Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 110

The condition of the room was better than expected.

Though it was a 4-star hotel, it had been lavishly funded, and this particular Royal Suite had been designed by Son Baek-geum to serve as both his office and residence.

However.

“It’s not as good as my place.”

“…….”

He was sincere.

This so-called 4-star Royal Suite wasn’t nearly as good as his safehouse located in the secure zone of Cheongdam-dong.

As Suho sat in the office chair, he spoke.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

“…….”

Son Baek-geum pulled over a chair nearby and sat.

As he approached, Suho spoke again.

“I hear you’ve been keeping a low profile these days?”

“……When was I ever causing trouble?”

“Does causing a commotion only mean loud talk? When you were peddling drugs with Kim Goong-won, you stirred up all kinds of noise. And now that Kim Goong-won’s been arrested, you’ve been laying low for a while.”

“……So why are you here?”

“Why did you refuse the money Vice President Park Gyu-min offered?”

Park Gyu-min.

At the mention of that name, Son Baek-geum finally grasped the situation.

“Shall I be honest?”

“Did you plan to lie to me?”

“Not at all… Sigh, fine. I rejected Vice President Park Gyu-min’s money because taking it back at this point would be meaningless.”

“Why is it meaningless?”

“Because Park Gyu-min is my only connection left. I’ve already done his bidding, but it seems he’s trying to cut me off. If I’m going down either way, I figured I’d drag at least one person with me.”

Those with nothing to lose were the most terrifying.

That was what made those living at rock bottom so frightening.

Suho spoke.

“Right. Even a cornered rat can bite a cat. So, what am I?”

“Sorry?”

“If you’re the rat, and Park Gyu-min is the cat, then what am I?”

“…….”

Son Baek-geum fell silent.

What was this supposed to mean?

Blinking, he asked cautiously.

“Didn’t Park Gyu-min send you?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“……Excuse me? Then, why are you here?”

“I came for personal business.”

“……?”

Things just got more confusing.

Suho asked again.

“Do you want to live?”

“……Sorry?”

“I’m asking if you want to live.”

A sudden threat.

At those words, Son Baek-geum’s eyes darted back and forth in panic.

What situation was this?

Asking if he wanted to live?

Was he really going to kill him here and now?

Naturally, that was all he could think of.

It wasn’t just anyone, but Sword God Ahn Suho, suddenly asking if he wanted to live.

Then, having made sense of the situation, Son Baek-geum leapt up from his seat, apologized briefly, and headed to the adjacent room.

A short while later, he returned with a luxury bag—a travel duffel bag, to be exact.

After placing the bag in front of Suho, he took a step back.

When Suho opened the bag, it was packed with cash.

Son Baek-geum took a step back, clasping his hands and bowing slightly, while Suho alternated his gaze between the bag and Son Baek-geum, before letting out a dry laugh.

“Haha, unbelievable. Hey.”

“……Yes?”

“Did I tell you to bring money?”

“Isn’t… isn’t this what you wanted?”

“This guy… What do you take me for…? Why can’t you follow a conversation? This won’t do; let’s fix that hearing.”

As Suho stood and approached, Son Baek-geum, startled, stumbled backward and plopped into a chair behind him.

Looking down at him, Suho spoke.

“Do you know the common mistake of those who think they’re clever? They overthink things and miss the simplest solutions. From now on, keep it simple. The pain you’re about to experience is the price for failing to do that.”

“Y-yes? W-what does that mean! W-wait!”

“It’s too late.”

Suho activated a skill.

The moment it was activated, blood vessels appeared all over Son Baek-geum’s body, and Suho pressed firmly into one of them with his index and middle fingers.

[ Acupoint Strike triggered. ]

The skill he used was Acupoint Strike.

Suho had activated it on him just then.

“Aaaargh!!”

A scream loud enough to shake the suite filled the room.

Hearing the scream, the henchmen waiting outside burst through the door, only for Suho to unleash another skill upon them.

[ Intimidation activated. ]

“Ghhhk!”

The moment Intimidation was activated, the gangsters who had rushed in all collapsed to the floor, foaming at the mouth and showing only the whites of their eyes.

Of course.

Suho’s Intimidation skill, originally rated A-rank, was currently at S-rank due to the Dragon Blood effect.

In other words, the pressure, which even robust monsters and hunters found hard to withstand, had been unleashed on mere gangsters.

And even with the restraint he exercised, they were still rendered unconscious; if Suho had used his full power, everyone here would’ve likely passed out.

Suho shifted his gaze back to Son Baek-geum.

He was suffering far more than those affected by Intimidation.

Of course.

The acupuncture points Suho pressed were among the most painful ones a human possessed.

After leaving Son Baek-geum in agony for over a minute, Suho finally pressed the points again, freeing him from the pain.

Son Baek-geum, trembling as if he might pass out at any moment, looked up as Suho bent down to meet his eye level.

“They say if you’re stupid, your body suffers. Don’t bother using your brain in front of me—just do as you’re told. Got it?”

“Y-yes, I understand.”

“Stand up.”

“Ugh….”

His body trembled like an aspen leaf.

Although the pain from the acupuncture points had subsided, the lingering pain remained.

But more terrifying than the pain was the fear he felt from Suho.

So he gritted his teeth and rose.

When he steadied himself, still shaking, Suho sat back down in his chair and spoke.

“You have the bribery ledger, right? The one you gave to Park Gyu-min.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Bring it. Oh, and by the way, not just the one you gave to Park Gyu-min. I want all the ledgers you distributed around, no matter where, whether to the Korean Hunter Association, the police, or the prosecutors.”

Ahn Suho had spoken.

A favor was distant, but pain was close.

It was a good saying.

Having tasted the agony of those acupuncture points, Son Baek-geum fetched the ledgers without any hesitation.

Suho skimmed through the ledgers and commented.

“You’ve spread around quite a bit, from the prosecutors to the police. You must have a lot of money, huh?”

“N-no, not really.”

“Not really? Even the wealthiest gangsters would find it tough to acquire a hotel like this.”

Suho trailed off, flipping through the ledgers slowly.

Then he came across some familiar names in the ledger.

‘Well, look at that.’

There were many familiar names in the ledger.

Very familiar ones, at that.

‘Sure enough, there’s a lot to be gained from those playing in Gangnam.’

He had anticipated it, but he hadn’t expected it to connect like this.

That’s why it was convenient when scoundrels got tangled up on the same line.

When you shake things up, they tend to spill similar dirt.

Suho closed the ledger and stored it in his inventory, then spoke.

“Mr. Son Baek-geum.”

“Y-yes?”

“Keep living quietly like you’ve been recently. I’ll spare you if you do.”

“…….”

Son Baek-geum hesitated to answer.

He knew very well what Suho’s words meant.

It meant to live low-key like he had been and not to resume his drug business as he had in the past.

Of course, even without the drug trade, the Baek-geum faction would continue to prosper.

Even though his main income source, Kim Goong-won’s drugs, had been cut off, he had already secured businesses that brought in steady revenue, like the Paymond Plaza he currently owned.

Suho continued.

“This isn’t just lip service. A dog may not stop seeking its excrement, but if you want to live, you’ll have to cut it out. Otherwise, you’ll see me again.”

“……Understood.”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Suho checked the date on his phone.

“Go overseas for about a week starting now.”

“O-overseas?”

“Think of it as taking a short break and leave for a week. Don’t look for a resort; just take the earliest available flight. And text me the return time and airport. Obviously, don’t tell anyone about what happened today. As far as anyone’s concerned, I wasn’t here, and you went abroad on a whim.”

“……Understood.”

“Just in case.”

Suho inspected Son Baek-geum’s body, pressing around his navel.

In response, the acupuncture point was activated, and Suho grinned.

“This is insurance.”

“I-insurance?”

“You won’t be able to perform any nightly activities for a while. I touched a certain point. So if you want to function as a man again, keep your promise. Then I’ll let you be a man again.”

“W-what?! Are you saying I’m now…?”

“Check for yourself later if you’re curious. Well, then. See you again.”

With a pat on Son Baek-geum’s shoulder, Suho left the room.

***

Having secured the bribery ledgers, Suho returned home.

Then, he ordered some items from an outside vendor and began sorting through the ledgers.

He separated them by police and prosecutors and grouped them further within those categories.

Once he finished organizing, Suho added specific names next to each group on his laptop and, only after completing all the preparations, called Seo Giwon.

“Giwon.”

“Yes, hyung-nim.”

“Dig up the personal info of the people listed here.”

“Yes, hyung-nim.”

He had countless people to meet in the coming week.

Thinking that, he was about to open the next document.

Buzzz—

His phone vibrated.

Seeing the caller, Suho answered brightly.

“Yes, Mr. Kim Geon.”

– Hello, Hunter. It’s Kim Geon. How have you been?

“Same as always. So, what’s up?”

– Oh, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve wrapped things up with the PC café and finished tidying up around here.

“Oh, really? Did Nexus get in touch?”

– Yes, they did. I decided to speak with you first before visiting them.

“Good call. Shall we meet briefly? The partner item I mentioned for you has also been finished.”

– That sounds great. Where should I go?

“I’ll come to you. That’ll be easier.”

– It’s a long way; thank you.

“Alright, see you soon.”

The timing was perfect.

It would take some time to gather the personal data anyway.

Suho immediately drove to Incheon.

“Hello?”

“Ah, you’re here!”

When he knocked, Kim Geon, in his wheelchair, welcomed him.

Seeing this, Suho chuckled.

“Did you stay in your original body just because I was coming?”

“Haha… I’m trying to get used to it, so unless I’m managing my brother’s body, I remain in this one.”

Suho shifted his gaze to Kim Geon, who was lying on a bed in the living room.

He didn’t ask how he was doing.

Such obvious consolation could sound like pity to some.

Instead, he spoke brightly, as he always did.

“That’s a great mindset. On that note, I brought what I promised earlier. Shall we use it now?”

Suho pulled out a crystal from his inventory.

The crystal Suho handed over.

It was none other than the Mystical Meta Suit for the Spirit Cavalry.