SFRW-Chapter 6

Ch.6 Sword God From The Ruined World

The bodyguard, who had been about to reach out at the drippingly fake voice, hesitated.  

Clack, clack.  

A middle-aged woman with an uncanny resemblance to Seo Min-chae appeared, acting familiar with Seo Do-jun.  

Hong Hee-ju.  

She was Seo Min-chae’s mother and, for the past twelve years, Seo Do-jun’s stepmother—the wife of his biological father had tormented him more than anyone else.  

“Mom! Do you know what this bastard just said to me? Can you believe it? He actually said—”  

“Min-chae, stay quiet. Even if there’s no one around to hear you, that’s no way for a well-bred person to act.”  

As she spoke, Hong Hee-ju glanced at the store employees.  

Though they were clearly present and listening, her look was an unspoken command to pretend they hadn’t seen or heard anything.  

“Ugh, Mom! That bastard started it—!”  

“Watch your language! What kind of refined lady talks like that?”  

At Hong Hee-ju’s sharp reprimand, Seo Min-chae clenched her jaw, her face twisted in frustration.  

Hong Hee-ju, who had been glaring at her daughter with disapproval, soon turned her gaze to Seo Do-jun.  

Outwardly, her expression was indifferent, even welcoming—but her eyes told a different story.  

She held the most disgusted look imaginable, as if she were staring at a bug.  

“Well, Seo Do-jun. Have you been well? Do you know how much your father worries about you? Even if you’re busy, it wouldn’t hurt to visit once in a while.”  

Seo Do-jun would’ve preferred Seo Min-chae’s straightforwardness.  

At least her actions, driven by raw emotion, could be dismissed as childish.  

But Hong Hee-ju’s words, wrapped in hypocrisy, were unbearable.  

“You’re quite good at spouting words you don’t mean. It’s even more nauseating than I expected.”  

“…!”  

The shock was so great that the fake smile on Hong Hee-ju’s face shattered.  

“You—how dare you speak to me like—!”  

As if he couldn’t stand hearing her voice, Seo Do-jun cut her off.  

“It’s not like I’m saying anything I shouldn’t. It’s not as if we’re on polite terms anyway, right?”  

Hong Hee-ju, unable to hide her fluster at Seo Do-jun’s uncharacteristic boldness, sharpened her tone.  

“Seo Do-jun, it seems your base nature can’t be helped.”  

Seo Do-jun only snorted in response.  

“And here I thought someone who judges ‘base nature’ would at least have some class.”  

Is this really the same Seo Do-jun I know?  

The Seo Do-jun she remembered wouldn’t have uttered a word even if slapped for no reason—just bowing his head in silence.  

That image was still vivid in her mind, making the man who retorted so confidently feel like a stranger.  

Yet, the person standing before her was undeniably the same.  

“Hah… I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but this isn’t the place for this. We’ll talk later.”  

Forcing her emotions down, Hong Hee-ju shot a glance at the store employees, who quickly averted their eyes as if they’d seen nothing.  

As a VVIP, they knew what she wanted without her saying a word.  

“Seo Min-chae, stop standing there and come with me.”  

Sensing that Seo Min-chae might humiliate herself further if left with Seo Do-jun, Hong Hee-ju swiftly led her away.  

“…Just you wait.”  

Seo Min-chae glared venomously at Seo Do-jun, but he wasn’t the least bit intimidated.  

Watching the two women leave, Seo Do-jun narrowed his eyes.  

The sooner you realize the weak, submissive Seo Do-jun no longer exists, the better it’ll be for you.

Though the encounter was unexpected, Seo Do-jun felt neither fear nor reason to back down.  

“…Brother, I need to pee.”  

At Eun-young’s innocent voice, oblivious to the adults’ dark exchange, Seo Do-jun clicked his tongue and headed to find a restroom.  

***

“Mom! Why did we just leave? We should’ve crushed that bastard!”  

Inside the car, Seo Min-chae complained bitterly to Hong Hee-ju.  

“Do you know what he called me? He actually said—”  

She couldn’t bring herself to repeat the word ‘orc’, her eyes welling with angry tears.  

“Director Lee.”  

At Hong Hee-ju’s call, the man in the passenger seat responded immediately.  

“Yes, Director Hong Hee-ju.”  

“Why is Seo Do-jun still alive?”  

“Kang Cheol-woo confirmed he took him into the gate and left him there alone.”  

“Then why is that bastard still breathing?!”  

“…My apologies. I’ll look into it again.”  

“Still alive? Mom, what do you mean?”  

Seo Min-chae, who had been listening quietly, stared at Hong Hee-ju in shock.  

“You don’t need to know.”  

“Mom! What are you talking about? What exactly are you doing? Were you trying to kill Seo Do-jun?”  

Hong Hee-ju sighed and explained reluctantly.  

“…How could you even think of killing him? Grandpa and Dad already treat him like he doesn’t exist, so we agreed to ignore him too! What if Grandpa or Dad finds out?”  

“Treat him like he doesn’t exist? Do you really believe that? Don’t you know what kind of man Grandpa is? If anything happens to Min-yul, who do you think he’ll come after first? Do you want to be cast aside by him again? Can you really call that lowborn bastard your brother and live like family?”  

At Hong Hee-ju’s sharp, resentful voice, Seo Min-chae’s protests weakened.  

“But that doesn’t mean you had to kill him!”  

“Seo Min-chae! Don’t tell me you still—”  

“No! It’s not like that! I’m just worried that if this blows up later, you’ll be in trouble! You know how Grandpa is!”  

Hong Hee-ju glared coldly at her daughter’s frantic excuses before sighing.  

“Either way, this is my business. Don’t pry further. And if you’re really worried about me, keep your mouth shut. Understood?”  

“…Yes.”  

Seo Min-chae turned her gaze out the window.  

“Director Lee, from now on, monitor Seo Do-jun’s every move—who he meets, what he does. And tell President Hwang Chang-seop to pressure him harder. How can a debtor afford to go shopping?”  

“Understood, Director Hong Hee-ju.”  

Hong Hee-ju, already irritated by Seo Do-jun’s existence, was even more unsettled by his newfound defiance.  

‘How dare he stand up to me? That vulgar bastard!’  

***

The Rift Zones and the Gates.  

This world was starkly different from the ruined one Seo Do-jun had come from.  

Originally, this Earth had no monsters.  

But ten years ago, the Rift Zones appeared, and monsters emerged, slaughtering people.  

The phenomenon occurred simultaneously worldwide, plunging society into chaos—until extraordinary individuals, called Heroes, began hunting the monsters, restoring order.  

After many failures, Heroes discovered how to control the Rift Zones.  

By hunting monsters there, they obtained valuable byproducts—especially Magic Stones, an infinite new energy source—propelling the world into rapid advancement.  

Seo Do-jun knew that hunting in the Gates was the surest way to earn money in this world.  

But he still had no desire to become a Hero.  

Yet, if he wanted money, he had no choice but to hunt monsters.  

“No helping it.”  

Leaving Eun-young behind with a brief explanation, Seo Do-jun headed out.  

Exiting the alley near his home, he hailed a taxi on the main road.  

“To Yeongdeungpo.”  

“Got it.”  

His destination wasn’t far from Mapo, so they arrived quickly.  

After paying the fare, he walked toward a building he knew from Seo Do-jun’s memories.  

Entering the seven-story building, he went straight to the third floor—HCS Capital.  

“How may I help you?”  

A pretty receptionist greeted him.  

“I’m here to see President Hwang Chang-seop. Is he in?”  

“Do you have an appointment?”  

“No.”  

“May I ask who’s visiting?”  

“Tell him it’s Seo Do-jun.”  

The woman hesitated briefly before picking up the phone.  

“Sir, a Mr. Seo Do-jun is here to see you. Yes, understood.”  

Hanging up, she nodded to Seo Do-jun.  

“You may go in.”  

Following her direction, Seo Do-jun entered the president’s office.  

Click.  

Behind an expensive-looking desk sat a burly man in his mid-50s—Hwang Chang-seop, the president.  

He regarded Seo Do-jun with an amused expression.  

“Am I seeing things?”  

Hwang Chang-seop leaned back in his chair.  

“I was just about to send my men after you, yet here you are. You keep doing the unexpected—it’s throwing me off.”  

As Hwang Chang-seop spoke, Seo Do-jun casually took a seat on the luxurious leather sofa in the center of the office.  

Hwang Chang-seop watched with mild amusement.  

“After some thought, I realized I’m the one at a loss here.”  

“At a loss?”  

Hwang Chang-seop scoffed.  

His men had returned beaten and robbed.  

And now, this debtor had the audacity to come here and claim he was the victim?  

“And what exactly did you lose?”  

Hwang Chang-seop asked, curious how far Seo Do-jun would push this.  

“Compensation for the mental and physical damage your people caused me.”  

“Hahahaha!”  

Hwang Chang-seop burst into laughter before fixing Seo Do-jun with a glare.  

“Oh? And how should I compensate you?”  

“I need Hero credentials.”  

“Hero credentials? You want me to forge you a Hero license?”  

“Quick on the uptake. Good.” 

Seo Do-jun nodded, and Hwang Chang-seop let out a disbelieving laugh.  

Not just any fake ID—a Hero license.  

It wasn’t impossible.  

After all, becoming a Hero only required proving one’s abilities.  

With forced awakenings now possible, anyone could technically become a Hero.  

But even among those forcibly awakened, fewer than one in a thousand gained power strong enough to hunt monsters.  

Still, people spent fortunes on forced awakenings, hoping for the best.  

Those who ended up with useless abilities had no choice but to sell their credentials.  

Hwang Chang-seop dealt in such transactions.  

These forged Heroes were called Dark Knights, and their licenses cost over twice as much as a forced awakening.  

“You want a Dark Knight license? Do you know how much those go for?”  

“Why should I?”  

Seo Do-jun’s indifferent reply made Hwang Chang-seop laugh outright.  

In all his years, few had been this brazen.  

What baffled Hwang Chang-seop most was Seo Do-jun’s transformation.  

Just months ago, the boy couldn’t even meet his eyes.  

Now, he sat here with unshakable confidence.  

Even if he awakened, such a drastic personality shift is rare…

Hwang Chang-seop assumed Seo Do-jun had awakened in the Gate.  

Otherwise, his men wouldn’t have been so thoroughly beaten, and Seo Do-jun wouldn’t have dared to confront him like this.  

But to Hwang Chang-seop, Seo Do-jun was still a naive fool who didn’t understand the world.  

Suppressing a smirk at Seo Do-jun’s forced nonchalance, Hwang Chang-seop checked his watch.  

“Where are these guys…”  

Before he could finish, a knock sounded at the door.  

“Sir, we’re here.”