Chapter 215: Secrets Hidden Underground (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 215: Secrets Hidden Underground (3)
The heat was immense.
As the flames engulfed his body, Roman Dmitry felt them being sucked inside, incinerating him from the very core.
'This is dangerous.'
Fwoosh.
Crackle.
It was suffocating.
The flames blazed so fiercely they threatened to blind him. His state of Immunity to Heat and Cold had absolutely no effect. Excruciating pain radiated from every inch of his body touched by the fire. While Immunity to Heat and Cold could block a certain level of extreme temperature, the Fire Demon's flames existed in a realm completely beyond the ordinary.
Extreme heat.
It was exactly as he had expected.
If this was a treasure capable of melting the frozen World Tree, he never expected it to submit to his control easily.
'Flame Divine Art.'
Flash.
He channeled his mana.
Power surged from his Dantian, circulating through his body to push back the Fire Demon's flames that sought to incinerate his internal organs. An immense explosion erupted from within. Every time his mana and the flames violently clashed, Roman Dmitry's face flushed crimson. His skin cracked open, charring in the fire.
If he was pushed back even once, the situation would become irreversible.
The Fire Demon's flames were a type of power he had never experienced, not even in his past life.
'The only way to oppose the flames engulfing me is to accept them. Just as I controlled fire through the Flame Divine Art, I must slowly absorb this. Even if the searing heat burns my skin and plunges me into agony, I must accept the process of becoming one with it.'
Fwoosh!
The flames grew fiercer.
As Roman Dmitry took a breath and accepted the fire, the Fire Demon's flames blazed violently, as if in sheer rage. He finally understood why the dwarves had never dared to touch it. This mass of pure fire energy possessed a wild ferocity that refused to tolerate contact with any entity.
His skin melted.
Flesh unable to withstand the heat dripped onto the floor, inflicting pain beyond imagination.
And yet, Roman Dmitry did not waver.
Having lived a life of constant struggle, he accepted pain as a daily occurrence. Under no circumstances would his body escape the control of his mind. Absolute control. It was a strength that remained steadfast even against the Fire Demon's flames. The fire attempted to shatter his mind with extreme agony, but Roman's consciousness remained as calm as a sturdy ship holding firm in the eye of a typhoon.
'Earth Stage.'
Whoosh.
He opened his senses.
He accepted the flames.
The Human Stage. If that realm was about forging a body suited for nature, the Earth Stage was about becoming one with nature itself.
The Fire Demon's flames were also a part of nature.
Fire was a destructive yet utterly primal force. In response to Roman Dmitry's attempt at assimilation, the Fire Demon's flames flared violently, tearing through his body. But then, a change occurred. His skin began to regenerate at a speed matching how fast it melted. Amidst the blazing inferno, the reconstruction of his body through Shedding Bones and Rebirth took place. His flesh melted and regenerated in a continuous, agonizing cycle.
If he had not reached the Earth Stage, the Fire Demon's flames would have incinerated his very mind.
It was truly a strange coincidence.
Just as he finished preparing to face his upcoming trials, this mass of the Fire Demon appeared like destiny. Was accepting these flames not what the being who brought him to the Salamander Continent had intended? If so, what was that being's ultimate purpose? Even living as Roman Dmitry, he had never once made a choice against his own will—and that would remain true in the future.
To protect his boundaries, and to reign at the absolute peak.
That was all.
As for the matter regarding the World Tree, he had only taken the risk because his own interests were intertwined with it.
'If the path I walk aligns with the purpose destiny desires, then it is not a result of fate, but a life forged by my own choices. Even if destiny led me to this mass of the Fire Demon, I accepted the pain by my own choice.'
Fwoosh!
The flames flared.
Against the searing heat that blazed violently as if to destroy him, Roman Dmitry firmly seized the energy.
Whoosh.
A gust of wind blew.
The flames detached slightly from his skin and swirled around him.
Roman Dmitry's skin regenerated rapidly.
As his body restored its original form, the Fire Demon's flames could no longer burn his flesh.
At that moment, Roman Dmitry's consciousness drifted somewhere beyond the Earthly World.
* * *
The Salamander Continent.
The beginning of this world where humans lived had originated from flames.
A salamander had appeared in the world, spewing flames intense enough to incinerate everything, and the ashes left behind became the foundation of the current continent. People accepted it merely as a legend passed down through generations, but the person who first spread the tale had spoken a truth they themselves did not fully comprehend.
A world made of fire.
Roman Dmitry plunged into the source.
When he opened his eyes, an amorphous Flame Demon existed within the crimson, blazing world.
[O bearer of the flame's blessing. Accept me. My Heavenly Mandate is bound to you by an unbreakable link.]
The voice echoed through the space.
The Flame Demon expressed its presence through flickering flames.
The Flame Demon. It was an immense power.
Just as Felix could manifest enough power to burn the world simply by summoning a fire spirit, accepting the Flame Demon would allow him to step into a completely different realm. However, Roman Dmitry did not accept the devilish whisper. Looking at the Flame Demon, which spoke of a sweet relationship while bringing up the Heavenly Mandate, his gaze remained unwavering.
"I do not care what kind of existence you are. If you wish to be with me, submit to my control."
Destiny and the Heavenly Mandate, or other words that spoke of such inescapable relationships—Roman Dmitry overturned the forced connection.
Instead of accepting the Flame Demon according to the Heavenly Mandate, he demanded that if it wished to accompany him, it must become a part of him and submit to his control. That was the life of the Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk. Even when he fell to the coldest depths, and even when he was forced to endure all kinds of trials simply because he was the son of the Heavenly Demon, he had shattered the chains of fate and risen to the absolute peak.
The initiative of his life always belonged to him.
Though a cruel reality might have been driven by fate, forging a life out of it was solely his own doing.
Fwoosh.
The flames distorted. It was like a bizarre laugh.
[A splendid answer.]
Flash.
Rumble!
A massive explosion erupted.
The Flame Demon blanketed the world, and Roman Dmitry's existence was swept away with it.
Yet, even at the moment the world vanished, Roman Dmitry's mind remained perfectly intact, clearly witnessing the sequence of the Flame Demon being drawn into him.
* * *
He opened his eyes.
He felt thirsty.
As he sat up with a slight grimace, the first thing that came into view was Brown Rock.
"...You really succeeded."
Brown Rock wore a deeply moved expression.
The dwarves had found the mass of the Flame Demon that could save the World Tree by chance, but they had been stomping their feet in frustration because they had no way to touch it. Beyond the Endless Mountains. It was a world that Brown Rock's generation had never personally experienced, yet their bloodline desperately yearned for the world beyond.
At the thought that they could finally save the World Tree, he could not hide his rising emotions.
Thud.
"Take this." Roman Dmitry handed something over.
The mass of the Flame Demon. It was its crystallized form.
It was a small, reddish bead, harboring a burning fire inside that was warm to the touch. The dwarf's hands trembled violently as he received the Flame Demon's crystal. In truth, he had worried that the human might grow greedy for the treasure, but Roman Dmitry had kept his promise.
Humans. He had detested them.
The experiences passed down by his ancestors through generations spoke of how disgusting human greed was.
But Roman Dmitry was different.
Brown Rock, the leader of the dwarves, would remember the monumental favor he had received.
"While Lord Roman Dmitry was fighting the Fire Demon's flames, I spoke with the people of Dmitry. I heard that Dmitry is a blessed city specializing in blacksmithing. Aside from the request you will make as a reward for this task, our dwarf clan will dedicate ourselves to the Dmitry family from now on. We will pass down our blacksmithing techniques for the development of your blacksmiths, and we will build sturdy castle walls so that no one can invade Dmitry. If necessary, we will also forge armaments to equip your soldiers."
His voice trembled. Even as he expressed his gratitude, he felt his thankful heart could not be fully conveyed.
"The elves who occasionally send news told me that the cold wave in Arcadia is worsening day by day. Now, the World Tree's life force has reached its absolute limit. We were facing the day we would completely lose our homeland. If not for Lord Roman Dmitry's help, we might have given up."
He choked up.
Two hundred and eighty years.
They had lived only underground.
Their ancestors had said that the dwarves' true home lay in a vast land, but Brown Rock had never once experienced the warmth of his homeland.
Roman Dmitry.
He did not know the man well. But the mere fact that he had given them hope made Brown Rock refuse to view Roman Dmitry as just a passing acquaintance.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"That is enough. Dmitry will no longer treat you as enemies."
A reason to trust.
A reason not to be hostile.
The look in Brown Rock's eyes was proof enough.
* * *
The incident was resolved.
The development of the new iron mine was halted, but the blacksmiths reacted with wild enthusiasm to the cooperative relationship with the dwarves.
The dwarves' techniques.
Was learning them not the ultimate dream of every blacksmith?
That day, Roman Dmitry stood alone in the training ground.
As he raised his sword and manifested his aura, the fire energy mingled with it, igniting the blade in flames.
'The Fire Demon's flames have settled in my Dantian.'
The world beyond consciousness. The existence of the Flame Demon was real.
The process of accepting it had become reality, and Roman Dmitry felt an intense heat burning in his Dantian. The crystal he had given to Brown Rock was only a fraction of its true mass. But since Brown Rock had achieved his goal with just that, there was no need to mention the core of the Flame Demon now residing in his Dantian.
According to his will, the flames flickered.
It was the pure power to manipulate fire, completely distinct from magic.
'I will need to consider how to utilize the Flame Demon in the future. What is certain is that I have made a massive leap in physical development through this event. The reconstruction of my body due to the Flame Demon must have played a major role.'
Not long ago, he had entered the Earth Stage.
Yet, due to an unintended stroke of fortune, he was able to rapidly elevate his mastery of the Earth Stage in one go. It was a growth rate that was overwhelming even compared to his past life. While it had taken Baek Joong-hyuk a considerable amount of time to reach Roman Dmitry's current realm back then, he had shortened his growth time to a shocking degree in this life.
For the time being, he needed to test his strength.
To see how much he had improved, and what the Flame Demon's power was truly capable of.
To defeat the enemies he would face in the future, his first priority was to grasp his own limits.
He moved his feet.
The Écorché.
The Shadows.
And now, even the Fire Demon's flames.
Even after experiencing this series of events, Roman Dmitry did not seek rest. Instead, he headed straight to the workshop where all entry was forbidden.
And so...
Creak.
Thud.
He vanished into the darkness for his Closed-Door Training.
* * *
A month later, Hans headed toward the workshop where Roman Dmitry was staying.
'He said I could come find him after a month.'
He hurried his steps.
A few days ago, a guest had come looking for Roman Dmitry.
Since Roman was in Closed-Door Training, Hans had naturally told the guest to return later, but the guest's determination was so stubborn that he had already stayed in Dmitry for several days. It was time to call Roman Dmitry, if only for the guest's sake. Following the familiar path to the workshop, Hans found Roman Dmitry already stepping out of the open door.
"Young Master. Have you finished your training well?"
"Thanks to you, I was able to focus on my training. Were there any particular issues while I was away?"
"There is a guest who came looking for you, Young Master. Let us move first. He has already been waiting for you for several days."
The word "guest" carried a strange nuance.
Hans's reaction implied a new face rather than a familiar one.
They walked back to the estate. Arriving at the reception room, the figure who had been waiting anxiously stood up with a brightened face the moment Roman Dmitry entered.
"It is a true pleasure to meet you. I am Count Rondon of Redford."
Count Rondon.
A target on the Écorché's First-Class Assassination List.
He was the very guest who had come looking for Roman Dmitry.
Meanwhile, Hans, who had gone to clean up the workshop, stood with his mouth agape at the sight of the completely blackened interior.
It was a sight that could not be explained by the mere flames of a furnace.
He could not begin to comprehend what on earth had transpired here.