The next day, Willas arrived early at the reception room, his face filled with exhaustion as he waited for Roman. 'Finally, we meet.' Last night, Willas had tossed and turned in bed.
Roman's soldiers had left a profound impression on him.
They displayed a fierce and combative demeanor, reminiscent of the warriors from Valhalla, and their swordsmanship was far beyond the level of mere border fighters.
Having seen countless strong individuals as a priest of Valhalla, he was certain of this.
If the soldiers' strength stemmed from Roman, then Roman might indeed be the powerful figure the rumors suggested.
'Roman Dmitri.
Is he a hidden dragon who has yet to rise, or merely a puppet in a show of heroism?' One thing was clear: he could find out for himself.
Willas took a sip of tea.
As it was not yet the appointed time, he waited calmly, and before long, the door opened, and people entered.
"Young Master Roman has arrived."
With a thud, he set down his teacup.
His heart raced.
What kind of person was Roman Dmitri? The moment he laid eyes on the man entering, he couldn't help but exclaim, "…Oh."
With an unwavering stride, Roman looked down at Willas with a naturally relaxed expression.
Having met countless people and sharpened his insight, Willas was convinced of one fact just from Roman's demeanor: 'He is someone accustomed to life as a strong individual.' Indeed, it crossed his mind that Roman Dmitri might have defeated Homeros.
After a brief introduction, Willas immediately got to the point.
"Is it true that you defeated Homeros in the Grand Warrior Battle?"
"That is true."
Roman's response was calm, as if it were nothing significant.
Willas swallowed hard, sensing the weight of the situation.
"It seems you do not fully grasp what you have accomplished. Homeros is not just a strong individual ranked 49th; he was someone who had reached the level of a 4-star warrior and expected to rank above 30. You, at just 25 years old, have defeated such a person. Do you understand what that means?"
The shocking part was not Homeros's defeat.
It was the fact that the one who defeated him was only 25 years old, which drove Willas to seek out Dmitri.
"A strong individual who defeated Homeros at the age of 25. It is already astonishing to reach the level of a 3-star warrior in your twenties, but if you hint at the possibility of reaching 4-star, you could be considered the greatest talent in the history of the Cairo Kingdom. Therefore, the Valhalla Temple deemed it necessary to ascertain the truth of this matter."
"I understand what you mean."
Roman leaned back, crossing his legs, and showed an expression of interest.
"You are hinting that what I have done does not make sense 'logically.' Please get straight to the point. If a priest of Valhalla has come all the way to Dmitri, there must be a clear purpose, right?"
"Understood."
The stage was set.
There was no need to delay any longer; it was time to confirm the truth.
Willas spoke.
"Before we verify the truth, let me explain the ranking procedures. The ranking battles are divided into official and unofficial matches. Official matches are conducted with the permission of the Valhalla Temple and in front of witnesses, where one proves their strength by defeating an opponent.
The results of official matches are immediately reflected in the rankings, and while the ranking list is announced at the beginning of the following year, identification proving the ranking is issued.
If you, Roman, defeated Homeros according to the procedures of an official match, we would have announced to the world that a new 49th-ranked warrior of the Cairo Kingdom has been born, skipping the verification process."
The problem lay with the unofficial matches.
Unlike official matches, which are structured, unofficial matches arose from sudden confrontations among warriors.
In fact, the term had not existed from the beginning.
"Unofficial matches are a term created due to the sudden duels among ranked warriors. If someone defeats a ranked warrior outside of the ranking battles, the vacant position will be moved up one rank after a year. Victories in unofficial matches cannot claim the rank of the defeated warrior. However, if one proves themselves to be a worthy strong individual even after the duel, they will be granted the vacant position created by the shifting ranks."
The conclusion was simple.
If Roman had indeed defeated Homeros unofficially, it meant he could secure the 100th position, not Homeros's rank, through verification.
"In truth, there is no way to prove that you are the one who defeated Homeros. The Valhalla Temple only believes what it has directly confirmed, so even if there are numerous witnesses, that fact does not change. Therefore, to verify unofficial qualifications, we use an aura measurement device.
The method of verification is simple. If you pass the criteria we have set for ranked warriors when using the aura measurement device, we will consider you qualified to occupy a vacant position and add you to the ranks. At this time, unlike official matches, identification will not be issued.
It is uncertain when the facts may change, and when the initial ranking list was announced, the 100th-ranked warrior often became prey for challengers, so it is common to take time for safety."
The explanation concluded.
Now, it was time to confirm the truth with the aura measurement device.
As Willas awaited a response, Roman asked, "Is there a reason to go to such lengths to become a ranked warrior?"
"Well, if you want to be recognized as a ranked warrior, you must take on such risks. However, if I were in the position of the examiner, I would say it is worth it. To make a name for oneself as an examiner in this world. Even without any special rewards, isn't it worth risking for just the sake of honor?"
Roman chuckled softly.
In the martial world, there exists a ranking system similar to the top ten masters of the world.
Many risked their lives for it, so Roman understood what Willas was saying.
Revealing oneself was not without its drawbacks.
With exposure came scrutiny, which could lead to unforeseen variables.
Yet, "I do not like the idea of proving my qualifications through an aura measurement device. Rather, assign me a new opponent. It can be someone of similar rank to Homeros or even higher. As you said, I will prove my qualifications by defeating a ranked warrior in front of a priest of Valhalla."
Roman Cheonma Baekjunhyeok was someone unhesitant about revealing himself.
Willas found his response perplexing.
He had met many people, but never had he encountered someone so audacious. 'What does he think of the ranking battles?'
Ranking battles were no child's play.
People risked their lives to have their names listed.
It was a glorious position to prove one's worth as an examiner, and many had died in the process.
The unspoken rule of not killing one's opponent held little significance.
When equally matched strong individuals clashed, the fights could become fierce, and a blind sword showed no mercy.
For this reason, people regarded Fernando, the 30th-ranked gatekeeper, as a true ranked warrior.
Fernando never refused a challenger and always accepted fights to prove himself.
In contrast, there were cowards who had their names on the ranking but never accepted challenges.
Such individuals gradually fell in rank over the years, cleverly avoiding fights until the last year when they would engage once to maintain their position.
Thus, ranking battles were not favored even by the strong.
After all the effort to achieve wealth and fame, why risk death by accepting a challenge poorly? In response to Roman's words, Willas said, "In fact, as you mentioned, conducting a new ranking battle is the best way to prove oneself. However, ranking battles are not that simple.
They cannot be held just because one wants to; the opponent's agreement and scheduling must be thoroughly considered to successfully conduct an official ranking battle. Think about it from the other side. Is there a ranked warrior in the northeastern region of the Cairo Kingdom?
There is not. Therefore, this issue is impossible to resolve due to the lack of an opponent."
"That is quite unfortunate."
Without an opponent, an official ranking battle was impossible.
Ultimately, "There is only one way."
Willas stated.
"We will conduct a test using the aura measurement device. If you pass the criteria of the aura measurement device, Roman Dmitri, you will be listed as a new ranked warrior of the Cairo Kingdom."
The aura measurement device, despite its grand description, was quite simple in appearance.
It was a sphere the size of a fist, which Willas showed and explained.
"The testing method is simple. When you infuse mana into the aura measurement device, it changes color according to the power of the mana. 1-star is red, 2-star is orange, 3-star is yellow, and from 4-star onwards, it shows green. By the way, since you defeated Homeros, who was a 4-star aura examiner, to claim the vacant position in the rankings, you must demonstrate at least the minimum qualification of 3-star yellow. And it must be a deep yellow. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
There was nothing particularly difficult to grasp.
It was simply a matter of infusing mana.
Roman took the sphere.
He found it quite amusing, this embodiment of a new artifact. 'The Salamander Continent is a world where magic is developed, unlike the martial world.
Given that there is even a tool to measure a martial artist's power, one cannot overlook the power of magic.
What kind of beings are magicians? Are they like shamans in the martial world, or are they superhumans who have reached the realm of gods?'
He examined the aura measurement device.
He could not comprehend the principle behind it.
Suddenly, curiosity struck him. 'If I were to release my aura in the way of this world, how would the aura measurement device react?'
The two worlds used aura differently.
If the warriors of the Salamander Continent released their aura excessively at once, martial artists would condense and refine their mana for use.
Thus, those who checked Roman's aura showed puzzled reactions.
Even using just 1-star aura created dramatic effects, yet Roman completely overwhelmed his opponent with a force that made one doubt if it was truly aura.
Releasing aura was not something he couldn't do.
Roman understood the principle but chose to avoid it as he deemed it inefficient. 'This could be interesting.' It wouldn't be bad to follow the common sense of a new world just once.
If the aura measurement device was designed to respond to the aura released, Roman could simply unleash his aura explosively.
How would the magical artifacts of this world evaluate his strength? Initially, it was curiosity, but as he thought about it, it seemed like a rather good opportunity.
"Begin."
At Willas's urging, Roman tightly gripped the aura measurement device.
Then, slowly, he began to infuse his mana into the device.