Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 221

Su-ho used the Gi Seung-hwan right away.

[ You have consumed Gi Seung-hwan. ]

[ Absorbing all the skill experience contained within Gi Seung-hwan. ]

[ Please select the skill you wish to enhance. ]

A list of skills appeared in front of his eyes.

From the many available options, Su-ho selected Mana Detection.

And then he kept taking more.

[ The skill experience from Gi Seung-hwan is being absorbed into Mana Detection. ]

[ Absorption complete. ]

[ The skill experience from Gi Seung-hwan is being absorbed into Mana Detection. ]

[ Absorption complete. ]

[ The skill experience from Gi Seung-hwan is being absorbed into Mana Detection. ]

[ Absorption complete. ]

......

Currently, Mana Detection was at A-rank.

Naturally, the goal was to reach S-rank.

And after consuming a few more Gi Seung-hwans—

[ Your understanding of Mana Detection has greatly increased. ]

[ The system is reassessing your innate talent. ]

[ Congratulations! The rank of your advanced skill has been adjusted to S-rank. ]

[ Mana Detection information has been updated with an additional effect. ]

At last, Mana Detection was upgraded to S-rank.

Su-ho immediately checked the skill’s updated info.

[ Mana Detection ]

– Rank: S

Detect external mana using enhanced senses.

The density and range of detectable mana vary depending on skill rank.

At the highest rank, Mana Detection distinguishes finer and broader mana wavelengths through a significantly heightened sensory perception.

Su-ho smiled after reading the skill description.

Just one additional line—but no one understood the power of that line better than he did.

He activated Mana Detection again.

A blue aura coated his eyes, and a world unlike anything he’d seen before unfolded before him.

Previously, he could only see the outer layer of things like Volcanic Bats and Volcanites, but now their interiors were visible.

Specifically, he could now see each entity’s mana emission point and the flow of mana within their bodies.

Seeing the mana emission point.

That was an incredibly important development.

Unless they were born with regenerative physical traits like trolls, most regenerating monsters healed themselves through mana.

In other words, destroy the mana emission point—and they couldn’t regenerate anymore.

Su-ho picked up his Blood Sword again.

Then swung at the Volcanite in front of him.

[ Iron Slash activates. ]

Slash!

The Volcanite’s mana emission point was around the solar plexus.

So he cut through the solar plexus.

The creature’s body split diagonally from the shoulder, collapsing to both sides before disintegrating into the ground.

[ You have defeated an Ashen Volcanite. ]

Striking the emission point killed it in a single blow.

However—

Whoosh!

The Blood Sword still caught fire.

“Hmm.”

Su-ho stared at the flaming blade for a moment.

So that part was unavoidable, huh?

After a brief thought, he unsummoned the flaming sword and conjured a new Blood Sword.

Then slashed at the next creature.

[ Cross Slash activates. ]

Slash!

The sword technique he used was Cross Slash.

And as soon as he checked the Blood Sword after the strike, the corners of his mouth curled up.

Because this time—no flames.

‘Right. The key is not touching it at all.’

Cross Slash was a sword technique that cuts the inside, not the surface, of the target.

Back in the pre-Cataclysm era, such a technique would've been completely impossible—but in the post-Cataclysm world, these surreal sword skills had become real.

After all, any unusual sword techniques beyond basic slashing and stabbing were manifestations of awakened abilities.

Thanks to that, one of the trickiest problems was solved, and Su-ho began swinging his sword without restraint.

[ You have defeated an Ashen Volcanite. ]

[ You have defeated an Ashen Volcanite. ]

[ You have defeated an Ashen Volcanite. ]

[ You have defeated an Ashen Volcanite. ]

......

It was all smooth.

Regenerating Volcanites were taken out in one hit by targeting their mana emission points, and Cross Slash kept the blade from catching fire, meaning no blood loss either.

While he was at it, he used Cloud Slash to take out the Volcanic Bats as well.

Of course, the bats kept reappearing from who-knows-where every time he killed one, but since EXP was still EXP, he kept cutting them down as they came.

And so, he slowly advanced forward.

‘This isn’t too bad.’

The heat was the biggest issue in volcanic Gates.

That’s why fireproof gear was important—but since he had focused exclusively on heat resistance during preparation, environmental factors weren’t much of an issue.

That’s when—

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—

The mountain began to shake.

Su-ho stopped walking and looked around.

“Pwuoooooo!”

A cry rang out from somewhere.

It sounded eerily like an elephant’s trumpet.

And as the cry ended—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Loud bangs echoed one after another.

What the hell?

Did the volcano erupt?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

It didn’t take long to realize the source of the explosions.

Whoooosh!

At the sound of rushing wind, Su-ho looked up.

And saw meteors raining down toward him.

It wasn’t a mistake.

As if someone had taken aim, the meteors were falling directly at his position.

“Shit.”

Su-ho started running.

He wanted to slash them apart—but doing that would just light his sword on fire again.

So instead of destroying them, he chose to dodge.

After all, meteors couldn’t be neutralized with Cross Slash.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ground exploded with each meteor crashing behind him.

They weren’t small, either.

Each was at least 150 centimeters wide—and they were falling uncomfortably close to him, as if equipped with homing features.

All Su-ho could do was keep sprinting until they stopped.

Sssssss!

“Dammit!”

He misstepped and landed on hardened lava.

He lifted his foot the moment he felt it, but it was already too late—his shoe took some ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) damage.

Even with fire resistance, those shoes only resisted heat—not physical wear and tear.

‘This is why I was moving slowly in the first place...’

That wasn’t the only problem.

Bubble bubble... POP! POP!

Flap flap!

Volcanites began emerging all around.

Even more Volcanic Bats were swarming in.

It was a total disaster.

Su-ho wanted to take them all out one by one, but Cross Slash required a moment of focus—he couldn’t just swing wildly.

Just then, the meteor storm finally stopped.

‘Is it over?’

Nope.

“Pwuoooooo!!”

You’ve got to be kidding.

Who the hell keeps screaming that “Pwuoooooo” crap?

Su-ho activated Mana Detection and scanned the area thoroughly.

It seemed like those meteors were coming from whatever was making that awful noise. If he wanted any kind of stable route forward, he’d have to deal with that thing first.

After stepping over a few more patches of hardened lava and climbing higher, he finally detected an abnormally powerful mana signal.

‘There you are.’

Following the mana trail brought him to a crater, deeply sunken into the mountainside—almost as deep as Baekrokdam.

At the center sat a statue with a volcano-shaped head.

Well, it was hard to say whether it was sitting or buried halfway into the ground.

What was certain was—

“PWUOOOOOOOO!!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

That thing was definitely the source of the meteor barrage.

Amazingly, after releasing a loud bellow, the creature began launching meteors from its volcano-shaped head.

The meteors shot straight up into the sky, then curved unnaturally—falling directly toward Su-ho.

‘So that bastard’s the cause.’

As Su-ho closed the distance, trying to dodge the meteors, a name tag finally appeared above the creature’s head.

– Volcairam Lv.187

Volcairam.

That was its name.

Judging by the deeper color of the name tag, it was a mid-boss.

‘Yeah, if it’s got that kind of mechanic, it better be a mid-boss.’

Meteors rained down from above.

Su-ho sprinted toward Volcairam.

If the projectiles were homing and the launcher was stationary, the solution was simple.

Lure the missiles into hitting the launcher.

But it seemed Volcairam was smart enough to know that trick.

As soon as Su-ho entered its territory, it began furiously summoning Ashen Volcanites around itself.

‘Of course. No way it would let me waltz up that easily.’

Su-ho immediately activated his self-buffs.

[ Blessing activates. ]

[ Holy Enchant activates. ]

Then he swung his sword.

[ Cloud Slash activates. ]

Slice!

With Mana Detection, he could pinpoint the Volcanites’ cores precisely.

And with one clean Cloud Slash, he cut them down.

In a situation like this, conserving blood wasn’t even a thought.

As the saying goes—“Hesitate, and you're screwed.”

He needed to douse the immediate flames first.

The Volcanites began disintegrating into ash.

Su-ho used that opening to close the gap with Volcairam.

But just as he got close—

[ Volcairam summons an Iron Wall. ]

RUMMMMMMBLE!

Steel barriers erupted from the ground around Volcairam like a blooming flower.

“Shit!”

They rose fast—like a boxer’s uppercut.

He nearly slammed right into them.

Su-ho managed to brake in time, stepping off one of the rising walls to leap back.

But that was bad.

He had closed the distance hoping to bait the meteor into hitting Volcairam—but the iron wall threw off his timing.

He missed his chance to dodge.

SSSSHHHHH!!

A critical moment.

And then—

BOOOOM!!

A meteor slammed into Su-ho.

He didn’t make it out of the blast zone in time.

“Pbwubwubwubwu~”

Volcairam let out a smug, trumpet-like laugh.

It was sure it had won.

The meteor finally split apart—

But.

“...?”

Su-ho wasn’t there.

The challenger who should’ve been crushed beneath the meteor was nowhere in sight.

Volcairam and the Volcanic Bats hurriedly scanned the surroundings.

But Su-ho was gone.

Naturally so.

Because—

[ Entering Subspace House. ]

Moments before the impact, Su-ho had successfully entered his Subspace House.

Now lying on the floor inside, he caught his breath.

“Haah... I seriously thought I was gonna die.”

With no prior data, he hadn’t expected this kind of attack pattern.

And for a monster that wasn’t even from a two-star Gate to have such layered defense mechanisms...

Still, thanks to that, he now fully understood Volcairam’s attack routine.

As he opened the exit portal and kept an eye on the enemy, he muttered,

“Looks like that iron wall even shields it from falling meteors...”

Should he try targeting its mana flow using the Sigil of Pain, like he did with Silphian?

But that only worked on regenerating monsters.

‘If I can just deal with that iron...’

Just then, a good idea struck him.

“Bulgasari.”

“Bulbul!”

At Su-ho’s call, Bulgasari popped out.

He immediately checked its info.

[ Bulgasari ]

– Lv. 100

– Traits

└ <Evolution▲> <Dominion Orb> <Phantom Beast Type> <Dominion Type>

– Skills

└ <Fear> <Iron Color> <Steel Devour> <Steel Spit> <Storage> <Ultra Recovery> <Ultra Enhancement> <Ultra Spin> <Fire Resistance> <Earth Affinity>

Among Bulgasari’s many skills was one that stood out clearly—Steel Devour.

Seeing that, Su-ho couldn’t help but grin.