683 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

**Title: The World's Greatest Martial Artist's Childhood Friend, Chapter 683: Northern Rabbit - Web Novel Archive** **Spectral Spear (鬼槍)** A member of the Ghost Sword Troop, Spectral Spear is one of the few female demons in existence. Similar to Tang Deok, she is a master spear-wielder, yet her association with the Ghost Sword Troop is unusual. As suggested by their name, the Ghost Sword Troop was initially formed by a gathering of swordsmen under the leadership of Sword Demon (劍魔). The fact that a spear-wielder is among them implies two possibilities: First, 'Her skills are exceptional enough to warrant inclusion.' Second, 'She is insane enough to be accepted by the Sword Demon and the Ghost Sword Troop.' Spectral Spear fit both criteria. [Screeeeeech--!!!] The Witch of the Battlefield. Witnessing her impaling and slicing through warriors with her long spear, one couldn't help but feel fear. Always drenched in blood, her eyes constantly on the hunt for prey, she was, in essence, a demon incarnate. Observing her in action made one thing clear: She was a master capable of annihilating three squads of elite swordsmen with just one spear. Her deeds were so ruthless that the character 'specter (鬼)' was fittingly part of her nickname. In that sense, her belonging to the Ghost Sword Troop seemed predestined. If there was any issue, it would be... 'Her frequent clashes with the Green King.' While the Sword Demon had friction with the Demon Queen, Spectral Spear often had disputes with the Green King. 'The Green King always had plenty of enemies, given how he meddled all over.' Once, he had challenged me only to receive a severe beating. There was even an incident where the Green King and the Sword Demon were in a life-and-death battle until the Heavenly Demon intervened. Thus, it wasn't strange that Spectral Spear and the Green King didn't get along. 'What's surprising is that this madwoman only had issues with the Green King among all demons.' Contrary to the Sword Demon or Green King, this madwoman surprisingly had no conflicts with others. She constantly resorted to fierce battles only with the Green King... 'It's astonishing that she survived.' The Green King was a leader of the Demonic Cult. No matter how formidable Spectral Spear was, she couldn't compare to the Sword Demon or the Green King. Yet she continued to survive each fight. 'Did the Green King let her live?' The idea that the brute continued sparing Spectral Spear seemed puzzling. He was the kind who slaughtered women, elders, and children alike. '…Ultimately, it's irrelevant.' The past doesn't concern me. The point is that... 'I have to make use of her now.' In my current life, I must find a way to utilize Spectral Spear. 'Damn.' Honestly, I have no clue how to make use of this crazy woman. But I had no other solutions. 'I don't have much information.' The group I'm forming relies heavily on the information I had in my previous life. In other words, 'It's only feasible with those I was familiar with back then.' Over the past three years, I've been turning those I knew useful from my past into demons. Spectral Spear is one of them. "Ugh...! H-Hit harder...!" "..." The chilling voice from below prompted me to swing my leg. Smack-! "Ugh!" Spectral Spear, struck in the head, was sent flying and rolled on the ground. Oops, I might have hit too hard. 'I couldn't control my strength; she was too eerie.' Spectral Spear rolled over and grumbled, pinned against a rock, while near her, Seong Yul stood up with tousled hair. I laughed out loud at the sight. 'What a ridiculous state for a supposed leader.' Seeing Seong Yul like this, who was Spectral Spear's superior in a past life, was bizarre. "Ugh..." "What are you doing here?" I asked Seong Yul, who was groaning. In response, Seong Yul, clutching his head as if in pain, glanced at me. "What brings you here?" I had instructed him to be monitored through Nahi, but gave Seong Yul no specific orders. I didn't fully claim him as mine since I'd never converted him into a demon, basically just keeping him at arm's length. So what was he doing here? In response to my question, Seong Yul explained with a voice tinged with pain. "I sensed a presence, so I came... but I was ambushed." "A presence?" I immediately turned to Nahi at Seong Yul's words. "Weren't the wards set?" "My apologies." Nahi immediately apologized. I chuckled at her response. "No need to apologize. The wards were set properly." "..." When I had approached this place, I had indeed sensed the presence of wards, albeit weak ones, prompting me to reinforce them. This meant Nahi had already set up preemptive measures. Yet, Seong Yul was able to detect them regardless. "Even still, if he noticed, then yes, it’s my mistake." "You don’t need to go that far. He’s just strange." Perhaps he was exceptionally perceptive about sensing energy. I shook my head and approached Seong Yul and the sprawled Spear... or Bong Soon, rather. Note that Bong Soon was the name I assigned to her. When I found her, she was like a beast, without even a name, so I simply gave her one. "So, you were ambushed while trying to block an attack?" "Well..." "There’s more to it." "..." At my rebuttal, Seong Yul clamped his mouth shut. I already knew Bong Soon’s strength. She wouldn’t be easily overwhelmed by Seong Yul, and if they had a life-or-death duel, Seong Yul would barely win. If he had the intention to kill, Seong Yul, who possesses the Thousand Death Stars, would prevail. Moreover, Bong Soon was shackled and exhausted, so there was no way Seong Yul could be ambushed. Given the context, "Did you get hit on purpose?" "..." He must have intentionally allowed it. That much was evident. Hence, I demanded to know from Seong Yul, who hesitated. "...Fighting a woman is somewhat..." Thud-! "Guh!" In response to the absurd answer, I unintentionally struck his head. I couldn't help it. "What nonsensical drivel is this?" "Ugh..." The Green King and the Sword Demon were both known for cutting down women and children alike. The more I watched Seong Yul at this moment, the more incredulous he seemed. Furthermore. "Are you going to wait until a woman puts a blade to your neck before you come to your senses?" His naive mindset was infuriating. "Keep that up, and you'll end up dead. Get it together." "...Understood." Seong Yul seemed puzzled, yet he nodded reluctantly. 'This is why those without real combat experience are troublesome.' Claiming he couldn't fight a woman, such a response was something I hadn't heard in a long time. For a chivalrous swordsman, it might be a somewhat orthodox answer, but– 'Being picky like that will get you killed.' In war, everyone who quibbled over such distinctions invariably died. Seeing people die like that repeatedly changes one's perspective. 'I, on the other hand, always thought differently.' I nodded and glanced at Bong Soon beside me. "Ugh... that hurts..." Reeling from the strong hit to her head, Bong Soon struggled to her feet. I frowned as I watched. '...I aimed to knock her out, but she's getting up.' I was momentarily scared that I might have killed her due to lack of control. The original goal was to make her faint, but Bong Soon rose without a care. Then, with eyes the color of demonic purple, she looked at me. "Master." "What is it?" "Why did you hit me?" Was she genuinely unaware? "Because you were spewing nonsense." "Why? How? I'm a human, though? I can't bark. Oh, maybe I can?" "…" What should I do? Should I just kill her? We hadn't even talked much, yet I was already irritated. "I told you not to charge in. You should've stayed put." A sigh accompanied my words, as Bong Soon yelled back. "It's Master’s fault! You said you'd let me mate! But you called me here, didn’t follow through, tied me up, and stomped on me! Though, the last part felt good. You can do that again." Her choice of words was truly something else. "…Mating?" Listening in, Seong Yul gave me a strange look. "What are you staring at, you bastard?!" "…Nothing." His narrowed eyes hinted at odd thoughts, and I was utterly flabbergasted. "It's a mess, truly a mess." "When did I say that, you crazy woman? I told you it wasn't happening." "Then why call me? You wanted it, didn't you?" "Because there’s work to be done!" "Then no mating?" "This is driving me insane." The conversation was going nowhere. This wasn’t communicating with an animal, was it? "Sigh... Forget it... Did you complete the task I assigned?" "Yep!" Bong Soon answered brightly with a wide grin. "I only killed the ones marked for death! I spared the older guys I saw this morning! I listened well. So now we can mate-." "How did you do it?" I interrupted her nonsense and got straight to the point. "Hmm? What?" "You said you only killed the intended targets. How did you handle it?" "Ohhh." Understanding my question, Bong Soon nodded. "It got tricky killing just one person amongst them... So I gathered everyone and said I'd spare them if they killed this one man! They all seemed eager to do it! Aren't I quite clever?" "..." Listening to her, I rubbed my face with a dry hand. She said it with such a cheerful face, but her words were terrifying. I called for Nahi to follow up. "Nahi." "Yes, Master." "How did you handle the witnesses?" "No one saw the spear's face, but considering there are many ways they could deduce the situation, most needed to be neutralized." "Did you kill all of them?" "Not all. I only dealt with those listed on the ledger you gave me, while silencing the rest with restrictive commands." "Restrictive commands, huh... Still makes me uneasy." "Shall I take further action? Brother Deok is in that area, just in case." "No, let the uninvolved humans be for now. Handle it later if issues arise." While speaking, I balled my fist and struck Bong Soon's head firmly. Thud-! "Argh!" She yelped and held her head where I hit her. Ignoring her cries of pain, I grabbed her hair roughly. "Why did this mess happen, despite sending Jegal Hyuk along? Hmm? You didn’t follow orders again, did you?" "Ugh!!! Master, it hurts!" "It's supposed to hurt. That's the point!" "But! I didn't want to listen to that goody-two-shoes...! Eek!" "So, if you won't listen to him, you're saying you won't listen to me either?" I was the one who gave Jegal Hyuk his orders. If Jegal Hyuk commanded Bong Soon, it was as if following my instructions. My gaze grew icy, and bloodlust wrapped around me as my emotions turned cold. "…!!" Sensing the killing intent, Bong Soon stiffened and froze. "Does this seem like a joke?" My voice came out dry. "I must have told you, right? If you don't follow orders properly, then you're useless to me." "M-Master..." "I don't need a pawn that doesn't follow commands. Should I end it here and now?" "...Sniff..." Tears began to well in Bong Soon's eyes as she felt the pressure of the killing intent, her small shoulders trembling and eyes reddening further as I cruelly watched her. "I'm sorry... I'm really sorry... I won't do it again..." Finally, Bong Soon apologized. Only then did I release her hair, letting her go. "Hic... sob..." "Stop crying. It's annoying." "Sniff...!" "Tch." She's genuinely troublesome and irritating. Bong Soon, all her skills aside, was like a bomb ready to explode at any time. Keeping her around was difficult, and now was no time to be teaching anyone. Regardless of her high level, if she couldn’t be controlled, she was useless. Given her pure temperament, even orders given with demonic energy weren't working well. In these matters, brutes who could only follow straightforward commands were more useful. It seemed it would be better to eliminate Bong Soon. 'That's what I'm considering.' Should I just kill her? If she's too hard to control, it's better to dispose of her. Perhaps it would be wise to do away with her now. I mulled over these thoughts, but eventually decided, "...Fine." "…Sniff... Sob... Okay..." In the end, I chose to endure. Up to this point, everyone I had gathered served a distinct purpose, and Bong Soon, whom they called the 'Spear Head,' was no exception. I needed her. Especially in times like these. As I watched Bong Soon struggle to hold back her tears, a thought dawned on me. ‘The Blade Queen’s bloodline.’ At this point, no one in the world was aware, but Bong Soon was the daughter of the former Blade Queen, Uryeong Geomhu. It wasn’t Bong Soon herself that I needed but rather her connection to Uryeong Geomhu. The Blade Queen had been one of the biggest secrets hidden by the Alliance, and she was also one of the sharpest blades I was preparing. ‘I have to use her for this purpose.’ Therefore, simply discarding her was not an option. At least not until I had made full use of her. Holding my irritation in, I spoke to Bong Soon. "Tomorrow, head to the Alliance and register for the Martial Tournament." "Sniff... Martial Tournament?" Bong Soon tilted her head in confusion at my words. “What’s that?” “It’s an event where foolish people brawl and compete with each other.” “Oh! Sounds fun! I want to do it!” “…Yes, I figured you’d be interested. So tomorrow…” I looked around before turning to Seong Yul. “Go with him and submit your registration.” “Okay!” “What…?” Seong Yul's expression was one of surprise, but I ignored him. “You don’t have anything else to do. Just come along.” “…Understood.” He looked distinctly apprehensive. To be fair, it was understandable if he felt uneasy about going anywhere with Bong Soon. Who knows what crazy thing she might do? “But, Master.” “What now?” Bong Soon, suddenly cheerful again as if she hadn't been crying, asked me. “Is there a prize for the competition?” “There should be. Why, do you need something?” There were rumors about prizes like the Great Pill or swords being given out. After I asked if she needed anything, Bong Soon replied with enthusiasm. “If I win everything, can I mate with you, Master!?” Hearing her motivated voice brought on a pounding headache. “Please stop talking about mating already.” I couldn't fathom why she was obsessed with something so crass. Who on earth had taught her such things? “No? But you said there was a prize!” “…Well, I…” I tried to provide an explanation, but gave up and closed my mouth in exasperation. Feeling the need to explain was a tragedy in itself. “Fine…. Go ahead, if you win everything, I’ll consider it.” I mentioned something that was practically impossible. After all, winning was something Bong Soon could never accomplish, no matter how many times she resurrected. Hearing those words, Bong Soon leaped up. “Really!? If I win, you’ll fulfill it, right?” “Yes. If you win, I’ll think about…” As I waved her off, intending to shrug it away, Wuwoong-! “…?” An odd sensation hit me, and I turned around. Something was disrupting the barrier. I extended my energy to confirm but realized, ‘Damn.’ Due to the thick protective barrier I had set, even my own senses were hindered. The dense barrier was the problem; it dulled the sensation of presences outside. Shwhiss-! I quickly withdrew the barrier and expanded my perception, but it was too late. “What is it?” Nothing registered. All I sensed were the presences I had already identified. There were no new energies to detect in the surroundings. ‘Was it my imagination?’ Considering the thickness of the barrier, that could indeed be the case. Nodding at the thought, I soon encountered something strange. “Oh my, young master!” “…” “What a coincidence. Isn’t that right, Seol-ah?” “…Y-Yes. It really is… a coincidence.” At the registration desk for the Martial Tournament I had returned to, I found Dang So-Yeol and Wi Seol-Ah. A complete coincidence, indeed.