Chapter 153
Could it be that my eyes were mistaken?
Ahn Suho rubbed his eyes, thinking he might have misseen, but he was indeed covered in blood and wounds.
“Team Leader Ahn!!”
A startled Jo Jin-hwi rushed over.
The other soldiers, stunned by Suho’s unusual injuries, just stood there, mouths agape.
Jo Jin-hwi, visibly shocked, spoke up.
“All, all, all this blood… What happened? Are you okay?”
“Oh, yes, I’m fine. But first, you should take some pictures.”
“Pictures?”
“For a feature article.”
“A feature? …Ah!”
Only then did Jo Jin-hwi’s brain catch up, piecing together the situation.
Smiling, Jo Jin-hwi lifted his camera.
“All right, let’s get right to shooting.”
The shutter clicked away, accompanied by flashes from the camera.
The soldiers watched quietly, unsure of what was happening.
In the meantime, Jo Jin-hwi continued snapping photos, while Suho acted as fatigued as possible.
Finally, when Jo Jin-hwi gave an OK sign, Suho retrieved the magic stone from the Colossal Giant Mimic from his inventory and showed it.
“This is a magic stone extracted from the Colossal Giant Mimic, the lord of the Dark Canyon.”
“Wow? Then it’s at least one-star grade, right?”
“That’s correct. It’s also a trophy that must be returned to the government.”
“Ah! Got it! Confirmed government-returnable trophy!”
Excited by the mention of a government-returnable trophy, Jo Jin-hwi eagerly took more photos.
As a journalist preparing a feature, he knew better than anyone what this meant.
After finishing the magic stone photos, Suho took out a heap of swords from his inventory.
Among the swords, not a single one was intact.
They were all chipped, nicked, or even broken in half.
Signs of a fierce battle.
Anyone could tell they’d been used in combat.
And there were so many of them.
Even a rough count showed over forty swords.
Jo Jin-hwi asked.
“Team Leader Ahn, what are these?”
“They’re the swords I used to clear the Gate. Forty-two in total. The boss monster was a Colossal Giant Mimic, and I had a hard time fighting it in a steel barricade instead of a chest.”
“Ah, so that’s why all the swords are in this condition?”
“Yes, thanks to that, this Gate clearance is going to be a massive financial loss. Even cheap swords for clearing a one-star Gate aren’t exactly inexpensive. Although I could sell the magic stone… As you know, I don’t own the Gate loot, right?”
Hearing Suho’s calm explanation, Jo Jin-hwi pursed his lips.
He had thought he had prepared plenty of material for the feature article, but this… A Hunter civil servant, not just any civil servant but the Sword God himself, delivering a performance like this would surely cause a huge stir.
After photographing the broken swords repeatedly, Jo Jin-hwi smirked and said.
“I can picture it now. First, we’ll grab everyone’s attention with a photo of Team Leader Ahn injured, then announce the Sword God’s Gate-sealing mission and mention the deficit from the trophy and clearing costs. It’ll really make waves.”
“Then, may I upload the injured photo myself?”
“You, Team Leader Ahn?”
“I’ve got an idea. You can time the photo at the portal for when it’s most effective.”
“Oh? I’m really curious to see what you have in mind. So, we’ll time the first photo like that. By the way, could you keep these swords safe for me, Team Leader Ahn? I’d love to take them, but as you know, I’m an unawakened civilian, so I don’t have an inventory.”
“Of course. I’ll pack them up and send them to the studio.”
“Hehe, as expected of you, Team Leader Ahn.”
After the shoot, Suho approached the soldiers who had been blankly observing from afar.
He then gave a slight nod to Major Kim Seong-ho and said.
“The Gate is fully cleared, so you may start the withdrawal process.”
“Ah, yes! But are you all right? You seem to be in quite bad shape.”
“Oh, this?”
In response to Kim Seong-ho’s question, Suho used a healing spell on his injured left arm.
The wound healed instantly, and Suho wiped away the blood crust, showing the now pristine skin.
“I can heal myself, so I’m fine. Good luck.”
“Oh…”
Kim Seong-ho, taken aback by Suho’s cool demeanor, momentarily lost his words.
But if Suho could self-heal, what else was there to say?
After getting into his car, Suho called Jung Chulmin.
– Hey, Suho.
“I’ve just cleared the Dark Canyon Gate.”
– Really?! Are you hurt anywhere?
“I’ve got a few wounds, but I can heal them myself, so I’m fine. By the way, I was thinking of heading back today to write the report… Would you be open to a quick meeting about this?”
– A meeting? You just cleared a Gate, and now you want a meeting? Do it tomorrow; just get some rest at home!
“No, I can rest while I’m in the car. I’ll be there soon, so I’ll see you then.”
– Ha, I must be crazy… All right, see you later!
What boss would refuse when a competent subordinate wanted to talk shop?
Of course, an incompetent or foolish boss might have refused, but Jung Chulmin was neither.
Vroom!
Suho’s car headed toward the Korean Hunter Association.
***
At the entrance of the Korean Hunter Association.
Suho deliberately parked in the outdoor lot.
Ordinarily, he would have used the underground staff parking lot to avoid people, but today he had a different purpose.
Sure enough, a few people who recognized Suho’s car began to gather around it.
Among them was a reporter.
Knowing the cars of popular figures was a basic requirement for a journalist.
And this was a rare moment.
Usually, seeing Suho was difficult, but here he was, stepping out of his car in a striking pose.
‘Hehe, just getting a picture of Ahn Suho is a surefire way to boost views. I’ll make the most of this…!’
But the moment the reporter raised his camera, his eyes widened in surprise.
“Huh, huh?”
For a moment, he thought he was mistaken.
Understandably so—Ahn Suho, the Sword God, was covered in blood and wounds, his clothes torn to shreds.
Others reacted similarly.
They recognized Suho, but his injured state, which they had never seen before, left them speechless and shocked.
“Th-the Sword God?”
“The Sword God?!”
“What happened to Ahn Suho?!”
The exclamations burst out a beat later.
Only then did the reporter regain his composure and start snapping photos.
Click! Click! Click!
People gathered.
Reporters who got the news late joined the crowd.
The camera flashes went off in succession, and people’s shocked exclamations continued.
They all had the same reaction.
Shock, then concern.
But more than anything, curiosity.
How had Ahn Suho, the Sword God, ended up like this?
And that curiosity soon spread to the world, thanks to the reporter who had taken the first photos.
– [Breaking] The Sword God Ahn Suho appears at the Korean Hunter Association severely injured…
No need for a sensational headline.
Just using the name “Ahn Suho, the Sword God,” along with the word “severely injured,” guaranteed a flood of views.
And as expected, the public’s reaction exploded.
– What? No way?
– Sword God got hurt?
– Why is he in such bad shape?
– But why go to work in that condition?
– WTH?
Meanwhile, Suho casually parked, got out, and walked toward the Korean Hunter Association at an unhurried pace, different from usual.
Some of the people taking photos bombarded him with questions out of curiosity, but Suho merely gave polite yet regretful responses each time.
“I’m sorry. I can’t disclose any details yet.”
Continuing to deflect with apologies, he finally got a direct question from someone who couldn’t hold back.
“Mr. Suho! Then, just tell us this! Were these wounds from a Gate?”
But even to this, Suho only gave a dry laugh and entered the Korean Hunter Association without a word.
The interest didn’t end there.
Since civilians couldn’t enter the Association, no reporters followed him inside, but soon, even the Association employees started to react with surprise.
However, unlike the outside crowd, they didn’t swarm him with questions.
Suho naturally scanned his entry card and headed to the Gate floor.
Finally, when he met Jung Chulmin, the man nearly had his eyes pop out.
“Y-you, you, you, what happened? Why are you like this?”
“Let’s go to the meeting room first.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?!”
“Yes, I’m fine. But let’s go to the meeting room…”
Calmly, Suho led him to the meeting room.
Jung Chulmin’s heart pounded like it was going to burst, but as soon as he entered, he drew the curtains and locked the door.
Then, with a trembling voice, he asked.
“W-what happened? Why are you like this? Did you get hurt while clearing the Gate?”
“I did get injured in the Gate, but it’s not serious.”
“Not serious? How can you say that with injuries like these?!”
“Really, it’s nothing. Want to see?”
Suho, in response to Jung Chulmin’s panic, healed himself.
Scraping off the dried blood revealed smooth, unblemished skin.
“…Huh?”
“I’m a healer. Did you forget?”
“Oh? Ah? Oh, I see…!”
Finally registering Suho’s words, Jung Chulmin nodded.
“Right, you’re a healer… But never mind, what happened exactly?”
“I put on a bit of a show.”
“A show?”
Suho explained the upcoming feature article to Jung Chulmin.
He shared that he had intentionally injured himself and prepared broken swords for the story.
Finally, he pulled out the magic stone from the Colossal Giant Mimic and said.
“I’ve already got this covered in photos. Once the article’s out, just distributing it alone will keep the Hunter civil servant force funded. But why is the government draining its Hunters dry?”
“You… Wow… Hah, unbelievable…”
Seeing Suho calmly laying out his plan, Jung Chulmin could only respond with a laugh.
Ultimately, his reaction came down to one conclusion.
“You’re absolutely insane…”
Suho smirked.
“If someone doesn’t raise hell, there won’t be any changes to the system. I’ll carry the burden for that.”
“Why do it alone? Let’s share the burden.”
“Carrying it alone is how it’s done. By the way…”
Suho checked the time and spoke.
“Since it’s come up, how about a team dinner tonight?”
“A dinner?”
“Yes, Assistant Inspector Lee Wonan from the investigation team and others seem eager to have one soon.”
“…I appreciate the thought, but if we have a relaxed dinner after all the fuss we stirred up, wouldn’t we get criticized?”
“Criticized? By whom?”
“…Us?”
“Ha, no one would dare. People will pity us, not criticize. But just in case, we should have the dinner at my place. It’s quite private.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am. Speaking of which, I’ll submit the magic stone first. If nothing else, sending this to the government’s coffers will definitely stir up some backlash. After that, can I write the report at home after cleaning up? Everyone will need time to get there anyway.”
“You’re truly nuts. Do as you like.”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll be on my way then.”
Suho saluted with a smile and rose from his seat.