SFRW-Chapter 37

Ch. 37 Sword God From The Ruined World  

“Where did you say?”  

“BA019 Rift Zone.”  

“BA019 Rift Zone?”  

Daniel Lopez, the chairman, wiped his face with both hands and let out a sigh.  

“If it’s near Santarém, then it was unavoidable.”  

Even the Brazilian Hero Association avoids the rift zones near Santarém at all costs.  

Since Hyun Joo-yeon and her team had gone there, Chairman Daniel Lopez could only assume the worst had happened.  

The only regret was that he couldn’t provide them with confidential information, and that they had recklessly entered the rift zone on their own.  

“Was Lynx there?”  

“Yes.”  

“That thing isn’t easily spotted. Let’s hope they didn’t run into it.”  

“What if the South Korean Heroes encounter Lynx?”  

At his aide’s question, Daniel Lopez glared at him as if asking if he was serious.  

“Even the guilds recognized by our Association had a 90% mortality rate. Do you think the South Korean Heroes will be any different? They might…”  

He swallowed the words, unable to say it outright—they might all die.  

“But there are two S-rank Heroes among the South Korean team.”  

The aide emphasized the fact that there were two S-rank Heroes, but Daniel Lopez only scoffed.  

“What happened when Neratio first encountered Lynx?”  

At the mention of Neratio Musgo, Brazil’s S-rank Hero, the aide’s mouth snapped shut.  

If it weren’t for the massive sacrifice made by the Sapientes Guild—one of Brazil’s top three—the country would have lost an S-rank Hero for good.  

The government and media were told that the Heroes suffered heavy casualties due to an unexpected monster attack, but the truth was different.  

It was a tragedy caused by a single monster—Lynx—who drove an S-rank Hero into madness with its mind control.  

This truth was classified as top-secret even within the Brazilian Hero Association. Neratio Musgo, the victim, was still unable to properly resume Hero work due to the trauma.  

“Even if they’re S-rank Heroes from South Korea, one’s just a pretty face—Flower of Asia—and the other’s a rookie who just got his S-rank badge. Don’t expect them to survive just because they’re there. Instead of hoping for the impossible, let’s pray they don’t run into Lynx at all.”  

Daniel Lopez clasped his hands together, silently hoping the South Korean Heroes wouldn’t meet Lynx—a monster far more terrifying than it appeared.  

***  

“Seeing it in person… It’s really…”  

The members of the Silk Flower Guild couldn’t help but think Lynx was cute.  

Among the monsters known to the public, there were plenty that were pretty or adorable, but Lynx was on another level.  

Its entire body was covered in lush, bluish fur that radiated a unique and special charm.  

Its face resembled both a fox and a wolf, and its size was perfect for a leisurely stroll—if not for its blood-red eyes, no one would believe it was a monster.  

While the guild members marveled at Lynx’s appearance, Seo Do-jun channeled magic into his sword.  

With each infusion of red magic, the sword gifted by Choi Cheol-gwan grew hotter.  

First time using my family’s swordsmanship here.  

Seo Do-jun’s eyes remained fixed solely on Lynx.  

Bzzzzzz—!  

The sword’s vibrations transmitted its cry through his fingertips.  

That’s the limit.  

Knowing any more magic would shatter the blade, Seo Do-jun stopped.  

The sword, now glowing red-hot as if fresh from a furnace, slowly cut through the air.  

Vandean Family Swordsmanship  

First Form: Killida Milagro Rucl!  

—The Miracle Wrought by Dots—  

Wherever the sword passed, dots formed.  

Crimson dots.  

So intense they seemed to burn the eyes just by looking.  

Their sizes varied—some as small as grains, others as large as watermelons.  

“W-What is that?”  

“What did he just do?”  

“How can those things appear where the sword passed?”  

Even the Silk Flower Guild members stared in shock at the dots Seo Do-jun had created.  

What was even more astonishing was that all the dots remained frozen in place.  

It felt as if time and space had stopped.  

The monsters, too, stared at the red dots in fascination.  

Only after creating thousands of dots did Seo Do-jun’s sword finally stop.  

With a single swing, the dots formed instantly.  

Click!  

The moment the crimson sword returned to its original form and slid back into its sheath—  

The suspended dots began moving simultaneously.  

Straight toward the hundreds of monsters.  

One monster, sensing no lethality or threat from the red dot flying toward it, casually opened its maw to swallow it.  

Gulp!  

It swallowed the dot without hesitation.  

Just as it thought, What was that?—  

BOOM!  

Its head exploded.  

Before anyone could react to the headless monster, an even more shocking scene unfolded.  

Boom! Boom! Boom! BOOM!  

As the crimson dots rained down on the horde, bodies burst apart indiscriminately.  

The explosions varied in scale—some as small as basketballs, others large enough to obliterate a 30-meter-long Blue Croco from its hind legs to its tail.  

The aftermath was a blizzard of destruction, leaving only piles of monster corpses.  

It took less than a minute for hundreds of monsters to be reduced to chunks of meat.  

The guild members stood frozen, half their souls gone from witnessing such overwhelming power.  

Some tried to speak but could only open and close their mouths like fish, their ability to form words lost.  

Amid the shock and terror, Seo Do-jun was the only one who remained calm.  

Step. Step. Step.  

He walked casually through the gruesome remains.  

Shiver…  

The sole survivor—Lynx—stared at Seo Do-jun with fear-filled eyes as he approached.  

Even in its terror, Lynx made one last desperate attempt.  

Its blood-red eyes bore into Seo Do-jun’s.  

If I can control this monstrous human’s mind…  

If it could dominate this human—the one who had slaughtered hundreds of monsters in an instant—it could live like an emperor here.  

Lynx’s eyes burned with fierce will and sweet ambition.  

But—  

Stab!  

“Pathetic.”  

Seo Do-jun drove a dagger into Lynx’s skull.  

Lynx was one of the monsters that could never be left alive.  

Even in the ruined world, countless comrades had fallen under its control, betraying those who trusted them.  

That was why Lynx was more dangerous than any Boss Monster—why fighting it left warriors exhausted from sheer tension.  

Seo Do-jun promptly plucked out Lynx’s blood-red eyeballs.  

“You know what? Lynx’s mind control doesn’t come from brainwaves—it’s the unique light emitted by its eyes. Meaning, as long as you have its eyeballs, you can control minds. Of course, you can’t carry a live Lynx around, so you’d have to extract them after killing it. No—actually, that might not be the case. If I’m right, dead Lynx eyes have a usage limit rather than a time limit.”  

Remembering the scholar Ryuntna, who had once cheerfully dissected Lynx’s head, Seo Do-jun examined the pair of eyeballs in his hand.  

Normally, the light in one’s eyes fades with life.  

But Lynx’s eyes still pulsed with a fierce red glow.  

Ryuntna had also discovered how to use them—by infusing magic into the eyes and making eye contact with the target. Simple in theory, but the conditions were strict,

The user must resist Lynx’s control and have exceptional magic control.  

“Why did you take those?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon stared at the eyeballs in disgust.  

“They’ll be useful.”  

One thing was certain—Seo Do-jun was the only Hero on Earth who could use Lynx’s eyes.  

*** 

After hunting Lynx, the atmosphere among the Silk Flower Guild members changed.  

It wasn’t the usual relief after defeating a Boss Monster—more like they had just witnessed something beyond comprehension.  

Lynx wasn’t a boss, but controlling hundreds of monsters meant it held the entire rift zone’s military strength. Its death had a greater impact than slaying any boss.  

At the very least, the rift zone would remain quiet until the monsters repopulated.  

That didn’t mean the zone was empty, though.  

Groooowl!  

A stench-filled swamp ghoul appeared, blocking Seo Do-jun’s path.  

“This one really doesn’t read the room.”  

“Must have a death wish.”  

“Undead monsters are the dumbest. Other monsters wouldn’t charge alone, but these things don’t think at all.”  

“That’s what makes them so annoying. They don’t care how many of their kind die around them.”  

As the guild members chatted, Seo Do-jun’s fist blew the ghoul’s head off, ending its short appearance.  

After the Lynx incident, the gap between Seo Do-jun and the guild members widened further.  

His power was beyond anything they had ever seen—how could they treat him as just another Hero?  

To them, he was an unmeasurable monster—or a god.  

Thanks to him, they assumed the Brazil rift closure mission would be the easiest they’d ever had.  

As long as they didn’t provoke him.  

“…Where did you learn that swordsmanship? Wait—is it even swordsmanship?”  

After a long silence, Hyun Joo-yeon finally asked. Out of habit, Seo Do-jun reflexively replied,

“Why? Want to learn?”  

“Can I?”  

Her eager expression made him instantly regret his words.  

“Even if you learned now, when would you use it? And…”  

He bit back the rest—you don’t need it in a peaceful world like this.  

In the ruined world, Seo Do-jun had freely taught his skills to talented warriors.  

Even his family’s swordsmanship—what was the point of hoarding it when the world was ending?  

But no matter how simple the technique, mastery took time—time they didn’t have.  

Some even betrayed him after learning.  

‘In this world, what I have would only be poison.’ 

Earth was too peaceful—his swordsmanship, his knowledge, would only bring harm.  

And he knew using his full power would only cause trouble.  

“I’ll use it before I die.”  

Hyun Joo-yeon turned her head away, interpreting his words as ‘You’re not talented enough’.  

Seo Do-jun clicked his tongue. Explaining would sound pathetic—he hoped time would resolve things.  

After four hours of exploring, they found the rift’s core—and an exit nearby.  

“If other rift zones are like this, we’ll waste a lot of time navigating. Their details are lacking.”  

Jung In-joo folded the map provided by the Brazilian Association, shaking her head.  

At least next time, they’d have a clearer path—she had corrected the map’s errors.  

But other rifts might be worse.  

Still, she wasn’t worried.  

Seo Do-jun was there.  

“What’s there to worry about? We have the world’s best bus driver.”  

Hyun Joo-yeon said this and was the first to step through the exit.  

“Seo Do-jun, what’s up with Hyun Joo-yeon? Did something happen?”  

Jung In-joo’s question made Seo Do-jun shrug. How would he know?  

“What, are they already having lover’s quarrels?”  

Jung In-joo chuckled, ushering the guild members out before exiting last.  

Outside, her eyes widened at the scene before her.  

“You arrogant bastard! You’ve got a death wish!”  

A man was shouting at Seo Do-jun, who stood with his arms crossed.  

But what caught her attention was the cold-faced man behind him.  

“Takashi?”  

A Japanese Hero—an S-rank: Takashi.  

What the hell is going on?!  

The tense situation made Jung In-joo frown.