Chapter 70: Unofficial Ranker (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 70: Unofficial Ranker (3)
The next day.
Having arrived early in the reception room, Willas waited for Roman with an exhausted expression.
'Am I finally meeting him?'
Willas had tossed and turned all night. That was how deeply Roman's soldiers had shocked him.
They possessed a bellicose, combative nature reminiscent of Valhalla's warriors, and the swordsmanship they used to corner their opponents was far beyond what one would expect from a peripheral estate. Having seen countless powerhouses as a priest of Valhalla, he was absolutely certain. If the soldiers' martial prowess truly originated from Roman, then Roman might actually be a powerhouse worthy of the rumors.
'Roman Dmitry. Is he a Hidden Dragon who simply never got his chance, or is he merely a puppet in a show to manufacture a hero?'
One thing was certain. He would find out once he saw the man for himself.
Willas took a sip of his tea. Since it wasn't time for their appointment yet, he waited calmly. Soon, right on cue, the door opened and a group entered.
"Young Master Roman has arrived."
Clack.
Willas set down his teacup. His heart pounded.
Indeed. What kind of person is Roman Dmitry?
The moment he finally laid eyes on the man walking inside—
"……Hooh."
An exclamation escaped his lips before he even realized it.
An unwavering stride. A gaze that naturally looked down on Willas, paired with a remarkably relaxed expression. Willas, who had developed a keen eye for people through countless encounters, was certain of one fact from that appearance alone.
'He is someone accustomed to living as a powerhouse.'
The thought crossed his mind that, just maybe, Roman Dmitry might have actually defeated Homeros.
After a brief exchange of introductions, Willas got straight to the point.
"Is it true that you defeated Homeros in the Great Warrior Battle?"
"It is true."
The reply was calm, as if it were no big deal.
At Roman's nonchalant reaction, Willas swallowed hard. "You don't seem to realize what you've accomplished. Homeros wasn't just a powerhouse ranked 49th; he was someone who had reached the 4-Star Realm and was expected to rise into the top 30. And you, Roman Dmitry, at a mere twenty-five years old, defeated such a man. Do you know what that means?"
This incident. It wasn't Homeros's defeat itself that was shocking. The fact that the opponent who defeated him was only twenty-five was the driving force that had brought Willas all the way to Dmitry.
"A powerhouse who defeated Homeros at the age of twenty-five. Reaching the 3-Star Realm in one's twenties is shocking enough, but if you also hint at the potential of the 4-Star Realm, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call you the greatest talent in the history of the Cairo Kingdom. That is why the Temple of Valhalla deemed it necessary to verify the truth of this matter."
"I understand what you mean."
Roman leaned back. Crossing his legs, he wore an amused expression.
"You are beating around the bush to say that what I did makes no sense according to 'common sense.' Get straight to the point. If a priest of Valhalla traveled all the way to Dmitry, surely you have a clear purpose."
"Very well."
The stage was set. It was time to stop stalling and verify the truth.
Willas spoke. "First, before we verify the truth, let me explain the ranking procedures. Ranking matches are divided into official and unofficial matches. An official match is where you obtain permission from the Temple of Valhalla and defeat your opponent in front of an observer to prove your strength. The outcome of an official match is immediately reflected in the rankings. Although the updated ranking list is only announced at the beginning of the following year, an identification card proving your rank is issued right away. If you had defeated Homeros through the official match procedure, Lord Roman, we would have skipped the verification process and announced to the world the birth of the Cairo Kingdom's new 49th ranker."
The problem was the unofficial matches. Unlike official matches, unofficial matches occurred indiscriminately. In fact, the term hadn't even existed in the beginning.
"The term 'unofficial match' was created due to sudden clashes between rankers. If someone defeats a ranker outside of a ranking match, everyone below the vacated spot moves up by one rank a year later. You can never claim the defeated ranker's position as your own through an unofficial victory. However, if you can prove that you are a powerhouse worthy of that status after the duel, the last spot on the list—which opens up as everyone else shifts up—is granted to the winner of the unofficial match."
The conclusion was simple. Roman had defeated Homeros unofficially. If that was true, it meant that through verification, he could secure the 100th spot—the lowest rank—rather than Homeros's actual rank.
"In truth, there is no way to prove that you were the one who defeated Homeros. The Temple of Valhalla only believes what it sees with its own eyes, so even if there are countless witnesses, that fact does not change. Therefore, to verify your unofficial qualification, we use an Aura Measuring Device. The method of proof is simple. If you pass the ranker standard we have set when using the Aura Measuring Device, we deem you qualified to take the last spot and register you as a ranker. Unlike official matches, no identification card is issued in this case. Since the truth could change at any moment, and the 100th ranker is highly likely to become prey for challengers when the ranking list is first announced, we tend to allow some time as a safety period."
The explanation was over. Now, it was time. It was time to verify the truth with the Aura Measuring Device.
Seeing Willas waiting for an answer, Roman asked, "Is there a reason I must go to such lengths to become a ranker?"
"Well, registering as a ranker means you must bear the corresponding risks, but if I were in a swordsman's shoes, I would say it is absolutely worth it. Making a name for oneself in the world as a swordsman—even without any special reward, wouldn't it be worth risking danger for honor alone?"
Roman chuckled softly.
In Murim, there was also a ranking system, such as the Ten Great Masters of the World. Since there were many who risked their lives for such titles, Roman could understand what Willas was saying.
Revealing oneself wasn't entirely a good thing. The more one was exposed, the more eyes followed, which created variables.
But.
"I do not like the idea of proving my qualifications through something like an Aura Measuring Device. I would rather you assign me a new opponent. It doesn't matter if they are ranked similarly to Homeros, or even higher. Just as you said, I will prove my qualifications by defeating a ranker right in front of a priest of Valhalla."
Roman—no, the Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk—was a man who never hesitated to reveal himself.
It was a baffling response. Willas had met countless people, but he had never seen someone so audacious in his life.
'What on earth does he think ranking matches are?'
Ranking matches weren't child's play. People risked their lives to get their names on the ranking list. It was a glorious stage to prove one's worth as a swordsman, and in reality, many died in the process. The implicit rule of trying not to kill one's opponent held little meaning. When powerhouses of equal caliber clashed, the battle was bound to grow fierce, and a stray blade showed no mercy.
That was why people called Fernando, the gatekeeper of the 30th rank, a true ranker. Fernando never refused a challenger's duel; he always accepted the fights and proved himself.
On the other hand, there were also cowards who registered on the rankings but never accepted challenges. Those types would let their ranks drop sequentially year by year. Cleverly, they would avoid fighting until the very last year, when they would engage in a single duel to defend their position. That was how much even powerhouses disliked ranking matches. After working so hard to achieve wealth and fame, why risk dying just by accepting a bad challenge?
Willas finally spoke. "In truth, as you said, holding a new ranking match is the best way to prove yourself. However, ranking matches are not that simple. It is not something that can be held immediately just because you want it to be. We must fully consider the opponent's consent and scheduling issues to arrange an official ranking match. Think about it from the opposite perspective. Is there any ranked powerhouse in the northeastern region of the Cairo Kingdom? No, there isn't. Therefore, because there is no opponent, arranging one is fundamentally impossible."
"What a pity."
If there was no opponent, an official ranking match was impossible.
"In the end, there is only one way," Willas said. "We will proceed with the test using the Aura Measuring Device. If you pass the threshold of the Aura Measuring Device, Lord Roman Dmitry, you will be registered as a new ranker of the Cairo Kingdom."
The Aura Measuring Device. Contrary to its grandiose explanation, its appearance was very simple. It was a sphere about the size of a fist, which Willas showed him as he explained.
"The testing method is simple. When you infuse mana into the Aura Measuring Device, its color changes depending on the power of the mana. 1-Star is red, 2-Star is orange, 3-Star is yellow, and 4-Star or higher shows green. For your reference, Lord Roman, since you defeated Homeros, a 4-Star Aura Swordsman, you must prove at least the minimum qualification of a 3-Star yellow to claim the last spot on the rankings. And a deep yellow at that. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
There was nothing particularly difficult to understand. Simply put, all he had to do was infuse his mana.
Roman received the sphere. Looking at this culmination of a new civilization, he found it quite amusing.
'Unlike Murim, the Salamander Continent is a world where magic has flourished. Seeing that they even have tools to easily measure a warrior's martial prowess, the power of magic can never be overlooked. What kind of existences are mages? Are they like the shamans of Murim, or are they superhumans who have reached the realm of gods rather than humans?'
He examined the Aura Measuring Device. He couldn't understand the principle behind it. Suddenly, Roman felt a surge of curiosity.
'If I emit Aura in the way of this world, how will the Aura Measuring Device react?'
The two worlds had different ways of using Aura. While the swordsmen of the Salamander Continent emitted their Aura all at once to an excessive degree, the martial artists of Murim condensed and used well-refined mana. That was why everyone who saw Roman's Aura reacted with bewilderment. Even using a 1-Star Aura usually produced a dramatic effect of whipping winds, yet Roman completely overwhelmed his opponents with a force so subtle that people doubted if it was even Aura.
Emitting Aura. It wasn't that he didn't know how to do it. Roman understood the principle perfectly well, but he merely avoided it because he considered it an inefficient method.
'This should be fun.'
Just once, it wouldn't hurt to follow the common sense of this new world.
If the Aura Measuring Device was designed to respond to emitted Aura, then Roman simply had to explosively emit his Aura accordingly. He wondered how the magical artifacts of this world would evaluate his strength. It started as mere curiosity, but upon further thought, it seemed like a rather decent opportunity.
"Please begin."
At Willas's prompting, Roman gripped the Aura Measuring Device tightly.
And then, he slowly began to infuse his mana into the sphere.