The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live a Normal Life

Dwarves. From the moment they took their first step, they held a hammer and lived their entire lives in front of the flames.

He had heard of the rumors. They showed a fanatical obsession with everything that was made in the forge, and they showed infinite respect for works of art. Their instinct didn’t discriminate between the time and place for it. Even in the current situation where their estate was being claimed, the dwarf’s body and mind were different.

Roman Dmitry’s sword was spectacular. The dwarf couldn’t come to his senses as he looked at the sword that was shining in his eyes.

“…It sounds insane for me to ask you to look at your sword when I was yelling just now, but just a minute. No, three minutes! Can you show me your sword just once? If you grant me that request, I will consider the compromise with Dmitry in a positive light.”

His voice became muffled, and Roman Dmitry stared at his opponent. Giving his sword to an opponent he wasn’t familiar with wasn’t right, but he could see the desire in the eyes of the dwarf. It looked like the eyes of a child.

The artisans whom Roman had met always had the same eyes when they looked at art. It was a familiar reaction, and he knew that there wouldn’t be any problem if he handed him the sword.

Around 30 meters. He checked that distance through his senses. There were several dwarves beyond his vision, and the information about their movements was made clear in his head.

One in a million. He was confident he could block any variables. In addition, with Roman Dmitry’s experience, he was convinced that if he showed them his sword, it would give him the chance to advance a new relationship with the dwarves.

‘The dwarves don’t hold any grudges against Dmitry. Then there is no reason for me to be so on guard.’

Roman Dmitry wasn’t a murderer. He was only cruel when he needed to be, and he would only take down any relationships that couldn’t be made.

“Take my sword.”

At that point, the dwarf responded with different emotions. At first, he reacted cautiously because he didn’t trust Roman, but then he soon accepted the sword with trembling hands. It looked like he would burst into tears any minute.

As he examined every nook and cranny of the sword, he could not hide his admiration.

“… There is a sword like this?”

The strength of the sword and its shape were all perfect. However, that alone couldn’t be called art in the world of the dwarves, but Roman Dmitry’s sword showed the nature of accepting the energy of nature, which was why it was truly miraculous.

The dwarves have always wanted to make a sword that could transcend the realm of just being an object, and the sword in front of him seemed to be the answer to that.

Thud!

His heart pounded. As if he were handling a child, he held the sword very carefully.

“Who made this sword?”

He could think of a couple of figures. It was impossible with the current level of humans, and he thought that a few ancestors of the dwarves could have created this.

It wasn’t a conclusion based on prejudice. With the skills humans have had for the last hundred years or so, there wasn’t any news about such a thing being made. However…

“I made it.”

“…Are you telling the truth?”

The eyes of the dwarf trembled. He couldn’t believe it—to think that the person in front of him had created such a thing.

He looked at the sword again. No matter how much he thought about it, hearing the unbelievable fact made him caress the sword and close his eyes.

The memory of the sword—he read the process of how it was made. It was a special ability that only the dwarves had, and as the space around him changed, the surroundings turned into a workshop.

Everything in the underground completely vanished. The dwarf plunged into the moment the sword was born, and at the same time, flames spewed out, and Roman Dmitry’s figure appeared.

Wheik.

Wheeik.

Kang! Kang!

Roman Dmitry was pounding on the steel. His upper body was unclothed, and his gaze on the sword showed how committed he was.

It was admirable. Roman Dmitry was clearly a craftsman. He wasn’t just an ordinary human. He was of the same kind as them. It was then…

Wheik.

The flame roared. The flames of the furnace shook and wrapped themselves around Roman, and the dwarf almost screamed at the intense sight, forgetting it was just a memory.

It was dangerous. The fire was a force that even the dwarves would handle with care, and it was clear that the human body was a lot weaker than theirs.

However, the situation he was worried about didn’t happen. The flames didn’t do anything. Roman Dmitry accepted the flames around his body, and rather, he continued to hit the steel.

“Ahhh….!”

The dwarf was shocked. Roman Dmitry’s appearance made him look like he was an incarnation of fire. Before he realized it, tears flowed down his face, and the memories of the sword ended.

The emotional afterglow didn’t vanish. The dwarf looked at Roman with completely different eyes than before and said,

“If it is you, it might be possible. Please handle our land.”

His attitude changed. The dwarf, who had been yelling at him not to get closer, now treated Roman like a noble.

“You want your land to be handled? What do you mean?”

Roman Dmitry also decided to show respect to his opponent.

The dwarf calmed down and spoke.

“Before I speak of my request, you should know why the dwarves migrated down to this place. In fact, the Endless Mountains is a name given by humans. Contrary to what humans think, there is an end to the Endless Mountains. Arcadie. That is what we call what is beyond the Endless Mountains, and it is a harmonious world where all races live.”

Beyond the mountains, a new world opened up. Various forms of life lived there, as did other races like elves and dwarves. If the incident that plunged the different races into despair hadn’t happened, then the dwarves wouldn’t have set foot in this place.

“A very long time ago. At a time when the human world wasn’t as developed as it is now, an unknown cold wave broke out across the mountain ranges. As a result, the ground froze, and even the World Tree, which was the foundation for this world, withered. That was the start of the disaster. The elves guarding the World Tree tried their best to save it, but no matter what they did, they couldn’t revert it back to its original form. At that time, many races died. The different races that promised to live in Arcadie until the end died from the cold and hunger, and the ancestors of the dwarves at the time couldn’t help but make a decision for the survival of our race. And so, we came here and settled in this place.”

It was a long time ago. It was such a long time ago that it couldn’t even be given a date. And the reason why the dwarf explained what happened beyond the Endless Mountains was that it had something to do with the main point he was going to talk about.

“About several decades ago. We found a mass of fire demons deep underground. It has such a dangerous power that it could burn down the whole world, but if used correctly, it is also the only hope of melting the World Tree. Roman Dmitry. I have only met you for the first time today. But at a time when we cannot even dare approach the fire, I believe that it is God’s will for me to meet you, who can freely handle the flames. I beg you. Please bring me the Fire Demon. If you can make this request, I will do anything in the name of ‘Brown Rock,’ who leads the dwarves.”

The relationship that started with angry words is now entering a new phase.

Brown Rock. When the dwarves were born, they used the surrounding nature to catch the eye of their mother so they could be given a name. In a world where only brown rocks were present, the new leader of the dwarves turned into a symbol representing the Dark Ages.

And at his request, Roman Dmitry was lost in thought.

‘Do I need to help them?’

This fire. It could be a dangerous force. It would be different from the normal fire that he handles, and the request could cost him his life. The reward he spoke of also meant nothing.

The relationship with the dwarves could be somehow solved, and there was no reason to give them what they wanted. In addition, they could be using him as collateral.

But Roman Dmitry felt a strong pull towards them. He thought that the series of events that happened could be his fate.

‘This life is not the life I hoped for. I accepted death, and when I opened my eyes, I was existing as a person called Roman Dmitry. At first, I didn’t think it was fate guiding me. Dmitry’s fool wasn’t great enough to talk about things like fate. I lived in the reality he made.’

One day, and then two days. Time passed, and the things he had experienced until now began to form a link before he realized it.

‘Living as Roman Dmitry, was it a coincidence that I met similar people in the past? Dmitry came from a family of blacksmiths, which isn’t common, and the Endless Mountains are like the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Heavenly Demon Sect. I am walking down the same path as in the past, but I am also taking a different path at the same time. My experience in the past is helping me with my current one.’

And he found the dwarves in the Endless Mountains. They admired his sword and his ability to handle fire, which made him their savior.

This was fate. If he wasn’t born as Roman Dmitry, he wouldn’t have gotten this chance. If the development of the iron mines hadn’t occurred, this wouldn’t have happened. If he wasn’t someone who could handle the Infernal Flame Arts, he wouldn’t be asked to fulfill this request.

The moment any of those conditions weren’t met, this situation wouldn’t have happened at all.

‘I have just entered the next level. If accepting the fire is an ordeal too difficult for me to handle, I will be guided by nature. And for me to meet the dwarves only after stepping to a higher level, can all of this really be discarded as a simple coincidence? Isn’t there a clear reason why I, who had lived in Murim and had nothing in relation to this world, was given this life?’

These questions had no answers. Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk—he lived by cursing fate. As he struggled at the bottom of life, he cursed God numerous times for letting him be born.

However, it was different now. Life gave everyone tests, and it was Baek Joong-hyuk’s choices that made him the Heavenly Demon and helped him overcome all troubles.

The beings who died for him. Because of their fate, they couldn’t find a way out and continuously fought and aimed for the lives of others.

Fate. He believed in it. Each person had their own reality, but he didn’t think that it determined everything. So…

‘Let’s find out what brought me to this place.’

Without considering the relationship with the dwarves, this was a decision he had to make for himself.

“I will accept the request.”

The reply came after silence, and Brown Rock looked like he had won the world.

They took a step to the bottommost place. They went all the way down. The growing heat wasn’t a natural one, and at some point, Brown Rock stopped and said,

“From now on, this is an area we cannot enter. The fire in there is dangerous. Please take care of yourself. If you can give us a clue to save the World Tree, we will consider you our lifelong benefactor.”

Their words weren’t a major issue. As he was focusing, he stepped inside, and after moving for a while, he saw something unbelievable.

At the center of that place, a fire was raging. It was like a small sun, and it felt like directly looking at it would make people blind.

‘Whatever has brought me here, I will live for the things I believe and follow them.’

He approached the Fire Demon. As he faced the flaming heat, he brought out his hand. At that moment…

Wheik!

Wheik!

A tremendous heat engulfed Roman Dmitry’s body.