The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 164

The duel between Fernando and Roman Dmitry was about to begin. People flocked to the arena.

The top fighters ranked in the top 30 didn’t want to fight. So, people were very excited to see Fernando’s fight. Fernando was known as someone who stayed at rank 30, and people wondered what kind of fight he would show.

Someone in the crowd asked, “Do you think Fernando can last a minute?”

Another person replied, “I don’t think it’s possible. Fernando is weak against swordsmen who use strong aura, like 4 stars or more. If Roman Dmitry uses his aura, he won’t last even 10 seconds. But if he doesn’t, Fernando might put on a good show.”

A third person added, “I agree. Fernando is known for his good skills and swordsmanship.”

Most people didn’t expect much from Fernando.

People called Fernando ‘the limit of effort.’

It was amazing that he became a 4-star fighter. But he wasn’t naturally talented, and he had been stuck at the same level for years.

This was frustrating for people to watch.

His swordsmanship was better than many top-ranked fighters. But his aura wasn’t strong enough, so he always stayed at 30th place.

A year ago, his fight with Vertov showed Fernando’s limits. Vertov was ranked 99th then. Even though Fernando was much better at swords and had more experience, Vertov still beat him.

Vertov used a burst of aura. One strong attack changed the whole fight.

Now, people looked at Fernando with pity as he faced Roman Dmitry.

Fernando stepped onto the stage.

He took a deep breath and looked at his opponent.

‘The world is so unfair,’ he thought.

His mouth tasted bitter.

Roman looked very young.

He looked like he was in his early twenties. But this was Roman Dmitry, who was shaking up the Cairo Kingdom’s rankings.

He had climbed from 99th to 30th in just a week. He was a monster, showing that talent doesn’t care about age.

Fernando felt inferior and envious.

People didn’t know how hard he worked every day. They didn’t know how it felt to see people pass him every year.

Fernando was stuck at 30th place.

He felt bitter about people like Roman Dmitry, who were simply blocked by the wall of talent.

He knew it was a pathetic feeling.

But without that bitterness, Fernando would have given up long ago.

‘Roman Dmitry,’ he thought. ‘Use me as a sacrifice. Show me the world you live in, so I can move forward even one step with this battle.’

He gripped his sword tightly.

He didn’t want to be careless.

He knew he was weaker.

He didn’t act arrogant. He faced reality.

The flag above the stage fluttered in the wind, a lonely sound in the loud crowd.

Rumble! Fernando roared, and his aura exploded outwards like a wave of heat, pushing against the air.

He went all out from the start.

Fernando raised his aura and exploded it on both legs to move as fast as possible.

Tap, tap, tap! Fernando’s boots hit the stage as he charged forward. ‘Head-on attack. That’s the plan.’

He remembered Roman’s last fight. ‘Arrogant,’ Fernando thought. Roman Dmitry seemed like a very arrogant swordsman. He had watched Roman closely. No matter how strong the attack, Roman never stepped back more than a few steps.

Whoosh! Fernando thrust his sword forward. He poured his aura into the blade, and the air around it shimmered. Roman leaned back, just a little. Fernando’s sword whistled past, close enough to make Roman’s hair flutter in the wind.

It was just as he expected.

Roman Dmitry had only stepped back one step. Fernando launched his planned follow-up attack.

Bang! Aura exploded from the side of the sword.

The attack changed direction. The sword, which had been going straight, bent to the side and aimed for Roman’s neck.

It was an unusual attack.

At the same time, Fernando raised his aura, ready for Roman to dodge.

Whoosh! Roman leaned back.

It was a surprisingly flexible move. Fernando tried to hide his surprise and immediately struck down at Roman’s body.

It seemed impossible to avoid. Roman had moved so far back that he shouldn’t have been able to dodge the falling sword.

And yet…

Hwack. Roman turned his head.

He looked straight at Fernando and blocked the attack as if it was nothing.

And then, he immediately charged forward.

Like a spring, Roman jumped up and attacked Fernando.

Wham! Fernando’s arm bounced off.

Their auras clashed.

Again, Roman’s aura was stronger.

Fernando gritted his teeth, expecting another attack. But strangely, Roman Dmitry didn’t try to finish him off.

Tap, tap. He stepped back.

He created distance between them.

The crowd cheered at the exciting fight. But Fernando knew that Roman had deliberately not finished him.

‘Why?’ he wondered.

His insides were boiling.

Fernando had wanted to win from the start. He had boldly closed the distance and launched a series of attacks.

Roman Dmitry’s movements were perfect. He could have attacked when Fernando’s arm was open, but he didn’t. It seemed like Roman was doing it on purpose.

Was it a mistake?

No way. Roman Dmitry didn’t seem like someone who would make such a mistake.

‘Does he think I’m easy?’

He gritted his teeth.

Roman always finished his opponents quickly.

Even the 40th-ranked fighter couldn’t last 30 seconds. So, it seemed like Roman was intentionally dragging out the match against him.

Why? Because he was the gatekeeper of the 30th rank?

Was Roman Dmitry trying to show something to the fighters ranked higher than 30th? Was he trying to prove he was better than just rank 30?

Whatever it was, his pride was hurt.

He wanted to stop the match. But Fernando had something more important than pride.

‘You can trample on my pride as much as you want,’ he thought. ‘Show me a way that I can improve, even if it’s just a little bit.’

He had given up on his pride a long time ago. All he wanted was to find a way to get stronger.

Fernando charged in again.

He exploded his aura and launched systematic and threatening attacks.

His swordsmanship was better than any swordsman Roman had faced. But his aura wasn’t strong enough to support his skills.

Fernando knew it.

As the fight went on, Fernando heard people laughing.

Fernando blocked his ears, focusing only on the best way to defeat Roman Dmitry.

Clang!

Again, the attack was blocked.

The timing was good.

Logically, it should have worked, but his aura was not strong enough to penetrate Roman Dmitry’s defense.

He felt a surge of frustration.

Annoyance rose, followed by anger.

But then…

“From now on, move your mana as I tell you. It will be much easier.”

A voice burrowed into his ear.

The fact that it was Roman Dmitry made Fernando’s eyes widen as he stared at the man before him.

His mind was confused.

What kind of trickery was this?

His mind told him to ignore such nonsense, but Fernando found himself halting his relentless attacks.

“Fernando, a 4-star aura swordsman. The reason you are weaker than your skill suggests is because your aura emission is not smooth. Aura is a power that exerts destructive force through powerful emission. If you continue to adhere to the same method, even knowing your physical limitations, you will never improve.”

His eyes twitched.

Roman came in swinging.

He couldn’t understand how Roman was speaking to him without moving his lips even slightly.

Clang-

Clang! Clang!

They exchanged blows.

Fernando was unilaterally pushed back, listening intently to Roman’s words.

“The typical emission of aura involves exploding mana through the passage that has been accepting and emitting mana. But the mana passage is not the only one that exists. Swordsmen on the Salamander Continent all follow a standardized system, using the same mana passage, but that is not the whole story. If the mana passage you use was narrow from birth, why haven’t you ever thought of opening another passage?”

Mana cultivation technique.

The technique he had honed since childhood had formed a passage suitable for aura emission as time passed.

The mana spreading throughout the body moved along a fixed path, so swordsmen of high standing could exert powerful aura and explosive force due to their solid and wide passages.

Fernando was just like everyone else.

Having formed a passage through the generally known system, he thought he lacked talent, seeing his weakly emitted aura.

That was… Different from the truth.

The system the world spoke of suppressed Fernando’s creativity.

“It is difficult to pioneer a new passage after so many years. But it is worth trying.”

It was a sweet suggestion.

He was completely captivated.

People’s gazes?

His own honor?

He didn’t care about such things.

Fernando focused on Roman’s words and didn’t care at all, even though it looked like he was being completely controlled.

He was ready to accept new changes.

He had worked hard for decades following the existing system, yet it crumbled like a sandcastle with just one word from Roman, whom he didn’t even know well.

That’s how desperate he was.

He wasn’t sure he could trust Roman, but his instincts told him to follow Roman’s words.

That’s when it started.

A guided sparring session began.

Roman pushed Fernando, telling him the method through telepathy, and Fernando operated her mana accordingly.

A one-sided match.

The duel, which seemed like it would be decided in a minute, had already lasted for ten minutes.

Just as people were starting to show boredom.

Whoosh-

Mana stirred.

Fernando’s eyes widened as he felt the mana slowly moving towards a new passage.

‘…Was such a thing really possible?’

It was just a slight change.

He hadn’t yet reached the stage of proper aura emission, but he knew how difficult the beginning of change was.

Smirk.

Roman smiled.

At that moment.

“Let’s finish this.”

Flash.

A sword filled his vision.

Fernando raised his sword to block, but a powerful impact shook his head.

Thud-

How long had he been unconscious?

Fernando, regaining consciousness, stared blankly at the sky.

‘Why couldn’t I have thought of pioneering another passage?’

He had been foolish.

He had the potential for development, but he didn’t recognize it and repeated the same mistakes for decades.

In fact, it was a natural result.

It was difficult to deviate from common sense, and he didn’t know what price he would pay for mishandling mana and falling into demonic influence.

It was a dangerous challenge. So people had no choice but to follow the existing system, and Fernando naturally thought that the problem was with his birth rather than the method.

If everyone else was achieving good results with the same method, he couldn’t think of blaming the method when only he had problems.

Besides.

Wasn’t the existing system also born after numerous trials and errors?

“Tsk, tsk, he’s been miserably defeated.”

“He was supposed to be the gatekeeper of the top 30. He’s only proving how great Roman is.”

“Roman Dmitry is definitely a monster. Still, he’s a ranker in the top 30, how could he show such a display of toying with him for ten minutes? Fernando was completely pushed back like a child. He’s shown a lack of explosive aura before, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen Fernando so helpless.”

“That’s just the difference in class, what else could it be.”

People whispered.

Around Fernando.

There were still spectators who hadn’t left.

Listening to their words, Fernando suddenly snapped to his senses.

‘Roman Dmitry…!’

The people’s ridicule was not important.

The one who showed him a new path.

In order to somehow save the new possibility, he had to follow Roman Dmitry.

He jumped up.

Rose from his spot.

Roman hadn’t gone far.

Surrounded by the crowd.

Roman Dmitry was moving.

People looked at Fernando, who was pushing past them, with questioning eyes, wondering what was going on.

“Mr. Roman!”

Plop.

He prostrated himself on the floor.

Under Roman’s gaze looking down at him, Fernando shouted, veins bulging in his neck.

“Thank you so much for your teachings! This Fernando will never forget the grace of Roman Dmitry!”

Murmur, murmur.

“What’s going on?”

“Teachings?”

People were flustered.

The duel between Roman and Fernando.

It was a one-sided match.

They thought Fernando had shown an unsightly appearance, but what on earth was going on?

Roman stopped walking.

Turning his head, he saw Fernando prostrating himself.

‘The gatekeeper of the top 30.’

He wasn’t flustered.

By this situation.

Roman Dmitry had been waiting from the beginning for Fernando to come to him.

Roman Dmitry had been waiting from the beginning.