SFRW-Chapter 66

Ch. 66 Sword God From The Ruined World

“So no matter how much the U.S. offers citizenship or treats him as a Hero, there’s no way he’d easily change his nationality.”  

“How can you be so sure? Frankly, even top South Korean celebrities have become U.S. citizens without hesitation.”  

“Why are we talking about celebrities? Is Seo Do-jun a celebrity? And since you brought it up, wasn’t that celebrity just avoiding military service rather than hating South Korea? Why would Seo Do-jun, who doesn’t even need to serve, switch nationalities?”  

“That logic—‘I don’t have to serve, so I won’t take U.S. citizenship’—is hilarious. What I’m saying is, what has South Korea ever done for Seo Do-jun? Be honest. He suddenly became an S-rank Hero, the strongest in the world, and now you’re saying he shouldn’t abandon his South Korean nationality? Does that make any sense? Did anyone even care about his life before becoming a Hero or his tragic family background?”  

“Do you expect South Korea to personally look after every citizen’s family issues?”  

“That’s exactly my point. It’s ridiculous to suddenly demand patriotism as if it’s some sacred duty when no one cared before. Shouldn’t South Korea start treating him properly, like the U.S., so he doesn’t turn his back on his homeland?”  

“Are you saying we should give him tax exemptions? How would other Heroes react? And what about public discontent? Besides, wasn’t the U.S. just joking?”  

“So if Seo Do-jun does become a U.S. citizen, you’re saying it’s purely because of personal greed?”  

“When did I say that?!”  

“That’s what you’re implying!”  

“You—! You’re unbelievable!”  

“What did you just say? You’ve got some nerve!”  

“Seo Do-jun! Seo Do-jun! Seo Do-jun! What the hell is that bastard?!”  

Hong Hee-ju threw the remote at the TV as the panelists on the live broadcast turned red-faced, nearly at each other’s throats.  

Crash! The screen cracked.  

Still fuming, she hurled the vase on the table next.  

Finally, after wrecking the TV, she clenched her teeth, seething.  

Everything had fallen apart.  

Because of that worthless, illegitimate son of her husband, her life—once the pinnacle of South Korea’s elite—was crumbling.  

After her plot to kill Seo Do-jun through Kang Young-pyo was exposed, Hong Hee-ju was completely abandoned by Seo Kyung-chul.  

She was stripped of her executive position at T Group and forcibly divested of her shares.  

Her husband, Seo Jung-jin, who had never loved her to begin with, didn’t even try to console her, let alone stop Seo Kyung-chul’s retaliation.  

The only reason she endured was for her two children.  

Seo Kyung-chul had coldly warned her: “If you resist, your children will suffer the same fate.”  

Bitter and humiliated, she had no choice but to back down.  

She then tried turning to her family, W Group, but even that was futile.  

Seo Kyung-chul had made sure everyone knew what she’d done.  

“Are you stupid? Or just incompetent? You should’ve known who you were dealing with. This time, even I can’t help you. Clean up your own mess. Go kneel before that boy and beg for forgiveness—that’s your only option now. And remember, W Group has nothing to do with this.”  

Even her own father disowned her.  

Because the opponent was Seo Do-jun.  

An ordinary S-rank Hero would’ve been difficult enough to handle, but Seo Do-jun stood above them all.  

Even conglomerates had to tread carefully around him.  

And the current situation proved it.  

The U.S., the world’s strongest nation, was bending over backward for him.  

In this climate, will W Group really side with Hong Hee-ju—a married-out daughter, not even an heir—over Seo Do-jun?  

Coldly put, she wasn’t worth the risk.  

Now abandoned by both her husband’s family and her own, Hong Hee-ju spent her days holed up in a hotel, drowning in alcohol.  

Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!  

“Who is it?!”  

She tried to ignore it, but the relentless doorbell forced her to stagger to the entrance.  

“Who the hell—?!”  

She froze mid-scream when the man outside pushed back his hood, revealing his face. Her entire body trembled as if struck by lightning.  

“You’ve fallen far, Director Hong Hee-ju. Oh, wait—you’re not a director anymore, are you?”  

“H-How…?”  

“Mind if I come in?”  

She bit her lip, then glanced nervously into the hallway.  

“No one saw me. Relax.”  

The man strode in casually. Hong Hee-ju quickly shut the door.  

He grabbed her half-finished liquor bottle and downed it in one go.  

“Ahhh… Nothing beats soju. Heh!”  

After gulping down a bottle worth millions of won like water, he collapsed onto the couch.  

“What the hell went wrong?! If you’d just done your job properly, I wouldn’t be in this mess!”  

Hong Hee-ju snarled at Kang Young-pyo, blaming him for everything.  

“Pathetic. Even now, you still don’t get it? Or are you just that stupid?”  

Kang Young-pyo smirked, looking at her with pity.  

“What are you—?!”  

“We were played. Both of us. That bastard Seo Do-jun… He was toying with us from the start. Still don’t see it?”  

Hong Hee-ju stared into his eyes and shuddered.  

Those aren’t human eyes.  

***

Seo Do-jun needed to confirm Cain’s tip about Kang Young-pyo resurfacing in Seoul.  

His first call wasn’t to the Association or the government—it was to Jung In-joo.  

“Oh? Seo Do-jun? What’s up? Calling at this hour? Something wrong?”  

“I need a favor. Kang Young-pyo’s back in Seoul.”  

“Kang Young-pyo? You sure about that?”  

“The source is reliable.”  

“So you want me to look into it?”  

“Please.”  

“Fine. But you owe me, okay?”  

He called her first because, surprisingly, she had the best intel.  

Still, he didn’t rely solely on her. He immediately contacted Min Hong-gi and Hyun Joo-yeon next.  

Both were shocked but promised to investigate.  

Two hours later, Jung In-joo called back.  

Cain was right.  

Two days ago, a man matching Kang Young-pyo’s description (90% certainty) was spotted near Seoul Station.  

After confirming, Seo Do-jun called Hyun Joo-yeon again.  

“Protect Eun-young and Grandma until I get back?”  

“Just until then.”  

A cornered Kang Young-pyo was unpredictable.  

“If you’d just dealt with him in Brazil, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”  

Seo Do-jun stayed silent.  

He hadn’t expected his U.S. stay to drag on this long—or for Kang Young-pyo to slip back into South Korea so easily.  

But excuses were excuses.  

If he’d finished Kang Young-pyo off back then, this wouldn’t be happening.  

Still, Hong Hee-ju’s suffering was part of the plan.  

The only miscalculation? Kang Young-pyo returning while Seo Do-jun was away.  

“Even if I protect them this time, what about next time?”  

“I’ll set up safeguards.”  

“Safeguards? You do remember he’s an S-rank, right? He’s nothing to you, but to everyone else—”  

Her voice was unusually sharp.  

“Some people are out on dates at luxury hotels while others are stuck babysitting families…”  

Ah.  

Now he understood.  

Photos of him and Gloria had been circulating online, sparking rumors.  

Some speculated they were dating—or worse.  

Seo Do-jun didn’t care, but others clearly did.  

He recalled Jung In-joo’s question in Brazil: “How’d you seduce Hyun Joo-yeon?”  

He wasn’t oblivious to her feelings.  

“Are you jealous?”  

“J-Jealous?! Me?! Of who?! You?! Why would I—?!”  

Flustered, she stumbled over her words.  

“I’ll make it up to you. Just hang in there for few more days.”  

“How?”  

“What do you want?”  

“That’s… for you to figure out!”  

“A car?”  

“I have enough cars! And bags! And clothes! I don’t need that stuff!”  

He chuckled.  

“A date, then?”  

“A d-date?!”  

“Not interested?”  

Silence.  

“Then it’s settled.”  

“W-Who said I wanted to?! Pfft! Whatever! Just—Eun-young and Grandma will be fine! Bye!”  

She hung up before he could respond.  

“Cute.”  

The call left him in a good mood.  

With Hyun Joo-yeon guarding Eun-young and Grandma, he could relax a little.  

The Gold Market would wrap up in two days. Three more, and he’d be back in South Korea.  

“I’ll need to rush the construction.”  

Even if it meant doubling the cost, Guardian’s Lair had to be completed ASAP.  

He texted Park Sung-wook, then checked his Gold Market tablet.  

Half the items he’d bid on still had no competitors—or at least, none serious.  

No surprise.  

Most buyers had no idea what those items were truly worth.  

One was a set of twelve dark blue gems.  

No. [9-074]  

Item Name: Gemstones found in the rift zone/ 12 pieces, 1 set 

Minimum Bid: 10,000 dollars 

Current Bid: 20,000 dollars

Time Left: 22:31:18  

Smaller than a fingernail, the dull, murky gems were far from beautiful.  

Gems from rifts and dungeons usually had an exotic allure, making them popular with wealthy collectors.  

But these? They looked downright sinister.  

Hence the low starting bid—barely above Gold Market’s minimum.  

Seo Do-jun had doubled it, just enough to seem like a curious buyer, not a desperate one.  

“Soul Gems…”  

He’d gasped three times while browsing the Gold Market.  

This was one of them.  

An absolute must-have.  

With no serious competitors, he’d likely win—but he wouldn’t relax until the auction closed.  

Luckily, the seller hadn’t set a long deadline.  

Bidding periods ranged from 45 to 65 hours.  

High-value items got the full duration, but these gems? Just 45.  

“This’ll make things much easier.”  

He set the tablet aside and pulled out his phone, searching for an image.  

A knight in black armor, wielding a greatsword, filled the screen.  

“A Death Knight would be perfect for Eun-young and Grandma.”  

He’d always planned to use them as guardians.  

The only issue? Their terrifying presence.  

But the Soul Gems solved that.  

And their other secret…  

That alone made them priceless.  

Seo Do-jun had no intention of losing this bid.