SFRW-Chapter 2

Ch.2 Sword God From The Ruined World

At the Gate Control Center, personnel are selected and deployed based on the Gate’s rank, ensuring sufficient force is available to suppress any incidents.  

In simpler terms, since the Namsan Gate is a C-rank, agents capable of handling potential incidents (B-rank) are stationed there just in case.  

Of course, exceptions do occur.  

If a Hero with power beyond the Gate’s rank causes trouble maliciously, the stationed agents, considering it beyond their control, request additional support from headquarters.  

In such cases, higher-rank agents or affiliated guild Heroes are dispatched.  

However, this is merely a manual guideline, and such situations rarely happen in reality.  

Deliberately causing trouble at a Gate results in severe penalties, making it difficult for Heroes to continue their activities.  

“…Hick!”  

Nam Do-seok couldn’t believe his eyes.  

A man dressed in shabby clothing had brutally assaulted his fellow agents.  

“Last warning. Walk away, and no one gets hurt.”  

At the time, he had thought the man was just insane.  

‘I should’ve reported this to headquarters right then!’  

When the man effortlessly twisted the wrist of a colleague in combat gear,  

He should have realized then that this man was anything but ordinary.  

Underestimating him due to their overwhelming numbers and his ragged appearance was a fatal mistake. The fact that no Hero had ever caused trouble at a Gate before also led to complacency.  

Crunch!  

“AAAH!”  

A horrific sound followed as an arm bent at an unnatural angle, and the colleague screamed, trembling violently.  

Shudder.  

Standing alone, Nam Do-seok felt the baton in his hand shake as he involuntarily stepped back.  

‘This… This brutal bastard…’  

How many people could twist limbs so casually without even blinking?  

Nam Do-seok couldn’t help but fear the man before him.  

“You there.”  

The man, who had beaten down high-rank combat-suited colleagues with his bare fists, stared at Nam Do-seok with eyes fiercer than any monster’s.  

“…M-me?”  

“Who else is here?”  

Nam Do-seok flinched at the man’s slight frown.  

“No matter which Gate I go to, you people come after me, huh? Calling it trespassing or whatever.”  

“…Huh?”  

“Do I have to repeat myself?”  

“Y-yes! Th-that’s right! If an unregistered Hero enters a Gate without permission, the Control Center is automatically alerted, and nearby agents are dispatched!”  

“Hmm.”  

The man let out a short hum and furrowed his brows.  

“Registered Heroes don’t have any issues?”  

“That’s correct. As long as they don’t commit illegal acts inside the Gate, agents won’t intervene.”  

“What about rift zones?”  

“Rift zones are uncontrollable areas outside our jurisdiction.”  

Anomalies occurring worldwide, along with the monsters—completely different lifeforms inhabiting those areas—are called rift zones.  

Gates are places where these rift zones are fully controlled, confining monsters and allowing hunting for byproducts. Colloquially, they’re called ‘farms’.  

“However, rift zones are strictly controlled by the Hero Association, making them far less accessible than Gates.”  

Moreover, the number of rift zones isn’t particularly high.  

In this era, a nation’s strength is measured by how many rift zones it can convert into Gates, so the Hero Association tightly controls all rift zones in South Korea, focusing entirely on Gate conversion.  

Nam Do-seok, who had answered without being asked, held onto hope that he might be treated differently from his colleagues.  

But it was a futile hope.  

The man never went back on his word.  

“GAAAH! You bastard! I’ll kill you!”  

Leaving behind Nam Do-seok’s agonized screams as his leg twisted, the man leisurely exited the Gate.  

***

Gasan Digital Complex, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul.

Once a national industrial complex, its role had completely transformed.  

Now, it was the most important and popular hotspot for Heroes.  

“Buying monster byproducts at the highest prices!”  

“Specialized in monster byproducts!”  

“Manager Kim Young-cheol | M: 010-1212-3434”  

“Stone MAN—Specialized in magic stones!”  

“Selling at Korea’s lowest prices, buying at the highest!”  

“Section Chief Park Cheol-woon | M: 010-5656-7878”  

“TOPENG—TH Group’s subcontractor!”  

“Magic weapons officially ordered by TH Group now available!”  

“Buy them cheap during this limited-time offer!”  

“Robotic Life Sciences—Specialized in combat suits!”  

“Massive discounts on low-rank combat suits!”  

“Mid-rank combat suits on clearance sale!”  

“Limited stock of high-rank combat suits—selling fast!”  

From monster byproducts to magic stones, magic weapons, and combat suits

This place, now called the ‘Hero Complex’, was packed with items that drew interest not just from Heroes but also from ordinary people.  

The man picked up one of the business cards littered messily on the ground.  

It was from Stone MAN, a company specializing in buying and selling magic stones.  

“Hello?”  

A low, gruff voice came through the phone.  

“I want to sell magic stones.”  

“If you’re selling, we offer on-site service depending on the rank and quantity. For on-site service, you must possess at least ten mid-mid-rank or higher magic stones…”  

“Where do I go?”  

“Come to Stone Building B, Room 309. It’s about 250 meters from Exit 5 of Line 7. Our staff will…”  

Click.  

The man hung up and headed straight for the subway station, making his way to Exit 5 of Line 7.  

Finding Stone Building B without difficulty, he entered Room 309.  

“Welcome. How can I help you?”  

The man at the computer barely glanced up as the customer entered.  

The room contained only a computer, a large safe, a metal desk, and an old leather sofa. Unbothered, the man slung his backpack onto the desk.  

“I’m selling all of this.”  

Early 20s? At most mid-20s—the rudeness of this young punk irked him, but dealing with Heroes had exposed him to worse. The man forced a smile.  

“You’ve come to the right place. We buy magic stones at the highest prices in Seoul—no, in all of South Korea. You won’t lose out. Let’s check the stones first.”  

Unzipping the bag released the stench of monster blood.  

‘Damn it! Couldn’t he have cleaned them first?!’  

Swearing internally, the man couldn’t help but smile at the sheer quantity.  

“I’ll sort them first, then set the price. Coffee? Or a drink?”  

“Whatever.”  

As the man on the sofa replied curtly, the employee pulled out a canned drink from a box under the desk without hesitation. 

Click.  

While the man drank, the employee wiped each magic stone with a towel and began sorting.  

Finishing with practiced hands, he wiped off monster blood with a wet tissue.  

“Twelve low-rank, sixteen mid-low-rank, and five high-low-rank magic stones. We buy at the official market rate, same as the Gate Center. Our commission is 40%. The total comes to…”  

After tapping on the calculator, he announced:  

Total price: 9.1 million won.  

Commission: 3.64 million won.  

Final payout: 5.46 million won.  

“Shall we proceed?”  

The man on the sofa frowned.  

“You said the highest price in Korea, yet you take 40%? Trying to scam me?”  

“What are you talking about? The industry standard is 45%. Even the cheapest places charge 42-43%. We only take 40%—that’s already the best deal.”  

“That’s your problem. Take 5%.”  

“…What?”  

The employee stared, baffled, as the man glared, silently warning him not to ask twice. He finished his drink in one gulp.  

“Ha! Sir, that’s unreasonable. We decide the terms, not you. If you’re unhappy, leave. But no one will offer better.”  

“Yeah? We’ll see.”  

The man stood to leave, and the employee’s face twisted.  

“Sir.”  

“What?”  

“You owe us for the sorting work. And the drink.”  

The man laughed mockingly.  

“Oh? How much?”  

The employee smirked.  

“My hourly rate is high—I’m premium labor. Sorting fee: 300,000 won. Drink: 10,000 won. And see this? Your filthy stones ruined an expensive towel. Total: 350,000 won.”  

The man kept smiling.  

“You think I’ll pay for that crap?”  

“No. But you will.”  

As soon as he spoke, the door opened.  

“You called? What’s up?”  

Three burly men entered, twirling daggers like toys.  

The employee had summoned them the moment negotiations soured.  

“Sir, these gentlemen are skilled Heroes. Nearly B-rank… Or even C-rank. So, unless you want trouble, pay the fee. Or… Would you prefer selling at 60% commission?”  

“Now it’s 20% higher?”  

“They need their cut. Premium labor, as I said.”  

Chuckling, the employee watched as the man lazily leaned back on the sofa.  

“Guess I’ll adjust my terms too. Keep 1%. Bring me 9,009,000 won. No—keep the 9,000 as a tip.”  

The employee scoffed.  

“Boys, our guest doesn’t understand polite conversation. Handle it.”  

“Some people only learn the hard way.”  

The men cracked their knuckles, grinning threateningly.  

Unfazed, the man remained seated.  

“Too stupid to listen, too dumb to read the room. Don’t just sit there—get up and fight back.”  

“Try and make me.”  

Irritated by his tone, the men advanced.