The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 165

The cheers of the crowd still rang in Roman’s ears after the public ranking battle. But for him, this fight was about much more than just showing off his own strength. He knew the Valhalla Empire, a powerful nation famous for its warriors and its ranking system, used rankings to find real talent. “Finding great fighters before anyone else gives Valhalla a huge advantage,” he thought. This was Valhalla’s main goal with the ranking system. Roman knew this was true because it had happened to him.

When Roman Dmitry was still undervalued, the Valhalla Empire recognized his worth through the Valhalla Temple and tried to recruit him. It wasn’t by chance.

The Valhalla Empire spread its unique culture of ‘ranking’ throughout the continent, making people want fame and helping the system become well-known.

As a result, ranking became a culture across the continent. Swordsmen with skills all wanted their names on the ranking list.

Think about it: the ranking system was a way for unknown skilled people who hadn’t received attention to show what they could do.

Because the Valhalla Empire started the ranking system first, they could just wait for talented people to come to them.

Thanks to that, the Valhalla Empire quickly became more powerful. By accepting talented people from all over the continent, they built a strong force that could compete with the Chronos Empire.

That meant Roman could also use the system that was already in place.

The ranked fighters on the Cairo Ranking were very appealing because they had already proven themselves. ‘Some are already connected to other groups, and some are not. I will see how good they are during this ranking battle. From 99th to 1st place, there must be talented people that Dmitry needs. I can call them to me using the reason of having a public ranking battle and check their skills.’

This plan would do two good things at once. It was a tempting idea.

Roman intentionally made the situation more intense, pushing the ranked fighters who opposed him and encouraging them to give up.

From now on, Dmitry would have to deal with the powerful people of Cairo, as well as forces from other countries.

Since he had to win a fight that was unfair, he didn’t need people who were afraid of his reputation and gave up.

He was going to find the truly strong fighters from those who faced him even after hearing the rumors. Fernando, known as the gatekeeper of 30th place, especially caught Roman’s attention.

‘People say Fernando has reached his limit through hard work.’

He had heard about Fernando’s weaknesses. It was about aura eruption, which is how a fighter releases their inner power.

He would have to meet Fernando to know how to fix the physical problems, but Fernando’s story was what really interested Roman.

Fernando didn’t give up even when he kept facing obstacles. The defeat to Vertov must have been a big shock, but Fernando still called himself the gatekeeper of 30th place.

At first, Roman was doubtful. Was Fernando a loser who had accepted his situation?

But when he met him, Fernando’s eyes were bright with a fire, but it was the fire of someone who felt less important than others. He definitely didn’t look like a loser.

‘Many people believe feeling inferior is bad. But I think differently. Feeling inferior comes from wanting to overcome your weaknesses and always trying to catch up with those who are better than you. Feeling inferior is a natural human emotion. When a person admits their reality and accepts how pathetic they are, they can go beyond their limits and enter a new world.’

He liked it, watching Fernando struggle until the end.

Roman Dmitry decided that Fernando was worth it. So he gave him advice through telepathy and waited for him to come after the battle.

And now…

“Thank you so much for your teaching! I, Fernando, will never forget your kindness, Roman Dmitry!” Fernando shouted.

That was the scene Roman wanted.

* * *

They moved to a new place. Fernando was very respectful.

With a glimmer of hope in his bleak situation, he asked carefully, “Excuse me, sir… how did you know about my problem? Most people think I just don’t have talent for aura. They don’t think it’s a problem with how my aura… erupts.” He struggled to find the right words, clearly nervous but desperate to understand.

It was a question. Roman was only in his mid-20s.

Fernando knew he was skilled, but he thought the problem could only be solved with experience.

Roman said, “It’s a simple problem. The fact that you use 4-star aura means that you have reached that level in terms of quality. But the power of your aura is much stronger than how it erupts. It’s not that the aura’s destructive power is weak, but the eruption of aura is weak. So, using a different way to erupt your aura would fix the problem. I wasn’t completely sure when I said that, but from my experience, I thought the problem was likely with the aura passage, like a path for the power inside you.”

“Amazing,” Fernando said, genuinely impressed.

Roman Dmitry was a hero in Cairo. What kind of life had he lived?

He was younger than Fernando, but the ‘experience’ Roman talked about felt vast. Maybe that was why he easily accepted Roman’s advice.

For a moment, there was silence. Fernando hesitated for a long time, then spoke with difficulty.

“I’ll be honest with you. I saw hope in your method, Roman Dmitry. I found a clue to solve the aura eruption problem, but I don’t know if I can do it on my own. If you know the perfect solution, can you tell me what it is?”

Fernando was 50 years old, much older than Roman. But he didn’t hesitate to ask for help.

Roman Dmitry had been kind enough to offer a solution, and Fernando didn’t want to miss the chance. It was his desire as a swordsman.

If he wanted wealth and fame, he would have joined a powerful group a long time ago. But because he wanted to become a better swordsman, he was always made fun of as the gatekeeper of 30th place.

“It’s not hard to tell you the method,” Roman said.

Fernando’s heart beat faster. He looked at Roman, showing that he would do anything to learn the method.

“However, I don’t like deals without a price. If I solve your problem, I need something in return.”

“Tell me what you want,” Fernando said.

“What I want is simple. I want you, Fernando, to work for me,” Roman replied, revealing his purpose.

He wanted Fernando as his sword. Just as the Valhalla Empire had secretly tried to recruit Roman Dmitry, Roman Dmitry was now doing the same with Fernando.

If Fernando refused, Roman would move on. He didn’t force loyalty. But the people who accepted Roman’s offer always had the same answer.

“I, Fernando, swear my loyalty to Roman Dmitry,” Fernando said.

Chris, Kevin, and the others who had chosen to follow Roman all came to the same conclusion.

‘Roman Dmitry is the one who will guide me on the right path.’

Fernando’s voice was steady, and his eyes showed that he trusted Roman. That day, Roman Dmitry gained Fernando, whom the powerful people of Cairo had been trying to win over.

A small incident occurred during the public ranking matches.

The people in Cairo did not know it, but Roman’s plan was almost finished.

Cairo was buzzing these past few days.

As Roman Dmitry defeated Fernando and then one top-ranked fighter after another, the nobles came together.

“Roman Dmitry is getting stronger very fast. If he keeps going like this, will he really beat Count Nicholas?”

Nicholas was a Royal Knight and the best swordsman in Cairo.

People thought Count Nicholas was unbeatable, but Roman’s actions had given them a new possibility they never imagined before.

Roman Dmitry hadn’t just won a few ranking matches.

He had climbed to the top by defeating opponents in order from 99th place. Even the swordsmen called top rankers had suffered crushing defeats against Roman.

It was certain that Roman Dmitry was good enough to challenge Count Nicholas, who was at the top of Cairo.

Marquis Benedict said,

“It is too early to judge. Count Nicholas is very strong, ranking 80th on the continent. Roman Dmitry has beaten Butler, but fighting Count Nicholas is completely different.”

Ranking on the continent. Being ranked 80th is much, much higher than being at the bottom.

“Actually, Roman Dmitry’s actions so far don’t mean much. He proved he is a 5-star swordsman by defeating Butler. So, winning against swordsmen outside the top 11 is expected. The public ranking matches start now. From 10th place on, the swordsmen are much stronger. If he defeats them too, we can say Roman can challenge Count Nicholas. Someone in their twenties in the top 10… We will try very hard to get Roman Dmitry to join us after these matches.”

“What if Roman Dmitry defeats Count Nicholas? Just suppose.”

Nicholas’s defeat would be a huge upset.

It would not just mean a new strongest person, but it would completely change who is in charge.

Marquis Benedict looked very serious.

“The royalist faction has lasted this long because of Count Nicholas. But if Roman Dmitry defeats Count Nicholas, Roman Dmitry’s existence will completely change things. He would be the best swordsman in Cairo with a very rich family and an alliance in the northeast. Roman Dmitry has everything he needs to build power, so he could create a new power structure in Cairo. We can never let that happen. If Roman Dmitry defeats Count Nicholas and still does not accept our offer…”

That was the worst possibility.

They thought about all the possible scenarios.

If Roman Dmitry went back to Dmitry, the problem could be worse than dealing with a puppet king.

After thinking about it for a long time, Marquis Benedict decided,

“We must stop Roman Dmitry before he becomes too strong.”

What about the nation’s talent or what people think?

None of that mattered.

They had to stop Roman Dmitry before he became too powerful.

The nobles all looked serious.

The thought that this public ranking match might end with Roman Dmitry being killed made them uneasy.

Of course, that was the worst-case scenario.

They still believed he would struggle from 10th place on and would not be able to defeat Count Nicholas.

Marquis Benedict said,

“Everyone, secretly bring your family’s forces to the capital. The moment we force Roman Dmitry to choose, he must not escape us, no matter what he chooses.”

At the same time, Roman Dmitry was facing the 10th-ranked fighter.

The battle against the 10th ranker made people chatter.

“I wonder who will win.”

“Jeron is a 5-star swordsman. No matter how strong Roman Dmitry is, he might not win against Jeron.”

“Is this a battle between Jeron’s experience and Roman Dmitry’s energy? I’m betting on Roman Dmitry. Even if Roman Dmitry can’t beat Count Nicholas, I think he can defeat Jeron.”

“I’m betting on Jeron. Jeron is not an easy opponent.”

For the first time, people had different opinions.

Jeron had been a swordsman in Cairo for 20 years.

Even though Roman Dmitry had improved a lot, facing Jeron was different.

Jeron also felt confident.

Like Count Gregory, he stepped forward with a confident look.

“He’s really something, starting from 99th place and reaching me.”

He knew about Roman.

But that was it.

Even after watching Roman’s battles, he believed in himself.

He had worked very hard to get where he was, and he had defeated many people who were said to be strong, just like Roman Dmitry.

Being 10th was not just a title.

People said this was the real test, and for the first time, they were thinking about who would win or lose, not just who would survive.

People were very excited.

How great would the match be?

Who would win?

No matter what happened, they knew this would be a moment to remember.

Crowds of people gathered.

And then…

Jeron fell to his knees, coughing up blood. He looked very scared.

“Shall we continue?”

He hadn’t finished the match.

Roman had already given him three chances.

When he hit his stomach with his sword, Jeron was angry when Roman stepped back.

When his face was hit, he couldn’t believe it was real.

And now, Jeron was terrified.

He had been sure he would win, but when he faced Roman Dmitry, he realized something.

‘Roman Dmitry hasn’t been using his full strength until now.’

The people of Cairo, including the nobles, thought the real beginning was from 10th place on.

They were right.

Roman Dmitry planned to show his full power from the moment people started to wonder who would win or lose.

“I give up.”

Jeron lowered his head.

The people watching the match were so shocked that they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.