Chapter 261: Chapter 261

[Un-Gi-Jo-Sik has been activated.]

A green aura enveloped Su-ho’s body, aiding his recovery.

Su-ho focused solely on regaining his energy.

Meanwhile, the Blacksmith’s Necklace seemed completely unconcerned with his condition—it kept draining his mana relentlessly.

It was like a battle between a spear and a shield.

A wave of dizziness struck him.

A clear sign that his mana was nearly depleted.

Su-ho quickly yanked the necklace off his neck.

The moment he did, the necklace shimmered faintly with a blue light, then gradually returned to its original hue.

Su-ho exhaled deeply.

He had almost passed out from mana exhaustion.

What the hell was this thing that it drained so much mana?

It wasn’t like his mana pool was shallow—far from it.

‘If it turns out this thing is nothing special, I swear—’

Su-ho shook his head.

Whatever it was, he’d have to recharge it gradually over time.

He lay down to rest a bit longer, then resumed meditation using Un-Gi-Jo-Sik—this time, without the necklace.

After some time, his mana recovered to a level that was sufficient for day-to-day functioning.

‘No need to fully recover. Mana comes back over time anyway.’

Then Su-ho finally picked up his phone.

‘How did I miss this many notifications?’

From the flood of messages and calls, he contacted Jo Jin-hwi first.

Before he could even say anything, Jo Jin-hwi’s lively voice rang out.

“Yes, Reporter Jo. I see you called?”

— “You were impossible to reach! Do you know how long I’ve been trying to find you?”

“I was inside a Gate. I couldn’t check my phone. What’s going on?”

— “Ah, I see. If you were in a Gate, then I’ll forgive you. Anyway, the redevelopment cartel verdict is finally out.”

That was definitely urgent.

Su-ho pressed for details.

— “In the first trial, Pi Seong-yeol got 15 years. The others got around 10.”

“What? Not life or the death penalty?”

— “Yeah... it turned out that way.”

— “They did, but it’s likely to be dismissed.”

People had died in that incident, and this was all the punishment they got?

Su-ho frowned in disbelief.

‘Judges in this country haven’t changed one bit...’

“In Korea, the only way to get a proper sentence is if the judge’s own family is affected.”

But even so, he couldn’t exactly go around killing judges’ families.

‘Public opinion must have been intense, so this was probably the harshest sentence they could hand down by the book.’

After a moment of thought, Su-ho answered.

— “What would you like to do? Should I write a piece criticizing the judges?”

“No need. At this point, using the media would just come off as whining.”

— “Then what will you do?”

“I’ll handle it myself. That’ll be far more satisfying.”

— “Oh? Can I ask what you have in mind?”

— “That’s a shame. Got it.”

Even though Jo Jin-hwi was one of his closest allies, this matter was vigilante justice—better that no one knew what he planned.

— “Ah, yes. There’s the Special Division’s recruitment. You’ve heard how hot that is, right?”

— “Well, it’s all because of you. Everyone wants to join for a chance to work with the legendary Sword Saint.”

Given Su-ho’s recent actions, it was fair to say he was the most influential figure in the country right now.

And it wasn’t just talk—he had proven everything with action.

— “Anyway, you’re going to have your hands full. Tons of applicants are pouring in.”

“That’s fine. The more, the better—it means I can select better talent.”

— “You’re always so positive. That’s all I’ve got. Take care.”

After ending the call, Su-ho immediately rang up Jeong Cheol-min.

“Sorry, Deputy Director. I was inside a Gate and couldn’t answer.”

— “Still clearing Gates? Haven’t you done enough?”

“Can’t just sit around. I’m focusing on the bigger ones for now.”

— “Hmph, typical you. Anyway, you heard the news, right?”

“If you mean the redevelopment case, yes—I just heard.”

— “Satisfied with the result?”

— “Yeah, well. They did receive a lot of petitions calling for maximum sentencing.”

“Yeah, not much else to do now. I can’t change the law myself.”

— “Listen... this is just me asking out of concern—you’re not planning anything reckless, right?”

“Of course not. By the way, have you heard about the special recruitment?”

— “I was just about to call you about that. The applications are insane. Looks like we’ll break 1,000 soon.”

He’d expected a lot—but a thousand applications?

Su-ho was already getting a headache just imagining sifting through all those forms.

“Well, it is what it is. I’ll do my best to make good selections.”

— “Don’t overdo it. You’re going to be busy ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) for a while. Maybe take some leave and rest. After recruitment, you’ve got to train the rookies, remember? Special Division handles that in-house.”

Su-ho winced slightly, then smoothed out his expression.

“But I’ve got you to help, Deputy Director.”

— “You serious? You think I can teach them better than you? You’re the one taking them into the field.”

“Who else would I trust if not you? You’re way better at mental conditioning than I am.”

— “You sly little... Anyway, after rookie training, you’ve got the North Korea Project next. Lots of planning involved, so rest while you can.”

“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”

After ending the call, Su-ho let out a quiet sigh.

Then, after some thought, he called Kang Seul-gi.

He had a good idea why she had reached out. Follow current novᴇls on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩

— “Hello, Section Chief An.”

“Sorry for the delay. I was inside a Gate and couldn’t take your call.”

— “No worries! I sent a text in case you were busy. Did you happen to see it?”

“Not yet—there were too many missed messages. What was it about?”

— “Ah, I’ll just explain now. It’s about the cursed item operation you mentioned. The location has been prepared, and we’ve moved the items there.”

“Ah, that. Thank you. Move everything over, and I’ll come by soon.”

Kang Seul-gi hesitated for a moment—but ultimately didn’t speak her mind.

— “Never mind. It’s nothing.”

“You were going to ask about that thing you used to have, right?”

— “Haha... yes. That’s exactly it.”

“Don’t worry. I took care of it. That item will never ruin your life again.”

— “Is it going to be used in this cursed item project?”

“No comment on that.”

— “Understood. Take care.”

Classic Seul-gi—sharp as ever.

Maybe it wasn’t even intuition—maybe she just knew Su-ho well enough to guess.

After that, Su-ho called Kim Geon.

— “Yes, Section Chief.”

“Hey, Geon. What’re you up to?”

— “Helping the team with their quests.”

— “Smoothly. Thanks to your support, everyone’s making steady progress. They should all finish their class and trait quests soon.”

“Good to hear. How’s your brother?”

— “Gwon’s focusing on rehab. Being in a coma that long really atrophied his muscles. But otherwise, he’s healthy. Thank you again.”

“No need to thank me forever. So just the muscles, huh?”

— “Yes. No other complications.”

“Good. Oh, by the way, Special Division’s recruitment is blowing up. Applications are about to break 1,000.”

— “I’ll start preparing right away.”

“Good. The process must be fair. I’m counting on you. If you need help, I’ll personally tutor you.”

— “No, I can handle it.”

“That’s the spirit. Is Gi-won busy?”

— “He’s right here. Want me to put him on?”

“Yeah, let me talk to him.”

Seo Gi-won took the phone.

— “Yes, Hyung—uh, I mean, Section Chief.”

“Still with the ‘Hyung’ stuff? Anyway, you finish your quest?”

— “Yes, and now I’m helping the others.”

“Good job. I’ll send you a few phone numbers. I need you to dig up whatever dirt you can.”

— “May I ask whose numbers they are?”

“You’ll know when you see them.”

— “Got it. I’ll dig up every last detail and report back.”

“How long’ll it take?”

— “Heh, my trait just evolved. It won’t take long.”

Gi-won’s trait was Digitization.

Su-ho knew exactly what the next tier of that trait was.

“Good for you. Wrap it up and send me the file.”

— “Aren’t you even curious?”

“Tell me when we meet. I’m sure it’s something great.”

— “You’ve become so boring, Section Chief.”

“I’ve always been boring. Good work.”

Su-ho sent Gi-won several phone numbers right away.

They belonged to the Warden, Deputy Warden, and Head Officer of Cheongok Prison.

Because it was almost time.

Time to go back to Cheongok.

Su-ho made one last call—to Na Do-won.

— “Yes, Section Chief An.”

“Do-won, do you have a minute to talk?”

— “Yes, of course. I tried calling earlier but figured you were busy.”

Though they held the same rank, Na Do-won still spoke respectfully.

And rightly so—it was Su-ho, after all.

Su-ho appreciated his courteous tone and asked:

“What happened with the Kim Mu-hwan case I handed over?”

— “He confessed to all charges. The process is proceeding swiftly. He’s already been transferred to Cheongok Detention Center.”

“Already? That was fast.”

Then again, it wasn’t just any case—it involved Awakened crimes, and Kim Mu-hwan confessed to everything.

Plus, Su-ho had asked them to expedite it.

With that, he had checked off everything he needed to.

‘The rest I can handle on the way.’

Su-ho got in his car.

His destination: Cheongok Prison.