The Hunt for the Old Monster.

That was the code name given by the Black Flame Demon for this operation. His sense of naming was as uninspired as it got.

After delivering the objective in one blunt sentence, he vanished just as he had yesterday.

Why was he always in such a hurry to disappear?

Watching the entrance where he’d left, I finally turned my gaze. The moment his oppressive energy left the room, the demons all let out breaths they’d been holding.

“…Today’s presence was even more intense than usual. It feels like his aura is growing stronger.”

One of the demons broke the silence with his comment. Oh, is this gossip about me? Against my better judgment, I found myself listening.

‘They’re probably just about to tear into me.’

If I had a superior like myself, I’d have cut his throat by now. I couldn’t imagine how these guys felt.

I leaned in to hear what they’d say.

“He just keeps getting stronger. As expected of our Unit Lord.”

“That’s right. That old codger Heavenly Lord couldn’t hold a candle to him.”

…What?

‘…Excuse me?’

Listening closer, I was hearing a very different conversation from what I’d expected. What on earth were these lunatics talking about?

“I just hope our Unit Lord’s influence spreads across all of Zhongyuan.”

“It will, whether they like it or not. No amount of meddling by those Righteous bastards can stop it.”

‘What the hell…’

The more I listened, the more my head spun.

What on earth are these guys saying?

‘…Why?’

No matter how much I listened, I couldn’t understand. And the conversation only grew more intense.

“The one who burned the entire Mount Hua to the ground by himself.”

That wasn’t true at all.

Cheonma took out their main experts, including the Plum Blossom Sword Master, and I merely handled the remaining disciples.

“And not only Mount Hua—he destroyed the Sichuan Tang Clan single-handedly too.”

In that case, the Sword Demon and Green King’s troops had already attacked, and the Black Flame Unit had come in as backup afterward. I’d only approached the exhausted Poison Queen to finish the job.

‘What’s wrong with these people?’

Nothing about this made any sense. This endless praise was nauseating, and my ears were burning.

One of them must have noticed my expression, as he turned to speak to me.

“Seems the new recruit doesn’t know?”

“What? Doesn’t a demon know the prestige of our Unit Lord?”

Noticing my visible distaste, the demons turned cold stares toward me. Each of their gazes was dead serious.

‘Damn it.’

This was an unexpected development. I’d thought they’d view me with scorn, but what were these looks of admiration?

“…You all really… seem to like the Unit Lord?”

“The Unit Lord is the hope of all demons. How could you not know?”

“Judging by your age, you’re new to the demonic path. How old are you?”

Uh… What age should I go with?

“Twenty-two.”

That seemed reasonable enough.

“Twenty-two, huh. Have you crossed the threshold?”

“Yes… I suppose.”

“At twenty-two and already at the peak… A true monster.”

“…”

I had to stifle a few coughs. I was concealing my full power, so it was difficult for them to sense my true level.

As I kept coughing, another demon approached me.

“What made such a promising talent like you turn to the demonic path?”

“…Hmm.”

Why had I, at twenty-two, become a demon?

“…My family fell because of those Righteous fools.”

“A vendetta, then.”

“Yes.”

The demons accepted my explanation without suspicion. It was a common, convenient excuse.

It was best to curse the Righteous factions to win these guys over.

“…Those hypocrites…”

“Always pretending to be virtuous and noble, but the underworld is full of their filth.”

“Don’t worry, rookie. Our Unit Lord will make sure you get your revenge.”

No, no, you lunatics. Your Unit Lord doesn’t care about anyone’s revenge; he’s too busy looking after his own skin to bother with that.

And where did they even get this unfounded trust in him?

‘They’re even calling me “rookie” now.’

This blind faith probably stemmed from the binding demonic energy of Cheonma. Being unable to betray the cult provided a sense of security.

It was absurd—demons taking comfort in each other.

Part of me wondered if this loyalty was something Cheonma had anticipated, but who knew?

Ultimately, what mattered was—

‘Why do these guys like me?’

It didn’t make sense. I’d given them every reason to despise me.

“Um, hey…”

Just as I was about to ask about it, the door opened, and someone appeared—it was Mugwon again.

“Pajeol-yeop.”

“Now, about… the Unit Lord.”

“Pajeol-yeop. Can’t you hear me?”

“Oh.”

As I was about to continue speaking, I realized Mugwon was calling me.

Right, Pajeol-yeop or whatever, that’s what I’d said yesterday.

“…Did you call for me?”

“Come with me.”

The moment Mugwon appeared, the other demons instantly stiffened, their posture snapping to attention. The hierarchy was painfully rigid.

‘…’

After giving them an odd look, I followed Mugwon, my face still twisted in a mix of confusion and irritation.

 

   ******************
 

The place Mugwon led me wasn’t far from the main group. We hadn’t strayed far from the main base; it was more of a perimeter position, standing guard.

It looked like Mugwon was here to keep watch with me.

‘What a pain.’

I clicked my tongue inwardly, guessing he was here to get information.

Would a demon like Mugwon really be on guard duty? There was no way an elite would stand guard without a reason.

“Pajeol-yeop.”

“Yes.”

“You said you were twenty-two, didn’t you?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“So young.”

If he knew I was actually five years younger than him, he’d probably collapse from shock.

I looked at Mugwon with a hint of nostalgia.

‘It’s been a while.’

As irritating as his intentions were, it was nice to see him again.

Among the demons I knew, he was one of the most normal.

Had he not been entangled with the dirty deeds of the Hwangbo clan, he wouldn’t have turned to the demonic path.

To the very end, Mugwon was more suited to be called a martial artist than a demon.

So, in a way, seeing him was oddly comforting.

But, of course, despite my sentiments, Mugwon couldn’t hide the wariness in his eyes.

“You seem to have reached the Flowering Stage. Am I correct?”

“Yes.”

At my casual response, Mugwon’s eyes narrowed. He seemed shocked.

It would have been surprising enough if I’d reached the peak level, but reaching the Flowering Stage at this age was something else.

‘Even if it’s incomplete… Without my flame techniques, I’m only half as strong.’

Originally, I was already in an imperfect state, and being unable to use the Gui Flame Wheel technique meant I was even weaker now.

“…At twenty-two and already at the Flowering Stage.”

Mugwon looked utterly stunned. Honestly, if I’d heard this about someone else, I’d be shocked too.

Which was probably why the Unit Lord had sent him to watch over me.

This also pointed to a different issue.

“A martial artist like you… How could you have no reputation? It’s puzzling.”

Someone at my age and level should have been a household name.

Mugwon’s suspicion was natural, and it was something I was also wary of.

“I did some digging into your past.”

The Demon Cult was quick and accurate with information, after all.

“Pajeol-yeop… No family background, no records of where you might have lived…”

There was a cold, threatening edge to Mugwon’s tone and gaze.

A weight pressed on my shoulders.

“What exactly are you?”

“…”

Killing intent began to radiate from him. How should I handle this?

“Your name sounds like an alias, and your face… is that a disguise?”

Mugwon reached out, hand nearing my face before—

Clasp.

“…!”

I grabbed his hand firmly.

“What are you doing?”

Before Mugwon could react, I gave him a small smile, which made him pause.

“Everyone has one or two secrets, don’t you think?”

“Ha, you think secrets can exist under the Cult? Do you know who’s above you?”

“Certainly not you or the Unit Lord.”

Rumble—!

At my arrogant tone, Mugwon looked ready to unleash his power, but my next words stopped him.

“To the Cult, only the Cult Leader is above.”

He hesitated.

At the mention of Cheonma, Mugwon froze once again.

“My secrets… The Cult Leader already knows all of them. And he sent me here fully aware.”

If this came up, the way to resolve it was simple.

Just like I’d done with the Demon Sword Queen, I’d use Cheonma’s name in everything I said.

In this twisted cult, Cheonma was an untouchable force, even for me.

“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

The Cult Leader knows all about me, I said, and he still sent me to the Black Flame Unit. Could I take responsibility for such a claim?

“Yes. I swear on the Cult Leader’s name that I speak nothing but the truth.”

I smiled widely as I said it.

Responsibility? Why would I need to take that on?

“There is no lie in my words. I am a loyal servant of the Cult Leader.”

Seeing my resolute tone, the killing intent in Mugwon’s aura dissipated slightly.

A demon could not lie when swearing upon the Cult Leader.

At least, that was the saving grace here. As long as I could keep throwing Cheonma’s name around, I’d have a way out.

“My secrets may remain hidden, but I won’t do anything to endanger the Cult. I swear on the name of the Cult Lead—”

Bang! Crash!

Just as I was speaking, Mugwon’s fist shot past me.

The area behind me exploded into rubble.

I hadn’t even realized he’d thrown a punch. These people are unbelievably strong.

Wondering why he’d suddenly attacked, I turned to him.

“I understand your words, but refrain from speaking the Cult Leader’s name so lightly. No one in the Cult has the right to invoke it so freely.”

“…Ah, yes. My apologies.”

Such unwavering loyalty.

Watching him, I couldn’t help but smirk bitterly.

Your dear Unit Lord doesn’t even care about this nonsense.

And yet—

This whole hunt for the old monster, the Heavenly Lord’s purpose and the Defeated Lord’s appearance, all of it.

He probably already knew all of this, and he was still planning to carry out the operation and confront the Defeated Lord himself.

‘Honestly…’

Did he plan to walk into an unwinnable fight out of loyalty to Cheonma?

‘Not a chance.’

There was no way I was loyal to the Cult. The only reason I was doing this pointless work was simple.

My sole purpose back then had been to weaken the Cult’s forces.

 

   ******************
 

With dawn breaking, the training grounds were already filled with noise. Golden sword energy sliced through the air like a blazing sun.

Below, a woman with her hair tied back moved with graceful precision, beads of sweat glistening on her skin.

Shiiing—

The blade moved softly, yet its edge showed deadly precision as each strike split through the air.

Shiiing— shiiing—

The sword followed her movements, hovering in the air with each twist and turn. It resembled a skill known as Floating Sword Technique, yet was slightly different.

Drip.

After a while, a bead of sweat dropped from her chin, and the sword finally planted itself firmly into the ground.

Boom! The sword pierced the ground, shattering the surface.

Then—

Boom!

The embedded sword emitted a burst of light and exploded, leaving the once pristine training ground in shambles.

The qi still lingered in the air, like an echo of her strength.

At last, the woman exhaled a deep breath she’d been holding.

“…Haa…”

As she reached to wipe her sweat with her sleeve, someone approached, offering her a towel.

“You worked hard, Young Sword Saint.”

The woman turned her head toward the man.

“…I imagine you’re quite busy yourself. What brings you here?”

Despite the man’s rough appearance, her expression remained calm and indifferent.

The woman called him by name.

“King of Blades.”

The King of Blades gave her a bitter smile, his eyes filled with something resembling guilt.

“…There’s something that requires your assistance.”

His voice held a note of regret, his attempt at composure failing him. Even now, asking this delicate woman to make sacrifices was difficult for him.

The woman, understanding his feelings, simply nodded without a word.

“Let’s go.”

Without another word, the woman passed him, walking ahead.

Her golden hair blew in the wind.

The seasons were gradually growing colder, and her eyes remained as icy as ever.