The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 1233
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 1233
Thud.
I followed Glen Zigheart down beneath the Audience Chamber, my eyes narrowing to slits.
‘It goes deep.’
Unlike the chamber I had descended into before through the door on the left, the staircase leading downward seemed to stretch endlessly.
What was remarkable was the staircase itself. Golden flames blazed atop the steps, making the depths below clearly visible even without torches.
‘It’s not hot.’
Perhaps they weren’t true flames—the fire blooming from the staircase carried no heat whatsoever.
Yet strangely, gazing upon those flames warmed not my body, but my spirit.
‘Not a speck of dust on the stairs.’
Whether through meticulous maintenance or otherwise, the stairs and walls were immaculate. This place seemed far more important than I had initially thought.
“This Closed-Door Training Ground was constructed during the First Patriarch’s era and has been maintained ever since.”
Glen Zigheart spoke matter-of-factly, as though he already knew what occupied my thoughts.
“Only the Head of House and the chosen successor may enter this hallowed ground.”
He nodded, confirming that only the Head of House and his designated successor could descend into this place.
“Am I permitted to go there?”
I stopped walking and gazed at Glen Zigheart’s back as he descended ahead of me.
“I am not yet the successor, am I?”
A trace of concern lingered—after all, I had not yet been formally designated as the successor.
“Don’t worry.”
Glen Zigheart smiled softly and shook his head.
“I acknowledge you.”
He waved his hand as if that settled the matter.
“Hmm….”
I clicked my tongue briefly and followed Glen down into the Underground.
“Besides, it seems The Facility acknowledges you as well.”
Glen glanced downward and spoke again.
“The Facility acknowledges me? What do you mean by that….”
I didn’t understand what Glen meant and tilted my head in confusion.
“Look at the ground beneath your feet and beneath mine.”
Glen pointed to the Staircase as if I would understand once I checked.
“The Staircase… huh?”
I looked down at what Glen indicated and my eyes widened.
‘It’s different.’
The Staircase beneath Glen’s feet only emitted a golden glow, but the Staircase where I stood blazed with golden flames.
I descended one more step to be certain, and sure enough, flames only ignited where I stepped. Since the First Patriarch had created it, it seemed to respond to the Manhwa Palace and the Ring of Fire that I had mastered.
It seemed to react to either Manhwagong or the Ring of Fire.
“These golden flames reflected on the Staircase.”
Glen gazed at the flames gently burning where I stepped and drew a tender smile.
“When I first became the successor and descended these stairs, I once wished that someday I too would obtain such radiance. For the First Patriarch’s flames burned with this very brilliant golden light.”
He paused mid-step as he brought up the story of the First Patriarch of Zigheart.
“I was confident. I was called the greatest talent in Zigheart’s history at that time, and I had no rivals. Yet that person’s martial arts never opened a path for me.”
Glen summoned crimson lightning—different from golden—from his fingertips and let out a soft laugh.
“On the other hand, you suffered from a disease that might have killed you and were called the worst talent among the Main Lineage. Yet that person’s flame was passed down to you. Perhaps it’s fate. How amusing.”
He gazed warmly at the flames burning at Raon’s feet and drew a gentle smile.
“Before your sword, many things in Zigheart—no, across the entire Continent—will change. That too is fate.”
Glen slowly closed his eyes as if he anticipated Raon’s future even more.
“Fate….”
I repeated the word “fate” that Glen had spoken and clenched my fists.
‘It really might be.’
Obtaining the Ring of Fire in my past life, being reincarnated in Zigheart with those memories intact, and being chosen by Manhwagong—there was no other way to describe it but fate, just as Glen said.
‘Of course, this bastard is involved too.’
I watched Wrath yawning as if bored, and my lips twitched slightly.
-What are you looking at.
Wrath simply rubbed his round belly with his chubby hands as if he were hungry.
‘No, that’s not it.’
I chuckled as I recalled when I first met Wrath. Back then, he was both frightening and bothersome, but now he had become my closest friend, and it felt strangely wonderful.
-You’re as bland as unsalted salmon.
Wrath wrinkled the bridge of his nose as if to say I should finish what I started.
“We’ve arrived.”
Glen finally came to a halt as if he’d just arrived, pointing to the iron door standing before the staircase. Unlike the elegantly crafted staircase, the door was a dull, rectangular slab of iron.
“Inside this lies the Training Ground where we shall conduct our closed-door training.”
As he grasped the handle and turned it, a gentle golden shimmer accompanied a weighty aura that flowed from within.
“Come in.”
Glen, accustomed to such conditions, pierced through the heavy atmosphere and stepped inside the iron door.
“Mm….”
I let out a brief, stifled cough before following Glen through the iron door.
Whoooosh!
The moment I stepped inside, my body grew heavy. It felt as though I were bearing enormous iron plates upon my shoulders and back. No—it wasn’t merely a sensation. My body had genuinely become heavier.
‘But that’s not all….’
This wasn’t everything.
I trembled at my fingertips, struggling to lift my head with great effort.
‘This place applies pressure not just to the body, but to the soul and aura as well!’
There are quite a few training grounds that impose burdens on the physical body. In fact, I had even designed the newly constructed 5th Training Ground with gravity manipulation to apply pressure to the body.
But this place was a fiendish training ground that applied intense pressure not only to the body but also to the soul and aura, making it impossible to draw forth one’s true combat prowess. The absurdity of it struck me so forcefully that I couldn’t help but laugh involuntarily.
“It seems you’ve already grasped the secret of this training ground.”
Glen remarked that I was indeed remarkable, his back turned as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Yes. Pressure is being applied to the body, soul, and aura alike.”
I bit my lip slightly, speaking of how absurd this place was.
“Precisely. This is a perilous realm that burdens every domain of a warrior. Moreover, the stronger one becomes, the more severe that pressure grows.”
Glen said this place was difficult even for him, then turned his back to face me. In his hand was the Heavenly Sword.
“Hmm!”
The moment I saw the blade of the Heavenly Sword gleaming, I reflexively twisted my shoulders.
Shiiing!
I tried to evade by rotating my entire body, but the pressure emanating from both body and soul prevented me from dodging perfectly, and my shoulder split open with blood spraying forth.
“Grandfather…?”
I gazed at Glen while feeling the sharp sting blooming from my shoulder.
“Since you’ve also touched the realm of the absolute, there’s no need to hold back anymore.”
Glen lifted his chin sharply, as if deliberately showing he had cut me.
“Come.”
He lowered the tip of the hand holding the Heavenly Sword, gesturing for me to come forward.
“Now let’s fight for real.”
* * *
“Congratulations!”
“Finally you’re sitting in a position befitting you!”
“Former Lord. Or rather, I should call you Head of House now!”
“That’s right! Now you’re Head of House Karun!”
“As expected, the Head of House believed in the Former Lord all along!”
The executives of the Central Intelligence Agency standing below the platform in the Audience Chamber hurled flattering words at Karun. Or rather, looking at the gleam in their eyes, it wasn’t flattery—they genuinely regarded Karun as the Head of House.
“Not Head of House, but interim Head of House.”
Karun clicked his tongue briefly while holding a stack of documents in his hand.
“Be careful.”
He shook his head without even glancing at his subordinates, telling them not to call him Head of House.
“Come on! What’s wrong with it?”
“That’s right! There’s no one listening anyway right now.”
“Words have power. If you call him Head of House, he might actually become one!”
“Head of House! I want to call you Head of House right now!”
The executives of the Central Intelligence Agency smiled broadly, calling Karun the Head of House despite his refusal.
“Isn’t that right, Roen?”
One of the Central Intelligence Agency’s executives waved at Roen, who stood beside Karun.
“Hehehehe.”
Roen simply laughed, finding it refreshing to see Karun sitting on the Jade Throne.
“That’s not entirely wrong. A temporary Head of House is still a Head of House, after all.”
He smiled with amusement, as if it didn’t matter whether they called Karun the Head of House or not.
“Well, the Head of House entrusted it to you.”
Sheryl shrugged her shoulders, seemingly unbothered by them calling Karun the Head of House.
“There is only one true Head of House. I am merely a temporary one.”
Karun shook his head firmly, refusing to acknowledge himself even at Roen’s and Sheryl’s words. Yet his gaze remained fixed on the documents as he spoke of “not yet,” revealing his ambition for the Jade Throne.
“Ugh, our brother’s become such a bore.”
Valdemar yawned mockingly, his mouth wide open as he ridiculed Karun.
“You weren’t called, so leave.”
Karun waved his hand dismissively without even looking at Valdemar.
“Leave the trivial paperwork to the kids downstairs. Let’s do something fun.”
Valdemar approached the platform and rubbed his palms together.
“Something fun?”
Sheryl narrowed her eyes with curiosity about what he meant.
“Father and my nephew have entered closed-door training in the deep underground where our voices can’t reach them. In other words, it means you can manipulate this family estate however you like!”
Valdemar stomped his foot heavily as if asking whether I didn’t already know that.
“Honestly, right now you’re falling behind my nephew quite a bit. If we find Eden and launch an attack at a time like this, we could achieve results that don’t lose to my nephew! No, since it’s an achievement accomplished from the position of Head of House, we could score even bigger points!”
He waved his hand vigorously, saying this was the opportunity.
“Hehehehe.”
“I wish we could if it were that simple.”
Roen laughed hollowly again, and Sheryl smacked her lips while crossing her arms as if telling him to try if he wanted.
“….”
Karun lifted his gaze from the documents for the first time and looked at Valdemar.
“How about it? Isn’t it brilliant! If you put me at the vanguard….”
“You’re right.”
He tilted his chin toward Valdemar, whose mouth was stretched wide in a grin.
“If we find Eden and succeed in the attack, we would indeed achieve great merit.”
“Then…”
“However, I believe the duties of Head of House should not begin with achieving great merit, but rather start from the small domain of understanding the intricate details of the family estate.”
Karun returned his gaze to the documents and shook his head. He seemed genuinely eager to understand more about Zigheart, methodically reading through the current issues and clauses with composure.
“Huh!”
“Hmm!”
Roen’s narrowed eyes widened, and Sheryl let out an exclamation without realizing it. Both of Glen’s closest aides seemed impressed by Karun’s transformation.
“Karun…”
“Y-yes, that’s right! It’s best to start small and build up from there!”
“I will follow the Head of House in whatever you do!”
“I will stand with you in all things!”
The executives of the Central Intelligence Agency bowed deeply, as if to show they would follow Karun no matter how he changed.
“Huh…”
Valdemar’s jaw dropped—he never imagined Karun would respond like this.
“Idiot! That guy isn’t the jealous fool you knew anymore!”
Aris Zigheart struck the back of Valdemar’s head with a scoff.
“Ugh, I knew he’d changed, but not like this.”
Valdemar regarded Karun with an awkward expression, his lips pursing.
“He really does look like a proper Head of House now…”
He shook his head, saying it gave him chills.
“Not the Head of House, but…”
Karun turned his gaze back to Valdemar. His crimson eyes—reminiscent of Glen’s—shook his head with resolve.
“The interim Head of House.”
* * *
Clang!
Raon barely dodged the successive sword strikes Glen unleashed, biting his lip.
‘He’s serious!’
Grandfather is attacking me with genuine intent.
Glen Zigheart no longer held back as he had before, unleashing sword strikes brimming with killing intent as if he didn’t care about sustaining severe injuries.
My shoulder and waist were already cut, and due to the peculiar nature of this place, the wounds throbbed with unbearable pain.
“If you remain idle like that, you’ll accomplish nothing and ascend half-dead.”
Glen’s eyes turned cold as he regarded me like an enemy, and he thrust the Heavenly Sword forward with lethal precision.
Clang!
I tried to evade by twisting my waist, but the injuries combined with the pressure of this training ground prevented me from dodging completely, and my thigh was sliced cleanly. Crimson blood dripped from the gaping wound, adding scorching heat to the training ground.
Hah!
I drew the Heavenly Sword and the Moonwheel Sword, exhaling sharply.
“Very well. Since you’ve started first….”
I planted both blades into the ground stained with my own blood, my lips curling into a fierce smile.
“Don’t regret this!”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————