Chapter 214: The Secret Hidden Underground (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 214: The Secret Hidden Underground (2)
Dwarves.
From the moment they took their first steps, they wielded hammers, spending their entire lives beside the roaring flames of a furnace.
Roman had heard the rumors.
They possessed a fanatical obsession with anything born of a forge and held boundless reverence for true works of art. Their instincts knew no time or place. Even now, amidst a fierce territorial dispute, the dwarf's soul seemed to leave his body.
Roman Dmitry's sword.
It was brilliant.
Illuminated by the flickering torchlight, the blade's form was so mesmerizing that the dwarf couldn't tear his eyes away.
"...I know it sounds completely insane to ask to examine your sword right after we were at each other's throats, but just one minute is all I need. No, three minutes! Is there any way you could let me look at it just once? If you grant this request, I will seriously and positively consider negotiating with Dmitry."
His tone had softened considerably.
Roman Dmitry stared intently at him.
Handing his weapon over to someone untrustworthy was normally out of the question, but he saw a pure, burning desire in the dwarf's eyes. It was a fierce, almost childlike longing. The master artisans Roman had met in his past life had displayed that exact same look whenever they beheld a masterpiece. It was a highly familiar reaction. He knew that even if he handed over the blade, no trouble would arise.
A thirty-meter radius around him.
This was the domain of his senses.
Exactly how many dwarves were lurking beyond his field of vision and what they were doing—all of this information was drawn directly into his mind. If anything went wrong, he was fully confident he could eliminate any variables.
Furthermore, his experience told him that showing the sword would serve as the perfect catalyst to advance his relationship with them.
'The dwarves hold no actual grudge against Dmitry. If so, there is no reason to make matters worse.'
Roman Dmitry was no bloodthirsty killer.
He was only cruel when necessary.
He wouldn't drive a relationship to ruin if there was still room for diplomacy.
"Take it."
The dwarf reacted with overwhelming emotion.
At first, unable to fully trust Roman, he hesitated, but then he accepted the sword with trembling hands. His eyes shone as if he might burst into tears at any moment. Examining every nook and cranny of the blade, he couldn't hide his absolute admiration.
"...To think such a sword actually exists in this world."
The sword's strength.
The sword's form.
Both were perfect.
However, that alone wasn't enough for something to be called a masterpiece in the world of dwarves. What made Roman Dmitry's sword truly miraculous was its property of absorbing and assimilating the energy of nature. Dwarves had always wished to forge a sword that transcended its physical boundaries as a mere object, and the blade before him seemed to provide the answer to that lifelong quest.
Thump, thump.
His heart pounded.
He handled the weapon with extreme care, as if cradling a newborn child.
"Just who on earth crafted this?"
Several figures crossed his mind.
This was a realm impossible for human hands; he thought it might only be possible for the ancient dwarven ancestors who had once shaken the continent with their legendary fame. This wasn't a conclusion born of mere prejudice. With the technology of humans, who barely lived for a century, the sheer skill and experience required to forge such a masterpiece simply couldn't exist.
And yet.
"I made it," Roman said.
"...Is that really true?"
A tremor shook the dwarf's eyes.
He couldn't believe it.
To think that the human standing right in front of him had crafted such a treasure.
He looked at the sword once more.
Unable to fathom it no matter how much he thought about it, the dwarf gently closed his eyes while caressing the cold steel.
The memory of the sword.
He was reading the very process of its creation.
This was a special ability unique to dwarves. The space around him warped, and his surroundings began to transform into a workshop. The reality of the underground tunnel was completely shut out. The dwarf plunged into the exact moment the sword was born. As a furnace erupted with massive flames, the figure of Roman Dmitry appeared.
Whoosh.
Roar!
Clang! Clang!
Roman Dmitry was hammering the steel.
His bare upper body glowed bright red in the heat, and his gaze toward the sword held the intense focus of an artisan, much like their own.
The dwarf was filled with admiration.
Roman Dmitry was undoubtedly a master craftsman.
He wasn't just an ordinary human; in spirit, he was one of their own kind.
It was then.
Fwoosh!
The fire grew violently intense.
The flames of the furnace surged, suddenly enveloping Roman Dmitry. At this shocking sight, the dwarf almost screamed, forgetting that this was merely a memory imprinted in the sword. It was dangerous. Fire was a force that even dwarves handled with extreme caution, and it was an absolute certainty that a rampaging blaze couldn't be endured by a human's fragile body.
However, the disaster he feared never came to pass.
Roman Dmitry tamed the fire.
Accepting the flames wrapping around his body, he instead struck the steel fiercely with a hammer that was entirely ablaze.
"Ah...!"
His mouth fell wide open.
Roman Dmitry's figure...
He looked like the incarnation of fire itself.
Tears welled up in the dwarf's dazed eyes, and before he knew it, the memory of the sword came to an end.
The lingering emotion refused to fade.
Staring at Roman with trembling eyes, the dwarf spoke in an earnest voice, his tone completely different from before.
"If it is you, it might be possible. Please, reclaim our land for us."
*
His attitude had completely flipped.
The dwarf who had been screaming at him to stay away just moments ago was now treating Roman like an honored guest.
"Reclaim your land? What do you mean by that?"
Roman, too, showed proper courtesy to his counterpart.
Calming his wildly beating heart, the dwarf spoke in a cautious tone.
"Before I make my request, you must first understand why the dwarves migrated to the Endless Mountains. Actually, 'Endless Mountains' is a name given by humans. Unlike what humans believe, this mountain range, which seems to stretch on forever, does have an end. Arcadia. That is what we call the land beyond the Endless Mountains—a harmonious world where different races live."
Beyond the peaks, a new world unfolded.
Not only did races like Elves and Dwarves live there, but various other forms of life coexisted as well. If not for the calamitous event that plunged those races into despair, the dwarves would never have set foot in the Endless Mountains to this day.
"A very long time ago, back when the human world had not yet achieved the level of development it has today, an inexplicable cold wave struck the land beyond the mountains. Because of it, the ground froze, and even the World Tree—the very foundation of this world—withered away. That was the beginning of the disaster. The Elves, who guard the World Tree, tried everything to revive it, but no matter what methods they used, they could not restore it to its original state. During that time, countless non-human races perished. Those who insisted on staying in Arcadia until the bitter end collapsed one by one from the cold and hunger. The ancestors of the dwarves had no choice but to make a grim decision for the survival of our race. That is how we came to settle here in the Endless Mountains."
It was an ancient tale, so old that one could barely comprehend the passage of time.
The reason the dwarf explained the history beyond the Endless Mountains was directly related to the main point he was about to make.
"Several decades ago, we discovered a mass of the Flame Demon deep underground. It is a dangerous power capable of burning the entire world, but conversely, if utilized properly, it is also our only hope to thaw the World Tree. Roman Dmitry, I met you for the first time today. However, at a time when we dare not even approach the mass of the Flame Demon, I believe it is the will of the heavens that we met you—someone who manipulates fire at will. I earnestly beg of you. Please bring us the mass of the Flame Demon. If you grant our request, I will grant any favor you ask in the name of 'Brown Rock,' the leader of the dwarves."
A relationship that had begun with conflict.
This was the moment it entered a completely new phase.
*
Brown Rock.
When dwarves were born, they were named after the surrounding nature that first caught their mother's eye.
In the underground world, a place where only brown rocks caught the eye, the new leader of the dwarves had become a symbol representing their dark age.
At his request, Roman fell into thought.
'Is there any need to help them?'
The mass of the Flame Demon.
It would undoubtedly be a dangerous power.
It would be completely different from ordinary flames, and Brown Rock's request might require him to risk his life. The reward the dwarf spoke of actually held no real meaning to him. The territorial dispute with the dwarves could be resolved one way or another, and there was no logical reason to grant their wishes at the risk of his own life.
However, Roman felt a strong, inexplicable pull.
He thought that this series of events might, perhaps, be his destiny.
'My current life is not the life I wished for. I had accepted death, but when I opened my eyes, I existed as a person named Roman Dmitry. At first, I did not think of the situation thrust upon me as destiny. The Fool of Dmitry was not a grand enough human to speak of destiny, and I was merely living the reality placed before me.'
One day, two days.
Time passed.
The things he had experienced in the meantime had somehow formed a single connecting chain.
'Living as Roman Dmitry, is it truly a coincidence that I encountered connections so similar to those of my past life? Dmitry is a family of blacksmith origins, which is uncommon, and the Endless Mountains stretching behind the territory are highly similar to the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Heavenly Demon Cult. I followed the footsteps of my past life. Although I am ultimately walking a different path now, my past experiences have been of great help in living my current life.'
And then, he had discovered the dwarves in the Endless Mountains.
They marveled at his sword and declared that, with his ability to manipulate fire, he was the right person to solve their problem.
It was destiny.
If he had not been born as Roman Dmitry.
If Dmitry were not adjacent to the Endless Mountains.
If the iron ore mining had not breached the underground passage.
If he were not a master of the Flame Divine Art.
If even a single one of these conditions had gone awry, this current situation of facing the dwarves would never have come to pass.
'I have only recently entered the Earth Stage. If absorbing the Flame Demon's flames is a trial too difficult for even me to handle, the Earth Stage will grant me the strength to endure it. Meeting the dwarves at this exact moment—can all of this really be dismissed as mere coincidence? Perhaps there is a clear reason why I, who originally lived in Murim, a world completely unrelated to this one, was granted a new life.'
Questions followed one after another.
There was no clear answer.
Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk.
He had lived cursing his fate.
Struggling desperately at the very bottom of life, he had cursed the heavens countless times for throwing him into such an existence.
But now, it was different.
Life inflicted trials upon everyone, and rising to the peak after overcoming all kinds of adversity was the will and choice of the Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk. The beings who met their deaths at his hands—they didn't meet such an end because of destiny; they had simply fallen as losers in a fierce battle where each sought the other's life.
Destiny.
He believed in it.
Though every person was given their own reality, he didn't think that it decided everything.
Therefore...
'Let us see what has led me here.'
Setting aside his relationship with the dwarves, this decision was a resolve made for himself.
"I will accept your request."
The answer came after a brief silence.
Brown Rock's face lit up with absolute joy, looking as if he had just gained the entire world.
*
Roman moved his feet.
Down to the very bottom.
He descended into the deepest depths of the underground.
The heat, which grew increasingly intense with every step, wasn't caused by geothermal warmth.
At some point, Brown Rock stopped in his tracks and spoke.
"From here on, it is an area we cannot enter. The mass of the Flame Demon is a dangerous entity. Please, take care of yourself. If you can bring us the key to reviving the World Tree, we will regard you as our lifelong benefactor."
Their words didn't matter.
Roman withdrew his gaze.
He walked inside, and after traveling for quite some time, a space so vast that it was hard to believe it was underground unfolded before him.
At its center, the Flame Demon wavered.
Looking like a miniature sun, it felt as if merely staring at it would blind him.
'Whatever it is that led me here, I will live for the things I believe in and follow them to the end.'
He approached the Flame Demon.
Facing the scorching heat, he reached out his hand.
At that moment—
Whoosh!
Roar!
An immense, terrifying heat swept over Roman Dmitry's entire being.