Romney

## [source]

Saint assassin. Became one of Richard's followers.

He was a saint that ventured into the Dragon Valley when Richard opened the plane to the Norland powerhouses. Fought in a brave war against the dragons under the lead of the Dragon Goddess.

A slender assassin suddenly whistled in excitement. The current exchange rate was a hundred points for a greater offering, and 120 was enough for a grade 3 rune. The anticipation from the others present grew immediately; the assassin was only a saint, so the rest of them immediately got their hopes up.

## Plot

### **Success Through Points**

Back in the abyssal battlefield, Romney looked at the point rankings as always, basking in the fact that he still surpassed two legendary powerhouses. It was all thanks to the gorgon head he had exchanged for points, which had given him a head start to becoming a veteran of the system. He now looked nothing like when he had first started out, with a sub-legendary outfit, two legendary shortswords, and a grade 4 Stealthwalker rune. His equipment had improved more in the past year than in the past thirty, and he had called all of his friends including a sky saint to see. The assassin had become the most powerful of anyone he was well-acquainted with, a common success story for those who had joined Richard’s system early on.

People like Romney were a large reason for the continuous influx of powerhouses into the Archeron reward system. Those numbers were boosted greatly when the Celestial Sage announced his own participation, the statement from the epic being prompting any legends that were still holding on to false pride to put aside their heistations. However, the conditions now were quite different as well. There was a registration fee of fifty points which would be deducted from one’s initial battles. This could be made up for in a single battle by most, but it would ensure that they didn’t slack. Nasia had implemented it to exploit the participants’ psyche more than anything; the fact that they had spent a bit at the start would convince them to fight longer and harder for more points.

Of course, all that meant nothing if there weren’t any truly valuable items on offer. This time was no different, with a brand new saint rune added to the list— Petrifying Gaze. Romney was stunned at the mere sight of it, immediately understanding its connection to the gorgon head he had traded in. While he had expected such an outcome, it had never crossed his mind that Richard would be able to finish something so quickly. Even as a layman he knew just how much work went into crafting a new rune, but considering the battle against the reapers he estimated that it had only taken twenty days at most to go from design to completion!

“You mean the Petrifying Gaze? Of course, it goes without saying! Don’t forget that his teacher was the mighty Sharon! You might not know this, but the Deepblue is now the most attractive place of study for all mages in Norland. The alchemy course alone allows students to deal with hundreds of rare materials during classes; if I had an opportunity like that, I would have gotten to level 20 by now.”

“Mm… He really is amazing,” Romney nodded, continuing as the mage slapped his own head in annoyance, “I want to join the Archerons and become his follower.”

### **Follower**

Despite his friend’s attempts to dissuade him, Romney’s eyes glowed with determination, “No, I’ve decided to do it. Doesn’t matter if I die in battle, but if I pull through my name will be written down in Norland’s history!”

Romney gritted his teeth in response. He really wanted to speak about the gorgon head, but he had sworn himself to secrecy on that front. Instead, he held the man’s hand sincerely, “You know I wouldn’t harm you. I feel like this is our only chance; if we miss the opportunity to sign a contract with Lord Richard, we’ll never get it again. Come with me!”

Romney looked at the grand mage with regret, eventually turning around to leave. Looking at his departing back, the man panicked for a split second and wondered whether he truly had made the wrong choice in the situation. However, that fear was quickly suppressed by the much greater terror he felt when it came to the reapers. The casualty reports from Faelor’s battlefields froze him in place.

“I know that you’re an incredible person, I want to follow you so I can leave my own mark on history!” Romney clenched his fists, but seeing Richard continue to stare at him he explained, “I know you’re someone who can produce a saint rune in twenty days, a brand new one… That’s why…”

As the assassin collapsed into his seat with no strength, Richard nodded, “Thought so, but it’s good that you could say it out loud. I appreciate honesty here, and I’ll give you a chance. But you should know there will be no preferential treatment.”

“I understand! I’m lucky enough to have this opportunity; the war against the reapers will be my test!”

“Alright, here’s the contract. This war really is a test, but I sincerely hope everyone can live through it to the very end.”

Romney bowed in response, opening up the slave contract and signing his name with gritted teeth. At that moment, he abandoned his past life to embark on a new road, one filled with sunshine and thorns.

## References

1. ↑ Book 9 Chapter 54
2. ↑ Book 8, Chapter 106
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Book 9, Chapter 53