SFRW-Chapter 56

Ch. 56 Sword God From The Ruined World

Three weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

During that time, several things happened to Seo Do-jun.

First, his true identity was revealed to the world.

As the grandson of Seo Kyung-chul, Chairman of T Group – a company that had been called South Korea’s top corporation before the Rift Crisis – this title shocked people and made them accept Seo Do-jun as he was.

“I knew it! Obviously T Group poured astronomical amounts of money to make him an S-rank Hero!”

Seo Do-jun was now equated with Capmore, the Middle Eastern Hero who became S-rank through money.

No one explicitly said Seo Do-jun became S-rank through T Group’s wealth, but everyone assumed so and accepted it as truth.

“Does it make sense for a complete rookie to be S-rank from the start? Damn it! Those born with diamond spoons in their mouths can go straight to S-rank just by awakening as Heroes. How unfair is this world!”

The cheers for Seo Do-jun gradually turned into envy and jealousy.

At that point, Seo Do-jun made his first official statement to the media. Rather than giving direct interviews, he announced through the Hero Association that he had no connection with T Group and openly revealed how he had been miserably abandoned by them in the past.

“Is Seo Do-jun telling the truth?”

“There’s plenty of testimony supporting it everywhere!”

“Testimony? His former classmates and coworkers have been pouring out accounts of his circumstances back then.”

“Wow… So he was really born as an illegitimate child and abandoned by T Group? For all their talk about being a global company, they’re just a bunch of thugs!”

“You just realized that now? Everyone in his neighborhood knew how hard he worked to support his sick grandmother and two-year-old sister since he was eighteen. There was even a special feature about Seo Do-jun’s past on that show ‘I Want to Know That’.”

“Ah! Right! Wasn’t he that ‘national nuisance’ who entered a newly formed rift zone to save his sister?”

“Exactly! The Hero Association announced that Seo Do-jun awakened in that rift zone and even closed the new rift!”

“Wow… Seo Do-jun’s life really turned around! Damn right! This is much better than becoming S-rank through money! This is way more human and fair!”

Public opinion flipped instantly after Seo Do-jun’s statement. Those who had envied and resented him became enthusiastic supporters. And along with supporting Seo Do-jun, antipathy toward T Group grew tremendously.

This was exactly what Seo Do-jun had intended.

With his identity as a T Group heir revealed, T Group’s value had been skyrocketing rapidly. No matter how much people envied him, being one of South Korea’s representative S-rank Heroes meant T Group stood to gain enormous benefits.

Seo Do-jun couldn’t just watch this happen, which was why he unusually issued his statement – a declaration that T Group wouldn’t profit from him in any way.

Meanwhile, ignoring Seo Do-jun’s warning, Chairman Seo Kyung-chul sent people to fetch him.

“Chairman Seo Kyung-chul sent us. Please get in the car. We’ll ensure your comfort.”

Seo Do-jun looked expressionlessly at the T Group employee politely holding open the door of the luxury imported car, then threw a punch.

Crash!

“Ahhh!”

The luxury car was smashed beyond recognition by Seo Do-jun’s punch. The shocked employee turned pale and collapsed to the ground.

“Tell them clearly: this is just the beginning.”

After delivering his message, Seo Do-jun turned away, leaving the terrified employee to scramble back in panic.

Whether they accepted the warning or sought other methods, Chairman Seo Kyung-chul stopped sending people after that. T Group also remained completely silent about Seo Do-jun’s statement, maintaining absolute radio silence.

The relationship between Seo Do-jun and T Group was put on hold, with many watching to see how it would develop.

Second, after a long wait, Seo Do-jun’s weapon was finally completed.

“I can confidently say this is my best work.”

Seo Do-jun’s sword, forged by fusing two Giant Black salmo fangs.

Total length: 177 cm

Width: 2.8 cm

Weight: 5.2 kg

The deep blue blade bore an elegant engraving of the Chinese character ‘Choi’ (崔).

“Ahem, I took the liberty of adding that. If you don’t like it… I can remove it.”

Though saying he’d remove it, Choi Cheol-gwan watched Seo Do-jun’s reaction carefully.

“It suits it.”

Seeing the blacksmith’s pride in marking his creation, Seo Do-jun saw no reason to object.

“I’m glad you like it! Hahahaha!”

Choi Cheol-gwan laughed heartily at Seo Do-jun’s approval, making Seo Do-jun chuckle too.

“The magic absorption rate should be quite satisfactory. The Blue Croco heart you brought was top quality, and using the extras you provided boosted the absorption rate far beyond what I expected.”

Confident enough to suggest testing it immediately, Choi Cheol-gwan watched as Seo Do-jun channeled magic into the new sword.

The sword drank in Seo Do-jun’s magic like a starving beast.

As more magic was absorbed, the blade’s surface turned red and began vibrating faintly.

Hummmmmm!

The sword began singing.

It was a beautiful sound. For the first time since the world’s destruction, Seo Do-jun felt truly connected to a weapon.

‘Good sword. Better than I expected. With this…’

He likely wouldn’t need another sword for the foreseeable future.

“Was the trip to Brazil worth it after all?”

Seeing Seo Do-jun smile, Choi Cheol-gwan’s face filled with pride and satisfaction.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Hahaha! Hard work? Without you gathering the materials yourself, this would’ve been impossible!”

Seo Do-jun reached for his wallet, then stopped.

He had prepared 50 million won, the standard upper limit for weapon commissions. But now that seemed insufficient.

“Please tell me the commission fee. I’ll transfer it immediately.”

Seo Do-jun took out his phone ready to pay, but:

“No need for money.”

Choi Cheol-gwan refused outright.

“I’ve gained too much from you to accept payment. After a lifetime of metalwork, I’ve never felt so inadequate – which shows how precious the knowledge I gained from this project is. Working nights for days didn’t tire me; I was too excited and happy to notice. I’ve gained so much thanks to you. So don’t ruin this feeling with money.”

While Choi Cheol-gwan genuinely didn’t want payment, his son Choi Kang-soo standing nearby looked like he’d eaten something bitter.

“Understood.”

Seo Do-jun immediately pocketed his phone.

“Wait, you’re seriously not paying?”

Choi Kang-soo looked incredulous at Seo Do-jun’s easy acceptance.

“You stay out of this!”

Choi Cheol-gwan glared fiercely at his son.

“Both of you have lost your minds! Damn it! Let’s act normally for once! Do you know how many commissions father turned down for this? And the compensation we paid for canceled orders? And you!” He pointed at Seo Do-jun. “Who the hell just agrees not to pay when told? You should at least show some basic courtesy!”

Losing all restraint, Choi Kang-soo cursed freely regardless of who he was addressing.

“Choi Kang-soo, you little-!”

Choi Cheol-gwan raised his hand angrily.

“He’s not wrong though. So?”

“So what?”

Dodging his father’s hand, Choi Kang-soo looked at Seo Do-jun.

“How much would satisfy you? Including compensation for losses and fair payment?”

“100 million… no! 200 million! Yeah, 200 million would be perfect!”

“You damn-! No! I don’t want money and have no reason to take it, so ignore this fool! You! Get over here!”

Despite his father’s anger, Choi Kang-soo stood his ground and recited his account number to Seo Do-jun.

“Transferred. Check it.”

Before he finished speaking, a notification arrived on Choi Kang-soo’s phone.

“300 million?”

Seeing 100 million more than he’d asked for, Choi Kang-soo stared at Seo Do-jun in shock.

“Why are you doing this when I said I wouldn’t take money?”

Looking at Choi Cheol-gwan’s genuinely displeased face, Seo Do-jun replied:

“I’ll need to trouble you often in the future. And I want my requests prioritized. So please accept this.”

Choi Kang-soo hadn’t been entirely wrong. From Seo Do-jun’s first visit, he’d complained about backed-up orders and hadn’t even properly greeted him as a customer.

If Choi Cheol-gwan suffered losses because of him and faced financial difficulties, Seo Do-jun couldn’t just stand by.

“Sigh… Then I’ll take 50 million and return the rest.”

“Please don’t.”

“It would make me uncomfortable.”

“If you return the money, I’ll be uncomfortable too. Then I won’t be able to do business with you anymore.”

At the threat of losing future business, Choi Cheol-gwan couldn’t insist further.

“…Thank you.”

Perhaps because his father had given in, Choi Kang-soo scratched his cheek and said:

“I clearly asked for 200 million. The extra 100 million was your idea. So don’t blame me.”

“If even that’s not enough, say so. I’ll give more.”

“…G-get lost.”

Seeing Choi Kang-soo’s reddening face, Seo Do-jun couldn’t help but laugh.

Later, he heard Choi Kang-soo got severely scolded by his father for asking for money.

Third, Seo Do-jun met with the President.

In this era where Heroes represented national power, an S-rank Hero like Seo Do-jun couldn’t be ignored even by the President himself. An S-rank Hero’s influence was so immense that even the proudest National Assembly members had to show respect.

Cabinet members and local legislators constantly contacted Seo Do-jun hoping to establish connections.

While the presidential meeting wasn’t particularly grand, having a private audience over fine dining at the Blue House would certainly be a lifetime honor for most citizens.

Beyond that, Seo Do-jun spent these three busiest and more annoying weeks than ever, turning down endless broadcast appearances and advertisement offers.

But the development he most anticipated was selecting a suitable location for his new home and preparing to begin the purchase process.

“While this is indeed the optimal location, the actual land purchase cost will significantly exceed the budget compared to market prices. Perhaps reducing the purchase area would be advisable?”

Seo Do-jun reviewed the materials Park Sung-wook had prepared.

Purchasing 33,058 square meters would require at least 430 billion won.

Though calculated based on actual transaction prices, the problem was this 10,000 pyeong (approx. 33,000 square meters) plot had multiple owners. If some decided to hold out, the final cost could increase unpredictably.

“Frankly, I don’t understand why you need such an enormous plot.”

Park Sung-wook’s confusion was understandable.

Buying 10,000 pyeong to build one house?

Anyone would call that insane. What kind of mansion required enough land for a small apartment complex? Park Sung-wook’s rational mind couldn’t comprehend it.

‘He’s not actually planning to build a castle, is he?’

He worried his joke might become reality.

Regardless of Park Sung-wook’s concerns, Seo Do-jun’s plans remained unchanged.

“I’ll find ways to cover any budget shortfall. Let’s start purchasing the available plots first.”

“…Understood.”

Park Sung-wook could only follow his client’s wishes.

‘If the budget might be insufficient… I’ll need to secure additional funds.’

After parting with Park Sung-wook, Seo Do-jun immediately called Deputy Minister Min Hong-gi.

“Hero Seo Do-jun, to what do I owe this call?”

“I need a favor. Can you tell me where there are rift zones I can hunt right now?”

“Rift zones? Why suddenly rift zones?”

“I need to earn some money.”

“…Are you serious?”

Knowing exactly how much money Seo Do-jun had earned from the Brazilian Hero Association, Min Hong-gi found this hard to believe.