SFRW-Chapter 205

Ch. 205 Sword God From The Ruined World

Seo Do-jun’s group began moving based on the information obtained from Neekul.  

There weren’t many surviving life-forms left in Moteor after the Great Upheaval.  

The ruling class – the Half-Dragons.  

The oppressed giants and a handful of other barely surviving races.  

Lastly, the monsters Barhaut had left behind.  

Realistically speaking, Moteor was a planet slowly marching toward destruction.  

Unless another Great Upheaval occurred to reset everything, this world’s life force couldn’t sustain itself much longer.  

The problem was that even Barhaut couldn’t do anything about this situation. That’s why the giants and other remaining races already had some premonition of their dark future.  

The Half-Dragons, however, were different.  

“Barhaut promised them planetary migration?”  

Kusak said while looking at Seo Do-jun.  

Though Neekul didn’t know all the details, it was clear Barhaut was preparing replacement planets for when Moteor eventually met its end.  

And Earth was very likely one of the candidate worlds.  

Putting it all together, Barhaut had probably planned to conquer Earth and relocate the Half-Dragons there to establish a new ruling class.  

“Looks like their plans got ruined before they could even start,” Kusak chuckled.  

“Good riddance,” Veronica chimed in with a smile.  

“If we’d stayed on Earth… When the synchronization rate increased, the Half-Dragons might have come through the dimensional rift,” Hyun Joo-yeon shuddered at the thought.  

Having personally witnessed their strength, she couldn’t imagine the devastation they would cause on Earth.  

“Listening to Neekul’s story made me curious – if dragonkind was so powerful, why did they go extinct?” Gloria asked as they walked.  

Hyun Joo-yeon, Shinjo and Choi Kang-soo all nodded in agreement.  

After experiencing the Half-Dragons’ power firsthand, they couldn’t understand how even mightier true dragons could have perished so completely.  

Kusak nodded understandingly.  

“While dragons stood at the apex of all lifeforms, they were still ultimately part of nature. They could have prepared defenses if they wanted, but their greatest weakness was their limited active periods. Imagine being in deep hibernation when a volcano suddenly erupts – what could they do?”  

He drew a line across his neck with his finger.  

Volcanic eruptions were sudden, catastrophic natural disasters.  

No matter how powerful, no being could remain unharmed when caught unprepared in such an event.  

“But even in hibernation, dying so easily seems strange,” Choi Kang-soo persisted.  

Kusak shook his head.  

“Dragons may be supreme lifeforms, but they’re not gods. Especially when first awakening from deep sleep, they need time to gradually regain their full power.”  

This was the dragons’ fatal flaw.  

Most dragon hunters specifically targeted this vulnerable period.  

Though dragons stationed powerful guardians to protect them during hibernation, in the deepest sleep they couldn’t even use their powers before dying.  

“Nature is terrifying.”  

“Of course. Before nature’s might, all life is equal.”  

At Kusak’s words, the group fell silent.  

“So the Administrator is among the Half-Dragons… Which means we’ll have to check them one by one?” Gloria asked.  

Seo Do-jun nodded.  

According to Neekul, the giants lived communally, constantly moving to avoid the Half-Dragons.  

The Half-Dragons, inheriting dragon blood, refused communal living and operated independently despite the harsh environment.  

Unlike Valitao with its imperial structure, here they’d have to search randomly to find the Half-Dragon Administrator.  

“Not a single thing here is to my liking,” Choi Kang-soo grimaced, watching another distant volcanic eruption.  

“At least it’s smaller than Earth,” Kusak offered.  

Choi Kang-soo couldn’t argue with that weak consolation.  

“First, let’s check the city called Kalao that the giant mentioned.”  

Kalao wasn’t a conventional city, but rather a gathering place where nomadic Half-Dragons occasionally met to exchange news and information.  

[Kalao is about three days northeast from here. Look for the giant cloud mushroom… The city lies on land where enormous cloud mushrooms bloom.]  

Three days by giant standards.  

For humans with shorter strides and weaker stamina, it would take much longer.  

So Seo Do-jun’s group pressed forward at maximum speed, determined not to slow down until the cloud mushrooms came into view.  

***  

On the way to Kalao, their biggest obstacles weren’t monsters but volcanic eruptions and flying fireballs.  

“A minefield would be better than this!”  

While distant fireballs weren’t a major issue, sudden eruptions forced long detours.  

Witnessing the destructive power of eruptions spanning hundreds of meters, they understood how even dragons could perish.  

The sky-piercing lava plumes looked capable of melting anything.  

As they wearily navigated around constant eruptions, Choi Kang-soo scratched his head.  

“Are we even going the right way?”  

All the detours made him doubt their direction.  

“Stop complaining! You’re giving me a headache,” Veronica glared.  

The already stressful journey became more irritating with Choi Kang-soo’s constant griping.  

“I wasn’t—” Choi Kang-soo began shouting back, but stopped when he noticed everyone’s sharp glares.  

“Let’s rest here,” Seo Do-jun decided, seeing the group’s frayed nerves.  

He pulled out a thick catalog from his dimensional storage, flipped through it, then began retrieving delicious-looking dishes.  

Before leaving Earth, he’d stored massive amounts of food, cataloging everything for easy reference.  

“Spicy braised ribs! Spicy braised ribs!” Veronica demanded when her favorite didn’t immediately appear.  

Seo Do-jun had stored plenty of her beloved dish, knowing her obsession.  

“Yes! Nothing beats spicy ribs for stress relief! Kassal’s are the best!” Veronica enthusiastically dug into an entire pot of ribs.  

As everyone ate their preferred foods, the tension gradually eased.  

“Munch munch… So what’s the plan for Kalao?” Kusak asked between bites of his oversized burger.  

Unlike Veronica’s rib obsession, Kusak adored burgers – especially Burger King – so Seo Do-jun had stored thousands.  

“Wait it out,” Seo Do-jun answered simply.  

With Half-Dragons constantly moving, chasing them was impractical.  

Their only option was camping at Kalao and gathering information from visiting Half-Dragons.  

“…Going to be a boring fight,” Rakun commented.  

Seo Do-jun just shrugged.  

Refreshed from the meal, the group resumed travel with better spirits.  

Though eruptions and fireballs continued, no one reacted as irritably as before.  

KRGGGRGRGRG!  

The ground shook violently.  

Normally cause for alarm, but this time no one panicked – because it wasn’t a volcano.  

SKREEEEE!  

A massive monster burst from the trembling earth.  

This rhino-mole hybrid was a familiar nuisance that kept blocking their path.  

Seemingly numerous, these creatures appeared frequently.  

“You again?” Choi Kang-soo clicked his tongue dismissively.  

Larger than dump trucks with incredibly thick hides that resisted even sword energy, these monsters thrived in the volcanic hellscape thanks to their burrowing speed and ability to sense eruptions.  

The creature’s beady eyes glared at the group as it screeched threateningly.  

“I’ll handle this.”  

“Leave it to me.”  

Shinjo stepped forward simultaneously with Gloria drawing her bow.  

“Capture it alive,” Seo Do-jun suddenly ordered.  

At their puzzled looks, he explained:  

“That thing could be useful transportation.”  

Its eruption-avoiding instincts, speed, and spacious back made it ideal for reaching Kalao comfortably.  

“Great idea! I’ll catch it,” Kusak volunteered eagerly.  

After a brief struggle that included the monster repeatedly trying to burrow away, Kusak finally subdued it and proudly mounted its head.  

WHACK WHACK!  

“Hop on!” he shouted, enthusiastically smacking its head.  

THUDTHUDTHUDTHUD!  

“WOOOHOOOO!” Kusak whooped as the creature charged forward at surprising speed.  

“We should’ve done this from the start,” Veronica remarked from her comfortable seat on the monster’s back, echoed by everyone’s nods.  

As they raced ahead, their destination finally came into view – the enormous cloud mushroom marking Kalao, the Half-Dragon city.  

*** 

“…Metaneca.”  

At the cautious call, the Half-Dragon Metaneca turned from his distant gaze with disinterest.  

“What?”  

His emotionless stare made fellow Half-Dragon Koroka nervous.  

“About the migration… Are you really not taking everyone?”  

“No reason to.”  

“But those who stay will die! And we don’t even know what the new planet’s like… Wouldn’t more people benefit you too?”  

“I’ll consider it… for those who grovel like you.”  

Metaneca’s sneer made Koroka sigh.  

Half-Dragons’ draconic pride made submission taboo – even Koroka’s loyalty earned only scorn from others.  

But survival was Koroka’s priority, and only Metaneca could ensure that.  

‘I need to strengthen our forces before migration!’  

A new planet didn’t guarantee safety with unknown environments and potential threats.  

“I’m going to Kalao.”  

Metaneca immediately understood Koroka’s intent but dismissed it.  

“Waste of time.”  

“Worth trying.”  

“…Do as you please.”  

Metaneca turned away as Koroka took flight with renewed determination.  

Only after Koroka disappeared did Metaneca pull out a red pouch.  

“Just need to absorb this power… Then no one can stand against me.”  

He carefully opened it to reveal a fist-sized red gem that strangely pulsed when he channeled magic into it, soon wriggling like a living thing.  

“Just need to fully absorb this before migration… Just this…”  

Metaneca’s eyes burned with intense ambition.