SFRW-Chapter 105

Ch. 105 Sword God From The Ruined World

The story of Seo Do-jun, who resolved the Geum-bong Gate explosion incident in an instant, was being broadcast everywhere, regardless of the country or media outlet.  

People around the world marveled at Seo Do-jun’s abilities and showered him with praise.  

Of course, not everyone felt that way.  

“Grind… Seo Do-jun…!”  

A man gnashed his teeth as he glared at Seo Do-jun’s image on TV.  

With half his face horrifically burned a deep blue, the man hurled the remote in his hand at the screen.  

Thud—  

“I’ll definitely kill you with my own hands!”  

The man spat out the words with a voice dripping with murderous intent.  

“I’ve never seen a single one of those bastards who sit around grinding their teeth about revenge actually pull it off.”  

A blond man, Vaitel, entered the room with a mocking laugh. The burned man could only bow his head in silence under his ridicule.  

“Master, you’ve arrived.”  

Ignoring the man who respectfully addressed him as ‘Master’, Vaitel stretched his hand into the air.  

Space split open, and pitch-black orbs poured out.  

Holding seven orbs in his hand, Vaitel handed them to the man.  

“Place these in Gates closest to major cities, with a minimum rank of A.”  

The man accepted the seven orbs respectfully and asked:  

“May I ask what they are?”  

“They amplify the internal energy of Gates and render Iron Guards useless.”  

“Does this mean they can trigger Gate explosions?”  

“Not immediately, but they can accelerate the process.”  

Vaitel’s expression twisted slightly.  

If things had gone according to plan, Earth should have been in far greater chaos by now.  

‘If only that idiot Avarr hadn’t…!’  

He wouldn’t have had to go through this tedious hassle. No, he wouldn’t have even bothered with something as trivial as accelerating Gate explosions.  

Gate explosions were a natural occurrence as synchronization with Earth increased.  

Humans believed they had perfect control over Gates, but that was nothing more than a pitiful delusion.  

It might seem that way now, but as synchronization progressed, not only would rift zones grow stronger, but the magic within Gates would also intensify—rendering humanity’s current systems incapable of containment.  

The Gate explosions in France, Japan, and South Korea were just the beginning.  

Over time, forcibly controlled Gates would explode one by one, and the repercussions would be proportional to the suppressed energy.  

The only problem was that the timeline had been delayed beyond Vaitel’s calculations.  

‘If Avarr had just done his job properly… Who the hell killed Avarr, anyway?’  

No matter how stupid Avarr was, Vaitel believed no human on Earth could have killed him inside the Skeleton Mist.  

Hadn’t he himself struggled against Avarr within the mist?  

Outside the Skeleton, perhaps—but inside, Avarr was undeniably the strongest.  

‘Seo Do-jun… It can’t be him.’  

Though he knew from the media that Seo Do-jun had closed the rift zone where Avarr appeared, Vaitel was certain after meeting him.  

Seo Do-jun was clearly stronger than Earth’s mediocre Heroes, but only marginally so.  

He absolutely didn’t possess the power to defeat Avar.  

‘Does he have an ally? I need to find out who killed Avarr…’  

This was precisely why Vaitel was lying low despite Avarr’s death.  

An unforeseen variable—one capable of killing Avarr—meant a threat even to him. He had no choice but to tread carefully.  

‘First, I’ll keep an eye on Seo Do-jun. Taming the Casserian was suspicious enough.’  

“Does the country matter?”  

Snapped out of his thoughts by the man’s question, Vaitel shook his head.  

“The country doesn’t matter, but they must all be different.”  

If concentrated in one nation, the chaos would be diluted. So Vaitel instructed him to target Gates in different countries.  

“I’ll carry out your orders as commanded.”  

As the man stood to leave the room—  

“Kang Young-pyo.”  

Hearing his name, the man turned back to face Vaitel.  

“Do you have additional orders for me?”  

Vaitel retrieved a few rolled-up scrolls from subspace and tossed them over.  

“When you go to South Korea, keep a close eye on Seo Do-jun’s surroundings. Secretly observe whether he has any allies or any other unusual circumstances. With these, no one will notice your actions.”  

“Understood.”  

As Kang Young-pyo carefully tucked the scrolls into his chest, Vaitel added:  

“Your target for revenge is Seo Do-jun, right? As I promised, I’ll give you the chance. Until then, don’t do anything stupid.”  

“…Understood.”  

Kang Young-pyo bowed his head, his face contorted with suppressed frustration.  

***  

“Territory demarcation?”  

“If two tigers can’t coexist on one mountain, we’ll have to find another.”  

It was a simpler problem than expected.  

If two Casserians refused to acknowledge each other and fought to the death, the solution was to separate them.  

“That’s a great idea!”  

Hyun Joo-yeon and Gloria’s eyes lit up with renewed hope.  

However.  

The Casserian’s territory was far larger than they imagined. Its influence extended beyond South Korea, stretching into parts of China and even Japan.  

Such was the presence of a Boss Monster.  

If not for these issues, Seo Do-jun would have long since subdued another Casserian—both as a guardian for their home and as a means of transport and combat.  

But knowing it was impossible, he didn’t dwell on it.  

“We have Guam, right? Why not place one there?”  

At Gloria’s question, Seo Do-jun shook his head.  

While the distance kept their territories separate, procuring food posed a problem.  

With monster meat as their staple and their daily intake being substantial, raising a Casserian in Guam was impractical.  

This was why Seo Do-jun could only manage one Casserian.  

“So close, yet so far.”  

Hyun Joo-yeon and Gloria could only look at Seo Do-jun with deflated expressions.  

***  

The next day.  

As rumors suggested, Heroes from the U.S. had arrived.  

Surprisingly, the main figure among them was—  

“So we meet again.”  

Seo Do-jun shook hands with Cain, who greeted him warmly.  

“Long time no see. I didn’t expect the Association to send you.”  

“Not sent—I volunteered.”  

As the former world’s top Hero before Seo Do-jun, Cain was someone even the Association couldn’t boss around.  

“Shall we skip the small talk and see the Casserian first?”  

Cain’s casual dismissal of the main issue hinted that his true objective lay elsewhere.  

“Let’s.”  

Cain’s face stiffened the moment he faced the Casserian.  

“…This thing listens to humans?”  

The aura radiating from the Casserian was overwhelming even for Cain.  

Though he summoned all his strength to resist, the pressure was unbearable—like a puppy foolishly challenging a tiger.  

“I forfeit.”  

Cain raised both hands without even attempting.  

There was no point wasting effort on the impossible, nor did he want to embarrass himself.  

Seo Do-jun simply nodded, as if he’d expected this.  

“You’ve got your work cut out dealing with all the fools who’ll throw themselves at taming this thing…”  

Cain clicked his tongue, as if questioning why Seo Do-jun would give them false hope.  

“I heard Japan offered an astronomical sum for a chance to tame a Casserian?”  

Cain was right.  

Japan had suffered immense damage from Kowabirus, weaker than One-Horned Kowabirus.  

Knowing Seo Do-jun and the Casserian were the reason, their government and Hero Association sought to domesticate one, even if they couldn’t recruit Seo Do-jun.  

The offer? A staggering 100 billion won just for the opportunity to attempt taming—no guarantees.  

“I refused.”  

Cain nodded approvingly at Seo Do-jun’s answer.  

Had Seo Do-jun taken the money, Cain would’ve called him a fraud.  

Though Japan was prepared to raise their offer, Seo Do-jun had already made his stance clear to Chairman Na Tae-hwang.  

“Then, shall we get to the real reason you came to see me?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s question, Cain requested a private meeting.  

Seated in the Casserian Guild’s office, Cain sipped coffee and broached the subject.  

“I hear your guild’s entrance exam is absurdly difficult?”  

“Perhaps.”  

Many foreign Heroes, inspired by the guild’s promotional videos, had taken the test.  

Not a single one passed.  

Without absolute trust in Seo Do-jun, clearing the exam was virtually impossible—a fact that applied to domestic Heroes as well.  

“Can I give it a try?”  

“You want to join the Casserian Guild?”  

“What if I pass?”  

Seo Do-jun dismissed Cain’s playful tone, knowing he wasn’t serious.  

“Why not? I’d be a great fit. Who knows? I might even hand you the entire Magician Guild.”  

“Enough nonsense. What’s your real purpose here?”  

Cain grumbled at Seo Do-jun’s unfazed reaction to what would shock others.  

“It’s about that unregistered Hero you mentioned last time.”  

Seo Do-jun’s eyes sharpened at the mention of Vaitel.  

Not missing the reaction, Cain grew certain there was history between them.  

“He was spotted once in a Brazilian rift zone.”  

Cain slid over a photo.  

“Taken just before the rift zone’s closure. Took some work to enhance the original.”  

The blurry figure standing atop Arcomannda, a serpent as large as a skyscraper, bore a striking resemblance to Vaitel.  

“Luiz Morais—Brazil’s so-called ‘national Hero’—was killed by him, according to their Hero Association.”  

Vaitel’s sightings spanned the globe.  

The problem?  

“No flight records. Even if he flew, the distances were impossible in the given time.”  

Traveling from the U.S. West Coast to Russia in three hours?  

Similar inconsistencies appeared in photos from Europe and Africa.  

“Just throwing it out there—could it be multiple people?”  

Cain concluded it wasn’t one individual but an organization.  

“If it’s him, it’s possible.”  

“Possible? How? You think he can teleport?”  

Even Cain, who could conjure fire and water, found teleportation unbelievable.  

No Hero with such an ability had ever appeared.  

“Long-distance teleportation isn’t difficult.”  

“…You’re serious?”  

Despite being a Hero himself, Cain struggled to accept the existence of a power straight out of fiction.  

Seo Do-jun pointed at the photos.  

What clearer evidence could there be?  

“Sigh… This is insane. Anyway, take a look at this too.”  

Cain handed over another photo.  

In it—  

“Kang Young-pyo?”  

Though his face was grotesquely disfigured, the man beside Vaitel was unmistakably Kang Young-pyo.  

Seo Do-jun’s brow furrowed.  

“Taken in Switzerland 17 days ago. But… see this?”  

The location in the photo was unsettling.  

“A rift zone?”  

“Specifically, a newly formed one. Like the one in your backyard. Or the ones that triggered monster waves in the U.K. and U.S.”  

“You don’t mean—”  

Cain shook his head reassuringly.  

“No major incidents yet. Switzerland is monitoring it closely. But why were they there? Any guesses?”  

Seo Do-jun shook his head.  

“Absolutely nothing?”  

At Cain’s repeated question, Seo Do-jun confirmed he had no leads.  

“Hmm… Well, we’re still tracking him. I’ll notify you the moment we find anything.”  

“You’d better. I’m the only one who can handle him.”  

“That hurts my pride, you know?”  

Still, Cain reluctantly agreed.  

As their discussion wound down—  

Knock knock knock.  

“Guild Master.”  

At the voice of Jung In-joo, Seo Do-jun called her in.  

After briefly eyeing Cain, she spoke hesitantly.  

“A guest has arrived.”  

“Guest?”  

When Seo Do-jun frowned, having no scheduled meetings, Jung In-joo hesitated before answering.  

“Well… Kobayashi Shinjo is here.”  

“Kobayashi Shinjo?”  

Cain perked up at the name.  

“Why is he looking for me?”  

“He insists on speaking to you directly.”  

The sudden visit of Japan’s strongest Hero left Seo Do-jun no choice but to receive him, however reluctantly.  

“Let’s meet him.”  

And when they did—  

Shing!  

Kobayashi Shinjo immediately drew his sword against Seo Do-jun.