Inside Dark-Gold Heavy Peak headquarters, the clanging of forging was deafening.
A massive forging table occupied most of the room's center. On its surface lay a silver-white metal block about the size of a washbasin, its surface gleaming with a faint cold light. Bear Lord stood before the table bare-chested, his powerful muscles exposed along with densely packed dark-red demonic markings—the marks of the Dark Blood Demon Bloodline, rising and falling faintly with every breath. Both hands gripped a forging hammer thicker than an ordinary person's thigh as he brought it down on the metal again and again.
"Boom!"
The hammer fell, and the metal trembled with a low hum. Bear Lord's earthy-yellow Soul Power flowed down the handle like viscous magma, slowly pouring into the metal. With every strike, the metal darkened by another shade.
"Boom!"
Another strike. Bear Lord's brows were tightly furrowed, his gaze focused as if he were staring down a mortal enemy. Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead and slid down his cheeks, landing on the forging table with faint sizzling sounds—the sound of sweat evaporating in the heat. His lips remained pressed into a thin line, and now and then, he let out a muffled grunt from using too much force before bringing down another blow.
"Boom!"
Behind a desk in the corner of the forging room, Dark Gold was bent over something he was drawing. He wore a dark-gray casual outfit with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing lean forearms. The pencil in his right hand darted rapidly over the paper with a soft scratching sound. Occasionally, he paused to erase a few lines, redraw them, and continue. The thunderous forging rang out again and again, yet he did not so much as lift an eyelid, as though it