The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 125

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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 125

I planted my foot firmly and drew up concentrated energy from my ankle, wrapping it around my palm as I thrust the blade forward.

Crash!

The Ice Troll Warrior’s massive body and club proved no match for the slender blade as it was driven backward into the wall.

“Roooaaar!”

The enraged Ice Troll Warrior shrieked and swung its club, which glowed with crimson aura. A sharp crack split the air as tremendous wind pressure grazed my face.

My skin felt as though it might tear, but I pushed forward through the gale. I activated the Infernal Flame at full power and struck the aura-laden club head-on.

Boom!

When the aura-wrapped blade collided with the aura-melting club, the resulting shockwave swept away all the snow and ice in the surrounding area.

“Screech!”

The Ice Troll Warrior’s body was far more resilient than I expected. It endured the massive shockwave with its bare frame and brought the club crashing down.

‘Its regenerative ability is truly insane.’

The flesh torn by the shockwave was already beginning to regenerate. Not only its strength and agility, but its regenerative power was incomparably superior to that of ordinary Ice Trolls.

“Hnn!”

I bent my knees and drew my blade upward against the crimson aura cascading down like a waterfall.

Though the Ice Troll Warrior’s aura was formidable, the flames of the Infernal Flame possessed enough firepower to melt even that aura.

Boom!

Crimson flames fierce enough to sear steel surged upward, parting the cascading aura like a salmon swimming against the current of a valley.

“Ugh!”

The Ice Troll Warrior let out a groan upon seeing its aura cleave in two. Confusion flickered across those yellowish eyes that had moments before gleamed with contempt.

‘End this now.’

There was no reason to prolong the fight. I was about to sever its neck following the split aura.

Whoosh!

A mass of frigid energy hurtled from the right, warping the blade’s trajectory.

Screech!

The blade carved through the Ice Troll Warrior’s chest instead of its neck. Despite the grievous wound—deep enough to expose its ribs—the creature bounded backward with a yelp.

I narrowed my eyes and looked up. An Ice Troll Shaman stood atop the hillside, waving its staff. The frost orb it had just hurled had twisted my blade aside.

“That cowardly bastard! Why interfere with a one-on-one duel!”

Dorian pointed accusingly at the Ice Troll Shaman and stamped his foot. Of course, he made no move to intervene himself.

“I’ll handle the Shaman!”

Sulgyek Commander Edquil spun around swiftly.

“If you can’t kill it before I finish the Troll Warrior, I’ll slay the Shaman myself.”
“That won’t happen!”

Edquil grimaced and charged back up the hillside. The Sulgyek Swordsmen rushed after him.

Grrrrgh!

A sound like a wounded beast snarling reached my ears. The Ice Troll Warrior, its wounds already mended, had raised its club.

“I’m sorry, but this fight is over.”

I lowered my blade and smiled coldly. By wielding the Ring of Fire and the Radiant Sword, I had grasped every movement the Ice Troll Warrior could make. All that remained was to sever its life with a single stroke.

Roooaaarrr!

The Ice Troll Warrior crashed forward, shattering the ground beneath it. With my entire field of vision consumed by the creature, I tightened my grip on my sword. Rather than retreating, I surged forward.

Ten Petals of the Myriad Bloom.
Thaw of the Crimson Salt.

Upon the silver blade, red flowers bloomed as if spring had arrived. Petals reminiscent of the sun scattered outward, heralding the end of winter’s bitter cold.

A sickening crack echoed through the air.

The dancing enemy flames subsided, and the frozen earth melted away. Upon it fell the severed neck and club of the Ice Troll Warrior.

“Haaah….”

I lowered my sword and exhaled heavily. The Ten Petals technique was undeniably powerful and elegant, but the consumption of aura and mental fortitude was severe—enough to leave my mind momentarily dazed.

Still, the overwhelming force and precision with which I had cleaved the Ice Troll Warrior in a single strike was deeply satisfying.

Steadying my breath, I gazed toward the hilltop. The Ice Troll Shaman commanded its kin and scattered curses while battling the Sulgyek Swordsmen.

‘It’s not over yet.’

I fed aura like kindling into the dimming flames of my blade and raised it once more.

‘That one belongs to me.’

Defeating a monster powerful enough to require combat aura elevated both my stats and my rank. There was no reason to surrender such a delectable prize to others—least of all to creatures like these.

As I began ascending the hill, I felt a piercing gaze upon me. Turning, I found Terian, the mercenaries, and every Scout Unit member present staring at me with expressions as though their souls had departed their bodies.

I wondered what expression they would wear if I defeated the Ice Troll Shaman as well.

-Not even Grid is this greedy.
‘Your appetite is hardly one to lecture me about.’
-Kugh, I do not eat excessively—I simply appreciate fine cuisine. When I dwelt in the Demon Realm, I would personally enter the kitchens to prepare….
‘We’re busy now. Later.’
-Just listen!

Ignoring Wrath’s desperate pleas, I ascended the hill. With each step, I dampened my presence and erased my existence.

*

*

*

“Charge!”
“Target the Shaman first!”
“Damn it! What kind of blizzard is this fierce!”
“Finish them quickly and help the Commander!”

The Sulgyek Swordsmen clashed with the Ice Trolls amid the snowstorm conjured by the Ice Troll Shaman.

“Hraagh!”

Edquil, worthy of his title as Commander, carved through the center alone and hurled his blade toward the Shaman.

Clang!

His sword descended upon the Troll Shaman, but it struck an invisible barrier mid-swing. A defensive incantation woven by the Shaman itself.

“Hraagh!”

He swung his blade, wreathed in brilliant aura, relentlessly, yet the magical barrier refused to yield.

Grrrkarthi!

As the Troll Shaman chanted its eerie incantation, the swirling snow intensified further—so thick that the path ahead vanished from sight.

“This won’t stop me!”

Edquil clenched his teeth and brought his blade down with crushing force. The white tempest split asunder, and the Shaman’s form emerged.

‘I must. I absolutely must capture it!’

If I could claim victory by defeating the Shaman alone, perhaps I could nullify that wager with that damned brat.

I cannot carry the burdens of those worthless Scout Unit insects. By any means necessary, I must defeat these creatures and void the bet.

“Ahhhhh!”

I pushed off the ground and unleashed a torrent of sword energy toward the Shaman. The barrier of sorcery trembled violently, on the verge of shattering.

‘Almost there!’

I was about to draw upon even more power to finish this in one decisive strike.

Splurch!

The Shaman’s body convulsed violently, and a crimson aura erupted from its left chest where its heart lay.

“What… what is this…?”

I froze, unable to comprehend what was happening, when the Ice Troll Shaman’s upper body exploded with a deafening crack.

Whoosh!

From behind the scattering crimson smoke emerged that insufferable blonde brat, wielding a dagger that radiated saintly energy.

“You… you bastard!”

Edquil’s jaw trembled as he pointed an accusing finger.

“What are you doing here?!”
“I told you. If you couldn’t kill the Shaman before I finished the Ice Troll Warrior, I’d handle it myself.”
“Shut your mouth! You sneak attacked from behind! I could have finished this alone without your help!”
“Excuses don’t matter. Just collect the corpse.”

I scoffed and pointed at the Shaman’s corpse. My expression was infuriatingly smug.

“From now on, you lot are pack mules for our Scout Unit.”

*

*

*

Gulp.

The Black-robed Man swallowed hard as he gazed upon the corpses of Ice Trolls piled in the valley.

‘How… how did this happen?’

This was not the scene I had envisioned.
The forces of Habun Castle that had been driving back the Ice Trolls should have been overwhelmed by the suddenly ambushing Ice Troll Warriors and Shamans, with more than half slain and the rest fleeing for their lives.

My plan extended only to Commander Milend leading his troops forth in response to the emergence of these dangerous monsters—yet everything had unraveled.

All because of a single whelp.

Crunch.

The Black-robed Man ground his teeth together. His gaze fixed upon the golden-haired swordsman atop the hill.

It was that boy who had sensed the Ice Troll Warrior’s ambush, who had severed the Warrior’s neck, and whose strike had burst the heart of the Troll Shaman preparing its incantations.

Beyond mere strength, that young one possessed precise knowledge of how to sever the thread of life itself.

The Black-robed Man fingered the mask he held in his palm. It was blue, shaped to resemble an Ice Troll, with elongated ears and a wrinkled brow.

“Haaah…”

What should I do?

A dilemma. Should I kill them now, or devise a new plan?

‘Yet setting all that aside…’

That boy. From the young one who had slain the Warrior and Shaman alone, I sensed an ominous aura so potent that the hair on the back of my hand stood on end. The danger-detection ability granted through this mask had activated.

“A dangerous one indeed.”

Perhaps even more so than the lord of Habun Castle.

The Black-robed Man turned away. He climbed the mountain, his fists clenching.

“In the end, I’ll have to use it.”

*

*

*

When I felled the last remaining troll, a message materialized before my eyes.

[Agility stat increases by 1 point.]
[Stamina stat increases by 1 point.]

I gazed at the message and allowed myself a satisfied smile. The price of defeating the Ice Troll Warrior and Shaman had returned to me as stat increases.

‘But that’s not all.’

My soul’s grade must have risen as well from slaying a monster that wielded Aura alone. The Shaman wasn’t defeated by me alone, but since I delivered the final blow, there was no issue.

‘Growing stronger with every battle—this really is an absurdly broken ability.’
-It is only natural, for this system was created by me, the Demon King.

I wanted to laugh at how the Demon King who had lost such a magnificent power was boasting, but I held it back.

“Raon!”

Radin and the Scout Unit members rushed toward me, their lips trembling.

“What in the world are you, you bastard!”
“I never could have imagined you’d cleave an Ice Troll Warrior in a single stroke!”
“And you killed the Shaman too! This guy is the real deal! Genuine merchandise!”

The Scout Unit members crowded around me, bursting with exclamations of awe.

“Ahem!”

Radin’s deliberate cough drew everyone’s attention back to him.

“Listen here. Before you make such a fuss, I have something to say.”
“What is it?”
“Of course.”

The Scout Unit members’ laughter died abruptly. They straightened their postures and bowed their heads in unison.

“Thank you for saving us!”
“We’re alive because of you!”
“I merely fulfilled my role as your escort. There’s no need for such formality.”

I waved my hand dismissively. This wasn’t modesty—it was simple truth. When given a task, delivering results commensurate with that task was merely the natural order of things. I had no need for such gratitude.

“No, really. When that club came crashing down… damn, I thought I was done for. I genuinely believed I was going to die.”
“That’s right. My mind went completely blank.”
“I even saw my life flash before my eyes.”

The Scout Unit members nodded in agreement, their hollow laughter echoing the shared trauma.

“When you stepped forward and blocked that Ice Troll Warrior’s club, my entire body erupted in chills. I’ve been a scout for over a decade, but I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

Radin’s eyes bore the dried traces of tears. He was smiling now, but it was clear he had truly resigned himself to death.

“You didn’t just do your part—you saved all of us. Words of thanks hardly seem sufficient.”
“He’s right.”

I turned at the sound of that low voice. Terian stood there, smiling for the first time since arriving at this place.

“There are countless people who flee from their responsibilities. Whether for the sake of a mission or to save lives, standing alone before that club is something few dare to do.”

Terian bowed his head slightly, his smile growing warmer.

“Thank you for saving our soldiers.”
“…Yes.”

I nodded slowly.

‘This feels strangely ticklish in my chest.’

In my past life, whenever an assassination or battle ended, I would flee without hesitation. There were no words of gratitude, only immediate preparation for the next mission. Receiving thanks like this after a battle was unfamiliar and awkward to me.

But I didn’t dislike it. It felt wonderful, as if a soft, warm cloth were caressing my heart.

“Exceptional swordsmanship combined with powerful aura and impeccable timing—the might you display defies imagination.”

Beto, commander of the Ulves Mercenary Group, approached with a clap of his hands.

“To wield power beyond what you possess—you are truly no ordinary person.”

His eyes gleamed like those of someone admiring a prized commodity.

“I’d love to dig deeper, but since none of my men fell thanks to you, conscience demands I stop here. Wouldn’t you agree?”

He shrugged and flashed a grin.

“Of course! Not prying into the past is the unspoken code of mercenaries!”
“And that nickname—Sword Demon—fits perfectly! The blade dances like it’s possessed!”
“I’ve never seen anyone wield a sword with such exhilaration.”
“And pushing back an Ice Troll Warrior through sheer strength? What are you, an ogre?”
“What do you have to eat to become that strong at your age?”

The mercenaries spoke of my prowess without a shred of ulterior motive, thumbs raised high. They embodied the spirit of warriors who revered strength and combat.

“Hmm.”

I approached the Sulgyek Swordsmen, who stood motionless as corpses, while the Scout Unit and mercenaries cheered.

“Ugh….”

I stood before Edquil, whose jaw trembled, and lowered the backpack I’d been carrying.

“I told you. You’re the one who carries my things. Take it.”
“A-are you serious?”

Edquil’s hand twitched as if he might draw his sword at any moment.

“You made a promise. Everyone here witnessed it. Are you going to back out now?”
“You’d become my enemy over a few scouts?”

His eyes widened as if they might tear, clearly not expecting me to actually hand over the burden.

“W-wait, that’s right! We didn’t treat him that harshly anyway!”
“We only had him carry some luggage and prepare meals!”
“W-we teased and poked at him sometimes, but it was all just joking around!”

The Sulgyek Swordsmen grumbled that they shouldn’t have to apologize to this extent.

‘Just as I expected. These fools won’t budge at this level.’

The words “it was just joking” and “it wasn’t that severe” should never have left their mouths. As I’d calculated, their minds were fundamentally broken.

“Besides, I don’t really want to do anything harsh to comrades I’ve fought alongside.”

I nodded while concealing my true intentions.

“But we can’t undo a bet that’s already been made. So there’s one way out of this….”
“W-what is it?”

Edquil’s and the Sulgyek Swordsmen’s eyes gleamed. They looked ready to accept anything if it meant escaping this situation.

-Tsk, the eyes of a man about to lose his entire fortune and be cast out naked.

Wrath clicked his tongue lightly as he observed Edquil’s eyes.

“We layer another bet on top of the existing one. If you win, I’ll erase the part about you becoming a porter. If I win, we add a new penalty.”

I smiled faintly. My pupils darkened like they were swallowing the night itself.

“What do you say?”

—————
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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