SFRW-Chapter 211

Ch. 211 Sword God From The Ruined World

Dragon Heart.  

What explanation is needed?  

The heart of a dragon, standing at the pinnacle of all lifeforms, contained such an immense concentration of magic that it was a treasure coveted by all living beings.  

“How did this bastard have a Dragon Heart?”  

Kusak asked Koroka, but he knew nothing about it either.  

“I’m also learning for the first time that Metaneca had a Dragon Heart… How on earth…?”  

Koroka wore a thoroughly shocked expression, his eyes gleaming with greed toward the Dragon Heart in Seo Do-jun’s hand.  

‘For now, perhaps. But eventually, I will become a perfect dragon. And…’  

It was puzzling how Metaneca, with his incomplete half-breed body, could speak with such confidence.  

“So he was relying on the Dragon Heart.”  

If Metaneca had absorbed the Dragon Heart and made it his own, he might have become closer to a true Dragon, just as he claimed.  

The Dragon Heart made that possible.  

“How do you plan to use it?”  

Kusak couldn’t tear his eyes away from the Dragon Heart either.  

Even if Kusak, as a mage, absorbed only a minuscule fraction of its power, it would bring about miraculous growth.  

Anyone would covet it—that was no lie.  

“Huh? Kusak! Know your place! Don’t even think about reaching for what you can’t handle. Among us, only Kassal has any real chance of fully absorbing that thing.”  

Veronica’s sharp glare accompanied her words, making Kusak jump as if offended.  

“W-what did I do?”  

“Everyone here saw the look in your eyes! You were practically drooling.”  

“Nonsense!”  

“It’s not nonsense! Rakun, you saw it too, right?”  

Rakun kept his mouth shut, unwilling to get involved in their squabble, but Veronica took his silence as agreement and continued teasing Kusak.  

Ignoring Veronica and Kusak’s bickering, Rakun spoke to Seo Do-jun.  

“As Veronica said, that’s not something others should recklessly covet. If possible… Kassal, you should absorb it yourself.”  

It was obvious that Kassal’s power would grow even stronger.  

Seo Do-jun also knew that none of the others could handle the Dragon Heart’s immense power, so he nodded at Rakun’s words.  

‘A Dragon Heart…’  

This was truly an extraordinary opportunity. No—it meant he had finally obtained the power needed to face Barhaut.  

“We got lucky.”  

What if Metaneca had properly absorbed the Dragon Heart?  

The battle would have been far from easy.  

Of course, Seo Do-jun was confident he wouldn’t lose even against a true ancient dragon.  

But if Metaneca had fully absorbed the Dragon Heart and united all the Half-Dragons under his command, even Seo Do-jun would have been in danger.  

“Shouldn’t you absorb it here and now?”  

Rakun preferred Seo Do-jun absorbing the Dragon Heart immediately rather than carrying it around.  

“Not here.”  

There was no telling how long the absorption would take, and during that time, Seo Do-jun would be completely defenseless.  

Though they had defeated Metaneca, many Half-Dragons still remained.  

If only one or two appeared per day, it wouldn’t matter—but what if they came in overwhelming numbers?  

So far, that hadn’t happened, but there was no guarantee it wouldn’t. Seo Do-jun couldn’t afford to absorb it here.  

“Then we’ll have to assess the situation after crossing over.”  

Rakun’s gaze turned toward the dimensional rift Metaneca had opened—the path to the 37th planet.  

Seo Do-jun nodded and stored the Dragon Heart in his subspace.  

As the Dragon Heart vanished, Kusak clicked his tongue in disappointment.  

And one other person—  

Koroka also stared at Seo Do-jun with covetous eyes before suddenly chuckling and shaking his head.  

He realized his greed was futile.  

Even Metaneca, who was far stronger than him, hadn’t been confident enough to absorb it—what hope did he have?  

It would only bring ruin.  

“What are we doing with him?”  

Veronica approached Seo Do-jun, eyeing Koroka skeptically.  

“I’m still thinking. Deciding what to do.”  

Seo Do-jun looked at Koroka with a complicated expression.  

***

Barhaut’s Chamber  

The walls, inscribed with bizarre lines and chaotic patterns, shifted once more.  

The characters slowly faded away.  

As if they had never existed, they disappeared completely from the surface.  

CRACK!  

The armrest of Barhaut’s chair shattered under his grip.  

Though it was a special chair crafted from World Tree wood, Barhaut was too furious to care.  

First Valitao, and now Moteor—both had lost their status as Guardian Planets.  

Who the hell is responsible?!  

This shouldn’t have been possible.  

Moteor had Half-Dragons, forcibly imbued with draconic power, serving as its Administrators.  

Kusak, Veronica, Rakun…  

These three were the prime suspects, but even combined, their strength shouldn’t have been enough to cause this.  

There had to be someone else—someone with tremendous power!  

Only after calming his rage did Barhaut retrieve an obsidian crystal sphere from his subspace and focus his mind.  

A considerable amount of time passed before the crystal returned to subspace.  

A Holy Knight… and another human.  

The being Barhaut had mentally conversed with through the crystal was Rebley, one of the Monster Legion Commanders.  

He already knew about the Holy Knight and the human who had invaded the 6th Guardian Planet, Bartloma, and dealt Rebley a devastating blow.  

But he hadn’t connected them to Kusak’s group.  

If it’s Mute’s Divine Sword…  

Mute was the god of the now-ruined world where Kusak and the others had once lived.  

A dead god, remembered only in name, forgotten after the world’s destruction.  

Yet the Divine Sword and Armor of the Papal Order that once served Mute still contained immense holy power.  

Using them was no trivial matter.  

And then there was the unidentified human—  

Rebley had said the human was as much of a threat as the Holy Knight.  

Now, it seemed highly likely that Kusak’s group had allied with them.  

If they were strong enough to wound Rebley, they posed a serious danger.  

Putting it all together, the current situation made sense.  

Barhaut could no longer remain passive—he decided to actively eliminate them.  

Bastlo… How fortunate.  

The 37th planet, Bastlo, was an inconvenient place for Barhaut to intervene directly.  

***

“Can we really trust him?”  

Veronica frowned, watching Koroka trudging along behind them.  

“He swore in Dragon tongue. Isn’t that enough?”  

At Kusak’s reply, Veronica’s brow furrowed deeper.  

“Dragon tongue? What good is a Half-Dragon’s oath? He could just be lying! What if he betrays us?”  

Veronica shuddered, recalling all the betrayals they had suffered.  

The wounds of treachery ran deep—not just for Seo Do-jun, but for Veronica, Kusak, and Rakun as well.  

“Betraying us gains him nothing. Koroka can’t return to Moteor, and in an unfamiliar world, he’d rather rely on us than face isolation.”  

Rakun spoke as if he understood Koroka’s position perfectly.  

“Yeah, yeah—keep playing the fool until a knife ends up in your back.”  

Veronica remained adamant, while Kusak and Rakun didn’t bother trying to convince her.  

It was safer to have at least one person endlessly suspicious rather than blindly trusting everyone.  

“I just don’t get it.”  

Veronica stared at Seo Do-jun’s back as he walked ahead.  

“Get what?”  

“Think about it. Kassal’s been betrayed more than anyone. Yet he still considered taking in a Half-Dragon as an ally. Doesn’t that seem weird? Or is it just me?”  

“Well… true.”  

Kusak and Rakun nodded in agreement.  

But since it was Seo Do-jun’s decision, no one could overturn it.  

“Maybe he thinks we need more allies against Barhaut.”  

“After all the betrayals we’ve suffered?!”  

Veronica glared, but Rakun calmly replied,  

“My homeland has a saying: A great warrior can never have too many horses—even untamed ones.”  

“…What does that even mean? What use is an untamed horse? Just waiting to throw you off at the worst moment?”  

Veronica looked at Rakun as if he were spouting nonsense, while Kusak nodded as if he understood.  

“You don’t have to ride an untamed horse.”  

“Then what’s the point?!”  

“Drop the narrow-minded idea that horses are only for riding. Even untamed, they can be useful in other ways.”  

Veronica’s face twisted in disbelief. Kusak slung an arm over her shoulder.  

“Don’t overthink it. Kassal’s the one who’s suffered the most betrayals, right? If he’s willing to accept Koroka, he must have a good reason. You don’t really think Kassal’s careless enough to get betrayed again, do you?”  

“…I guess not.”  

“Exactly. So we just follow Kassal’s lead.”  

“Fine. But—why is your hand poking my chest?”  

“Huh? Hahaha! Was I? Must be my long arms!”  

“You’re getting punched today.”  

As Veronica and Kusak resumed their bickering, Rakun quickly distanced himself.  

Gloria smiled at their antics. “They’re so consistent.”  

She looked around. “This place is so peaceful.”  

The 37th planet, Bastlo, appeared utterly ordinary—blue skies, white clouds, a pleasant breeze, and warm sunlight.  

“Kinda reminds me of Valitao. Nice.”  

At Gloria’s words, Choi Kang-soo sighed quietly.  

Memories of Eliana’s beautiful face surfaced unbidden—still unforgettable.  

“Even if it looks peaceful, it’s still under Barhaut’s rule. The rot must be hidden beneath.”  

Shinjo’s remark made everyone force bitter smiles.  

He wasn’t wrong.  

But did he have to say it now?  

Though he likely meant to keep them vigilant, his timing was terrible.  

“There’s a village over there!”  

Hyun Joo-yeon pointed toward a small settlement in the distance, trying to lighten the mood.  

The village, with fewer than a hundred households, looked like something out of a medieval film.  

“They probably don’t have hotels… but hopefully an inn at least.”  

Gloria’s words earned vigorous nods from Hyun Joo-yeon.  

Both longed for a proper bath in warm water.  

The others felt the same—after Moteor, where even showers were impossible and sleep meant hard floors.  

“A village that size should have decent lodging. Ah! I want to soak in hot water! Kassal, how about it? Bath together?”  

“W-what?!”  

“T-together?!”  

Gloria and Hyun Joo-yeon stared at Seo Do-jun in shock.  

Under their piercing gazes, Seo Do-jun hesitated before speaking.  

“Well… that was a long time ago.”  

He swallowed the rest—his current body wasn’t the same anyway.  

No point explaining; it would just sound like a pathetic excuse.  

Seo Do-jun quickened his pace, desperately trying to escape Hyun Joo-yeon and Gloria’s stares.  

Choi Kang-soo and even Shinjo burst out laughing at his flustered retreat.  

“Fufufufu!”  

Veronica, inexplicably pleased, smirked at the two women before chasing after Seo Do-jun.  

“Looks like…”  

“Those two…”  

Gloria and Hyun Joo-yeon spoke in unison.  

“Never leave them alone together.”  

Their voices merged perfectly, as if making a pact.  

When Veronica tried to link arms with Seo Do-jun, Hyun Joo-yeon and Gloria dashed forward with terrifying speed.  

Soon, the three women were squabbling over Seo Do-jun, making Kusak grumble in dissatisfaction.  

“Three women fighting over one guy… Damn it! The world’s so unfair!”  

The bruise under Kusak’s left eye looked especially pitiful today.