SFRW-Chapter 103

Ch. 103 Sword God From The Ruined World  

“Huh?!”  

“W-what is that?!”  

“Oh my god!”  

The people seated in the conference room all let out shocked exclamations at the images displayed on the monitors.  

The first Gate explosion had occurred near the Palais Gate in Orléans, France. Officially, it was framed as a bombing by an armed group advocating for the closure of the Gates. But the reality was entirely different.  

Inside the Gate, the metal devices that controlled the core had been shattered, reduced to a gruesome wreck. The French Hero Association had been hiding this data until now, only releasing it after the second explosion.  

Following the initial explosion at the Gate entrance, the French Hero Association had suspended Gate usage under the pretext of repairs. They had only notified the World Hero Association that restoration procedures were underway.  

“Who would believe it was a bombing if they saw this?”  

Since modern weapons couldn’t be used inside Gates, no one would buy that explanation. Of course, they could argue that the damage to the metal devices—called the ‘Iron Guard’—was caused by a Hero’s attack, but…  

“Anyone who looks closely can tell this wasn’t external damage. It’s clearly destruction from within.”  

Everyone nodded in agreement.  

The damage to the Iron Guard—the metal devices—clearly spread from the inside out. That was why the French Hero Association had hidden it.  

“Seeing it like this makes me wonder… are the Gates really unstable?”  

At those words, people naturally turned their gazes toward Seo Do-jun, who had been advocating for the closure of the Gates.  

Coincidentally, right after his statements, an unidentified individual had begun closing Gates. Frankly, most people suspected Seo Do-jun had some connection to the Gate-closing culprit. From their perspective, it was a reasonable suspicion, and their conviction ran deep.  

But without concrete evidence, no one could outright accuse Seo Do-jun or ask if he was involved.  

Still, now that the truth the French Hero Association had been hiding was revealed, some wondered if Seo Do-jun had known about this all along.  

“Hero Seo Do-jun, did you already know about this?”  

Someone finally voiced the question everyone was thinking. It was Jang Seong-ho, the leader of the VIP Guild. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth and leading South Korea’s top guild, Jang Seong-ho remained unflinching even in front of Seo Do-jun.  

“If I had known, my argument that day would’ve been much more convincing.”  

Seo Do-jun had only sensed that the Gates were dangerous—he hadn’t anticipated this level of destruction. His honest answer left Jang Seong-ho and the others with nothing more to say.  

Or rather, they couldn’t say anything.  

“Please focus here. The next images we’ll show are… from inside the Inoshishi Gate in Japan.”  

Beep.  

The image changed.  

The location of the Gate core was entirely different—anyone could tell this wasn’t the French Gate. But while the place was different…  

“…How is this possible…?”  

“Are the Gates really dangerous?”  

“What the hell is going on…?”  

Most were too stunned to speak.  

The second Gate explosion had occurred at Japan’s Inoshishi Gate. Unlike France’s case, the Iron Guard controlling the core had been completely obliterated. Once again, the destruction had originated from within.  

And then…  

“Why is the Gate core black?”  

“Now that you mention it… why did the core turn black?”  

Whether it was a Gate core or a rift zone core, their colors had always been the same. But shockingly, the Inoshishi Gate core had turned black.  

Has it always been black?  

To answer those doubts, Deputy Director Min Hong-gi immediately spoke up.  

“The core’s color changed after the Gate explosion.”  

Beep.  

An image of the intact Inoshishi Gate core appeared on screen—a translucent core that had since turned black.  

Both Gates had exploded, yet France’s core remained translucent.  

“What’s the current situation in France?”  

“Similar to Japan. The Heroes are struggling against monsters enhanced by something called ‘dark magic,’ which far exceeds their original threat levels.”  

However, Deputy Director Min Hong-gi added that France wouldn’t face devastation on the same scale as Japan. Immediately after the explosion, Heroes from France and neighboring countries had rapidly mobilized to form an extermination squad.  

“Heroes with experience hunting dark magic-infected monsters in Brazil have been specially deployed. They say the situation won’t last long.”  

That was at least some good news. But they couldn’t afford to relax.  

The critical issue was that the Gates had now issued two warnings—they were no longer safe.  

Yet, aside from Seo Do-jun, no one dared to advocate for shutting them down.  

Every person in that room was directly or indirectly tied to the Gate industry. Who would bravely cut off their own livelihood?  

As silence lingered, Seo Do-jun stood up.  

Fully aware of everyone’s eyes on him, he casually pushed his chair back and stepped away.  

“Hero Seo Do-jun! The meeting is still in session!”  

Deputy Director Min Hong-gi urgently called out to him as he prepared to leave.  

“What meeting?” Seo Do-jun’s emotionless voice echoed through the room.  

They had confirmed the Gates weren’t safe. Yet, not a single person had brought up closing them.  

His gaze and tone openly mocked the situation.  

“We’re discussing timely safety inspections for the Gates—”  

Vice Chairman Park Seong-cheol began, but he quickly shut his mouth under Seo Do-jun’s stare. His face paled as if gripped by fear.  

“No matter how thorough the inspections, can they really prevent this?”  

A faint smirk curled on Seo Do-jun’s lips, making a few people frown in discomfort.  

“No one can say for sure, can they? Honestly, Hero Seo Do-jun, you act like only your opinion is valid. Why is that?”  

Most S-rank Heroes wouldn’t dare raise their voices at Seo Do-jun. But Jang Seong-ho was different.  

As an S-rank himself, with equal—if not greater—social and political influence, he had nothing to fear. And above all, he was fed up with Seo Do-jun’s behavior.  

A young upstart with barely any experience, acting high and mighty just because he was strong.  

“There’s no one here who knows more than I do.”  

“What arrogance. Anyone listening would think you’re some protagonist living a second life—or maybe stuck in a time loop. If so, why not give us a heads-up on what happens next?”  

Jang Seong-ho’s remark drew scattered laughter.  

Yet Seo Do-jun didn’t even blink.  

“Oh? Caught me, did you?”  

His deadpan response left even the laughing crowd stunned.  

“Are you mocking me—”  

Jang Seong-ho shot up, enraged, but the conference room doors burst open before he could continue.  

A frantic association employee rushed in.  

“D-disaster! A G-Gate just exploded!”  

He gasped for breath, clearly having run in a panic.  

“What do you mean? Which Gate exploded?”  

Association Chairman Na Tae-hwang, who had been silent the entire meeting, finally spoke.  

“The Geum-bong Gate!”  

“Geum-bong? Don’t tell me… a Gate in South Korea exploded?”  

“Y-yes.”  

The room froze.  

The Gate explosions had been someone else’s problem—until now.  

***  

The Geum-bong Gate explosion instantly sent shockwaves across South Korea.  

“A One-horned Kobold?”  

“It’s classified as an A-rank like the Kowabiru that devastated Yokohama, but it’s actually much stronger… This is worrying.”  

“Still, it won’t be as bad as Japan, right? We have Seo Do-jun.”  

“Right?”  

“Of course! Even the U.S. admitted they wouldn’t have stopped the Monster Wave without him. A One-horned Kobold won’t be a problem.”  

The moment the Gate exploded, Seo Do-jun’s name trended in searches.  

The South Korean Hero who made the Brazilian Hero Association grovel.  

The one who single-handedly stopped the American Monster Wave without casualties.  

And that wasn’t all.  

He cleared Canada’s monsters and even closed Namibia’s rift zones.  

Seo Do-jun had accomplished what no other Hero could, solidifying his title as the world’s strongest.  

Naturally, people expected him to handle this crisis effortlessly.  

And just as they hoped, Seo Do-jun moved first.  

—KWAOOOOOOO!  

Soaring through the sky at blinding speed was Casserian—now affectionately known as ‘Seri’ by the public. Standing atop the creature was Seo Do-jun.  

“I’m counting on you. At least until the extermination squad is assembled, stall them somehow.”  

Even without Chairman Na Tae-hwang’s request, Seo Do-jun would’ve acted.  

The Hero Association’s cowardice—knowing the Gates were dangerous yet refusing to close them for their own interests—left him unfazed.  

Humans were like that.  

No matter the world, human nature remained the same. He expected nothing, so he felt no disappointment.  

He simply did what needed to be done.  

To protect those precious to him.  

To prevent this world from being devoured by damned monsters.  

“You’ve been lazing around at home and got fat, huh? Want to take a trip around the world?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s icy remark, Casserian’s crimson eyes shook violently.  

This ruthless master of his might actually make him fly around the globe.  

—KWAOOOOOOOOO!  

Casserian sped up even more.  

The landscape below blurred past.  

Has it even been ten minutes since they left Seoul?  

Soon, hundreds of One-Horned Kowabiru that had escaped the Gate came into view.  

Fortunately, the Geum-bong Gate was far from the city center, and unlike Kowabirus, One-Horned Kowabiru weren’t relentless forward-chargers—another stroke of luck for South Korea.  

—WEEEEEEEE!  

Dozens of drones broadcasted the horde’s movements in real-time. Some even redirected their cameras toward Seo Do-jun atop Casserian.  

Ignoring them, Seo Do-jun gave his command.  

“You’ve been sick of eating processed monster meat, right? Feast to your heart’s content today.”  

Casserian’s eyes gleamed.  

Monster meat was its staple diet, so Seo Do-jun had legally procured it through the Hero Association.  

But it was never enough.  

Seo Do-jun had stored monsters he hunted while closing Gates in a pocket dimension, but Casserian still craved fresh kills.  

Now, faced with One-Horned Kowabiru, its hunger was unbearable.  

With its master’s permission, it didn’t hesitate.  

Even as Casserian dove vertically, Seo Do-jun stood firm on its back.  

The One-Horned Kowabiru looked up as a massive shadow descended upon them.  

—KWA-BOOOOOM!  

A deafening crash, like a bomb impact, sent a dust cloud engulfing the horde.  

Drones swerved to peer through the settling dust—revealing Casserian leisurely dining on three bloodied One-Horned Kowabiru it had crushed beneath its feet.  

—GRROOOOAAARR!  

Some One-Horned Kowabiru roared at their kin’s devourer.  

But then—  

—KWAOOOOOOOOO!  

Casserian’s thunderous cry and the overwhelming bloodlust radiating from it forced the horde to tremble and lower their heads.  

An apex predator.  

No matter how much dark magic enhanced them, they were still inferior to Casserian.  

The scene was broadcasted nationwide, then globally, further cementing Casserian’s legend.