SFRW-Chapter 170

Ch. 170 Sword God From The Ruined World

Contrary to Jung In-joo’s expectations, Seo Do-jun properly taught Cain and Capmore the true Magic Heart Method.  

No matter what plans he had, fundamentally, Cain and Capmore had rightfully become members of the Casserian Guild through their own strength.  

Seo Do-jun believed that deceiving or misleading them was unacceptable.  

Like everyone else, Cain and Capmore were utterly astonished as they trained in the Magic Heart Method, their jaws nearly hitting the floor.  

While the previous Casserian Guild members had also been amazed, the fact that Earth’s Heroes were now learning a proper Magic Heart Method held significant meaning.  

To give an extreme example:  

It was like comparing a seven-year-old child swinging a sharp sword to a battle-hardened veteran wielding the same blade.  

The difference Cain and Capmore felt was greater than any other Casserian Guild member.  

“…Is this really the fireball I created?”  

Cain waved his hands as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.  

The vastly denser magic condensation had multiplied the fireball’s size and power.  

Beyond its size and power, the fact that he could now cast spells using ambient magic was the most shocking revelation for Cain.  

What mattered was that this was only the beginning—the change after just learning the proper Magic Heart Method.  

“A true mage must be able to fuse their own magic with the ambient magic,”  

…or so his former archmage comrades had once told him.  

But since Seo Do-jun couldn’t reveal his past, he instead clearly explained what it meant to be a mage.  

“But how can just changing the Magic Heart Method make such a difference?”  

Cain’s expression showed that this defied his understanding.  

The Magic Heart Method Seo Do-jun taught was deceptively simple:  

Meditating on the body, circulating magic through inhalation and exhalation, and forming a ring in the heart.  

For mages from the ruined world, this was the most basic foundation.  

The problem was that this foundation had been completely—utterly—ignored by Earth’s Heroes.  

In hindsight, it made sense.  

One day, they awakened to find magic in their bodies, which they somehow channeled into magical abilities.  

That was the reality for Earth’s Heroes, especially those with magical abilities.  

A true mage should first form a magic ring within their body and use it to fuse with ambient magic.  

But how could they have known?  

They had just been recklessly using the magic in their bodies, resulting in weak spells and slow casting speeds.  

“That small difference is the most important thing.”  

Seo Do-jun explained it in a way Cain could understand.  

Though Seo Do-jun wasn’t a mage, the explanation wasn’t difficult, and fortunately, Cain, with his sharp mind, quickly grasped it.  

Capmore, too, showed dramatic changes.  

He had absorbed more Hero stones than anyone else in the world.  

There was even a joke that the money he spent on Hero stones could feed starving African refugees for years.  

Because of the sheer number of Hero stones he had absorbed, unassimilated magic remained scattered throughout his body and magic roads.  

It was enough to surprise even Seo Do-jun—no one in the ruined world had ever accumulated so much magic so stubbornly and steadily.  

If Capmore hadn’t learned the Magic Heart Method from Seo Do-jun?  

Over time, he would have slowly expelled the expensive magic he had stockpiled.  

“Just fully absorbing the magic in your body will make you several times stronger.”  

“…Really?”  

Capmore looked skeptical but didn’t doubt Seo Do-jun’s confident expression.  

Honestly, even Seo Do-jun couldn’t easily predict how strong Capmore would become once he fully assimilated his magic.  

Reaching S-rank had only happened because some of the excess magic had been absorbed.  

It had gotten to the point where forcibly absorbing more Hero stones would have been poisonous.  

Thus, Capmore urgently needed both magic cultivation and physical training.  

If he kept absorbing Hero stones to get stronger, his body would eventually collapse.  

“Just trust me and follow along.”  

At Seo Do-jun’s words, Capmore nodded without a hint of doubt and even bowed deeply.  

Seo Do-jun had taught Cain and Capmore specialized Magic Heart Methods.  

Which meant:  

“So the Magic Heart Method is useless for the other guild members?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon looked at Seo Do-jun while eating ice cream.  

“It’s not completely useless, but they won’t experience the same dramatic effects.”  

Cain’s method required forming a rotating magic ring centered on the heart—something impossible without Seo Do-jun’s help.  

Unless an unprecedented genius existed in the Magician Guild, it couldn’t be done.  

For now, the only one who could forcibly control magic to form the ring was Seo Do-jun.  

“Honestly, if someone had the ability to create a magic ring on their own, they’d already be as famous as Cain or even more so.”  

So even if Cain took the Magic Heart Method to the Magician Guild, they’d only become slightly more adept at handling magic.  

The crucial steps—forming the magic ring and fusing with ambient magic—would remain out of reach.  

“What about Capmore?”  

“His case is even worse. Does the Sunrise Guild have anyone who’s absorbed as many Hero stones as Capmore? Heck, even half or a quarter of that?”  

“Not even a tenth.”  

The amount of Hero stones Capmore had absorbed was staggering.  

Even among the world’s Heroes, those who had absorbed even 10% of what he had could be counted on one hand.  

“Maybe Kerzaman… I’d guess over 30%.”  

Jose Kerzaman, the drug lord who discovered Hero stones, was famous for absorbing a massive amount.  

But the problem was that Capmore had monopolized most of them.  

In hindsight, it was good that Capmore had ended up with Seo Do-jun while Kerzman hadn’t.  

“Anyway, the method I taught Capmore is just about assimilating the accumulated magic in his body. Right now, that’s more important than any advanced method.”  

So even if Capmore taught his method to the Sunrise Guild, what effect would it have?  

“Then what do you plan to do?”  

“I’ll give them something suitable.”  

Seo Do-jun had already selected a Magic Heart Method for the Sunrise Guild.  

One that would show noticeable improvement at first but then plateau—forcing them to rely on Seo Do-jun.  

He intended to use this to leverage both the Magician and Sunrise Guilds appropriately.  

“Honestly, it’s not a complete loss for them either.”  

“Of course. It’s just give and take.”  

Seo Do-jun had no intention of being a pushover.  

There’s a saying: “Once a pushover, always a pushover.”  

***

Aside from the major news of Cain and Capmore joining the Casserian Guild, the days passed uneventfully.  

The world was busy recovering from the damage caused by the primitive tribes’ invasion, while the Casserian Guild was swamped with hundreds of daily applicants.  

“Ugh, I’m bored! If only a bunch of those primitive bastards would show up right now!”  

Park Seung-ho stroked the Maharunta Spear cradled in his arms like a lover and muttered.  

“Why? So you can sweep them all away with that?”  

“Obviously! How can you understand the frustration of getting a new weapon and not being able to use it freely?”  

At his words, the expressions of his colleagues—especially those who used spears—twisted as if they’d eaten garbage.  

It had been a close call.  

The fierce competition for the Maharunta Spear had been decided by the slimmest margin.  

“Dammit! If I’d been in better shape that day, that would’ve been mine!”  

“Of all times to hurt my finger right before the spar! A lifelong regret!”  

“I always need a full stomach before important events… Who knew the raw beef would be spoiled? If it weren’t for the diarrhea, I wouldn’t have lost to Seung-ho!”  

As his colleagues vented, Park Seung-ho chuckled and teased them, saying there’s no grave without an excuse.  

While they were laughing and chatting:  

“Did you hear about the civil wars in African countries getting worse?”  

“That place has always been like that.”  

“A day or two won’t change anything. Honestly, humans are more of a problem there than monsters.”  

“Those folks’ll be killing each other until the world ends.”  

The reasons behind Africa’s civil wars were varied—tribal conflicts, religious strife, harsh environments, resource disputes, extreme hunger from wealth gaps, ideologies, etc.  

Every possible cause of human conflict existed in Africa, making it a perpetual global issue.  

In a land where children starved to death, people still fought with guns.  

Even in the rift era, it never stopped.  

With Heroes joining the wars, the damage only grew.  

“Somalia’s rebels are predicted to win.”  

“What about the government and the Hero Association?”  

“If the rebels are winning, the government’s done for.”  

The speaker shrugged as if stating the obvious.  

“Not just Somalia—most Hero Associations in war-torn African nations are walking a neutral line.”  

Neutral in name, but really just watching.  

Not all Hero Associations were powerful.  

Many were just government subsidiaries, and even the independent ones were toothless without Hero support.  

How many Heroes truly upheld peace and sacrifice as their principles?  

Most were swayed by money.  

Thus, private guilds, driven by profit, grew stronger than public-spirited Hero Associations.  

In that regard, most African nations leaned heavily toward the latter.  

Many rebel groups even saw Hero Associations as enemies to be attacked if they interfered.  

“If the rebels take over, there’ll be a bloodbath.”  

“Only the innocent will suffer. Tossed around here and there…”  

Losing lives, families torn apart.  

For them, living wasn’t living.  

Maybe they’d rather the rift zones open and monsters pour out.  

At least then, rebels and governments would pretend to fight together.  

“Seeing this makes me grateful I was born in South Korea. As a kid, I didn’t realize how lucky I was and just complained.”  

“Honestly, even with its flaws, South Korea’s one of the best places to live.”  

Every time they saw such realities, patriotism welled up.  

“How incompetent must a government be to get overthrown by rebels? Not our problem—let them sort it out.”  

“Yeah.”  

Everyone nodded.  

When had Africa’s wars ever affected them?  

But this time was different.  

Within less than two months, the civil wars in several African nations began consuming the entire continent.  

On the last day of December, under a bitterly cold winter wind, as snowflakes covered South Korea—  

Africa was engulfed in flames.  

And not just that.  

The dormant rift zones burst open simultaneously, unleashing countless monsters across the continent.