Chapter 71: Unofficial Ranker (4)

As soon as he infused mana,

The aura meter immediately reacted.

Whoosh.

It began to vibrate.

The aura meter, which initially emitted a grayish hue, turned red, and shortly after, it changed to orange.

The change in color was both rapid and smooth.

Generally, the measurement time of an aura meter is around 5 minutes, requiring a bit of time, but Roman didn't need any of that.

The meter turning yellow.

It was incredibly fast.

In just about 5 seconds, the aura meter reached the dramatic change to the target yellow color.

In fact,

It had proven that he had reached the Third Rank.

Willas, who had been observing the series of events, unconsciously swallowed hard, feeling tense.

'Could it be Fourth Rank?'

It was astonishing.

Willas had used the aura meter many times, but he had never seen such a dramatic and rapid reaction as with Roman.

Even a Fourth Rank swordsman,

Usually, the color would change at regular intervals.

However, Roman's measurement was so extraordinary that Willas couldn't help but feel confused.

He glanced at Roman's face.

Seeing his calm expression, one of his eyebrows trembled.

However,

Willas was making a huge mistake.

He thought Roman had exerted his full mana, but Roman hadn't even started yet.

The initial infusion of mana.

He had only allowed a small amount of mana for the experiment.

It wasn't the way of the Salmader continent; just a slight push of condensed mana caused the aura meter to react intensely.

It was a truly interesting scene. A tool that measured the power of aura through color.

After confirming that the aura meter was safe, Roman immediately got to the point.

'Explode the mana.'

The release of aura.

He gathered the mana.

And in one go, he released the mana towards the aura meter, causing it to react as if it were about to explode.

Boom.

Rumble.

A loud noise came from the aura meter.

The color, which had turned yellow, changed to green, and the green color darkened until it turned pitch black.

It was an extraordinary scene.

Willas, caught off guard by the unexpected situation, had no idea how to handle it, and the aura meter finally turned completely black.

Then,

Crack.

Crack.

It shattered.

Seeing the meter shatter along the cracks on its surface, Willas was dumbfounded.

He looked at the debris.

Then at Roman's face.

And back at the debris.

'What the hell.'

This was an extraordinary result.

What was an aura meter?

When it was first created, it was a combination of knowledge crafted by all the experts in the continent.

According to the creators, the aura meter would never show any color other than the four specified and would never break during the measurement process.

To verify the durability of the aura meter, a grand mage and a Sixth Rank swordsman were mobilized.

The result?

There were no issues.

The Sixth Rank swordsman's mana infusion only reached green, and even if the mana exceeded the standard, the aura meter showed no abnormalities.

It was a thoroughly tested and verified product.

'What's going on here?'

His mind was in turmoil.

He didn't know how to interpret the result in front of him.

Was it defective?

No, it couldn't be.

He had confirmed that the aura meter was in good condition before coming to Demetri, and he had used it on numerous subjects without any such incidents.

Therefore, there was only one possible conclusion.

Just as the aura meter had shown an unusually intense reaction when Roman infused his mana, the shattering was also a result of Roman's unique case.

Roman asked,

"Is it defective?"

"It's not. This is an unprecedented result, so I can't say for sure. However, ..."

He trailed off.

Just before it shattered,

The aura meter clearly showed green.

Since this couldn't be false, Willas confirmed one fact.

'Roman Demetri is a Fourth Rank swordsman.'

Fourth Rank.

His mouth was dry.

For someone of Roman's age, even reaching Third Rank would be extraordinary.

It meant boundless potential and the talent to aim for the Fifth Rank and above, where true strength is discussed in the continent.

But Fourth Rank at 20? It was a different matter entirely.

If someone in their 20s had the talent to reach Fourth Rank, it was impossible to imagine how much they could grow in the future.

'This is a significant event. Roman Demetri is not a hidden dragon that hasn't yet taken flight but a monster that has already grown to its full form. If this fact were known, the Kingdom of Cairo, and even the Salmader continent itself, would be turned upside down. The empire would move if a new Sixth Rank talent appeared.'

The original answer should have been:

To say he passed the test.

That he was a Fourth Rank swordsman, not a Third Rank, and that Roman Demetri was more than qualified to be a ranker.

However,

The empire that built the Valhalla temple in the Kingdom of Cairo had a purpose.

Therefore, he couldn't reveal the truth until the facts were clear.

Willas said,

"Given this unprecedented situation, I can't make a hasty judgment. I apologize, but I will thoroughly investigate this result and give you an answer within a few days."

It seemed,

A detailed investigation of Roman Demetri was necessary.

After the measurement,

Willas immediately utilized the empire's information network.

To find out who Roman was.

From his birth to his recent activities, all the information arrived within a day.

'Roman Demetri.'

Until he was 25,

He led a life that was nothing special.

He was just a common noble's troublemaker, and people thought of Roman Demetri as trash, even mocking him as a fool.

The change in reputation began with the Blood Fang incident.

He single-handedly eradicated the Blood Fang, intervened in the war with Barco, and ultimately brought down Homer.

'His life before and after 25 is completely different.'

The reason was unknown.

Did he obtain some special fortune?

Or did he train relentlessly in a place no one could see?

What was certain was,

Roman Demetri had awakened.

He started living as a new person, revealing his hidden talents that had been buried under the dirt.

Flip.

He turned the page.

Finally,

There was the Barco incident.

The shocking event where he went to Barco's manor and killed his son in front of his father.

While reading this part, Willas swallowed hard.

"Truly a madman."

It was bold.

Roman's actions always shattered common sense.

Barco would have collapsed on its own, yet Roman Demetri deliberately entered a place where he might be killed to eliminate Anthony Barco.

Others might think he was simply cruel.

But considering how Roman had handled things, it seemed to be a perfectly planned move.

'Roman Demetri has never handled anything half-heartedly. When eradicating the Blood Fang, he targeted their leader to dismantle the organization in one go. In the war with Barco, he drew attention with Lawrence's troops and attacked Barco's rear at the right moment. It's the same now. To ensure Barco could never rise again, he went there himself and completely crushed their hope. The boldness to stake his life on his plans and the ability to execute them. Roman Demetri is not just a monster who reached Fourth Rank in his 20s but also a person with the intellect to utilize it.'

His recent actions.

They were impressive.

As aggressive as the people of Valhalla, yet with a cold, clear judgment.

'Just one thing. Confirm the result of the aura meter and make a decision.'

The broken aura meter.

He needed to understand the reason.

He sent the debris to the magic guild, and the results arrived within two days.

The content was as follows:

[...There was nothing wrong with the aura meter. The change to black and the breaking of the aura meter can only be attributed to an intangible force beyond its capacity. The green result was normal.]

"Of course."

As expected.

Roman was a Fourth Rank swordsman.

The strange result wasn't due to a defective aura meter but because Roman had truly reached Fourth Rank in his 20s.

It was an incredibly impressive result, hard to believe.

When he first went to Demetri, he never imagined such a result, but Willas had finally found the target he had been looking for after a long time.

Roman Demetri.

He was not someone to be finished with just a ranking verification.

Willas immediately contacted the home country.

The ranking system originated from Valhalla.

But why,

Was the Valhalla Empire managing the rankings of other countries?

People thought it was just Valhalla's nature, but the hidden truth was not so innocent.

"I will add Roman Demetri to the recruitment list."

Through the magic communication,

Willas reported to the home country.

The Valhalla Empire was not just a barbarian obsessed with combat.

They were cunning enough to build the empire's status and devised a method to poach talents from other countries using the ranking system.

It made handling things much easier when people considered being a ranker an honorable position.

With all the talents from various countries aspiring to be rankers, the Valhalla Empire could discover talents earlier with fewer people.

Willas explained the reason.

Why he wanted to recruit Roman Demetri.

The way he handled things and his Fourth Rank talent, the person on the other end of the magic communication said,

"Indeed, a tempting talent. I will upgrade Roman Demetri's evaluation to A-grade and always keep an eye on him while looking for ways to recruit him. I must emphasize that the most important thing in the process of recruiting talents from other countries is security. We must ensure that no one realizes we are poaching talents through the 'ranking system.' We need to make Roman Demetri naturally turn his heart towards Valhalla."

"Understood."

A-grade.

An incredible evaluation.

In Cairo, only one person had ever received such an evaluation.

Thus, the A-grade was a clear indication of the intention to recruit Roman Demetri.

Willas said,

"Tomorrow, as soon as it gets light, I will visit Demetri and tell him the aura meter was defective. I will say that Roman Demetri is a Third Rank swordsman and has secured a spot at the bottom of the rankings. It would be best to wrap things up this way. And I will proceed with the preliminary work for recruitment as quickly as possible. Reaching the rankings at 25 is a significant event that would cause a stir in a small country like Cairo."

With that,

He ended the communication.

And the next day,

The Kingdom of Cairo was turned upside down by Willas's announcement.

The youngest ranker.

As Willas had predicted, even showing only a part of Roman's actions left people in great shock.