A dark-red lump of blood splattered from Ahn Suho's mouth.
His vision blurred, his breathing ragged.
His heart felt as though it were burning, and his internal organs twisted as if being wrung out one by one.
Yet despite all that, Suho stood upright, gripping a sword of which only the hilt remained.
It was a pitiful resistance.
No matter how much one was called the world's greatest Sword Saint, a Sword Saint without a sword was neither god nor anything else.
Moreover, the enemies standing before him were all S-rank Awakeners.
No—these were not merely ordinary S-rank players, but heroes renowned across the world, powerful figures… and, at the same time, the ones who knew Suho better than anyone else.
His comrades—no, his former comrades.
At Suho's wretched appearance, Alex Morgan, the world's strongest tanker, let out a mocking laugh.
"Your sword's broken and you're still putting on airs. I told you, you should've joined us from the start. This is why civil servants are so damn rigid."
Civil servant.
Surprisingly, that was Suho's official "occupation" in society.
Despite possessing strength acknowledged as the strongest not only in Korea but across the world, Suho had ultimately chosen the path of a public official rather than joining a private guild.
There was only one reason.
Having lost his entire family to a gate in the past, Suho truly wished for the complete eradication of gates from this world.
Then someone burst into shrill laughter.
"Exactly. No matter how much you're called a Sword Saint, if the vessel you were born with is only that much, this is how it ends up. I can't stand you suit-wearing types."
The woman laughing was named Suzuki Endo.
The world's strongest mage, also known as the Witch.
Archmage, Sage, Grand Magus—among her many titles, the reason she was called a witch was simple.
Her specialty was poison.
And if her ultimate technique, Ten Thousand Poisons, were used on a human?
Suho didn't want to know.
He especially didn't want to experience it with his own body.
The skin that had come into contact with the poison-coated arrowhead had already melted away, and the pain—like being sliced to pieces all over his body—continued without end.
Even so, the reason Suho could still stand was thanks to the immunity he had gained in the past by consuming the heart of Venom, a poison-type demon.
If not for that, my entire body would've melted long ago.
Of course, even the Witch's Ten Thousand Poisons was not completely incurable.
Though even an S-rank recovery potion known as the elixir—said to cure all ailments—could not heal it, there was exactly one person in this world who could.
Isabella, a saint-class healer with the power to cure all diseases and poisons.
That was why, without realizing it, Suho looked toward Isabella.
"Oh my, don't look at me like that. I agreed to this operation too—that's why I'm here."
At her words, Suho said nothing.
He hadn't expected anything to begin with.
If she had possessed even a shred of normal reasoning, she would've healed his wounds already.
But Isabella did not.
Just as she said, she had agreed to their proposal.
How hypocritical.
Spouting words like hope, love, and devotion every day, yet in the end blinded by greed and committing something like this.
Suho asked, his breath ragged,
"Don't you feel ashamed? How are you any different from the monsters?"
"At least we didn't massacre humanity."
The man who answered instead was Hex Hood.
A hero representing Britain, known as the Divine Archer.
With a regretful expression, he said,
"Suho, just say you'll join us—even now. I like you."
Like my ass.
If you liked me, would you shoot an arrow into my back?
If Hex hadn't participated in this operation, they never would've been able to drive Suho to this state.
After all, the arrows Hex fired assassinated their targets in complete silence—without sound, wind, or any hint of presence.
Suho quietly closed his eyes.
He was reaching his limit.
Damn it.
This time, he had thought he could finally clear all the gates known as calamities.
No—he had cleared one of the Five Great Calamities.
After all, Suho had been poisoned by Ten Thousand Poisons immediately after defeating one of them.
That was why he believed he could deal with the remaining gates and finally bring humanity the peace it deserved.
And yet, betrayal—now of all times.
The reason was absurd.
If peace came to the world, they claimed, there would be no place left for them.
Did that make any sense?
When he first heard the proposal, he laughed it off, thinking it was a joke.
Who could've imagined it was real?
He had been careless.
He should've prepared properly back then.
"Haah…"
But it was already too late.
The water had already been spilled.
Suho let out a long breath.
There wasn't much time left.
I know my body better than anyone.
The chances of surviving here are zero.
And so, he calmly regulated his breathing and took up his stance once more.
He layered serenity over his rage.
"All I can do now is take as many of those bastards with me as possible—for the sake of the remaining humanity."
He believed that this was the final duty he had to fulfill as a hero of mankind.
"…I have to succeed. No matter what."
Suho focused his mind.
His sword was broken.
There was no blade left.
His stamina had already reached its limit.
And yet, there was still one trump card he had never shown to anyone.
Originally, he had planned to reveal it only after it was fully perfected—but given the current situation, he had no other choice.
At that moment, an unbelievable pressure began to pour out from Suho.
"Ghk!"
"Don't panic! It's all just a bluff! I mean, he's the Sword Saint, right?"
Sensing danger, Alex immediately raised his shield, his brow furrowing, but Suzuki scoffed as if she weren't afraid at all.
Yeah.
Think that way.
Keep thinking that way—and be careless.
Suho slowly raised his arms.
In his hands was a sword hilt without a blade, and the two arms lifted high suddenly slashed downward in a swift motion.
In that instant—
Shhk!
A sharp cutting sound rang out.
At the same time, the Witch's head fell to the ground.
"Aaaaargh!!"
Both of Alex's arms—raised behind his shield—were severed.
But there shouldn't have been a blade.
It was a sight impossible to believe, even when seen with one's own eyes.
"W-What is this?!"
Startled, Isabella hurried to heal Alex.
But—
"Huh? Why? Why isn't it working?"
The healing didn't take effect.
It made no sense.
She was a healer who could even cure the Witch's Ten Thousand Poisons—so why?
Seeing that, Suho swallowed his ragged breath and curled his lips into a grin.
[ You have reached the realm of Sword and Self as One. ]
[ You have awakened the ultimate truth of the sword. ]
[ You have mastered the Formless Sword (SS). ]
[ Congratulations! You are the first to acquire an SS-rank skill. ]
[ The system acknowledges your achievement… ]
Notifications poured in.
Suho's eyes widened as he read them.
The body is the sword.
The sword is the body.
The realm of Sword and Self as One—the state all who pursue the blade yearn for.
At the same time, humanity's very first SS-rank skill.
That was it.
The trump card Suho had kept hidden.
The supreme realm known as the Mind Sword—or the Formless Sword.
The true domain of a Sword Saint, said to be able to cut even space itself once mastered.
So I finally achieved it.
Suho let out a bitter smile as he read the notifications.
He had reached the realm he had longed for so desperately.
And yet—of all times—it had to be now.
He felt regret.
And resentment.
He had succeeded in severing the Witch's head and cutting off Alex's arms, but beyond that, his strength would not allow him to go.
Suho staggered backward.
And just before falling into the endless abyss, he hurled a curse-like warning at them all.
I will never forget this day.
His allotted time had run out.
Suho threw himself off the cliff.
At the same time, the pain faded away, and his consciousness began to slip.
However, the system notifications continued unabated.
[ The system wishes to grant you an opportunity to grow even stronger, as the first to reach the realm of a Transcendent. ]
[ Rebooting the system of Player Ahn Suho. ]
The world turned black.
Am I dead?
But something was noisy.
Screams—and the sounds of things breaking.
Is this the afterlife?
Suho slowly opened his eyes to the noisy clamor.
Bright light streamed in through his half-opened vision, while a foul stench and piercing screams assaulted his senses all at once.
"Excuse me!"
That was when it happened.
Someone suddenly picked him up and started running at full speed.
The rough grip jolted Suho fully awake.
When he looked up, he found himself staring at a man—no, a firefighter.
Meeting Suho's gaze, the firefighter spoke quickly.
"You're awake! An unannounced gate has appeared. We had no choice but to move you—please understand!"
An unannounced gate?
Why here?
I'm sure I died.
Wondering if this was some kind of dream, Suho rapidly scanned his surroundings.
An overturned asphalt road. A streetlight bent nearly in half.
And crawling around beneath them—green monsters about a meter tall.
Goblins.
"Goblins?"
But that wasn't the only shocking thing.
Behind them stood a signboard.
One that should no longer exist.
Sindorim Station?
How was it still here?
This area should have been contaminated long ago due to a gate runaway.
At that moment, Suho remembered something.
The moment he himself had awakened as a player.
Don't tell me…?
Just then—
"Aaaagh!"
The firefighter screamed.
At the same time, he pitched forward and dropped Suho.
An arrow fired by a goblin had struck him.
The goblins burst into wide, tearing grins and began approaching the two of them.
"R-Run! Get out of here!!"
The firefighter, who had rolled on the ground, hurriedly stood up and pulled out a fire axe from his waist.
But his arm trembled violently due to the embedded arrow.
Seeing this, Suho rose without the slightest hesitation and snatched the axe from the firefighter's hand.
"Just borrowing this for a moment."
"H-Huh? What are you—!"
Before the firefighter could stop him, Suho hurled the axe, smashing the head of one of the approaching goblins.
Crunch!
Just as the goblin collapsed with its skull shattered—
[ Congratulations! The awakening conditions have been met! ]
[ Awakening as a player. ]
A notification window appeared before his eyes.
It was the player-exclusive system interface.
Seeing it, Suho let out a dry laugh without realizing it.
Everything was exactly the same as back then—not a single detail different from when he had first awakened long ago.
[ The system desires that you grow even stronger. ]
[ Please choose the power you wish to pursue. ]
[ Warrior ]
[ Mage ]
[ Archer ]
[ Healer ]
Another system prompt followed.
Right.
After awakening as a player, one always had to choose a class.
Naturally, Suho was about to choose Warrior.
That was what he had chosen in the past as well, walking the path of the swordsman.
But—
"Postpone the selection."
Suho did not choose immediately.
Instead, he picked up a metal rod lying nearby and faced the approaching goblins.
Seeing that, the firefighter cried out in alarm.
"W-What are you doing?! You need to run—right now!"
"Shh."
Suho raised a finger to his lips.
Run?
Why would I?
They're nothing more than trash mobs—mere goblins.
A sharp gleam flashed in Suho's eyes.
If this wasn't a dream, and he had truly returned to the past, there were many things he needed to confirm.
But before that—
I'll deal with them first.
Suho charged toward the enemies.
They said a master never blames his tools.
The same was true for Suho.
Having already reached the realm of Sword and Self as One, whatever he held became a sword the moment he thought of it as such.
That said, his body felt heavy compared to before.
He had awakened as a player, but he hadn't chosen a class yet, and his stats were far inferior to his former self.
But so what?
His opponent was just a goblin.
Complaining against goblins was nothing more than excuses.
At least, that was how Suho saw it.
Closing the distance in an instant, Suho raised the rod and brought it down in a vertical strike.
Slice!
A sharp cutting sound rang out.
He had swung nothing more than a blunt metal rod, yet a long gash opened across the goblin's face.
It was an attack that made use of the rod's sharp edge.
Then—
[ Your understanding of the vertical slash is exceptionally high. ]
[ The system has begun evaluating your talent. ]
[ Congratulations! You have acquired Vertical Slash (B). ]
A message announcing the acquisition of the Vertical Slash skill appeared.
Seeing it, Suho couldn't help but smile.
Return of the Sword Saint Civil Servant