There was something familiar about the spear as Woon-seong held it in his hands, the Spear Master Sect’s artifact resonating with it. 

The speartip was about eight inches of shining white metal; the length and width of the shaft were a little longer and thicker than the general spear. 

There was a red cloth tied directly under the tip. 

He touched the fabric lightly with his fingertips. Despite being here for so long, the cloth was undamaged. 

Enchanted tussar silk. 

He suddenly noticed that there were markings made on the cloth. 

There’s something written.

And the letters were embroidered onto the fabric. 

‘From Star Absence to Unrecorded’.

This spear had clearly been gifted and passed from one hand to another, so why was it here?

Woon-seong swung the spear in his hand. It truly resonated with him! At the same time, his heart began to beat wildly. 

This is it. 

The materials were unknown, as the tip was a majestic, silvery white. Despite the rusted layer, the actual spear looked just fine. 

Still, he knew that this was the spear that he had been searching for. The thump of Destiny he had felt the other day had been to find this spear. 

But it didn’t all make sense.

Woon-seong thumbed the necklace hanging on his neck. Why did the artifact of the Spear Master Sect react to it?

The moment he had grabbed the spear, the artifact had stopped humming. 

No matter how he searched though, there were no traces of the Spear Master Sect on this spear. 

However, at the bottom, characters had been engraved: Dragon Fang of the White Night. 

A spear made from the fang of a dragon, shining like the full moon on a clear night. 

The White Night Spear…

Having taken a liking to this spear, he decided to shorten its name to the ‘White Night Spear’, since the ‘Dragon Fang Spear of the White Night’ was a mouthful. 

Woon-seong swung this White Night Spear. 

Once again, the feeling of using it was different. It truly was something like Fate. 

Whoa, whoa. 

The White Night Spear resonated with something within the boy, not just the Spear Master Sect’s artifact. 

In the end, Woon-seong chose this White Night Spear as his weapon. Just in case, he had checked the last two floors, but there had been nothing that would suit him more. 

When the boy came out of the armory, Sang In-hyo, who had been waiting, asked, “That spear…is that your choice?”

In response to the question, Woon-seong adjusted the spear strapped to his back, looking pleased with himself. Wasn’t it a good choice?

However, Sang In-hyo wasn’t taking in the striking figure of the boy. 

His eyes weren’t even on the boy — he was staring intently at the spear itself. 

Some time passed in silence. 

“Phew.” Sang In-hyo exhaled deeply, then turned around. “Let’s return if you are finished with your business.”

Woon-seong couldn’t read Sang In-hyo’s expression, but the other’s eyes were deep. 

The ‘Dragon Fang Spear of the White Night’ and the ‘Art of Six Seals and Destruction’…, Sang In-hyo murmured within his heart. So in the end, the two come together…! What fate…

It was a fateful encounter between two objects, indeed. One that had taken hundreds of years to occur.

But Sang In-hyo only closed his eyes and continued on in silence, only speaking until they had reached a nearby village. “Being part of the Twelve Supporting Units…you must be burdened.”

“Yes, I do feel the weight of my responsibility.”

The Twelve Supporting Units were the elite troops that guarded the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, facing the enemy head on and performing missions. Excluding Woon-seong, the members of the Charred Dragon Unit desperately lacked the experience equivalent to their skill level.  Without the memory of his past lives, Woon-seong’s situation would not have been any different. 

Still, they had no choice but to bear their responsibilities. 

“It won’t be easy, but I believe you will handle it well,” Sang In-hyo said and laughed. 

If it was another Great Demon speaking, they probably could not have been so genuinely supportive. Naturally, most of them were wary of Woon-seong, who had risen to power so young. 

No, what they were wary of was not just Woon-seong, but the entire Charred Dragon Unit. 

The origin of the new Charred Dragon Unit was the Cave of Latent Demons, and the Cave had always been used to create extensive change within the hierarchy of the Demonic Cult. 

From the perspective of the other Great Demons, the Charred Dragon Unit was a sword pointed at their necks . 

Sang In-hyo was the exception. As the General Director of the Cave of Latent Demons, he had practically raised these trainees up and out of the Cave. He was quite happy to see the children he had watched for the past decade become strong. Aside from sentiment, the stronger you all are, the greater my contributions to the Cult. 

In fact, Woon-seong could tell that Sang In-hyo was watching him carefully too. Unlike the others though, it was a favorable gaze. 

And since Sang In-hyo expressed goodwill, Woon-seong showed no hostility to his senior — he was a man who did not burn bridges so easily. 

“You will likely be receiving a mission soon. It’s not a laid back job, so I wish you luck.”

“I also feel prepared for it.”

Sang In-hyo chuckled at these words filled with confidence. 

“By the way, I have a question I want to ask.”

Sang In-hyo stopped a bit suddenly. All this time he had been speaking and Woon-seong had been responding. This was the first question. 

“What is it?”

“I would like to know the smith who made my spear with the flame patterned black iron last year.”

Sang In-hyo looked the boy up and down. The most prominent thing about him was the newly acquired weapon. “I see. You’ve got a new spear, so you don’t need the old one. Will you melt it and use it elsewhere?”

Woon-seong nodded. “That’s right.”

There were not many blacksmiths who could handle black iron. Forget about forging anything, there were few who could even melt it. So rather than running around to find one, asking Sang In-hyo, who had helped make his old spear, would be less troublesome.

Fortunately, Sang In-hyo found it to be a reasonable request.

“I believe it was around the Cave of Latent Demons…”

“Right…”

“Go to one of the villages of the demonic people, Village Fifteen. Go to the forge in that village and find the smith Gong Ya-ja.”

There were a total of thirty villages inhabited by the demonic people in the Cult’s homeland, numbered by their proximity to the center. 

Village Fifteen was not very far away from the Charred Dragon House. If he rushed, Woon-seong could get there within two hours. 

Woon-seong remembered the names of the villages and simply bowed his head in thanks. 

Sang In-hyo nodded silently. “Then, I will take my leave. You’ve got a good spear in your hands, I hope you’ll take care of it.” With that, he disappeared without a trace. 

Woon-seong took a step in the direction Sang In-hyo had disappeared in, continuing towards the Charred Dragon House. 

This building had been used by the Charred Dragon Unit for generations and would now be the home of the ex-Latent Demon Squad. It was a luxurious accommodation with a dining area on the ground floor and individual housing — there was even a separate room for banquets! 

As he entered, several people were sitting and eating. “Welcome!” They jumped up from their seats and greeted Woon-seong, who entered and nodded at them.

“Will you eat, Captain?” Baek Woon-ji rose from her seat to ask. 

“No, not very hungry.”

At such words, Baek Woon-ji had a dull look for a while before returning to her seat. “I’ve decided to have a small banquet with the unit tonight. Can you come then?”

“Banquet?”

“We’ve never eaten together since being promoted. Why don’t we all celebrate together?”

Woon-seong’s idea of bureaucracy changed slightly as he realized that when he was away, the Lieutenant and Baek Woon-ji took care of the responsibilities. In fact, Woon-seong had the Charred Dragon Unit under his control, but he was not the kind of person who cared for his subordinates like a mother hen. 

But, Baek Woon-ji was playing that supporting role. 

Seeing that Woon-seong was lost in thought, Baek Woon-ji asked once again, “Can you come?”

“I will.” 

There were still a few hours left in the evening, enough for him to finish what he wanted to do.

Woon-seong took a step upstairs, into his personal quarters. His room was on the fourth floor, the highest level of the building. As he entered his room, his eyes immediately gravitated towards the spear he’d left by the window. 

A spear of flame patterned black iron. 

Now that he had a better spear, he wouldn’t be keeping this one anymore. I’m going to melt it down and make a new weapon.

Woon-seong quickly grabbed the spear and went back out. 

Was it because they had already said ‘hello’ and confirmed he would attend the banquet? Despite descending the stairs, no one greeted him. Only Baek Woon-ji quietly left some words as he left. 

Woon-seong immediately left the Charred Dragon House and headed towards Village Fifteen. 

The villages of the demonic people were formed around the Peak of the Heavenly Demon’s Majesty, meaning that they were organized in a systematic manner. 

Woon-seong lightly jumped over a peak as he watched the moon rise above the ridge. 

It did not take long for him to reach Village Fifteen. Just as he had predicted, two hours was enough. 

It took even less time to find the forge, as the village was not very large and only had one forge. 

Dang, dang, dang. 

As he entered, the sound of iron being hit rang out and a fierce heat emanated from within. Even though the days had become quite chilly, the inside of the forge was hotter than summer. 

Woon-seong decided that although the forge was small, it looked promising. 

“Is there a smith named Gong Ya-ja?”

When Woon-seong asked, the hammering stopped and a person appeared. “Who is it that is looking for me?” This man was huge, almost seven feet of pure muscle. The giant hammer in his hand seemed small, and Woon-seong’s eyes widened at the size of the man. 

“Are you Gong Ya-ja?”

The man nodded. “I am Gong Ya-ja. Why are you looking for me?”

“The Demonic Sword sent me here.”

At the mention of this recommendation, the man scratched the back of his head with the hand not holding the hammer. But he only shook his head. “There’s a number of Demonic Swords that I’m aware of…so I’m not sure which one you’re talking about.”

“The Demonic Sword of Layered Blood.”

At these words, the blacksmith’s body stiffened. 

Inside the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, there were indeed many given the name  ‘Demonic Sword’, but only one of them was special. That was because only a single one, the ‘Demonic Sword of Layered Blood’, was a Great Demon!

“Who…are you?” His attitude towards Woon-seong had changed simply because of who was introducing him. 

“I am Hyuk Woon-seong, who just recently became a Great Demon.”

Gong Ya-ja could not help but cry out in shock. “Captain of the Charred Dragon Unit!”

Unbeknownst to him, Woon-seong was now a famous figure among the demonic people. Despite his age, he was already a Great Demon. He was also the Captain of the Charred Dragon Unit, one of the Twelve Supporting Units. 

“Yes, I am the Captain of the Charred Dragon Unit.” Woon-seong nodded and bowed shallowly. 

“I apologize for my manners!” The smith hastily bowed. 

With this bow, Woon-seong was able to vividly realize the power of the name of the Charred Dragon Unit and the status of a Great Demon. Woon-seong was not necessarily satisfied just yet, but this was already high above the commoners. But it doesn’t change the fact that I must become stronger, faster…

Gong Ya-ja was still bowing low to the floor and Woon-seong waved at him. 

“Get up. I visited here today because I have something to ask.”

Gong Ya-ja hurriedly looked up, “What are you asking for?”

Woon-seong handed the black iron spear over. “I heard that you are a blacksmith who can handle black iron, right? I think that this spear was also made by you?”

“Yes, yes. It’s subtly different, but it is definitely my work.”

A blacksmith who could handle black iron. It was just what he needed. 

“I would like to melt it and make something new. Can you do it?”

Woon-seong asked this carefully. Martial artists had their pride, but blacksmiths were also proud of their work and ability. But now, Woon-seong was asking a blacksmith to melt his own work and create something new, it was a delicate situation. 

“This spear…” The voice of the smith was trembling. He moved his eyes around as if he was uncomfortable and soon his eyes landed on another spear, which was strapped to Woon-seong’s back.