Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 145

In truth, it wasn’t a bad proposal for Yoon Hyunchul.

Since he was already a condemned prisoner, there wasn’t any lower he could fall, even if Suho caused trouble in Cheongok.

‘In a country without the death penalty, a life sentence is the harshest punishment for a death row inmate.’

Suho expressed his gratitude for Yoon Hyunchul’s decisive choice.

“Thank you for the firm decision.”

“It’s nothing. So, when do you plan to begin?”

“I’ll start as soon as I finish the meeting outside. Actually, I think I need to start some work right away.”

“The face-changing process you mentioned earlier?”

“Yes, that process.”

When Yoon Hyunchul nodded, Suho immediately began his work.

The first step was altering his appearance using the Reverse Utilization Technique.

When he activated the skill, his characteristic intimidating face softened, transforming into a more gentle, approachable look.

Seeing this, Yoon Hyun-hee chuckled.

“This face looks a lot better, oppa.”

“…What’s better about it?”

Even as he said this, Yoon Hyunchul smiled.

Perhaps because it had been a while since he’d met his sister, he felt some of the heavy emotions that had weighed on him begin to lift.

Suho then took out a skin item that made the wrist shackles resemble a wristwatch, making him look like a completely different person.

He had acquired all of these items through Choi Yoon.

“This should be enough for basic preparations. Now, I need to get ready too, so I’ll step out for a moment. The two of you can chat freely. We’ve rented the entire place, so you don’t need to worry about privacy.”

After exchanging farewells, Suho stepped outside the cafe.

‘I’d better hurry and prepare.’

Suho looked around the vicinity of the cafe.

Though it looked like a regular, empty street, surprisingly, it wasn’t located outside the prison.

This place was, in fact, inside Suho’s Subspace House.

Suho nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the surrounding environment, set up to resemble a real street.

‘Those technicians are really something else.’

When Suho had visited Daejeon Station, he had requested Choi Yoon to hire some construction experts.

Specifically, people who could build structures quickly using skills and traits.

That way, the two wouldn’t suspect this was inside the Subspace House.

Suho never revealed the existence of his Subspace House to even his closest acquaintances.

The Subspace House was one of the hidden cards Suho could use to his advantage.

So, though it was troublesome, he had set this whole arrangement up.

After pretending to leave the cafe, Suho exited the Subspace House and returned to the visitation room.

The empty visitation room.

With a wave of his hand, Suho activated a skill.

[Army Art is activated.]

The skill activated was Army Art.

Suho recalled the details of the Army Art skill.

[Army Art]

– Rank: A

# Consumes mana to summon clone soldiers identical in appearance and actions to the user.

# Clone soldiers have a basic intelligence level and possess the strength Suho imparts to them.

# Allows movement swapping with a clone soldier at the cost of mana. The mana consumption increases with distance.

Army Art, a skill once held by the Crusader.

This time, Suho had acquired it.

When Suho activated Army Art, a clone soldier, identical to Suho, appeared.

“Handsome.”

After examining his first clone for a moment, Suho began transforming it into Yoon Hyunchul, just as he had done before.

The disguise was flawless.

He had come well-prepared with enough disguise items for this scenario.

Suho then removed his own disguise as Yoon Hyunchul and mentally relayed instructions to his clone soldier.

Then he called in Hwang Sae-don.

“The visitation is over. Send the prisoners back, and I’ll be heading out.”

“Understood. I’ll escort you to the entrance.”

As Suho stood up, the guards led Yoon Hyunchul away to the detention area, and Suho leisurely left Cheongok with Hwang Sae-don’s escort.

After exiting Cheongok, Suho drove away from the prison to a secluded area with a nice view of the river.

Upon reaching a suitable spot, he re-entered the Subspace House and returned to the cafe.

“Haha, really?”

“Yes! I was crying so hard back then!”

As he approached the far end of the room where the two were, he could hear their warm and lively conversation.

They seemed to be enjoying their time together.

Suho said with a smile.

“Thank you for waiting. I’m ready now. Shall we move?”

“Ah, sure.”

The two had hardly touched their coffee.

They must have had plenty of stories to catch up on.

Suho handed each of them a blindfold.

Seeing this, Yoon Hyun-hee asked.

“Do we have to wear these again?”

“Yes, it’s a bit of a hassle, but please bear with it for a moment.”

“Alright.”

Without hesitation, the two put on the blindfolds.

Suho took their hands, created an exit from the Subspace House, and led them outside.

Once they were out, Suho let go of their hands and said,

“You can remove the blindfolds now.”

They removed the blindfolds as instructed.

In their view, a refreshing river landscape unfolded.

Seeing the serene river, Yoon Hyunchul gazed at it for a moment in silence, then spoke.

“…It’s nice.”

He meant it.

During his time as a death row inmate in Cheongok, he had only seen such scenery on TV.

Suho smiled as he said,

“I hope you’ll get to see more beautiful sights on this trip.”

“Thank you for providing such a great opportunity.”

“Haha, I only arranged it because it benefits me as well. By the way, here.”

Suho handed over a wallet containing cash and cards, along with the key to his car.

“It’ll probably take at least five days, so enjoy a worry-free trip for that time. Use the money as you need, and the car is mine, so feel free to use it. If you need to contact me, just call my phone. I’ll reach out to Ms. Hyun-hee too.”

“Understood. But are you sure this is okay?”

Suho smiled and replied,

“No need to worry. I didn’t start this without being prepared. Besides, you’re out here right now, aren’t you?”

“…True. You’re far beyond my level, yet I let myself worry.”

“Then, I’ll be in touch. Have a great trip.”

After a polite farewell, Suho left first.

The two watched him leave, then finally headed toward the car.

Naturally, Yoon Hyun-hee took the driver’s seat, causing Yoon Hyunchul to chuckle.

“You can drive?”

“I’ve worked hard to get by. Learning to drive is essential.”

At this, Yoon Hyunchul laughed.

“Alright. Let’s see how my sister drives.”

Yoon Hyunchul, looking more refreshed than ever, got into the passenger seat.

***

After parting with the Yoon siblings, Suho began disguising himself as Yoon Hyunchul once he was out of their sight.

‘I really need to level up Reverse Utilization; this is getting inconvenient.’

Currently rated at B-grade, Reverse Utilization could only alter his face, but as it leveled up, it would allow him to alter his body and voice as well.

He was eager to return to Cheongok soon.

If he could complete the project he planned to raise his Blood Jade’s grade, he wouldn’t have to worry about skill rank-ups anymore.

Once he finished his disguise, Suho checked his appearance one last time and activated the clone movement function of the Army Art skill.

Clone movement was another option of Army Art.

The Crusader player had gained fame partly due to his clone army, but his mysterious ability to teleport using this skill was also a major factor.

‘When a player with a simple paladin build has such a movement skill, its utility is incredible.’

That was why Suho had insisted on acquiring Army Art.

Once he activated the skill, a list of available clones appeared in his view.

Only one clone was available.

The target was the one currently imprisoned in Cheongok as Yoon Hyunchul’s substitute.

Suho selected him and used clone movement.

[Clone Movement is activated.]

Whoosh!

When the skill activated, Suho’s figure vanished without a trace.

***

The transfer was instantaneous.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Suho found himself in the exercise yard within the prison grounds.

‘It should be time for outdoor activities right about now.’

Cheongok Prison operated differently from regular prisons.

Most of the time was spent on stress relief and rehabilitation activities because the inmates here were significantly more dangerous than regular prisoners.

‘No matter how restricted they are with mana-inhibiting restraints, complete control isn’t possible.’

Suho was alone in his surroundings.

Typically, the leader of a group would be surrounded by a crowd, but the fact that Suho sat alone suggested how much people feared Yoon Hyunchul.

At that moment, Suho spotted a familiar face.

It was Kim Goong-won.

Kim Goong-won was seated at a distance, watching Suho, who gestured for him to come over.

Kim Goong-won’s eyes widened as he hurried over to whisper.

“…Is it really you, hyungnim?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Gasp!”

At the term “hyungnim,” Kim Goong-won’s eyes grew wide.

Suho asked,

“Why are you so surprised? I already told you, didn’t I?”

“Ah, well, it’s still surprising. But how did you manage this? A moment ago, your ‘little hyungnim’ seemed a bit out of it.”

“What do you mean, out of it?”

“He was answering, but he seemed kind of…dazed?”

Hmm.

He’d heard that clones had basic intelligence, but it didn’t seem too unnatural.

‘Still, I shouldn’t rely on them for detailed acting.’

It was fortunate that the clone’s target was Yoon Hyunchul, known for his typically reserved nature.

Suho asked,

“Then, why were you sitting far away from me?”

Kim Goong-won hesitated briefly before answering honestly.

“Seeing you seemed a bit off, I thought it best to keep some distance.”

“…Your survival instincts are sharp, aren’t they?”

“Haha, I guess… But hyungnim, may I ask why you’re here in place of ‘little hyungnim’?”

“Just to mess with some bad guys here.”

“What? Mess with them?”

“Yes, that’s my only goal.”

There was no need to share his detailed plan with Kim Goong-won.

After all, the work would proceed quietly.

Perhaps for that reason?

Kim Goong-won looked at Suho with a curious expression.

“Alright, then. But…is there anything I can help with?”

“There is. You’re clever. You know most of the people here in Cheongok, right?”

“Yes, I know most of them.”

As expected of Kim Goong-won.

The powerless had to excel in these matters to survive.

Suho said,

“Then arrange for all of them to have a one-on-one meeting with me. Organize it by cell block, and make sure everyone attends. Also, when they come, find out why they’re here and how much time they have left.”

“Understood.”

Kim Goong-won tilted his head in curiosity but answered affirmatively.

He probably sensed that Suho wouldn’t give a straight answer if he pressed further.

Kim Goong-won hurriedly set to work.