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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 15
Hero Mana Stone.
Officially, the first person to obtain a Hero Mana Stone was the American Hero, Matthew.
He had barely managed to take down Thunderbolt—a monster that was basically living lightning—within a Rift, and in doing so, acquired a mana stone that was not red, but blue.
At first, people just assumed it was a regular mana stone with an unusual color.
And why wouldn’t they? Aside from the hue, it had no obvious distinguishing traits.
Ironically, the person who discovered the stone's special properties was none other than a Mexican Drug Lord named Querzaman.
A notorious dealer and addict, Querzaman tried using mana stones to develop a new kind of drug.
In the process, he broke down a blue mana stone, absorbed it—and accidentally awakened as a Hero.
That’s when the truth came out:
The blue mana stone wasn’t just rare—it was essential. It was a key catalyst for awakening latent Hero potential.
Even for existing Heroes, it was the only known power source that could forcefully enhance their mana.
“0.5 % commission.”
“W-What was that?!”
“If you don’t like it, then forget it.”
As Dojun started to lift his backpack to leave, Manager Park Cheol-un grabbed it like his life depended on it.
“I-I didn’t mean I disagree! I just… 0.5% seems a bit… extreme, that’s all…”
“It pisses me off. That’s why.”
That brutally blunt answer shut Park up cold. There was nothing more to say.
“I-I sincerely apologize! I was way out of line! If you’ll just give me one more chance, I’d be forever grateful!”
Even though Assistant Manager Lee Sang-cheol was watching the entire scene unfold, Park could only keep bowing and apologizing.
“You already apologized. I got it. Now just answer me—are you taking the 0.5% or not?”
Even as Dojun stared him down with the same icy coldness you’d expect from someone who wouldn’t bleed if stabbed, Park clenched his jaw and tried to negotiate one last time.
“Alright, alright. I’ll be honest. The Hero Mana Stone is so rare that most brokers would probably buy it at full market price without taking any commission. But! You’re not going to only be selling Hero Mana Stones, right? No matter where you go, eventually you’ll be stuck paying a 10% commission like everyone else. So here’s my proposal: Sell all your Hero Mana Stones to us this time, and we’ll lock you in at just 10% commission for everything else—permanently.”
It was a generous offer, at least from Park Cheol-un’s perspective.
The problem? Dojun didn’t give a damn.
“We’ll see. I can look around.”
Dojun casually tugged on the backpack, but Park clung to it like it was his own lifeline.
“9%! We’ll be taking a loss!”
“Then don’t lose money.”
“8%! I swear, if the President hears about this, he’ll kill me!”
“Then don’t give him a reason to.”
“7%! That’s the lowest I can go!”
“Did I ask you to go lower?”
“6… 6%! We’ll be making nothing off this deal!”
“What kind of merchant works for nothing?”
Dojun began pulling the backpack away, as if the negotiation was already over.
“5%! We literally can’t even turn a profit at that rate unless we resell at a loss!”
Dojun ignored his wailing and reached for the office door.
“4%! That’s the absolute floor—I can’t go lower!”
As Park screamed in desperation, Dojun turned around, finally acknowledging him.
“We’ve done business for a while now, so I’ll cut you a break—I’ll tolerate 1%. That’s me being generous.”
And it really was. For Dojun, this was a huge concession.
For Park Cheol-un, though, it felt like they were back at square one.
What kind of "compromise" was this?
“Y-You thie…”
He almost blurted out “thieving bastard,” but swallowed the insult at the last second.
That backpack Dojun held likely contained dozens of Hero Mana Stones.
Which meant its value was well into the billions of won.
Unlike standard mana stones, the resale value of Hero Mana Stones could skyrocket depending on the buyer.
There was always more demand than supply.
Just holding on to a stash of them could make you rich overnight.
’If I can just get my hands on those… Even if we’re losing on commission, the resale alone will cover it. I mean, how many stones can one guy bring in anyway? There’s no way we lose on this deal…’
Running the math in his head with the skill of a veteran wheeler-dealer, Park gave it one final push.
“3%! We can work with that—”
“I’ll tell you now, I’ve got seven more bags just like this one. All filled with Hero Mana Stones. And if you keep trying to change the terms, you won’t even get that 1%.”
Seven bags.
If that was true, there was no math left to do.
“Hey! Lee! Get the damn contract ready—this man’s our top client now! Wait, we haven’t even offered him a drink yet?! What kind of service is this?! Lee! Don’t just stand there—run to the convenience store and grab the coldest drinks they’ve got—no, get EVERYTHING!! Coffee, juice, soda—every flavor!!!”
＊ ＊ ＊
—————
〈STONE MAN has sent you money!〉
- Recipient: Seo Dojun
- Amount Received: ₩6,700,000,000
- Deposit Deadline: 2025/07/09 15:25
—————
Dojun checked the message and tapped the "Confirm Deposit" button.
Just like that, a staggering ₩6.7 billion was deposited into his account.
“You don’t need to worry about any tax audits.”
That was Park Cheolun, confidently brushing aside any concerns about taxes—and since he seemed so sure of himself, Dojun didn’t dwell on it either.
Worst-case scenario? If something did blow up, he could just pin it on STONE MAN, or if that didn’t work, use HCS Capital—the finance firm run by Hwang Chang-seop—to clean up the mess.
“Hope a decent house pops up soon.”
Though he’d asked Hwang Chang-seop for help with the move, Dojun didn’t see the man’s wealth as his own.
He simply found it easier to offload annoying tasks onto someone else—as for the house-hunting and moving expenses? He intended to cover all of that himself.
And with ₩6.7 billion sitting pretty in his bank account, that wouldn’t be a problem.
If it came to it, he could always sell off the rest of his Hero Mana Stones—just one or two would be enough to buy a solid place where he, Grandma, and Eunyeong could live comfortably.
He’d given Hwang Chang-seop exactly two requirements for their new home:
1. It had to be in a safe area with minimal risk of new Rifts opening.
2. It had to be spacious enough to live in without feeling cramped.
The issue was… properties that met those standards rarely ever hit the market.
“If I could freely roam the Rifts again, house hunting would be the least of my problems.”
He clicked his tongue, thinking of that ₩110 billion mansion known as Korea’s safest property.
Just because a zone was labeled a Rift didn’t guarantee that Hero Mana Stones would appear—but compared to Gates, Rifts had a higher chance of dropping rare-grade stones, and on rare occasions, even the coveted Hero-grade ones.
That’s why Dojun had always preferred Rift hunting over Gate hunting.
But just then...
[Breaking News!!]
「We’re bringing you another update! A monster wave has erupted from the new Rift in The Shrewsbury, a nature reserve in Long Sutton, England. Three hours ago, the wave began—despite the British Hero Association sending in a 21-person exploration team led by Hero Paul Memence 23 days earlier. Until now, there has never been a recorded instance of a monster wave occurring before the standard 30-day threshold after a Rift first appears...」
Dojun glanced at the live broadcast blaring from the TV, then twisted his lips and turned away.
“They’ve got no skill, but they still think they can control everything.”
The thought of the Hero Association—those bureaucrats clinging to control over the Rifts—filled him with nothing but contempt.
In the ruined world he’d once come from, he’d have ignored the Association entirely and just gone into the Rifts on his own.
But here and now? Acting like that would only bring more harm than good. He knew better. He’d have to find another way.
Just then, a commercial for premium Korean beef caught his eye.
In the past, the real Seo Dojun, whenever he scraped together a bit of money from part-time jobs, he’d always take his grandmother and Eunyeong out for a meal. It wasn’t anything fancy—most times, they could barely afford cheap sliced pork belly.
“Yeah… tonight calls for Korean beef.”
He’d just made ₩6.7 billion. Treating Grandma and Eunyeong to some top-tier Korean beef felt more than appropriate.
＊ ＊ ＊
Dojun was dining out with Grandma and Eunyeong, just like he’d planned—treating them to top-grade Korean beef.
Even before the Rifts appeared, Gangnam had already been notorious for its sky-high prices. But ever since the Rifts, the ultra-rich conglomerates and powerful politicians joined forces to keep Gangnam secure.
As a result, it has become the safest place in all of South Korea.
And the legend of Gangnam's unbreakable real estate prices? Still going strong, even in the age of Rifts.
So when people said the cost of living in Gangnam was brutal, they weren’t exaggerating in the slightest.
Even the cheapest cuts were going for ₩250,000 per 100 grams.
For the old Seo Dojun—the one who’d died—a meal like this would’ve been completely out of reach. But the Dojun of today? It didn’t faze him one bit.
Except—
“Dojun, isn’t this... too expensive?”
His grandmother, clearly uneasy, kept glancing at the prices, hardly touching the meat.
“I made a lot of money recently, Grandma. Please, don’t worry about it—eat as much as you like.”
Dojun cheerfully grilled some top-grade, double-A rated fresh short ribs and placed a piece onto her plate.
She hesitated for a moment, then took a bite—and her expression melted into bliss.
The meat practically dissolved in her mouth, awakening an appetite she didn’t even realize she had.
But even so, she still looked hesitant, as if the cost weighed heavier than her hunger. Watching this, Dojun quietly called over a server.
“Can we get four more servings each of the fresh short ribs, premium sirloin, chuck flap tail, and striploin? And charge it to this card.”
Before Grandma could stop him, the server took the card and swiftly disappeared into the kitchen.
“How are we supposed to eat all that? Quick, let’s cancel the order. No—I’ll go cancel it myself—”
“I’m really hungry. I didn’t eat much while I was in there, and lately I’ve been starving.”
It was a lie—but Grandma, knowing all he’d been through, looked at him with nothing but pity.
“Alright, then. Let’s eat.”
She tried to grill the meat herself, but Dojun insisted on doing it—just for today.
“Grandma, hurry and try it. It’s seriously amazing!”
Eunyeong, still too young to really grasp how expensive everything was, couldn’t resist the mouthwatering smell and happily dug in, not holding back.
“Please, eat up.”
As Dojun kept grilling and piling meat onto her plate, Grandma finally stopped resisting and began to eat, too.
Just watching Grandma and Eunyeong enjoy their food brought Dojun a quiet sense of happiness.
He used to think of them as people who had nothing to do with him—that he was only staying with them because he couldn’t ignore the dying Seo Dojun’s final plea.
But now, they were becoming something different to him.
Something real.
To be more precise—they were becoming family.
In his past life, in that destroyed world, there was no such thing as a family he could truly protect.
Even the ones he did have only existed for the sake of maintaining the lineage.
There was no warmth. No closeness.
None of the fond, heartfelt affection Seo Dojun’s memories held.
Fighting monsters for so long, he’d lost so many things.
But he’d never really valued those little, quiet moments of happiness—not until now.
·
·
·
“Dojun! You’re alive! You really came back!”
“Oppa! Oppaaaa! Waaahhh!”
They clung to him like they were about to collapse, sobbing uncontrollably.
After emerging from the Rift, Dojun had seen with his own eyes just how much Grandma and Eunyeong had worried about him. And ever since, his view of them had been slowly, but steadily, shifting.
’Yeah… living like this might not be so bad after all.’
He didn’t want to live like a warrior anymore.
He’d fought harder than anyone—and in the end, all it got him was a lonely, meaningless death.
This new life—practically a second chance—he wanted it to be ordinary.
He wanted what others had: a family to come home to, a place to laugh and talk, the simple joy of shared moments. And in this world, he believed he could protect that life with his own strength.
·
·
·
“Mr. Seo Dojun?”
But then—
Even something as modest as a peaceful family dinner…
It turned out he couldn’t even hold onto that.
Dojun looked up at the uninvited guest who had suddenly appeared.
Anyone else might’ve gasped in shock—she was stunning, with a tall, slender figure that turned heads.
“Can we talk for a moment? Are you the He—”
“Can’t you see I’m eating with my family? If you’ve got business, come back when I’m done.”
His voice was like frost—sharp and cold enough to raise goosebumps—and with that, Dojun refused to spare her another glance.
’Did I… just flinch? Me? Hyun Jooyeon?’
For Hyun Jooyeon—South Korea’s fourth-ranked S-rank hero—it was a feeling she had never experienced before.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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