeted him with a smile.

"You've arrived?"

"What do you mean, 'you've arrived'...? Hey, what was all that talk over the phone? You said you destroyed Director Pi?"

Jeong Cheol-min’s excitement was caused by something far more outrageous than he had expected.

He had heard that Su-ho was out of town for some business, but then suddenly he received a call where Su-ho said he had destroyed Pi Seong-yeol.

At first, he thought he must have heard it wrong.

He had already seen on the news that Pi Seong-yeol was taken down.

But Su-ho said with a clear and crisp tone:

"Yes, I destroyed him."

"What the hell...!"

Jeong Cheol-min's eyes were about to pop out, and Su-ho, as calm as ever, with a pleasant and almost too friendly smile, said:

"You're too worked up, Team Leader. Let's have a coffee. I would have taken you to the backyard, but since I have something to show you, I've already prepared coffee in the conference room."

"Hah... you really are something else..."

Su-ho was truly unpredictable.

But that’s why, in the end, Jeong Cheol-min followed his suggestion and went along.

Of course, he wasn’t silent on the way to the conference room.

He kept asking.

What was that phone call all about?

Was he really not going to tell him?

How did he destroy Pi Seong-yeol?

Each time, Su-ho replied with a calm "Yes, really."

"I’ll explain it when we get there."

In the end, Jeong Cheol-min didn’t get any answers until they reached the conference room.

There, a warm cup of coffee waited, and as soon as he sat down, Jeong Cheol-min pulled his cup toward him and asked:

"Now tell me. What the hell is all this about?"

"Are you in that much of a hurry?"

"You crazy bastard! You dropped a keyword that had me this worked up, and now you ask me if I’m in a hurry?"

"True, I guess. Anyway, here's what happened..."

Su-ho began to explain, mixing truth and lies as he outlined the events. He had accidentally gathered information about Pi Seong-yeol’s redevelopment cartel and had been personally investigating it, which had led to the current situation.

When Jeong Cheol-min heard this, his eyes widened in disbelief.

He stared at Su-ho for a long time.

He couldn’t believe it.

After a while, Jeong Cheol-min asked:

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"You're asking me to believe this?"

"Isn’t reality always more dramatic than drama?"

"Even so, this redevelopment gate, just a glance and it's clear this is no small thing. How could you possibly...?"

"I didn’t do everything from A to Z, but I found some gaps and worked between the cracks. So, I’ve been busy."

"But in the meantime, you’ve been tackling sealed gates too, haven’t you?"

"Of course. But that’s something I have to do. The redevelopment gate wasn’t officially part of my job, was it?"

"That’s true... but damn, you're crazy."

"Isn’t it a bit much to say such things to your beloved subordinate?"

"I don’t even like you, and you’re not my subordinate."

"Forget the love, I’m your deputy team leader, so how could I not be your subordinate?"

"Look at the state of the Association. The president, the vice president, and the heads of departments are all about to be fired. You think you and I are going to stick together through all of this? You keep forgetting you came in as a special recruit. If things go down this path, we’re done."

"Well, yeah... that’s expected."

Many departments would be cut, and there would be plenty of vacancies.

It would probably be an unprecedented overhaul.

As Su-ho smiled silently, Jeong Cheol-min rubbed his face.

Then, a sudden ominous feeling made him cautiously ask:

"Su-ho."

"Yes, Team Leader?"

"I'm asking this just in case, but I’ve been looking through the news feed, and your name hasn’t appeared anywhere."

"And?"

"You said you triggered this gate. You're telling me that directly now."

"That’s right."

"Did you do this on purpose?"

At that question, Su-ho smiled slightly.

"Yes, I did it on purpose. And not many people know about it."

"..."

Jeong Cheol-min was dumbfounded by Su-ho's calm confession.

Why?

He couldn’t understand this kid.

Jeong Cheol-min asked:

"Why? Why would you do that?"

"I didn’t want to reveal myself. If people find out I’m involved in something like this, it’ll be exhausting in many ways."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It’s simple. I just want to finish the gates. But if people find out I started this, it’ll be a hassle for the things I want to do."

"What kind of hassle? People will treat you like a hero, the more they know, the more they’ll worship you."

"That’s the problem. A hunter should just tackle gates, not be put on a pedestal for it. Also, if one person has too many roles, people’s expectations get too high, and that becomes troublesome."

"I can’t understand you."

But Jeong Cheol-min gave up trying to understand.

How could an ordinary person comprehend the thoughts of a genius?

Finally, Jeong Cheol-min took a sip of his coffee.

Then, suddenly, another question came to mind, and he asked:

"Hey, then why tell me? Shouldn’t this be a secret for me too?"

"True. But you’re my senior, aren’t you?"

"What?"

"Of course, I have to report everything to my senior. Isn’t that basic?"

"...?"

For a moment, Jeong Cheol-min’s expression twisted in confusion.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"Do you want to die?"

"No, I want to live."

"Are you making a joke right now?"

"How did you know it was a joke?"

"You little brat!"

As Jeong Cheol-min tried to grab Su-ho by the collar, Su-ho just laughed and let himself be caught.

"Haha, it’s just a joke. I actually have a favor to ask you."

"What favor? No way, I won’t do it!"

"Come on, you have to accept. Otherwise, when the personnel changes happen, another unawakened person will get a high position, you know?"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Jeong Cheol-min paused.

Su-ho’s words made him freeze.

"...What are you talking about?"

"Just as I said. The reason I revealed this to you is because I want to make it clear that I’m thinking the same way you are."

"...?"

Jeong Cheol-min, who had been grabbing Su-ho by the collar, slowly sat back down.

“Go on.”

“Team Leader, you’ve always complained about how the upper ranks are filled with unawakened people, causing difficulties for the hunters in the association. But now, all the upper ranks causing problems have been removed, right?”

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“Right?”

“Then, new people will fill those positions, but what do you think will happen if unawakened people take over again?”

At Su-ho’s words, Jeong Cheol-min briefly imagined the future of the association.

And without realizing it, cold sweat started to drip down his back.

"...It would be a disaster."

"Exactly. So, we need an awakened person to secure the upper ranks, right?"

“But who?"

Su-ho stared intently at Jeong Cheol-min.

At that direct gaze, Jeong Cheol-min’s eyes widened.

He pointed at himself, confused.

"Me?"

"Yes."

"No, you crazy bastard! Why me? You’re fine and sitting here!"

"Well, I don’t have the experience to sit in such a seat."

"No, what do you mean, experience? Whether we like it or not, if someone has to sit at the top, it should definitely be you!"

"Well, but I’m {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} sure the higher-ups won’t see it that way. I’m good at tackling gates, but I don’t know anything about running the association."

"Like I do?!"

"At least you know more than I do. You’ve got experience. If you don’t know something, you’ll study, right?"

Su-ho’s words were sincere.

Even in his past life, Jeong Cheol-min had suddenly become the association’s president, and despite the unexpectedness, he managed to run things well.

‘Humans are creatures of adaptation, and especially someone like Team Leader Cheol-min, with his sense of duty, will do fine even if it takes time to adjust.’

Su-ho had great trust in Jeong Cheol-min.

That’s why he was trying to get him into a higher position this time as well.

After hearing Su-ho’s words, Jeong Cheol-min wiped his face and continued.

"...But Su-ho, you might not understand the power dynamics in a corporate structure. Even if you want to push me, do you know how many people are left who can sit in the higher ranks? Especially within our association, there’s a whole truckload."

"Are you talking about the department heads and section chiefs? They’ll all be fired. The shock project tied to the redevelopment gate is much bigger than we thought, and many people are involved."

"Even so, how will you prove all that? If you just say Pi Seong-yeol ordered it, he’ll just get a slap on the wrist."

"That’s why I’ve prepared something."

Su-ho pulled out a bundle of papers from underneath the table and placed them on it.

"What’s this?"

"Just take a look."

Jeong Cheol-min began to read through the papers Su-ho handed over.

"...Is this for real?"

"Yes, this was secretly pushed forward by Pi Seong-yeol."

"Wow, these crazy bastards..."

The documents were about the Shock Project at the Apgujeong Future Apartments.

Jeong Cheol-min had a reaction similar to Jo Jin-hwi’s.

It made sense.

The Apgujeong Future Apartments were one of the most prestigious properties in the country, and no one could have imagined it would be used in such a way.

Su-ho continued.

"You could ignore the previous projects, but with this Future Apartments case still in progress, there’s no way to pretend you didn’t know. If you do, it will be seen as incompetence, and you'll be forced to step down."

"You really thought of everything..."

Jeong Cheol-min, still processing the situation, nodded slowly.

Then, Su-ho added, speaking about the future.

“It’s going to be a real reform.”

“It has to be. If we don’t remove the cancerous cells, they’ll just metastasize to somewhere else.”

"Right, I understand what you mean. So, what should I do now?"

"Level up."

"Level?"

"Yes, level up. The paperwork is already set up, so the tumors will be removed on their own. Then, we’ll need to place the most outstanding person from the remaining candidates in the higher positions. And to do that, you’ll need to have the best specs."

"That’s what leveling up is for?"

"No. What really counts is the results. But the results, I’ll help you achieve. We’re working on the Sealed Gate Project right now, and I’ll make sure to solve it by running around. Plus, I’ll create a few more projects, and all of them will be pushed under your name. So, all you need to do is raise your level."

Jeong Cheol-min tilted his head in confusion.

"I get the removal and the results, but why the level?"

"Do you want to be treated like Pi Seong-yeol?"

"What?"

"Everyone in the upper ranks was unawakened, but Pi Seong-yeol was the only awakened one. However, Pi Seong-yeol didn’t raise his level, so if you raise yours, it’ll show that you're different from him."

"Ah, but how am I supposed to raise my level now?"

"I knew you’d ask that, so I’ve prepared a good hunting ground. Why do you think I called you here this early in the morning?"

"What?"

"Until the association reform is complete, you’ll focus solely on leveling up, except for meal times."

Su-ho then began setting up his laptop.

There was no better place to quietly level up than the virus dungeon.

However, Jeong Cheol-min, still in disbelief, asked again:

"No... you’re joking, right?"

Su-ho ignored him and continued setting up.