SFRW-Chapter 204

Ch. 204 Sword God From The Ruined World

Karakka.  

The Half-Dragon Karakka was so shocked that his heart felt like it would burst.  

‘H-how could a mere human?!’  

Humans were one of the many races that had vanished from Moteor, weak and fragile.  

The so-called ‘Knights’ would drop their weapons and tremble just from meeting his gaze.  

Those who wielded shoddy magic would cough up blood from magic overload and collapse.  

Even the so-called ‘Kings’ who commanded hundreds of thousands of soldiers would beg for their lives.  

The Half-Dragons had reigned as the world’s ruling class, one of the apex predators.  

But that eternal reign had changed in less than a century.  

The Great Upheaval.  

The earth split and overturned.  

More than half of the once-fertile continent and the blue, undulating seas turned into fields of red lava.  

Everything changed.  

Mountains, rivers, forests, and seas—all natural environments were destroyed. As places spewing lava instead of water increased, countless lives met their end.  

Among them were the arrogant, lazy Dragons who had entered long slumbers.  

During the Great Upheaval—called ‘Nature’s Wrath’ or ‘Divine Punishment’—even Dragons perished helplessly.  

And the race that suffered the most losses was undoubtedly humans.  

Their cities, where they had gathered like cockroaches and multiplied into populations of hundreds of thousands, were obliterated without mercy.  

Despite their reckless reproductive abilities, survival skills, and adaptability, humans couldn’t survive in volcanic regions or rivers and seas flowing with lava.  

Thus, humans died, and countless other species faced extinction.  

A world practically dying.  

A world doomed to ruin.  

Just as the few remaining races were barely clinging to life, the skies split open, and an endless horde of monsters poured out.  

However, Moteor’s environment was far from hospitable even for monsters.  

Yet, some monsters adapted, becoming valuable resources for the struggling races.  

And then came Barhaut.  

To Barhaut, Moteor—already ravaged by the Great Upheaval—was an easy world to conquer.  

For the Half-Dragons, who had survived by preying on other races, Barhaut was a god who extended their lives by providing an endless supply of monsters.  

That was decades ago.  

Having lived through the Great Upheaval, Karakka knew humans better than anyone.  

‘…H-how?!’  

CRACK!  

As Seo Do-jun tore half of his wing, Karakka’s pupils trembled not from pain but from sheer disbelief and rage.  

Even when Seo Do-jun had threatened to rip his wings, Karakka hadn’t felt fear.  

A mere human?  

Those bug-like creatures who would piss themselves and grovel for their lives just from meeting his gaze?  

Disgusted and humiliated, Karakka had sworn to chew Seo Do-jun—the first human he’d seen in over fifty years—from head to toe.  

But then!  

The impossible happened.  

“GRAAAAAAH!”  

Karakka’s scream wasn’t from pain—it was from the wound to his pride.  

Being injured by a mere human was a disgrace he couldn’t bear.  

If other Half-Dragons found out, he’d be exiled as a stain on their race.  

“YOU FIIIIIIEND!”  

Magic, long suppressed in Karakka’s heart, surged violently, swelling his body.  

If he were a full dragon instead of a half-breed, he could’ve unleashed his true form—dozens of meters long—and devoured Seo Do-jun in one bite.  

But his damned half-blood fate only granted him tougher bones, muscles, and faster regeneration.  

Other races might envy such a blessing, but—  

“…Annoying.”  

Seo Do-jun frowned as the torn wing rapidly regenerated.  

‘Annoying?!’  

Karakka’s widened eyes burned crimson as he glared.  

That’s all you have to say after seeing my full power?!  

“KYAAAAAAH!”  

With a roar, Karakka kicked off the ground—so hard it felt like the earth itself shook.  

Leaving behind shattered terrain and flying debris, he charged at Seo Do-jun like a living battering ram.  

A Half-Dragon’s charge could reduce even the sturdiest fortress walls to dust.  

Even a giant’s flesh would explode from the impact.  

Did Seo Do-jun not know?  

No, of course not. He wasn’t from Moteor.  

How laughable!  

How stupid!  

All Seo Do-jun did was raise his sword.  

I’ll shatter that blade—and you along with it!  

Karakka was certain.  

The moment they collided, Seo Do-jun would realize his mistake—and regret it.  

But he’d die before that.  

THUD!  

“…?!”  

A blue sword aura barrier blocked Karakka’s charge.  

The shield was so dense that even breaking through wouldn’t have been satisfying.  

“What’s wrong? Not going as planned?”  

Seo Do-jun, standing behind the barrier, taunted Karakka, whose face twisted in shock.  

“If tearing your wings wasn’t enough… I’ll carve them out completely.”  

“…What?”  

Karakka reflexively muttered, too stunned to process the words.  

But then he felt it.  

A crushing wave of sword aura—not just from the barrier, but from every direction.  

This wasn’t just ‘sword aura’.  

No, it should’ve been ‘just’ sword aura—yet it was threatening him.  

‘Who… is this? Why is he so different from the humans of Moteor?!’  

Trapped in the storm of blades, Karakka had no choice but to wrap his wings around himself.  

CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE—!  

Swallowed by the pain, Karakka clenched his jaws, refusing to scream.  

This was his last shred of pride.  

A Half-Dragon could never scream in pain from a human’s attack.  

Enduring the agony, Karakka held on—just as he had during the Great Upheaval.  

When the torment finally ended, he sighed in relief.  

At least he’d kept his dignity.  

He didn’t want to admit it—but he had to.  

This human was unlike any he’d ever known.  

Maybe not even human.  

No, definitely not.  

He had to flee.  

Warn the other Half-Dragons.  

Tell them a deadly threat had appeared—one that could overthrow their rule.  

‘I’m leaving!’  

Checking his regenerating wings, Karakka resolved to abandon pride and escape.  

How could a human catch me mid-air?  

The moment he kicked off the ground and spread his wings—  

Seo Do-jun, standing dozens of meters below, smirked.  

“…Why?”  

The instant Karakka wondered, his instincts screamed:  

DODGE!  

But it was too late.  

A flash of light seared his mind white with agony.  

“GRAAAAAAAAH—!”  

The scream he’d suppressed earlier tore from his throat.  

BOOM!  

With both wings severed, Karakka plummeted to the ground.  

Ashen volcanic dust clouded the air, but Seo Do-jun didn’t blink—swinging his sword at Karakka’s fallen form.  

True to his word, he carved out the wings.  

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAH—!”  

Karakka’s howl of anguish echoed across the wasteland.  

***  

“Are Half-Dragons always this tenacious?”  

Veronica looked down at Karakka with disgust.  

His body was mutilated beyond recognition—finally dead.  

“I’ve never fought one either.”  

Kusak’s reply made Rakun shrug—he had no experience either.  

After losing his wings, Karakka had lost all reason.  

He’d charged at Seo Do-jun like a beast—no, a monster—until his last breath.  

No dialogue, no restraint—just pure instinct to attack.  

“How many of these things are there? This place is the worst—environment and inhabitants!”  

Choi Kang-soo shuddered at the thought of facing more.  

At least Valitao had been a sight for sore eyes… If he could, he’d return to Eliana in a heartbeat.  

“A vicious race. And now we can’t even question him…”  

As Rakun sighed, Hyun Joo-yeon pointed cautiously.  

“What about asking him?”  

The giant who had been defeated by the Half-Dragon.  

“Huh? He’s alive?”  

Veronica rushed over—the giant was barely breathing.  

His massive eyes rolled, but he seemed conscious enough to talk.  

When she called out, the group gathered around him.  

[S-small ones… H-how did you… defeat a Half-Dragon…?]  

The giant muttered as if dreaming.  

“Hey. What’s your name?”  

Kusak’s question got an immediate response.  

[Keuradonebaushneekul.]  

“Keura…?”  

Veronica frowned at the long, complicated name, so the giant shortened it: “Neekul.”  

“Alright, Neekul. We know Half-Dragons rule here. Where do they live, and how many are there?”  

Kusak cut to the chase—Neekul didn’t have much time.  

[The Half-Dragons…]  

Neekul was surprisingly cooperative—even overly so.  

The group learned more than they’d expected.  

[…Glad to meet the ‘small ones’ from legends… Beware the Half-Dragons…]  

But as predicted, Neekul’s time was short.  

With final words of gratitude and caution, he closed his eyes.  

His kindness was unexpected, but the biggest shock was his age—only 13, despite his massive size.  

“If we’d known he was this nice, we’d have saved him from that bastard Half-Dragon!”  

Veronica glared at Karakka’s corpse, furious.  

“We can still help other giants,” Gloria said.  

The group nodded in agreement.  

“So, how was it?”  

Kusak looked at Seo Do-jun for an honest assessment.  

“Against one… Kusak, Rakun, and Shinjo would need to team up. Veronica, Hyun Joo-yeon, and Gloria could handle another together.”  

“…That strong?”  

They’d sensed the Half-Dragon’s power from the fight, but needing three of them for one hurt their pride.  

“Uncle! You forgot me!”  

Choi Kang-soo piped up, hopeful.  

‘Right! I wield the Divine Sword! Against unholy beings, I should be the MVP!’  

He grinned confidently.  

“You’re support.”  

Seo Do-jun’s reply shattered his dreams.  

His smile soured instantly.  

“S-support?! They’re practically demons! With holy power, I could take one alone!”  

Seo Do-jun chuckled.  

“If you unleash the Divine Sword’s full power, sure.”  

“Exactly—!”  

But he should’ve listened to the rest.  

“But wasting holy power here? Save it. Just support from the rear. That’s plenty helpful.”  

Not the main fighter? Just a side character?!  

『Side character? Since Kassal’s the lead, you’re more like… Extra #1? Or just ‘Nameless Human Buff’?』  

The Divine Sword’s mockery made Choi Kang-soo tremble—before he slammed it to the ground.  

“Damn it! Who asked you, you stupid hunk of metal?!”  

As he stomped on the sword, the others clicked their tongues.  

『Aigoo! The vicious Extra #1 is beating the Divine Sword! Someone save me!』  

The sword cackled, thoroughly enjoying teasing him.