SFRW-Chapter 165

Ch. 165 Sword God From The Ruined World

Hero Associations worldwide balked at Seo Do-jun’s request.  

“Are you out of your mind? With skills like yours, what more could you possibly want that you’d demand weapons too?!”  

“Damn it! The greed never ends!”  

“Shit! Do we really have to hand these over?”  

“…If we don’t, we’ll face retaliation, won’t we?”  

“This is insane!”  

The weapons wielded by the primitive tribe leaders were incomparably superior to conventional arms.  

Their durability, cutting power, and destructive force were unmatched—far surpassing anything crafted by Earth’s finest blacksmiths. Even when infused with magic, they performed exceptionally.  

It was impossible not to covet them.  

As a result, Hero Associations worldwide found themselves embroiled in disputes over ownership—clashing with their nations’ strongest Heroes, top guilds, politicians, and even financial magnates.  

And into this fray stepped the Casserian Guild.  

They weren’t asking for free.  

They offered reasonable prices and even proposed equivalent alternatives if money wasn’t desired.  

But no matter how favorable the terms—  

“Isn’t this just extortion disguised as negotiation?”  

“How can we refuse?”  

“Those damn bastards! What’s the difference between this and outright threatening us with consequences if we don’t comply?”  

“Should we just ignore them?!”  

“What? An invoice?”  

“Wait, how much?! Good god!”  

“This is outright robbery!”  

To make matters worse, nations that had received the Casserian Guild’s aid were slapped with exorbitant support fees.  

Of course, the Guild sweetened the deal—waive the fees if the weapons were handed over.  

Between a rock and a hard place.  

Eventually, several nations threw up their hands.  

“…Just give it to them.”  

“Damn it! What choice do we have?!”  

“What’s the point of resisting? Can we handle the fallout?!”  

“Let them take it and be done!”  

“How dirty! How cheap!”  

One by one, the weapons were sent.  

Most Hero Associations lacked the means, justification, or courage to refuse the Casserian Guild’s demands.  

And so, the weapons once wielded by the primitive tribe leaders piled up at the Guild’s doorstep.  

“Look at this! Insane! Absolutely insane!”  

“Whoa—! I’ve never seen a shield this good in my life! With this, we might not stop the Guild Master, but we could definitely block attacks from the Three Captains!”  

“Is this the hammer that shattered S-rank weapons like toys? Unbelievable!”  

“What kind of bow is this?! You’d need superhuman strength just to draw the string!”  

“Hey, how does this one—Whoa! What the hell?! Chains just shot out of it!”  

The thrill of inspecting these global treasures was undeniable.  

Most Guild members couldn’t hide their greed for weapons suited to them, while others openly marveled at unfamiliar designs.  

But the undisputed star of the show was Maharunta’s spear.  

“Just looking at it hypnotizes me!”  

“With this, those primitive tribes would tear like paper, right?”  

“That perfect balance! I need it!”  

Spear-wielding Guild members, in particular, ignored all other weapons.  

“The competition will be fierce.”  

“Look at Park Seung-ho—his eyes are shooting lasers!”  

“Young-seok’s drooling over there too!”  

“No matter who gets it, it’ll cause drama!”  

“Well, someone has to claim it. Since the Guild Master declared he won’t use it himself…”  

“With a spear that perfect, I’d start training in spear techniques right now!”  

The question of who would inherit Maharunta’s spear became the Guild’s hottest topic.  

While internal debates raged over weapon distribution—  

“I want to take the test!”  

“Does passing really make me a Casserian Guild member?”  

“Are test attempts truly unlimited?”  

Hundreds—sometimes thousands—of Heroes flocked daily to take the entrance exam.  

Domestic and international applicants alike—  

“Whoa! Look—it’s Sabri Alphonse!”  

“Sabri Alphonse?”  

“You don’t know France’s Sabri Alphonse? One of the world’s top close-combat specialists! Well… though I guess Casserian Guild members have made those rankings obsolete.”  

“Ivan Rufer! New Zealand’s S-rank Hero!”  

“Isn’t that Zhen Ha-lim? China’s—no, the world’s former top spearmaster… Though I suppose ‘former’ is the key word now.”  

“L-Lowick McDowell? Canada’s First Hero before Seo Do-jun?!”  

“And that’s John Whiskey next to him—another Canadian S-rank!”  

“Mago Yosuke!”  

“Maximo Obregon’s here too!”  

“Isn’t that Gael Ruakani?”  

“Chris Twelman?!”  

Globally renowned S-rank Heroes knocked on the Guild’s doors.  

But even they were overshadowed by two arrivals—figures who reduced other luminaries to fireflies before the sun.  

“Didn’t expect to meet you here.”  

“Likewise. Leaving your homeland couldn’t have been easy.”  

“Joining the Casserian Guild doesn’t mean abandoning my country. Two of my compatriots are already members. Frankly, my joining would trouble you more—your royal family won’t stay quiet.”  

“True enough. But I’m surprised. For someone once called the world’s strongest, swallowing your pride to come here…”  

“If someone surpasses me, I step aside. I never coveted that title anyway. But this won’t be easy.”  

“How so?”  

“No amount of money will guarantee passing their test. Their leader isn’t swayed by wealth.”  

“Is that so? Depends on the sum, I’d say.”  

Exchanging smiles laced with daggers were Cain Lester and Capmore.  

Cain, the former world’s strongest Hero, had ties to Seo Do-jun—many expected him to join eventually.  

But Capmore—the billionaire infamous for buying his S-rank status—showing up? No one saw that coming.  

As the two legends traded glares, other S-ranks held their breath.  

“Testing begins now! Due to overwhelming numbers, we’re limiting daily applicants!”  

Though hundreds grumbled, none dared protest openly.  

Who shouts at a tiger’s den?  

“Apologies. Please return tomorrow.”  

Coincidentally, the cutoff landed right before Capmore.  

“…Not even for me?”  

When has he ever faced rejection?  

But the Guild member remained unmoved.  

“Apologies. Come back tomorrow.”  

Capmore’s final plea met the same stone wall.  

“Absolutely… impossible?”  

“Apologies.”  

“Pfft.”  

Cain Lester, witnessing this, burst out laughing.  

Flashing a V-sign, he strutted past Capmore into the Guild—  

“…Damn it.”  

Capmore’s pride shattered as his face twisted in humiliation.  

***

“Who?”  

“Cain and Capmore.”  

Cain was expected—as the Guild’s top magic-Hero candidate.  

If he fails the test, that’s that.  

“But why is Capmore here?”  

“To take the test. Sadly, he missed today’s quota.”  

“Capmore runs one of the world’s top—”  

Seo Do-jun cut himself off.  

Cain led a premier guild too.  

But Sunrise Guild, Capmore’s creation, dwarfed Cain’s Magician Guild in size and influence.  

Backed by astronomical wealth, Sunrise was the world’s first multinational guild—its combat prowess surpassing even Magician’s.  

During the tribal crisis, Sunrise had been pivotal across Africa and the Middle East.  

“Do you think Capmore genuinely wants to join?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon shrugged.  

“Knowing how he built Sunrise, it’s hard to believe.”  

The idea of Capmore abandoning his empire was unthinkable.  

Seo Do-jun agreed.  

“Still, shouldn’t you meet him? He’s a heavyweight.”  

“No need. If he’s here to test, let him test.”  

“What if he passes?”  

“Then we accept him.”  

“Without knowing his motives?”  

“His only takeaway would be what he learns here.”  

“That’s the problem!”  

“Then we eliminate the problem at its root.”  

“Eh?”  

Changing subjects, Seo Do-jun surveyed their haul—  

96 weapons from tribe leaders across 100 rifts.  

83 were already in hand, with 8 more arriving tomorrow.  

The remaining 5?  

Flat refusals.  

Four African nations (Somalia, Mozambique, Mali, Ivory Coast) lost theirs to rebel forces mid-civil war.  

But the fifth…  

“Mexico is…”  

Seo Do-jun’s brow furrowed.  

Drug cartels.  

Even the government and Hero association were powerless against Mexico’s true rulers.  

Corruption ran so deep that the Hero Association might as well be a cartel subsidiary.  

“Kerzman’s greed is legendary.”  

Once a lowly drug dealer/addict, Kerzman experimented with magic stones to create new narcotics—accidentally awakening as an S-rank Hero.  

Now the Drug King of Mexico, his influence deterred even nations.  

Expecting him to surrender his weapon?  

A fool’s hope.  

Yet confronting him would make Seo Do-jun no better.  

So Mexico was tabled—for now.  

“Kerzman will defend Mexico to the death if needed.”  

“He’d have to.”  

Seo Do-jun’s icy tone wasn’t Hyun Joo-yeon’s imagination.  

His eyes and expression radiated cold fury.  

He’s marked him.  

Hyun Joo-yeon assumed it was about the weapon.  

She was wrong.  

Seo Do-jun remembered the betrayals from the ruined world.  

The powerful who ruled through any means, the lawless who took by force—  

At first, they’d fought monsters desperately.  

But as tides turned and foundations crumbled—  

They switched sides.  

Joined the monsters.  

To Seo Do-jun, these memories were unforgivable filth.  

From that lens, Kerzman—a drug lord devoid of morality—was a prime betrayal risk.  

No, he wouldn’t act prematurely.  

But—  

‘Show me that traitorous glint, and I’ll kill you first.’  

In Seo Do-jun’s eyes, those who betrayed humanity to doom the world were uglier than any monster.  

With the tribal invasion, Seo Do-jun felt it was time to heighten his distrust of humans.