SFRW-Chapter 26

Ch. 26 Sword God From The Ruined World

Name: Choi Cheol-gwan.  

Due to his family’s difficult circumstances, he began working as an apprentice in a blacksmith’s shop at the age of twelve—a rare sight even back then. Swept up by the advice that it was good to learn a proper skill, he lived like an anomaly in an era of cutting-edge technology, consuming molten metal, and spent his entire life focused solely on hammering iron. Though blacksmithing was practically a dying craft due to mechanization, the dawn of the Age of rifts made it one of the most crucial professions.  

Not only inside the rift zones but even among the monsters that emerged outside, there were those impervious to modern weaponry, forcing humanity to rely on the most primitive methods to defeat them—weapons like swords, spears, axes, and hammers.  

Choi Cheol-gwan, in particular, displayed exceptional talent in crafting weapons by combining monster byproducts and magic stones, materials that machines struggled to process. As a result, he gained quite a reputation among Heroes as a highly skilled weaponsmith.  

Hyun Joo-yeon also formed a connection with Choi Cheol-gwan through her uncle, who ran Stone MAN, and had been conducting steady business with him. In short, he was a blacksmith recognized by an S-rank Hero.  

***

“For non-metallic materials like the Giant Black Salmo’s fang, no matter how much you process them, you can’t forge a weapon larger than their original size.”  

While metallic materials could be forged into any desired shape, non-metallic materials—especially bones and other monster body parts—were difficult to craft into anything larger than their original size. Of course, it wasn’t impossible, but doing so would drastically reduce the weapon’s durability or amplify its weaknesses beyond its strengths.  

Listening to Choi Cheol-gwan’s explanation, Seo Do-jun stared at the two Giant Black Salmo fangs and asked,  

“What if we combine the two into one?”  

“Combine them into one?”  

Choi Cheol-gwan immediately understood.  

“Hmm, I’ve never attempted such a process, so it’s hard to give a definitive answer.”  

When Choi Cheol-gwan replied that he could try but couldn’t guarantee the outcome, Seo Do-jun responded indifferently.  

“Materials can always be obtained again. It wouldn’t hurt to try.”  

In his current state, Seo Do-jun could completely destroy the Bam Island Gate in just an hour. His magic capacity was different from before, and above all, after absorbing the Eternal Ember, he could now wield fire energy—the most lethal element against Black Salmos.  

“Then there’s no reason not to try.”  

“Length is important, but magic absorption rate comes first.”  

“I know.”  

As Seo Do-jun nodded at Choi Cheol-gwan’s reply, Choi Kang-soo—the blacksmith’s son, who had been watching their exchange with growing irritation—could no longer hold back and blurted out, 

“Hey! How old are you? You can’t be more than twenty-five, yet you keep speaking casually to him! Do you not realize my father is much older than you? Just because you’re a Hero, you think you can ignore age and talk down to people? What’s your deal?”  

Seo Do-jun’s casual speech had been grating on him the entire time. Though intimidated by the fact that Seo Do-jun was a Hero with extraordinary abilities, Choi Kang-soo was still in a position where he had to make requests, so he raised his voice.  

“Age?”  

Seo Do-jun burst out laughing at Choi Kang-soo’s words.  

His body might be twenty-three years old, but Karserian Le Vandean—who had been called the Sword God in a ruined world—was over fifty. Moreover, as the heir of a prestigious Marquis family in a noble-dominated society, Karserian Le Vandean rarely used honorifics unless absolutely necessary.  

Naturally, Seo Do-jun saw no reason to speak formally to Choi Cheol-gwan, who was barely a decade older.  

“How old are you?”  

When Choi Kang-soo glared and asked, Seo Do-jun turned his gaze to Choi Cheol-gwan.  

“Do you feel the same way?”  

“It’d be a lie to say it’s not uncomfortable. Ahem.”  

Seeing Choi Cheol-gwan’s obvious discomfort, Seo Do-jun decided to adjust his mindset.  

If I’m going to live in this body… Fine, I’ll follow the rules of this world.  

Such a concession would have been unthinkable for his past self, but having adapted somewhat to life on Earth, he deemed it an acceptable change.  

“I’ll be more careful with my speech from now on.”  

Seo Do-jun’s unexpectedly compliant attitude left both Choi Kang-soo and Choi Cheol-gwan flustered.  

How many Heroes out there lack basic manners?  

Plenty of Heroes considered themselves superior to ordinary people simply by virtue of being Heroes, and among the younger ones, many acted as if they were nobility, casually speaking down to everyone.  

Choi Kang-soo had encountered countless such Heroes, so he assumed Seo Do-jun was the same—someone who would sneer at him for daring to complain. But seeing Seo Do-jun switch his speech so easily left him at a loss.  

“Uh… Yeah, watch your tone.”  

“But not with you.”  

When Seo Do-jun reverted to his casual speech with Choi Kang-soo, the latter’s face twisted.  

“I’m twenty-eight!”  

He tried to emphasize that he was at least older than Seo Do-jun, but—  

“I’ll wait for your call.”  

Seo Do-jun ignored him cleanly.  

“Hey! Hey! How old are you? You’re younger than me! From now on, call me Uncle! Got it?”  

As Seo Do-jun walked out of the office, Choi Kang-soo shouted at the back of his head. Choi Cheol-gwan clicked his tongue lightly and retreated into his workshop behind the iron door.  

***

Rumors travel faster than the wind.  

The eighth newly registered S-rank Hero in South Korea.  

Though the Hero Association tried its best to keep it under wraps, when had the world’s secrets ever stayed hidden?  

Especially when S-rank Heroes numbered barely over 300 worldwide—no matter how hard they tried, it was impossible to conceal.  

“The National Assembly and the Blue House have inquired about publicly announcing the eighth S-rank Hero.”  

At the words of Park Seong-cheol, the Hero Association’s vice president and de facto government official, Na Tae-hwang frowned faintly.  

But as if brushing it off, he turned to Deputy Director Min Hong-gi and asked,  

“What are your thoughts,Deputy Director Min Hong-gi?”  

Since Min Hong-gi was the only one who had met Seo Do-jun in person, his opinion carried weight.  

“Hero Seo Do-jun never explicitly requested his personal details to be kept private. However, we also can’t assume he’d be fine with disclosure. The only sure thing is that we should contact him for final confirmation.”  

“Deputy Director Min Hong-gi, your words sound strange. Since when does the Association act only after consulting individual Heroes? The Association comes first, not the Heroes. And let’s be frank—it’s not like we’re pushing for disclosure just for fun. In an era where Heroes equate to national power, the registration of another S-rank is a celebratory event for the entire country! Why hide such good news? Even if the individual objects, shouldn’t we steer toward disclosure anyway?”  

Park Seong-cheol’s near-reprimand toward Min Hong-gi ended with him addressing Na Tae-hwang.  

In the hierarchy between the Association and Heroes, the Association was undeniably the dominant party. No matter how great a Hero’s abilities, the system that united and connected them—the global network managed by the Association—held undeniable power.  

Unless every Hero turned their backs on the Association, even an S-rank Hero couldn’t easily disregard its decisions.  

“If revealing his identity would cause discomfort, respecting that is also the Association’s duty.”  

Na Tae-hwang’s response—essentially stating that the Association had no reason to force disclosure if the Hero refused—made Park Seong-cheol’s expression twist in displeasure.  

“But as the Vice President said, announcing a new S-rank Hero in these turbulent times would undoubtedly bring joy to the public. Deputy Director Min Hong-gi, contact Seo Do-jun for his opinion.”  

Before Na Tae-hwang could finish, Park Seong-cheol cut in,  

“Strike while the iron is hot—contact him right now.”  

“Huh? Right now?”  

“Is exchanging a few words so difficult that we should wait days?”  

When Min Hong-gi looked at Na Tae-hwang, the latter reluctantly nodded. Though clearly displeased with Park Seong-cheol’s pushiness, as the Association’s vice president, his opinion couldn’t be easily dismissed.  

“Understood.”  

Min Hong-gi reluctantly took out his phone and dialed Seo Do-jun’s number, but—  

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“It seems he’s inside a Gate.”  

Park Seong-cheol immediately interjected,

“Then contact the Gate Control Center to find out which one. If calls don’t work, send someone to meet him directly. We need his answer as soon as possible, don’t we?”  

Though annoyed by the unnecessary urgency, Min Hong-gi had no choice but to contact the Gate Control Center under Park Seong-cheol’s pressure.  

However, even they couldn’t locate Seo Do-jun.  

“Out of service usually means he’s inside a Gate, right?”  

At Park Seong-cheol’s question, Min Hong-gi added another possibility,  

“It seems Hero Seo Do-jun has entered a rift zone.”  

“A rift zone? S-ranks really are different. Contact the Rift Management Center.”  

Upon checking with the Rift Management Center:  

“Confirmed. Hero Seo Do-jun has entered the Paju rift zone.”  

Unlike Gates, which were safe enough to be called farms, rift zones were far more dangerous, making it difficult to send someone to contact Seo Do-jun directly. In short, they could only reach him once he exited.  

“Tch! If we’d decided just a bit sooner, we wouldn’t be wasting time like this!”  

Park Seong-cheol clicked his tongue repeatedly in frustration.  

“Paju is a grade 2 rift zone. Who are his teammates?”  

Since information on Seo Do-jun was scarce, Na Tae-hwang took the opportunity to ask Min Hong-gi about his potential team affiliations and guild connections.  

After checking the access records sent by the Rift Management Center, Min Hong-gi looked at Na Tae-hwang in disbelief.  

“Well… It seems he went in alone. Today’s access records for the Paju rift zone list only Hero Seo Do-jun.”  

Na Tae-hwang’s expression faltered momentarily before he steadied himself and asked calmly, 

“No Heroes or guilds entered earlier?”  

“A guild entered a week ago, but they all exited this morning. Since then, Hero Seo Do-jun is the only one who’s entered.”  

“Not that he went in first and others were supposed to follow?”  

At Park Seong-cheol’s question, Min Hong-gi checked the reservation list on his tablet.  

“…There are no scheduled entries. It seems… He really went alone.”  

As Min Hong-gi’s near-certain answer sank in, Na Tae-hwang tried to process the situation, while Park Seong-cheol—  

“Deputy Director Min Hong-gi, this Seo Do-jun guy… Is he insane? What kind of lunatic enters a rift zone—a grade 2, no less—alone?”  

With no prior interaction, Park Seong-cheol could only conclude that Seo Do-jun was a madman.  

***

Suddenly branded a lunatic, Seo Do-jun stood alone in the Paju rift zone.  

A vast, open plain.  

A space so quiet it felt desolate—but those who knew its true nature could never let their guard down.  

KWA-KWAKAKA!  

Without warning, a massive worm-like monster burst from the ground like a dolphin leaping from water, only to dive back beneath the earth.  

Giant Ground Worm.  

The first monster to face in the Paju rift zone.  

Seo Do-jun placed his hand on the ground.  

He could clearly sense the number of Giant Ground Worms writhing madly beneath the plain.  

“Let’s see how many survive.”  

His magic seeped rapidly into the earth.  

Then—  

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!  

The ground split apart as Giant Ground Worms were flung into the air, exploding like fireworks mid-flight.