The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 213

It seemed like a normal day, at first.

Roman Dmitry was training alone, focused and strong. Then, Hans came with news. Something had been found under the iron mine.

“An artificially created passage? That’s practically impossible.”

Under the iron mine. The mine tunnels were dug by people, to make paths for work. They had to dig through rock and earth. So, the idea of another path *underneath* the mine tunnels? It didn’t make sense at all.

Think about it. No one was supposed to be able to get down there. So how did someone build a passage? And why?

Maybe… could it be a Dungeon? Old stories said powerful magic users sometimes made secret, hidden places for themselves. Places that were supposed to be impossible to reach.

He traveled to the iron mine. It was a long journey, across many mountains. Morkan led the way. Then, they saw it. A huge hole in the ground.

Morkan pointed. “There.” A dark passage went down into the earth. It was clearly made by someone, not natural.

They walked down the passage for a while. Then, they saw it. Something that showed people had been here.

Hans said, “I was so confused when we found this! We checked the ground before we dug the mine. We didn’t see anything like this underground. But as we dug, suddenly, there was empty space. It just opened up! Who made this place?”

At the end of the passage was a huge door. It was made of steel, not just a plain metal door. Patterns were carved into the steel. This door showed that someone was meant to open it and go through.

Roman Dmitry knew this was serious. The mountains were important to Dmitry’s kingdom. They had to find out what this place was.

“Summon Felix.”

“Understood.”

Roman Dmitry was strong enough to use his power to break the steel door. But he thought there might be magic traps. So, he decided to use Felix to open it instead.

Soon, Felix arrived.

Felix looked closely at the door. He said quickly, “Magic is all through this door! If you just broke it open, the magic could explode. It might even destroy the passage! First, I need to use my magic to stop it from exploding.”

It was going to take a long time. Three days passed. Felix worked on the door, bit by bit, taking out the magic. It was very hard work, something most people couldn’t do. Sweat poured down Felix’s face as he worked.

Finally, after three long days, Felix opened the door. Roman Dmitry watched him closely.

Felix stepped back, breathing hard. “I did it! I opened the door!” Suddenly, a rush of magic air blew out. *Whoosh!* Everyone stared as the steel door slowly creaked open.

Just then. Felix leaned forward, excited to see what was inside. *WHAM!* A strong hand grabbed him by the neck and threw him backwards into the wall!

Felix was confused for only a second. He looked up to see who attacked him. But Roman Dmitry was already moving. He jumped in front of where Felix had been. *Tap tap tap-* Arrows flew from inside, many of them, right at Roman Dmitry!

* * *

*Inside the door.* Roman Dmitry’s senses were sharp. He knew arrows were coming even before they appeared. He pushed Felix away again, fast. Then, he raised his sword. A shield of light appeared, blocking the arrows. *Tap tap tap.* The arrows bounced off and fell to the ground.

Felix looked confused, then he understood. His voice shook a little. “Traps,” he said. “This is a dungeon with traps.”

Just a moment ago, Felix was too slow to react. The arrows were so fast, even a magic user like him almost missed them. This place was made to keep people out.

It was strange. The steel door looked like an entrance. But then, there was magic that could explode and traps that shot arrows as soon as you opened it. It was like the door was saying ‘Come in!’ and ‘Go away!’ at the same time.

Roman Dmitry said.

“From now on, I will check inside.”

“It’s too dangerous!” Felix said quickly. “We don’t know what other traps are in there. We should find them all before you go in, even if it takes longer.”

“No,” Roman Dmitry said firmly. “If someone is living here, they know we opened the door already. Waiting longer will only make things worse. You all stay here.”

Roman Dmitry stepped forward. He had made his decision. Everyone knew he was right, even though it was risky.

*Thud.* Roman Dmitry walked through the door. He focused all his senses, ready for anything unexpected.

He had only taken ten steps. Suddenly, the walls beside him opened up! Hidden weapons appeared, ready to shoot arrows. *Tap tap tap.* Arrows flew from everywhere at once! Hundreds of them! But Roman Dmitry was ready. He raised his sword shield again, blocking them all.

This was just the start of the traps. Every step he took, more arrows shot out. Sometimes, the floor disappeared under his feet, and sharp spikes pointed up from below!

And then… ‘Poison?’ Roman Dmitry thought. A strong, sharp smell filled the air. Poison gas! It could kill normal people quickly. But Roman Dmitry breathed it in and used his magic power to stop the poison right away.

Roman Dmitry had faced poison before, even the deadly poisons of the Sichuan Tang Clan. Whoever built this place had planned carefully, setting many traps. But they had made one mistake. They had planned for anyone *except* Roman Dmitry. None of the traps were working on him.

Now it was clear. The person who made this passage wanted it to be found, but they didn’t want anyone to actually go inside.

Roman Dmitry thought, ‘These traps are like the ones the Zhuge Family would make.’ The Zhuge Family was famous for their clever traps. They were one of the most powerful families. Like the Sichuan Tang Clan used poison, the Zhuge Family used their smarts and machines to trap their enemies.

Even the Zhuge Family’s traps couldn’t stop someone who was strong enough. Like Baek Jung-hyuk. The Zhuge Family were geniuses, everyone knew that. But even their genius couldn’t beat someone with incredible fighting power.

In the end, traps only work if they have a chance to work. Roman Dmitry didn’t give them that chance. He was too fast, too strong. He just smashed through all the traps in the underground passage.

The passage was getting narrower, and Roman could see light ahead. He knew they were close to the end. Suddenly, a voice boomed from the darkness ahead.

“Stop there!”

It was a rough, angry voice, just as Roman had guessed. He had sensed something was different about this part of the mountain. Deep under the rocks, it seemed, life was hidden.

Then the voice spoke again.

“This is our land! Go no further, or you will regret it!”

The voice was sharp and loud, full of anger. Roman could feel the hostility coming from the darkness. Normally, Roman might have tried to talk things out. But this was the endless mountain range. This was Dmitry land. He spoke clearly and firmly.

“I am Roman Dmitry, from the Dmitry family. This mountain range belongs to Dmitry. We found this passage while digging for iron. Show yourselves and tell me who you are. If you don’t explain yourselves, I will see you as a danger to Dmitry.”

The endless mountain range was more than just mountains to Dmitry. It was their shield. It kept enemies out. Roman had made it Dmitry’s last defense, a place to be safe. He was even working to make the land inside the mountains like the legendary Ten Thousand Great Mountains, where they could grow food and live on their own. But now, if there were others living here, people Dmitry didn’t know about… it changed everything. His safe place might not be safe at all.

“Lies! We don’t owe you any answers!” the voice shouted back. Roman’s voice was cold. “You don’t get to decide that. This land was Cairo’s, and now it’s Dmitry’s. I’m not here to ask nicely. I’m deciding if I should let you live here, or get rid of you. Your attitude is not helping you.”

Swish.

Roman drew his sword. From the darkness beyond, he heard quick, shuffling sounds. Then, with another angry shout, “Damn humans! You can’t tell us what to do!” the speaker stepped into the light.

Short. Stocky. With a thick, braided beard. Roman’s eyes widened slightly. Dwarves? It had to be. They were a different race, not just humans. He had heard stories of dwarves, master craftsmen, strong and stubborn. They weren’t just legends; they were real. He knew other races existed – dark elves in the jungles, sirens in the sea. Sometimes, sadly, you even saw them sold as slaves. Dwarves were prized for their skills in metalworking. The dwarf spoke, his voice still angry.

“We don’t care about your human borders! We’ve lived here for ages. No one can take that away from us. Roman Dmitry, you say? I am two hundred and eighty years old! I was born here, in this mountain. Humans never came here before. What right do you have to call this your land?”

The dwarf’s voice dripped with hate. Different races… they really do hate humans, Roman thought. He knew the stories. Long ago, humans and dwarves had lived in peace. But human greed, the enslavement of other races, had destroyed that trust. Now, generations later, the anger still burned. Just because Roman was human, the dwarf hated him. He’s shaking, Roman noticed. The dwarf’s big hand, gripping his axe, was trembling slightly. They were scared. They knew Roman was stronger, that he had seen through their traps. But they had still shown themselves, still spoken out. They must believe they had to stand up for themselves, or they would be lost. Dwarves in the endless mountain range… what should I do?

Race didn’t really matter to Roman. Dwarves, humans – it was all the same. What mattered was that they were here, in Dmitry’s mountains. They might be right about the land. Maybe humans didn’t truly own it. But if they were a threat to Dmitry, then their words meant nothing. Protecting Dmitry was Roman’s job. He had to get rid of any danger.

Roman was ready to be harsh if he had to. He spoke calmly, but his voice was firm.

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe this isn’t Dmitry’s land. But I need to know you won’t hurt Dmitry. This mountain range is close to our lands. We’re here now, and you could easily come to our lands too. So, tell me why I shouldn’t see you as enemies. Give me a reason to let you live. If you can’t, I will have to decide what to do.”

This was not simple. Unlike Chronos, who just wanted to take over everything, this was about survival for both Dmitry and the dwarves. Could they just ignore each other? No. The miners would see the dwarves. Word would spread. Sooner or later, they would clash.

If they didn’t deal with this now, trouble would surely come. Roman knew how small problems could grow into big wars. He wanted to settle things with the dwarves right away. Part of the mountain might be their land, and part was definitely Dmitry’s. History proved it. Race didn’t matter.

“Assurance? How can we give you assurance?” the dwarf stammered, confused. He didn’t want to fight, but he didn’t know what Roman wanted. He looked around, his face worried. Then, his eyes fell on Roman’s sword. Suddenly, his expression changed. He seemed lost in thought, staring at the blade. Even though they were in danger, even though Roman was threatening him, the dwarf was completely drawn to the sword.

“…Could… could I see your sword?” he asked, in a daze. It was a strange, unbelievable question at a time like this.