Chapter 69: Unofficial Ranker (2)

Thirty soldiers recruited as privates.

Among them, there was no Aura Knight.

Puki was merely a C-rank mercenary, one step below Lucas. On the day he first received guidance from Roman, he heard something he couldn't understand.

"You are born with martial bones."

At that time,

He didn't understand the meaning.

After the war, Roman's privates mastered the Sura Meditation Technique, and Puki, stepping into the new world, developed very quickly.

His rate of acquisition was different from others.

While a soldier standing next to him found it difficult to accept mana, Puki naturally accepted and guided it.

The manifestation of mana.

Most people couldn't succeed even after years.

However, Puki, in just over a month, succeeded in manifesting an aura.

It was a tremendous event.

At first.

Like Lucas, people had doubts about the Sura Meditation Technique.

No matter how wealthy the Dmitri family was, they didn't think Roman would share such a great technique with mere privates.

That was common sense.

But after experiencing the Sura Meditation Technique and seeing Puki's very successful results, their thoughts had to change.

'The Sura Meditation Technique is real.'

Roman's gift.

A treasure worth more than a fortune.

While Puki's success in manifesting an aura could be due to his talent, people knew it wasn't just his talent because they had experienced the Sura Meditation Technique.

The effect of the Sura Meditation Technique itself was unbelievable.

It made it impossible not to feel the surrounding mana, so the part that ordinary people consider the biggest hurdle in the Aura Knight's entry process was easily overcome.

The situation changed.

As long as they worked hard.

Like Puki, they could become Aura Knights.

And with another result, Kevin, the soldiers' attitude towards training changed from then on.

Everyone was putting their lives on the line.

To become stronger.

To overcome the wall.

The intense atmosphere sparked competition, and the extreme clash between Kevin and Puki was the result of this.

Clang!

Rumble.

The clash of auras.

The sound was different.

When the air, which had been sucked in, exploded, those practicing nearby were startled and turned their gaze.

"Try to block it!"

Bang!

Puki took the initiative.

While Kevin was faster in starting to manifest an aura, Puki had the upper hand in physical aspects.

His large build and armor-like muscles.

The explosive attacks, combined with the power of the aura, created a synergy, and Kevin had no choice but to be overwhelmed by the powerful attacks.

However,

Kevin's expression didn't change.

Even in a situation where a slight mistake could mean death, Kevin's gaze didn't waver from his opponent.

"You're really persistent."

Among the soldiers,

Kevin was called a demon.

There were various reasons.

His unpredictable movements and unique, unconventional sword techniques reminded people of a demon, but the biggest reason was his boldness, as if he had multiple lives.

His courage was overwhelming.

Despite numerous sparring sessions, Roman's privates had never seen Kevin take a step back out of fear.

Kevin, who had once cut off his own arm.

While gritting his teeth and enduring the pain, the feeling of fear had completely disappeared from Kevin's mind.

'I will definitely win.'

Defeat was not allowed.

Moreover,

Kevin felt jealous that Chris was favored more than himself.

If he couldn't surpass Chris, let alone Puki, Kevin felt he couldn't live with the self-loathing.

In a situation where his life was being trampled, he met his savior.

To repay Roman's kindness, he always pushed himself to become even stronger.

Thud.

The opponent's attack.

He deflected it with his sword.

Kevin charged forward, and Puki, as if predicting his reaction, quickly retracted his sword and attacked.

Puki's counterattack was fast.

If this continued,

Kevin's head would be split in one go.

A tense situation.

Despite the danger to his own life, Kevin's choice was not to evade but to advance.

Whoosh!

He extended his sword.

Under Puki's chin.

At the critical attack, Puki's eyes widened.

He had to make a choice.

Should he attack Kevin first and knock him down, or should he give up the attack and block Kevin's attack?

If this were a real battle,

Puki would choose the former and decide the outcome, but he didn't want to risk his life recklessly in just a sparring session.

"Damn it."

Clang!

He blocked the attack.

His unstable stance made him lose balance, and Kevin, taking advantage of this, tackled Puki and brought down his massive body.

That ended the match.

When Puki regained his senses and lifted his head, a cold sensation lingered near his neck.

"Really, do you have to go this far?"

"You should try putting your life on the line. Then you'll see that my judgment was correct."

Puki, who looked at him with a frightened expression.

Kevin, with a calm face, retracted his sword and stood up.

The sparring was over.

And that scene,

Willas watched from a distance, shocked.

At first, it was out of light curiosity.

The soldiers of the frontier.

He wanted to casually check how they trained and what level they were at.

Thus,

The training was shocking from the start.

'What am I seeing?'

The soldiers sparring.

Their movements were not ordinary.

Usually, conscripted soldiers only train in simple thrusting and blocking with spears, but Roman's soldiers were different.

They aimed for each other's vital points like experienced swordsmen.

Their evasive movements were efficient and quick, and when they attacked, Willas involuntarily clenched his fists.

He was amazed.

Especially the completeness of their swordsmanship.

Seeing the systematic way they pressed their opponents, he doubted whether they were really soldiers of the frontier.

'The soldiers all use the same swordsmanship, and the level of completion is unbelievably high. And the training atmosphere is as intense as a real battle. Is this the level that a mere noble family of the frontier can show? It's like a miniature version of the Valhalla Empire.'

Valhalla is the same.

A warlike nation that puts their lives on the line in battle.

Like them, who fight with all their might for any reason, Roman's soldiers exchanged attacks and defenses without a single step back.

Then,

Kevin and Puki faced off.

Their fight became more intense, and finally, auras manifested from their swords.

It was

A truly shocking scene.

More than the fact that a young soldier was using an aura, the quality of the auras caught Willas's attention.

'Unbelievable.'

The auras of the two.

They were different from the norm.

Usually, auras are explosive, exerting sudden power, but Kevin and Puki manifested auras so weak that one might doubt if they were auras at all.

At first, he thought they were playing around.

He wondered if they were using some kind of magical artifact to deceive the eye, but from the moment the two auras clashed, his mouth gaped open and couldn't close.

Bang!

Rumble.

The wind blew.

Even from a distance, the clash between the two could be felt on the skin, and he realized that the power of the auras was stronger than it looked.

Beyond common sense.

His head spun.

The level of the soldiers and the peculiarities of the auras left Willas in a state of shock.

'These are not ordinary soldiers. They are probably a knight order that the Dmitri family has nurtured with great effort. But when did the Dmitri family have this level of power? I confirmed that the Dmitri family is a major player in the northeastern region while investigating Roman Dmitri, but this is not the level of a frontier noble family. Even the influential figures of the central government do not have such power. I know the Dmitri family is famous for mining, but what is this scene I am witnessing?'

"...Master. Is Dmitri really a city of mining?"

The voice of the apostle.

He was no different from Willas.

He had investigated the Dmitri family, but the situation he witnessed was far from what he expected.

Willas said,

"I doubt what I am seeing. What is certain is that they are not ordinary soldiers. I heard there is a knight order named after the Dmitri family, so they are probably the Dmitri knights."

At least,

It was a plausible theory.

They couldn't be ordinary soldiers.

However,

Hans, who overheard the conversation, said,

"They are not the Dmitri knights. The Dmitri knights exist separately, and the people you see now are personal privates who follow Young Master Roman Dmitri. They are not affiliated with the family and have sworn loyalty only to Young Master Roman."

With those words,

Willas was once again shocked.

Valhalla.

The empire of warriors.

Even in a place known for having the strongest soldiers in the world, soldiers were not this strong.

'Are they just ordinary soldiers?'

It's laughable.

Soldiers.

They are like the gears of the battlefield.

They are not as skilled as the ones seen now, who exchange attacks and defenses so intensely. Usually, soldiers scream and fall after one or two attacks.

This is true even in the Valhalla Empire.

The soldiers of the Valhalla Empire have better combat skills than those of other countries, but they do not show the qualities of a swordsman like Roman's privates.

He was speechless.

Dmitri.

A frontier territory.

Not a prestigious family of the empire, and yet, Dmitri has produced soldiers of this level.

Common sense was shattered.

While he was in a state of panic,

The training ended.

Willas had to return to his lodging, and on the way, he asked Hans, who was guiding him.

"Where did you recruit such soldiers? They all have extraordinary skills. Did you hire them with a large sum of money, or are they apprentices preparing to be knights? Otherwise, there's no way you would use Aura Knights as ordinary soldiers."

Let's assume the level of the soldiers.

However,

Kevin and Puki were not ordinary soldiers.

To openly manifest auras, what kind of madman would use such talents as soldiers?

If he were in the position of a soldier,

He would have quit immediately due to unfair treatment.

He expected a reasonable answer this time.

But Hans once again shattered Willas's common sense.

"I don't know what your intention is, but if you're talking about Kevin and Puki, they were not Aura Knights until recently. Kevin came from the slums but was specially taken in by Young Master Roman, and Puki was a C-rank mercenary who volunteered to become Young Master Roman's private after seeing the recruitment notice. They became strong through Young Master Roman's teachings. Isn't that amazing? As the successor of the Dmitri family, Young Master Roman has a keen eye for talent. Truly, he is blessed by Dmitri."

Hans's voice was highly excited.

He seemed unable to contain his pride in Roman Dmitri, and Willas stopped in his tracks at his praise.

The surrounding scenery.

It was really dull.

The unique atmosphere of the frontier.

In this city known for mining, he judged that no one capable of overthrowing Homer could be born.

However,

It was different now.

'Roman Dmitri, what is your true identity?'

The meeting postponed to the next day.

He told Lord Romeo that a day's delay was fine, but now he wanted to see Roman as soon as possible.

He was exhausted.

The protagonist of the rumors.

What kind of person Roman Dmitri is.