The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 11

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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 11

[Strength increased by 2 points.]
[Agility increased by 1 point.]
[Stamina increased by 1 point.]

“Hah….”

A breath escaped from my lips.

‘This is real.’

A tremor began in my forearms and rippled across my entire body. When I clenched my fist, I felt a noticeably stronger grip than before.

Tap.

I bounced lightly in place. My body felt as light as if a heavy weight had been lifted away.

‘So the physical body actually changes when stats increase?’
-Did you think the system I created was fake?
‘Unbelievable.’

I clicked my tongue. To grant physical ability increases for pushing past my limits in training—it was an absurdly generous reward.

Just as I was about to call it an overpowered ability, a second set of messages appeared.

[You have endured the interference of Wrath.]
[Stats increase additionally.]
[Agility increased by 1 point.]
[Stamina increased by 1 point.]
[Vitality increased by 1 point.]

The message said that for withstanding Wrath’s obstruction, my stats would rise further.

-What is that?
‘….’

Raon’s eyes gleamed with silent exhilaration as the surge of power coursed through his body.

-What, what is this? You’re granting additional stat points for overcoming my restraint?!
‘You don’t know either?’
-Of course not! This system has never been transferred to anyone else, and I’ve never failed to seize a human body before!

Wrath transformed into blue flames and buzzed frantically before my eyes, moving like a bee. He seemed flustered too.

‘That makes sense.’

As I nodded in agreement, a heavy thud echoed from the platform.

“Everyone did well.”

Rimer, who had stepped down, grinned widely and clapped his hands.

“Ugh….”
“Hmm….”
“Damn it!”

The children who had given up and withdrawn from his cheerful smile furrowed their brows and lowered their heads.

“Phew….”
“We barely made it.”
“I thought I was going to die.”

Meanwhile, the faces of those who had endured to the end bore exhausted yet satisfied smiles.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of eliminating anyone just yet.”
“Huh?”
“What?”

The children’s eyes widened at Rimer’s cheerful voice.

“I said I would conduct a test. I never said I’d make a decision today.”
“Oh….”
“Really, sir?”
“That’s right. But if you all train like you did today, most of you will fail.”
“What?”
“What do you mean by that….”

The children stared at Rimer with bewildered expressions. Since more than fifty had run to the end today, the notion that most would fail was difficult to accept.

“I clearly told you to run at full strength, but you all ran while conserving your energy. Out of 160 candidates, only one ran at full strength from beginning to end.”

Rimer’s gaze lingered on me for the briefest moment.

“Everyone else paced themselves. And some of you pathetic wretches even gave up along the way.”
“Ugh….”
“That is….”

The children caught in their deception flushed crimson with shame.

“And those of you cowards who used aura to avoid falling behind during physical training—you should be ashamed.”
“Hmm.”

Before Rimer finished speaking, Baren and several trainees bit their lips.

“In truth, it doesn’t matter what you do. It’s not me taking the test—it’s you.”

Rimer smiled with a peculiar expression that blended cunning amusement with gravity.

“From now on, you are all ‘provisional trainees.’ If you pass the test in six months, I’ll remove the ‘provisional’ from your title.”
“What kind of test is it, sir?”

The green-haired child who had tried to offer me candy earlier raised her hand with dimmed eyes.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be fun. I won’t rank you, but I will select a top trainee, so work hard.”
“How should we work hard, sir?”
“I’ll give you a very simple and direct hint.”

Rimer cracked his neck with audible pops while gazing down at the children. Both those who had quit early and those who had run to the end gleamed with anticipation.

“For the next six months, complete the training I assign to you exactly as instructed. Don’t add your own thoughts—follow only my words, and you’ll pass the examination without fail.”
“Yes!”
“Really, sir?”
“That sounds too simple?”

At the promise that they merely had to follow orders, the children’s faces brightened as if greeting the morning sun.

“I don’t lie. If you follow my instructions, you’ll pass. However….”

Rimer’s lips curled upward into a smile.

“It won’t be easy. I’ll give orders and let you move freely—but if you act on your own whims like today, all of you except one will fail.”
“Hmm….”
“That’s….”

The twelve and thirteen-year-old children’s faces now bore an urgent desperation—they couldn’t afford to go home empty-handed.

Yet there were two who remained unmoved, as if the matter didn’t concern them. Raon and Lunan.
Neither of them reacted to Rimer’s words.

“Damn it….”

Meanwhile, Buren’s expression—he who had finished today’s training in first place—was far from pleased.
Though Rimer hadn’t mentioned names directly, he had rebuked Buren and praised Raon. Despite running faster than anyone else, he’d lost to that worthless Branch Family member.

‘Arrogant bastard!’

Rather than listening to Rimer speak of the examination, Buren’s eyes fixed solely on the back of Raon’s head.

“From now on, you’ll stay in the dormitory attached to the 5th Training Ground. The facilities and treatment are top-tier, so enjoy them well over the next six months.”

Rimer pointed toward the dormitory visible beyond the training ground.

“Hmm….”
“That’s the dormitory….”

Even at the mention of top-tier treatment, the children’s faces didn’t brighten. They understood that the privileges granted to them came with an expiration date.

“Since today is the first day, we’ll end here. You’re free to rest, or you can conduct your own training here. There’s an Indoor Training Hall on the left—use it as you wish.”

Rimer descended from the platform with those words. However, midway down the stairs, he turned his head with a smirk.

“Ah, one more thing. There is no status here. Neither royalty, commoners, nor slaves—all are equal. Get along well with your peers.”

He waved his hand as if he truly had nothing more to say and left the Training Ground. Half of the instructors followed him, while the rest remained with their backs against the wall, watching over the children.

-That arrogant, pointy-eared bastard….
‘What exactly is bothering him?’

I looked down at Wrath with a puzzled expression.

-That smug face as if everything is in his grasp irritates me. How dare he look down upon this king. Even ten thousand years frozen in ice would be insufficient.
‘….’

Even hearing his reasoning, I couldn’t understand. Wrath truly seemed to be a character with a broken personality.

‘It’s best to ignore him.’

I shook my head slightly and operated the Ring of Fire to ease my exhausted body and mind.

‘I should head to the training hall.’

I ignored Wrath’s grumbling and entered the Indoor Training Hall that Rimer had mentioned.

“Hmm….”
“Raon Zigheart.”
“How did he manage that?”

The Branch Family members and children of the Vassal Families couldn’t tear their eyes away from my back as I entered the Indoor Training Hall.
The difference between the information they had known and the Raon they witnessed today was far too great.
They still couldn’t believe that I had endured longer than themselves, who had trained their stamina through consistent practice.

“It must be because of the elixir.”

Crain Zigheart, the Branch Family member who had first picked a fight with me, wrinkled his nose.

“A, a Spirit Elixir?”
“The ones in the Annex Building were cast aside by the direct line, weren’t they?”
“Right. The lowest of the Branch Family at that. How could they possibly obtain a Spirit Elixir.”
“Even if they did, it wouldn’t be a particularly good one.”
“It wasn’t given by the family—the Saint of Rags bestowed it upon him before departing.”

Crain Zigheart explained the circumstances to the Branch Family members who harbored doubts.

“Ah!”
“The Saint herself!”
“So that bastard’s victory wasn’t due to his own ability, but the power of the Spirit Elixir.”
“And he acts all proud about it!”

Upon hearing that Raon had consumed a Spirit Elixir given by the Saint of Rags, the children’s expressions turned cold and bitter.

“Tsk!”
“Lucky bastard!”
“A Branch Family member obtaining a Spirit Elixir through sheer luck—there’s nothing likable about him.”

Crain Zigheart smiled faintly as he observed the jealous glint in the Branch Family children’s eyes.

“So here’s the thing.”
“What?”
“Shouldn’t we teach that arrogant bastard a lesson?”
“He even talked back to Barren, after all.”
“We probably need to set the right tone.”
“Then when that bastard heads back to the Dormitory today….”
“Stop.”

As the Branch Family children began plotting an ambush against Raon, a low voice cut through from beside them.

“B, Barren sir?”
“It is a disgrace to the noble name of Zigheart.”

Barren swept his cold gaze across the Branch Family members.

‘Pathetic wretches.’

Though I dislike Raon Zigheart as well, resorting to violence by numbers is a contemptible act—utterly contemptible.

As one who bore the Zigheart name, I couldn’t stand idly by while he concocted such schemes.

“He’s nothing but a parasite who’ll be cast out soon anyway. Ignore him and focus on your training.”

He narrowed his eyes with disdain and left the Training Ground.

“Ah, well….”
“H-he said not to do it.”
“Hmm.”
“Are you all truly idiots?”

Crain Zigheart clicked his tongue as he watched the Branch Family members’ shoulders droop.

“What?”
“That wasn’t a prohibition—it was a command.”
“Huh?”
“He doesn’t want his name tarnished, so he’s telling us to handle it. You can’t even understand that?”
“Oh?”
“Is that… what he meant?”
“Of course. Prepare quickly. If we properly discipline Raon, even Baren will be satisfied.”

The four trainees huddled together and began plotting how to put Raon in his place today.

And then.
Lunan Slion’s eyes—which had not fixed on anyone until now—turned toward a single figure.

Not Baren, who had crossed the finish line first. Not the Branch Family or Vassal Family children. Not Rimer, who was called the Radiant Blade of Zigheart.

Raon Zigheart.
Her gaze remained fixed on Raon’s back—the one who had finished in the lower-middle ranks. And she murmured softly.

“Something’s odd.”

*

*

*

Rimer left the Training Ground and climbed Bekmang Mountain, which lay behind the Main Mansion. Upon reaching the Tiger-shaped Rock positioned midway up the mountain, he lifted his gaze.

“Someone’s taken my napping spot.”

As Rimer spoke to the rock, the golden-haired elderly man standing atop it—Glen Zigheart—lowered his head.

“What’s going on?”
“How would I know, sir?”

Rimer leaned his back against the rock and let out a hollow laugh.

“As you well know, my eye for talent is quite sharp. Yet Raon… I couldn’t get a read on him. His condition remains utterly opaque.”
“….”
“He was clearly at the bottom. Wrung out like a dry cloth with barely a drop of water left to give—and yet he ran all the way to the end. I can’t fathom why.”

Curiosity and astonishment gleamed in Rimer’s eyes as he smiled.

“Burren and Lunan possess exceptional talent, and the other children are no less promising. They’re the sort who’ll become pillars of the family in time. But Raon….”
“You can’t get a read on him either, can you?”

Glen’s gaze drifted past Rimer toward the 5th Training Ground.

“Precisely. His talent, potential, future, temperament—none of it reveals itself. I haven’t encountered such darkness since I last looked upon you, sir.”

Rimer chuckled softly.

“Ever since my core became damaged, each day has felt tedious. But this—this carries a scent I haven’t caught in ages.”
“Your role isn’t to indulge your curiosity. It’s to raise these children into warriors worthy of the Zigheart name.”
“Of course I know that. Am I not Zigheart’s most loyal servant?”

Rimer nodded his head with a casual, almost insolent tilt.

“If you weren’t a patient—if you weren’t my comrade—your head would be rolling by now.”
“Hah. So a damaged core has its uses after all.”
“….”

Glen studied Rimer’s core and the area around his heart before turning away.

“Being a trainee instructor is what you wanted. Don’t draw unnecessary attention with strange behavior—focus on fulfilling your role.”
“Of course. I have a feeling that this batch will produce someone I can entrust my future to.”

Rimer turned his gaze toward the Training Ground, following Glen.

“Are you referring to Burren or Lunan Slion?”
“Could be either. Or perhaps among the recommended candidates, or a commoner with only Wrath, or a child abandoned by their family.”
“It’s mere coincidence. That child will struggle to become a warrior.”

Glen spoke those words and descended Bekmang Mountain. Rimer watched the back of the warrior he respected most, then let out a quiet laugh.

“Yet you know better than anyone that isn’t true.”

*

*

*

I finished inspecting the various equipment and apparatus in the Indoor Training Hall and stepped outside.

‘Not bad at all.’

The training equipment was exactly as Rimer had described—top-tier and state-of-the-art. It was a training ground that demonstrated a clear commitment to developing those who followed its path.

Since I had started the actual training in the afternoon, the sky had already grown dark. I was leaving the Training Ground and turning onto the path toward the Dormitory when it happened.

“Hey.”

A low voice called from the alley to my right. I turned to see the four Branch Family members who had confronted me this morning, their expressions menacing as they glared at me.

“So you consumed an elixir before even a stone’s worth of time passed?”
“And then you act all superior about it?”
“If I had consumed an elixir at that level, I would have long since surpassed you and chased right after Burren.”

The four of them approached, their hands clenched as if gripping invisible weights.

-Am I really being looked down upon by these brats? I’m so frustrated I could bite my tongue and die.
‘Don’t worry.’

My eyes blazed like flames dancing in a hearth.

‘This time, you’ll witness the scene you’ve been longing to see.’

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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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