Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

A large, black sac, the size of a human head.

Martin Park eyed it suspiciously and asked,

“…What is this?”

“A Kraken’s ink sac.”

“A Kraken? You mean the Kraken?”

“Yes. Harvested from a boss monster that was at least several dozen meters long.”

Kraken was a general term—sometimes used to describe giant squids, sometimes massive octopi.

But Su-ho had chosen to call it a Kraken rather than the Sea God—because that name resonated better.

And it worked.

Martin Park’s eyes widened, intrigued.

Su-ho continued smoothly,

“You’ve always said that to paint something real, you need pigments harvested from the real thing. That’s why you traveled all the way to Korea, didn’t you? To find the legendary black pigment that can only be obtained in the East.”@@novelbin@@

“…You did your homework, I see.”

Martin smirked.

“Yes. I refuse to use synthetic pigments. All my colors come from true materials. And yes, I did come here searching for the fabled Eastern black. But—”

He narrowed his eyes.

“If this is a Kraken, then isn’t it a Western sea monster? How does that count as an Eastern mystery?”

A sharp observation.

But Su-ho answered without hesitation.

“Because this Kraken was caught in Korea.”

“…Korea?”

“Yes. And here’s the proof.”

Su-ho handed him a magic stone, freshly harvested from the Sea God.

A Tier 1 Boss Monster Magic Stone.

At 1-star and above, magic stones were more valuable than gold—and their export was strictly regulated.

This alone was enough to certify the ink sac’s authenticity.

Martin Park inspected the magic stone and swallowed hard.

“…Hmmm.”