Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 270

“...What the fuck...”

“Don’t tell me all three of them got eliminated?”

“They’re top ten rankers!”

Murmurs started rippling through the crowd.

Of course they did.

Those three had been the most anticipated candidates in this special recruitment exam.

And now all of them had failed.

And not just them—several other high-level players were unexpectedly dropping like flies.

The elimination rate was even higher than the first test.

One of the candidates who had been sitting blankly in the waiting area couldn’t hold back their frustration and finally spoke to Su-ho.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“Does this test also have separate criteria based on class?”

“No, this one’s just a mental endurance °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° test. The first physical test had different benchmarks because of variations in level and stats, but this time it’s purely about personal mental resilience, so everyone has the same standard. Meaning, even a non-Awakened person can pass as long as their mental fortitude is strong.”

“...Ha...”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Well, it’s just...”

The candidate looked like they wanted to complain about the unfairness of it all.

But recalling the responses to earlier complaints after the first test, they figured if their argument wasn’t solid, they’d only end up embarrassing themselves.

So they stayed silent.

They felt annoyed but had nothing to say.

Su-ho paused to consider.

Should he just ignore it since it wasn’t a formal protest?

No, he couldn’t do that.

This was a national special recruitment exam, not a privately run test. The candidates deserved a satisfactory explanation.

And this person had been polite—and Su-ho was acting in an official capacity.

And besides, even if they're just candidates now, after the test, they're still citizens of our country.

Su-ho nodded and spoke.

“You seem unconvinced. This is actually a more serious matter than it appears. Special Division agents often find themselves in far more dangerous situations than you might expect. And since this is a special recruitment, the evaluation is stricter by design.”

“Yes, I understand. But... I’m just saying, that’s all.”

“You still don’t look convinced. Would you like to experience one of those ‘special situations’ firsthand?”

“A special situation?”

“Special Division agents might have to take on high-level villains overseas or enter extremely difficult gates. One of the most critical skills then is being able to stay sane under psychological pressure... If you're okay with it, I can give you all a brief experience.”

Su-ho made sure to address everyone, not just the one person.

The candidate had been respectful, and this explanation needed to be shared with all.

At that moment, Na Hyeon-il raised his voice, almost like he’d been waiting for a moment like this.

“Sounds good to me. I’ve been through plenty of gates, but now I’m curious—just how ‘special’ are we talking that this test is this hard?”

Bae Do-hoon and Woo Seong-woo stepped forward too.

They were polite, but their attitude said: “Go ahead, try us.”

Su-ho didn’t mind.

They might be equivalent to 2-star players, but that didn’t matter much to him.

Let’s use this to show them just how powerful mental strength really is.

Su-ho quietly activated a skill.

[Blessing is activated.]

First came Blessing.

An S-rank blessing that doubled his stats.

Then—

[Overwhelm is activated.]

He activated Overwhelm against the candidates.

The moment the skill triggered—

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

The candidates, who had been tense, suddenly widened their eyes in shock.

“Ku-Kuhhh!”

“Ughhh...!”

“U... Uh...!”

“Th-This is insane...!!”

Groans burst from people’s mouths.

It was completely overwhelming.

Of course it was.

Overwhelm was a skill affected by the user’s stats, and Su-ho’s stats were at the peak of human capability.

Not to mention, thanks to his Dragonblood skill, the Overwhelm was now maxed out in class.

So to the average player, it was essentially Dragon Fear—comparable to what you’d feel facing a boss monster.

Was that why?

One candidate, possibly suffering from respiratory distress, started to sink lower to the ground.

It was the same candidate who had originally complained.

Su-ho glanced over at Na Hyeon-il, Bae Do-hoon, and Woo Seong-woo.

He was curious how Korea’s top rankers would fare.

But—

“Shit...”

“...Hah...”

“...Huuu...”

They didn’t seem much different than the others.

Sure, their levels were high, but none of them had any immunity skills against mental debuffs.

Then again, mental immunity skills were practically mythical.

Even in his previous life, Su-ho had only encountered a handful of players with such abilities.

After maintaining the pressure for a while, Su-ho deactivated the skill.

“Huff...!”

“Haa, haa, haa...”

“Whooo...”

Only then did people finally gasp for breath, exhaling like they’d just resurfaced from deep underwater.

Su-ho scanned the group and spoke.

“You’ll often find yourselves in high-stress environments like this. Maybe not constantly, but certainly more than a civilian ever would. That’s why this mental endurance test matters. If anyone still isn’t convinced, feel free to speak up.”

“N-No... that was enough...”

“We get it...”

“Goddamn...”

Good.

It looked like there wouldn’t be any more complaints.

Su-ho smiled.

“Well then, we’ll continue with the rest of the tests. If you haven’t been tested yet, I’ll help you recover first.”

It was only fair.

Su-ho healed the remaining untested candidates using Heal and Recovery, then resumed the exam.

And then—

[You use the Ring of Joy and Sorrow.]

[You apply “Black” stored in the ring to the target.]

“Ahhh!”

Once again, groans echoed across the room.

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