SFRW-Chapter 280

Ch. 280 Sword God From The Ruined World

“Guild Master, I’m sorry.”  

“What are you talking about?”  

When Seo Do-jun looked at Shinjo with a puzzled expression, the latter responded with a self-deprecating smile.  

“If I had known in advance about the gathering of the Top Ten Mercenary Leaders, we wouldn’t have had to go through the trouble of tracking down the Crimson Fox Unit…”  

Seo Do-jun cut Shinjo off.  

“It was an irregular secret meeting—how could you have known? Finding the link to the Crimson Fox Unit was more than enough. Don’t blame yourself like that.”  

He meant it.  

The fact that Shinjo had managed to gather information in an unfamiliar world and investigate the Mercenary King Joi was already praiseworthy.  

Still, Shinjo’s tendency to apologize first made his loyalty seem almost excessive at times.  

Choi Kang-soo, who seemed to share Seo Do-jun’s thoughts, patted Shinjo on the back.  

“If you say things like that, what does that make me?”  

Shinjo let out a small laugh at Choi Kang-soo’s recent habit of calling him ‘Uncle Shin’.  

Shinjo’s surname was ‘Kobayashi’.  

So, if following South Korean naming conventions, he should have been called ‘Uncle Ko’, but for some reason, Choi Kang-soo insisted on calling him ‘Uncle Shin’. 

He was certainly an odd one, but since he meant no harm—and considering they had been through life-and-death situations together—Shinjo had grown used to it.  

“I’ve been doing nothing but lazing around, so save those words for when I’m not here. From the perspective of a freeloader like me, it’s kinda harsh.”  

At Choi Kang-soo’s playful grumbling, Shinjo nodded, understanding that he was trying to stop him from blaming himself.  

“But do you really think Mercenary King Joi is in the Khetalu Plains?”  

Choi Kang-soo wore a worried expression, concerned that they might be wasting their time on a wild goose chase.  

“Even if it’s a lie, we have to go and see for ourselves.”  

Fortunately, while others would take 14 days for the round trip, Seo Do-jun’s group could make it in just four.  

Of course, that meant they’d have to expend a significant amount of energy to move that fast.  

“But can we really trust Rahf?”  

Among Seo Do-jun’s group heading to the Khetalu Plains, Rahf and the Orc Warchief, the Death Knight Akada, were absent.  

Rahf had been left behind to monitor the Crimson Fox Unit, and Akada was naturally acting as his escort.  

“It’s true that Rahf is cunning by nature, but until we defeat our common enemy, Barhaut, he has no choice but to cooperate with us absolutely.”  

Rahf’s hatred for Barhaut took precedence over everything else.  

“That may be so, but I’m worried he might do something evil again. He’s the kind of guy who’d do terrible things right in front of us…”  

“Let’s drop that topic.”  

To be honest, Seo Do-jun couldn’t outright condemn Rahf because he had knowingly tolerated some of his misdeeds.  

Still, there was one thing.  

Rahf had promised—twice, even three times—that he would never harm anyone unrelated to Barhaut, so Seo Do-jun had no choice but to trust him.  

Seeing that Seo Do-jun wouldn’t allow further discussion about Rahf, Choi Kang-soo also closed his mouth on the matter.  

“But why would this Mercenary King guy secretly gather the leaders of the Top Ten Mercenary Units?”  

Choi Kang-soo voiced his curiosity about Joi’s motives.  

“Maybe he’s a shadow ruler?”  

“A shadow ruler?”  

Choi Kang-soo’s mind immediately conjured up the image of a certain woman.  

A historically infamous shadow ruler who had once shaken South Korea.  

Whether it was true or not, the idea of backdoor politics that had shocked the nation made Choi Kang-soo instantly grasp the meaning.  

“So you’re saying Mercenary King Joi pretends to be retired and hides his presence, but in reality, he’s using the Top Ten Mercenary Leaders to control and manipulate this world?”  

Though the Five Kingdoms existed as proper nations, they were all relatively equal in power.  

In contrast, the reputation of the Top Ten Mercenary Units far surpassed even the authority of nations.  

Especially since the Top Ten Mercenary Units were tightly united, none of the Five Kingdoms dared to provoke them.  

And Mercenary King Joi was secretly pulling their strings from behind the scenes?  

“Whoa—chilling!”  

Choi Kang-soo rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, genuinely raising his guard against Joi.  

The people of this world revered and admired Mercenary King Joi more than anyone else because he had earned the title of the great Hero who ended the era of war before quietly disappearing.  

In fact, it was because of Joi’s influence that countless people aspired to become mercenaries and joined the mercenary world.  

In the past, knights were considered the pinnacle, but now, the world had completely shifted—so much so that it could be called the Age of Mercenaries.  

The fact that the person who restored peace to the world was a mere mercenary had completely changed people’s perception of the profession.  

But what if Mercenary King Joi was actually manipulating the Top Ten Mercenary Units from the shadows and acting as Barhaut’s dog?  

“What do you think, Uncle Shin? Out of all of us, you’d know best what the Top Ten Mercenary Units are like. How were they?”  

Since Shinjo had been the one gathering information alone, they figured he’d have a firm grasp of the situation and the atmosphere among the Top Ten Mercenary Units.  

Seo Do-jun also looked at Shinjo with curiosity.  

“I can’t say for certain based on fragmented information, but the Top Ten Mercenary Units were living very quietly.”  

“Quietly?”  

Choi Kang-soo stared at Shinjo as if that couldn’t possibly be true.  

“To be honest, if the rumors I heard are true, the Top Ten Mercenary Units are said to be working to maintain peace and balance in this world.”  

“…Huh?”  

Choi Kang-soo’s face showed utter disbelief, and Seo Do-jun also looked at Shinjo with bewilderment.  

However, Shinjo couldn’t dismiss what he had seen and heard as lies, so he repeated his account of the Top Ten Mercenary Units.  

“They even crack down on rogue mercenaries? That’s absurd… Still, there must be at least one or two rotten apples among them, right?”  

Though Choi Kang-soo was convinced that had to be the case, Shinjo shook his head.  

“The truth might be different, but based on everything I’ve gathered, there wasn’t a single unit like that among the Top Ten Mercenary Units.”  

“What the hell is going on here…? They were conquered by Barhaut, and yet the people acting as his dogs are maintaining world peace and balance…?”  

As if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, Choi Kang-soo shook his head vigorously.  

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Shinjo’s words, but Seo Do-jun also harbored doubts like Choi Kang-soo.  

‘We’ll find out once we see their true faces.’  

In the end, Seo Do-jun believed that meeting Mercenary King Joi and the leaders of the Top Ten Mercenary Units in the Khetalu Plains would reveal everything.  

***

A day after Seo Do-jun’s group, a party of two men and one woman was also heading toward the Khetalu Plains.  

They were three of Ophel’s Seven Apostles: Raten, Seil, and Qua.  

“So this Mercenary King Joi guy is Barhaut’s loyal dog, huh?”  

At Qua’s question, Raten nodded.  

“When Barhaut waged his war of conquest, he personally appointed Joi as the Administrator of this planet.”  

“Then why is he hiding? If he’s the most powerful figure on this planet, shouldn’t he be living it up more than anyone else?”  

Qua wore an expression of disbelief.  

“It seems he’d rather be remembered as a hero praised by all than as a figure of fear who lusts after power.”  

Even as he answered, Raten’s face showed that he didn’t quite understand either, but there was no other clear explanation.  

“Honestly, there are so many weirdos around.”  

As Qua spoke, Raten, who had been snickering, suddenly stopped walking.  

Hundreds of mercenaries were blocking their path.  

“What’s with them?”  

Raten furrowed his brow before recognizing some of them and speaking up.  

“I think they’re from the Black Wolf Pack or something.”  

The Black Wolf Pack.  

One of the Top Ten Mercenary Units of the continent—the same group Raten had raided not long ago to gather information, killing dozens of mercenaries in the process.  

“I told you not to go around smashing things recklessly!”  

Qua scolded Raten for making things complicated.  

“I tried talking first! But they completely ignored me! Could you have held back? Still, I didn’t kill that many. After about… thirty deaths, they started groveling.”  

Qua frowned deeply at Raten’s giggling, as if this was no laughing matter.  

“Fine, fine. I’ll handle it myself. I’ll just sweet-talk them and send them on their way, okay?”  

Leaving the unspoken “If they don’t listen, then there’s no helping it” hanging, Raten approached the Black Wolf Pack mercenaries.  

“T-That’s him! That little brat raided our base, killed everyone, and even destroyed the building!”  

A mercenary whose face still bore traces of assault pointed at Raten accusingly.  

“Tch.”  

Raten’s brow twitched at being called a ‘little brat’ and pointed at.  

“I’ll let it slide once. But not twice.”  

With that, Raten turned his gaze to the sharp-faced mercenary who seemed to be their leader.  

The Black Wolf Pack’s deputy leader, Broi.  

“We have no further business or ill will toward you, so leave quietly. That way, no one gets hurt.”  

At Raten’s words, Broi responded coldly.  

You might not, but we have business and ill will. You’ll pay for the crime of attacking the Black Wolf Pack, killing our members, and destroying our base.”  

Without further ado, Broi signaled, and hundreds of mercenaries moved in unison, drawing their weapons.  

The Black Wolf Pack was among the top three most radical of the Top Ten Mercenary Units.  

Their radicalism stemmed from an obsessive thirst for revenge, and they were determined to settle things here and now.  

“Men of the Black Wolf! Kill him!”  

At Broi’s shout, hundreds of mercenaries charged at Raten with a deafening roar.  

Despite the onslaught, Raten leisurely turned back to Qua.  

“I clearly tried talking first. So whatever happens next isn’t my fault. Right?”  

As if seeking permission, Raten’s attitude made Qua wave him off dismissively.  

With her approval, Raten’s face lit up like a child presented with a new toy.  

“You started it, but I’ll end it.”  

As Raten spread his arms wide—  

POP POP POP POP POP POP POP POP POP POP POP!  

The heads of the charging mercenaries abruptly began exploding.  

“W-What the—?!”  

“W-What’s happening?!”  

With no warning, the heads of their comrades burst apart, forcing the remaining mercenaries to halt in shock.  

Broi was equally stunned by the sudden turn of events.  

“M-Magic?!”  

Was their opponent a mage?  

Broi quickly glanced at the surviving mercenary from the earlier attack.  

The one who had pointed at Raten shook his head frantically, as if he had no idea either.  

Raten had only used his fists and kicks to kill the mercenaries—meaning he was far from being a mage.  

Appearance-wise, he certainly looked the part—a scrawny, freckle-faced boy with an unimpressive physique.  

“Deputy Leader! It’s the beads!”  

At someone’s shout, Broi looked closely and saw five pitch-black beads, each the size of a pea, orbiting Raten’s body.  

Had those tiny beads instantly blown off dozens of heads?  

The fact that his weapons were mere beads was shocking enough, but the realization that he could freely control each one was horrifying.  

Broi was at a loss for words at this absurd, unheard-of attack method.  

“Why so surprised? Worried there aren’t enough? Don’t be. I’ve got plenty left.”  

Raten held up a black leather pouch, and the sound of dozens of beads clattering inside could be heard.  

‘N-No way… he can’t possibly control all of those, can he?’  

Broi regretted underestimating his opponent and wanted to order an immediate retreat.  

But as if reading his mind—  

“I told you, didn’t I? You started it, but I’ll end it.”  

The moment Raten finished speaking, the five beads began moving at speeds impossible to track.  

And then—  

POP POP POP POP POP POP POP POP POP POP POP!  

Without fail, the beads pierced—no, exploded—the mercenaries’ heads with pinpoint accuracy.  

Against such an unstoppable, swift, and brutal attack, the Black Wolf Pack—one of the continent’s prestigious Top Ten Mercenary Units—collapsed helplessly.  

10 minutes.  

In just 10 minutes, every single one of the hundreds of Black Wolf Pack mercenaries had been annihilated, their heads blown apart in a gruesome spectacle.  

“Not a single one could block or dodge my attacks. Ugh—pathetic humans!”  

Raten frowned in disappointment.  

“Hurry up! It stinks!”  

Qua, who had already moved far ahead, covered her nose and shouted. Raten quickly hurried after her.  

Two days remained until they reached the Khetalu Plains.  

At their current pace, the three Apostles would arrive one day later than Seo Do-jun’s group.