SFRW-Chapter 135

Ch. 135 Sword God From The Ruined World

Pssshhh…  

A small doll on the display shelf suddenly crumbled into dust.  

A massive presence, one that evoked the illusion of being trapped in shadows, observed this and muttered:  

– Vaitel?  

This was Earth, of all places.  

A world where humans lived—their level far inferior to any other dimension, matched only by their pathetic magic environment.  

Though environmental factors might prolong its conquest, Earth was a place where no problems should arise.  

Yet unexpected situations kept occurring here.  

– First Avarr, now Vaitel. As Rebley said, perhaps we shouldn’t underestimate it.  

A powerful human exists on Earth.  

And another human who wielded holy power strong enough to severely wound even Rebley using a relic of the Holy Knight.  

Avarr’s death had been unexpected, but Vaitel’s death was not something to dismiss so easily.  

Most importantly, the problem now was that there were no more subordinates left on Earth to carry out his will.  

– With Vaitel gone…  

He carefully pondered the situation.  

At the same time, his gaze—dark as if absorbing all shadows—scanned the many dolls on the display shelf.  

***

After ending his long-standing connection with Vaitel and returning, Seo Do-jun stayed home and refrained from any outside activities.  

At most, he went grocery shopping with his grandmother or took Eun-young for walks in the nearby park.  

“Doesn’t the Guild Master seem gloomy lately?”  

“Can you blame him? He’s been running around for humanity’s peace, but things keep getting worse. Honestly, it’s about time for a reality check.”  

“But countries worldwide are establishing dedicated closure bureaus and shutting down Gates one by one, right?”  

“Yeah, but there’s just as much opposition. And I heard there’s serious infighting within those bureaus too.”  

“Infighting?”  

“We have a single guild acting as the closure bureaus, so there’s no internal conflict or power struggles. Other countries are different.”  

“True. If multiple guilds contribute Heroes to form the bureau, their cohesion would naturally be weaker.”  

“Exactly. They fight daily to secure higher-grade magic stones by monopolizing higher rank Gates.”  

“As the number of gates decreases, magic stones become scarcer… What a headache.”  

Their conversation shifted from Seo Do-jun to other countries’ closure bureaus, chatting nonstop.  

Eventually, their discussion reached its conclusion:  

“So, what about Vice President Choi Cheol-gwan’s son?”  

“That friend, Choi Kang-soo? Since when has our guild ever allowed parachute appointments? Of course, he’ll have to take the entrance exam properly.”  

“Right, the Guild Master isn’t the type to allow special treatment. But he’s not a Hero, is he?”  

“That’s the tricky part. He has no personal abilities… but his gear is insane.”  

That Choi Kang-soo could wield immense holy power through Mute’s armor and Divine Sword was an open secret among the closure bureau and Casserian Guild members.  

Though Seo Do-jun had warned against leaking this externally, it would be hard to hide once Choi Kang-soo officially joined the guild.  

“Anyway, strictly speaking, he’s a non-combat member, right? And non-combat members can join without taking the exam.”  

“That’s true.”  

Choi Kang-soo himself was undeniably a non-combat member.  

He hadn’t awakened as a Hero and was just an ordinary person who couldn’t do anything on his own.  

But with Mute’s armor and Divine Sword, his abilities surpassed imagination.  

Even the Casserian Guild’s Three Great Captains couldn’t compare to his overwhelming power.  

Given this ambiguity, only Seo Do-jun could make the final decision—but since he remained silent, it was frustrating.  

Though, of course, the most frustrated person was Choi Kang-soo himself.  

***

“…Time’s up.”  

In the prayer room inside the Casserian Guild building, Choi Kang-soo—who had been sitting drowsily for two hours—snapped awake at the alarm.  

Yaaawn!  

Rubbing his bleary eyes, he staggered up—only to bang his knee against the table edge.  

“Ow! Damn it! What kind of torture is this?! Why force dawn prayers on a Buddhist?!”  

Glaring at Mute’s armor and sword neatly placed before him, Choi Kang-soo sighed deeply and began putting on the armor.  

Finally gripping the Divine Sword:  

Then do morning Buddhist prayers. Stop dozing off and do 108 prostrations. Whether it’s prayer or prostrations, it’s all the same to me.  

“108 prostrations?! My knees were wrecked playing soccer in high school—I can’t!”  

Dumb head, useless body… If I didn’t stick with you, where would you even be? You should be thanking me with prayers.  

“Useless?! You talking about me, you hunk of scrap metal?!”  

He raised the sword as if to throw it, but couldn’t.  

What, gonna threaten to melt me in a furnace?  

For a Divine Sword with such immense holy power, its personality was shockingly twisted.  

“I should just stop talking to you!”  

You know you’d be nothing without me. Hit a nerve, didn’t I?  

“My nerve?! I was doing just fine before you!”  

The sword needled him further, and Choi Kang-soo gritted his teeth.  

His three days at the Vatican had been precious for Mute’s armor and sword—they had partially restored the holy power depleted during the battle with Rebley.  

Of course, it wasn’t as potent as before.  

But even now, the sword’s recovered holy power made Choi Kang-soo the strongest in the guild after Seo Do-jun.  

His large-scale healing abilities were nothing short of miraculous to the guild members.  

Earth’s first combat healer.  

‘Holy Knight Choi Kang-soo. Heh!’  

Some guild members already revered him as the ‘Holy Knight’, which thrilled Choi Kang-soo immensely.  

Thus, he couldn’t skip dawn prayers—they were essential for restoring holy power.  

And the more people believed in him, the stronger his power became…  

‘Should I start a religion?’  

South Korea had freedom of religion, and countless cults thrived.  

‘Mute’s armor and sword… so, the Mute Sect?’  

You really think anyone would follow an idiot like you?  

The sword’s sarcasm made Choi Kang-soo smirk.  

“You’d be surprised how many fall for cults here. But unlike those frauds who fake miracles, I can actually wield holy power. Think people wouldn’t flock to me?”  

The sword fell silent.  

Triumphant, Choi Kang-soo hummed as he left the prayer room (really just a repurposed storage room)—only to run into Seo Do-jun.  

“You seem happy.”  

“Dawn prayers really soothe the soul! Hahaha!”  

Ignoring the sword’s exasperation, Choi Kang-soo asked, “What brings you here, Uncle? Need something from me?”  

(After being told to call Seo Do-jun ‘Uncle’ despite being five years older, Choi Kang-soo now did so effortlessly.)  

“Time to make a decision.”  

“Decision?”  

“Mute’s sword chose you, so you can’t live normally anymore. You wanted to join the guild, right? Now’s the time.”  

“So I’m officially becoming a Casserian Guild member?!”  

Seo Do-jun crushed his excitement instantly.  

“No exceptions. You only join if you pass the exam.”  

“W-What if I fail?”  

“Either stay in the closure bureau or ask Chairman Na Tae-hwang for a job. Worst case…”  

Seo Do-jun’s gaze lingered on the armor and sword. Choi Kang-soo hugged them protectively.  

“Y-You’ll take them?!”  

Seo Do-jun’s indifferent shrug made Choi Kang-soo grimace.  

“But Uncle, we’re battle-forged comrades! And we share the secret of Mute’s sword!”  

“Then pass the exam.”  

Patting his shoulder, Seo Do-jun turned away—just as Jung Jung In-joo appeared.  

“You’ve heard from the Guild Master? Let’s head to the exam hall.”  

“R-Right now?!”  

“Should we schedule another day?”  

(Jung In-joo was among the guild’s busiest people.)  

“A-Are there past papers?”  

“No.”  

“Then how do I prepare?!”  

“Just answer honestly. Let’s go.”  

As Jung In-joo led the way:  

“Wait!”  

She frowned.  

“C-Can I go to the bathroom first? I’m so nervous all of a sudden…”  

***

After settling matters with Vaitel, Seo Do-jun needed time to organize his thoughts.  

Though he now lived a new life as Seo Do-jun on Earth, the past wasn’t so easily erased.  

“Heh… You’ll end up failing again, unable to protect anything—neither there nor here.”  

“Maybe so.”  

But the outcome remained to be seen.  

Unlike before, Seo Do-jun knew his enemy well—and had worked tirelessly to ensure a different result this time.  

“The Divine Sword’s addition is a huge boost.”  

Earth’s greatest shortage was healers. Now, they had a combat-capable powerhouse.  

“Choi Kang-soo has changed too.”  

Had he remained arrogant, relying solely on the sword’s power, Seo Do-jun would have stripped it from him.  

And the sword might not have chosen him either.  

“Though I do miss having a mage.”  

He wished Cain would join, but forcing recruitment wasn’t an option.  

Victory required more than just numbers.  

As Seo Do-jun pondered, Jung In-joo returned.  

“How do I even say this…?”  

She shook her head in disbelief.  

“He passed, right?”  

Stunned, Jung In-joo stared.  

“He passed… but look at this.”  

She handed him a tablet.  

“…Perfect score?”  

Astonishingly, Choi Kang-soo had aced the guild exam.  

“This isn’t something you can guess your way through. I don’t get it.”  

Knowing Choi Kang-soo, Jung In-joo couldn’t comprehend the result.  

Even Seo Do-jun was surprised.  

“And another foreigner passed too.”  

“Matteo Albertini.”  

Though the name didn’t ring a bell, his profile photo did.  

Seo Do-jun hadn’t expected the Italian Hero to come to South Korea, let alone take the exam.  

“Matteo scored highly too.”  

Seo Do-jun thought for a moment.  

“Can I see the list of examinees who scored above average?”  

Jung In-joo pulled up the list:  

“Hyun Joo-yeon, Gloria, Park Seung-ho, Kang Cheon-wuk, Choi Do-yeon, Shin Min-gi, Hwang JIn-joo…”  

There were more than expected—including Jung In-joo herself.  

“I can understand the others, but Choi Kang-soo, Kang Cheon-wuk, Shin Min-gi, and Matteo? No way.”  

Their high scores baffled her.  

Seo Do-jun explained his theory:  

“…Huh. That does make sense. Or rather, it’s the only explanation.”  

The exam prioritized ideological vetting—especially loyalty to Seo Do-jun. Those who scored high shared that trait.  

“So does Matteo owe you his life too?”  

“No, but… I single-handedly stopped a monster wave even his country’s Association couldn’t handle. That might’ve won him over.”  

In short, he was utterly awed by Seo Do-jun’s strength.  

After a pause, Jung In-joo snapped her fingers.  

“I’ve got it!”  

“Got what?”  

“You should tour countries like you did in Italy! The guild could multiply its members!”  

Seo Do-jun had rarely shown his full strength—only to guild members or inside rift zones.  

The reason?  

Vaitel.  

But now, there was no need to hide.  

‘With Vaitel gone… do I really need to hold back?’  

Though Jung In-joo joked, Seo Do-jun considered it seriously.  

‘Would the Guild Master really do something so troublesome?’  

If he did, one person would be busier than anyone…  

‘Wait… He’s not actually considering it, is he?’  

Under Seo Do-jun’s intense gaze, Jung In-joo grew uneasy.