SFRW-Chapter 15

Ch. 15 Sword God From The Ruined World

Hero magic stone. 

The first person to officially acquire a Hero magic stone was the American Hero Matthew.  

He barely managed to defeat Thunderbolt, a monster as fierce as lightning itself, in a rift zone and obtained the first blue magic stone instead of the usual red.  

At first, he thought it was just a magic stone with a different color.  

That was only natural, as aside from its blue hue, there was nothing else special about it.  

Ironically, the person who discovered the significance of the blue magic stone was a Mexican drug lord named Kerzaman.  

A well-known drug dealer and addict in Mexico, Kerzaman, true to his nature, attempted to create a new drug using magic stones. In the process, he dismantled the blue magic stone and absorbed it, inadvertently awakening as a Hero.  

In other words, the blue magic stone was not only an essential material for Hero awakening but also the sole energy source capable of forcibly enhancing the magical power of existing Heroes.  

“A 0.5% commission.”  

“…Th-that’s!”  

“No? Then forget it.”  

As Seo Do-jun grabbed his backpack and stood up, Section Chief Park Cheol-woon quickly pulled the backpack into his arms.  

“N-no, it’s not that I’m refusing! I-I just don’t understand why you’re insisting on a 0.5% commission…”  

“Because I feel like it.”  

Seo Do-jun’s answer left Section Chief Park Cheol-woon speechless, as if he had ten mouths but nothing to say.  

“I’m truly sorry! I was really careless! Please forgive me just this once!”  

Even though he knew Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol  was watching, Section Chief Park Cheol-woon had no choice but to repeatedly apologize to Seo Do-jun.  

“I’ve heard enough apologies. Just tell me if you’ll accept the 0.5% commission or not.”  

Despite Seo Do-jun’s icy demeanor, which seemed like it wouldn’t bleed even if stabbed with a greatsword, Section Chief Park Cheol-woon refused to back down and attempted to negotiate.  

“Fine. To be honest, Hero magic stones are such rare commodities that most companies would buy them at market price without any commission. But! You’re not just going to trade Hero magic stones every time, right? Eventually, no matter where you go, you’ll have to pay at least a 10% commission. If you sell all your Hero magic stones to us this time, we’ll keep your commission at 10% for all future transactions.”  

For Section Chief Park Cheol-woon, this was a significant concession.  

The problem was that the other party didn’t appreciate it at all.  

“I’ll find that out when the time comes.”  

As Seo Do-jun tugged at the backpack as if it was worthless, Section Chief Park Cheol-woon clung to it with all his might.  

“9%! We’re really taking a loss here!”  

“Then don’t take a loss.”  

“8%! If the CEO finds out, he’ll kill me!”  

“Then don’t do anything worth getting killed for.”  

“…7%! I can’t go any lower!”  

“Who asked you to?”  

“6… 6%! We’re really not making anything at this point!”  

“What kind of merchant operates without profit?”  

As Seo Do-jun pulled the backpack away as if he was done, Section Chief Park Cheol-woon cried out,  

“This is too much! Even at 5%, we’d have to take a loss to resell it!”  

Ignoring his outburst, Seo Do-jun grabbed the office door as if it didn’t concern him.  

“4… 4%! I really can’t go any lower than this!”  

At Section Chief Park Cheol-woon’s near-desperate plea, Seo Do-jun turned his head and looked at him.  

“Since we’ve had a business relationship, I’ll generously compromise at 1%.”  

For Seo Do-jun, this was a magnanimous concession.  

However, for Section Chief Park Cheol-woon, who had to accept it, it felt like they were back to square one, and he couldn’t understand what was so generous about it.  

“You… You damn…”  

The words ‘damn bastard’ rose to his throat, but Section Chief Park Cheol-woon couldn’t bring himself to say them.  

The backpack in Seo Do-jun’s hand likely contained at least several dozen Hero magic stones.  

That meant the bag’s value exceeded billions of won.  

Unlike regular magic stones, the value of Hero magic stones could fluctuate depending on how they were resold.  

Demand far outstripped supply, so simply holding onto them guaranteed their value would rise.  

‘Right, even if we just resell these, the commission from the magic stones is nothing! A guy who brings in magic stones alone—how much could he possibly have? This is a deal where we’re bound to profit no matter what!’  

Having quickly calculated the profit and loss based on his years of experience, Section Chief Park Cheol-woon decided to try negotiating one last time.  

“If it’s 3%, we can still accept…!”  

“Let me make this clear—I have at least seven more bags like this filled with Hero magic stones. And if you keep trying to flip the table… Do you really want me to cut it below 1%?”  

Seven bags!  

If Seo Do-jun’s words were true, this was a no-brainer.  

“Hey!Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol! Prepare the contract right now! This is our company’s top VIP! Oh my! We haven’t even offered a drink yet? Hey! Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol! Forget that plain stuff! Go to the convenience store right now and get the coldest drinks… No, coffee and drinks of every kind!”  

***

Stone MAN has sent you money!  

Recipient: Seo Do-jun  

Amount: 6,700,000,000 WON  

Deposit deadline: Until 15:25 on 07/09/2025  

Seo Do-jun checked the message and clicked the deposit confirmation.  

Immediately, a staggering 6.7 billion won was deposited into his account.  

“You don’t need to worry about tax audits.”  

Thanks to Section Chief Park Cheol-woon’s confident reassurance, Seo Do-jun didn’t dwell on the tax issue.  

If any problems arose, he could always drag Stone MAN into it or, as a last resort, use HCS Capital, operated by President Hwang Chang-seop, to resolve it.  

“A good house needs to come on the market soon.”  

Though Seo Do-jun had decided to move with President Hwang Chang-seop’s help, he didn’t consider the latter’s wealth as his own.  

He only intended to borrow President Hwang Chang-seop’s resources for minor tasks he couldn’t be bothered with—things like finding a new house or covering moving expenses would be handled with his own money.  

He already had 6.7 billion won deposited in his account.  

If that wasn’t enough, he could always sell the remaining Hero magic stones to buy a decent house for his grandmother and Eun-young.  

Seo Do-jun had given President Hwang Chang-seop only two conditions for the new house:  

A safe location that minimized the emergence of new rifts, and enough space to live comfortably without shortages.  

The problem was that houses meeting those criteria rarely went on the market.  

“If only I could freely traverse rift zones, the house issue would just be a matter of time.”  

Seo Do-jun licked his lips as he recalled the 110-billion-won house considered the safest in Korea.  

Even in rift zones, there was no guarantee of obtaining Hero magic stones.  

However, since higher-grade magic stones and the rare Hero magic stones could be found there, Seo Do-jun was more interested in hunting in rift zones than in Gate raids.  

But then—  

“Breaking news update: Three hours ago, a monster wave occurred in the newly formed rift in The Shrewsbury, a nature reserve in Long Sutton, England. The British Hero Association had sent a 21-member rift exploration team led by Hero Paul Memants into the new rift 23 days prior. However, a monster wave occurring before the standard 30-day entry period for new rifts is unprecedented…”  

Seo Do-jun watched the breaking news about the monster wave in England’s new rift on TV, twisted his lips, and turned away.  

“Trying to control things without the ability to do so.”  

The thought of the Hero Association monopolizing rift zones only made him scoff.  

In the ruined world of the past, he would’ve ignored the Hero Association and entered rift zones anyway.  

But now, he knew acting recklessly would bring more harm than good, so he had to find another way.  

Just then, an advertisement for premium Hanwoo beef caught his eye.  

In the past, whenever Seo Do-jun earned money from part-time jobs, he would take his grandmother and Eun-young out to eat. Of course, with the little he made, they could only afford pork belly at best.  

“Tonight, we’ll have Hanwoo beef.”  

Having earned 6.7 billion won, Seo Do-jun thought it was only right to treat his grandmother and Eun-young to premium Hanwoo.  

***

Seo Do-jun was dining out with his grandmother and Eun-young on premium Hanwoo beef as planned.  

Even before the emergence of rift zones, Gangnam was infamous for its high prices. But after the rifts appeared, wealthy conglomerates and powerful politicians joined forces to protect Gangnam, cementing its status as Korea’s safest district.  

The myth of Gangnam’s invincible real estate persisted even in the age of rifts.  

Thus, Gangnam’s prices were beyond exorbitant—even the cheapest cut cost 250,000 won per 100 grams.  

For the deceased Seo Do-jun, this would’ve been unthinkable. But for the current Seo Do-jun, it wasn’t an issue at all.  

However—  

“Seo Do-jun, isn’t this place… Too expensive?”  

His grandmother hesitated, unable to bring herself to eat the meat due to the price.  

“I’ve earned a lot of money this time. Don’t worry and eat as much as you’d like.”  

Seo Do-jun grilled a first-grade short rib (marked with two pluses) and placed it on his grandmother’s plate.  

After a moment’s hesitation, his grandmother took a bite and made a blissful expression.  

The meat melted in her mouth, reigniting her appetite.  

Yet, still burdened by the price, she couldn’t bring herself to eat freely. Seeing this, Seo Do-jun called a waiter.  

“Bring us four more servings each of short ribs, ribeye, tenderloin, and sirloin. And charge it to this card.”  

Before his startled grandmother could stop him, the waiter took the card and hurried off.  

“How are we going to eat all that? Go cancel the order. No, I’ll go—”  

“I’m really hungry. I couldn’t eat much in there, so I’ve been feeling weak lately.”  

It was a lie, but his grandmother, knowing what he must’ve endured, looked at him with pity.  

“Alright, let’s eat.”  

When his grandmother tried to grill the meat herself, Seo Do-jun insisted on doing it for her.  

“Grandma, try it quickly. The meat’s really delicious!”  

Though aware it was expensive, Eun-young, who lacked a strong concept of money, couldn’t resist the meat and devoured it eagerly.  

“Eat as much as you want.”  

As Seo Do-jun continued grilling and serving meat, his grandmother finally gave in and started eating.  

Just seeing his grandmother and Eun-young enjoy the meal made Seo Do-jun happy.  

He had once thought of them as strangers—people he was temporarily staying with only because he couldn’t refuse the dying Seo Do-jun’s plea.  

But now, they were becoming special to him.  

More precisely, family.  

In the ruined world, he couldn’t protect his family, and even when he could, they coexisted only for the sake of the clan. There was no warmth or affection like in Seo Do-jun’s memories.  

The things he lost while fighting monsters for so long.  

Seo Do-jun had never valued those small, simple joys.  

“Seo Do-jun! You came back alive! Seo Do-jun!”  

“Brother! Brotherrr! Waaah!”  

The way they clung to him, crying as if they’d collapse any second.  

After escaping the rift zone, Seo Do-jun realized how much his grandmother and Eun-young had worried about him, and his feelings toward them began to change.  

‘Yeah, living like this isn’t so bad.’  

He no longer wanted to live fiercely.  

He had lived more fiercely than anyone, yet all that remained was loneliness and a solitary death.  

In this second life, he wanted to live ordinarily, like everyone else.  

Building a family, laughing and talking with them, savoring small happinesses.  

In this world, he felt he could nurture and protect such a life with his own strength.  

“Seo Do-jun?”  

But then…  

He never imagined even a simple meal could be interrupted.  

Seo Do-jun looked at the uninvited guest who had sought him out.  

A stunning beauty who could make anyone gasp—but—  

“Can we talk for a moment? If you’re a her—”  

“Can’t you see I’m having a meal with my family? If you have business, come back after we’re done.”  

His icy tone made her hair stand on end. Seo Do-jun didn’t spare her another glance.  

Did I just get intimidated? Me, Hyun Joo-yeon?

As South Korea’s fourth S-rank Hero, Hyun Joo-yeon, this was a feeling she’d never experienced before.