SFRW-Chapter 174

Ch. 174 Sword God From The Ruined World

The African Union’s de facto leader, South Africa, had put David Momassa at the forefront because they believed in him that much.  

A skilled politician who could negotiate when possible, persuade when needed, and leverage the African Union and World Hero Association to enforce when necessary – with his awakened consciousness and experience in the Hero Association to boot.  

They thought he had everything covered, so they gave David Momassa full authority to slowly pressure the Casserian Guild and Seo Do-jun into compliance.  

But what happened?  

In just one day – no, just a few hours – David Momassa had already declared surrender.  

Seo Do-jun was simply not someone who could be swayed by coaxing, persuasion, begging, or threats. And above all else…  

After witnessing the Casserian Guild slaughtering hordes of monsters, David Momassa had been completely intimidated.  

With David Momassa washing his hands of the matter, Seo Do-jun and the Casserian Guild faced no further obstacles.  

From their very first day in South Africa, they completely annihilated monsters emerging from two rift zones, then immediately engaged a second group the next day.  

Pew-suk! Pew-suk! Pew-suk!  

Each time the slender, razor-sharp blade pierced through the air, monster body parts went tumbling down.  

The precise, clean technique targeting monster joints showed not even a millimeter of error despite the violent movements of the sprinting Black Tiger.  

The one performing these ghostly thrusts with an epee while holding the saddle with one hand was Capmore.  

At age eleven, Capmore had accidentally discovered fencing and became Saudi Arabia’s undisputed top fencer.  

Though he’d never competed in world championships, he’d frequently defeated world-class fencers invited under the guise of instruction, demonstrating his exceptional skill.  

People said that if he hadn’t been born into royalty, he could have made a name for himself as a world-class fencer.  

Even after awakening as a Hero, Capmore made the epee his primary weapon.  

While many criticized and mocked Capmore for using Hero stones to enhance his ranking, no one could deny his swordsmanship far surpassed most Heroes who clumsily swung their blades around.  

Even Seo Do-jun acknowledged Capmore’s skills.  

As such, Capmore took considerable pride in his epee.  

But fighting monsters was completely different from fencing matches.  

The slender, flexible epee – virtually useless for anything besides thrusting – was utterly mismatched against monsters with thick, incredibly tough hides.  

Capmore acknowledged this limitation.  

Yet he continued training relentlessly with the epee as his primary weapon against monsters.  

Just as every weapon has its personality with separate strengths and weaknesses, Capmore never once thought his weapon inferior or disadvantageous compared to others.  

But…  

‘…It really doesn’t fit.’  

He’d felt it constantly in Seoul too.  

During Black Tiger Rider training, he’d often felt the epee was a poor match.  

And in actual combat, nothing had changed.  

There were reasons cavalry throughout history favored long weapons – especially heavy, sturdy ones.  

Distance, height, and speed.  

Long weapons best harmonized these three factors, particularly durable ones that wouldn’t break easily.  

“Hyahhh!”  

Crunch! Crack! Smash!  

Kang Cheon-wuk swung his axe with all his might in sync with his Black Tiger’s movements.  

Each strike sent monsters flying like chunks of meat.  

That wasn’t all.  

Whenever his Black Tiger momentarily hesitated before monster hordes, Kang Cheon-wuk would swing his axe in wide arcs to clear the surroundings.  

His combat effectiveness had clearly more than doubled compared to fighting alone.  

In contrast, how was Capmore faring?  

Though he executed thrusts matching his Black Tiger’s speed, their effectiveness paled in comparison.  

No matter how precise and clean his thrusts, they lacked the destructive power to sweep away multiple monsters in one strike.  

The same applied when surrounded.  

No matter how rapidly he stabbed, it proved insufficient to stop all monsters charging at his Black Tiger.  

His combat power hadn’t increased much from fighting alone, and he even felt like he was slowing his Black Tiger down.  

Glancing sideways, he saw Cain massacring monsters by wildly firing magic from his Black Tiger’s back.  

“…Sigh.”  

Seeing even Cain – let alone other guild members – performing incomparably better, Capmore couldn’t help but sigh.  

“Sorry for holding you back, Ruhun.”  

Capmore gave his Black Tiger, Ruhun a bitter smile.  

-Grooowl.  

Ruhun gave a small growl as if to comfort him, saying it wasn’t necessary.  

“Ruhun, for your sake, I’ll learn another weapon to use with you.”  

Whether spear or axe.  

Capmore now keenly realized he needed to master a new weapon.  

Indeed, those who shone brightest as Black Tiger Riders wielded long weapons.  

The top three performers were:  

Park Seung-ho with the Spear of Maharunta.  

Kang Cheon-wuk, who’d trained most as a Black Tiger Rider.  

And Gloria, who balanced effortlessly in the saddle while firing arrows.  

The Spear of Maharunta – practically one of the Casserian Guild’s most powerful weapons – was practically a cheat code by itself.  

No matter how high a monster’s defense, the spear would slice through skin, scales, and thick fat layers alike.  

Monsters would scream and fall with every swing or thrust.  

“So this is it… Damn! This is it! This is what true gear advantage feels like!”  

Park Seung-ho swung the spear frantically, his entire body trembling with exhilaration.  

This must be how Lü Bu felt facing countless enemies during the Three Kingdoms era without flinching.  

Park Seung-ho was convinced he was the true protagonist of this battlefield.  

Kang Cheon-wuk was no different.  

Determined to make his name known worldwide, his dazzling performance naturally drew all eyes.  

Having become the owner of the axe Seo Do-jun obtained by killing the primitive tribe leader in North Korea, Kang Cheon-wuk had trained with his Black Tiger more than anyone to repay this gift.  

So much so that his Black Tiger had even glared at him for constantly pestering it with training.  

Their extensive training made Kang Cheon-wuk and his Black Tiger move as one through monster hordes.  

“Hyahah!”  

Thud! Crunch! Smash!  

Each axe swing sent three or four monsters flying like meat chunks, while monsters approaching his Black Tiger’s claws and tail were shredded to pieces.  

Spears and axes.  

These were undoubtedly the most suitable weapons for Black Tiger Riders.  

They were also predictably the most destructive.  

However.  

Swish-thunk!  

Whoosh-shhhhk!  

Gloria, twisting and leaning in her saddle with acrobatic riding skills to fire arrows, surprised everyone with unexpectedly brilliant performance.  

Most people struggle to shoot arrows accurately while standing still.  

From drawing the bowstring to judging distance and hitting targets – mastering archery is no easy feat.  

Gloria had been no exception initially.  

But with talent and relentless effort surpassing that talent, she could now shoot steadily even from a sprinting Black Tiger.  

Though brief moments, her superhuman physical abilities and magic control made this possible.  

Moreover, the bow used by the primitive tribe leader suited her perfectly.  

Its weight, balance, size, rapid-fire capability, and even multiple arrow shots…  

Gloria felt she’d met her soulmate weapon, doubling her combat effectiveness.  

Her Black Tiger perfectly maintained optimal distance while handling close threats, letting Gloria shine like a fish in water.  

“Park Seung-ho, Kang Cheon-wuk, even Gloria’s on fire now! Completely on fire!”  

Jung In-joo shook her head at their performances, which she couldn’t hope to match.  

“I expected something like this from Park Seung-ho and Kang Cheon-wuk… but Gloria’s a real surprise.”  

Hyun Joo-yeon couldn’t help but admire Gloria’s skill in hitting monsters from any position.  

Though as Seo Do-jun’s rival, Gloria’s success wasn’t entirely welcome, as a fellow guild member she wanted to applaud.  

“Do you know how stubborn that blonde is? I once saw her training alone at a special facility on Gwanak Mountain.”  

Shooting arrows while climbing steep slopes, rolling and rising, leaping sideways, kicking off trees to shoot mid-air…  

“My head spun just watching! Honestly, most veteran mercenaries can’t shoot guns that well, let alone bows… geez!”  

Jung In-joo waved her hand as if to say “don’t get me started.”  

“It was that extreme?”  

“Don’t even ask. Remember when she couldn’t hit anything during initial Black Tiger riding training because of the shaking?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon nodded, remembering clearly.  

“She looked so frustrated even Patrick warned us not to approach her casually.”  

“Exactly! And now she’s pulling off these acrobatic shots? Does that make sense?”  

It spoke volumes about her brutal training.  

If Kang Cheon-wuk trained openly, Gloria trained in secret.  

She’d actually practiced alone with her Black Tiger at Gwanak Mountain.  

In training volume alone, she matched Kang Cheon-wuk – her current performance was no accident.  

“Amazing.”  

“You’re admiring her?”  

“Huh? She is amazing.”  

“Get a grip! Why do you think she trained like that?”  

“Why?”  

“Ugh! You blockhead! It’s all to impress Seo Do-jun! Look at her now – what do you think Seo Do-jun’s thinking seeing that?”  

“Just that…”  

Frustrated, Jung In-joo thumped her chest.  

“Just what?! That he needs such a strong comrade by his side! Isn’t that obvious?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon bit her lower lip at Jung In-joo’s words.  

“I know you scored points with that close match against Shinjo last time, but honestly… will he keep remembering you after seeing Gloria like this?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon had dueled Shinjo for the primitive tribe leader’s most prized sword.  

Though she lost, it wasn’t a match judged solely by results.  

A paper-thin difference.  

The evenly matched duel that left spectators sweating had shocked Shinjo most – and Seo Do-jun second most.  

Because Shinjo had reached new heights after his Guam enlightenment.  

That Hyun Joo-yeon could fight him evenly after just two weeks of training was astonishing.  

Her determination to surpass Shinjo had yielded results, though failing to overcome that paper-thin difference remained a regret.  

Still, that duel had undoubtedly impressed Seo Do-jun greatly.  

“Anyway, wake up! This isn’t time for dumb admiration! Don’t forget – she may not be ‘that blonde’ to me anymore, but she still is to you!”  

After this warning, Jung In-joo charged back into battle with her Black Tiger.  

Hyun Joo-yeon’s eyes tracked Gloria again.  

Firing not just one but two, sometimes three arrows simultaneously, Gloria hunted monsters with perfect accuracy.  

From a stationary position, Gloria could probably clear entire areas alone.  

Her miraculous accuracy and rapid-fire ability were making her one of the guild’s most valued assets.  

“…I can’t lose.”  

And she couldn’t let Gloria take what was hers.  

Gripping her longsword tightly, Hyun Joo-yeon and her Black Tiger Hodo-ri (named by Eun-young) charged into the monster horde.  

Her sword energy swirling in all directions resembled scattered flower petals.  

So beautiful it made the sight of monsters splitting apart seem artistic.  

As Hyun Joo-yeon began sweeping through monsters with all her might, their numbers visibly dwindled.  

So much so that…  

At the Darling Dam monster corpse processing site:  

“What?! It’ll take three days just to clean up here… and they’ve already finished the Molteno Rift Zone wave and are heading to Bloemfontein?! These… these lunatics!”  

Rovic Eduon, head of South Africa’s Hero Association corpse disposal team, twitched his eyes in disbelief.  

“How many monsters came from Molteno? Fewer than here, right? So they finished already… What? More than here? How?!”  

Rovic looked around.  

Collecting magic stones and harvesting usable parts from endless monster corpses would genuinely take three full days.  

“Call the Association for more personnel! We can’t handle this alone! Damn it!”  

The Casserian Guild’s rapid northward advance, leaving mountains of work behind, was quickly capturing global attention.