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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 10
Even though he had just made nearly ₩1.5 billion (approx. $1.1 million), Dojun didn’t feel even a flicker of joy.
In South Korea, the top-ranked Heroes could easily rake in tens of billions from a single day of hunting. Some, in rare cases, even managed to obtain mana stones worth over a hundred billion. Compared to that, Dojun couldn’t help but feel pathetically insignificant.
’Gate hunting matters, sure—but the real priority is getting my strength back.’
His first major goal: clearing an S-Rank Gate.
There were only five S-Rank Gates in all of Korea, and even fewer people were authorized to enter them. Not just anyone could waltz in. Even if you somehow were allowed inside, there wasn’t a single Hero on the planet capable of clearing an S-Rank Gate solo.
And yet, Dojun intended to do exactly that—hunt alone in an S-Rank Gate.
It would sound completely unhinged to anyone else. But to Dojun, it was entirely within reach.
’I only need to recover about half of my former strength.’
The strength that once earned him the title “Sword God.”
He didn’t even need to reclaim all of it—just enough. That’s how overwhelmingly powerful he used to be.
The problem? Regaining that power in this world wasn’t going to be easy.
’What a damned world... The mana here is beyond polluted.’
Dojun clicked his tongue, frowning.
Compared to the world he came from—the world that had been annihilated—Earth’s environment was absolute garbage.
Mana, which should’ve been abundant in the atmosphere, was scarce. And even that little bit was so impure that no matter how skilled you were in mana cultivation techniques, there was only so much your body could absorb.
Not just the quantity—the quality of mana was rock bottom. Purifying it would take considerable time and effort.
’Three years? No... maybe even longer.’
Even if he found the richest mana-dense region on the planet and devoted himself to non-stop training, three years was the best-case estimate. And that was assuming mana in the atmosphere replenished at a decent rate.
If not? It could take five years. Maybe even ten.
’No wonder the people here are weak.’
Dojun had never understood why these so-called "Heroes" were so admired. But now it made sense.
Humans on Earth were born physically fragile. And even as they grew, the environment shackled their potential.
It wasn’t due to a lack of talent—it was the conditions they were born into.
’It can’t be helped. I can’t change the environment, so I’ll just have to adapt.’
There was no use whining about it. No amount of struggle would change that truth, so Dojun let it go.
That said, he wasn’t about to sit around twiddling his thumbs either.
If he couldn’t accumulate raw strength the conventional way, he’d lean on auxiliary methods—specifically, artifacts.
’Gear is a power multiplier. Maximize your base stats, then boost with weapons.’
Even in his ruined world, Dojun had valued artifacts. The stronger you were at your core, the more powerful a top-tier artifact could make you.
But now? Even that wasn’t an option.
’A piece of crap sword goes for billions? Get the hell out of here…’
The market was laughable.
Dojun had looked into getting himself at least a decent sword, but none of the weapons on sale were worth their absurd prices.
So, he dropped the idea—for now.
Brushing aside the frustration, he closed his eyes.
Seated calmly, he began to breathe in rhythm.
Inhale—drawing in the scattered mana from the air.
Exhale—locking it inside his body as tightly as possible.
It looked simple, but it was no easy feat.
This was mana breathing, a foundational—but advanced—technique.
For Dojun, though, it was no different from regular breathing.
It had been second nature since he was a child—muscle memory carved from another life.
Bathed in moonlight on the rooftop, Dojun sat still, practicing his mana breathing.
He looked almost otherworldly—like something out of a dream.
＊ ＊ ＊
Heroes are the most admired professionals on the planet.
They’re the only ones capable of controlling the Rifts that could trigger a Monster Wave at any time.
Without their efforts, the world could never have gained access to mana stones—a divine new source of energy.
Thanks to this, heroes became the fastest individuals in human history to attain both wealth and fame.
Heroes are ranked by class: from the lowest F-rank, up through D, C, B, A, and at the pinnacle, S-rank.
In truth, F-rank heroes barely surpassed ordinary humans in physical ability. There was nothing particularly special about them.
In fact, the risks they took fighting grotesque monsters inside gates—just to maybe walk away with a low-grade mana stone (which only sells for around ₩50,000 won or~ $35)—were seen as pitiful by the general public.
In stark contrast, S-rank heroes could wield more influence than the president of a country, depending on the situation. Their abilities—bordering on cinematic fantasy—made each of them seem like a main character from an action movie, blessed with godlike physiques and rare talents.
Naturally, there weren’t many of these real-life protagonists.
Worldwide, there were barely over 300 S-rank heroes. Of them, only seven were South Korean—and their popularity was beyond belief.
“Hey! Over there!”
“Isn’t that... Hyun Jooyeon?”
“Wait—’the’ Hyun Jooyeon?!”
As the tall, striking woman appeared, the crowd instantly stirred.
It was no surprise—she was Hyun Jooyeon, the fourth person in South Korea to ever reach S-rank.
She walked with quiet confidence, undisturbed by the growing crowd that quickly gathered around her.
Even as people swarmed, blocking the street, she stayed focused, moving steadily toward her destination.
People, stunned to see her in the flesh after only watching her on TV, scrambled to snap photos and shoot videos with their phones. But she carried herself with poise, like this was just another Tuesday.
Some braver souls even tried to approach her for autographs or selfies—but she declined each one politely, nipping any awkward scenes in the bud with tact and grace.
Eventually, she entered a building, and the people trailing behind her groaned in disappointment before reluctantly turning away.
Click, Click, Click.
Her high heels echoed down the hallway until she stopped in front of an office door.
“Haaah…”
With a short sigh, Hyun Jooyeon opened the door.
“Oh—Welcome… huh? Gah?! Wh-What?!”
The man who had been slumped over his desk with his forehead practically glued to his monitor—Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol—nearly choked on his own breath when he saw her face.
“H-H-Hyun Jooyeon?!”
He was so flustered he could barely speak. Hyun Jooyeon gave him a small nod.
“Yes, that’s me—Hyun Jooyeon.”
Her face clearly said, ‘Why the hell am I even here?’
“…Wh-What brings you here?”
Lee Sang-cheol’s voice trembled as he asked, still not believing the situation.
Hyun Jooyeon forced a strained smile, her eyes tightening just slightly.
“I heard you’ve been dealing with a bit of trouble lately.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”
He looked utterly lost. It didn’t make sense—why would one of the most famous heroes in South Korea show up here?
“The CEO of this company… that’s Hyun Sang-hyup, right?”
“Yes, that’s his name, but…”
“He’s my uncle.”
“Wha—Whaaat?!”
Lee Sang-cheol looked like he might faint at any moment.
Jooyeon had to will herself not to walk straight back out the door.
“There’s this hero who's been forcing my uncle to buy mana stones at inflated prices. He kept whining about it—so I figured I’d drop by and see if I could help out. Mind telling me the details?”
＊ ＊ ＊
“......?”
Dojun sat up at the sudden vibration.
It was faint—barely perceptible—but enough to be called an earthquake.
Moments later, the tremor grew stronger.
Rrrrrumble.
The framed photos of Eunyeong, perched on a cabinet, began to shake violently.
“Oppa! Oppa!”
He rushed out to the living room to find Eunyeong, who had been playing with the rabbit plush set he’d recently bought her, standing frozen with a frightened expression.
Without hesitation, Dojun scooped her into his arms and bolted outside.
Just then, the tremor intensified.
Crack!
Crackle-Crackle!
Crackle-Crack-Crackle!
One side of the yard began to ripple—and then, with a burst of blue sparks, an enormous surge of energy erupted.
A Rift!
Through Seo Dojun’s memories, he immediately recognized what was happening before his eyes—this was the very moment a Rift was forming.
“Dojun, what on earth is going on?”
Right then, his grandmother came in through the front door.
“It’s dangerous. Please take Eunyeong and get to safety.”
He handed Eunyeong over to her and immediately leapt toward the forming Rift.
“Dojun!”
“Oppaaaaa!”
＊ ＊ ＊
“Team Leader! A new Rift has been detected in Mapo!”
The Seoul Hero Association’s Rift Detection Division was suddenly thrust into emergency mode—something that hadn’t happened in a while.
It had been ten years since Rifts began appearing, and yet not a single clue had been uncovered about their origin. Not in South Korea, not anywhere in the world.
Why they occurred, when they formed, what caused them, or even where they would appear—nothing was known.
Because Rifts appeared unpredictably and without warning, the Detection Division had no choice but to remain on high alert every second of every day, 365 days a year.
“This is the first new Rift in 63 days, right? Deploy heroes to Mapo immediately. The White Lion Guild is the closest—get in touch with Hero Jang Seok and request backup.”
The team leader issued instructions calmly and methodically.
A Rift’s appearance didn’t necessarily mean disaster would follow immediately.
So far, regardless of size, Rifts had only ever caused local earthquakes up to magnitude 6.0 within a 50-meter radius.
Despite the immense energy bursts from within the Rift, there had never been any immediate visible danger.
The real problem only started when the Rift wasn’t secured quickly enough.
“Where exactly was the Rift detected?”
“In a residential yard.”
“A house?”
The team leader’s brow furrowed.
The biggest headache when a new Rift forms? Unauthorized first entry.
If a civilian—someone who isn’t a hero—entered the Rift first, no one else could go in until they came back out. That meant the Association could do nothing but wait, helpless, until re-entry became possible.
It wasn’t just the wait that was dangerous.
If the first person to enter managed to exit safely, fine. But if they died inside or failed to escape within 30 days of the Rift’s formation, it would enter Break Time—and ten days later, a Monster Wave would erupt.
In other words, heroes would be forced to fight off an unknown number and type of monsters pouring out of a Rift they’d had no opportunity to scout or prepare for.
The material losses and civilian casualties that followed were often catastrophic—and completely unpredictable. That’s why the Association treated unauthorized entry as a worst-case scenario.
The government had even passed strict laws to criminalize non-heroes entering a Rift.
But laws only work if people obey them.
Some stumbled in by accident. Others, lured by unfounded rumors that new Rifts increased the odds of awakening as a hero, went in on purpose.
“Of all places, a private residence...”
The team leader could only hope that no one had entered the Rift yet.
But that hope was shattered within ten minutes.
“Someone entered the Rift. The first-entry window has passed—re-entry is now impossible.”
At the report from the dispatched hero, the team leader let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his forehead.
“Do we know who it was?”
The response came quickly.
“Name: Seo Dojun. Resident of the house where the Rift formed. According to his maternal grandmother, he entered the zone to rescue his younger sister.”
“…So he’s not a hero.”
At that moment, the team leader's expression hardened.
A non-hero had entered a Rift.
And when that happened, the probability of a Monster Wave was—
99.9%.
“Effective immediately, initiate Level 1 Monster Wave protocol.”
The team leader glanced at his wristwatch.
Time until the Monster Wave: 29 days, 23 hours, and 40 minutes.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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