Chapter 63: The Miners of the Iron Mine (5)

Lucas could confidently say that the events of the past few weeks were a great upheaval in his life.

‘What exactly am I experiencing?’

After the war ended.

Chris gathered the soldiers.

At first, veterans like Lucas had doubts about receiving training from Chris, but after witnessing him defeat the 3-star swordsman Janzon, they gained blind trust.

Roman and Chris. Neither of them were ordinary people, and the certainty grew that there would be definite results from learning from them.

However.

That day, Chris's words were hard to believe even after hearing them directly.

"I plan to teach you the mana cultivation technique and the sword technique that utilizes it. This is a gift from your lord, so you must train with all your passion and dedication."

Really.

It was an unbelievable statement.

What is a mana cultivation technique?

It is a systematic method for handling mana, and unless it is a worthless imitation, it is a treasure whose value cannot be measured.

Even a low-level mana cultivation technique requires payment in gold coins, and ordinary people rarely have the opportunity to come into contact with it.

To offer such a treasure.

It was absurd.

Logically, Lucas could only interpret the words in a certain way.

‘He must be teaching us some worthless thing from the market. The mana cultivation technique is a treasure that a father wouldn't even teach his son. If knowledge spreads indiscriminately, the rarity of the mana cultivation technique decreases, so there's no reason to teach us something good. Even if we are soldiers who have sworn allegiance to Roman Dmitri, the time we've followed him hasn't built enough trust to warrant giving us a treasure.’

Once.

Lucas was obsessed with the mana cultivation technique.

He couldn't challenge A-grade mercenary work because he lacked special abilities, so he invested all the money he had earned to try to manifest an aura.

The result was losing all his assets.

He had to invest in the worthless techniques sold in the market, and despite experiencing many different mana cultivation techniques, he never felt mana even once.

He was frustrated.

It was the moment he realized the limits of his efforts, and from then on, he began to feel disillusioned with his life as a mercenary.

Based on past experiences.

Roman Dmitri was undoubtedly going to teach them a shiny but worthless technique, pretending to be generous.

And.

His prediction was completely off.

"This is called the Asura Cultivation Technique."

Asura (修羅).

A ghost of the battlefield.

Lucas was shocked as he followed Chris's explanation and practiced the technique.

‘This is insane.’

It was a treasure.

Just by following the technique, he felt his body heat up, and his heightened senses could even feel the wind brushing against his skin.

It was on a different level from the worthless techniques he had experienced.

Lucas had given up on the possibility of becoming an aura swordsman after repeated failures, but the Asura Cultivation Technique gave him hope that it might be possible.

That wasn't all.

The Asura Sword Technique.

A technique that summarized 108 ways to fight an enemy, it was a perfect skill that fully utilized the power of the Asura Cultivation Technique.

It was a continuous series of marvels.

Roman Dmitri.

He was much more impressive than Lucas had thought.

‘What is Roman Dmitri’s true identity? Just a few weeks ago, he was called a fool of the Dmitri family, but now he has defeated the 4-star swordsman Homer and is teaching us an incredible cultivation technique and sword technique just because we are soldiers. Did he gain some kind of fortune? No, even if that were the case, his actions are beyond the understanding of ordinary people. If I had the Asura Cultivation Technique and the Asura Sword Technique, I wouldn't even tell my blood relatives, let alone the soldiers.’

He was bewildered.

An unexpected fortune.

Lucas and Roman's soldiers were all filled with enthusiasm.

Knowing the immense value of the mana cultivation technique, they trained day and night with great passion.

It was a moment that changed their lives.

If he could awaken as an aura swordsman through the technique, a new life that he had never imagined before would unfold before him.

Over the past few days.

He was happy.

It was a great upheaval in his life, and Lucas enjoyed his transformation every day, training happily.

Therefore.

When he heard Roman's proposal, he didn't hesitate at all.

"I apologize, but I want to stay with my lord."

The order to leave.

It was something he absolutely couldn't accept.

* * *

While planning the information guild.

Roman was looking for the right person.

Chris.

He was the core of the force.

Since he was not the type of talent to be diverted to the information guild, Chris was excluded from the start.

Kevin.

Considering his experience from the bottom and his unique ruthlessness, Kevin was a fitting talent for the 'Hao Men' type information guild he planned to create.

But he quickly changed his mind.

Kevin was growing into a perfect combat force by learning the Ghost Soul Magic Technique, and the leader of the information guild needed the experience to handle various situations.

Kevin, still a boy, lacked experience and was not the right choice.

After much deliberation.

Roman chose Lucas.

‘Lucas is a veteran who has experienced everything as a mercenary. He showed practical adaptability in the soldier test, and with his years as a mercenary, he has a wide network. Most importantly, Lucas is a person who can make realistic and practical judgments. The information guild I envision needs a leader who is focused on results, like Lucas.’

He was the right person.

So he made the proposal.

To organize the information gathered by Morkan and to gather information from the continent.

The answer was no.

"If I take charge of the information guild, I will definitely have to leave my lord. To gather all the information from the continent, I would have to travel and live in different places until the system is established. That's why I don't want to. I want to stay by my lord's side. Watching my lord cut down the enemies in the war against Barco, I was genuinely moved. I thought that being with such a person was worth risking my life, but please don't send me away."

His voice was desperate.

As if he were a loyal minister.

Lucas earnestly refused.

At that moment.

‘Not bad acting.’

Roman smiled inwardly.

His true intentions were clear.

Loyalty?

That wasn't the reason.

Lucas was completely absorbed in training the technique and didn't want to waste time on unnecessary things.

The dream of becoming an aura swordsman.

He instinctively knew that he needed to stay by Roman's side to achieve it.

Roman said.

"I have one question. Why do you think I taught you the Asura Cultivation Technique and the Asura Sword Technique?"

"I don't know."

It was still a mystery.

He didn't understand why Roman made a choice that would decrease the rarity of the treasure, but as a beneficiary, he kept quiet.

"I gave you a gift in return for your loyalty. There are not many people in the world who give everything as a gift. Lucas, what do you think of me? Do you think Roman Dmitri would give everything to praise the loyalty of his soldiers?"

"That means..."

Lucas immediately grasped the core.

The Asura Cultivation Technique and the Asura Sword Technique.

What the soldiers considered a great treasure was not everything to him.

"I don't expect blind loyalty from you. The Asura Cultivation Technique and the Asura Sword Technique are valuable enough to be given as gifts, so I rewarded you for following me and risking your life on the battlefield. If I were to give something to someone of greater value, what do you think I would give?"

To Chris, he gave Lightning.

To Kevin, he gave the Ghost Soul Magic Technique.

To the soldiers, he gave the Asura Cultivation Technique and the Asura Sword Technique.

Roman shared his knowledge.

He wasn't worried about the variables that would arise.

People who had experienced a part of the ocean.

Whether they revered Roman's incomprehensible abilities or, like Lucas, sought clear rewards, they couldn't leave his side for various reasons.

It was a quagmire from which they couldn't escape.

An existence too terrifying to turn into an enemy and with the ability to give more than enough to meet their desires.

Such a person.

Was none other than the Heavenly Demon Bai Zhongxue, Roman Dmitri.

To Lucas, who thought his life had been turned upside down by a bit of knowledge, Roman's words were truly shocking.

In that moment.

Lucas instinctively knew how to act.

"I will follow my lord's command and try to create the best information guild on the continent."

The calculation was complete.

If he were given something even greater.

Lucas was prepared to do anything.

This was a very rational deal.

The situation was roughly settled.

Now, it was a matter of time.

Proving that safety improves efficiency, and once the budget came in, Roman's people would slowly form a vast network.

Like the Hao Men, which built the best information network in the martial world through the words of thousands and tens of thousands of people.

It might be weak at first, but Roman believed that the method he chose would yield meaningful results.

The next day.

Roman headed to the iron mine.

He didn't immediately cut off his visits after achieving results.

He judged that it was necessary to observe future changes and planned to work for at least a week more.

However.

The miners were ecstatic at Roman's appearance.

"Master Roman!"

"Master!"

"Thank you so much, Master!"

Many people.

They all rushed out to welcome Roman.

They had heard the news.

Not only had Roman Dmitri saved the miners, but he had also promised to actively address safety issues in his meeting with Lord Romero.

In just one day, the news had spread throughout Dmitri.

People who had initially held prejudices against Roman now looked up to him like a hero.

Among them.

Was the father of the man who had been in the accident.

"Master, thanks to you, my only son was saved. I don't know how to repay this gratitude. Thank you so much. If you ever need our strength, I will do anything to repay your kindness, even at the cost of my life."

He was an ordinary man.

His face was tanned from the sun, and his eyes were full of wrinkles.

One of the many people living in Dmitri.

A man who had never had any connection with Roman now looked at him with genuine gratitude.

Roman looked at the man.

And smiled silently.

The Heavenly Demon.

A demon who stained the martial world with blood.

But he was also human.

He had to rule to survive and accepted the fate of being the son of the Heavenly Demon to achieve the conquest of the martial world.

The people who followed him were what sustained Bai Zhongxue's soul through the process.

When faced with pure goodwill, free from any calculation of practical benefits, Bai Zhongxue knew his choice was right.

"Thank you."

At that moment.

He wanted to say that.

From that day on.

The hearts of the people of Dmitri turned towards Roman.

And, such an atmosphere plunged Lord Romero into deep thought.