Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 304

It was only natural that they were dumbfounded.

Volunteer work?

They had come all the way to Korea to negotiate non-permanent member status.

Finn asked,

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I am. Completely serious."

"What do you..."

"I'm not joking. If you're here to talk about Korea becoming a non-permanent member because of me, then that means you just want me as a resource, doesn’t it? So why blow things out of proportion for just one person? I don’t like complicated processes either. If we share the goal of world peace, then I’m more than willing to help under the label of volunteerism. Like I said earlier—I’m not interested in money. Unless..."

Su-ho narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You’re not calculating something other than needing my help for world peace, are you?"

"......"

"......"

"......"

Everyone sat in silence, exchanging glances.

Because they all knew Su-ho was telling the truth.

Su-ho smiled.

"I'm going to step out to the restroom for a bit."

With that, he got up and exited.

They all knew Su-ho was giving them space—deliberately.

And so, they quickly began discussing among themselves.

"Captain, what should we do?"

"We'll have to report it to HQ. But honestly, his proposal isn’t necessarily a bad one. Like he said, if he really does help as a volunteer, we can utilize him without escalating things."

"But the gates that require Peace Corps deployment aren’t ordinary ones. Will he really help us?"

"That’s..."

Finn couldn’t answer Sein’s question.

Because he wasn’t sure.

That uncertainty was exactly why they wanted to make Korea a non-permanent member.

But Su-ho clearly didn’t want that for his country.

And this was no small matter.

A capable player clearing gates was the greatest contribution anyone could make to humanity.

"I’ll make a call."

Finn got up and stepped into a quiet corner of the restaurant.

After making a call, he returned.

By then, Su-ho was already back.

Su-ho smiled at him.

"Have you finished discussions with HQ?"

"...Ha, I can’t keep up with you. Yes, we talked. But Mr. Su-ho, while everything sounds great, there’s one thing we’re concerned about."

"You’re worried I won’t help with the important gates when the time comes?"

"...Yes, that’s exactly it."

"Does that concern really mean much?"

"What do you mean?"

"Let’s be honest—aren’t there people in the Peace Corps who quit outright just to avoid going into certain gates? Which means, in reality, the deployment rate into Peace Corps-level gates isn’t very high."

"That’s..."

True.

No matter the circumstances, unless someone’s family was being held hostage, overcoming the fear of death wasn’t easy.

Why else would deserters exist?

But it wasn’t a convincing enough argument—at least, not to them.

So Su-ho continued.

"You’ve already done a full background check on me before coming, haven’t you?"

"Yes, we have."

"Then you must also know how many sealed gates I’ve cleared by myself?"

"Yes, more or less."

"Then do I need to explain further? You know what a sealed gate is. It’s a gate that was forcibly sealed off because too many people died trying to clear it. The portals are locked down by Squares. And those Squares are standardized by international treaty. I entered those gates alone. Most of the sealed gates in Korea, in fact."

Su-ho looked each person in the eye before continuing.

"I’m not afraid of death. To end the gates, someone has to go in. I’ll be that someone. If there’s no volunteer, I’ll go in alone. Actually, I prefer it that way. I’ve always worked like that. Of course, I don’t want compensation. But to clear the next gate, I’ll need to keep what drops from the ones I do clear. That’s my nourishment for growth. That’s all I want. You’re not planning to confiscate the loot just because I’m volunteering... right?"

"......"

Finn fell silent again.

Then, after a moment, he quietly spoke.

"Understood. Mr. Su-ho, your position is clear. However... even if it’s under the pretense of volunteering, I doubt the Korean government will allow it so easily. As you know, you’re a high-value national asset."

"I understand. I’m officially state-affiliated, so it wouldn’t look good if I acted purely on personal whim. But don’t worry too much. If the government is considerate, I’ll reciprocate that. But if they try to drag me around for no good reason, I won’t hesitate to act on my own terms."

"Impressive. I heard the hierarchy in Korea is far stricter than in the U.S."

"I may be a national Hunter, but I don’t serve people or ranks. I work for the nation and the people."

"Good words. I understand your position, Mr. Su-ho. We’ll take it seriously and conduct an internal review. Do you have a direct contact number?"

"Of course."

Su-ho handed over a secret business card with his private number.

"This has my direct line. Please keep it secure."

"Understood. You have nothing to worry about on that front."

"So, are you heading back now?"

"I should at least show my face since we’re visiting."

"Then... would you mind leaving me out of tomorrow’s meeting?"

"Leave you out?"

"I mean... we’ve already discussed everything important. What’s the point of me attending? I’d rather use that time to get some work done. As I mentioned earlier, I just came back from the North."

"Haha. I understand exactly what you mean. Is that the only favor?"

"Yes, just that. But please explain it well. I heard someone insisted I attend."

"Alright. We’ll handle that in advance."

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