The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 123

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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 123

The previous night. Habun Castle Command Center.
Milend and Terian, along with the strategic officers, gathered before a circular table.

“The 2nd Scout Squad discovered a pack of Ice Trolls near Tunnel 4. Thirteen in total. I believe we should strike preemptively before their numbers grow.”

Vice Commander Terian pointed to the forest beneath the Sturrin Mountains on the map.

“Tunnel 4 isn’t far from Tunnel 5.”
“Correct. While we eliminate the trolls, we also intend to investigate whether other sea monsters have emerged near the Sturrin Mountains.”
“Hmm, the trolls are one thing, but we must also gather concrete intelligence on Sharkmol.”

Milend’s gaze shifted from the map to the fin of the Sharkmol that Radin had left behind.

“Given the unusual circumstances, it would be best if the Vice Commander personally leads this operation.”
“I accept your command.”

Terian nodded immediately, as expected.

“Take the Sulgyek Swordsmen and the Ulves Mercenary Group with you. Eliminate the trolls, investigate the waters around the Northern Sea, and return. As for the Scout Units….”
“I will take the 2nd and 3rd Scout Squads.”
“The 3rd?”
“Yes!”

Milend expressed slight doubt, but Terian pressed his lips firmly shut, showing no intention of changing his decision.

“Very well. The expedition departs at dawn, two days from now. Prepare accordingly.”
“Yes!”

The strategic officers departed to draft detailed plans, leaving only the two commanders in the command chamber.

“The 2nd Squad had no choice since they spotted the trolls, but why did you select the 3rd Squad when they’ve only just returned? The 4th and 5th haven’t even been deployed yet.”
“I felt something after witnessing Raon’s duel.”
“Felt something?”
“Yes. While Raon’s martial prowess is certainly remarkable, if we search among the young talents of the Six Emperors and Oma, we will find comparable levels of ability.”

Milend nodded in agreement.

“However, that boy possesses something beyond mere martial prowess. His fierce killing intent—the savage aura of one determined to crush his opponent—was enough to overwhelm even me. Even those rough Ulves Mercenary Group members acknowledged their defeat and gave him a thumbs up.”
“So you want to see if that killing intent is genuine.”
“Well, I suppose that’s how it is.”
“Good. He wanted a fight anyway, so there’s no problem.”

Milend tapped the map with his fingers and nodded.

“Go on, then.”
“Yes, sir!”
“But….”

As he folded the map and rose to his feet, his eyes deepened with intensity.

“Be careful. Times of change are always the most dangerous.”
“Understood.”

Terian chuckled, telling him not to worry.

*

*

*

I returned to the Dormitory after hearing Radin’s order to pack my belongings.

“Y-Young Master, isn’t this a bit too fast?”

Dorian sat on the edge of the bed, his legs bouncing nervously.

“We just got back, and now we’re leaving right away. It feels strange….”
“It is rather quick.”

I nodded in agreement.

‘It’s certainly fast.’

It’s not common to send a Scout Unit back out on a mission so soon after they’ve returned from reconnaissance.

‘It’s probably because of me.’

It seemed to serve two purposes: to demonstrate my true strength after single-handedly dealing with Sharkmol and decimating the Ulves Mercenary Group, and to let me gain experience in actual combat here.

“We’re doomed. This is really dangerous….”

Dorian hugged a human-sized cushion he’d pulled from his belly pouch and rolled around on the mat. He certainly carried the strangest things.

“This should be enough.”

I packed the necessary supplies for the expedition into my backpack and placed it under the bed.

“Young master. Is it really true that swords don’t even pierce Ice Trolls?”
“It’s true.”

Ice Trolls, being monsters that lived in cold regions, had tough and thick skin. You could barely cut through them only by coating a sharp blade with abundant aura.

“But they don’t lack regenerative abilities either, do they?”
“That’s what makes them troublesome.”

Trolls retained their characteristic regenerative power, and combined with their superior strength, agility, and intelligence, fighting an Ice Troll was no easy task even for seasoned swordsmen and knights.

“Still, you’ll be able to handle it.”
“Huh? Me?”

Dorian threw aside the full-body cushion he’d been hugging and shot up to his feet.

“Use your advantage—your speed—to find openings and strike. You can definitely take it down if you just follow what you’ve learned.”
“That gives me courage… or not, really.”

He muttered that he was scared and tried to burrow under the mat like a mole.

“Then there’s one method.”
“A method?”
“Yes. A way to make you feel not the slightest bit afraid standing before an Ice Troll.”
“Tell me! I’ll do anything!”

Dorian swallowed hard, his throat dry, and faced me.

“If you spar with me, who wields the Radiant Sword, that ice troll will be nothing but a mere monster. Let’s go.”

I lifted my sword with a cool smile.

“Ah….”

Dorian’s eyes went vacant, his pupils dilating like those of someone who had lost his mind. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

“Dorian?”
“Oh, I was just imagining something, but I’m fine now! Suddenly the troll looks like a mere insect to me?”

He laughed with fascination, then collapsed heavily onto the bed.

-That lunatic.

Wrath clicked his tongue, saying even the Demon Realm had no one like him.

I chuckled and sat on the bed. With the noisy fellow finally quiet, it was time to train.

I closed my eyes and drew up the biting cold that I had harmonized with the outside world.

‘He said it was about imagery.’

Wrath had said that if I had the right imagery, I could operate Glacial in any way I wanted.

‘Come to think of it, they’re all similar.’

Whether it was when Rimer helped me master the Cartoon Technique, or when Glen showed me the Harmonious Flame Technique, every time the emphasis was on imagery. It seemed that the higher one climbed toward enlightenment, the more one had to refine one’s mental image.

Whoooosh.

I breathed slowly, my lungs tightening, and steadied my mind. What I imagined was clothing—a frost garment that could block all cold from both within and without.

Heavy but perfectly protective steel armor, light yet reassuring leather armor, robes that withstand wind and cold. I imagined many garments, but the image of something that blocked all cold refused to take shape.

‘Perfect, and absolute….’

Thinking of that, one person came to mind.

Glen Zigheart.
The blood-red coat Glen wore seemed to wrap him in such majesty that not even the sharpest blade or coldest chill could leave a scratch upon it. The invincible armor I had imagined in my mind was exactly like him.

Gooooo!

I rotated the ring of fire, drawing my concentration upward. Sinking deep into the world of profound visualization, I imagined stitching my garments stitch by stitch with threads of cold forged from Glacial.

*

*

*

The next dawn.
I stood with Dorian before the castle gates. The Sulgyek Swordsmen and Ulves Mercenary Group departing together were inspecting their weapons with solemn expressions.

“You alright?”
“Yes. No matter what happens, it should be better than sparring with you, sir. Haha!”

After mentioning the sparring, Dorian muttered that ice trolls were nothing compared to a mad swordsman possessed by demons.

“Good to hear.”
“Hello.”

As I chuckled at Dorian filling his confidence through such peculiar means, a young man in a silver winter coat approached.

Black hair, black eyes, pale skin. Of average height with gentle features, he seemed to have no striking characteristics.

“I am Beto, commander of the Ulves Mercenary Group. I heard my men were discourteous yesterday. I have no words to offer in apology.”

He smiled faintly and nodded. Unlike Vice Commander Cliff, he showed no intention of picking a fight. He emanated an atmosphere completely opposite to the temperament of the Ulves Mercenary Group I had witnessed thus far.

“It’s fine. I enjoyed it as well.”
“Hearing you say so eases my mind somewhat. Are you with the Scout Unit?”
“Yes.”
“Then you must be the strongest scout. I look forward to working with you today.”
“Yes. I do as well.”

After finishing his greeting, Beto headed toward the Ulves Mercenary Group’s position, saying he needed to check their readiness.

-I don’t like that guy. Gouge out his eyes.
‘Why again.’
-There’s a serpent lurking in his gaze. You can’t trust someone like that.
‘You can read faces now?’
-Experience. When I was in the Demon Realm, I encountered countless men with eyes and faces like his. Nine times out of ten, they become traitors.
‘Still so pessimistic.’

But I didn’t trust Beto either. He was clearly hiding quite a few things.

‘Especially his eyes.’

I didn’t sense the serpentine aura that Wrath mentioned, but something strange dwelled in those black eyes of his—as if they held darkness itself.

“Uncles!”

At the bright, cheerful voice from inside, everyone turned around. Yua, who should have been at Frost’s Branch, came running with several pouches in her hands.

-Oh, if it isn’t the pineapple girl!
“I’m a bit late. Everything’s ready!”

Yua distributed the pouches she’d brought one by one to the inspectors and mercenaries. It seemed she was handing out snacks that had been ordered in advance.

“Wow, Yua gets cuter every day.”
“And her cooking skills keep improving.”
“She’s Habun Castle’s pride. Our pride!”

The scouts smiled warmly and doted on Yua as if she were their own child. She seemed to be something like the mascot of Habun Castle.

“One left.”

After distributing all the pouches, Yua approached me with the remaining one.

“It’s homemade jerky that Grandfather and I made. We dried it in the sunshine, so it’s delicious. Please take it with you.”
“Why are you giving this to me….”
“It’s your first expedition. Please come back safely, and next time you can buy me some.”

Yua giggled and handed me the pouch.

“Thank you.”
“If you’re grateful, come back and boost my sales!”

Yua told everyone to be careful on their way and returned to the tavern.

“What about me?”

Dorian pouted, looking down at his empty hands.

“It’s for you to share. You keep it.”
“Ah, yes!”

He grinned and stuffed the pouch of jerky into his belly pocket.

“Everyone, line up! We’re conducting a final inspection now.”

When about thirty minutes remained before departure, Vice-Commander Terian approached the front gate. Only after personally verifying the supplies and personnel did he nod in approval.

-He’s on a completely different level from that fool.
‘Indeed.’

Unlike Rimer, who would show up just before departure or conduct only a cursory check, Terian was a man of entirely different character.

Terian stood upon the platform before the front gate, looking down upon the soldiers. His commanding presence held their gaze captive.

“Our expedition has two objectives: the elimination of the gathering Ice Trolls and reconnaissance from the foothills of Sturrin Mountains to the Northern Sea. I hope we will see this through to the end without a single straggler.”
“Yes, sir!”

Since they already knew the operation, the swordsmen, soldiers, and mercenaries responded with vigor.

“We depart in twenty minutes. Everyone conduct a final inspection and steel yourselves!”

With those words, he vanished somewhere.

“As the Vice-Commander instructed, do a final check to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything.”
“Yes!”
“Hey.”

Just as I was about to conduct the final inspection as Radin suggested, swordsmen from the Sulgyek Swordsmen who would be departing with us approached.

“Listen up.”
“You know what happens if even one thing gets dirty, right?”
“Handle it carefully.”
“If anything goes missing, you’ll pay for it.”
“Treat it like your girlfriend. Though you probably don’t have one.”

They tossed heavy items—tents, provisions, and other supplies—in front of the Scout Unit and walked away with snickering laughter.

“What is this?”
“What do you think? They’re telling us to carry their baggage.”
“Why should the Scout Unit be carrying their things?”

I tilted my head in confusion, unable to comprehend the situation.

“Since we don’t know when a fight will break out, they say we need to conserve our strength. Ever since those bastards got assigned here, it’s been like this every time.”

Radin sighed. The scouts began gathering the swordsmen’s belongings as if accustomed to the task.

“What can we do? We lack both rank and power, so we have to comply.”
“Hmm….”

I watched the Sulgyek Swordsmen. They paid no attention to us, as though what they’d done was perfectly natural.

The Sulgyek Commander, the middle-aged man with the mustache, had witnessed the entire scene yet said nothing, as if it were all routine.

‘This is ridiculous.’

If they were preparing for battle, we should be preparing for reconnaissance. Dumping their baggage on comrades doing the harder work made no sense whatsoever.

-Humans cannot survive without abusing their power, it seems.

Wrath wore a cold smile, as if to say humans were all predictable.

“Ugh, how disgusting! Just leave it all!”

Dorian stepped forward with a rare frown. He squeezed between the dazed scouts and stuffed all the baggage the swordsmen had left into his belly pouch.

“Seniors! I’ll carry everything! Don’t worry, just trust me!”
“Ooh!”
“Really?”
“Isn’t it heavy?”
“Not heavy at all!”

Dorian flexed his arm muscles proudly and snorted with satisfaction.

“N-newbie! I apologize for calling you strange!”
“Hey! Have some of this!”
“Yes!”

The Scout Unit members applauded Dorian for taking all the supplies and offered him snacks. I’d noticed it before, but he had such a good personality that he was the type to be loved by superiors and comrades alike.

After twenty minutes, Terian returned wearing cold-weather gear. All the troops lined up before him.

“We depart. 2nd and 3rd Scout Squads, forward!”
“Forward!”

Raon and Dorian followed Radin, the commander of the 3rd Scout Squad, to the front of the column.

“Open the gate!”
“Open the gate!”

Instead of the side door used for scouting missions, the main gate at the center of the castle opened, revealing a pristine white snowy landscape that blanketed heaven and earth.

“Advance!”

*

*

*

“We’ll camp here tonight and depart early at dawn tomorrow. Everyone set up your tents and prepare for camp.”
“Yes!”

At Terian’s command, the soldiers began moving with urgency.

The mercenaries pitched their own tents and prepared meals, but the Sulgyek Swordsmen were different.

“You have those ingredients I gave you earlier, right? Make something light like a stew with them. The Commander and Vice Commander need to eat too. If you make it taste like garbage, be prepared for the consequences.”
“You four, come over here. Help us set up the tents.”

The Sulgyek Swordsmen came to where the Scout Unit was stationed, ordering them to prepare food, and dragged several away to do menial tasks.

“Ha.”

Dorian let out a hollow laugh at the absurd situation.

“Is this really how it’s supposed to be?”
“What else can we do? We don’t have the power to resist.”

Radin sighed as he pulled out a pot.

“Doesn’t the Vice Commander or Commander say anything?”
“They don’t know. They only come when the Vice Commander isn’t around.”

He said that Terian was absent every time they came—both then and now.

“The Commander and Vice Commander rarely venture outside the castle. Since we’re the ones who directly confront them, if we talk back, we’re the ones who lose in the end.”

Radin spoke of their helplessness as he kindled the fire.

“Ugh, this is infuriating!”

Dorian pulled out meal ingredients from his supply pouch and threw a punch at the empty air.

“Hmm….”

I narrowed my eyes as I set the pot over the flames.

“I thought places with so much combat would have stronger unity, but I guess that’s not the case here.”
“Most places are like that, but not the Sulgyek Swordsmen. The Commander himself is a coward, so he picks on the weak and exploits them perfectly.”
“I see.”

I suppressed the crimson glow in my eyes as I watched the Sulgyek Swordsmen standing idle, chattering away without doing any work.

Then I just need to control those things.

*

*

*

The advance was swift.
Since only those confident in walking across snow had gathered, despite the large number moving, we arrived at Tunnel 4 without much time passing.

However, contrary to expectations, the troll horde that the 2nd Scout Squad had observed was nowhere to be seen, and we could find no trace of them.

“What’s going on?”
“My apologies.”

Terian questioned the captain of the 2nd Scout Squad, but the only response was drooping shoulders.

“You did see them properly, didn’t you?”
“Y-yes, absolutely. There were thirteen trolls gathered at the forest’s edge!”
“This is exactly why I said the Scout Unit alone shouldn’t move. We need at least one swordsman assigned to each scout team.”

The Sulgyek Commander attached himself to Terian’s side, remarking that the Scout Unit was lacking in many ways. From his demeanor, it seemed he wanted to crush others beneath his heel to expand his own influence.

“We’ll discuss that later. Right now, what matters is finding their traces and determining their location.”

Terian lowered his head again, scanning the snow-covered ground.

“Even if Ice Trolls move like beasts across the snow, they can’t leave absolutely no trace. Everyone, search for any remnants left by those creatures! If we don’t eliminate them here, it will return as a catastrophe later!”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”

The scouts, swordsmen, and mercenaries nodded and divided the area among themselves.

“Anyway, those trolls never get caught easily.”

Radin kicked at the accumulated snow, his expression darkening.

“The Ice Troll’s traces have vanished. We need to begin a search immediately, so prepare yourselves!”
“Yes!”

The Scout Unit pressed themselves flat against the ground like short-legged dogs, beginning to examine the troll’s tracks. The mercenaries and Sulgyek Swordsmen also released their senses, trying to detect the troll’s direction of movement and presence.

‘They’ll find it on their own.’

I took a defensive stance without searching through the traces myself. The scouts who had lived here their entire lives would surely find it quickly, and my role wasn’t searching—it was protection, so I focused solely on vigilance.

But contrary to expectations, even after two hours passed, the troll didn’t appear, and we could only discover a single trace.

‘What in the world is happening now.’

Even if the Ice Troll wasn’t a monster that left many traces, it shouldn’t be this difficult to find.

Something strange was definitely occurring, so it seemed I would need to take direct action.

“Damn it!”

Terian furrowed his brow and stamped his foot.

“W-well, it definitely headed toward Sturrin Mountains, but…”

The 3rd Scout Squad commander swallowed hard as he examined the sole remaining troll footprint.

“That mountain contains not just Ice Trolls, but countless other monsters. We can’t move our forces based on a single trace.”
“Ugh…”
“The northern daylight is short. If we delay any longer, night will fall. For now…”
“May I take a look as well?”

I stepped forward and examined the final trace beneath Terian’s feet.

“You?”
“Yes. Just for a moment.”
“Haven’t you only just joined the Scout Unit? And your new position is to escort the Scout Unit, isn’t it?”

Edquil, the Sulgyek Commander who had been standing right beside Terian, wrinkled his nose.

“Don’t needlessly step forward and embarrass yourself. Go inside. The sun is setting, and we’re running out of time.”
“Enough.”

Terian silenced the Sulgyek Commander’s muttering.

“At least the direction is toward Sturrin Mountains.”

I examined the only trace visible on the ground and nodded.

“That’s something everyone here already knows. Since we don’t know the exact location, that’s why we’re doing this!”

The Sulgyek Commander was irritated that I was stepping forward instead of him, a member of the Scout Unit.

“From now on, we’ll figure that out.”
“Ha! Where did you come from, young master? For the skill level I’ve heard about, you lack far too much sense? You’re wasting all of our time right now.”
-I want to freeze that bastard’s mustache from head to toe and fry him in lava. His incessant muttering is nothing but an eyesore.
‘Somewhat cruel, but I agree.’

I ignored the Sulgyek Commander’s continued remarks and closed my eyes. This too was an opportunity for growth, so I concentrated my focus.

Whoooosh!

I activated Glaceia and opened the sea of sensation I had created through imagery.

It had grown quite vast now, too large to be called a spring.

I spread the sea thinly, but I couldn’t detect any sign of the troll.

Normally I would have risen then, but because of the Sulgyek Commander and the Sulgyek Swordsmen, who were bothersome in many ways, I wanted to pinpoint the location with certainty.

‘Then how?’

This too was imagery.

If I opened the confined sea, Glaceia’s senses could reach even farther.

I opened the dam of the sea that was sealed like a lake.

Roooaaarrr!

A sound of water that shouldn’t have reached my ears echoed through my mind, and the black waters filling my sensory sea began to surge upward.

‘This way.’

I sent my awareness in the direction the troll’s footprints had led. My sensory sea, intertwined with this land’s bitter cold, surged toward Sturrin Mountains like salmon swimming upstream against the current.

I manipulated the whip-like currents of my sensory waters, searching the anticipated direction, but I detected only scattered monsters—no sign of gathered trolls.

‘Then perhaps…’

I shifted my focus. Instead of the snow-laden forests where Ice Trolls preferred to dwell, I poured my sensory waters toward the mountain foothills and valleys.

As I opened my Frost Sense and concentrated fully, my vision brightened as if a veil had lifted, and I caught the wild presence near the Mountain Valley.

Their numbers exceeded what I’d heard, but there was no mistaking them—Ice Trolls wreathed in frigid auras.

“Exhale…”

I released a turbid breath and rose to my feet. The Scout Unit’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, while the Sulgyek Commander and his swordsmen wore sneering smiles.

“Your expression says it all. We’ve wasted time for nothing. Vice Commander, let’s begin setting up camp here—”
“I found them.”
“What?”
“I found them.”

Raon’s lips curled upward as he faced the sneering Sulgyek Commander.

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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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