Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant Chapter 172

Novel: Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant Author: 자리 Updated: Jun 03, 2026

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Now reading: Chapter 172 from Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant, a Fantasy novel by 자리.

"Arriving at the given address, Su-ho found himself in front of an unfamiliar office-tel.

However, just like before, this wasn’t a place where just anyone could walk in. Fortunately, Jo Jin-hwi had co out to et him in advance, allowing Su-ho to enter without issue.

As soon as they stepped into the elevator together, Su-ho asked,

'Why an office-tel this ti?'

'Given the scale of what we’re doing, I needed a private new location.'

'Private? If soone overheard you, they’d think you were living in a tiny rented room before this.'

'Haha, my place is fine, but I just wanted a dedicated space where I could focus better.'

'Rich people, man.'

'What rich? My father is rich, not . Besides, these days you make more money than I do.'

'Co on, how could I possibly beat a third-generation chaebol?'

Their exchange was lighthearted banter.

But when they entered the apartnt, Su-ho found himself montarily speechless.

Not because of the panoramic night view that was characteristic of high-rise office-tels—

But because of what was inside the room.

Covering the walls were an overwhelming number of sticky notes, photos, and docunts, all arranged ticulously around a massive desk in the center of the living room.

'Did you put together an investigation team or sothing?'

'You told to be thorough. The data you gave was already so good that I barely needed to do any extra research. But just in case, I mapped out all potential loopholes they might try to use so we can counter them imdiately.'

He wasn’t lying.

The Redevelopnt Gate Sche was full of major players who would try to deny involvent in any way possible.

But Jo Jin-hwi had prepared counterargunts for every possible excuse they could make.

Pulling out a chair, Jo Jin-hwi gestured for Su-ho to sit.

'Want sothing to drink?'

'No, I’m good. Let’s get straight to business.'

'Got it. So... how should we start? Should I release the article first?'

'That would work, but there’s a better way.'

'A better way?'

'They could claim past cases were just misunderstandings. Instead, we’re going to expose an ongoing project—one they can’t deny.'

'...Wait. There’s still one active?'

Jo Jin-hwi’s eyes widened.

The Redevelopnt Gate Sche—or rather, the project being run by the redevelopnt cartel—was called the Shock Project.

It was nad that way because it relied on Gate Shocks to create controlled disasters.

Up until now, Jo Jin-hwi had been preparing to expose all the previous Shock Projects that had already taken place.

Because as far as he knew—they were over.

But now, Su-ho was telling him that a new Shock Project was currently in progress.

Seething, Jo Jin-hwi muttered,

'These pieces of shit... How the hell are they still this greedy?'

'The business model itself is pretty good—if you ignore the fact that it’s completely inhumane. They take turns eating from the pie. That’s why we need to shut it down quickly.'

'So where is it happening?'

'Apgujeong.'

'Apgujeong?!'

'Yeah. Apgujeong Mirae Apartnt.'

'Wait. Are you serious?!'

Apgujeong Mirae Apartnt.

Once considered one of South Korea’s premier luxury apartnts, it had now aged into an old complex desperately awaiting redevelopnt.

For years, residents had been dreaming of reconstruction, but despite multiple mayors changing hands, redevelopnt never happened due to various complications.

'People joke that Earth will be destroyed before Mirae Apartnt gets redeveloped.'

Even after the Great Cataclysm, the apartnt complex remained untouched.

And that was why it had been chosen for the Shock Project.

Since a legal redevelopnt was impossible, the cartel had decided to manufacture a disaster—using a natural catastrophe to force reconstruction approval.

When Su-ho nodded, Jo Jin-hwi sighed in disbelief.

'The sheer audacity of these bastards...'

'It’s always the ones who already have everything that want more.'

'Exactly! When the Great Cataclysm hit, the rich neighborhoods poured money into securing their properties! Even now, that old apartnt complex is crawling with elite security Hunters!'

He was right.

Most districts—including Gangnam—were still living in fear of a potential Gate outbreak.

So they paid insanely high maintenance fees to keep high-ranking Hunters on standby at all tis.

'That’s also why Hexagon and Pri Guild are based in Gangnam.'

But then, Jo Jin-hwi frowned.

'Wait, Pro-nim... If that place is constantly guarded by top-tier Hunters, wouldn’t they sense a Gate Shock before it happens? Those kinds of Hunters are extrely sensitive to mana fluctuations.'

'No matter how sensitive they are, Gate Shocks happen suddenly—they’re hard to predict. And as long as the cartel removes key personnel on the day of the event, it’ll be even easier to ensure it goes unnoticed.'

'That... makes sense. But for this to beco a real scandal, we need a Gate Shock to actually occur at Mirae Apartnt, don’t we?'

'Yeah.'

'Wait... do you know when it will happen?'

'Yes.'

'...Damn. As expected, Pro-nim.'

Realizing the implications, Jo Jin-hwi’s eyes lit up.

'So what’s the plan? Are we evacuating the residents beforehand?'

'No, we’re not evacuating them.'

'What? Then...?'

'The Gate will be allowed to appear. We can’t stop the Gate itself.'

'...Then?'

'Instead, we’ll suppress the destructive Shock that the cartel wants. That way, the apartnt complex won’t collapse, no lives will be lost, and we’ll still have a Gate to clear.'

'...?'

Jo Jin-hwi frowned at Su-ho’s explanation.

He folded his arms and rubbed his chin for a mont before raising his index finger.

"Wouldn’t this all be pointless, then?"

"Why would it be pointless?"

"Sure, preventing casualties is a good thing. But once a Gate appears sowhere, another Gate never forms in that spot again, right?"

"That’s right."

"But if the Gate is cleared safely, then all that happens is the Save Zone Premium getting slapped onto the property. Won’t that just make those cartel bastards even richer?"

It was a reasonable concern.

In the current South Korean real estate market, the most expensive premium was tied to properties where Gates would never reappear—the Save Zone Premium.

However, his thinking was too one-dinsional.

"Under normal circumstances, yes."

"‘Under normal circumstances’? What do you an?"

"The Save Zone Premium will apply after the Gate is cleared. But do you really think the only thing these people want is the Save Zone Premium?"

"What do you an...? Ah!"

Jo Jin-hwi suddenly realized what he had overlooked.

"Right. The cartel’s goal isn’t just a premium price bump—they want to redevelop the entire apartnt complex."

"Exactly. If they can rebuild the apartnts, the property values will skyrocket far beyond any Save Zone Premium. The only problem is that normal redevelopnt efforts keep failing due to various obstacles."

One major reason Mirae Apartnt hadn’t been redeveloped was resident opposition.

Unless it was a one-to-one reconstruction on the sa land, redevelopnt usually ant existing residents lost their hos—which was why they resisted it.

There were other issues, like funding, but this was the biggest one.

And that was why the cartel had decided to force redevelopnt through a Gate Shock.

If a natural disaster like a Gate Shock devastated the apartnt complex, the city would have no choice but to approve ergency redevelopnt.

‘Even turning an old apartnt into a modernized complex would make its value skyrocket.’

Jo Jin-hwi sighed.

"The level of cruelty these people have is insane. How do you even co up with a plan to exploit a global catastrophe just to redevelop an apartnt?"

"That’s human greed. So people kill over a wallet or a loaf of bread. So is this really surprising?"

"Ugh. That’s depressing. But if that’s the case, then the residents must be in on it, right? So of them, at least."

It was a logical assumption.

Jo Jin-hwi figured that most mbers of the Mirae Apartnt Reconstruction Committee must have been involved.

However, Su-ho shook his head.

"Unfortunately, very few residents are actually involved."

"How many?"

"Around nine."

"...What?"

"It’s the truth."

"You’re telling that this entire catastrophe is being orchestrated by fewer than ten Mirae Apartnt owners?"

Su-ho quietly nodded.

Because it was the truth.

'When the full details of the Redevelopnt Gate Scandal finally ca to light in the past tiline, this was what shocked the public the most.'

That the entire disaster had been caused by just nine greedy individuals.

But what was even more horrifying was that the Shock Project wasn’t just a one-ti sche—

It had beco a blueprint for real estate scams.

'After Mirae Apartnt’s Shock Project was successfully executed, the sa thod was repeated for other premium apartnts awaiting redevelopnt.'

And in that process, countless people had died or been injured.

All because of a handful of real estate owners.

‘That’s why I need to stop this Shock Project. At all costs.’

When he first returned, Su-ho had used mory Library to locate all the ongoing Shock Projects.

And he had been relieved to find—

That the true disaster of using Gate Shocks for redevelopnt hadn’t started yet.

Jo Jin-hwi asked,

"Then... do you know who those nine people are?"

"Of course. They’re the key players in all of this."

"Who’s in the group?"

"One of the biggest nas is Pi Seong-yeol."

"Pi Seong-yeol?! Wait—you an Special Division Chief Pi Seong-yeol?"

"Yep. That Pi Seong-yeol."

"Jesus. So he was pulling the strings behind all of this?"

"Not from the very beginning. At first, he was just doing it to impress his superiors. But along the way, he got ideas and started secretly building his own hidden projects.

Mirae Apartnt isn’t just about a Save Zone Premium—if it gets redeveloped, it will beco the most expensive real estate in South Korea’s history."

That way, he could launder his illicit wealth into legitimate property investnts.

All while pretending to be a humble civil servant with a modest salary.

Su-ho smirked.

"So that’s why I plan to expose the Redevelopnt Gate Scandal—starting with Mirae Apartnt."

"And how are you going to do that? You do have a way to suppress the Gate Shock, right?"

"Yes, I do. So don’t worry about that. As for how I’ll expose them—

I’m going to use an insider whistleblower."

"...A whistleblower?"

"Yeah. No source is more credible than soone who was part of the cartel itself."

Jo Jin-hwi’s brows furrowed.

Su-ho was speaking Korean, but sohow, he wasn’t understanding what he was hearing.