The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 106

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 106

Poker.

A deceptively simple game where the Dealer distributes cards at random, players wager their chips, and whoever holds the highest hand ranking claims the entire pot.

Since memorizing hand rankings was all that mattered, poker had become one of the most popular gambling games in the Casino.

The Black Market Casino boasted over twenty poker tables, yet spectators had mysteriously congregated around only the one at the far end.

“H-how many consecutive wins is that now? Four? Five?”

“From what I counted, six in a row.”

“You idiots. The winning streak isn’t what matters here. He’s playing as if he can see every opponent’s hand!”

“So how does he play that well?”

The onlookers clicked their tongues in amazement at the man in the black robe seated at the center of the table.

“It’s not just the winning streak—his win rate is insane. He’s won more than seven out of ten hands, I’d wager.”

“That’s some serious luck. I’ve had streaks like that before.”

“Bullshit. You’ve always been dead broke!”

“Wow, look at those chips. They’re piled up like a mountain. I’m jealous.”

Indeed, before the man in the black robe lay a towering heap of chips.

“Phew!”

“Hmm….”

“Damn.”

The other gamblers at the same table watched with cold sweat dripping down their faces or their brows furrowed in displeasure.

“Isn’t he a card sharp? What do they call it, a hustler?”

“You fool! The interior of the Black Market Casino is enchanted so you can’t use mana. And if he were a hustler, that Dealer would have caught him already! That Dealer has over twenty years of experience!”

“Ah, now that you mention it, the Dealer did change.”

Since the man in the black robe kept winning consecutively, the Dealer had been swapped out once due to complaints from other customers. Of course, even after that, the man hadn’t lost a single hand.

“So it really is just pure luck?”

“Wow, I wish I had that kind of luck….”

“Well, luck is obvious, but his judgment is impressive too. That look in his eyes is no joke.”

“Ugh….”

Dorian, who had been listening to the spectators’ murmurs while biting his fingernails, approached the man in the black robe—Raon.

“M-Master. Shouldn’t we stop now? This is the perfect moment while beginner’s luck is stretched thin like a rubber band! Everyone’s saying it’s just luck!”

“How long is this beginner’s luck supposed to last anyway?”

Raon chuckled softly as he observed the anxiety flickering in Dorian’s eyes.

‘It’s about time I quit anyway.’

I swept up the mountain of chips with my hand and nodded. The Black Butterfly’s auction price ranged from ten to twenty gold coins. With thirty-five gold coins earned, it was definitely time to cash out.

‘If I push further, I might attract trouble.’

I’d won consecutively due to time constraints, but the proper approach was to win slowly over several days. Going any further risked complications.

“I’ll stop here. Please exchange these for gold coins.”

I pushed my chips toward the Dealer and stood up.

“Wait! You’re just leaving like that?”

The woman in the fox mask, who had followed me from the dice game to the poker table, rose to her feet as well.

“I’ve won enough.”

“You can’t just win and leave!”

“Isn’t that what this place is for?”

“Just one more hand. I haven’t won even once!”

“I don’t have much time.”

“Tch!”

The woman in the fox mask bit her lip hard, her eyes turning fierce. Having lost twenty consecutive rounds from the dice game straight through to poker, her fury seemed to have reached its breaking point.

Who asked you to follow me in the first place?

I never invited her, yet she came of her own accord, picked a fight, lost, and now she’s acting like this.

“Hmm….”

“Ahem.”

“I, I should head somewhere else.”

Curiously, the moment the woman stood up in anger, the onlookers’ eyes darted away. As if they were afraid of her.

As I’d suspected, she appeared to be from a prestigious family.

“You still have plenty of money. Don’t mind me—just enjoy yourself.”

“You think you’re something because you can gamble a little? Stop being cheeky and stand right there!”

“Sure.”

I ignored her words and turned away. Since I was leaving anyway, her status—high or low—meant nothing to me. I headed toward the exit, letting the sound of her grinding teeth fade behind me.

“Let’s go.”

“Ah, yes!”

Dorian, thinking my words had worked, let out a relieved sigh and followed along.

—Raon Zigheart. You do remember our deal, don’t you?

‘Of course.’

-If you’d forgotten, I would have killed you. Good thing you remembered. Let’s go. Time to finish our transaction.

The voice was heavy and cold. Yet I couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that our transaction involved ice cream and food.

‘Understood. Let’s go.’

Raon chuckled softly as he left the Casino.

*

*

*

The woman in the fox mask watched Raon’s retreating figure with fierce golden eyes as he exited the Casino.

“Setar.”

“Yes.”

The burly man standing behind her bowed respectfully.

“Find out who that bastard is, what he’s after—everything.”

“Your Majesty… I mean, Miss Jeina. There were orders not to cause unnecessary trouble….”

“I didn’t go down to the underground gambling den like you asked, didn’t I? How much more am I supposed to hold back?”

The Casino wasn’t limited to just this floor. The real establishment—where there were no betting limits and only those willing to stake their lives on gambling ventured—lay directly below.

“But Miss, your confinement still hasn’t….”

“Shut up and let’s go. That bastard definitely cheated. Statistically, there’s no way he could win like that! I’ll cut off his hands myself!”

“Sigh, understood.”

Setar exhaled a resigned sigh and vanished from the spot.

“Hmph.”

Jeina scoffed and turned her body. As she moved to exit the Gambling House, the Dealer approached her.

“M-Miss, you’ve left your chips behind.”

“I don’t need them. Take them yourself.”

She handed over the chips—worth more than ten gold coins—without even glancing at them.

“Eh? I….”

The Dealer stood bewildered, but Jeina was already striding toward the exit.

‘Money is trivial.’

Jeina laughed coldly. She possessed wealth in such abundance it could rot away. What mattered wasn’t money—it was victory. Born of noble blood, she could never allow herself to lose to such an ordinary human.

‘Whatever comes your way, I’ll block the path ahead for you.’

*

*

*

-Hmm.

Wrath’s voice pitch rose higher than usual as he smiled.

-This one appeals to me.

He formed a finger from blue cold energy and pointed at one of the ice creams.

‘That one?’

Raon frowned as he looked at the ice cream. It was an odd-looking creation—a base that was either green or blue, with chocolate chips scattered throughout.

‘This looks like the one Lunan Slion showed me before.’

-Correct. That is the ice cream you never ate. It even appeared in my dreams.

Wrath gasped, unable to tear his gaze from the ice cream.

“I’ll take one of those, please.”

I let out a small sigh and ordered the ice cream that Wrath had selected.

“Oh, customer. You’ve chosen mint chocolate—I can see you’re someone who truly understands ice cream.”

The Shop Owner, a large man with a broad build, beamed widely as he retrieved the ice cream.

“Mint chocolate?”

“Ugh!”

Dorian, who had been eating strawberry ice cream, jumped up and rushed over.

“Young master, did you really just order mint chocolate?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Oh no…”

“What?”

“Young master, you know peppermint, right? That sharp, tingling sensation?”

“I’m aware.”

“This ice cream is made with that peppermint. It numbs your entire mouth! There’s no flavor to it!”

Dorian shook his head vigorously. I’d seen him frightened many times before, but never with such a look of genuine concern.

“That customer clearly doesn’t understand true taste. To miss out on the joy of mint chocolate—starting with sweet chocolate notes and finishing with a refreshing tang, with no lingering bitterness—is a tragedy.”

The Shop Owner narrowed his eyes as he looked at Dorian.

“Here’s your mint chocolate ice cream.”

The Shop Owner stepped out from behind the counter and handed me the ice cream. It was served in a cone-shaped wafer.

-Hurry, hurry and taste it! I can’t wait any longer!

Wrath’s cold aura spread and spread, enveloping the entire Ice Cream Shop.

‘I know, I know. Just stay still for a moment.’

I sighed and looked at the green ice cream. I could feel their gazes from beside me. The Shop Owner and Dorian watched with gleaming eyes, waiting for my reaction.

‘What’s the big deal.’

Thinking it was ridiculous to fight over something so trivial, I put the ice cream in my mouth.

“Hmm.”

At first, a cool and sweet taste coated my tongue, like any other ice cream. But what came after was the problem. A sharp, tingling mint flavor spread throughout my mouth.

How to describe it. The taste wasn’t bad, but it felt terribly… in-between.

-Ohhh! Delicious! This harmony of sweetness and crispness doesn’t exist even in the Demon Realm. This is a revolution!

Wrath let out a strange cry of delight and began dancing in mid-air. I couldn’t tell what kind of dance it was, but he looked incredibly happy.

“How is it?”

“Young Master, are you alright?”

Dorian and the Restaurant Staff approached simultaneously, asking for my opinion on the taste.

“I’m not really a fan.”

“Ugh!”

“As expected, Young Master has refined taste! Everyone who likes mint chocolate must have something wrong with their tongue.”

The Shop Owner’s expression darkened, while Dorian burst into laughter.

-What are you doing! Eat more, more! Hurry up!

‘Sigh.’

A promise was a promise. I grimaced as I finished every last bit of the remaining mint chocolate ice cream.

“Gasp! Young Master! Why are you eating that again!”

Dorian waved his arm as if he’d just bitten into a lemon.

“Krahaha! You can fool the mouth, but you can’t fool the heart! That’s the true charm of mint chocolate—seeming unpleasant at first, yet irresistibly drawing you back in!”

The Shop Owner scooped out another mint chocolate ice cream. Then he forcibly placed it in my hand, saying it was on the house.

“Charm? It’s just an awkward, strange flavor!”

“I feel sorry for a customer who doesn’t understand the greatness of mint chocolate.”

I shook my head as I watched Dorian and the Restaurant Staff bicker with each other.

-Who is this genius that created this? Ask them at once! I shall make them one of my subordinates!

“Who made this ice cream?”

“Ah, so now you’re interested in its history?”

The Shop Owner continued speaking while muttering that mint chocolate was indeed magnificent.

“I believe it was created by a lord from the Southern Region who is famous for ice cream. There’s a Mint Chocolate Club there as well.”

“Mint Chocolate Club? Is that a bandit gang?”

“Of course not! It’s a gathering of people who love mint chocolate!”

“Liking something like that makes them no different from a bandit gang.”

Dorian clicked his tongue at the Shop Owner.

“Take that back right now!”

The Shop Owner’s hands trembled as if he were about to leap to his feet.

“Sigh….”

I let out a deep sigh as I watched the two of them.

No matter where I went, there were always strange people around.

-Raon Zigheart! Order me another mint chocolate! It’s a dessert that perfectly suits this king’s palate! I shall open a mint chocolate shop in the Demon Realm!

Of course, the strangest one of all was him.

*

*

*

The next day.

Raon descended into the Black Market an hour before the auction began.

My mouth still felt a bit off.

-This king is satisfied. In the future, I shall transform the seas of the Demon Realm into mint chocolate.

Wrath had become utterly obsessed with mint chocolate yesterday, choosing mint chocolate for all four ice creams. Something about satisfying his absolute sense of taste.

Despite claiming he didn’t like it, he went mad eating four mint chocolates in a row, which made Dorian shake his head in disbelief. The Restaurant Staff member seemed satisfied and gave us several ice creams for free.

“Won’t you have mint chocolate today?”

“I told you it’s not my preference.”

“You said that and then ate 4 in a row. I tried it again, but it really wasn’t my taste.”

Dorian made the same sour expression as yesterday.

“There were circumstances beyond my control.”

I couldn’t discuss the transaction, so I brushed it off vaguely.

-Not knowing the taste of mint chocolate? How pathetic!

Wrath clicked his tongue at Dorian, remarking that a cowardly fellow had poor taste to boot.

“Well, there’s still time before the auction begins. What would you like to do?”

“Let’s look around. I didn’t get a proper tour yesterday.”

“Understood.”

Even after purchasing the Black Butterfly, I had considerable funds remaining, so I decided to explore the Black Market.

Rare items frequently arrived here, and with luck, one could acquire treasures at bargain prices.

I entered the nearest shop. Rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings—precious metals hung throughout. It appeared to be an accessory store.

The merchant seemed disinterested, resting his chin on the table and dozing off. He looked as though he wouldn’t care if someone stole from him.

‘But attempting theft would cause quite a commotion.’

Mana stones and mana-based surveillance and security systems were installed on both the merchandise and the display stands. If I stole something without knowing better, I’d be subdued immediately and dragged down to the Black Market’s underground.

“Is there something you’d like to see?”

“Nothing special.”

I shook my head. The items here looked decent enough, but they were ordinary. What I was searching for was a true treasure—something whose real power remained hidden.

I stepped into the shop next door. This one also displayed accessories, though the merchandise appeared more worn and antiquated than the previous store.

‘Nothing here either.’

I scanned through the items methodically, but nothing caught my eye or stood out as remarkable. Just as I was about to leave with a bitter taste in my mouth, my gaze fell upon a rusted ring sitting near the entrance.

‘What is this?’

A memory surfaced regarding that ring.

But it wasn’t my memory.

The knowledge embedded in my mind from the Demon Realm—that ring was etched within it.

“Hah!”

I swallowed hard and grasped the rusted ring.

‘So this ring was here all along.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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