SFRW-Chapter 24

Ch. 24 Sword God From The Ruined World    

Long Sutton, England – The Shrewsbury.  

A region reduced to ruins due to a monster wave that emerged from a newly formed rift zone. The British Hero Association had the area under strict control.  

One characteristic of rift zones where a monster wave has occurred is that the wave recurs at specific intervals. Typically, a second monster wave occurs approximately 300 days after the first, so the Association felt obligated to destroy the rift zone before that happened.  

Since the appearance of rift zones on Earth, the worst monster wave occurred in the Republic of Namibia in South Africa. The rift zone that formed in Rehoboth spawned monster waves a staggering seven times, resulting in Republic of Namibia effectively losing all functionality as a nation. With its entire territory turned into a monster habitat, neighboring countries—South Africa to the south, Botswana to the east, and Angola to the north—continue to expend vast amounts of manpower and resources to fend off monsters crossing their borders.  

“So, we either kill the boss monster or find and destroy the rift core that sustains the rift zone?”  

“If we’re lucky and the boss monster inside is a McCarthian, killing it alone could destroy the rift zone. But if not, we’ll have to find and destroy the rift core. However, since we don’t know the internal conditions, no one can guarantee how long it’ll take.”  

“Hey, are there only McCathians in that rift zone?”  

“That’s the assumption.”  

“How many are there?”  

“Not all monsters in a rift zone come out during a monster wave. They have to guard their home, right? Who knows, there could be hundreds still lurking inside.”  

“But they’re just A-rank monsters that even a D-rank Hero can hunt with red flower ant venom, right?”  

“Exactly. That’s why if the boss monster is a McCarthian, it’d be an easy hunt.”  

“Hmm, I see.”  

Murray, a British Hero who had coincidentally received his Hero certification, was assigned to monitor the new rift zone. Though he was now a Hero, he knew nothing about this field and was learning everything from his senior teammate, Donaldson.  

“What a waste. If only we could gate this rift zone—the only A-rank monster even D-rank Heroes can hunt—we could more than make up for the damage we’ve suffered this time.”  

“That’s why the Association desperately tries to prevent monster waves. Once a wave occurs, secondary and tertiary waves follow, forcing us to destroy the rift zone.”  

Murray nodded at Donaldson’s regretful words.  

“Still, it’s fortunate. The Association has planned to send Heroes into the rift zone before the second wave to hunt McCathians and secure as many magic stones as possible.”  

As Donaldson said, the British Hero Association had devised a plan to hunt as many McCathians as possible before the second monster wave to obtain high-grade or better magic stones. Since even a D-rank Hero could hunt McCathians—A-rank monsters—with red flower ant venom, there was no better hunting ground on Earth.  

What if the monster wave had never happened?  

What if this rift zone could have been stabilized as a Gate?  

Britain could have truly become a magic stone superpower.  

But since rift zones that spawn monster waves cannot be gated, the British Hero Association and government had devised the most efficient plan to secure as many high-grade magic stones as possible—each worth at least £68,000 (approximately 100 million WON).  

“They said that during the second wave, monsters other than McCathians might appear, right?”  

“It depends. If only McCathians appear, we’d be insane to destroy such a goldmine. But if a new monster we’ve never seen before emerges like the McCarthian…”  

“Just thinking about it is terrifying.”  

Fearing a second McCathian incident, the British Hero Association couldn’t recklessly allow a second monster wave just for magic stones.  

“Anyway, stay alert until the rift zone is destroyed. Now that the McCathian hunting method is known, every low-tier Hero will try to get a piece of the action.”  

“Even after the Association’s strict warnings, would Heroes really enter without permission?”  

“Naive. Do laws stop criminals? Especially when entering that rift could make you insanely rich? Just wait—you’ll see all kinds of scum. I’ll check on the other teams. Hold the fort—you can handle being alone, right?”  

Murray waved his hand dismissively as Donaldson chuckled and walked away. Left alone, Murray surveyed his surroundings with renewed enthusiasm.  

But after several minutes of not even an ant passing by, his excitement waned.  

This is boring!  

Murray had dreamed of becoming a Hero—battling monsters, getting rich from magic stones, and becoming famous. But reality was different. As a lowly D-rank, guarding a rift zone was all he could do.  

“Yaaawn.”  

As he yawned and glanced at the rift zone, he thought of the Heroes who had entered hours earlier, laughing and chatting. Compared to them, he felt even more pathetic.  

“I could hunt them too.”  

If only he had red flower ant venom—a powerful weapon against McCathians.  

Just as Murray stared longingly at the rift zone, someone began walking out.  

“Already finished hunting?”  

The Heroes who had entered were supposed to hunt for 12 hours. Checking his watch, less than 5 hours had passed. Had something happened to make them leave early?  

Murray watched as the figure emerged.  

“…Huh?”  

Not a Hero.  

Not a monster.  

A third party.  

A tall, slender blond man, over 180 cm. Though undeniably human, Murray knew he wasn’t a Hero—he wore no combat suit, and…  

“…No Hero has such a horrifying scar on their face… Gack!”  

As Murray stared at the man’s unforgettable scar, an invisible force suddenly gripped his throat. He clawed at his neck desperately, but it was useless. The power was beyond his strength to resist.  

The man watched coldly as Murray struggled, then spoke slowly.  

“…Too… Weak.”  

CRACK.  

With a sickening sound, Murray’s neck snapped, and his body slumped. The man showed no further interest in the corpse. Instead, he reached into the air.  

A spark crackled, space split open, and a smartphone-sized device appeared.  

Beep-beep-beep-beep!  

As the machine beeped, numbers began flashing on its screen.  

[19.26%]  

“Ten years in this world’s time, and it hasn’t even reached 20%?”  

The man clicked his tongue and closed his eyes. After a moment, he frowned.  

“A failure? Even after forcing a dimensional rift… It seems I’ll have to move personally. First, I need to raise the magic density. But before that—”  

“Murray! Who are you?!”  

Donaldson, returning from his rounds, saw Murray’s body and the man standing before the rift. He immediately drew his telescopic baton.  

SHINK!  

As Donaldson armed himself, the man spoke.  

“I’ll exterminate the weak insects first.”  

Black flames erupted around him.  

“…G-God… No…”  

Donaldson knew instantly—this man was an absolute force beyond his comprehension.  

***  

[Breaking News: Another Anomaly Occurs]  

The news anchor’s voice was tense with suppressed excitement. Seo Do-jun, about to eat, turned his attention to the TV.  

“As you can see, the newly formed rift zone in Long Sutton, England—which triggered a sudden monster wave—disappeared yesterday at 5 PM local time. At the time, the British Hero Luke Morrison and his guild, Kingbird, were hunting McCathians inside but were confirmed to have vanished along with the rift zone. Some speculate that Kingbird destroyed the rift core but failed to escape…”  

This was unusual. Even when a rift zone is deliberately destroyed, its disappearance takes time—enough for those inside to escape after killing the boss or destroying the core. Yet Kingbird vanished with the rift.  

“There are usually two explanations for this. First, total annihilation inside the rift—either during battle with the boss or, though extremely rare, a rift core explosion. This is the most plausible scenario. Second, an unforeseen variable. The Long Sutton rift already defied expectations by spawning a monster wave, meaning it’s an entirely new case. This incident likely falls under the latter. Personally, I hope it’s the first—variables are the most dangerous.”  

Many agreed with the rift expert’s analysis. Seo Do-jun silently watched as various opinions and live reports from England played out before turning off the TV.  

In the ruined world he came from, rift zones and Gates didn’t exist, so he had no insight into this phenomenon.  

“Not my problem anyway.”  

Besides, England was far away—utterly unrelated to him.  

“Brother, I want a hamburger.”  

As Eun-young tugged his sleeve, Seo Do-jun asked,  

“Double cheeseburger?”  

“Yeah!”  

He remembered her favorite.  

“Should we go buy it together or eat there?”  

“Both!”  

Her childish greed made him smile.  

“Sure, why not?”  

He took her hand and left the house.  

As they passed through the small garden and opened the gate, two well-dressed men approached.  

“Are you Seo Do-jun?”  

Seo Do-jun stared silently as one man produced a business card.  

“We’re from the South Korean Hero Association. I’m Min Hong-gi.”  

Seo Do-jun immediately knew why they were here.