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Ch. 14 Sword God From The Ruined World

Although Seo Do-jun had completely subdued President Hwang Chang-seop, his plan remained valid.  

In fact, since President Hwang Chang-seop had vowed absolute obedience, Seo Do-jun thought it would be even easier to use him to care for Eun-young and his grandmother.  

But.  

The moment he saw his grandmother and Eun-young, who had grown thin from lack of sleep and meals due to worry over him, he felt as though a massive hammer had struck his head and a sharp spear had pierced his heart.  

President Hwang Chang-seop had taken good care of them in a relatively comfortable environment, considering the possibility that Seo Do-jun might return alive. Yet, even in those circumstances, the grandmother and Eun-young had endured each day in tears, thinking only of Seo Do-jun. No matter how cold-hearted he was, he couldn’t bring himself to ignore them.  

What if he disappeared like this?  

It was obvious how devastated their lives would become.  

Moreover, as someone who could easily anticipate how much emotional toll witnessing that would take on him, Seo Do-jun had no choice but to abandon his plans.  

“Should I let go of this?”  

“No.”  

Eun-young stubbornly shook her head, gripping his hand tightly as if to say she would never let go. Unable to refuse, Seo Do-jun simply continued walking.  

“Want me to buy you a hamburger?”  

A hamburger shop came into view ahead, and since Eun-young, like any other child, loved hamburgers, he asked.  

“Hamburger?”  

Eun-young swallowed hard as she stared at the hamburger picture on the shop’s display.  

Seeing her reaction, Seo Do-jun smiled slightly and entered the shop with her.  

After ordering two hamburger sets, they sat side by side and ate.  

“Brother, are we moving soon?”  

At Eun-young’s question, Seo Do-jun nodded.  

Officially, he had vanished along with the dimensional rift.  

If it became known that he was alive and well, complications would arise. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Seo Do-jun had decided to move, using President Hwang Chang-seop’s assistance.  

Eventually, the truth of his survival would come out, but for now, he saw no reason or obligation to announce his return.  

Above all, the Hero Association and the government already considered Seo Do-jun dead.  

Even if they found out he was alive now, would they publicly announce it through the media?  

Doing so would be an admission of their own incompetence. Even if his survival was revealed, the Hero Association and the government would undoubtedly try to conceal it as much as possible.  

Even if they didn’t, given the current circumstances, Seo Do-jun had little to lose.  

“Eun-young, you’ll start kindergarten like other kids, and next year, you’ll go to school.”  

“Kindergarten?”  

At the mention of kindergarten, Eun-young’s face darkened, and she put down her hamburger.  

“Don’t want to go?”  

“…No.”  

“Then don’t. It’s only a few months left anyway. Next year, you’ll go straight to school.”  

“Okay!”  

Relieved that she wouldn’t have to attend kindergarten, Eun-young happily resumed eating.  

Having grown up without parents, raised only by her grandmother and brother, Eun-young had not been treated well in kindergarten.  

It wasn’t outright abuse, but there had been a malicious teacher who openly ignored her and discriminated against her compared to other children. Some parents had even gone out of their way to prevent their kids from interacting with her.  

Before Seo Do-jun’s supposed death, he had visited the kindergarten multiple times to demand corrections, but in the end, Eun-young had to leave. The scars from that time still lingered deeply within her.  

‘Should I just enroll her in a prestigious private elementary school from the start?’  

Seo Do-jun briefly considered sending her to a school so elite that ordinary people wouldn’t dare look down on her, but soon shook his head.  

It might be unnecessary. Unlike the deceased Seo Do-jun, he was different now—even if similar incidents occurred, he was confident he could handle them.  

More importantly, he believed Eun-young needed to learn how to navigate life on her own. He didn’t want to intervene in every little thing for her.  

“Brother, are you a hero too?”  

At Eun-young’s question, Seo Do-jun asked in return,  

“Do you want me to be a hero?”  

Being a hero was the most admired profession among children. He expected her to say yes without hesitation.  

“No, I’d rather you weren’t a hero.”  

“Why?”  

“They said heroes fight scary monsters. I know they’re amazing people who protect us, but… I want you to live with Grandma and me for a long, long time.”  

“Don’t worry. I won’t go anywhere. I’ll stay with you for a very, very long time.”  

Seo Do-jun, who had grown sick of outliving everyone else, spoke with certainty.  

Even in the ruined world of the past, he had been the last human standing.  

The harshness of that world had forced him to cling to survival with sheer tenacity, making Earth’s peaceful environment almost boring in comparison.  

“Really? Then promise me!”  

With that, Eun-young stuck out her tiny pinky finger.  

Though he found it childish, Seo Do-jun couldn’t refuse her earnest request and linked his finger with hers, sealing the promise.  

“Hehe! I’ll tell Grandma too!”  

Watching Eun-young swing her legs happily in her chair, Seo Do-jun couldn’t help but smile.  

After finishing their meal, Seo Do-jun took Eun-young shopping.  

They visited a department store, buying pretty and cute clothes in abundance, picking out a gift for his grandmother, and snacking nonstop.  

He even took her to a kids’ café, where she played to her heart’s content for the first time.  

Finally, as the day ended—  

“Brother… You won’t go anywhere, right?”  

Exhausted, Eun-young clung tightly to his back, mumbling sleepily as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  

“…Yeah.”  

Family.  

Though he had once thought of Eun-young and her grandmother as temporary stops in his life,  

Without realizing it, they had seeped quietly into his heart, not just his mind.  

***

Meanwhile…  

The recent dimensional rift incident in Mapo was gradually fading from people’s memories.  

Though it could have been a disaster—a monster wave erupting in the heart of Seoul—the rift had fortunately closed on its own. Nothing could have been better.  

But for the Hero Association, which still didn’t understand why the rift had vanished, this was just another unsolvable mystery. They couldn’t afford to relax.  

“Are you telling me there’s nothing?”  

Na Tae-hwang, one of the most influential figures in South Korea, frowned deeply.  

A first-generation hero.  

Founder of the Korean Hero Association.  

Director of the World Hero Association Federation.  

One of the top 100 most respected heroes worldwide.  

Describing Na Tae-hwang was no simple task.  

Even the nation’s most powerful figures—the president or the heads of major corporations—couldn’t speak carelessly in his presence.  

Frankly, if Na Tae-hwang ran for president, he would win by a historic landslide. If he wanted, he could topple even the largest corporations with ease.  

Yet, Na Tae-hwang had no interest in politics, nor did he harbor any malice toward businesses.  

His only concerns were the rifts and people’s safety.  

“We couldn’t find anything. I’m sorry.”  

“I see… How frustrating. If it can disappear on its own, that means it could reappear just as suddenly.”  

Na Tae-hwang was anything but pleased by the rift’s abrupt closure.  

In fact, he would’ve preferred if a monster wave had emerged as predicted.  

The Hero Association could’ve handled the damage, but the rift’s unexplained disappearance only introduced more uncertainty.  

While others might rejoice at the lack of immediate harm, Na Tae-hwang and the Hero Association couldn’t afford such complacency.  

“Even if it takes time, investigate again from the beginning. What about the house purchase?”  

“The resident has agreed to sell.”  

“Good. Pay well above market price. They’ve lost family—if this brings even slight comfort, it’s worth it.”  

“We’ll ensure the compensation is more than sufficient.”  

“What’s the status elsewhere?”  

His aide responded promptly.  

“The U.S., China, and U.K. will dispatch rift exploration teams within a week. Turkey and Switzerland are still holding off.”  

“The U.S. and China aren’t concerned, but the U.K… That’s worrying.”  

The U.S. and China were sending their top heroes, so despite the tight schedule, there was little cause for concern.  

But the U.K.’s situation was different.  

Their most reliable heroes were already deployed in other rifts, leaving them vulnerable.  

Just as the aide tried to reassure him, a phone rang.  

The aide answered swiftly, but his expression quickly darkened.  

“What?”  

Na Tae-hwang immediately sensed something was wrong.  

“The rift in the U.K.—it just triggered a Monster wave.”  

Na Tae-hwang’s face stiffened.  

The worst-case scenario.  

The unpredictable had happened.  

***

Elsewhere…  

Seo Do-jun headed to the Gasan Hero District to dispose of the magic stones he’d acquired from the new rift.  

His destination, as always, was the Stone MAN office, known for smooth transactions.  

When he entered, no one greeted him.  

Two men inside were just blankly staring at their phones.  

“Not open for business today?”  

Only when Seo Do-jun spoke did one of them glance up.  

“What do you—”  

“S-Sir! It’s him! That guy!”  

Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol shot up, his face pale.  

At first, Section Chief Park Cheol-woon didn’t understand, but seeing Manager Lee Sang-cheol’s terrified expression, he scrutinized Seo Do-jun.  

“So it’s you?”  

Section Chief Park Cheol-woon’s face twisted in displeasure—this was the thief who had caused massive losses to their company.  

“You’re the one who threatened my assistant into buying magic stones at a loss?”  

Ignoring the accusation, Seo Do-jun got straight to the point.  

“Perfect timing. I’ve got a lot to sell today, so having someone higher-up here helps. Check these and process them quickly.”  

He dropped his backpack onto the desk.  

The stones from the Vulkena hunt were so plentiful that he’d only brought a portion. The backpack looked heavily weighted.  

Normally, Section Chief Park Cheol-woon would’ve been excessively polite, but Seo Do-jun was no longer a customer worth respecting.  

“We’re not doing business with you anymore. Get out.”  

“You won’t trade?”  

“Do you have any idea how much we lose every time we deal with you? Take this and leave. Don’t come back.”  

“You’ll regret this.”  

“Regret? Us?”  

Section Chief Park Cheol-woon scoffed.  

“With a 1% purchase fee, what profit do we even make? We’d just lose money reselling these! Even the Gate Center takes a 5% cut for a reason! If you knew how magic stone distribution works, you’d— Just go! Never call again!”  

As Section Chief Park Cheol-woon shoved the backpack at Seo Do-jun, one stone tumbled out, rolling across the floor.  

Annoyed but responsible, Section Chief Park Cheol-woon picked it up to return it—then froze.  

“…Huh?”  

Magic stones from Gates were always red.  

Their size and hue determined their magic density, with prices varying drastically from low-grade to premium.  

But there was one exception—a stone that didn’t glow red.  

An ultra-rare variant found only in rifts, with odds so slim they were nearly mythical.  

Though its magic density was only mid-grade, its value surpassed even high-grade stones.  

“A… Hero Stone?”  

Section Chief Park Cheol-woon rubbed his eyes, disbelieving, before staring again.  

A vivid blue glow radiated from the stone in his hand.  

“T-This is—!”  

Seo Do-jun snatched it back and stuffed it into his backpack.  

But Section Chief Park Cheol-woon had already seen it.  

The backpack was filled with those blue stones.  

As Seo Do-jun turned to leave, Section Chief Park Cheol-woon lunged, desperately grabbing his pant leg.  

“W-Wait, sir! P-Please, just a moment!”

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