SFRW-Chapter 230

Ch. 230 Sword God From The Ruined World

Grichuk and Choi Kang-soo proved that they had successfully absorbed the essence of the Black Knight and the crystallization of divine power, respectively, with their noticeably transformed appearances.  

On the other hand, Seo Do-jun’s change was minimal.  

‘Did he fail?’  

‘Even if it’s Kassal, absorbing a Dragon Heart must have been difficult.’  

‘It’s disappointing, but we should be satisfied that he’s alive and unharmed.’  

‘I never thought Seo Do-jun would fail.’  

‘He must be devastated. But he’ll shake it off like it’s nothing.’  

‘U-Uncle…’  

‘It’s alright, Guild Master.’  

‘For a human to succeed where even demi-dragons struggle—that was never possible in the first place.’  

The party was disheartened by Seo Do-jun’s failure, but they tried their best not to show it outwardly. After all, the person most disappointed and angry would be none other than Seo Do-jun himself.  

Seeing Seo Do-jun standing motionless in the now-defunct magic circle, Hyun Joo-yeon and Gloria’s eyes reddened. How frustrated and regretful must he be to stand there like that, unable to move an inch?  

‘At times like this, I should act even brighter!’  

Hyun Joo-yeon approached Seo Do-jun, forcing the brightest smile she could muster.  

“You’ve worked hard. You did your best…!”  

As she spoke to encourage him, the moment Seo Do-jun looked at her, she felt as if her entire body had been pierced.  

But that feeling was fleeting. Soon, she found herself staring into the depths of an unfathomably deep abyss through Seo Do-jun’s gaze, and only then did she realize—  

“Y-You didn’t fail?”  

Seo Do-jun nodded lightly.  

“What?! You didn’t fail?”  

The rest of the party, shocked by Hyun Joo-yeon’s question and Seo Do-jun’s demeanor, tried to approach him but froze in place.  

The moment Seo Do-jun released his magic to test his power, everyone became as immobile as insects trapped in a spider’s web.  

Especially Grichuk and Choi Kang-soo, who had grown stronger and more confident after absorbing the Black Knight’s essence and the crystallization of divine power—their shock was immeasurable.  

They had thought they had gained unparalleled strength, but Seo Do-jun had far surpassed them.  

‘As expected of Uncle!’  

『…Has he become a Transcendent?』  

Even the Divine Sword spoke as if it couldn’t believe it.  

“A Transcendent?”  

Choi Kang-soo asked what that meant, but the Divine Sword said nothing more.  

“Kassal, have you… really become a god or something?”  

At Kusak’s trembling question, Seo Do-jun shook his head lightly, but his answer was ambiguous.  

“Well…”  

Honestly, even Seo Do-jun couldn’t fully grasp what state he was in.  

At times, his body felt like nothing more than a shell, while at others, it felt as if the entire world had become him.  

One thing was certain:  

‘Now, I can fight him.’  

Barhaut, who had once been an opponent too vague and overwhelming for Kassal in the past, no longer seemed intimidating or insurmountable.  

—Do not grow arrogant. He, too, has reached the realm of Transcendence.  

When Seo Do-jun successfully absorbed the Dragon Heart in its entirety, Arhekto had warned him.  

Only now had he reached a level where he could stand on equal footing with Barhaut.  

Realizing just how monstrous Barhaut truly was, Seo Do-jun couldn’t help but feel childish for ever thinking he could take revenge on him.  

Part of him wanted to fight Barhaut immediately, but Seo Do-jun remained calm.  

To face Barhaut, he had to start by destroying everything Barhaut had built.  

“You’ve recharged enough magic, right?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s question, Rahf, who had been staring at him blankly, snapped back to reality and nodded.  

“O-Of course.”  

The moment Seo Do-jun took a step—  

“……!”  

“……!”  

As if he had broken free from the constraints of space, Seo Do-jun appeared right in front of Rahf’s nose.  

“Open a dimensional passage.”  

“W-Where to?”  

“Anywhere.”  

At Seo Do-jun’s answer, Rahf immediately activated the ring that could open dimensional passages.  

A massive surge of magic flowed from the ring, and soon, a colossal blue wave rippled open—a dimensional passage.  

***

“Countries in South America are requesting support!”  

“Europe is in chaos asking for reinforcements too!”  

“The government has officially requested Hero support, saying the situation at the military demarcation line is critical!”  

Jung In-joo’s head throbbed from the flood of support requests coming from all directions.  

Nine months had already passed since Seo Do-jun left Earth, saying he would solve the root of the problem.  

The first three months had been uneventful.  

Just as Seo Do-jun had said, no rift zones anywhere in the world opened their tightly sealed gates.  

But knowing that storms always follow calm, Jung In-joo had prepared meticulously, cutting into her sleep to maximize the use of what Seo Do-jun had left behind.  

The Casserian Guild members, whose skills had skyrocketed through intensive training with Seo Do-jun’s former comrades, had grown even stronger.  

By formally incorporating the Magician Guild, led by Cain Lester, and the Sunrise Guild, led by Capmore, as subsidiary organizations, they had expanded quantitatively as well.  

Beyond that, Jung In-joo had individually recruited famous S-rank Heroes, organized special task forces through cooperation requests, and even procured cutting-edge weapons to combat monsters vulnerable to modern weaponry—all to fill the void left by Seo Do-jun and those who had followed him off-world.  

Thanks to her efforts, the Casserian Guild had grown to an incomparable scale compared to when Seo Do-jun was guild master.  

Not only in size but also in prestige, it had not fallen behind despite his absence.  

Just as they were finishing their thorough preparations, the rift zone gates began opening one after another, as if mocking their readiness.  

Amid the overwhelming waves of monsters, Jung In-joo calmly coordinated with global Hero associations and governments to mount a response, achieving significant results.  

Particularly impressive was how the Casserian Guild members took the lead in eliminating unfamiliar monsters with astonishing destructive power and the interdimensional beings leading them—a remarkable feat.  

The world, once trembling in anxiety over Seo Do-jun’s absence, marveled at Jung In-joo’s exceptional leadership and praised her daily.  

The void left by Seo Do-jun had faded so much that people firmly believed Jung In-joo and the Casserian Guild could handle any crisis.  

For Jung In-joo, this trust was both a burden and a pressure—she had to solve everything, no matter what. But the thought that no one else could do it kept her going.  

However, the monster onslaught, which she had assumed would be a passing storm, showed no signs of abating.  

As if mocking how long they could hold out, monsters continued pouring endlessly from the open rift zones.  

One month, two months… before they knew it, half a year had passed, and the situation was growing increasingly dire for humanity.  

“For South America, coordinate with Chairman Lopes and dispatch the Magician Guild.”  

“Tell Europe we’re urgently sending the Sunrise Guild and Hero Yang Chang-seop’s task force.”  

“As for North Korea…”  

Jung In-joo’s brow furrowed.  

The fall of the North Korean regime, begun under the guise of revolution.  

At its center stood S-rank Hero Lee Kang-cheol, solidifying his new power.  

Frankly, Jung In-joo disliked both the incompetent former North Korean regime and Lee Kang-cheol, who was wreaking havoc under the pretense of revolution.  

When Lee Kang-cheol first overthrew North Korea, she had cheered him on, hoping for a new era.  

But it was a futile hope.  

Perhaps because corruption breeds only corruption, Lee Kang-cheol, despite his initial global appeals for support, had become desperate only for self-preservation.  

So much so that he was forcibly pushing North Korean citizens south of the 38th parallel, dumping monsters into South Korea.  

“Send Park Seung-ho. Authorize Casserian’s flight. Ideally…”  

Jung In-joo barely bit back the words rising in her throat—that she’d love for him to cross into North Korea and cut down that bastard Lee Kang-cheol along with the monsters.  

North Korea, unable to handle its own monster problems, had the audacity to protest unauthorized flights over its airspace.  

Honestly, Jung In-joo wished they would just collapse already.  

After hastily putting out fires, Jung In-joo leaned back in her chair, pressing her throbbing temples.  

“Sigh…”  

How much longer would this go on?  

No matter how powerful the Casserian Guild was, protecting the entire world was absurd.  

Over the past half-year, countless nations had fallen, and the death toll had reached tens of millions.  

And that wasn’t all.  

Many of the Casserian Guild’s Heroes had died or suffered severe injuries, depleting their forces.  

With fewer and fewer combat-ready members, the guild was struggling, while monsters continued landing on Earth tirelessly.  

“Guild Master!”  

At yet another urgent voice calling her, exhaustion threatened to overwhelm Jung In-joo, but she straightened up immediately.  

“What is it?”  

“A nuclear bomb has detonated!”  

“Where this time?”  

How many nuclear missiles have struck Earth in the past half-year?  

From what Jung In-joo remembered, it was at least twenty. She had stopped counting after that.  

The nations launching them varied, too.  

In the past, only nuclear powers had such weapons, but now, it was no exaggeration to say most countries possessed them.  

Their desperation to stop the monsters was that extreme.  

“Japan!”  

“…Where?”  

Jung In-joo shot up from her seat upon hearing that their neighboring country, Japan, had detonated a nuke. She immediately checked the location.  

“Hokkaido.”  

At least that was some relief.  

Jung In-joo let out a sigh, knowing the fallout wouldn’t reach South Korea.  

“Damn it.”  

Cursing out of habit, she grabbed her phone.  

After a few rings, a familiar voice answered.  

—Is this about Japan using a nuclear missile?  

Na Tae-hwang, the global Hero Association Chairman, knew exactly why she was calling.  

“Yes. I’d like to know what happened. I thought Japan’s situation wasn’t that critical yet?”  

—A rift zone gate opened near Mount Shari in northeastern Hokkaido.  

Since the rift zone gates began opening irregularly half a year ago, this wasn’t surprising in itself.  

“What kind of monsters appeared that forced Japan to use a nuke without warning?”  

Though more nations were resorting to unannounced nuclear strikes, Japan had been cautious, mindful of South Korea’s reactions.  

In the past, Japan had acted recklessly, but now, it was one of the countries most wary of South Korea’s stance—proof of how keenly they felt the Casserian Guild’s influence.  

—I only just heard myself. Do you remember the monster wave that hit Arizona, U.S.?  

“Arizona…?”  

How could she forget?  

The monster wave broadcast live worldwide.  

It had been a massive global event, and Seo Do-jun had earned a billion dollars just for participating.  

“So, the same monster wave happened in Hokkaido?”  

—No, it’s far worse. According to U.S. intel… the Boss Monster Heavy Mountain, which Hero Seo Do-jun eliminated inside the rift zone back then, emerged from the Mount Shari rift.  

“A Boss Monster came out of the rift zone?!”  

Recalling the Arizona incident, Jung In-joo understood why Japan had resorted to a nuke without warning.  

—Hmm… Seems it failed. Japan just officially notified us they’re launching additional nukes.  

As Chairman Na Tae-hwang said, Japan fired three more nukes—far more powerful ones—into Hokkaido, but to no avail.  

Heavy Mountain survived unscathed and began reducing Hokkaido to ruins at an alarming speed.