The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 488

Where Roman Dmitry had been, the ground was ruined. It was a terrible scene. The Incheon government’s best fighters lay on the floor. Some groaned, holding their heads. Others were still, with blood on their faces.

Lee Tae-sung looked at the fallen fighters. He felt mixed up inside. *Advance one level each month?* he thought. *Can anyone really do that?*

Hunters become stronger in levels, like steps on a ladder.

Getting stronger was very hard. It usually took many years to go up just one level. Each level was much harder than the last. This is why there were few strong hunters, level B or higher, outside of Seoul. Strong hunters wanted to be in Seoul to become rich and famous. Life in the provinces was not exciting or well-paid.

This meant something important. Many of the fighters on the ground were already level C. Now, they were told to become level B. Level B was very, very strong. It seemed impossible. If it was easy to become level B, South Korea would be known for its powerful hunters, but it wasn’t.

Lee Tae-sung turned to one of the fighters who was sitting up, rubbing his jaw. “Cheol-min,” he said, his voice low. “You mentioned you knew Kang Min-ho. Tell me what you remember.”

“Yes, sir,” Cheol-min replied, wincing slightly.

Cheol-min was a level C fighter. He had mentioned Kang Min-ho earlier, so everyone looked at him now, waiting. Cheol-min spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully.

“…Well,” Cheol-min began, “I met Kang Min-ho a while ago, before he got strong. He came to me a few months back. He was just wandering around, a level E hunter. He asked me how to get stronger. To be honest, I don’t get it. The Kang Min-ho I knew was definitely level E. The Hunter Records would show the same thing.”

Hunter Records is a record of all hunters and their levels.

“So,” Lee Tae-sung asked, “what are the chances of him going up two levels in just three days?”

“No chance,” Cheol-min said firmly. “Someone who couldn’t even dodge my attacks? He can’t become as strong as me that fast.”

Cheol-min was sure of his words. Anyone who knew Kang Min-ho would think Roman Dmitry’s words were crazy. Lee Tae-sung’s face showed he was still unsure.

Lee Tae-sung wanted to believe what was normal and expected. But…

“…Normal doesn’t matter anymore,” he muttered. He looked down at his sword. It was a level B sword, made by the best sword maker in Seoul. But it was broken, after fighting Roman Dmitry. Like his broken sword, everything he thought he knew was broken too.

Strange things kept happening in Incheon. Lee Tae-sung couldn’t be sure Roman Dmitry was wrong. He lifted his head and looked in the direction Roman Dmitry had gone. “Let’s get ready,” he said to the others. “Just in case. If the impossible happens, we need to be ready.”

Three days later.

Kang Min-ho looked at the Hunter Exam Center in Seoul. All hunters in South Korea had to come here to go up a level. He had traveled to Seoul early that morning. His heart beat fast.

When Roman Dmitry first told him what to do, Kang Min-ho was surprised. But after training for three days for the exam, he felt more sure of himself. He had shown his skills in the ant cave. A normal level E hunter would struggle with even one ant soldier, but he had fought more than ten at once. He was much stronger than a month ago. He trusted that Roman Dmitry had a reason for telling him to do this.

*That man taught me how to get strong when I was nobody,* Kang Min-ho thought. *Dmitry’s skills are so amazing, people would pay fortunes to learn them. But Roman Dmitry asked for nothing from me. All I can do is obey him as best I can. If he told me to jump into fire, I would. If he told me to fight, I would fight. Following his orders is how I can repay him.*

He made his mind up. Many people had ignored him in the past. Nobody had ever cared about Kang Min-ho, who had so little talent. This was the first time someone believed in him. He was thankful to Roman Dmitry. He didn’t want Roman Dmitry to look foolish because of him. *I will go up a level, no matter what,* he thought.

He went inside. Many people were waiting at the desk to take their level up exams. After a long wait, it was Kang Min-ho’s turn. He gave the clerk his papers, showing what he had done. “From level E to level C,” he said. “I want to take the exam to go up two levels.”

“Two levels?” the clerk asked, looking up at Kang Min-ho. Going up two levels at once was very rare. The levels were very different, making it almost impossible. People who did go up two levels usually had amazing luck from the beginning. For example, some people were born with special powers, or were chosen by magic. People who got strong quickly usually had some kind of special luck.

But then…

“Ahem,” the clerk cleared his throat. He frowned. The papers looked odd. To take an exam to go up two levels, you needed to show you deserved it. But Kang Min-ho’s papers mostly showed level E jobs. He looked at Kang Min-ho again, his voice sharp. “…Are you serious about taking the level C exam with *these*?”

The level up exam was easy to understand. You ask to go up to a certain level, then you fight someone who is already at that level to prove you are strong enough. Usually, people didn’t just try to take the exam without being ready. Many people tried when they weren’t good enough and got hurt badly. So, most people only came to the exam center when they were sure they could beat someone at the level they wanted to reach.

So, level C hunter Ki Myung-joon looked completely shocked. He yawned loudly, glanced at the papers, and said to the examiner walking beside him, “Are you kidding me? You want me to fight *this* guy?”

“The clerk at the desk said they almost turned him away,” the examiner replied, “but he signed a paper saying he would take the test even if he died. It’s crazy. He could really get killed, but he’s paying a lot of money for the exam, so we can’t stop him.”

“The world’s gone mad,” Ki Myung-joon said. “Trying to become level C with skills like *that*.” He shook his head. It was unbelievable. The Hunter Records didn’t lie. They showed Kang Min-ho was just a normal, weak hunter who only did level E jobs. Ki Myung-joon saw no reason to worry about this fight at all.

There was only one thing that stood out in Kang Min-ho’s papers. He had been at the ant cave incident in Incheon that everyone in South Korea was talking about. The examiner explained, “Actually, I remember testing this Kang Min-ho a few years ago for his level E exam. I remember him because he fought so hard, even though he was weak. There’s no way someone like that could have done anything important in the ant cave. I heard Roman Dmitry might be level S, the highest level. He probably defeated all the ants himself.”

“So, he just got lucky and was there,” Ki Myung-joon said.

“Exactly,” the examiner agreed.

Ki Myung-joon crumpled the papers in his hand. He didn’t need to read any more. He threw the crumpled papers on the ground.

“Then we need to teach this guy a lesson for being so arrogant. These days, some people think they can get lucky and pass the level up exam without being good enough. If we beat him badly and send him back, he won’t be so foolish again.”

“Do what you think is best,” the examiner said.

Ki Myung-joon grinned. This was perfect. He was bored anyway. Kang Min-ho would be an example to everyone else – someone who tried to reach too high and failed miserably.

Kang Min-ho walked onto the fighting platform. The examiner watched as he pulled out his sword with a *shwing* sound. He faced Ki Myung-joon, who stood waiting. “I am Kang Min-ho,” he said politely. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ki Myung-joon mumbled, waving his hand dismissively. He didn’t care about introductions. The examiner didn’t wait. “Start!” he called out.

*Whoosh.* Kang Min-ho moved quickly, his feet making light *tap tap tap* sounds on the platform. He rushed towards Ki Myung-joon. Kang Min-ho used the Asura Mind Method to move fast. Ki Myung-joon was surprised to see him close the distance so quickly. *He’s faster than I expected,* Ki Myung-joon thought. *Dash is just a basic skill, but he’s using it in a strange way.* ‘Let’s see this,’ he thought.

*Swish.* Ki Myung-joon drew his sword. A faint blue light glowed around the blade as he used his mana. He swung down hard at Kang Min-ho, who was running straight at him. ‘Downward Strike!’ he thought. *WHAM!* The sound echoed through the room. It was a strong attack, meant to end the fight quickly. But to Ki Myung-joon’s surprise, Kang Min-ho blocked the blow without panicking. Suddenly, Ki Myung-joon felt uneasy. Something wasn’t right.

The speed Kang Min-ho moved, and how easily he blocked the attack, showed he was stronger than level E. But Ki Myung-joon didn’t want to believe it. Kang Min-ho’s records were terrible. He didn’t think someone with such bad records deserved to even try for level C.

“Just try to survive!” Ki Myung-joon yelled. *Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!* He attacked again and again, forcing Kang Min-ho backwards. He swung his sword wildly, easily stopping Kang Min-ho’s weak attempts to attack back. Ki Myung-joon aimed for Kang Min-ho’s chest and head, trying to finish the fight quickly.

The hunters at the exam center were like fighters you could hire. They stayed there for a while, got paid, and used the time to train. Think about it – a place where you could fight many times every day! Ki Myung-joon was experienced. Even though he and Kang Min-ho were both aiming for level C, Ki Myung-joon was much better. Kang Min-ho was being pushed back easily by Ki Myung-joon’s skilled attacks.

*Phat.* Ki Myung-joon’s sword hit Kang Min-ho’s arm, knocking it aside. Just as Ki Myung-joon was about to slash at his chest, Kang Min-ho spun around and jumped back quickly. *Strong,* Kang Min-ho thought. *Ki Myung-joon is strong.* As someone who tested level C hunters, he was definitely powerful enough to beat someone just trying to reach level C. And for some reason, he seemed very angry at Kang Min-ho. Kang Min-ho watched Ki Myung-joon charge towards him again.

Just one month ago, he wouldn’t have even dreamed of fighting someone like Ki Myung-joon. But now, he wasn’t even nervous. It was all because of what he had seen. Kang Min-ho had seen Roman Dmitry in action. He had watched Roman Dmitry defeat the ants so easily. It was like seeing a whole new world. After seeing power he couldn’t even imagine, fighting someone like Ki Myung-joon didn’t seem so scary anymore.

*He’s strong, for sure,* Kang Min-ho thought, *but he’s not unbeatable.* Why was he so sure? He smiled slightly. This exam… he just needed to last three minutes to pass. Winning wasn’t the point. Kang Min-ho wanted to do well enough to please Roman Dmitry. So…

He tightened his grip on his sword. As Ki Myung-joon rushed at him, Kang Min-ho started to really use the Asura Sword Technique. *WHAM!* A loud crash. The force of the blow was much stronger than Ki Myung-joon expected. He stumbled back, surprised. Kang Min-ho used the movements of the Asura Sword Technique, pushing Ki Myung-joon further away.

The Asura Sword Technique wasn’t just about making his power stronger. The way you moved your sword in the technique was designed to push your enemy back, no matter what. These movements now seemed to glow around Kang Min-ho’s sword, making it look even more powerful. In this world, hunters relied on skills they learned. Instead of understanding power and learning to control it themselves, they just used skills given to them by some unknown source. Ki Myung-joon was like that. He just showed off his skills, like playing a video game.

For Ki Myung-joon, Kang Min-ho’s sword fighting, which was precise and used movements to push him back, was confusing. Even a tiny difference in skill could matter a lot. Ki Myung-joon’s sword cut Kang Min-ho’s arm slightly, but Kang Min-ho kept attacking, pushing Ki Myung-joon back with growing confidence.

*The Dmitry Technique that Roman Dmitry taught me…* Kang Min-ho thought. *It’s much better than anything those born with special powers learn. I don’t know how he knows such a technique, but understanding how power works makes a huge difference.* *CLANG!* The sound of metal on metal rang out. “What?!” Ki Myung-joon gasped. He was being pushed back! Kang Min-ho had created an opening. Ki Myung-joon was stronger overall, but fighting wasn’t just about power. He lost his footing. Seeing Ki Myung-joon stumble, Kang Min-ho unleashed all his mana at once.

*WHAM!* *Rumble!* The force of the attack shook the platform. “KRAAAH!” Ki Myung-joon screamed. The shock of the attack went through his whole body. He couldn’t block in time and fell backwards onto the floor. *Thud.* *Clang.* Ki Myung-joon’s sword clattered to the ground. He lay there, unable to move, blood flowing from a cut. The fight was over. “…K-Kang Min-ho… wins,” the examiner stammered, his voice full of disbelief. He was in shock. This was an unbelievable result, something that went against everything they thought was possible.