SFRW-Chapter 104

Ch. 104 Sword God From The Ruined World

If there’s one thing monsters are better at than humans, it might be their ability to properly assess a situation.  

The dark magic-infused One-Horned Kowabirus were far stronger than usual, numbering in the hundreds.  

Yet, not a single one dared to move in the presence of just one Casserian.  

“…Isn’t this insane?”  

Park Chul clicked his tongue as he watched the scene unfold in real time through a miniature camera attached to Casserian’s head.  

***

“I’d like to attach a miniature camera to Casserian’s head.”  

“A camera?”  

“I want to vividly capture Casserian hunting One-Horned Kowabirus and show it to everyone. It’ll prove that while Casserian is endlessly gentle with humans as the nation’s pet, it’s a terror to monsters that threaten people. Call it Casserian’s charm. Plus, it’ll firmly implant in people’s minds that a powerful Boss Monster like Casserian is protecting us. As the PR director, I’m confident this will skyrocket Casserian’s popularity!”  

Park Chul thought it was a brilliant idea.  

“Guess Casserian really is a Boss Monster.”  

Park Young-gi, who had joined the Casserian Guild on Park Chul’s strong recommendation, couldn’t hide his amazement either.  

“Instead of just watching… should we livestream this?”  

“Livestream? But it might be too brutal.”  

Even though they were monsters, Casserian tearing into One-Horned Kowabirus alive was undeniably gruesome.  

Park Chul argued they could age-restrict the stream and immediately began preparations.  

In this day and age, people would watch anything. Even the brutal Monster Wave livestreams from the U.S. had drawn global audiences.  

‘I can’t miss this golden opportunity!’  

“Uncle, we’re ready. Really going live?”  

Park Young-gi still looked uneasy, but Park Chul had made up his mind.  

“What’s there to hesitate about? Start it!”  

The livestream began on Seo Do-jun’s channel. Within five minutes, the streaming link was trending online.  

***  

Crunch! Crunch!  

Every time Casserian’s smooth beak moved, the tough bones of the One-Horned Kowabirus shattered.  

The thick, dark-blue blood oozing out was enough to instill fear in anyone watching.  

“Kwaoooooh!”  

Overjoyed at the chance to freely chew, tear, and savor fresh monsters after so long, Casserian let out a triumphant cry.  

The sight of hundreds of One-Horned Kowabirus frozen like scared mice before a single Casserian was nothing new to Seo Do-jun.  

He’d expected it—no, it was only natural.  

Casserian wasn’t just a higher-tier monster; it was a Boss Monster, a class of its own.  

No matter how much dark magic the One-Horned Kowabirus absorbed or how many there were, they were helpless lambs before Casserian.  

Seo Do-jun dismounted Casserian and approached the One-Horned Kowabirus.  

Whether it was Casserian’s overwhelming presence or the fact that Seo Do-jun rode it, the Kowabirus could only snort nervously as he walked up to them, not daring to move.  

Seo Do-jun raised his hand and struck down with a knife-hand chop, severing the massive horn that could cover the Kowabiru’s entire face.  

Snap!  

The horn, known for its durability, broke clean off.  

“Kkeuoooh…!”  

The Kowabiru convulsed in pain, but before it could even resist, Casserian moved like lightning, crushing its skull with its talons.  

Crunch!  

The skull collapsed, and the Kowabiru slumped lifelessly.  

Unfazed, Seo Do-jun examined the broken horn.  

While not as impressive as the Nanocheris horn he’d hunted in Brazil Rift Zone, it was still sturdy enough to be a popular material for weapon crafting.  

‘It’d make a decent throwing spear.’  

In the ruined world, One-Horned Kowabiru horns had been favored for throwing spears.  

Their high magic absorption rate meant a well-aimed throw could take down even a sub-boss monster in one hit.  

A bitter smile flickered across Seo Do-jun’s lips as he recalled the past.  

In humanity’s final days, he’d used anything and everything as a weapon in desperate battles.  

One-Horned Kowabiru horns were no exception.  

With no time or manpower to refine them, he’d simply broken them off and hurled them as-is.  

“Throwing spears, huh…”  

There was no harm in preparing.  

Especially now, as Earth’s crisis escalated, the more contingencies, the better.  

‘And with the Achromos subspace, there’s no need to hold back.’  

The near-limitless Achromos subspace gave Seo Do-jun all the room he needed to stockpile.  

After placing the horn on the ground, Seo Do-jun smirked at the hundreds of One-Horned Kowabirus before him.  

Then, something unbelievable happened.  

Snap! Snap-snap! Snap-snap-snap!  

Like popping bottle caps, Seo Do-jun began breaking off every single horn.  

The sight left everyone speechless.  

***  

They’d expected brutality.  

They’d braced for horror.  

They’d even prepared for backlash.  

But…  

“…Is this footage doctored?”  

Park Young-gi was the first to voice the question, despite knowing it was a live broadcast.  

Just to be sure, he checked the TV—the same scene was playing on national broadcast channels via drone cameras.  

Seo Do-jun snapping hundreds of One-Horned Kowabiru horns looked almost comical.  

At first, he’d used knife-hand strikes, but now he was just plucking them off with casual flicks.  

It was so surreal that the flood of comments, initially thousands per second, momentarily froze.  

Once dozens of horns piled up, the chat exploded.  

The internet went wild.  

Trending:  

– Seo Do-jun’s Knife-Hand Strikes  

– One-Horned Kowabiru Horn Snapping  

– The Horn-Plucking Master  

– Easier Than Opening a Soda Can  

Clips and screenshots flooded the web, along with endless trivia about One-Horned Kowabiru horns.  

Some even claimed Seo Do-jun wasn’t human:  

“I’ve been a weapon craftsman for seven years. No human can snap One-Horned Kowabiru horns barehanded. And no, not even S-rank Heroes can do it this easily.”  

└ Obviously! Seo Do-jun’s a god!  

└ The fact that anyone ever thought he was human is the real shock.  

└ How many horns is he breaking per minute?!  

└ Counted earlier—about 82 per minute!  

└ WTF… The banana-splitting Guinness record is only ~70/min. Are those monster horns weaker than bananas?!  

└ AIMING FOR 100/MIN LET’S GOOO!  

Park Chul could only laugh dryly at the online frenzy.  

Meanwhile, Seo Do-jun was nearly done. After snapping the last horn, he dusted off his hands without breaking a sweat.  

Surveying the massive pile, he casually said to Casserian:  

“Let’s wrap this up. I want grilled Hanwoo for dinner.”  

“…Pfft!”  

Park Chul spat out his water at Seo Do-jun’s nonchalant remark.  

“Kwaoooooh!”  

With a final roar, Casserian began slaughtering the hornless Kowabirus.  

“…Uncle, should we end the stream?”  

The shift from comedy to outright monster carnage made Park Young-gi suggest cutting the broadcast. Park Chul nodded silently.  

There was nothing left to see—nothing worth seeing.  

The nation’s panic over the Gate explosion now felt almost silly in light of such an anticlimactic resolution.  

Frankly, Japan’s tragedy—where tens of thousands died and cities were ruined by weaker Kowabirus—seemed pitiful compared to this.  

All it took was one Casserian.  

“Our Guild Master is truly incredible. Now I get why you’re like this, uncle.”  

“Get what?”  

Park Young-gi answered with conviction:  

“I finally understand why you worship Seo Do-jun like a king—because our Guild Master is the kind of person who makes that worship inevitable.”  

“That’s called foresee, you fool.”  

“You mean foresight.”  

“…”  

“And you’re the PR director with that vocabulary? You get paid well—at least do a workbook. One page a day…”  

As Park Chul advanced with a red face, Park Young-gi had no choice but to flee.  

***  

The third Gate explosion ended far more uneventfully than anyone expected.  

Despite being far more dangerous than the incidents in France and Japan, South Korea suffered zero casualties—thanks to a single Hero.  

“Let’s be real—wasn’t it Casserian who did all the work?”  

“Process-wise, yes. But ultimately, it’s because Seo Do-jun tamed Casserian.”  

“I’d forgotten Casserian is a Boss Monster… That thing’s terrifying. The way it tore into those Kowabirus is burned into my mind!”  

“And Seo Do-jun turned that thing into a docile pet!”  

“But what’s this about U.S. Heroes coming to tame Casserian?”  

The nation buzzed with talk of Seo Do-jun and Casserian.  

Rumors of American Heroes visiting South Korea to tame Casserian drew particular attention—and resentment.  

Casserian, now hailed as Korea’s national pet, guild mascot, and guardian Boss Monster, wasn’t something people were willing to hand over.  

“Would you really give Casserian to the U.S. if they tamed it?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon’s question piqued Gloria’s interest too.  

Though she’d left her U.S. life behind to follow Seo Do-jun, her homeland’s affairs still mattered.  

“That was the deal.”  

Seo Do-jun’s indifference made Hyun Joo-yeon voice her concern: “But what if someone actually succeeds?”  

“Do you really think… in a world where people can’t even tame E-rank monsters… that Casserian would bow to anyone else?”  

His dismissive tone said it all.  

Hyun Joo-yeon and Gloria knew better—Casserian’s docility was entirely due to Seo Do-jun’s dominance.  

Even they, who interacted with it daily, still tensed at its occasional feral glares when Seo Do-jun wasn’t around.  

The idea of anyone else taming it was unthinkable.  

“Brother, is someone taking Seri away?”  

Eun-young, who’d been playing with Casserian, came running over, on the verge of tears.  

‘Sharp ears.’  

Seo Do-jun patted her head gently.  

“Won’t happen. And if anyone tries, I’ll just catch them another one.”  

“Seri stays with us forever, right?”  

“Of course.”  

Relieved, Eun-young dashed back to Casserian, calling its name cheerfully.  

“You know, Seo Do-jun’s idea isn’t bad,” Hyun Joo-yeon mused.  

“What idea?”  

“Taming new Casserians. If we domesticate them every respawn cycle, we could build a whole squad.”  

The Casserian Battalion.  

Gloria’s eyes lit up at the groundbreaking idea.  

But—  

“Casserians fight to the death if more than one exists in the same territory. Ever seen two tigers share a mountain? Monsters are worse.”  

“Ah… really?”  

Their excitement deflated.  

“Though there is another way.”  

At Seo Do-jun’s words, their eyes sparkled again.  

“There’s another way?!”  

“What is it?!”