SFRW-Chapter 82

Ch. 82 Sword God From The Ruined World  

Seo Do-jun let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the motionless Casserian, sprawled out like a broken-down car.  

‘This is its limit.’  

It was only natural that even the Casserian, a Boss Monster from the rift zone, would eventually tire out.  

The environments of the ruined world and Earth were fundamentally different.  

Thus, Seo Do-jun needed to gauge the Casserian’s stamina and understand its limits beforehand.  

‘Still, its endurance is surprisingly high.’  

Despite his murderous aura, Seo Do-jun turned away from the Casserian now sunk in deep slumber.  

The creature would need at least a full day’s rest to recover even partially, leaving Seo Do-jun effectively grounded until then.  

“Are you really just going to leave it like that?” Coby asked, unable to comprehend Seo Do-jun’s decision to abandon the Casserian.  

“Why not?”  

“It’s a Boss Monster! What if it wakes up and goes berserk or causes trouble?”  

“Should I leash it then?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s retort, Coby’s expression twisted.  

“You’re not seriously joking right now…” His voice trailed off as he found no trace of humor in Seo Do-jun’s demeanor.  

“I get your concern, but that won’t happen. Don’t worry about it.”  

Coby opened his mouth to argue that ignoring this was impossible but closed it again. If problems arose, Seo Do-jun would face the most trouble—Coby had no reason to interfere further.  

“How long do you plan to leave it like that?” Patrick Tyler asked.  

Seo Do-jun replied it would take about a day.  

“So you’re saying you’re free until then?” Patrick’s tone was noticeably displeased.  

He wasn’t the only one frustrated. Every American and Canadian Hero gathered here shared similar sentiments.  

They had assembled at their respective associations’ requests, concerned about the growing monster forces in Yukon Territory and the emergence of special variants (Kings). They had come to help eradicate the threat completely.  

But unexpectedly, Seo Do-jun had unilaterally swept through the monsters, leaving the other Heroes scrambling after him. While some might argue that simply following without fighting was easy, for S-rank Heroes, this was a matter of pride.  

“Since we have time now, should we hold a proper meeting?” Patrick suggested.  

Seo Do-jun nodded.  

Thus began the first strategy meeting.  

In the large military tent serving as their operations room, all S-rank Heroes participating in the Yukon monster eradication mission gathered. As they reviewed real-time satellite footage provided by the American Hero Association, Gael grumbled:  

“He completely… wiped them out alone. Then what was the point of gathering so many people?”  

Just as Gael said, only two monster groups remained in Yukon Territory:  

1) A White Bear near the eastern Northwest Territories  

2) An Orc group settled near British Columbia to the south  

In other words, eliminating these two would conclude the operation.  

The problem? The assembled American and Canadian Heroes had done nothing while Seo Do-jun single-handedly cleared the field. Gael could already imagine the mockery they’d face once this became public.  

‘I knew I should’ve skipped this mission!’  

Yet he couldn’t openly vent his frustration at Seo Do-jun for hogging all the action. Sulking was his only outlet.  

“At this point, we should do something… Kassal, what do you think?” Coby asked.  

Seo Do-jun slowly scanned the faces around him. He understood their thoughts.  

To them, cleaning up Yukon’s monsters wasn’t some grand operation for humanity’s survival—it was an annoying chore forced upon them.  

However, even unwilling participants needed tangible achievements to avoid repercussions. They needed glory.  

Though this reeked of privilege unseen in his dying world, Seo Do-jun acknowledged their perspective with a nod.  

“Close the rift zones.”  

He had already handled most monsters that emerged from the rifts. The remaining Orcs and White Bear would be more efficiently dealt with by him alone.  

There were four rift zones in Yukon needing closure—a respectable achievement for the others to claim credit for.  

“Um… Are you sure?” Coby asked hesitantly, taken aback by Seo Do-jun’s casual generosity.  

Both American and Canadian Heroes recognized rift zone closures as prestigious accomplishments worth boasting about.  

“Are you seriously okay with this?” Patrick pressed, seeking confirmation.  

Closing Yukon’s rift zones was practically effortless work. They’d only been left open due to the monster infestations. Essentially, Seo Do-jun was offering them a free meal after preparing the entire feast—which made Patrick suspicious.  

“I don’t mind.”  

The sincerity in Seo Do-jun’s voice made faint smiles bloom among the Heroes. Patrick alone remained perplexed.  

‘Does he have ulterior motives?’  

But Seo Do-jun’s impassive face revealed nothing.  

“However,” Seo Do-jun continued after sipping his coffee, “since we’ve started, I’d like to clean up all of Canada, not just Yukon.”  

“…What?”  

Patrick—who’d braced for some demand—and every other Hero present doubted their ears.  

Seo Do-jun continued nonchalantly:  

“Same method as now. I’ll handle monsters outside rifts; you close the rift zones.”  

The first objection came from John Whiskey, one of Canada’s five S-rank Heroes:  

“Are you insane? Do you have any idea how many monsters are across Canada? This isn’t comparable to Yukon!”  

Canada’s northern territories were vast. Yukon—their current operation zone—was actually the smallest. The neighboring Northwest Territories tripled Yukon’s size, while Nunavut was five times larger.  

“Then how long will you live with monsters over your heads?” Seo Do-jun countered.  

John Whiskey gaped wordlessly.  

“Gatherings like this are rare. Clearing everything now will make managing future rift zones easier. If I were you, I’d welcome this with open arms.”  

As a Canadian, John had no rebuttal.  

“Why go this far?” Patrick asked, genuinely perplexed.  

Canada was unrelated to Seo Do-jun. Patrick knew he’d only come to Yukon through dealings with the American Association. What motivated this excessive involvement?  

If he detected any ulterior motives, Patrick resolved to stop him. After a pause, Seo Do-jun answered:  

“For humanity’s peace?”  

He smiled faintly.  

That response—’for humanity’s peace’—left Patrick and every other Hero speechless. Whether true or not, it was irrefutable.  

***  

Canada welcomed Seo Do-jun’s proposal with open arms.  

Understaffed and unable to hire global Heroes due to astronomical costs, the Canadian government had been stuck in limbo. Seo Do-jun’s offer—asking nothing in return—left them wanting to bow in gratitude.  

[Seo Do-jun Named Canada’s First Hero!]  

As their highest honor, Canada designated Seo Do-jun—a foreigner—as their First Hero. This wasn’t ceremonial; the title came with extensive privileges, most notably 100% tax exemption nationwide. While death and taxes were said to be life’s inevitabilities, Seo Do-jun would now avoid the latter in Canada.  

Though comparing tax breaks to clearing northern monsters was laughable, this was Canada’s ultimate gesture. Their former First Hero, Lowick McDowell, publicly endorsed passing the title, further cementing the heartwarming narrative globally.  

The ‘for humanity’s peace’ framing ignited Heroes worldwide. Inspired by Seo Do-jun battling alone in extreme conditions, they began flocking to Canada.  

As Heroes gathered, Seo Do-jun revised the plan:  

– “We’ll work from the top down.”  

– “It’s time-efficient and effective.”  

Originally, Seo Do-jun would eliminate monster groups while others closed rifts. But with sufficient volunteers, this became unnecessary.  

The new strategy:  

1) Seo Do-jun cleared monsters southbound from Canada’s northernmost point  

2) Global Heroes cleaned up northbound from the south  

Monsters that had plagued Canada like tumors vanished daily. Rift zones closed one after another. What should’ve taken two months concluded in 26 days.  

“It’s overrrrr!”  

As the final rift closed, a Hero’s triumphant cheer broadcast globally. The world celebrated this second monumental victory since America’s Monster Wave.  

“Where’s Seo Do-jun?”  

“Hasn’t Kassal arrived?”  

“He was just here!”  

Amid celebrations, Seo Do-jun was nowhere to be found. Even embedded cameras lost track of him.  

Patrick urgently called:  

– “Where are you?”  

“Going home.”  

– “What? You can’t just leave!”  

After nearly a month together, Patrick insisted on at least a wrap-up party. Seo Do-jun hung up, saying “You handle it,” and ignored further calls.  

He’d been holding back since Eun-young’s tearful “When are you coming home?” two days prior. The moment the last rift closed, he’d bolted.  

“Rest when we get back,” Seo Do-jun told the Casserian, now flying full-speed over the Pacific.  

Meanwhile…  

-Beep beep beep  

[30.00%]  

“First target achieved.”  

Blond-haired Vaitel smiled thickly at the machine’s readout.