Chapter 63

Ch. 63 Sword God From The Ruined World  

The strength of the new monster, Cradiam, was no exaggeration to call it a boss-level monster.  

Overwhelming defense and even greater offensive power.  

Especially the endlessly regenerating stems made of wood and stone fragments—each one was an incredibly powerful weapon.  

Cradiam’s combat pattern was simple.  

It stood in one place, repeatedly thrusting, swinging, and smashing down with dozens of stems extending from its body.  

Yet, no one could dismiss Cradiam’s simplistic combat style.  

It was like being trapped in a prison of weapons wielded by a monster with dozens of arms.  

Thwack! Thud-thud-thud!  

The sharply piercing wooden stems were sharper and harder than spears.  

CRACK—BOOM!  

The destructive force of a stone stem smashing down from the height of a 15-story apartment was enough to flip the ground and send tremors dozens of meters away.  

With dozens of such attacks raining down nonstop, no Hero could recklessly intervene in the battle.  

At best, attacking Cradiam from a distance to assist Seo Do-jun was the most they could do.  

Boom! Thwack! Crunch!  

A fireball struck its torso.  

An arrow powerful enough to pierce through dozens of centimeters of steel lodged into its body.  

Various sword slashes flew in, leaving scratches.  

Though they seemed like mere nuisances, the accumulated damage was inevitably taking its toll on Cradiam.  

Yet, Cradiam could only focus on killing the human in front of it.  

Crunch! Snap! Crunch! Crack!  

Even in gaps where no space seemed to exist, it dodged every attack.  

But it wasn’t just defending.  

While evading, it still managed to counterattack with its limbs—only for its stems to be severed, shattered, and crushed each time.  

More threatening than the small fry openly attacking it was that thing of a different dimension.  

Because of him, Cradiam had no room to spare attention for the others.  

Die! Die! Die!  

If Cradiam could speak human language, it would have screamed that.  

Meanwhile, Seo Do-jun simply dodged Cradiam’s attacks, severing and destroying its stems.  

Though Cradiam was a boss-level monster difficult for other Heroes to handle, Seo Do-jun could have ended its life at any time if he wished.  

‘Who would’ve thought I’d be fighting a monster without killing it?’  

If he easily hunted Cradiam now, how would perceptions of him shift again?  

As it stood, Seo Do-jun was already walking a tightrope at the edge of acceptability.  

Overwhelmingly strong, but still within a range where people could grudgingly accept it—a level they might someday reach.  

Unfamiliar now, but still something they could acknowledge.  

But if he revealed strength beyond that?  

Seo Do-jun would no longer be within the bounds of humanity.  

Especially if he remained an ‘individual’ that even a ‘collective’ couldn’t oppose.  

Attention and curiosity would turn into discomfort, rejection, envy, jealousy—and above all, fear.  

In a ruined world, it wouldn’t matter.  

But this place was different.  

Here, there was no Sword master who once crossed continents with a single blade.  

No Archmage who commanded awe with magic.  

No Great Emperor who once ruled all lands under his feet.  

Earth’s history proved it.  

Never had an entity of absolute power reigned unchallenged over humanity.  

Yesterday’s enemies would join hands to tear them down.  

Today’s allies would turn into tomorrow’s foes.  

A pack of hyenas would unite to bring down the one who stood above all.  

That kind of rabble wasn’t frightening in itself.  

But now that he had people to protect, there was no need to make more enemies.  

That was why Seo Do-jun sought not to kill Cradiam, but to incapacitate it.  

Crunch! Crunch!  

As Seo Do-jun destroyed its stems one after another, Cradiam’s stamina dwindled.  

Though it seemed to produce stems endlessly, even Cradiam had its limits.  

Without stamina to sustain it, even its regeneration faltered.  

‘Seems like it’s reaching its limit.’  

Cradiam’s relentless assault with dozens of stems was visibly slowing.  

Even a rough glance showed its stems had reduced to fewer than twenty.  

“Looks like it can’t make more stems now?”  

“I was thinking the same… Could it finally be tiring?”  

“If just a few more disappear…”  

An opening to intervene was forming.  

The expressions of the Heroes, who had been forced to watch from the sidelines, began to brighten.  

Seo Do-jun holding off Cradiam alone was undeniably impressive—something no one else could have done.  

But that was all.  

Now, it was their turn to be the main characters.  

‘You did well as the tank! Leave the finishing blow to me!’  

‘If I take it down in front of the whole world—!’  

‘I’ll definitely be the one to land the killing blow before anyone else!’  

‘The last hitter always steals the spotlight!’  

Just like Seo Do-jun had.  

As if signaling to the opportunistic Heroes that it was now their turn, Seo Do-jun shattered the last five of Cradiam’s stems in one blow and stepped back.  

“Charge!!”  

“Raaaah!”  

“Haaahp!”  

As if Seo Do-jun’s retreat was the signal, the Heroes rushed at Cradiam.  

For Cradiam, it was infuriating.  

Even as the small fry ganged up on it, it could no longer counterattack.  

In the end, Cradiam met its demise when U.S. S-rank Hero Chris Twelman’s sword brutally shattered its skull.  

“I got it! Woooooh!”  

Standing atop Cradiam’s body, Chris Twelman raised his brain-splattered sword and roared.  

Over a hundred drone cameras captured him without exception, and the world applauded his triumphant expression.  

“…Why did you do that?”  

Gloria approached Seo Do-jun, who was watching Chris Twelman’s victory cry from afar, with a puzzled expression.  

“Do what?”  

“You could’ve finished it yourself, Kassal.”  

“I’m only human.”  

As if to say his stamina had run out, Seo Do-jun chuckled dryly.  

Did he really expect her to believe that?  

Gloria barely held back the words.  

She couldn’t fully grasp Seo Do-jun’s intentions, but she had a rough idea.  

Those who take everything eventually face backlash.  

Seo Do-jun had already engraved his name into the world’s memory.  

The world’s strongest Hero.  

A title no one could deny, a throne no one dared challenge—for now.  

To any observer, he lacked nothing. There was no reason to want more.  

But what if he kept seizing everything without sharing?  

Resentment would grow. Envy and jealousy would multiply.  

Gloria, familiar with human nature and history, could vaguely guess Seo Do-jun’s reasoning.  

‘Overwhelming power… and wisdom to match. Kassal, you really are…’  

Her gaze at Seo Do-jun deepened further.  

The joy of hunting Cradiam was short-lived.  

The monster wave was far from over.  

From the momentarily calmed rift zone, monsters began pouring out once more.  

But with morale sky-high after taking down even a near-boss-level monster like Cradiam, the Heroes swiftly hunted down the emerging creatures.  

***  

Before the rift zone stabilized and the monster wave began, the U.S. Hero Association had braced for some casualties.  

But now, even as the ninth day neared its end, not a single defense line had been breached.  

An unprecedented, flawless defense.  

Broadcast live to the world, America’s pride swelled even further.  

Of course, the fact that the Hero contributing the most was Korea’s Seo Do-jun was a slight blow to their ego.  

Still, the U.S. Hero Association didn’t foolishly try to hide or downplay it.  

That alone spoke volumes about their acknowledgment of his abilities.  

“The monster wave will end tomorrow. Unless something unexpected happens.”  

Since no one in the room wanted an unexpected event, no one objected to Association President Eric Jonathan’s words.  

“Now, let’s discuss the next steps.”  

At the government official’s words, Eric Jonathan immediately responded.  

“The rift zone where the monster wave emerged will be sealed immediately. Fortunately, the Hero who excelled in defending the wave has assured us he can handle it.”  

“You mean… Kassal? Are you talking about him?”  

The official immediately thought of Kassal—the biggest contributor to this casualty-free defense.  

“Yes.”  

“So Kassal is joining the boss monster raid team? That’s a relief.”  

The official prioritized Seo Do-jun’s participation above all else.  

The 1 billion dollars reward for sealing the rift was still on the table.  

No—if Seo Do-jun refused, they were prepared to offer even more, whether through negotiation or persuasion.  

That was how highly the U.S. government valued him.  

“Actually, no. The previously discussed raid team remains, but Hero Kassal declined to join.”  

“…What did you just say? He declined?”  

Not joining the team?  

The official frowned as if the words made no sense.  

“To be precise… Kassal requested the opportunity to seal the rift zone alone.”  

“What?!”  

Not just the official—everyone in the room widened their eyes in disbelief.  

***

“Heavy Mountain.”  

“Heavy Mountain?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s answer, Eric Jonathan gave him a suspicious look, as if wondering how he knew the monster in the photo.  

Under that doubtful gaze, Seo Do-jun replied calmly.  

“The Boss Monster from the new rift that appeared near my home was Heavy Mountain.”  

“Is that true?”  

Seeing no reason for Seo Do-jun to lie, Eric Jonathan nodded immediately.  

“Lucky for me that Heavy Mountain’s the boss.”  

“Lucky? What do you mean?”  

Heavy Mountain was a Boss Monster even the full might of the U.S. couldn’t confidently defeat.  

No one had any idea how to fight it.  

Yet Seo Do-jun called it luck—making Eric Jonathan certain he had a plan.  

“My presence here, and my experience sealing rifts—that’s reason enough, I’d say.”  

His confident demeanor made Eric Jonathan feel as if he’d met a savior.  

“You’re saying he can solo a Boss Monster of that caliber?!”  

Staring at the photo of Heavy Mountain, the officials and others shook their heads in disbelief.  

“Not to undermine Hero Kassal’s abilities, but he couldn’t even perfectly take down Cradiam.”  

How could they believe he could solo something stronger than Cradiam?  

It made no sense.  

“He claims to know a fatal weakness against Heavy Mountain.”  

“A fatal weakness?”  

The room buzzed.  

Of course they were curious—what weakness could topple such a monstrous boss?  

“What is it?”  

Someone couldn’t resist asking.  

Eric Jonathan shook his head.  

“He said it’s a trade secret—he can’t reveal it.”  

Worth a solid 1 billion dollars, it was understandable.  

Even if they offered more, would Seo Do-jun tell them?  

Everyone present was sure he wouldn’t.  

They wouldn’t either.  

“He said even an average S-rank could solo Heavy Mountain if they knew its weakness.”  

“Is that true? Can we trust it?”  

“What choice do we have?”  

At Eric Jonathan’s retort, the questioner coughed awkwardly and looked away.  

“For now, we have no choice but to trust Hero Kassal. I believe him—both about knowing Heavy Mountain’s name and its weakness. As Association Chairman, I’ll grant him the solo hunt.”  

The decision was made.  

The U.S. Hero Association could only trust Seo Do-jun and wait.  

***

It’s all a lie.  

Seo Do-jun had lied to Eric Jonathan.  

But it was the only way to face Heavy Mountain alone.  

“You don’t even need minimal support?”  

At Gloria’s question, Seo Do-jun nodded.  

“But how…?”  

Every Hero who had witnessed Heavy Mountain agreed—it was impossible to solo.  

“I told you. I know its weakness.”  

His confidence left Gloria no choice but to believe him.  

As Seo Do-jun prepared for the solo sealing, the monster wave finally ended.  

With a flawless defense, the rift zone stopped spewing monsters, and the world cheered, applauding the Heroes’ efforts.  

Though not solely America’s achievement, they had undeniably made history.  

How many nations had suffered from monster waves before?  

Even the U.K., in the most recent wave, had been forced to surrender parts of London, sending the world into panic.  

Countless cities and regions had been trampled—until now.  

Some in the U.S. even debated establishing a new Independence Day in celebration.  

Amid the excitement, only one person was heading toward the now-dormant rift zone.  

“Are you really sure about this?”  

U.S. S-rank Hero Brian Lim watched Seo Do-jun’s retreating figure with concern.  

Honestly, even now, he wished Seo Do-jun would join the boss raid team.  

He wanted him to make the right choice—to increase their chances.  

“He must be confident. He said he knows its weakness.”  

Chris Twelman grumbled in a skeptical tone.  

“He’s faced it before… We’ll just have to trust him.”  

Patrick Tyler glanced at his sister Gloria as if seeking agreement.  

“He’ll definitely succeed.”  

Unconsciously clasping her hands, Gloria prayed for Seo Do-jun’s safe return.  

Leaving behind the worried gazes, Seo Do-jun stepped into the rift zone.