Right.
Was there anyone in this world who understood the vertical slash better than I did?
In a way, this phenomenon was only natural.
At first glance, the system that had engulfed the world looked like a villain—or some kind of sinister game assistant—but surprisingly, it possessed an exceptionally keen understanding of individuals. Its observational ability was sharp, and its fairness in granting rewards was remarkably high.
In other words, as long as one's understanding of a technique was sufficient, the system would readily acknowledge it as a skill.
That's why I was able to wield the Formless Sword.
He hadn't reached the realm of Sword and Self as One because he obtained some special skill.
From the day he chose the path of the sword, Suho had not rested a single day, constantly honing his swordsmanship to grow stronger.
As a result, he not only became the greatest swordsman in the world, but also earned the system's recognition—reaching the realm of Sword and Self as One and mastering the skill known as the Formless Sword.
Still, Suho felt a hint of disappointment with the system's evaluation.
For someone once called a Sword Saint, the skill grade he was given was merely B.
Of course, he understood why.
You can't judge everything from just one demonstration.
That was especially true for physical techniques.
No matter how outstanding someone's talent was, the system rarely acknowledged the very first acquired skill as anything above B-rank.
There were exceptions, of course—special or unique skills—but for the most part, simple techniques were capped at B.
Which meant that if one wanted a higher rank, one had to provide proof worthy of it.
After all, beginner's luck was a thing.
Suho then swung the rod horizontally, cutting down the goblins to his side.
[ Your understanding of the horizontal slash is extremely high. ]
[ The system has begun evaluating your talent. ]
[ Congratulations! You have acquired Horizontal Slash (B). ]
Following Vertical Slash, he obtained Horizontal Slash.
Once again, the rank was B.
Next, Suho thrust the rod forward like a spear.
[ Your understanding of thrusting attacks is extremely high. ]
[ The system has begun evaluating your talent. ]
[ Congratulations! You have acquired Thrust (B). ]
Thrust was no different.
This time, he swung the rod diagonally.
[ Your understanding of the diagonal slash is extremely high. ]
[ The system has begun evaluating your talent. ]
[ Congratulations! You have acquired Diagonal Slash (B). ]
Every time he swung his weapon, a new skill appeared.
Yes.
This was definitely the world he knew.
Then—
[ Your overall understanding of swordsmanship is extremely high. ]
[ Horizontal Slash, Vertical Slash, Diagonal Slash, and Thrust have been integrated into 'Swordsmanship.' ]
[ Congratulations! You have acquired Basic Swordsmanship (B). ]
Once he had learned the three types of slashes and thrusting as skills, they were all merged under the single name Basic Swordsmanship.
It was a natural progression.
The system operated on certain formulas, and whenever specific skills accumulated, it would automatically integrate them for efficiency.
But even now, the rank was still B.
Still, this was actually better.
Leveling up a single unified skill was far easier than managing several fragmented ones.
Basic Swordsmanship…
Seeing the name made Suho chuckle in nostalgia.
After all, every swordsman who had ever made a name for himself started with Basic Swordsmanship before creating a unique style of his own.
In that sense, the name of Suho's swordsmanship had been Suho Sword—named after himself.
Naturally, this time as well, Suho planned to recreate Suho Sword first.
No—there's no need to recreate it. My swordsmanship itself is already Suho Sword.
He swung the rod a few more times, quickly finishing off the remaining goblins.
Then a new system notification appeared.
[ Level up! ]
[ All stats have increased by 1. ]
[ You have gained 1 bonus stat point. ]
He leveled up.
Before even choosing a class, no less.
Seeing this, the firefighter asked in shock,
"A-Are you a player?"
"Not yet."
"…What?"
Suho ignored the firefighter's confusion.
He had no intention of looting the goblin corpses for spoils.
That wasn't what mattered to him right now.
Instead, he called up the class selection window he had postponed earlier.
[ Please choose the power you wish to pursue. ]
[ Warrior ]
[ Mage ]
[ Archer ]
[ Healer ]
The class selection window floated before his eyes.
It was something that would only be revealed much later, but choosing a class could actually be postponed.
There was no system penalty for not selecting one immediately.
That was why, in the future, it became standard practice to choose a class only after undergoing an aptitude test developed by the Association.
Of course, Suho had started as a Warrior, become a Swordsman, and eventually reached the realm of the Sword Saint—so in hindsight, his original choice had suited his aptitude perfectly.
That was why he had almost chosen Warrior earlier.
Since it was a path he had already walked once, he believed he could grow faster than anyone else.
But then he shook his head.
No matter how familiar that path was, when it truly mattered, he had learned just how powerless and fragile the title of Sword Saint really was.
If only I had been able to cure even the Ten Thousand Poisons…
Having consumed Venom's Heart—the ultimate poison-resistant artifact—he had believed that poison would never again become an obstacle for him.
Yet Suzuki's Ten Thousand Poisons had surpassed even that immunity.
That was why his gaze kept drifting toward Healer.
What if I could become a healer even greater than Isabella?
Of course, healers were generally seen as weak.
In reality, they possessed few offensive skills, and most of their abilities revolved around defense, healing, or buffs.
But just moments ago, he had easily acquired swordsmanship skills while fighting goblins.
That was thanks to the system's fair evaluation of ability.
And so a thought occurred to him.
If he could continue acquiring swordsmanship skills like this, was there really a need to walk the path of the Warrior again?
The answer was no.
Skills acquired through talent can be freely used regardless of class—just like how I obtained swordsmanship skills earlier.
However, most of the abilities unique to healers were not based on innate talent, but instead required direct assistance from the system.
No matter how devout one's faith, mere prayer could not heal the sick.
And so, Suho finally made his decision.
[ You have selected Healer. ]
[ Are you sure you wish to walk the path of a Healer? ]
In response to the system's question, Suho nodded.
Light enveloped him.
[ You have become a Healer. ]
[ 5 bonus stat points have been granted. ]
[ You have acquired Healing Light (F). ]
[ Congratulations on becoming a true player. ]
[ The system wishes to give you a small gift. ]
[ Please select one weapon from the system armory. ]
At last, Suho became a Healer.
At the same time, the system opened its armory, offering him a welcome gift.
Suho's choice was, naturally, a sword.
He selected a longsword of reasonable length and weight.
[ You have obtained the Beginner's Sword. ]
There was no need to even check its stats.
It would have the lowest attack power and the lowest durability.
Still, it was better than a metal rod.
Next, Suho checked his status window.
"Open status."
[ Ahn Suho ]
Lv: 2
Class: Healer
Strength: 2
Vitality: 2
Mana: 2
Perception: 2
Bonus Stats: 6
Suho looked at his utterly meager status window.
Since he had returned to the past, it was only natural.
After a brief moment of consideration, Suho invested 2 points each into Strength, Vitality, and Mana.
The reason he allocated bonus stats to Mana was simple.
In the end, healing skills are based on mana.
In common parlance, a healer's abilities were called holy arts, while a mage's abilities were called magic.
However, the true name of what the system labeled as holy arts was Divine Magic.
That was why it was affected by Mana.
As a result, most healers invested the majority of their stat points into Mana.
The other stats increased by one automatically with each level anyway.
But Suho did not do that.
For me, healing is only a secondary means. My main path is still swordsmanship.
Of course, once a healer grew sufficiently, various buff skills could compensate for lacking Strength and Vitality.
But that was a matter for later.
No matter how much Suho was a Sword Saint from the future, a certain baseline of physical stats was necessary to wield the power of his prime.
Having finished allocating his stats, Suho walked over to the firefighter who was staring at him blankly.
"Bear with it, even if it hurts a little."
"Huh? Ghk!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Suho pulled out the arrow embedded in the firefighter's body.
Blood immediately gushed out, and he used Healing Light on the wound at once.
[ Using Healing Light. ]
[ The designated area has begun to recover. ]
Healing Light.
A very basic skill that every healer possessed.
That didn't mean it became obsolete at higher levels.
The simpler a skill's description, the more powerful and intuitive its effect tended to be.
As an example, Suho recalled the skill Light of the Holy Spirit that Isabella used.
She said that skill started as Healing Light, too.
Once the firefighter's wound was fully healed, he asked Suho with a dazed expression,
"Y-You're a healer too?"
"Now I am."
"…What?"
"Take care."
Having treated his injuries, Suho had no more time to linger with the firefighter.
Without hesitation, he turned around and looked toward the gate portal that had appeared in the middle of the Sindorim Station intersection.
Goblins were still running rampant nearby, and judging by the situation, hunter players had yet to arrive.
He thought it was a good opportunity.
In the case of unannounced gates, if one timed it right, it was possible to enter first.
If my memory's correct, this gate is well within my current ability to clear.
When no one had yet entered a gate, the monsters pouring out of it could be used to predict the internal environment and difficulty.
Of course, Suho already knew exactly what kind of gate that was.
In the past, he had nearly lost his life because of it.
That was why he decided to deal with this gate with his own hands this time.
From another perspective, it was a gate that had nearly taken his life—a sworn enemy, of sorts.
Cutting down the goblins approaching him, Suho stepped into the gate portal.
[ Entering the gate. ]
[ Retrieving gate information. ]
[ Greenred ]
Entry Requirements: Unknown
Maximum Entry Capacity: Unknown
A brief system notification.
That was all the information available.
Naturally so—unidentified gates that no one had entered yet were infamously unhelpful in revealing their details.
That was why most players avoided challenging such unknown gates.
If one charged in blindly and encountered difficulty beyond imagination, it meant certain death.
Soon after Suho entered, the gate portal closed.
Now there were only two ways to open it again.
Either the player who entered died—
Or the gate was cleared.
But Suho never once thought that he would die.
Whether this was a dream or reality—
No matter where this place was.
Return of the Sword Saint Civil Servant