SFRW-Chapter 254

Ch. 254 Sword God From The Ruined World

Romak’s nest, located at the top of the largest tree in the Sky Forest, was enormous.  

“I guess because it’s such a ridiculously big bird, the size of its nest is just as absurd.”  

Choi Kang-soo, clinging to the tree trunk, tilted his head back and shook it in disbelief at the nest’s sheer size—so vast it completely blotted out the sky.  

“If the relic is hidden somewhere in that huge nest, finding it is going to be a real task.”  

The biggest problem was that not a single person knew what the relic actually looked like.  

With no clue about its appearance, size, or any defining features, the situation felt overwhelmingly daunting.  

“If anything seems even slightly suspicious, we’ll just have to check everything one by one.”  

At Shinjo’s words, Choi Kang-soo clicked his tongue as if to say that was the issue.  

“We don’t know when Romak will return, so we need to hurry.”  

Bolikos was the first to start climbing the tree trunk.  

Despite being a wolf-human, he scaled the tree at an astonishing speed, almost like a flying squirrel.  

Following him, Seo Do-jun kicked off the ground and soared into the air, while Shinjo, harnessing the power of the Thunder God, shot toward Romak’s nest like a bolt of lightning.  

Whoosh—Aaah!  

Choi Kang-soo spread his radiant white wings and began flying gracefully, while Rahf activated a simple flight spell.  

Grichuk created a dark hole above his head and slipped inside—only to reappear from another dark hole positioned much higher up.  

He repeated the process, creating holes beneath his feet and ascending step by step.  

“…Kehehehe.”  

Twek watched as each of them approached the nest in their own way, letting out a deranged laugh.  

“This… isn’t a place for me.”  

Now that Seo Do-jun’s group had met Bolikos, Twek thought it would be better for his mental health to just return to Rauf.  

However, descending alone in the Sky Forest was no easy task, so with no other choice, he began climbing the tree like Bolikos—though his speed was embarrassingly slow.  

“Damn it! What’s so hard about taking one extra person along, you selfish bastards?!”  

Twek cursed the group for abandoning him, but he had no choice but to keep climbing, moving his limbs as fast as he could.  

By the time he finally reached Romak’s nest, the others were already scouring every corner.  

“Took you long enough. We don’t have time, so hurry up and start searching.”  

When Choi Kang-soo scolded him for being so slow, Twek felt a surge of anger but could only sigh deeply and turn away.  

“It was impressive from below, but up close… it’s beyond words.”  

Choi Kang-soo frowned at the sheer size of Romak’s nest—easily large enough to fit five soccer fields.  

But more than the size, the state of the nest’s interior was deeply unsettling.  

“That’s the food storage area.”  

One side was piled high with the corpses of various beasts and unidentified fruits, over half of which were rotting and emitting a foul stench.  

“That area’s just… a heap of junk.”  

Another side was a chaotic mess of random objects, completely devoid of order.  

“And that spot… is it a garbage dump?”  

Yet another area was littered with filth, bones, and other refuse, resembling a landfill.  

Only the very center of the nest was somewhat clean and presentable—the rest was a nightmare to behold.  

“Is there really a relic in this insane place?”  

Choi Kang-soo was gripped by doubt.  

There was no certainty, not even a solid lead—just the vague possibility that the Sky Forest was a place worth checking. Even if they found nothing, there was no reason to be disappointed.  

Hope for the best, expect the worst.  

But the nest’s horrendous state made him wonder if they should even bother searching here first.  

‘I’d rather leave this for last and check other places first.’  

He wanted to, but since the others were already meticulously combing through the area, he had no choice but to join in.  

‘Is there really no connection at all?’  

Seo Do-jun had held a slight hope for his Eyes of Falsehood.  

Since it was a relic of the Fallen Angel, and the other scattered powers were also meant to be found, he assumed there might be some kind of pull between them.  

But whether in the Sky Forest or now inside Romak’s nest, he felt nothing.  

Did that mean there was no relic here?  

Seo Do-jun couldn’t say for sure.  

A hunch—or perhaps instinct—told him that if the Fallen Angel’s relic was hidden in the Sky Forest, Romak’s nest was the most likely location.  

The Fallen Angel’s Altar and the Eyes of Falsehood.  

At the very least, the relic Seo Do-jun had obtained wasn’t a physical object—it was an intangible force.  

But since the Eyes of Falsehood had been hidden in the altar, he guessed the other relics might take a similar form.  

Because of that, he couldn’t afford to overlook anything.  

‘Could the nest itself be the relic?’  

The thought crossed his mind, and he examined the entire nest again—but it didn’t seem likely.  

The forest spirits had said the relic was hidden, so it couldn’t be the entire nest.  

Just as he was lost in thought, carefully inspecting every oddity in the nest—  

“Agh! W-what is this?!”  

Choi Kang-soo’s shout drew everyone’s attention.  

“A mummy? Or… a wax figure?”  

While searching the filthiest part of the nest, Choi Kang-soo had stumbled upon a desiccated, mummy-like corpse and recoiled in horror.  

About a meter tall.  

Its shriveled state made it look even smaller, with eyes taking up half its face and tightly clustered nose and mouth.  

“Wings?”  

A pair of dried-up wings clung to its back. The shape of its chest suggested it was female, and its small, delicate hands and feet must have been quite cute in life.  

What was this thing—a mummy or a wax figure?  

“A forest spirit.”  

Bolikos, who had approached unnoticed, identified it.  

“A forest spirit?”  

“Though they were wiped out by vampires, they were once one of the most powerful races in Iostem.”  

“Ah.”  

So this is what a forest spirit looks like.  

Choi Kang-soo examined it closely and clicked his tongue.  

“To exterminate such a cute race… Vampires really are the worst.”  

Could he have ever raised his sword against something so adorable?  

『More idiotic nonsense!』  

The Divine Sword, unable to tolerate his naivety, roared.  

『How many creatures hide vile natures behind beautiful faces? Do you have any idea how many fools like you get stabbed in the back because they judge by appearances alone?!』  

‘So forest spirits hide ugly natures?’  

『I’m telling you not to be fooled by looks!』  

Grumbling, the Divine Sword lamented its choice of wielder.  

Ignoring that, Choi Kang-soo studied the forest spirit and asked Bolikos:  

“But why did this one die like this? Was it alive before?”  

Even Bolikos seemed puzzled.  

“Hmm. Now that you mention it, this doesn’t make sense. When forest spirits die, they turn to light and vanish without a trace…”  

“Maybe if a vampire drank its blood, it’d end up like this?”  

It seemed plausible, but Bolikos shook his head firmly.  

“Vampires did harvest forest spirit blood, but even then, upon death, they’d disappear without a trace.”  

“So this shouldn’t be possible?”  

“Right.”  

“Then what is this? A wax figure or something?”  

Bolikos denied it—this was definitely a once-living forest spirit.  

As Choi Kang-soo and Bolikos remained baffled, the others gathered one by one.  

Choi Kang-soo explained their conversation.  

“Hmm… I don’t sense any curses or dark magic,” Rahf said.  

Everyone stared at the forest spirit in fascination.  

“Choi Kang-soo, try using divine power on it.”  

“Huh?”  

Why use divine power on a mummified corpse?  

But at Seo Do-jun’s insistence, Choi Kang-soo reluctantly extended his hand and channeled divine energy.  

“Huh?”  

Bolikos’s eyes widened as Choi Kang-soo—usually careless, blunt, and simple-minded—released an immense surge of divine power.  

“Surprised? He’s much stronger than he looks,” Twek whispered.  

“I can hear you!”  

Choi Kang-soo glared, but Twek just shrugged.  

Meanwhile, a subtle change occurred in the forest spirit.  

“Huh? It’s rejecting divine power?”  

Choi Kang-soo frowned.  

“Rejecting divine power?” Seo Do-jun echoed, equally confused.  

“Yeah! That’s… impossible. Why is this happening?”  

Divine power was an absolute force—it could forcibly heal wounds, restore life, or smite the unholy.  

Whether used for good or ill, it always took effect.  

『Divine Authority.』  

The Divine Sword’s voice made Choi Kang-soo blink.  

『Only something with Divine Authority—or power of that level—can reject divine energy. That’s it.』  

‘That thing?’  

『That forest spirit is the Fallen Angel’s relic.』  

“It’s the relic?!”  

Choi Kang-soo’s sudden shout startled everyone.  

“Uncle! This is the relic!”  

Seo Do-jun’s gaze shifted to the Divine Sword, and Choi Kang-soo quickly nodded in confirmation.  

As Seo Do-jun stepped forward—  

“Wait!”  

Bolikos blocked his path.  

“I’d like to examine it first.”  

Having spent so long searching for the relic, Bolikos felt he deserved the first chance—even if he hadn’t recognized it at first.  

Seo Do-jun met his gaze, then nodded.  

“Fine.”  

Bolikos was taken aback. He’d been prepared for a fight, but Seo Do-jun’s easy concession left him both grateful and suspicious.  

“Without you, we wouldn’t be here. You’ve earned that much.”  

Bolikos bowed slightly in thanks.  

As Bolikos turned to inspect the forest spirit, Choi Kang-soo sidled up to Seo Do-jun and whispered:  

“Uncle, are you sure about this? What if he takes the relic’s power?”  

Choi Kang-soo couldn’t understand Seo Do-jun’s generosity.  

Even if Bolikos had helped, he was the one who found the relic—Seo Do-jun should have priority.  

No matter how much he liked the werewolves, this seemed like foolish weakness.  

But Seo Do-jun’s thoughts were different.  

‘The werewolves never obtained the Fallen Angel’s true power. If I’m right, the relics only respond to those who meet certain criteria.’  

That was his belief.  

If anyone could claim the relics, why had none of the werewolves ever obtained the Eyes of Falsehood?  

Bolikos was no exception.  

Lacking the qualifications, he wouldn’t gain the relic’s power—no matter how long he studied the mummified spirit.  

Unaware of this, Bolikos grew increasingly frustrated as he failed to sense anything.  

‘How does this work? Where’s the relic’s power?!’  

Then—  

Crack—OOOOOOM!  

A deafening sound echoed through the Sky Forest.  

“N-no way?!”  

The barrier had shattered.  

“May I take a look now?”  

Seo Do-jun’s tone made it clear he wouldn’t wait any longer.  

“I… I suppose.”  

Bolikos hesitated, but Seo Do-jun stepped past him and approached the forest spirit.