Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 121

Su-ho shifted his gaze to the guardian’s head.

– Guardian of the Library, Lv. ???

Its level remained unlisted.

That was because the guardian shared its status with the challenger.

As before, the guardian began fulfilling its role.

[ The Guardian of the Library activates the Battlefield of Conviction. ]

[ While the Battlefield of Conviction is active, the guardian’s status matches the challenger’s status. ]

[ While the Battlefield of Conviction is active, all combatants within the area can only use weapons designated by the guardian. ]

The skill activated, and simultaneously, an icon appeared above the guardian’s head. It spun like a slot machine.

Eventually, the slot machine stopped.

[ The Guardian of the Library has designated the weapon. ]

[ The designated weapon is a "bow." ]

[ The battle begins. ]

The icon landed on the shape of a bow.

“A bow, huh?”

The designated weapon was a bow.

It made sense. Last time, the chosen weapon had been a sword, so it was unlikely for the same one to appear twice.

The moment the bow was designated, the guardian tore a steel rod from its own body to fashion a bow. It also pulled out an arrow and aimed it directly at Su-ho.

“Quick on your feet, aren’t you?”

Su-ho summoned his Blood Bow.

By then, the guardian had already released its arrow.

Boom!

What kind of arrow makes a sound like a cannonball when it lands?

Su-ho glanced at it briefly and noticed the arrow’s thickness.

‘Better finish this quickly.’

At least it wasn’t a gun. If it had been, the guardian might have unleashed a barrage, making it hard to close the distance.

Su-ho advanced rapidly while the guardian was reloading.

Noticing the danger, the guardian instinctively retreated. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

Boom!

Every time the guardian leapt back, the ground rumbled with a cannonball-like sound, leaving indentations where it had landed.

The sheer force was absurd.

Even while retreating, the guardian skillfully aimed its bow at Su-ho.

Whoosh!

A sharp arrow grazed past Su-ho’s face as it flew point-blank.

Su-ho twisted his body and used a mid-air skill.

[ Leap has been activated. ]

The skill allowed him to twist his body mid-air, and Su-ho used the momentum to swing his Blood Bow.

His target was the guardian’s face.

At such close range, the guardian had no choice but to block with its bow.

But it shouldn’t have.

[ Steel Cutter has been activated. ]

Slash!

The moment Su-ho’s Blood Bow clashed with the guardian’s steel bow, Steel Cutter activated.

The guardian’s bow snapped cleanly in two, and the string was severed as well.

– ...

The guardian stared in disbelief at its shattered weapon.

Of course, it was stunned.

A bow wasn’t supposed to break so cleanly, especially not like it had been sliced by a blade.

Seeing its dumbfounded expression, Su-ho chuckled.

“Surprised, aren’t you?”

For Su-ho, a weapon was whatever he decided it to be. If he called it a sword, it was a sword, even if it wasn’t shaped like one.

The Blood Bow he summoned wasn’t an ordinary bow, either.

Since Blood Weapons reflected the wielder’s will, its appearance was partially customized.

The bow retained the features of a traditional bow but included enhancements like a blade along the edges and a grip on the lower limb.

As a result, the Blood Bow was as much a sword as it was a bow.

‘Looks a bit goofy, but it works.’

Still, it technically adhered to the rule of being a bow.

It had a string, and it could shoot arrows when loaded.

That was why Steel Cutter worked—because the Blood Bow functioned as both a weapon and a tool.

This was the beauty of Blood Weapons and skills rooted in Su-ho’s understanding of weaponry.

[ The Guardian of the Library acknowledges its defeat. ]

[ The gate has been cleared. ]

[ MVP of the gate: Su-ho. ]

[ Bonus experience granted. ]

[ Bonus stat point acquired. ]

[ Level up! ]

[ All stats increased by 1. ]

[ Additional stat point acquired. ]

[ The system rewards you with greater strength. ]

Just like before, the guardian admitted defeat after losing its weapon.

This was exactly Su-ho’s plan.

The guardian was someone—or something—he’d encounter repeatedly. There was no need to destroy it completely every time.

Su-ho smirked at the system notifications.

“Didn’t expect to level up here.”

This was new information. Even his mentor, the Martial King Ku Taek-soo, hadn’t mentioned this possibility.

His level increased to 80, and another skill underwent its second evolution.

[ Holy Enchant ]

– Grade: F

# Holy Power (A) → Holy Enchant (F).

# Holy Power has reached its peak, evolving into a more potent enhancement skill: Holy Enchant.

# Consumes mana to grant a higher-grade holy attribute, ‘Exorcism,’ and ‘Protection.’

“Not bad.”

The upgraded Holy Enchant was a significant improvement.

Before, Holy Power only bestowed a basic holy attribute. Now, it provided additional benefits like exorcism and protection.

‘Finally feels like a true Holy Enchant.’

The only downside was that skills no longer ranked up every 10 levels as they did before level 50.

Still, it didn’t matter. Even though all his second-stage skills were F-grade, their performance far exceeded A-grade first-stage skills.

Su-ho opened his status window and invested all his bonus stat points into stamina.

Then, he patted the stiffened guardian on the shoulder before heading deeper into the Martial Library.

The library’s shelves were still lined with countless martial arts manuals.

After scanning the collection again, Su-ho selected a book.

[ Welcome to the Martial Library. ]

[ Having defeated the guardian, you may acquire one piece of knowledge. ]

[ Please select your desired knowledge. ]

[ Archery ]

[ Footwork ]

[ Grappling ]

Su-ho had already made his decision.

He chose Grappling again.

Weapons weren’t a priority for someone like him, especially with the Suho Sword in hand.

With his selection made, the system updated him.