SFRW-Chapter 12

Ch. 12 Sword God From The Ruined World 

Leaning against the World Tree, Seo Do-jun gazed at the two types of items he had gathered before him.  

The blue magic stones and the orange oval-shaped seeds.  

These were what remained after hunting hundreds of Vulkena.  

Among them, Seo Do-jun picked up the orange oval-shaped seed.  

The Eternal Ember.  

This item, obtainable with a certain probability from hunting Vulkena, was useful even to him.  

“I never thought I’d get my hands on this again.”  

Seo Do-jun crushed the Eternal Ember in his hand with sheer force.  

Crack—  

As the hard Eternal Ember shattered, flames—both fiercely hot and icy blue—burst forth.  

The flames roared menacingly, as if ready to incinerate anything they touched, but Seo Do-jun effortlessly contained them with his magic.  

He didn’t stop at merely restraining the flames—he slowly began absorbing them.  

Magic was the purest force of nature.  

Though it had no distinct attribute, it encompassed all attributes, making it possible to absorb even the Eternal Flame, a fire that could burn anything.  

However, absorption required considerable effort and enough magic and strength to control the Eternal Flame.  

Ten minutes passed as the flames, raging violently as if in desperation, were fully absorbed by Seo Do-jun.  

Finally, the flames vanished completely.  

“Took longer than I expected.”  

Seo Do-jun clicked his tongue lightly at the fact that absorbing just one Eternal Ember had taken ten minutes.  

Still, it was worth the time.  

However.  

“This is going to take a while.”  

At a glance, there were over 300 Eternal Embers piled before him.  

Even if he absorbed them nonstop, it would take days.  

Unfazed, Seo Do-jun picked up the second Eternal Ember.  

***

“It has been 13 days since the new rift appeared. The rift, formed in the backyard of a residential area in Mapo, Seoul, is estimated to have opened around 11:37 AM on the 17th. The Hero Association’s Rift Detection Division promptly dispatched nearby heroes, but before the rift could be contained, Seo Do-jun, a resident of the house, entered it. The Hero Association has declared a Monster Wave of Class 1 severity…”  

“What kind of lunatic causes this much chaos? Damn it!”  

Bang Seong-woo, watching the TV, turned it off in irritation and threw the remote onto the table.  

“He was trying to save his sister, wasn’t he?”  

“That’s just an excuse! He probably heard the rumors that awakening is easier in rift zones and went in without a second thought for others. If he wanted to die, he should’ve done it quietly—why drag everyone into this mess? Someone needs to clean up trash like him!”  

Kim Hyun-woo just laughed at Bang Seong-woo’s outburst.  

“What did Gilma say?”  

“What do you think? Follow the manual. Gather in Mapo for simulated training and standby until the Monster Wave hits in 10 days—did you really need to ask?”  

“Just wondered if there was another way. Damn it, I already booked tickets and a resort in the Maldives!”  

“Going with Soo-jin?”  

“Was planning to propose there.”  

“Tough luck. Heh.”  

“Think Gilma would let me skip this one?”  

“Try asking. He’ll probably tell you to stay in the Maldives forever. Heh!”  

“Ugh! Damn it! All because of some reckless bastard!”  

Kim Hyun-woo watched Bang Seong-woo’s frustration with amusement.  

“By the way, didn’t new rifts also open in the U.S., China, U.K., Turkey, and Switzerland around the same time?”  

“Yeah, that’s why Gilma’s been busy. This has never happened before. We know rifts can appear anytime, anywhere, but six rifts opening simultaneously in different countries? Unprecedented.”  

“But the others were contained early, right?”  

“Apparently. The U.S., China, and U.K. already sent exploration teams, and Turkey and Switzerland are entering their rift zones in a couple of days.”  

“Why are we the only ones suffering?”  

Once again, Bang Seong-woo gritted his teeth, thinking of  Seo Do-jun—the nationally infamous nuisance who had entered the rift and was now the target of public outrage.  

“If that bastard somehow comes back alive, I’ll beat him to a pulp!”  

“If he’s even alive at this point?”  

As Kim Hyun-woo said, most people were certain that Seo Do-jun—was already dead.  

***  

Absorbing one Eternal Ember took ten minutes.  

At least, that’s how it was at first.  

“It’s taking longer now.”  

To be precise, the process of fusion with his magic was gradually lengthening.  

Up to the 40th Eternal Ember, it took the expected ten minutes, but after that, the time increased bit by bit. By the 200th, it took nearly an hour.  

“Does this mean I’m running low on magic?”  

That was the only explanation.  

In the past, Seo Do-jun had only absorbed a few Eternal Embers.  

Not because they were scarce, but because he hadn’t felt the need.  

His own magic had been sufficient, so there was no reason to alter its nature to a fire attribute.  

But now, with less than half the magic he once had, he needed to absorb the Eternal Embers to shift his magic’s nature into a stronger fire attribute.  

Ideally, he would have preferred to continuously absorb magic by the World Tree, but his current reserves were at his body’s limit. Thus, the Eternal Embers were a temporary solution.  

“Hmm…”  

Seo Do-jun debated whether to continue absorbing them.  

While it took an hour now, the time would only increase as he absorbed more.  

He glanced around.  

No other monsters besides the Vulkena had appeared.  

His hesitation didn’t last long.  

Leaving behind over 100 Eternal Embers or carrying them with him wasn’t an option. Knowing it would only lead to trouble, he decided it was better to absorb them all now, no matter how long it took.  

“Kusak would’ve been thrilled to see these.”  

Kusak, his former comrade and the continent’s strongest flame mage, had always been delighted in absorbing Eternal Embers, as they strengthened his fire magic.  

Seo Do-jun briefly reminisced about his old ally before crushing another Eternal Ember in his hand.  

Crack—  

***  

The house on TV.  

A shabby residence under heavy guard by dozens of heroes was now nationally famous, appearing on every channel.  

Hwang Chang-seop, President of HCS Capital, lit a cigarette as he watched.  

“Manager Kim Young-cheol.”  

“Yes.”  

“What are the odds that the bastard comes back alive?”  

“For an ordinary person? There’s no need to even consider it. Less than 1%—no, less than 0.1%. It’s practically a death sentence.”  

“Ordinary? Don’t make me laugh. Those idiots at the Hero Association are way off the mark.”  

The employees behind him, especially those who had suffered under Seo Do-jun, nodded in agreement.  

Manager Kim Young-cheol concurred.  

“If he’s an Awakened, we can speculate on his survival chances, but in this situation, even I can’t say for sure. We don’t know the environment of the new rift or what monsters are inside. Regardless of Seo Do-jun’s rank, it’s impossible to predict.”  

“Right.”  

President Hwang Chang-seop frowned and took a long drag.  

He wished Seo Do-jun had died in the rift, but as Manager Kim Young-cheol said, with the new rift’s nature unknown, the possibility of his survival couldn’t be dismissed.  

“Manager Kim Young-cheol, bring his family here.”  

“What do you plan to do?”  

“We’ve suffered because of him. If he’s dead, shouldn’t we get compensation from his old woman and that kid? And if he’s lucky enough to return, we’ll show him we ‘took good care’ of them. Though I’d prefer him dead.”  

President Hwang Chang-seop smirked viciously.  

***  

Time lost meaning as Seo Do-jun focused solely on absorbing the Eternal Embers.  

At some point, his magic began glowing a vivid blue.  

Magic imbued with the fierce attribute of flames, capable of incinerating anything at his will.  

The most primal, destructive fire, requiring no complex spells.  

Yet, his magic wasn’t purely fire-attribute.  

Magic was the purest force of nature, holding all attributes and none at all, allowing him to infuse it with flames only when desired.  

Moreover, as long as his magic remained, he gained extreme resistance to fire attacks. In this aspect alone, he surpassed his former self as the Blade of Ruin.  

“…Done.”  

Having absorbed the last Eternal Ember, Seo Do-jun smiled in satisfaction—his first smile since entering the rift zone, the Partishua Forest.  

Standing, he touched the World Tree.  

Its bark was still rough yet comforting.  

Why the ruined world’s environment and the World Tree had appeared in Earth’s rift zone was beyond understanding, but Seo Do-jun didn’t dwell on it.  

“Back then, and now… Thank you.”  

The World Tree had given him endless aid, and he felt compelled to express his gratitude.  

He packed more magic stones than Eternal Embers into a bag made from the World Tree’s leaves and branches.  

With no reason to stay, he set out to find the rift’s exit.  

The rift zone, a perfect replica of the Partishua Forest, made his search easier than most.  

As he scoured the forest for the rift’s fissure, his eyes caught an unusual glimmer.  

A fissure.  

A rift’s edge, where green and blue intertwined intricately.  

Approaching it, he suddenly halted.  

Slowly, he turned to look back at the World Tree.  

For some reason, he felt he might never return.  

Rift zones didn’t usually vanish easily, but neither did they always remain unchanged.  

Though rare, some rift zones disappeared on their own.  

“…Maybe it’s better if it vanishes.”  

The World Tree was a mystical entity that had sustained his ruined world.  

The thought of it being exploited by Earth’s inhabitants didn’t sit well with him.  

Of course, he’d no longer have its aid, but even so, he felt it was better for the World Tree to disappear forever.  

“Or I could protect it.”  

Muttering to himself, Seo Do-jun stepped through the rift’s fissure and out into the world beyond.