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His own experience proved Valhalla’s goal. When Roman Dmitry was still undervalued, they recognized the value of Roman through the Valhalla Temple and so they made a move to approach him.

It couldn’t be just a simple coincidence. The Valhalla Empire moved on its own and spread its culture of ‘ranking’ widely on the continent and laid the plan so that they could stimulate the desires of others for their growth. As a result, the Public Ranking became a culture in the continent.

It was a device for unknown talented people who never received attention to reveal themselves to the public. As the Valhalla Empire administered the ranking system, they could greet the people who were talented knocking on the door of the temple. Thanks to this, the Valhalla Empire was able to expand its power. By accepting talented people from all over the continent, they were able to build a powerful force comparable to the Kronos Empire.

And that meant Roman could also be in such a system now. The rankers in the Cairo Rankings were very attractive listings that have been verified.

‘Among the rankers, there are those who took sides and those who didn’t. I will judge their potential through these matches. From the 99th to the 1st. Among them, there will surely be those whom Dmitry can use. I can bring them in front of me and have a chance to check their skills in the Ranking Matches.’

One stone, two birds. It was an efficient plan. Roman deliberately created this plan and began to push the rankers into a corner, making them give up. From then on, Dmitry would confront the forces of the outside world, including the power in Cairo.

In a situation where common sense prevailed in a match that was deemed unfavorable, he had no need for people who were afraid and backed down. He only needed those who decided to face him even after hearing the rumors. And among them, he planned to take Fernando, the 30th ranker, who had piqued Roman’s interest.

‘People say that Fernando is the Limit of Efforts.’

He heard about his weakness—the eruption of aura. It was Fernando’s story that caught his attention, although he needed to meet him in person to solve his problems.

But even when blocked by a wall, Fernando didn’t give up. And even though losing to Vertov had been a huge shock to him, Fernando still stayed in the 30th rank.

At first, Roman doubted it. Could it be that he was a loser who acknowledged reality? However, when he met him in person, Fernando’s eyes, although filled with inferiority, didn’t look like those of losers.

‘People think of inferiority as a bad thing. But I think differently. Inferiority stems from the desire to overcome one’s own shortcomings and the constant desire to surpass others. Inferiority is an honest emotion in humans. The moment one acknowledges it and accepts the reality, one becomes humble and is ready to go beyond the limit and move into a new world.’

He liked it. Watching Fernando struggle until the end, Roman gave him a passing mark on his head. So he gave him new directions and waited for him to come to him after their match. And now….

“Thank you for teaching me! I will not forget the grace Roman Dmitry has shown to me!”

Fernando’s shout—it was the picture that Roman painted.

They moved to a different place. Fernando was being polite. With this ray of hope that came into the desert, he asked cautiously,

“… may I ask how you found out about my problem? People think that I don’t have the talent for aura and that there is no problem with the aura eruption process that we are taught.”

Fernando asked Roman. The other person was just someone in his mid-20s. He admits that he is a great person, but the problem was the theory, which he couldn’t understand right away.

Roman said,

“It is quite simple. If you are a 4-star aura user, it means you have reached a good enough level. However, unlike the power of your aura, your eruption was unusually weak. And it’s not like the destructive power of your aura was low. Hence, applying the eruption process differently should solve your problem. I didn’t say it with certainty, but based on my experience, I just thought that there was a high chance that the passage of your aura was the problem.”

“… that is amazing.”

He was genuinely amazed. Cairo’s hero, what kind of life did Roman Dmitry have? The days he had lived were shorter than his own, but the way he spoke was as if he had had a completely different experience.

Was that why? He didn’t care if he was inferior to Roman.

For a while, silence lingered.

Fernando hesitated for a long time, then said,

“I will be honest. In the path Mr. Roman Dmitry spoke of, I see hope. I have found a clue to solve the problem with my aura, but I don’t know what the outcome will be if I do it alone. If you know the perfect solution, can you tell me how?”

He was fifty years old, and the opponent was a lot younger than him. But still, there was no hesitation in his thoughts. Roman Dmitry was kind enough to show him the path, and although his intentions were unknown, Fernando wasn’t going to miss this chance.

It was the greed of a swordsman. If he hoped for wealth or honor, he would have sided with some strong nobles, but he was always ridiculed in his life for staying in the 30th rank because he stuck to developing as a swordsman.

“It isn’t difficult to tell you how.”

Roman said.

His heart began to race. Fernando looked at Roman and showed a look in his eyes as if to say that he would do anything.

“However, I don’t really like deals where I don’t get much. If I solve your problem, I should be paid back properly.”

“Do tell me what you want.”

“What I want is clear. I want the person called Fernando to live his life for me.”

He stated his purpose. Roman coveted the sword named Fernando. Just like how the Valhalla Empire reached out to Roman, Roman also revealed his greed for Fernando.

If he refused, he would just walk out without another thought. It was Roman’s way not to force the loyalty of others on him, but the answers of those who received Roman’s proposal were consistent.

“I, Fernando, swear allegiance to Mr. Roman Dmitry.”

Chris, Kevin, and the people who said they would follow Roman—all of them came to the same conclusion.

‘Roman Dmitry is the one who will guide me on the right path.’

It was an unwavering decision. Roman Dmitry’s firm gaze on him gave him the confidence to trust him.

So on that day, Roman Dmitry acquired Fernando, who was constantly courted in Cairo. It was only a small incident in the Ranking Match, yet unbeknownst to the people, Roman’s plans were reaching their end.

In the last few days, Cairo has been a mess. As Roman Dmitry defeated the top rankers one after another after the match with Fernando, the nobles gathered.

“Roman Dmitry’s actions aren’t so unusual. Isn’t this really about defeating Count Nicholas?”

Nicholas—a Royal Knight and the number one swordsman in Cairo. People regarded Count Nicholas as an untouchable person, but Roman’s current actions showed that it was possible.

Roman Dmitry didn’t just win a few matches. He rose to the top level by defeating the rankers from the 99th rank and made his way to the top. And the swordsmen who were known to be the top rankers were also tasting one-sided defeat against him.

So the people were sure that Roman Dmitry had the qualifications to challenge Count Nicholas, who was hailed as the number one in Cairo.

Marquis Benedict said,

“It is still premature. Count Nicholas is a strong ranker who ranks 80th in the continental rankings. Roman Dmitry has a history of defeating Butler, but Nicholas is entirely different.”

The continental ranking. The difference between the 100th and the 80th ranking was huge. And….

“Actually, what Roman Dmitry did until now doesn’t even mean much. Defeating Butler proved that he is a 5-star swordsman, which meant winning over all those people outside the top eleven was expected. The real matches start now. They are the best swordsmen, who are on a whole different level, and even if Roman defeats them, it will be tough for Roman to aim for the first position. But to be in the top ten at his age is good in itself. As soon as the matches are over, we need to make our move to bring him to our side.”

“… then, what if Roman Dmitry defeats Count Nicholas?”

Nicholas’s defeat would be a huge surprise. It meant not just the emergence of a new top position but the collapse of the existing power system. And this made Marquis Benedict’s expression turn cold.

“The reason why the side of the royals has been able to endure so far is due to Count Nicholas’s presence. However, if Roman Dmitry defeats Count Nicholas, the meaning of his existence will entirely change. He would become the best sword in Cairo, and his family has huge wealth. With the union of the northeastern area, Roman Dmitry has the perfect environment to build his power, and he even has the potential to create a new power system in the kingdom. That is an unacceptable result. If Roman Dmitry doesn’t accept our offer after defeating Count Nicholas…”

They calculated all scenarios and the worst outcome. The moment Roman Dmitry returns to Dmitry, the problem will become worse than just dealing with the puppet king. Last year, after much thought, Marquis Benedict came to such a conclusion.

“We need to eliminate Roman Dmitry by any means.”

The talent of the nation? The eyes of the people? None of those mattered. He needed to be nipped in the bud before he grew into something they couldn’t handle. All the nobles had serious expressions.

Seeing the Public Ranking Matches, the thought of trying to kill Roman Dmitry didn’t show a positive sign. Of course, this was only applicable when things would go worse for them. They were still convinced that far from defeating Count Nicholas, he would struggle from the 10th position.

Marquis Benedict said,

“Everyone, secretly bring the troops from each family to the capital. The moment we force Roman Dmitry to choose, whatever choice he makes, he will not escape from our grasp.”

At the same time that the nobles were plotting, Roman faced the 10th ranker.

In the match against the top 10th ranker, people began to talk.

“Who will win?”

“Zeron is a 5-star swordsman. No matter how strong Roman is, Zeron’s experience will help him win.”

“A fight between Zeron’s skills and Roman Dmitry’s spirit? I vote for Roman Dmitry. Even if he doesn’t reach Nicholas, I am sure he will take down Zeron.”

“I vote for Zeron. He isn’t an easy opponent.”

For the first time, the opinions were divided. Zeron was a swordsman who had been active in Cairo for twenty years. Even if Roman Dmitry showed an overwhelming performance, dealing with Zeron was a different matter.

Zeron was also confident. Following Count Gregory, he stepped out in front of the people with confidence.

“Such a great guy. Starting from the 99th, you reached all the way here.”

He acknowledged Roman, but that was all. Even after watching all of Roman’s fights, he was sure of himself. Until he reached the position he was in right now, he had gone through countless battles, and like Roman Dmitry, he cut down countless people who were strong.

The position of the 10th rank wasn’t just for the name. Everyone talked about how the true power of the ranking system would be displayed from now on, and for the first time, they were worried about the winner and the loser.

Everyone’s expectations rose. What kind of great win would it be? Who would win? No matter the outcome, they thought this would be a fight that would go down in history. So people flocked to see the fight. And…

Thud.

“Cough!”

Everyone lost their minds. Zeron, who was so proud when he got on the stage, knelt down, looking as if he was in so much pain. Helplessly pushed by Roman’s attack, he coughed up blood on the ground.

“Should we do more?”

The fight wasn’t over. Roman had given him three chances: when he hit his stomach with the sword, when Roman took a step back, and when Zeron became overconfident only to get hit in the face. It was doubtful if this was even a fight.

And now Zeron was terrified. He was sure of his win, but seeing the truth changed everything.

‘Roman Dmitry isn’t even doing his best.’

The people of Cairo, including the nobles, all thought that the true fights would start from the 10th rank.

That’s right. From the moment Roman Dmitry’s success was questioned, he intended to reveal his strength in earnest.

“… I surrender.”

Zeron lowered his head.

The shocking result left those watching the fight unable to accept the reality in front of them.