Chapter 48: Great Warrior Battle (3)

The origin of the ranking system stems from the Valhalla Empire.

Situated at the southernmost tip of the continent, they created their own culture in a harsh and isolated environment surrounded by tropical rainforests.

Valhalla, known as the holy land of warriors, is a place where those who die honorably in battle are blessed to enter the afterlife. The people of Valhalla risked their lives to reach this afterlife.

In particular, the children of the Valhalla Empire, regardless of gender, underwent a coming-of-age ritual involving battles with monsters. Even if they became disabled in the process, their parents rejoiced at their victory, showing how belligerent the people were.

Valhalla.

They always sought to prove their might.

It wasn't just about winning; they recorded the results clearly and documented who was the strongest.

This was the beginning of the ranking system. Initially, it was a culture unique to Valhalla, but as the Valhalla Empire expanded its influence, the ranking system spread across the entire continent.

The rankings were managed by Valhalla.

They organized the rankings based on clear evidence, and the Kingdom of Cairo also listed the top 100 warriors.

Homerus, ranked 49th.

His appearance was naturally shocking.

'Valko sent a wandering knight as a great warrior.'

Sir Lawrence showed a despondent expression.

Wandering knight.

No one in Cairo was unaware of his reputation.

Homerus, like Berg, was an A-rank mercenary, but unlike Berg, who built his reputation as part of a group, Homerus was recognized for his individual prowess.

He was called a wandering knight because he roamed the kingdom, seeking battles with strong opponents.

As a 3-star knight, Homerus fought numerous duels, building his reputation, and eventually achieved the feat of ranking 49th.

If his story had ended there.

Sir Lawrence would not have been so despondent.

Homerus recently fought a 4-star knight, known as the 30th gatekeeper.

Although he showed the limits of a 3-star knight by losing, he gained enlightenment at the end of the duel and advanced to the next level.

The realm of 4-star knights.

News of Homerus spread throughout the kingdom.

Everyone sought to recruit the 4-star knight, and Homerus's value skyrocketed.

Such a being.

Now appeared in the great warrior battle.

Even if it were the past Homerus, people would have instinctively felt defeat at the mention of his name, but the current Homerus was an invincible swordsman in the northeastern region.

The atmosphere of certain victory turned cold in an instant.

People, without being told to do so, simultaneously checked one person's face.

Roman Dmitri.

They were curious about his expression.

Since Lawrence's great warrior, who was to face Homerus, was essentially a dead man.

People naturally assumed that Roman Dmitri would raise the white flag and declare his surrender in this match.

Roman didn't know who Homerus was.

However.

Apart from people's reactions, just by seeing Homerus's aura, he knew he was a strong opponent.

'Interesting.'

A smile appeared.

This is why life is unpredictable.

Roman investigated Valko's movements through the information guild and discovered that they borrowed money from the Golden Bank to hire the Berg mercenary group.

That was the information available to the public.

With his current abilities, Roman couldn't confirm the 30% of Valko's hidden strength, and the day of the decisive battle arrived.

And now.

Valko showed more than 30% of his strength.

Not only did they mobilize a large sum of money to hire Flare, but no one expected them to hire a 4-star knight.

'If I had faced the cunning serpents of the Dark Cult with such a level of information warfare, I would have lost my head without a proper fight. But against Valko, such a thing won't happen. Just as they hid their strength, they also failed to understand what kind of being I am.'

Before the war.

Roman made thorough preparations.

To ensure he could handle even the strong warriors described in books.

In the fiery furnace, he hammered steel countless times, compensating for his lack of information-gathering skills by training himself.

Therefore.

It was even more interesting.

An opportunity to fight a strong opponent.

If someone was strong enough to make people pale, they were certainly a suitable standard for this world.

Click.

"I am..."

Just as he was about to introduce himself.

As he was about to take a step, someone suddenly grabbed his wrist from behind.

"Resign."

It was Flora.

Like Sir Lawrence, she realized they had fallen into a trap the moment she confirmed Homerus's presence.

"The opponent is Homerus, ranked 49th. Moreover, he is not just a ranker but a strong warrior who has entered the 4-star realm and is evaluated as potentially rising to the top 30. Do you think you can defeat such a person? This plan was completely wrong. You forced Lawrence to sacrifice himself, and now it's our turn to pay the price for the variable. So, step back. Surrender to save your life and fervently hope that Lawrence's knight wins the second victory in the next match."

Flora.

Her feelings towards Roman were complex.

She found him repulsive for being selfish and only seeking his own benefit, but she couldn't let the only person who had helped Lawrence die.

This is a battle where defeat is certain.

Since Homerus has no reason to spare Roman, Flora realistically hoped he would choose to resign.

She is right.

Even if Roman raises the white flag and surrenders, no one would criticize him because of Homerus's reputation.

However.

"I refuse."

He shook off the hand.

As he was about to walk again, Flora urgently shouted.

"You'll really die! This is strictly Lawrence's matter. There's no reason for you to risk your life in a battle with no chance of winning!"

He stopped.

Roman, without turning to look at Flora, gazed at Homerus.

As if.

He were an absolute ruler.

Seeing Homerus look down on the people, Roman's desire to win burned strongly from the moment he first saw him.

"This is my decision. I don't want to explain it to you, so don't get in my way from now on."

He spat out the words.

He didn't check Flora's expression.

Their relationship ended there.

Roman took a step.

Facing Homerus, who looked at him with interest, he said, contrary to people's expectations.

"I am Roman Dmitri of Lawrence."

The declaration of a great warrior.

Finally, he crossed a point of no return.

* * *

Flap.

The flag signaled the start of the match.

There was no such enthusiasm as in the first match.

Neither Homerus nor Roman rushed forward, but waited calmly for the other to make a move.

'I have to deal with such a weakling.'

Homerus had no interest in this match.

He had heard of the opponent.

Once mocked as a fool, Roman Dmitri had completely changed after eliminating the Blood Gang and participating in this battle.

The destructive power to destroy Flare indicated that he was at least a 2-star Aura Knight, but that alone didn't interest Homerus.

'If it weren't for personal matters, I would have challenged Fernando right away.'

Fernando is a 4-star knight.

The 30th gatekeeper.

Homerus, who lost to him, trained hard and reached the 4-star realm.

Now.

He had the strength to face Fernando.

Homerus was preparing for a ranking match but delayed it at the request of his mercenary guild.

"Homerus. We've agreed to a large sum of money for you to participate in the great warrior battle. I know you are looking forward to your match with Fernando, but please consider our position this time. The opponent is Lawrence, a minor family without a 3-star knight, and it will be a very light and easy match for you."

There was no reason to refuse.

After obtaining an A-rank mercenary badge, Homerus hadn't received a proper mission.

He was busy traveling the kingdom, seeking battles with strong opponents, and the guild took care of the funding.

It was a give-and-take relationship.

Homerus did what he wanted, and the guild gained reputation through him.

Thus, as a 4-star knight, Homerus couldn't ignore the guild leader's request.

It was truly.

A boring moment.

Coming all the way to the border to face an unknown opponent, his expression showed boredom.

'Let's finish this quickly.'

He had no intention of using his full strength.

Just enough to earn the money.

Homerus lightly kicked the ground and swung his sword at the opponent.

Whoosh!

It was fast.

Clearly, it was a 'light' level by Homerus's standards, but to the average person, it was incomparably fast, even compared to Chris and Janzon.

Rankers are in a different world.

People thought Roman would be decapitated in one strike, unable to withstand Homerus's attack.

However.

Clang!

He blocked the attack.

As Homerus immediately advanced with a follow-up attack, Roman didn't retreat but countered.

Clang!

Clank!

They exchanged blows in an instant.

Homerus thought a 3-star Aura would be enough to overwhelm the opponent, but even as their Aura-clad swords clashed, Roman showed no signs of being pushed back.

It was an absurd scene.

Roman's sword had a barely noticeable Aura, if it could even be called that, yet it was enough to block the attack.

'Look at this.'

It was strange.

A situation beyond common sense.

His interest was piqued.

He was curious about how Roman manifested his Aura and decided to test it by pushing his 3-star Aura to its limit.

He didn't use his full strength.

He judged that