SFRW-Chapter 13

Ch. 13 Sword God From The Ruined World

Rift Break and Monster Wave.  

No matter what kind of new rift it is, if the first person to enter does not come out within 30 Earth days, this phenomenon occurs without exception.  

It had already been 28 days since Seo Do-jun entered the new rift that appeared in the backyard of a residential area in Mapo.  

When a Monster Wave begins, the entrance to the rift zone expands at least 10 times, and in the worst cases, up to 100 times.  

Monsters pour out en masse from within, so no matter how many Heroes set up defensive lines and fight in advance, it’s impossible to prevent the surrounding area from being devastated.  

In preparation for this Monster Wave, the Hero Association and the government had designated a 1-kilometer radius around the rift zone as a wasteland and completed full-scale preparations.  

Setting a 1-kilometer radius as a wasteland was only possible due to Seoul’s geographical importance and the experience accumulated from dozens of Monster Waves they had faced before.  

But what if monsters that are difficult to deal with spill out beyond the rift zone?  

Since the spread of damage was unavoidable, the Hero Association and the government had no choice but to prepare thoroughly in a state of extreme tension to minimize variables.  

Two days remained.  

No one believed that Seo Do-jun, who had entered the new rift, would return alive.  

Only the evacuated residents of Mapo, hoping their homes would remain unharmed, wished for Seo Do-jun to return alive.  

In reality, the Hero Association and the government had already accepted the Monster Wave as inevitable.  

In preparation for the large-scale battle that would take place in two days, a heavy silence had fallen over the 1-kilometer radius around the rift zone—not even an ant could be found.  

Then, on the 29th night, just one day before D-day…  

Thud.  

Seo Do-jun emerged from the rift.  

“Did I manage to avoid the troublesome affair?”  

Seo Do-jun sensed the silence in the surrounding space and the complete absence of any life signs within a 1-kilometer radius. He immediately realized what it meant.  

Considering it a fortunate turn of events, he moved stealthily to avoid detection.  

To divert the attention of the surrounding Heroes, he deliberately set fire to a nearby junkyard.  

Whoosh—  

The flames, easily manipulated as he absorbed the unextinguished embers, quickly engulfed the junkyard.  

The sudden fire caused chaos, but Seo Do-jun took advantage of the moment to slip out of Mapo unnoticed.  

***

“Breaking News! The new rift that appeared in Mapo disappeared in the early morning. Since it had been exactly 29 days since Seo Do-jun, a resident, entered the rift zone, the Hero Association was certain a Monster Wave would occur. However, due to the sudden disappearance of the rift, they are now thoroughly investigating the cause and the surrounding area. Meanwhile, before the rift vanished, an unexplained fire broke out at a junkyard about 300 meters away. The flames were so intense that even the Hero Association struggled to extinguish them… Some speculate that Seo Do-jun, who entered the rift zone, may have returned, but the Hero Association is leaning toward the possibility that he disappeared along with the rift…”  

Seo Do-jun watched the breaking news on a large digital billboard installed on a building rooftop.  

“What a relief! A real relief!”  

“How can you call it a relief when someone died?”  

“That bastard deserved it! Why did he ignore the warnings to stay away from a new rift and create this mess? If the rift hadn’t disappeared, what then? Mapo would’ve turned into a battlefield! No, not just Mapo—the whole of Seoul would’ve been in chaos!”  

“He went in to save his sister.”  

“Don’t spout nonsense! You really think that bastard went in to save his sister? If that’s true, I’ll eat my hand!”  

Ignoring the surrounding chatter, Seo Do-jun continued walking.  

Most citizens of Seoul expressed relief at the rift’s disappearance.  

Some lamented Seo Do-jun’s death, but far more did not hesitate to curse and condemn him.  

More than their criticism, Seo Do-jun was only concerned about the rift’s disappearance.  

Somehow, the premonition he had when exiting the rift had been correct. While he felt regret that he would never see the World Tree again, he also considered it fortunate.  

Seo Do-jun headed straight to Yeongdeungpo.  

It was for his grandmother and Eun-young.  

‘This is for the best. Disappearing like this isn’t bad for them.’  

The promise with the vanished soul of Seo Do-jun and the emotional changes caused by his memories weighed heavily on Seo Do-jun.  

Of course, he couldn’t just ignore their safety. So, he decided to change his approach—which was why he was now heading to HCS Capital.  

Instead of stepping forward himself, he planned to use President Hwang Chang-seop to ensure Eun-young and his grandmother could live comfortably.  

Upon entering the building, Seo Do-jun approached two men who looked like President Hwang Chang-seop’s employees.  

“Since that bastard’s dead, the old hag and the kid are done for too,” one of the men said before Seo Do-jun could even speak.  

“Obviously. The boss isn’t an ordinary guy. He’ll squeeze ten times what he lost from that bastard.”  

“The old lady’s one thing, but that kid’s life is gonna be hell from now on.”  

“Looking at her, she’ll be pretty when she grows up. The boss will probably find some use for her.”  

“Damn, she’s still too young. Feels kinda gross.”  

Listening quietly, Seo Do-jun spoke in the same tone he had used with Vulkena, who had charged at the World Tree  

“Where’s your boss?”  

Just hearing it made their legs tremble.  

The men’s hair stood on end, and they felt such extreme terror that they involuntarily wet themselves.  

“W-who…?”  

One man barely managed to turn his head and look at Seo Do-jun. His eyes widened in shock.  

Seo Do-jun, who should have vanished with the rift, was standing there perfectly unharmed.  

***

President Hwang Chang-seop was in an exceptionally good mood as he headed to work.  

Seo Do-jun.  

The mere mention of that name had filled him with disgust, and now that the man had disappeared into the rift, he felt immense satisfaction.  

“Any important schedules today?”  

The employee driving him answered immediately.  

“You have a lunch appointment with CEO Baek.”  

“That’s today? Any other schedules?”  

“Nothing special, sir.”  

“Good. Then contact Madam Kang and tell her I’ll visit tonight. If there are any new girls, have them prettied up.”  

Planning to indulge in drinks and fun for the first time in a while, President Hwang Chang-seop arrived at the company in high spirits.  

As the car stopped in front of the building, an employee waiting outside quickly opened the door.  

“Y-you’re here, sir!”  

Noticing the employee’s unusual tension, President Hwang Chang-seop patted his shoulder as if asking why he was so stiff and walked into the building.  

The employee holding the elevator also bowed deeply at 90 degrees the moment he saw President Hwang Chang-seop, his face tense.  

“Everyone’s extra lively today! Hahaha!”  

Normally, he would’ve found this strange, but after hearing the news of Seo Do-jun’s death—his longtime headache—he dismissed it without much thought.  

Ding!  

The elevator stopped on the third floor, and President Hwang Chang-seop stepped into his office.  

At the same time, the ever-present smile on his face vanished as if it had been a lie.  

He couldn’t believe his eyes.  

Seo Do-jun was sitting in his chair.  

“Y-you… H-how…?”  

“Crawl here like a dog.”  

The murderous voice, as if slicing through his entire body with a blade, forced President Hwang Chang-seop to his knees.  

“Bark. A bastard like you doesn’t deserve to be treated like a human. Bark like a dog.”  

Under normal circumstances, he would’ve resisted even with a knife to his throat. But the icy, emotionless gaze accompanying Seo Do-jun’s bloodthirsty voice left him no room for defiance.  

The fear of Seo Do-jun he had forgotten now erupted like a volcano.  

“…Woof.”  

If he resisted even slightly, he would die.  

President Hwang Chang-seop instinctively knew this.  

“Louder.”  

“WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!”  

His barks, loud enough to be heard outside the office, echoed as employees swallowed dryly.  

HCS Capital was engulfed in sheer terror.  

***

“P-please spare me. I’ve committed a mortal sin.”  

President Hwang Chang-seop clung to Seo Do-jun’s pant leg, begging.  

Despite his pleas of eternal loyalty and requests for just one chance, Seo Do-jun’s frozen heart remained unmoved.  

“Who’s second-in-command here?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s question, the gathered executives of HCS Capital all looked at Manager Kim Young-cheol.  

Officially, he was just a manager, but in reality, he was President Hwang Chang-seop’s right-hand man and the true second-in-command of HCS Capital.  

“From now on, you’re the boss here.”  

Manager Kim Young-cheol glanced at Hwang Chang-seop.  

Seeing the man glaring at him with bulging eyes, Manager Kim Young-cheol hesitated to answer. Seo Do-jun lightly kicked out.  

“Gak!”  

President Hwang Chang-seop collapsed backward, writhing in pain.  

Without even looking at him, Seo Do-jun spoke to Manager Kim Young-cheol.  

“Getting rid of your higher-ups isn’t new to you guys, right? I’m giving you permission. Stop working like a dog under this inhuman bastard and take over. Is that so hard?”  

Manager Kim Young-cheol answered in a trembling voice.  

“I don’t know where you heard that, but… It’s not that simple. The boss has extensive connections. If I suddenly take over, people will find it suspicious. Please… Spare him just this once.”  

As Manager Kim Young-cheol kneeled and bowed, the other executives quickly followed suit.  

“In movies, they mix them into cement, stuff them into drums and dump them in the ocean, or crush them in junkyards. Can’t you guys do that?”  

“……”  

“……”  

Manager Kim Young-cheol and the executives broke into a cold sweat, muttering that such things only happened in movies.  

“Or should I take him to a gate and feed him to monsters?”  

Seeing how lightly Seo Do-jun treated human life, Manager Kim Young-cheol felt deep in his bones just how cruel and cold-blooded this man was.  

“P-please spare me! I’ll do anything! I’ll serve you like a dog for life!”  

President Hwang Chang-seop, too, crawled like a dog, tears and snot streaming down his face, begging for his life, uncaring of his subordinates watching.  

“I’ve dealt with too many like you. You grovel like you’d give your liver and gallbladder, but the moment you see an opening, you’d stab me in the back for revenge.”  

“I-I’d never do that! Please believe me! I swear!”  

“You already tried to stab me once. And now you’re asking me to trust you again?”  

“J-just one more chance! Please! I’d never even think of doing something so stupid again!”  

Seo Do-jun found Manager Kim Young-cheol and the executives, who couldn’t bring themselves to eliminate President Hwang Chang-seop, even more disappointing than the groveling man himself.  

If they had just resolved to cleanly dispose of him, it would’ve been easier.  

Clicking his tongue internally, Seo Do-jun reluctantly decided to give President Hwang Chang-seop one last chance.  

But the price of that chance was steep.  

“GAAAAAH!”  

Seo Do-jun cleanly severed President Hwang Chang-seop’s left wrist, then used magic to burn the severed hand and skin tissue, ensuring it could never be reattached.  

Without blinking an eye at the brutal act, Seo Do-jun’s cruelty embedded deep fear into Manager Kim Young-cheol and the executives.  

“Last chance.”  

Seo Do-jun didn’t bother with further warnings.  

That made it even more terrifying.  

Though he had lost a hand, President Hwang Chang-seop was endlessly grateful just to be alive, swearing he wouldn’t even step on Seo Do-jun’s shadow.