SFRW-Chapter 184

Ch. 184 Sword God From The Ruined World

The formal name was Fire Dragon.  

Simply called the Flame Dragon (its shape closely resembles an Eastern dragon), Kusak’s ultimate technique was not something to be taken lightly.  

The Flame Dragon was the pinnacle of Kusak’s lifelong magical achievements—a technique capable of reducing an army of thousands of monsters to ashes single-handedly.  

The first attack to watch out for was its breath.  

Kuuuaaaaaa—!  

The torrent of flames erupting from its gaping maw was powerful enough to incinerate almost anything in its path.  

Crackle—  

Seo Do-jun watched as his sword barrier slowly fissured and immediately reinforced it with another layer of sword energy.  

Only after stacking three layers of barriers could he finally block the Flame Dragon’s breath.  

‘He’s grown stronger.’  

Considering Earth’s environment, it was clear Kusak had reached a level far beyond his past self.  

Having blocked the breath attack, Seo Do-jun now faced the Flame Dragon’s second assault.  

The dragon soared into the sky, circling in a massive arc as scorching heat pressed down on the earth.  

Thud—! Thud-thud—!  

The ground trembled.  

Then, a rain of fire poured down—piercing and burning everything it touched.  

The radius spanned 50 meters around Seo Do-jun, utterly annihilating everything within.  

Even amidst the fiery deluge, Seo Do-jun stood firm, deploying his sword barriers. By the time the third layer was nearly shredded, the Flame Dragon’s attack finally ceased.  

‘Next is…’  

Seo Do-jun’s gaze dropped to the ground beneath him.  

Rumble— Rumble—  

The hardened earth swelled like boiling lava, bubbles forming on its surface.  

The Flame Dragon’s third attack—or rather, an extension of the second—was…  

Whoosh—!  

Whoooosh—!  

Jets of magma erupted from the ground.  

Knowing evasion was wiser than blocking, Seo Do-jun moved like a specter, dodging the rising pillars of molten rock.  

“…Th-that’s…”  

Veronica stammered, as if doubting her own eyes.  

Rakun stood dumbfounded, mouth agape.  

And Kusak, who had been brimming with confidence earlier…  

“H-how… H-how…?”  

…could only gape in shock as Seo Do-jun effortlessly countered and dodged every one of the Flame Dragon’s attacks.  

Breath, fire rain, magma eruption.  

Simple in concept, but terrifying in execution.  

What baffled Kusak most wasn’t just that Seo Do-jun blocked the attacks—it was how he withstood the heat.  

Even flame-attribute monsters would melt or dehydrate instantly under such conditions.  

‘Th-this is impossible!’  

Kusak, who had spent his life bending reality to his will, couldn’t accept what he was seeing.  

Once the Flame Dragon’s three attacks ended, its final assault began—a full-body ramming charge.  

‘What did Kusak call this again? Dancing with the Fire Dragon…?’  

Seo Do-jun smirked at the childish name as the Flame Dragon hurtled toward him.  

This was the most dangerous part. The dragon, devoid of self, would relentlessly crash into its target until it dissipated.  

Imagine it—a colossal, flaming dragon smashing into you until it vanished.  

No simple block or dodge would suffice.  

After defending and evading the entire time, Seo Do-jun finally switched to offense.  

His body wreathed in azure magic, he swung his sword straight into the dragon’s maw.  

Though the Flame Dragon was made of fire, the sensation of cutting through it felt like slicing through dense clay.  

Craaaack—!  

The dragon, which had been charging to swallow him whole, had its jaws split clean in two.  

Flames surged in all directions.  

Even as the heat distorted the air itself, Seo Do-jun swung relentlessly—splitting its head, cleaving its torso, shattering its claws.  

With each strike, the flames spread, rapidly expanding the dragon’s form.  

“Guh—!”  

Even from a distance, Veronica and Rakun winced at the oppressive heat.  

The world looked like an ocean of fire.  

Seo Do-jun, trapped within the inferno, was no longer visible.  

Then, Kusak gathered every last drop of his remaining magic.  

Muttering an incantation, he clasped his hands together and roared:  

“BOOM—BLAST!”  

The moment the words left his lips—  

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!  

A chain of explosions engulfed Seo Do-jun, the flames so vast they seemed to swallow the world itself.  

No one could survive that.  

Drenched in sweat, Kusak dropped to one knee, panting as he watched the devastation.  

Veronica and Rakun stared between the explosion and Kusak in shock.  

They hadn’t expected this.  

“…No way he survives that blast.”  

Veronica slumped to the ground, convinced it was over.  

Battered and wounded, she never imagined she’d be pushed this far.  

“To think Earth had someone like him… But in the end, we won.”  

Rakun, barely standing from internal injuries, set down his axe with a sigh of relief.  

Just as they thought it was over—  

“…I’ll admit, I didn’t see that coming. Hiding a final trump card? You’ve improved.”  

“…!”  

Kusak’s eyes bulged.  

Veronica tried to rise but collapsed with a shriek.  

Rakun fumbled for his axe, only to cough up a mouthful of blood.  

Brushing off the dust, Seo Do-jun locked eyes with each of them and grinned.  

Truthfully, even he had been caught off guard.  

Had his instincts been a fraction slower, he would’ve been severely injured.  

“So, are we done here?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s words, Kusak’s glare twisted into a manic grin.  

Veronica flopped onto her back, waving a hand as if to say, Do whatever.  

Rakun quietly set his axe aside, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.  

Total surrender.  

Their resigned expressions made Seo Do-jun chuckle.  

Though they didn’t remember him, they were exactly as he remembered.  

“If I said, ‘Join me’, you wouldn’t just obey, would you?”  

Muttering to himself, Seo Do-jun approached them.  

First, a conversation.  

If they cooperated, they could talk things over like civilized people.  

But if they resisted—  

“Then we’ll have a rougher discussion.”  

Energy surged through Seo Do-jun.  

Reuniting with his old comrades—comrades he’d never forgotten—filled him with pure joy.  

***

After Seo Do-jun left for Africa, both his home and the Casserian Guild headquarters felt eerily quiet.  

The guild members, who rarely left the building, had all gone to Africa. The Black Tigers no longer roared, and Casserian, who occasionally howled like the boss of the area, was absent too.  

Of course, the buildings weren’t completely deserted.  

Non-combat personnel still worked inside, and Choi Cheol-gwan’s workshop buzzed with activity day and night, lights always on and machinery constantly humming.  

Security teams patrolled, and administrative staff, led by Director Park Sung-wook, stayed busy processing new Hero applicants.  

Still, without the master and residents, the emptiness lingered.  

“Grandpa!”  

Eun-young spotted Chairman Na Tae-hwang entering the courtyard and sprinted toward him.  

Thud—!  

“Eun-young!”  

Na Tae-hwang lifted her like his own granddaughter.  

“My, you’ve grown so much!”  

“I’m this much taller now!”  

She pinched her fingers to show the difference, making Na Tae-hwang laugh as he ruffled her hair.  

At ten years old, Eun-young acted far more mature than her peers, but she still clung to her grandmother, Seo Do-jun, and Na Tae-hwang when she could.  

She knew they adored it—and that these moments wouldn’t last forever.  

“Is your grandmother home?”  

“Grandma’s leaving tomorrow for a hot spring trip with her friends from the senior center.”  

“A trip?”  

Na Tae-hwang’s face twitched briefly.  

Of all times…  

“Let’s go see her.”  

Carrying Eun-young, he strode inside.  

In the living room, Eun-young’s grandmother sat with five other elderly women, sipping tea.  

“Oh! Chairman, what brings you here?”  

She hurriedly stood, her posture and vitality a testament to Seo Do-jun’s care.  

“It’s been a while, madam.”  

“Oh, please—calling me ‘madam’ is too much!”  

She waved her hands, embarrassed, but Na Tae-hwang insisted.  

The other women excused themselves, leaving the two to talk.  

“Would you like coffee or tea?”  

“Tea, please.”  

Returning with a steaming cup, she said, “This is pu-erh tea Seo Do-jun received from China. The neighbors loved it.”  

If it was from China, and sent to Seo Do-jun, it had to be top quality.  

“Thank you.”  

Na Tae-hwang sipped and smiled. “Excellent.”  

Relieved, the grandmother smiled back.  

“Eun-young mentioned your trip.”  

She clicked her tongue at the girl, then explained:  

A three-day hot spring getaway with friends from the senior center.  

She’d hesitated, not wanting to leave Eun-young alone, but the girl had run to Park Sung-wook and Choi Cheol-gwan, who reassured her and urged her to go.  

“I see.”  

Na Tae-hwang nodded approvingly, though inwardly, he cursed the timing.  

“If you’re comfortable with it… May I stay here while you’re away?”  

“Huh?”  

“I’ve grown fond of Eun-young, and… I’d like to help with guild affairs in Seo Do-jun’s absence.”  

Though touched, the grandmother knew how busy he was.  

But after his insistence, she gratefully agreed.  

Eun-young, thrilled, bounced around excitedly.  

After finalizing plans, Na Tae-hwang left and immediately made a call.  

“Yes, Chairman?”  

“Apologies, but I need you to discreetly protect Seo Do-jun’s grandmother during her trip.”  

“Discreetly…?”  

Na Tae-hwang explained the situation.  

“Uljin…?”  

The voice on the other end sounded reluctant, but Na Tae-hwang apologized for the inconvenience.  

“Understood. We’ll handle it.”  

Hanging up, Na Tae-hwang sighed in relief.  

The next day, as Eun-young’s grandmother departed, a man followed at a distance.