SFRW-Chapter 16

Ch. 16 Sword God From The Ruined World

There are officially 306 S-rank Heroes registered with the World Hero Association.  

Some rumors suggest there are at least 100 more unregistered S-rank Heroes, but on paper, only 306 have officially obtained S-rank status.  

Out of a global population of 6 billion, only 306.  

These are special individuals who defied impossible odds to become S-rank Heroes.  

Among them, only seven hold South Korean citizenship—and only one of them is a woman.  

That woman is Hyun Joo-yeon.  

She is always counted among the top three most popular Heroes in South Korea and is a global star, consistently ranked in the top 10 most beautiful Heroes worldwide.  

And this Hyun Joo-yeon was waiting for one man to finish his meal.  

Her gaze was fixed solely on Seo Do-jun.  

The illegitimate son of Seo Jung-jin, CEO of T Electronics.  

A bloodline utterly discarded by Seo Kyung-chul, the head of the T Group.  

Before coming to find Seo Do-jun, Hyun Joo-yeon had memorized every detail about him.  

“The information on Seo Do-jun is confirmed. As of May 25th, before entering the Gate, he was undoubtedly an ordinary person with nothing special about him.”  

“It’s highly likely he awakened inside the Gate.”  

“The recent dimensional rift also appeared at his residence in Mapo.”  

“If the reports are true, Seo Do-jun must have entered the new rift.”  

Hyun Joo-yeon mentally revisited the briefing she had received about Seo Do-jun.  

To summarize:  

Seo Do-jun awakened inside a Gate and likely cleared the new rift as well.  

Though rare, rifts sometimes collapse after their boss monsters are defeated.  

Knowing this, Hyun Joo-yeon suspected Seo Do-jun might be the reason the Mapo rift disappeared.  

‘No—I’m sure of it. It’s him.’  

Her hypothesis turned into certainty the moment she met him.  

No one in South Korea could make her tense with just their voice.  

However—  

‘An S-rank after less than two months as an awakener?’  

That was absurd. Even Capmore, the fastest Hero to reach S-rank, took five years after awakening.  

Capmore was a filthy-rich Middle Easterner who forcibly raised his rank by buying up every Hero magic stone in the world. Though his reputation was poor, even he needed astronomical wealth and five years. Hyun Joo-yeon couldn’t believe Seo Do-jun had reached S-rank in just two months.  

‘He must have a unique ability…’  

Her tension was likely due to whatever special power he possessed.  

And the new rift’s rank must have been lower than expected.  

As she finished organizing her thoughts, Seo Do-jun also finished his meal.  

Just as Hyun Joo-yeon was about to stand and approach him again—  

“Seo Do-jun?”  

A man and woman entering the restaurant recognized Seo Do-jun and walked toward him.  

‘That guy…’  

Hyun Joo-yeon frowned as she recognized the man who seemed to know Seo Do-jun.  

***  

The prickling gaze on the back of his head sharpened Seo Do-jun’s nerves.  

‘Why is an S-rank Hero looking for me?’  

He couldn’t possibly forget Hyun Joo-yeon’s face—she was everywhere on TV and the internet.  

Having someone stare holes into him while he ate made it impossible not to notice her.  

“Brother, I’m so full I can’t eat anymore.”  

Eun-young, who had indulged in expensive Hanwoo beef, put down her fork.  

“Thanks to Seo Do-jun, we’re living luxuriously. But there’s so much meat left—what a waste…”  

His grandmother also set down her chopsticks, regretfully eyeing the remaining meat.  

“We can take the leftovers home.”  

Uncomfortable under Hyun Joo-yeon’s gaze, Seo Do-jun called a server to pack the remaining meat and even bought extra cuts that Eun-young and his grandmother liked.  

His grandmother fretted over the expense, while Eun-young grinned at the thought of eating meat at home.  

As they waited for the packed meat—  

“Seo Do-jun?”  

Someone called his name and approached.  

A man in his early 30s with a swaggering gait, an expensive hairstyle, and high-end watches and bracelets.  

“You—you’re really Seo Do-jun? How the hell did you survive?”  

Seo Do-jun frowned at the man who looked like he couldn’t believe his eyes.  

Of all the ways to meet again…  

“Wow—what the fuck? You came out alive? Did someone help you? Hey, answer me. How are you still alive?”  

Seo Do-jun glanced at the man spewing vulgarities in front of his family before turning away.  

“You there—you said you had business with me?”  

He spoke to Hyun Joo-yeon.  

“Huh? Hyun Joo-yeon?”  

The man’s eyes widened when he recognized her.  

Ignoring him, Hyun Joo-yeon kept her eyes on Seo Do-jun.  

“Then, take care of my family for me.”  

“Take care…?”  

“Just call a taxi and send them home.”  

Though baffled by the absurd request, Hyun Joo-yeon nodded at the sight of Eun-young’s adorable face and his grandmother’s worried expression.  

“Fine.”  

“Seo Do-jun, what’s going on?”  

Sensing the tension, his grandmother grabbed his hand.  

“I owe that guy a debt. I’ll settle it quickly and come home. Go ahead first.”  

His grandmother eyed the man, who looked anything but trustworthy. Though uneasy, she remembered how even loan sharks like President Hwang Chang-seop and his men couldn’t touch Seo Do-jun and reluctantly told him to be careful.  

“I’ll escort them. Little cutie, want to go with your auntie?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon’s cheerful demeanor eased his grandmother as she left with Eun-young.  

“Brother, come back soon.”  

At Eun-young’s anxious voice, Seo Do-jun smiled reassuringly and waved.  

“Didn’t want to lose face in front of your family, huh?”  

The man sneered, but Seo Do-jun ignored him and stepped forward.  

“You fucking bastard, you dare—!”  

SLAP!  

The man’s head snapped to the side.  

“You little shit—!”  

SLAP!  

This time, the other way.  

Stunned more than hurt, the man’s anger flared at being unable to dodge.  

“Brother! Are you okay? Hey! Who do you think you are—?”  

“Shut the fuck up! Get lost!”  

The man shoved his female companion aside and spat.  

“You wanna die? Huh? You little fuck!”  

Assuming he had let his guard down, the man swung his fist—  

But Seo Do-jun’s hand moved faster.  

CRACK!  

This slap was on another level.  

The man staggered back three steps, his mouth bleeding, teeth rattling.  

“Kang Cheol-woo.”  

Seo Do-jun’s first words were the man’s name.  

Kang Cheol-woo—the man who had trapped Seo Do-jun in a Gate to die.  

“We have a lot to talk about.”  

Kang Cheol-woo shuddered at Seo Do-jun’s icy tone, but his anger outweighed his fear.  

“What could I possibly have to say to a bastard like you, who was even abandoned by his own father? Ah! You mean your stepmother hired someone to have you killed? Heh heh heh!”  

Seo Do-jun wasn’t surprised—he already knew.  

Kang Cheol-woo, aware of that, didn’t care and kept taunting.  

“Say it again.”  

Seo Do-jun held out his phone, recording.  

“The fuck? That your whore of a mother was famous?”  

The moment he finished, Kang Cheol-woo lunged, throwing a punch too fast for a normal person to block.  

But Seo Do-jun swatted it away like a fly and grabbed his hair.  

“You little—!”  

“First, take your beating.”  

With emotionless calm, Seo Do-jun began ruthlessly slapping Kang Cheol-woo.  

SLAP! SLAP! CRACK! CRACK!  

Helpless, Kang Cheol-woo could only take the hits.  

The restaurant’s atmosphere turned hostile, and staff prepared to call the police—  

But Hyun Joo-yeon returned after sending off Seo Do-jun’s family and reassured them.  

She also ushered out remaining customers.  

Public clashes between Heroes were common, and bystanders often got hurt.  

Hyun Joo-yeon was stunned.  

A B-rank Hero like Kang Cheol-woo was no pushover—yet Seo Do-jun handled him like a child.  

‘Above B-rank? No—above A-rank?’  

If she had to gauge Seo Do-jun’s strength now, he was at least A-rank.  

But could even an A-rank dominate a B-rank so effortlessly?  

She couldn’t compute.  

Still—  

She wondered just how much Seo Do-jun knew about Kang Cheol-woo.  

In the tense restaurant, Kang Cheol-woo was beaten beyond recognition before collapsing.  

Seo Do-jun dropped him like trash.  

“He’ll be out for a while. Let’s talk business.”  

Hyun Joo-yeon’s gaze shifted to Kang Cheol-woo.  

“How much do you know about him?”  

“Kang Cheol-woo? Enough. Why does it matter?”  

“It does. His cousin is Kang Young-pyo.”  

Hyun Joo-yeon knew exactly what kind of scum Kang Cheol-woo was—a B-rank Hero who dabbled in illegal activities, infamous even among Heroes.  

The only reason he walked around so boldly was his cousin, Kang Young-pyo.  

“Why does his cousin being an S-rank matter?”  

He knows about Kang Young-pyo?  

Hyun Joo-yeon was shocked Seo Do-jun knew—and even more shocked he didn’t seem to care.  

“Kang Cheol-woo’s alive because Kang Young-pyo protects him. What you just did is incredibly dangerous. I know there’s bad blood between you two, but don’t expect Kang Young-pyo to understand.”  

“Understand?”  

Seo Do-jun laughed like it was a joke.  

He wasn’t afraid of Kang Young-pyo.  

“You’re not scared of him.”  

“No reason to be. Anyway, you seem to know a lot about me—starting to get annoying.”  

His sharp glare made Hyun Joo-yeon’s head spin again.  

No fear of Kang Young-pyo, unwavering confidence in front of her—his strength was undeniable.  

“Sorry for dropping in like this. But I need something from you. You sold Hero magic stones to Stone MAN today, right? I need them.”  

“How much?”  

Seo Do-jun cut to the chase.  

“I’ll buy everything you have.”  

“That’s a lot.”  

“An S-rank Hero’s wealth is beyond imagination.”  

Her confidence wasn’t arrogance—just fact.  

Seo Do-jun shook his head.  

“I’ll sell. But on one condition.”  

“A condition?”  

Her brow furrowed.  

“Nothing major. Someone like you can easily access rift zones, right? Get me in.”  

Easy, right?  

His smirk left Hyun Joo-yeon speechless.