The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 156

Three months prior, Roman had set a goal: to analyze magic.

From that moment, he began collecting every book on magic, dedicating his spare time to its analysis.

He revisited ‘Understanding Magic,’ the most basic book on magic, which he had read before.

“Magic starts when mana from inside a magic circle connects with mana from nature,” he read. “You can’t make magic work perfectly just with your own mana. So, what kind of mana you naturally have is very important. For example, if your mana is like fire, you can use fire from nature. This makes your fire magic much stronger.”

Connecting with nature. That was the key to magic.

Wizards usually studied ‘Understanding Magic’ to find out what kind of mana was best for them, like wizards always had. Fire for fire, water for water, wind for wind. As ‘Understanding Magic’ said, they looked for mana that matched their own, not the opposite. They focused on learning magic that worked well with their natural mana.

When he first read the book, Roman accepted everything it said. But now, after fighting Edwin Hector, Roman understood the book differently.

‘Connecting with nature means that magic has a kind of signal,’ Roman thought. ‘People often say magic is a miracle that makes something from nothing. But ‘Understanding Magic’ explains that magic needs certain things to work. If I can read that signal, maybe I can see magic coming and dodge it.’

It wasn’t just about sensing mana.

He wanted to understand the pattern, to find the real secrets of magic.

Even though it was a basic theory, Roman had endless questions about it.

‘Magic is organized,’ he thought. ‘If everyone follows the rules, they can use the same magic. Wizards have shared their knowledge for years, creating the system we have now. That means I can use that system to my advantage. The moment mana from the circle joins with nature’s mana, I believe you can guess what magic someone is using. You can tell by the shape of the mana, how much there is, and what kind it is. For example, a small, fire-like sphere probably means Fireball. If I know that ahead of time, it’s easy to react. Fireball goes in a straight line, so I can just step to the side.’

He imagined dodging a Fireball.

‘Understanding mana is hard,’ he realized. ‘To use this idea in real life, I need to know everything about wizard magic and how it works.’

Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will win every time. Understanding the opponent was the first step to victory.

He bought many expensive magic books. He filled his bookshelf and eagerly learned all the knowledge inside.

He even checked if he could be a wizard himself. But he found out that magic circles and his dantian mana could not work together.

He couldn’t use magic himself, no matter how hard he studied.

Just because he wanted to understand magic, Roman spent a lot of money and time studying, just like wizards do.

In the first month, his progress was slow. Since he didn’t have a good base yet, he focused on carefully understanding magic without rushing.

As time passed, his analysis sped up. As his bookshelf overflowed with books, Roman started to grasp the real secrets of magic.

Finally, after three months, Roman Dmitry knew he needed to test his ideas in real fights.

Roman leaned forward slightly, his eyes intense. “Felix, the reason I could move before your magic hit me… it’s because I saw a pattern.” He paused, letting his words sink in. “Imagine magic mana as having a shape, a kind of… signal. Before you even finished casting, I could see that signal. By looking at how much mana you used, the shape it took, and if it felt like fire mana, I could guess what you were planning. Fireball, Fire Wave, Rune Flare… it doesn’t matter. Once a wizard chooses their spell, it’s not too hard to see what they’re aiming for.”

Felix blinked, stunned. Roman spoke so casually, but Felix felt like the ground had shifted beneath his feet. *A signal? He could see a signal in mana?* He stared at Roman, speechless.

Roman said it like it was easy, but actually doing what he described was very hard.

First, you needed to be able to sense the signal. Second, you needed to know what kind of magic it was just by looking at the signal. Third, you needed to quickly decide how to react based on what you saw. Felix realized that at least three things were needed to do what Roman did.

Felix’s eyes twitched, but Roman answered the questions Felix had asked.

“The reason I stopped the curse magic like Hold was because I used a kind of…block. Magic experts say that you can stop curses by pushing out the mana that gets inside your body. But this way takes too much time. In a fight, where every second matters, it’s not a good answer. So, I decided to use my own mana to make the curse mana explode inside me. An explosion inside your body! If I got the power or size of the explosion even a little wrong, I’d be badly hurt. But if I did it right, it could stop the curse.”

This also made no sense to Felix.

When they met, Felix had asked three things: how he reacted so fast, why curse magic didn’t work, and what the barrier was that blocked the magic. Roman gave clear answers.

Even as he listened, Felix knew that just knowing Roman’s theory didn’t mean anyone could do it.

“Lastly, about the third thing. The barrier that blocked the magic is made by pushing aura out of your body like a shield. I call this Geomak. It’s a way of using the power of aura to block attacks,” Roman explained.

Geomak was a method from the Murim.

Unlike how most people in the world used aura with big explosions, Geomak needed very careful control, just to push aura out of your body. If normal swordsmen tried Roman’s method, their aura would explode before they could even make the shape, instead of making a shield shape with aura.

At first, Felix had been confused by Roman’s actions. But after listening to Roman explain everything, Felix understood why he was completely beaten.

Roman closed the book.

“My explanation is over. Do you have any questions?” he asked.

He wasn’t afraid to share his knowledge with others, even to learn more himself. He was incredibly confident.

Looking up at Roman, Felix was speechless.

After finishing the conversation, Felix returned to his lodgings. It was a short talk, but talking to Roman made Felix feel very small.

“What did I just hear?” he wondered.

People called Felix a genius.

He always thought he was talented. But Roman Dmitry was different. He was like a monster.

There was no other way to describe him.

When Roman explained how to fight wizards, it was like everything Felix knew was wrong.

‘Roman Dmitry. He is not simply following his instincts. He thoroughly analyzes his opponent and has won dozens of victories against me through perfect calculation. I think offering 10,000 gold is the same idea. Roman Dmitry deliberately put himself in a corner with a large reward because he is confident that he will win.’

That wasn’t a typical decision.

No matter how confident he was.

Even though he offered a large sum as a reward, Roman Dmitry explained in detail how he had won.

Roman’s intention was clear.

Roman wasn’t worried about sharing his ideas.

He wanted to work with others and learn more.

Since it was a method that anyone could not use anyway, he showed that he wasn’t afraid to be special.

‘Could I do that?’

No.

He would never have been able to do that.

Even if he could not learn more on his own, he would have kept his knowledge hidden and thought about how he could benefit from it being rare.

It’s not that he was ashamed of that judgment.

Knowing most people would hide their knowledge, Roman seemed even more unusual.

Suddenly.

His conversation with Roman came to mind.

“Felix. The fact that I beat you is not that important. I have something to gain from the match with you, and that’s why a one-sided match like yesterday and today is not the picture I want. So, don’t hesitate to use any means to defeat me. If it’s a magical ability, I’ll allow you to use any method.”

Roman’s words.

He was consistent from beginning to end.

He didn’t care at all about revealing his power and knowledge, and hoped to gain even a slight possibility from his relationship with Felix.

He was willing to spend a lot of money and share his knowledge.

He didn’t care who learned from him, as long as he could improve himself.

It was amazing.

Because it was something he couldn’t do.

A cold feeling spread through Felix.

For the first time, his own talents, which he had always been so proud of, felt small and unimportant compared to Roman Dmitry. It was like looking up at a mountain when he thought he was standing on a hill.

‘Even a strong person like Roman Dmitry is constantly striving to become stronger. But what am I doing? Since my master went missing, I have always avoided reality with the excuse that I can’t help it, and I, as the master of the Phoenix Magic Tower, have not done anything to move forward. Choosing Dmitry is the same. If I really had the will, I would have chosen self-development rather than making money.’

As a result.

He met Roman and gained enlightenment.

But if he had made the right decision, he would not have chosen Dmitry no matter how much he was offered.

Now, at this moment.

Felix forgot about the deal.

Apart from the huge reward, he wanted to gain something, just like Roman.

‘During the remaining time. I will do my best in the duel with Roman Dmitry. I hope that Roman Dmitry will gain even a single possibility because of me, and that I can also gain something from the match with him. I will spend time not just to make money, but to develop myself.’

There are many kinds of people in the world.

While some are discouraged by finding a high wall, others use it as a motivation for development.

Felix belonged to the latter.

From then on.

Regardless of victory or defeat, Felix began to immerse himself in his reality.

Time passed.

He had a different mindset and had dozens of duels, but Felix had never won once.

A one-sided defeat.

He didn’t care about winning or losing.

Felix always struggled to defeat Roman Dmitry in various ways, and knowing his efforts, Roman did not add any special words even when he won each time.

Felix was a good person to practice with.

With the practical experience he built up, Roman Dmitry also showed a more and more skillful response.

Before he knew it.

Two months had passed since he arrived in Dmitry.

While living away from Franc, Felix learned how strange Dmitry was.

‘Dmitry is a baronial family in the frontier. But its military power is far more powerful than the general standard.’

The guards at the gate.

He thought they had also received systematic training, but his thoughts completely changed when he saw Roman Dmitry’s private soldiers.

They were as strong as a hundred normal soldiers.

Even ordinary soldiers showed overwhelming force, to the point where they could be called knights if they were wearing armor and helmets.

Moreover.

They would do anything Roman told them to do, without question.

He sometimes had the opportunity to watch the training, and they showed a strong desire to bite their tongues if Roman told them to.

The people of Dmitry were no different.

People moved out of his way and showed respect whenever Roman Dmitry walked by.

Roman was clearly not the lord of Dmitry, but he had an overwhelming presence within the Dmitry territory.

It was certain.

A ruler.

Roman Dmitry was a person who was familiar with the position of ruling others.

Roman acted like he expected people to be loyal to him. He didn’t seem surprised by it. This made Felix feel strange.

Felix’s teacher.

The Magic Tower began to shake due to his absence.

If Phoenix had a center like Roman Dmitry, Phoenix might have moved in a better direction.

Then one day.

Felix heard shocking words from the blacksmith.

“Does Young Master Roman visit the smithy often? He sometimes shows his face to take care of the people’s livelihood, but I know that he uses a personal smithy when making swords himself. Actually, I heard it from Master Blacksmith. When Young Master Roman works, the flames from the furnace don’t just heat the metal, they dance around *him*. Like bright orange snakes, wrapping all around his body. The heat in the smithy gets so intense, you can feel it even outside, but Young Master Roman just works, like he’s the god of fire himself.”

It was a casual conversation.

Felix couldn’t ignore the expression that the flames wrapped around his body while working.

‘Could it be.’

His heart was pounding.

The ability to accept fire.

If the blacksmith’s words were true and not an exaggeration, it was the answer Felix had been desperately searching for.

Phoenix’s secret magic trick.

To use ‘Burning’ magic well, you needed to be able to handle fire.