Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 280
[You have defeated the Obsessed Chain Warden.]
[Gate Cleared.]
[Gate Clear MVP: An Su-ho.]
[Bonus EXP awarded for MVP status.]
[Bonus Stat awarded for MVP status.]
[You have leveled up.]
[All stats have increased by 1.]
[You have gained 1 Bonus Stat.]
Su-ho’s advance was relentless.
After clearing Gyeongdeok Palace, he immediately moved on to Kaeseong Station.
The gate’s progression wasn’t much different from other subway station gates.
Free the Iron Horse. Defeat the Chain Warden.
It could’ve become a repetitive routine, but after learning the blacksmith class, Su-ho actually began looking forward to these station conquests.
He harvested another Fragment of the Chain Warden’s Obsession.
[You have acquired: Fragment of the Chain Warden’s Obsession (A)]
Once again, only a single harvest point was available.
Didn’t matter.
Even getting just one piece was a success.
This time, he didn’t apply Precision Impact to refine the material.
Adding “very low chance” to “low chance” wouldn’t make much of a difference right now, and he knew it.
After finishing up, Su-ho invested the bonus stats—one in Strength and one in Magic—and refreshed his status window.
[An Su-ho]
“Hm.”
Level 187.
His leveling pace was undeniably fast.
At this rate, he’d hit two-star rank soon.
But to comfortably conquer what he considered the highlight gate of Kaeseong, he needed to hit level 190.
Why?
Because Crusaders unlocked that skill at 190.
‘I was hoping to leave it for the second wave... but I guess I can’t.’
He’d originally planned to leave some of Kaeseong’s gates—like Namdaemun, hotels, museums, schools—for others.
But the situation left him no choice.
‘Three. Just three more.’
Helping the second wave was great—but first and foremost, he needed to prioritize himself.
Having made up his mind, Su-ho stepped out of the portal and began clearing other gates.
*
[Gate Cleared.]
[Gate Clear MVP: An Su-ho.]
[Bonus EXP awarded for MVP status.]
[Bonus Stat awarded for MVP status.]
[You have leveled up.]
[All stats have increased by 1.]
[You have gained 1 Bonus Stat.]
How much time had passed?
The sun had set. Darkness had fallen.
By then, Su-ho had finished conquering all three gates.
And finally—
[You have reached Level 190.]
[The system desires even greater strength from you.]
[The system grants you power beyond your current limits.]
Su-ho had unlocked the Crusader’s sixth skill.
He checked the new skill’s details and grinned, satisfied.
‘Now I’m ready.’
He placed the new bonus stats into Strength and Magic, then exited the portal.
It was dark outside.
But—
[Due to the Original Vampire effect, you are unaffected by darkness.]
This skill didn’t only apply inside gates.
After all, an Awakened wasn’t limited to being Awakened inside gates.
Thanks to this, Su-ho could clearly see his next destination in the distance as if it were daylight.
‘Finally... it’s time.’
His gaze locked onto Manwoldae.
Now reduced to ruins, it had once been the royal palace of Goryeo—and it was the highlight of Kaeseong.
There would be no rest.
Once he was done there, he’d be finished with everything in Kaeseong.
He mounted Bulgasari and set out for Manwoldae.
The path was rugged, unpaved, and pitch-black, but that meant nothing to Bulgasari.
More annoying were the swarms of Agwi chasing him like moths to a flame.
[Colorless Solitude has been activated.]
It distorted vision, cloaking the user in stealth.
And it worked best against enemies with lower stats than the user.
This gate’s level requirement was 170.
But Su-ho was confident—no one in this palace had stats exceeding his.
That’s why he chose this skill over Mist Form.
He then used Windstep to begin navigating the interior at high speed.
Su-ho knew this gate well.
In his past life, Players had already conquered it during the Northern Campaign.
That’s why he dared to enter alone.
The Palace of the Moon had two quests.
The first: conquer the palace as an invader.
The second: a perspective shift, where the player defends the palace from invaders.
‘And when that second quest begins... I’ll be facing the forces I brought in during the first phase.’
In other words—the enemies in phase two would be exact copies of phase one’s participants.
Including himself.
Even worse: anyone who died during phase one would not be resurrected in phase two.
To make it more brutal—you had to escort the Princess of the Moon and escape to the end.
Ironically, clearing the gate required that very escape.
‘This is a gate designed for defeat. Which means there’s no need to go full army-mode with Battle Command or anything.’
That’s why Su-ho took the assassin route.
He didn’t need to storm the front and kill everyone.
‘Cut off the head, and the body will fall.’
And it wasn’t just for efficiency.
In his past life, Su-ho had never seen this gate.
He’d only heard tragic tales from survivors.
Which made him curious.
What would happen if a player won a gate designed for defeat?
Activating Magic Detection, Su-ho swept through the castle.
He encountered knights and mages—but if anyone sensed his presence, he eliminated them instantly.
After scouring the palace, he finally found them—deep within its heart:
The princess and queen.
But they weren’t alone.
“Impressive. You made it this far...”
They were guarded by the palace’s most loyal knight and court mage.
Where were the king and prince?
Out on the battlefield, fighting alongside the troops—noblesse oblige, they called it.
‘Anyway...’
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