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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 11
The Rift.
A tear in the fabric of dimensions, where time and space were twisted and unraveled.
That was how Dojun understood it.
It was the consensus among scientists—the most plausible theory, at least for now. But what truly mattered was this:
The Rift operated on a completely different concept of time than Earth, and its environment was nothing like Earth’s either.
That’s why stabilizing a Rift—turning it into a Gate—required aligning its time and environmental conditions with Earth’s.
Which was, to put it mildly, an absolute nightmare of a task.
Still, here he was Dojun, stepping into a Rift for the very first time in his life.
And his first impression was...
“…The Forest of Patisua?”
He couldn’t believe it.
What lay before his eyes—no matter how hard he tried—was a place he could never forget.
His ruined world.
More specifically, the place where he had spent his teenage years.
This was unmistakably the Forest of Patisua, deep within the Kallen Empire.
“H-How… How is this even possible…?”
Dojun’s voice trembled, his face twisted in a way that was almost painful to look at.
His fists clenched tight, and in his eyes—a rage so fierce it rippled like fire.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Awakened?”
“Yes. He hasn’t registered with the Hero Association yet, but there’s no doubt he awakened during the last Gate incident.”
At Manager Lee’s reply, Hong Hee-joo’s face twisted into something ugly.
“THAT filthy bastard awakened as a hero?”
The very thought made her seethe—something that should never have happened had just become reality.
Seo Dojun, who more than anyone deserved to live like a bug beneath everyone’s feet.
She had spent years carefully crafting his life into a wreck—so miserable and pathetic that he’d fantasize about hanging himself at least a dozen times a day.
In the end, she hadn’t even waited for him to give up on his own.
Her impatience had gotten the better of her—and she’d acted too soon.
Which is why she absolutely refused to accept the idea that Seo Dojun had awakened as a hero.
“What the hell was Kang Cheol-woo doing?!”
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Her irritation exploded into full-blown rage.
“He should’ve just killed the bastard himself! Why’d he have to make things so damn complicated?! And he still had the nerve to take payment?! Manager Lee! Get a message to Kang Cheol-woo—if that bastard Seo Dojun makes it out alive, he’s coughing up ten times the money he took!”
But Manager Lee answered, calm and unfazed, as if none of this was worth worrying over.
“There’s no need to contact Kang Cheol-woo.”
“And what exactly is THAT supposed to mean?”
“A new Rift has just opened in Mapo… and it formed right where Seo Dojun lives.”
“And what the hell does that have to do with anything?”
Hee-joo snapped, clearly irritated by what sounded like a non sequitur. But Manager Lee explained immediately—
“Dojun entered the Rift. We confirmed it through the Hero Association. The official announcement will be released soon.”
“Dojun entered the new Rift?”
“Yes. Confirmed. The Association itself estimates the odds of survival are close to zero.”
“So you’re saying… we won’t have to see that filthy bastard again?”
“That’s correct.”
Manager Lee’s confident reply brought a bright smile to Hong Hee-joo’s face.
“Still… just in case, let’s keep watch until we’re completely sure.”
“Understood.”
“Now that’s a relief.”
A light, almost cheerful hum slipped from Hong Hee-joo’s lips.
＊ ＊ ＊
Dojun walked slowly through the forest.
The trembling and anger had faded, but he still couldn’t compose himself the way he usually did.
He had doubted his own eyes at first, but there was no question: the place he’d arrived at through the Rift was indeed the Forest of Patisua.
The shape of the woods, the types of trees and grasses growing within it, even the wind, the abundance of mana in the air, the shapes of the sky and clouds—everything was the same.
Dojun knew it better than anyone.
After all, this was the forest he had sought out to master his Mana Cultivation Method.
“I knew it.”
At the forest’s center stood the World Tree—exactly as he remembered it, towering toward the heavens in majestic splendor.
It was here he had lived, eaten, and slept for five long years.
The pure, concentrated flow of mana surrounding the World Tree was also unchanged.
Compared to Earth’s mana—polluted and scarce—this was a completely different league.
If he had to put it in numbers?
A difference of at least a hundredfold.
Dojun reached out toward the World Tree, brushing his hand against it. The familiar sensation—rough, but comforting—returned instantly.
“…It’s been a while.”
He greeted the tree like an old friend.
In his ruined world, the Forest of Patisua and the World Tree had been the first to fall when the monsters invaded.
That’s how important the World Tree was—perhaps the most important existence in the world Dojun had lived in before it collapsed.
When the World Tree burned, the entire flow of mana collapsed with it.
And as if by some grim, unspoken agreement, countless lifeforms lost their strength all at once.
Especially the beings tied to nature—the damage they suffered was catastrophic beyond imagination.
“If only the World Tree had survived… the world wouldn’t have fallen apart so quickly.”
Even Ryuntena, one of the continent’s most powerful warriors and greatest scholars, had concluded that the root cause of the world’s rapid collapse was the World Tree’s destruction.
Dojun placed his hand on the trunk and closed his eyes.
As he began to breathe using his Mana Cultivation Method, a staggering amount of mana surged into his body.
Even compared to when he was in his teens, the influx was several times greater.
But that made sense.
His current state—far beyond a knight, now known as the Sword God—was on a completely different level.
Though he now had a different body, his ability to regulate breath and channel energy had reached an entirely new depth.
Naturally, even a single breath drew in vastly more mana than before.
The mana didn’t just flow—it poured in, to the point of overflowing. A faint smile tugged at Dojun’s lips.
'I can recover my mana quickly here.'
To Dojun, mana was power itself.
Of course, to wield mana freely, one’s physical body also had to grow stronger in balance.
But on Earth, where mana was scarce to the point of starvation, this opportunity was priceless.
With each inhale and exhale, his body filled rapidly with mana, which condensed and solidified deep within him.
And the process continued—unbroken, uninterrupted.
＊ ＊ ＊
Dojun didn’t stop—he focused solely on his breathing.
A full day passed like that, then two, then ten days flew by.
He was so absorbed in his breathing that he forgot to eat or drink.
Finally, his eyes opened.
The mana that had been steadily condensing around the World Tree wavered in an uneasy tremor.
As a result, Dojun’s mana intake became unstable, and he had no choice but to stop his breathing practice.
Darkness.
Before long, the Forest of Patisua was cloaked in night.
Had he come here before entering the Rift, he wouldn’t have been able to see more than 50 meters ahead.
But in the past ten days, he had changed completely.
Now, he could see clearly through the darkness—sharp, precise vision.
He could even detect things moving quickly within it.
Creatures slid between the trees toward the World Tree.
Dojun’s eyes glinted with killing intent as he recognized them.
“…Bulkena.”
They were the ones who had set the ruined world’s World Tree ablaze.
Indestructible flames—so powerful they burned everything they touched.
Dojun had witnessed countless humans and creatures burned to death by these monsters.
Hundreds of Bulkena swarmed from all directions.
KKEU EHHH KEHK KEHK!
KKEUKEKEKEKEH!
In the darkness, the pitch-black charcoal-like forms of the Bulkena spotted Dojun and immediately ignited themselves.
Flame-shaped heads, three slit eyes and mouths, humanoid bodies taller than most adults, peculiarly thin.
Their strongest weakness was water or earth magic.
But Dojun had once slaughtered hundreds of Bulkena with just a sword.
If only he still had it.
That regret stung more than anything—but now, he had no choice but to face hundreds of them with his bare hands.
“This time… I’ll protect it.”
In his ruined world, he had failed to protect the World Tree.
Here, within the Rift’s interior—he knew it might be meaningless, but this time he would fight to the last to protect it.
“Not one of them will be left alive… I’ll crush them all.”
Even known as the Sword God, no one should mistake him as weak without his sword.
Over the past ten days, he had absorbed massive mana next to the World Tree.
Just how powerful was he now?
KOOONG!
Dojun stamped his right foot, driving it into the ground.
In response, an enormous dome of pure mana surrounded him—a barrier over 80 meters out, solid as a wall.
It was a pure mana barrier—something ordinary mana could never hope to pierce.
“Hoo!”
He had just used so much mana that his head spun.
Compared to his former power, he wasn’t even halfway there.
But this was enough—because his opponents were only Bulkena.
KKEUKEKEKEH KEHK KEHK!
The Bulkena screeched as the barrier erupted, dropping their flaming orbs.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hundreds of flaming bombs pounded the mana barrier, but couldn’t even scratch it.
Dojun, having shaken off the dizziness, began to move.
The World Tree—the one he needed to protect most—was absolutely safe now.
He stepped out of the mana barrier, walking forward.
The nearest Bulkena charged at him.
Dojun punched forward, fists unleashing a powerful mana storm.
Pah-Pah-Pah-Pah-Pah-Pah!
Five Bulkena were swept away, completely erased by the mana storm.
All that remained were two red Mana Shards.
“Huh… not a single Eternal Ember, huh?”
In his ruined world, defeating a Bulkena often dropped an Ember of Unquenchable Fire.
He’d been hoping—but there was still no time for disappointment.
Hundreds of Bulkena still remained, their hostility unwavering.
“I’ll see soon enough.”
At Dojun’s cold voice, hundreds of Bulkena erupted into a unified, savage assault.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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