The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 215

The heat was intense.

As flames covered his body, Roman Dmitry felt them being sucked inside, burning him from within.

‘This is dangerous,’ he thought.

Whoosh. Sizzle.

He felt like he couldn’t breathe.

The flames were so strong that he couldn’t see clearly, and his power to stop heat and cold didn’t work anymore.

Fire burned him everywhere, and terrible pain shot through his body.

His power could block some heat and cold, but the Fire Demon’s fire was too strong.

It was extremely hot, as expected.

If this fire could melt the frozen World Tree, he knew it wouldn’t be easy to control.

‘Flame God Technique,’ he thought.

Fwoosh.

He used his mana. The power from inside him moved around, pushing back the Fire Demon’s flames that were trying to burn him.

A big explosion happened inside him.

Every time his mana fought the flames, something bad happened. Roman Dmitry’s face turned red, and his skin cracked and burned.

If the flames pushed him back even a little, he would lose.

There would be no way to come back from it.

The Fire Demon’s flames were a power he had never felt before, not even in his past life.

He thought, ‘The only way to fight these flames is to let them in. Just like I controlled flames with the Flame God Technique. I need to let the flames in, little by little. Even if it hurts a lot and burns my skin, I have to become one with them.’

Sizzle.

The flames got stronger.

As Roman Dmitry breathed in and let the flames in, the Fire Demon’s flames got even angrier.

He understood why the dwarves hadn’t touched it.

The fire energy was so fierce that it wouldn’t let anyone touch it.

His skin melted.

Things that couldn’t stand the heat dripped to the floor, causing terrible pain.

But Roman Dmitry didn’t move.

He had lived a hard life, so he was used to pain. He kept his mind in control of his body, no matter what.

He had strong control, even against the Fire Demon’s flames.

The Fire Demon’s flames tried to break his spirit with pain, but Roman Dmitry’s mind stayed calm, like a safe ship in a storm.

He focused his mind. He opened his senses.

He let the flames in.

If he had made his body ready for nature, he would become one with nature.

The Fire Demon’s flames were also part of nature.

Fire was a powerful and dangerous force. The Fire Demon’s flames tore through his body because Roman Dmitry was trying to join with them.

From that moment on, his skin grew back as fast as it melted.

As he burned, his body was rebuilt, and his skin kept melting and growing back.

If he hadn’t focused his mind, the Fire Demon’s flames would have burned away his mind too.

It was very lucky that the Fire Demon appeared just when he was ready to face it.

Was accepting the flame what the being who led him to the Salamander Continent wanted?

If so, what did that being really want?

He had never done anything he didn’t want to do as Roman Dmitry, and he wouldn’t in the future either.

He wanted to protect what was his and be the best.

That was all.

He took the risk because the World Tree was important to him.

‘If what I want and what fate wants are the same, then I am living the life I chose, not the life fate chose. Even if fate led me to the Fire Demon, I chose to accept the pain.’

Sizzle.

The flames rose.

Against the heat that seemed like it would destroy him, Roman Dmitry strongly grabbed the heat.

Whoosh.

A wind blew.

The flames around him moved away from his skin a little.

Roman Dmitry’s skin grew back quickly.

As he looked like himself again, the Fire Demon’s flames could no longer burn him.

At that moment, Roman Dmitry’s mind went somewhere beyond the normal world.

Salamander Continent.

The beginning of this world came from flames.

The Salamander appeared and made flames so strong that they burned everything. Something that broke off from the flames became the base of the continent.

People thought it was just an old story told for many years, but the person who told the story first was telling the truth without knowing it.

A world made of fire.

Roman Dmitry fell into the beginning.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a Fire Demon in a red-burning world. He couldn’t tell what the Fire Demon looked like.

[Oh, you are blessed by fire. Accept me. We are strongly connected by fate,]

a voice echoed.

The Fire Demon showed itself with moving flames.

Fire Demon.

It had incredible power.

Just as Felix made enough power to burn the world by calling the fire spirit, accepting the Fire Demon would take someone to a completely new level.

But Roman Dmitry didn’t listen to the evil suggestion.

He looked at the Fire Demon, who talked about a nice relationship and mentioned fate, with steady eyes.

“I don’t care what you are. If you want to be with me, you have to follow my orders.”

Destiny and fate were just words about a relationship you couldn’t fight.

Roman Dmitry refused to be controlled by fate.

He said that if the Fire Demon wanted to be with him, it should become a part of him and follow his orders, not accept him because of fate.

That was how Chunma Baek Jung-hyuk lived.

Even when he was at the bottom, even when he had to go through hard times just because he was Chunma’s son, he broke free from fate and rose to the top.

He always controlled his own life.

Fate might have led him to a cruel reality, but it was his job to make his own life.

Sizzle.

The flame twisted.

[Wonderful answer,]

it said with a strange laugh.

Fwoosh. Rumble!

A huge explosion happened.

The Fire Demon covered the world, and Roman Dmitry was taken away by it.

Even as the world disappeared, Roman Dmitry stayed awake and watched how the Fire Demon was pulled in.

I opened my eyes, my throat feeling dry and scratchy.

I sat up, a small frown on my face. The first thing I saw was a plain, brown rock.

A voice spoke, filled with emotion. ‘You really succeeded.’

His eyes were wide, and his voice trembled slightly. He looked like he might cry.

The dwarves had found a huge fire that could save their World Tree. But they were helpless, twisting their hands in worry because they couldn’t touch it.

Their ancestors had told stories of a world beyond the mountains. This generation of dwarves had never seen it, but they felt a deep longing for that world.

The thought of saving the World Tree filled them with hope. Tears welled up in their eyes, and their chests puffed out with pride.

‘Please, accept this,’ the dwarf said, his voice thick with emotion. Roman Dmitry held out his hand, offering a small, glowing crystal. It was the fire.

It was a crystal, a small bead of reddish light. Even from a short distance, it felt warm, like holding a tiny sun in your hand.

Brown Rock, the dwarf leader, trembled as he took the fire crystal.

Brown Rock had worried that Roman Dmitry might be greedy and want to keep the fire for himself. But Roman Dmitry had kept his word.

Humans. Brown Rock had always been taught to hate them. Stories from his ancestors painted humans as greedy and untrustworthy.

However.

Roman Dmitry was different.

Brown Rock, the dwarf leader, spoke, remembering Roman Dmitry’s kindness. ‘While you fought the fire,’ he said, ‘I talked with your people. I learned Dmitry is famous for its blacksmiths. As thanks for your help, and whatever else you ask of us, our dwarf clan will serve the Dmitry family from now on.’

He paused, his voice shaking slightly. ‘We will teach your blacksmiths our skills, build strong walls to protect Dmitry, and even make weapons for your soldiers if needed.’

He clenched his fist, trying to express the depth of his thanks, but words seemed too small.

‘Elves sometimes bring us news,’ Brown Rock continued, ‘and they say the cold in Arcadia is getting worse every day. The World Tree is almost dead. We were about to lose our home completely. Without your help, Roman Dmitry, we might have given up all hope.’

He stopped, his voice thick with emotion, and swallowed hard.

For 280 years, they had lived only underground. Stories from their ancestors spoke of a dwarf city on the surface, a place bathed in sunlight. Brown Rock had never felt the warmth of that lost home.

Roman Dmitry. Brown Rock barely knew him. But this human had given them hope when they had none. Brown Rock knew he would never forget Roman Dmitry.

Roman Dmitry nodded slowly. ‘That is enough,’ he said, his voice calm. ‘Dmitry will not be your enemy.’

Brown Rock saw honesty in his eyes. Finally, the dwarves had a reason to trust a human. A reason to hope for peace.

***

The problem with the iron mine was over. The mine would not be developed further. The blacksmiths of Dmitry were thrilled about working with the dwarves. Learning the secrets of dwarven blacksmithing? It was every blacksmith’s dream!

Later that day, Roman Dmitry went to the training hall, alone. He drew his sword and focused his inner energy, his aura. As he did, the power of the fire within him stirred and blazed. *The fire is now part of me,* he thought, feeling the strange energy deep inside.

The fire was real, he could feel it. The strange way he had taken the fire into himself had actually worked. A strong heat burned within him. The crystal he gave to Brown Rock was only a small piece of this fire.

Brown Rock had what he needed, even with just that small crystal. Roman Dmitry didn’t need to explain the fire inside him. He focused his mind. The fire within him flickered, responding to his thoughts. This was a power over fire itself, not like magic he had known before.

‘I need to learn how to use this fire,’ he thought. One thing was clear: he had become much stronger because of this fire. His body felt different, changed by the fire’s power. It was only recently that he had reached a new level of skill, the Zhi stage.

Because of this unexpected fire, he had jumped to the Zhi stage much faster than he expected. He had improved incredibly quickly, much faster than he had ever done before in his past life. It had taken Baek Jong-hyuk, in his past life, a very long time to reach this level. But Roman Dmitry had done it in a fraction of the time.

For now, he needed to test his new strength. He wanted to know how much stronger he had become, and what this fire power could really do. To defeat the enemies he knew he would face, he first had to understand his own power and its limits.

He started to walk. He thought of Ecorche, the shadows, and now, this fire. Even after all these dangerous events, Roman Dmitry didn’t go to rest. Instead, he headed towards a hidden workshop, a place where no one else was allowed.

And so, with the sound of the workshop door creaking open and then thudding shut, Roman Dmitry began his secret training in the darkness.

***

A month later, Hans walked quickly towards the workshop where Roman Dmitry was training. *He told me to come back after a month,* Hans thought.

Hans walked even faster. A few days earlier, a guest had arrived, asking for Roman Dmitry. Because Roman Dmitry was in private training, Hans had told the guest to come back later. But the guest was very insistent and had now been waiting in Dmitry for days.

Hans knew he had to tell Roman Dmitry about the guest now. He reached the workshop and saw Roman Dmitry just stepping outside.

‘Young master!’ Hans said, a little breathless from hurrying. ‘I hope your training went well? Did you… did you manage to finish?’

‘There’s a guest waiting for you, young master,’ Hans replied. ‘Let’s go to the reception room. He’s been waiting for days.’ The way Hans said ‘guest’ sounded odd. Roman Dmitry realized this must be someone new, not someone he knew.

Roman Dmitry followed Hans. In the reception room, a man stood up quickly as Roman Dmitry entered. His face was eager, almost too bright. ‘It’s a great honor to meet you,’ the man said, smiling widely. ‘I am Count London of Redford.’

Count London. Roman Dmitry remembered the name. He was number one on Ecorche’s assassination list. *This* was the guest who had been waiting for him.

Just then, Hans returned from the workshop. He stopped in the doorway, staring back in shock. The workshop was completely destroyed by fire. It was far more than just a furnace fire gone wrong. Hans couldn’t understand what had happened. *What in the world…* he thought, his eyes wide with disbelief.