SFRW-Chapter 21

Ch. 21 Sword God From The Ruined World

Beep—!  

“…It really doesn’t seem to be the case.”  

“Is the machine broken?”  

“No.”  

“That can’t be… Just in case, try measuring again with another machine—no, a brand-new one.”  

“…Understood.”  

The male employee barely hid his displeasure and moved busily.  

But the result was the same.  

The new machine also only confirmed that Seo Do-jun’s body was no different from an ordinary person’s.  

“Did you even check properly? What kind of bullshit is this? Fine, take it all away.”  

At Prosecutor Park Chul-yong’s irritable command, the male employee silently cursed with his expression as he began clearing away the Hero measurement equipment.  

“So he’s really not a Hero?”  

Since no Hero had ever bypassed the Hero measurement device before, even Prosecutor Park Chul-yong felt like he was spouting nonsense as he said it.  

Seo Do-jun remained silent at his words.  

“…What am I even saying? Whatever. Hey, Seo Do-jun. Do you even know what you’ve been up to? Just the charges listed here are enough to land you at least ten years in prison. You could rot away your entire youth in a cell!”  

Even at Prosecutor Park Chul-yong’s near-threat, Seo Do-jun didn’t so much as blink.  

“Look at this bastard. You think I’m lying? See this? We’ve already gathered enough evidence through President Hwang Chang-seop to prove your charges!”  

Thud!  

Prosecutor Park Chul-yong slammed a thick stack of documents on the table to intimidate Seo Do-jun.  

“Hong Hee-ju. It’s that bitch’s doing, right?”  

“…What?”  

Prosecutor Park Chul-yong reacted a bit too late to Seo Do-jun’s words.  

His face was visibly startled, and his voice carried clear embarrassment.  

Without realizing it, his eyes flicked toward the CCTV in the interrogation room.  

“Who, Hong Hee-ju? Who’s that?”  

Though he feigned ignorance with a frown, Seo Do-jun already knew everything.  

“I’m sorry. Hong Hee-ju… That woman… Sigh! We’ve been completely outmaneuvered. She came at us with a premeditated plan, and this is the result. I looked into it—the prosecutor in charge and the evidence were all aligned. There’s no way out. I’m truly sorry.”  

Those were the words of Manager Kim Eon-gu when he came to see him.  

They had been perfectly played.  

The evidence was so airtight that President Hwang Chang-seop had no choice but to face prison time, and HCS Capital was undergoing such intense tax investigations that it was practically impossible to continue operations.  

With just the perfectly coordinated operation between the prosecution and the National Tax Service, President Hwang Chang-seop and HCS Capital had been completely devastated. On top of that, local thugs were stirring up trouble, and Manager Kim Eon-gu said the organization was on the verge of collapse.  

Hong Hee-ju had not only mobilized state power but also resorted to violence.  

Remembering how Manager Kim Eon-gu gritted his teeth every time Hong Hee-ju was mentioned, Seo Do-jun stared intently at Prosecutor Park Chul-yong.  

“I’d heard about it, but seeing you makes it real.”  

“What are you talking about?”  

“Why South Korean prosecutors are called ‘dog prosecutors.’”  

“You bastard! You dare insult South Korean prosecutors?!”  

Prosecutor Park Chul-yong’s face turned red with rage as he raised the documents in his hand to strike Seo Do-jun’s head—  

“…W-what kind of eyes…?”  

But he couldn’t muster the courage to swing under Seo Do-jun’s chilling gaze.  

Not wanting to show fear, he slammed the table again and shouted as if that had been his intention all along.  

“I don’t know where you heard what, but your life is over! No—I’ll make sure of it! Ten years? Don’t make me laugh! A bastard like you will be exiled from society forever! Just watch! I’ll show you whether I can do it or not! You think South Korean prosecutors are jokes? You’re finished, you bastard!”  

After his outburst, Prosecutor Park Chul-yong stormed out of the interrogation room.  

Left alone, Seo Do-jun let out a dry laugh at the sight of Prosecutor Park Chul-yong running away like a scared mutt.  

But the smile soon faded.  

“There’s a limit to patience…”  

He had tried to endure for his grandmother and Eun-young, but he was reaching his breaking point.  

Frankly, if Seo Do-jun willed it, he had the power to overturn all of South Korea. In the worst case, he was prepared to go that far.  

Since the situation had been fabricated to frame him for crimes he didn’t commit, Seo Do-jun saw no way out other than force.  

“Hong Hee-ju, you’re asking for this.”  

A thick, murderous intent seeped into his voice.  

Just as Seo Do-jun’s patience was rapidly running out—  

“What are you doing here?”  

It was Hyun Joo-yeon.  

“I don’t even know myself.”  

She could clearly sense the icy aura radiating from Seo Do-jun’s voice and quickly grasped how dangerous the situation was.  

“Don’t do anything reckless. I know how absurd your situation is, but there’s no need to resort to violence.”  

From her tone, Seo Do-jun realized she hadn’t come without reason.  

“Are you here to help me?”  

“Now that I know you’ve done nothing wrong, I can’t just stand by while an innocent person is framed. If I didn’t know, fine—but since I do, I have to set it right.”  

Then, in a near-whisper, she added,

“However, your identity as Dark Knight might still be punished under current law. And the new rift that appeared at the Mapo house you lived in is also a bit of a headache. The Hero Association might investigate.”  

Seo Do-jun had no argument about his Dark Knight identity—he had broken the law.  

As for the new rift, he could only accept it.  

“Is my family safe?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon gave him a bewildered look.  

“Uh, I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not your secretary. Why would I be checking on your family?”  

Despite her retort, Seo Do-jun silently kept staring at her.  

Soon, she furrowed her brows and spoke.  

“Don’t worry. Your family is fine.”  

Seo Do-jun nodded as if he’d expected that.  

“Shouldn’t you at least say thank you?”  

“Thanks.”  

“…Wow, talk about entitlement. Anyway, just wait a little longer. It’ll be resolved soon.”  

As she stood up, seemingly done talking, Seo Do-jun asked,

“What do you want?”  

At first, he thought she was helping him because of the Hero magic stone.  

But was that really all?  

Sure enough, Hyun Joo-yeon answered as if she’d been waiting for the question.  

“I was worried you wouldn’t ask. Good thing you did. I don’t want anything right now. But if I’m ever in a situation like yours, help me just once. That’s enough.”  

“You’re putting me in your debt?”  

She pouted as if offended.  

“Can’t we just think of it as helping each other? Geez. Anyway, no matter how angry you are, hold on a little longer. I’ll resolve it as quickly as possible.”  

Seo Do-jun nodded, trusting her.  

And true to her word, the case was resolved swiftly.  

Hyun Joo-yeon’s method wasn’t to prove Seo Do-jun’s innocence—it was to attack Prosecutor Park Chul-yong directly.  

Prosecutor Park Chul-yong was indicted and arrested after evidence surfaced of case rigging and bribery. Not only were the bribes undeniable, but additional illegal activities were uncovered, effectively guaranteeing his dismissal.  

Since the case had been manipulated, Seo Do-jun’s charges naturally collapsed.  

To be precise, the new prosecutor assigned to the case found numerous flaws in the evidence and quickly confirmed Seo Do-jun’s innocence.  

However, he couldn’t avoid punishment for operating as Dark Knight.  

But since it was his first offense and he had a clean record, he avoided prison time.  

Hyun Joo-yeon’s active defense had also played a significant role.  

“You’ve been through a lot.”  

Seo Do-jun let out a hollow laugh at the white tofu she handed him.  

“Bit of an underwhelming ‘cleansing ritual’, don’t you think?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon also laughed awkwardly, as if embarrassed by the tofu in her hand.  

“The prosecutor said if it weren’t for your strong defense, things wouldn’t have ended so lightly.”  

“Is that your roundabout way of saying thanks?”  

“I’ll repay the debt.”  

“That’s enough. And about the new rift—like I said before, the Hero Association will investigate quietly. If it goes public, they’ll take a hit too, so they’ll move carefully. You might not know this, but the Hero Association is decent. Cooperating would be best.”  

“Fine.”  

Seo Do-jun also didn’t want media exposure, so he planned to cooperate fully.  

“Avoid contact with President Hwang Chang-seop and his people. Not that they’re in any state to come after you now.”  

As they drove off, Hyun Joo-yeon offered various bits of advice.  

After listening silently, Seo Do-jun finally spoke.  

“What happens if I kill Hong Hee-ju?”  

Screech—!  

“…What did you say?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon slammed the brakes and turned to him.  

Cars behind them honked angrily, but she ignored them.  

“You’re not serious, are you?”  

“What if I am?”  

“Are you insane? Even if you’re angry, murder is too far. You’d become a killer. With the Hero Special Act, the punishment would be severe, and given who Hong Hee-ju is… You know how much your family would suffer, right?”  

“I know.”  

Hong Hee-ju was an executive at T Group, one of South Korea’s top conglomerates, and the heir’s wife—as well as the second daughter of W Group, another top-ten corporation. She wasn’t just a golden spoon—she was a diamond spoon.  

Killing her would cause unimaginable repercussions.  

In a ruined world, Seo Do-jun wouldn’t have hesitated to tear her limb from limb.  

But here, he had no intention of doing so.  

He was angry, but he didn’t want to become a murderer or brand Eun-young as a killer’s sister for life.  

“Even if you’re furious, don’t think like that. You’re a Hero now—someone people look up to. Don’t let those kinds of humans taint that. It might sound cliché, but isn’t the best revenge living well?”  

Instead of answering, Seo Do-jun looked out the window.  

On a large billboard, news played about a monster wave in the U.K. that had devastated the area.  

Hyun Joo-yeon noticed his gaze and quickly changed the subject.  

“The situation in the U.K. is worse than expected. A never-before-seen monster caused the wave. Rumor has it that it’s A-rank or higher, and even European Heroes are struggling. It’s bad enough that South Korea is preparing to dispatch Heroes in force.”  

“McCathians.”  

The monster—1.5 meters tall, with an elongated head, four pitch-black eyes, and four scythe-like arms—could cover over ten meters in a single leap. It resembled a mantis.  

“H-how do you—? Don’t tell me you know that monster?!”  

Hyun Joo-yeon’s eyes widened.  

Ten years had passed since the rifts appeared, and hundreds of monsters had been documented.  

The World Hero Association publicly maintained a monster database, accessible to anyone online, listing their appearances and names.  

But the monster in the U.K. wave was entirely new—even its name, McCathian, was classified.  

The news only referred to it as a new monster.  

Hyun Joo-yeon, being an S-rank Hero, knew the name—but Seo Do-jun recognizing it instantly shocked her.  

“McCathians can be easily dealt with using red flower ant venom.”  

“Red flower ants?”  

“The venom doesn’t harm humans, but it paralyzes McCathians’ nerves. Pure venom works best, but even diluted in water and sprayed would stop them from rampaging like this.”  

Hyun Joo-yeon could only stare blankly at Seo Do-jun’s effortless solution.  

“…Just who are you?”  

Despite her suspicious gaze, Seo Do-jun kept his eyes on the billboard.  

The broadcast drone footage showed the terrifying McCathian leaping between four Heroes, indiscriminately swinging its scythes and spraying blood and flesh everywhere.