The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 107

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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 107

A rusted iron ring that wouldn’t be worth picking up even if it rolled along the roadside. Yet this was not its true form.

Once certain conditions and materials were assembled, it would transform into a rare ring that couldn’t be obtained even if one poured out gold coins.

-Hmm, I sense some inexplicable power within it. Could it be sealed? Your eye for detail is quite impressive.

Wrath gazed at me with admiration, having sensed the energy contained within the ring.

“Huh? You’re buying that? It’s covered in rust. I don’t think you’d even get a single copper coin if you sold it to a junk dealer.”

Dorian, on the other hand, squinted at the ring. Despite his Merchant Family background, he apparently lacked the discernment to recognize it.

“You’re wrong.”

I waved my finger and took the ring to the Shop Owner.

“How much is this?”
“You’ve chosen well. It’s magical equipment with effects that increase strength and purify the mind…. I’ll take five gold coins.”

Five coins meant five gold coins. For magical equipment, it was an outrageous price considering its poor abilities and appearance.

“Dorian. Let’s go.”

I placed the ring on the counter and turned to leave.

“Good thinking! You can find cheap trash like that anywhere….”
“Wait! You should hear me out completely!”

The Shop Owner rushed out from behind the counter and blocked my path.

“I cast my net once—don’t just walk away like this!”

The Shop Owner chuckled and began calculating a new price, folding and unfolding his fingers.

“Four gold coins! Four is just the right price….”
“A waste of time.”
“Wait, hold on!”

The Shop Owner clicked his tongue and stretched his arm across the doorway to block my path as I turned to leave.

“Three and a half! No, three!”

He called out three and a half gold coins, then lowered it to three after seeing my expression. But I didn’t respond, simply gazing down at the merchant with an unwavering stare.

“Ugh! T-two and a half.”
“….”
“This is really it. I need to eat too, you know!”
“…….”
“Alright, alright! Two!”
“Well, that much should be….”
“No wait!”

Just as I was about to nod, Dorian swept in like a gust of wind.

“Sir! What kind of scam are you trying to pull! This is clearly made from silver coins!”
“Huh?”
“Look here. This ring only has effects on strength and mental power, but if the mental power effect were really that good, it wouldn’t be in a place like this. And it’s not like it gives strength boosts like an Ogre Gauntlet or Ogre Ring either.”
“Uh, well….”
“So does it look impressive? Nope. You could throw it out there and nobody would pick it up, right? So let’s reconsider our agreement. That is to say….”

Dorian grabbed the half-dazed Shop Owner by the shoulder and muttered something incomprehensible.

“Perfect! One gold coin!”
“Uhhhhh….”

The Shop Owner’s head swayed like a pendulum, worn down by Dorian’s eloquence and relentless barrage of words.

“O-one gold coin, please.”

When I turned my head, Dorian raised his thumb as if asking how he’d done.

“Well done.”

Raon chuckled softly and placed a gold coin on the counter.

‘In reality, it probably cost far less than that.’

This ring had likely been acquired for somewhere between ten and twenty silver coins. Yet I paid in gold because this ring’s true value couldn’t be purchased for even a hundred gold coins.

“Wow, customers, take a look at this! He looks young but he’s no joke.”

The Shop Owner wiped sweat from his forehead and exhaled sharply.

“I come from the Merchant Family, you see! I know these things inside and out.”
“No wonder you’re quick with numbers. Safe travels!”

The Shop Owner waved his hand and slumped down in front of the counter.

“In my opinion, it’s nothing special, but if you like it, then it must be good.”
“You really are from the Merchant Family, but your eye for value is absolutely terrible.”

As Raon stepped outside with the ring in hand, the Fox-Masked Woman and her guards stood before the shop entrance. Her clothes had changed, but she was unmistakably the woman I’d seen at the Gambling Den yesterday.

“Just a moment, please.”

Her gaze fixed on the ring in my right hand.

“Did you purchase that ring here?”

Unlike yesterday, her tone had become courteous. Of course, the arrogance beneath it remained unchanged.

“Yes, I did.”

Since she spoke formally, I matched her politeness in kind.

“Sell it to me. Whatever you paid for it, I’ll give you ten times that amount.”
“Eek!”

The merchant’s cry came from behind, where he’d been smiling.

“Y-young master, sell it to her! She’s offering ten times what you paid for that cheap trinket!”

Dorian approached with a sideways gait and whispered into my ear.

‘This woman….’

The Fox-Masked Woman’s yellow eyes gleamed with intensity. Not the competitive spirit from yesterday—something far more primal. Greed. She clearly understood the ring’s true value.

“I’m not interested.”

I shook my head firmly.

“Then what’s your price?”

Assuming I would naturally sell, her voice rose an octave.

“I’m not selling.”

As I waved my hand and turned to leave the shop, the guard standing beside the woman blocked my path.

“Then I’ll offer you twenty times—no, thirty times the price.”
“Not interested.”

Even after my refusal, the guard refused to step aside.

“Fifty gold coins.”
“I said I don’t want to.”

Growing increasingly irritated, I waved her off.

“H-hey now. F-friend.”

The Shop Owner approached with trembling hands.

“What are you doing! J-just sell it! Silver coins worth ten became fifty gold coins! That’s five hundred times! Sell it quickly and give me a cut too….”

So the ring’s original price had been ten silver coins.

The Shop Owner, having forgotten he’d sold the ring to me for a single gold coin, muttered about ten silver coins instead.

“I don’t sell my possessions on a whim. It’s just how I am.”

I chuckled and traced a crescent moon with my hand.

“Ugh?”

The guard blocking the path was pushed aside without even realizing it. His face flushed crimson, apparently unaware that a single gesture could send him flying.

“Hiss!”
“What.”

As the guard tried to block the path again, I pressed my foot firmly into the ground. The earth trembled with a heavy thud.

“Have you forgotten where you are? Causing trouble in the Black Market will make your lives miserable.”
“Stay still.”
“I-I’m terribly sorry.”

At the woman’s words, the guard stopped mid-motion and bowed his head.

“This is my final offer. One hundred gold coins.”
“I refuse.”

I immediately shook my head and headed toward the Auction House.

‘So the minimum value is one hundred gold coins.’

The fact that she had offered one hundred gold coins meant the ring’s worth exceeded that amount. Besides, I needed it far too much to sell it away.

“Keeegh!”
“Ughhhh!”

The moment I uttered my refusal, both the Shop Owner who had sold me the ring and Dorian cried out simultaneously.

“So a gambling brat thinks he can do whatever he wants and ignore everything around him?”

The Fox-Masked Woman placed her hand on her waist and smirked.

“I see no reason to endure such remarks simply because I won’t sell my possession.”
“You don’t know how terrifying the world can be. You should think carefully about why people bow and scrape to survive. Unless you want to die an untimely death.”

As if that were possible. I understood fear better than anyone. The one who knew nothing was not me, but this woman who acted on her whims.

“If I’ve said all there is to say, I’ll be taking my leave.”

I felt the Fox-Masked Woman’s cold gaze upon me, but I ignored it and headed toward the Auction House.

*

*

*

[Date’s Necklace has been sold for 70 gold coins!]
[Congratulations!]

The auction had begun.

There was another Auction House on the lower floor. Starting bids there typically ranged from 20 to 50 gold coins, and the merchandise was worth several times more—a place where only the serious collectors ventured.

Since the Black Butterfly I sought wasn’t particularly expensive, the auction was being held here on the first floor.

As befitted a first-floor auction, there were no legendary-grade items on display—most were magical or rare-grade goods.

I scanned the offerings with keen interest, searching for worthwhile acquisitions, but nothing truly caught my eye.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

I had come solely for the Black Butterfly. Securing the ring was already a windfall; there was no need to be greedy beyond that.

[And now, our next item—a noble black butterfly that feeds on mana stones. The Black Butterfly!]

As the Announcer’s excited voice rang out, a birdcage rose onto the Platform. Inside, a butterfly gleamed with a subtle darkness, clinging tightly to a mana stone.

Though it could escape through the cage, the butterfly circled the mana stone and made no attempt to flee.

[Its subtle luminescence makes it popular as a decorative piece. Of course, it doesn’t live long, and mana stones are quite costly to maintain, but for sheer beauty, nothing compares.]

The drawbacks were scarcely mentioned, unlike when he touted its virtues.

[Then I shall commence the auction. Since the Black Butterfly sold for twelve gold coins last time, we’ll begin at one gold coin.]
[Yes. Bidder 15, two gold coins.]
[Bidder 21, three gold coins.]
….

As the auction progressed, hands began rising from various corners of the hall. When the price had climbed sufficiently, I lifted my finger as well.

[Bidder 77, thirteen gold coins. Thirteen gold coins! Does anyone offer more?]

The Announcer surveyed the surrounding area, but no other hands rose.

‘Thirteen is sufficient.’

In truth, thirteen was already generous. These people were merely using the butterfly as a decorative piece, after all.

[If there are no further bids, I shall award it for thirteen gold coins.]

I prepared to rise from my seat, and just as the Announcer was about to strike his gavel, someone from the center raised their hand.

[Fifteen! Bidder 80 offers fifteen gold coins!]

“Hmm?”

I watched to see who would waste fifteen gold coins on a decorative butterfly that wouldn’t even last days.

‘That woman….’

It was the Fox-Masked Woman I’d encountered at the Gambling House yesterday and at the shop today.

‘Is she deliberately interfering?’

She glanced toward me and smiled smoothly. Unlike the ring incident, this was clearly intentional provocation rather than necessity.

“Is that woman openly picking a fight with you?”

Dorian seemed to notice as well, muttering that this was becoming tiresome.

“I’ll accept the challenge.”

Raon raised his hand again.

[Ooh! Lot 77, seventeen gold coins! Seventeen… twenty?]

The moment Raon raised the bid to seventeen, the woman called out twenty.

[Twenty-two, twenty-four, twenty-six, thirty! We’ve reached thirty gold coins! This is the highest price ever paid for a Black Butterfly in our Auction House!]

Tsk.

Raon clicked his tongue. The previous record had been twenty gold coins, but it had climbed to thirty. All because of that woman.

“Sigh….”

He raised his hand again.

[Thirty-three! Lot 77 at thirty-three gold coins. Oh! Lot 80 at thirty-seven! It goes up again!]

But before the Announcer could finish, the woman raised her hand once more.

[Aaaah! Forty! Lot 77 at forty gold coins! This isn’t a dream, is it?]

Raon raised the bid mindlessly. He didn’t have that many gold coins on hand right now, but he could manage it by selling some of the items he’d brought.

[Forty! Is there anything higher? What? Right now? Lot 80 at fifty gold coins! Incredible!]

[Fifty! Fifty! Fifty gold coins! Is there anything higher? There isn’t! There couldn’t be! The Black Butterfly has set a new record, selling for fifty gold coins!]

The Announcer struck his gavel three times and declared loudly that the Black Butterfly had been sold.

“Wow….”
“What… what is this?”
“Fifty gold coins for a decorative butterfly?”
“The Black Butterfly’s owner just hit the jackpot.”

The participants in the auction stared with gaping mouths as the Black Butterfly was carried away.

[The next item is a rare-grade silver mana stone imbued with water-attribute essence. Oh, twenty right away! No, thirty!]

Raon called out twenty gold coins the moment the Announcer introduced the next item. As if she’d been waiting, the Fox-Masked Woman raised her hand.

[Item 80 sold for forty-one gold coins!]

The woman who had just won the water-attribute mana stone smiled wickedly at me. Her expression screamed that nothing I did would matter.

I participated in the auction several more times after that, but she kept interfering, snatching every item that came up. She was openly obstructing my efforts.

‘The gap in funds is too vast.’

Even at the casino, she gambled with money rather than skill. With the capital I currently possessed, there was no way to win.

-I tried to hold back because I was in a good mood, but this won’t do. Tear that mask from her face and pluck out her eyes. Kill her! She’s challenging the King!

Wrath erupted at the sight of the Fox-Masked Woman, her eyes gleaming with the confidence of victory. His form swelled, engulfing the entire auction house.

‘I suppose I should lend you a hand.’
-Yes! Tear out those insolent eyes and seal that mouth shut… Wait? What did you just say, you bastard?

Wrath’s jaw dropped in shock at my unexpected response.

‘This isn’t Zigheart. There’s no one here to stop me.’

I smiled faintly and snapped my fingers.

“Dorian.”
“Y-Young Master, please calm down first. Those butterflies can be procured quickly….”

Dorian trembled, thinking I was angry. But in truth, I was perfectly composed.

“Don’t worry. Go get me some night clothes.”
“Night clothes, sir?”
“Yes. Black outfit—top, bottom, shoes, and a face mask.”
“No need to buy them. I have them.”

Dorian produced a complete set of night clothes from his pouch. At this point, I’m genuinely curious what that pouch doesn’t contain.

“But why this?”
“What do you mean why? We need to steal that butterfly the woman bought.”
“Huh? You said not to worry!”
“Right. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“You’re planning something catastrophic! This is the Black Market!”

Dorian’s eyes rolled wildly in their sockets.

“It’s fine.”

Crimson flames ignited in my gaze.

“As long as we don’t get caught.”

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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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