SFRW-Chapter 49

Ch. 49 Sword God From The Ruined World

At first glance, it just looked like a flat fish.  

Born with natural camouflage, it was difficult to spot.  

“Achromos.”  

The name of this fish—no, monster—that clung to the riverbed with its slender eyes scanning its surroundings.  

Even in the ruined world, this was a monster rarely seen.  

Only about 10 centimeters in size.  

With a thickness of just 1.5 centimeters, its camouflage made it nearly impossible to detect when clinging to surfaces.  

It barely moved, stubbornly staying in place for days if it sensed anything nearby.  

Its habitat was unpredictable—found in deep seas one moment, shallow streams the next.  

“I never thought I’d find an Achromos here.”  

Seo Do-jun broke into a wide grin.  

He couldn’t remember ever being this happy in his life on Earth.  

No—even including his time in the ruined world, this was a fortune rare enough to count on one hand.  

After swiftly clearing the surrounding monsters, Seo Do-jun approached the Achromos.  

His steps were light, almost as if he might burst into song.  

“An Achromos? Finding one is impossible unless you have unbelievable luck! The Third Saint Leatrice, the Seventh Emperor Rectomikan, even Peckry—founder of Gold Carriage and called the First Wealth God. What do they have in common? They all possessed luck others could only dream of! Kassal, you know this too, right? Ah! Come to think of it, wasn’t there an ancestor of yours who also found an Achromos? His name was…”  

“Lafcipote Le Vandean.”  

The 12th family head who elevated House Vandean from Count to Marquis, a legendary swordsman known as the Sword King.  

As Seo Do-jun drew closer, the Achromos’ thin eyes twitched slightly.  

Should it attack or not?  

Seo Do-jun knew exactly what it was thinking.  

There’s only one chance.  

If you find an Achromos, you can’t afford to waste it.  

You must strike the moment it tries to swallow you whole.  

Heirs of House Vandean were required to read the family’s Testament at age ten.  

This was House Vandean’s law—a compilation of secrets and advice left by past family heads, considered the clan’s greatest treasure.  

Naturally, as the heir, Seo Do-jun had read it too.  

Much of Lafcipote Le Vandean’s writings were about this creature—the Achromos.  

The Achromos tracked Seo Do-jun’s movements with its near-invisible slit-like eyes.  

As Seo Do-jun’s hand slowly reached for it—  

The Achromos opened its mouth first.  

A mere centimeter-wide gap—but what followed was anything but small.  

FWOOOOOOSH!  

Space tore apart.  

No—more accurately, space erupted from its mouth.  

A pocket dimension large enough to swallow Seo Do-jun whole.  

A perfect void.  

The Achromos had no natural predators.  

Whatever the opponent, it could create a dimensional rift and consume them.  

Seo Do-jun immediately unleashed all his magic.  

A whirlpool formed around them, sending a pillar of water shooting into the sky.  

The spectacle looked like a massive column connecting heaven and earth.  

Monsters caught in the vortex screamed as they were torn apart, becoming part of the watery pillar.  

Yet the stalemate between Seo Do-jun and the Achromos continued.  

The Achromos strained to pull Seo Do-jun into its void, while Seo Do-jun resisted with raw magic.  

‘It’s… stronger than I thought!‘  

Suppressing the Achromos’ dimensional power with magic alone was the only way to truly claim its ability.  

Absorbing an Achromos’ void wasn’t inherently difficult.  

But the known method only granted a fraction of its true power.  

Perfect control required overwhelming it purely with magic.  

Lafcipote Le Vandean had encountered an Achromos during his reign as the Sword King.  

Even then, it was an exceedingly rare monster, and absorbing its power wasn’t hard.  

But Lafcipote chose the harder path—testing himself against the void’s full force rather than taking the easy way.  

A swordsman’s pride and curiosity.  

And in doing so, he unlocked the Achromos’ true potential.  

‘If I had my original strength, this would be nothing…‘  

Cold sweat dripped down Seo Do-jun’s forehead.  

He’d underestimated the Achromos’ power.  

Even without his former might as the Sword God, he’d assumed his current strength would suffice.  

He was wrong.  

The void’s force was magnitudes stronger than anticipated.  

The problem?  

‘If I lose here… I’m devoured!‘  

No room for regret.  

A single lapse in focus, and he’d be trapped in the Achromos’ dimension—a fate worse than death.  

Feeling his magic deplete rapidly, Seo Do-jun realized he was losing.  

‘…I’ll absorb dark magic!‘  

No choice.  

Better to risk his body bursting from dark magic overload than be consumed.  

Using the Vandean family’s secret magic circulation technique, he began drawing in dark magic.  

Turbulent, corrosive energy flooded his veins.  

As it filled the void left by his expended magic, his power surged—  

But the relief was short-lived.  

Pop! Pop-pop!  

His blood vessels bulged grotesquely.  

Limbs, torso, even his face—every vein threatened to rupture.  

His ruined-world body could’ve handled this, but Seo Do-jun’s flesh was still too weak.  

Nature’s laws were unforgiving.  

No matter how much magic one possessed, the body had limits.  

Seo Do-jun’s nose bled freely now.  

‘Must… endure…!‘  

As his consciousness wavered—  

The void’s pressure abruptly weakened.  

In the final moments, Seo Do-jun wrested control and absorbed the dimensional power.  

The Achromos, drained completely, shriveled and died.  

But before Seo Do-jun could even examine his prize—  

Darkness took him.  

SPLOOOOSH!  

The towering water pillar collapsed back into the river.  

As the currents calmed, Seo Do-jun’s unconscious body floated limply downstream.  

***  

“We’re close, so let me through!”  

Kang Young-pyo shoved past the Brazilian Heroes blocking the hospital room.  

Inside, Takashi sat by the window, blankly staring out in patient robes.  

“Takashi.”  

At Kang Young-pyo’s call, Takashi slowly turned.  

‘Has this bastard lost his mind? His eyes look dead.‘  

Takashi’s gaze had always been sharp—snake-like, unsettling.  

Most found it unpleasant, but Kang had always appreciated their similarity.  

‘Just how badly did he get beaten?‘  

Takashi wasn’t the type to back down from anything.  

A ruthless schemer like Kang Young-pyo himself—kindred spirits.  

But now, that fiery spirit was gone.  

“…Kang Young-pyo?”  

“Yeah, it’s me! You recognize me?”  

Though three years older, they’d always been equals.  

“Yeah… Kang Young-pyo…”  

Fortunately, Takashi nodded in recognition.  

“I wanted to come sooner, but those damn bastards kept blocking me, citing your ‘recovery.’ And the media circus didn’t help. You’re not upset, right?”  

Kang Young-pyo studied Takashi’s face carefully.  

He’d tried visiting immediately after arriving in Brazil, but both Brazilian and Japanese Heroes had barred foreign visitors.  

Only now, after the rift closure and fading scrutiny, could Kang Young-pyo slip in.  

To his relief, Takashi showed no resentment.  

“What the hell happened? That punk Seo Do-jun really beat you that badly?”  

Kang Young-pyo lowered his voice on the name.  

“Him? Nothing special. I just fell for a dirty trick!”  

The murderous glint returning to Takashi’s eyes made Kang Young-pyo smirk inwardly.  

‘Good. He’s not broken.’  

This was the Takashi he knew.  

“A dirty trick? Explain.”  

“…Can’t. But I will kill him myself!”  

Kang Young-pyo felt a weight lift from his chest.  

‘Exactly! There’s no way Takashi would lose to some rookie in a fair fight!‘  

Kang Young-pyo had been prepared to eliminate Seo Do-jun himself if necessary.  

But with Takashi thirsting for revenge, he could afford to wait.  

“What’s your plan?”  

“No plan needed. Once I’ve recovered, I’ll blow his head off publicly.”  

“That’ll cause problems.”  

“Problems? I’ve been humiliated! Nothing will stop me!”  

Kang Young-pyo barely suppressed a laugh at Takashi’s deranged expression.  

‘Blinded by vengeance. Perfect.’  

If Takashi killed Seo Do-jun openly, the fallout would be catastrophic.  

Even with justification, the backlash from South Korean Heroes would be immense.  

Takashi’s career would never recover.  

And that meant—  

‘He won’t be able to manage his South Korean assets personally… Leaving them ripe for takeover.’  

Kang Young-pyo had to fight to keep his glee hidden.  

“Let me know if you need help. I’ll do whatever I can.”  

Takashi stared intently before asking:  

“One question.”  

“What?”  

“Why did you hire me to kill Seo Do-jun?”  

Under that piercing gaze, Kang Young-pyo Young-pyo had no choice but to answer.  

“The truth is…”