SFRW-Chapter 9

Ch.9 Sword God From The Ruined World

The value of magic stones is immense.  

When the dimensional rift zones first appeared and monsters emerged from them, people hastily concluded that the world was doomed.  

However, when hunters began slaying monsters and discovered a new energy source called magic stones within their bodies, scientists were convinced of advancements beyond imagination.  

As the scientists predicted, Earth’s civilization rapidly evolved thanks to magic stones.  

Even just as a powerful energy source free from environmental destruction and pollution, magic stones were like a vaccine, reviving the dying planet.  

Beyond their utility as a simple energy source, the applications of magic stones were too diverse to describe.  

Thus, the magic stone industry rapidly developed, and with it, vast amounts of money circulated.  

The magic stone specialist company, Stone MAN, was born amid this industrial growth.  

Even without processing magic stones into other products, simply buying and selling them could make one rich effortlessly.  

“Isn’t the commission too high? I’m a decent regular—can’t you give me a discount?”  

A hero in his forties grumbled, dissatisfied with the 40% fee.  

“As you know, we’re the cheapest in this business. Frankly, even the Gate Center’s base commission is 5%, isn’t it? On top of that, we handle anonymous transactions with no records. If the Gate Center logs the transaction, the National Tax Service gets notified, and then you’re hit with massive taxes every year. And when you factor in all the miscellaneous taxes piling up like loan interest… Honestly, isn’t it a bargain to trade cleanly at this rate?”  

Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol’s flawless reasoning left the middle-aged hero with no rebuttal, only a frown.  

Then, his pent-up frustration toward the government exploded.  

“Damn taxes! I risk my life hunting monsters—what has this damn country ever done for me to take so much? The government’s nothing but thieves!”  

“Exactly! Thieves hiding behind the name of the state!”  

The hero nodded in agreement before checking the money Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol handed over.  

After confirming the amount, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity.  

“But, Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol, what happened to your face?”  

With bruised eyelids and scabbed lips, it was only natural to ask.  

“Don’t even ask. Some crazy bastard came in and…”  

Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol shook his head as if he didn’t even want to talk about it.  

“What were the guards doing? Weren’t they C-rank?”  

“They were C-rank, alright. But that lunatic was absurdly strong.”  

The hero clicked his tongue at Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol’s words.  

“See, this is why guards should be hired based on skill, not rank. Looks like they weren’t as strong as their ratings.”  

“You wouldn’t understand unless you saw him. That guy was on another level.”  

“Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol, you can’t assume all heroes of the same rank are equal. Let’s be honest—those who get hero licenses just to work as guards, what kind of skill do they really have? Even if they’re decent, can they compare to heroes who risk their lives hunting monsters?”  

“Well…”  

“It’s obvious! Ranks are just for bureaucrats’ convenience. Real skills are different! You should know that. There’s no comparing heroes who throw punches at people to those who fight monsters in life-or-death battles.”  

Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol wanted to snap at him to shut up and leave now that the deal was done, but given who he was dealing with, he could only force a polite smile.  

“Anyway, I’ve yet to meet a decent guy among those who trade here. Be careful from now on. If you ever need my help, feel free to reach out. We’ve known each other for a while, and we’ll keep doing business. I’d hate to see you get hurt.”  

Though the hero’s offer to help was appreciated, Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol was about to thank him when—  

The office door opened, revealing a familiar face.  

“…Y-you! Y-you…!”  

Recognizing the man, Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol’s finger trembled as he pointed.  

“What’s wrong? Who is it?”  

Confused by Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol’s reaction, the hero turned to see a tall, handsome young man in his twenties—the kind who could easily attract women.  

Damn, this guy’s looks are insane.  

The hero couldn’t help but envy him, especially when comparing his own thinning hair to the young man’s thick locks. The unfairness of the world stung once again.  

“T-that bastard!” Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol shouted desperately.  

“What about him?”  

“H-he’s the one who did this to me!”  

“Oh?”  

The hero stared intently at the young man, Seo Do-jun.  

Though his appearance didn’t scream strength, his piercing gaze was unsettling.  

A hero’s power wasn’t tied to looks, but their aura and presence could hint at their level. To the hero, Seo Do-jun seemed…  

‘…Hard to gauge. But he’s still young.’  

Given what he’d just told Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol, he couldn’t pretend not to care.  

“Hey, kid. You’re the one who beat up Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol? I don’t know what happened, but as a hero, you shouldn’t lay hands on civilians. Don’t you know heroes aren’t supposed to harm regular people?”  

Seo Do-jun listened quietly before replying flatly,  

“What’s it to you?”  

“This kid’s got a sharp tongue. How long have you been a hero? I’ve been at it for seven years. There’s a hierarchy here. You seem new—is that how you talk to a senior? Connections matter just as much as skill—”  

As the hero rambled, Seo Do-jun’s brow twitched.  

“You talk too much. So what? Are you here to get revenge for him?”  

The provocative tone made the hero clench his fists, but something about Seo Do-jun’s cold stare sent an inexplicable chill down his spine.  

A statistic flashed in his mind: a surprising number of heroes died in sudden, violent altercations.  

Situations exactly like this.  

After a tense silence, the hero slowly spoke.  

“Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol, I’ll see you later.”  

Unclenching his fists, he left the office. Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol cursed internally but forced a bow toward Seo Do-jun.  

“Y-you’re back?”  

He tried to smile, desperate to stay on Seo Do-jun’s good side.  

“You seem to have a lot of complaints about me.”  

Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol broke into a cold sweat at the question.  

“How much?”  

“W-well, you see…”  

As Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol hesitated, Seo Do-jun silently tapped the metal desk.  

Though it was just light taps with his fingertips, the sturdy steel surface dented deeply with each touch. Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol’s legs trembled.  

“A-after commission, the total for the magic stones is 150 million won.”  

A high-rank magic stone was worth 100 million won.  

In addition, there were two mid-high-rank stones worth 5 million each and twenty mid-rank stones worth 2 million each. In just one day, Seo Do-jun had earned 150 million won.  

He brought a high-rank magic stone… What the hell is this guy?

Normally, high-rank magic stones could only be obtained in A-rank Gates.  

Meaning Seo Do-jun was likely an A-rank hero.  

But then why had he tried to sell low-rank stones earlier?  

Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol couldn’t make sense of Seo Do-jun’s actions.  

Meanwhile, Seo Do-jun was displeased with earning only 150 million won after a full day’s work.  

With a clear goal of 110 billion won, 150 million felt like pocket change.  

“After a 1% commission, that’s 148.5 million won. What are you waiting for? Bring the money.”  

Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol felt like he was being robbed by how casually Seo Do-jun demanded payment.  

“L-like I said last time… The Gate Center also charges a 5% commission for magic stone purchases.”  

“If I wanted to pay that, would I be here?”  

“……”  

The sheer audacity left Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol speechless.  

This place was for those who didn’t want to pay the 5% fee!  

But arguing was pointless, so Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol sighed deeply.  

“For purchases over 100 million won, I need approval from Section Chief Park Cheol-woon. As a lowly assistant manager, I have no choice. I hope you understand.”  

Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol had already decided to dump Seo Do-jun on Section Chief Park Cheol-woon.  

After all, Section Chief Park Cheol-woon had explicitly told him to contact him immediately if Seo Do-jun returned.  

“Fine. Call him.”  

Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol quickly dialed.  

“Yes, Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol? What is it?”

“Section Chief Park Cheol-woon, well…”  

Seo Do-jun snatched the phone.  

“I’m here to sell magic stones, but they say purchases over 100 million need your approval.”  

“Huh? Who is this? Please hand the phone back to my employee.”  

“I don’t have time for this. After a 1% commission, it’s 148.5 million won. Can you approve it or not?”  

After five seconds of silence, Section Chief Park Cheol-woon replied.  

“…Understood. Please return the phone to my employee first.”

Seo Do-jun hung up without hesitation.  

“He agreed.”  

“……”  

What kind of bastard…?

Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol barely stopped himself from cursing aloud.  

“What are you doing? Bring the money.”  

As Seo Do-jun frowned impatiently, Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol recalled the previous violence and knew he couldn’t resist.  

“…Understood.”  

Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol retrieved the cash from the safe and handed over exactly 148.5 million won.  

“Let’s keep transactions smooth next time too.”  

With that, Seo Do-jun left, leaving Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol alone in the office.  

His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the sofa, staring blankly at the magic stones Seo Do-jun had left behind.  

Ten minutes later—

“Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol! Why did you hang up like that? And why is your phone off?!”  

Section Chief Park Cheol-woon stormed in, raising his voice.  

“Huh? My phone’s off?”  

Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol checked—his phone wasn’t just off.  

It was destroyed.  

“W-when did this…?”  

It must have been when Seo Do-jun frowned and demanded the money.  

Staring at the broken device, Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol spoke with deadly seriousness.  

“Section Chief Park Cheol-woon… I want to quit.”