Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant – Chapter 167

Chapter 167

A large, black pouch about the size of a human head.

Martin Park, who was watching it, asked.

“What is this?”

“It’s a Kraken’s ink pouch.”

“A Kraken? The Kraken I know?”

“Yes, it was harvested from a Kraken, a boss monster towering at least a dozen meters tall.”

Depending on the context, the term Kraken could refer to a giant octopus or squid monster.

Thus, Suho called it a Kraken as well.

This had a more substantial impact than referring to it as a god of the sea.

At Suho’s introduction, Martin Park’s eyes widened, and Suho continued to speak.

“Sir, you always mentioned that to paint something real, one must use paint harvested from authentic sources. Isn’t that why you traveled all the way here to Korea? To find that mystical black color obtainable only in the East.”

“You’ve studied me quite a bit, haven’t you? That’s right. My paintings are all composed solely of colors extracted from genuine materials, not synthetic pigments. And it’s true that I’m currently searching for that mysterious black from the East. But…”

He narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

“If it’s a Kraken, isn’t that the name of a Western squid monster? How can that be considered an Eastern mystery?”

He struck the mark.

But Suho responded calmly.

“This Kraken was caught in Korea.”

“Caught in Korea?”

“Yes, and here is the proof.”

Suho presented him with a magic stone collected from the sea god.

A magic stone from a 1-star grade boss monster.

As a rule, magic stones rated 1-star or higher were more precious than gold, and their export was prohibited except for special circumstances.

Thus, this magic stone served as a solid certification for Suho’s ink pouch.

Upon confirming the magic stone’s details, Martin Park swallowed dryly.

“Hmm…”

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s just that… a Kraken from Korea seems a bit…”

“Haha, think of it simply. Despite your name being Martin Park, you use the Park surname because you consider your roots to be in Korea, don’t you?”

“Well… that’s true. You’ve certainly studied me thoroughly.”

“I’m truly a fan. That’s why I took the liberty to come all the way to Samcheok to see you. And besides, this ink pouch and magic stone were collected today.”

“Today?”

“Yes, solely for your sake.”

For his sake alone.

Martin Park’s gaze trembled slightly at those words.

In fact, Martin Park had been captivated by Suho’s ink pouch from the beginning.

One of the black pigments he valued most was precisely the ink harvested from a creature at the level of a mystical beast.

‘And if it’s ink imbued with magical power, there’s no way I can resist.’

Especially if the source of the material wasn’t purchased but collected specifically for him?

For Martin Park, who valued sincerity, there was nothing more to say.

Martin Park spoke, barely hiding the excitement in his voice.

“…It seems you’re quite desperate.”

“Yes, very much so.”

“Then, could you tell me why exactly you need my painting?”

“Of course. The reason I need your painting is none other than ‘for humanity.’”

“…What?”

Humanity.

The word caused Martin Park’s brows to furrow once more.

But soon, a smile crept onto his lips.

“Interesting. Go on.”

It worked.

He took the bait.

At his response, Suho immediately began his story.

About who he was, why he joined the Korean Hunter Association, and what his ultimate goal was.

As his story continued, Martin Park’s smile deepened, and when the story finally concluded, he wore the gentlest smile Suho had seen all day.

“Heh, you sure took your time explaining that you need to kill a giant for a special quest.”

“Haha, it turned out that way.”

“Ha ha ha, it’s quite amusing. Alright, I’ll sell you my one and only *Giant’s Portrait* for the sake of your grand and noble story.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Suho rose from his seat and bowed slightly in gratitude.

Then, Martin Park opened his inventory, rummaged for a bit, and pulled out a small piece of paper the size of his palm, handing it to Suho.

Looking at the small piece of paper, Suho spoke.

“This must be the famous ‘Goliath Defeated by David.’”

“You’ve seen it?”

“Only online. This is my first time seeing it in person.”

Indeed, he had seen it before.

And Martin Park’s *Giant’s Portrait* was known for being drawn on the smallest piece of paper he owned.

He purposely drew it on the smallest piece of paper.

Since it was the only giant painting he had created, he wanted to give it a unique setting.

‘It gained even more fame because of this interesting setup.’

Even the story behind the painting was fascinating.

He had reinterpreted the story of David and Goliath, depicting David’s brutal defeat at the hands of Goliath.

Martin Park’s view was that David could never defeat a giant without using tools.

Nodding, Martin Park spoke.

“I see. So, what would you like me to do? As my fan, you must already know how to use my painting.”

“If I may ask, I would like to enter the painting myself and face Goliath directly.”

“Really? That’s a bit disappointing.”

Martin Park’s painting could be used in two ways.

He could trap a target within the painting or draw something out from within it.

Considering the surrounding environment, Suho chose to enter the painting directly.

This is why Martin Park felt a bit disappointed.

If they fought outside the painting, it would allow for a direct observation of the battle between a human and a giant.

Martin Park stood up and extended his hand to Suho.

“Then shall we settle the payment for the painting first?”

“Here it is.”

“A fine item. I sincerely hope you don’t end up dead. I rather like unique people like you.”

“Yes, I plan to return alive, no matter what. For humanity’s sake.”

“Heh, you madman.”

He chuckled briefly, then activated a skill.

A white light shone, and soon, a system notification appeared in front of Suho.

[ Player Martin Park invites you into his painting. Do you accept the invitation? ]

The answer, of course, was yes.

As soon as Suho accepted the system’s prompt, his body was instantly sucked into the painting.

Once Suho entered the painting, Martin Park sat back on his fishing chair and looked at the scene.

Inside the painting, the new David, ‘Suho,’ stood before Goliath, gazing up at him.

“Ha ha, well, let’s see if the new David can defeat Goliath.”

Setting the painting beside him, he cast his fishing line once more.

*

[ Entering Martin Park’s painting. ]

Through Martin Park’s skill, Suho entered the *Giant’s Portrait.*

The first sight that greeted him as his vision shifted was none other than the mangled corpse of the previous “David.”

‘Looks like he died not too long ago.’

The painting captured the moment.

Martin Park’s *Goliath Who Killed David* depicted the immediate aftermath of Goliath slaying David.

Suho shifted his gaze to Goliath.

Goliath, having only recently killed David, was still breathing heavily, looking elsewhere as if he hadn’t fully calmed down.

His presence was immensely intimidating.

But Suho looked at Goliath and thought.

‘He really drew him like a true giant.’

In the actual story of David and Goliath, Goliath wasn’t a literal giant.

He was simply a human warrior of great size.

However, in Martin Park’s Giant’s Portrait Goliath was crafted as a true “giant.”

This was because Martin Park had seen a giant monster in real life, and his paintings reflected everything he had seen and experienced.

‘If he had to choose between depicting a mythical Goliath he’d never seen and a real giant monster he had encountered, he’d obviously choose the latter.’

Thus, the Goliath before Suho wasn’t merely a tall human warrior but a true “giant monster.”

So, the Goliath before him was a genuine giant and the only giant monster Suho could encounter at this time.

Suho looked up to check the name tag above the creature.

– Goliath Lv.151

The level was fitting.

Goliath’s level of 151 was because the painting had been created when Martin Park himself was at level 151.

Suho began casting buffs on himself.

[ Holy Enchant activated. ]

[ Blessing activated. ]

Two buffs were applied.

Once he finished his preparations, Suho immediately drew his Ghost Shadow Spear and drove it into Goliath’s shadow.

Crunch!

[ Shadow Bind activated. ]

[ Shadow Bleed activated. ]

As the Ghost Shadow Spear embedded into the shadow, two debuffs took effect simultaneously, inflicting a scorching pain on Goliath.

The intense pain caused Goliath to turn his head and recognize Suho.

– David?

David?

You’re the one who killed him.

Suho smirked in disbelief and spoke.

“Are you blind?”

– I’ll kill you, you dwarf!!

Enraged, Goliath raised his enormous spear and charged at Suho.

Or, at least, he tried to.

If not for the Ghost Shadow Spear impaled into his shadow.

– What?! What did you do to me?!

He began struggling to break free from the bind.

But escaping wouldn’t be easy.

Although there was a nearly 40-level difference between Suho and Goliath, Suho’s stats were in the orange tier.

Therefore, a gap of about 40 levels was trivial for him to overcome.

– Raaaargh!!

Goliath screamed and flailed.

His legs were bound by the bind, but his whole body wasn’t entirely immobilized.

Thus, he reversed his grip on his spear and started thrusting it at Suho.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The massive spear lunged forward.

Considering Goliath’s height, which was easily seven to eight meters, this wasn’t surprising.

However, it didn’t pose a problem.

Suho found that Goliath’s spear was much slower and weaker than the *Kraken,* the so-called “Sea God,” he had previously defeated.

So, Suho raised his Blood Sword and directly clashed with the spear coming his way.

And at the very moment the two blades met.

Crack-crack-crack-crack!

Amazingly, Suho’s blade began splitting Goliath’s spearhead in two, as if it were splitting bamboo.

Suho cut the spear down to its shaft, then used his strength to push it aside.

– Ugh?!

Unable to withstand Suho’s strength, Goliath stumbled backward.

But due to the Shadow Bind holding his shadow, only his waist bent back, resulting in an awkward posture.

Suho judged that further exchanges were unnecessary.

So, as Goliath’s waist twisted like a bent shrimp, he gripped the Blood Sword with both hands and swung it fiercely from below.

[ Cloud Slash activated. ]

He didn’t even consider launching himself off the ground.

Suho remained firmly planted, releasing Cloud Slash upward, and the sword energy from his blade sliced across Goliath’s upper body faster than any sword wave.

Slash!

A distinct cutting sound.

And then.

Splaaaaat!

The Goliath who had slain David was severed in half, almost like magic.

And rain began to pour from above.

A rain of hot, crimson blood.

It was the purest giant’s blood, flowing from the giant’s body.

In that instant, Suho was drenched in the blood rain.

[ You are now drenched in the pure blood of a giant. ]

[ The conditions to unlock the Giant’s Bloodline have been met. ]

[ Due to the effect of New Blood, the seal on the Giant’s Bloodline has been lifted. ]

System notification.

At last, the moment had come for the release of the Giant’s Bloodline.