The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 128

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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 128

Habun Castle Command Center.

Scout Unit Commander Barti stood at attention before Commander Milend.

“Nothing again?”

“Yes, sir! I’ve made two complete sweeps from the Sturrin Mountains to the Northern Sea region, but we’ve detected no marine monsters ascending into the mountains or forests.”

Barti raised his gaze as he answered.

“So Sharkmol was the first and last.”

Milend slowly closed his eyes.

‘I had a bad feeling about this, but perhaps I was mistaken.’

Ever since Raon returned after dealing with the Ice Troll Warrior and the Shaman, I’d dispatched the Scout Unit every week to monitor the situation, but no significant changes had been observed.

Given that nothing had occurred in over a month, it appeared to have been merely a chance occurrence.

“Well done. Return and—”

Just as I was about to order them to rest, a sharp shout echoed from the Soldier Training Ground.

“That’s quite an impressive battle cry.”

Barti glanced out the window and smiled faintly.

“Good? It’s so loud I could die from it.”

Despite his complaint, Milend’s lips curved into a genuine smile.

“Have you been there yourself?”

“Yes. I go often.”

“He seems to be teaching well.”

“Every time Raon corrects their stance, you can feel the soldiers’ skills improving noticeably. The soldiers aren’t going for nothing. Some of them even headed straight to the Training Ground the moment we returned today.”

“I see.”

Milend chuckled and turned his body.

‘He does unusual things.’

At some point, Raon had begun teaching the soldiers training in the Training Ground—sharing training methods and correcting their swordsmanship and spearmanship forms.

He wasn’t imparting any special techniques, merely refining the fundamental martial arts they already knew, yet it had proven remarkably effective. Now many soldiers followed him.

Watching the Training Ground, once hollow from the exhaustion of endless combat and missions, come alive with energy warmed both body and spirit.

“How should I put it? Raon seems like someone who has the power to change not just himself, but those around him. He’s not particularly bright, yet since he arrived, Habun Castle has felt so much more vibrant.”

“Is that so.”

Milend’s eyes gleamed with light.

‘The makings of a king.’

To command people in such a ruthless battlefield within merely a month was not something an ordinary human could accomplish. As expected, Raon possessed the qualities to stand above others.

“I’m feeling a bit stiff myself, so I should participate in some training.”

“Ah, wait.”

As Barti turned his shoulders to leave, Milend raised his hand.

“The ‘Wave’ period will arrive soon. You’re aware of that, aren’t you?”

“…Of course.”

Barti’s expression, which had been lifted in a smile, hardened in an instant.

“Since we don’t know when it will strike, make sure to inform the recruits clearly.”

Milend’s gaze turned toward the Sturrin Mountains, obscured by gray mist.

“They’ll soon understand why Habun Castle is called a hellish battlefield.”

*

*

*

A month ago, only cold winds swept through the Soldier Training Ground. Now it overflowed with Scout Unit members honing their bodies.

This transformation stemmed entirely from one person.

Raon.

Shocked by his prowess—strong enough to slay an Ice Troll Warrior and shaman alone—and witnessing his relentless training from dawn until dusk, other scouts began arriving one by one to join him.

Whenever I had time, I corrected their stances and taught them proper training methods. Word of the results spread, and now the Training Ground was packed with soldiers.

“Wow! It really works. Just bending my knees slightly makes swordplay so much easier.”

“How does he know all this?”

“It’s the Divine Eye. The Divine Eye! He must see what’s lacking just by looking at your form.”

“He pointed out my flaws without even watching, and he was absolutely right. It’s honestly terrifying.”

The scouts chattered excitedly about what they’d learned today and how much they’d improved, their laughter filling the space.

-Tsk, how noisy.

Wrath clicked his tongue in disapproval.

-It was peaceful before. Now my ears ring from all their chatter.

‘Are you just going to complain?’

Raon completed the Yeonseonggum Swordplay from beginning to end, then let out a soft chuckle.

-My experiences are treasures of the Demon Realm that cannot be purchased even with mountains of gold. Consider yourself fortunate to hear them.

‘I’m not sure about fortunate, but the Demon Realm is becoming increasingly familiar.’

‘When I was in the Demon Realm,’ ‘Back when I was in the Demon Realm’—hearing these phrases so often had made the Demon Realm feel like home.

-I do not understand you.

‘Understand what?’

-Why do you concern yourself with such people? After a year passes, you’ll never cross paths with them again anyway.

‘I’m not particularly concerned with them.’

-Yet you examine their stances in detail. What nonsense is this?

‘Observing their stances is part of my own training.’

-Training? From such clumsy movements?

‘Yes.’

Raon smiled faintly.

‘It’s helping me quite considerably.’

I was observing the Scout Unit’s movements not with my eyes, but through Glacia.

By perceiving the movements of so many people as an ocean of sensation, that ocean was expanding in this very moment, absorbing the rain like water into a vast sea.

All of this was thanks to the Demon Realm’s lord, who had entrusted the true essence that image was paramount to a pineapple pizza.

‘There’s another reason too.’

I turned to look back. The soldiers who trained their bodies to survive and wielded their blades—their eyes resembled my past life.

I wanted to survive, wanted to grow stronger, but I couldn’t abandon them when I remembered that time when I could do nothing at all.

-What is that?

‘It’s a secret.’

-Leaving words unfinished is one of the Demon Realm’s sins! The moment I obtain your body, I shall imprison that soul within glacial ice!

‘Do it if you can.’

I ignored Wrath’s curse and observed the Scout Unit member behind me. His hunched shoulders prevented his blade from moving properly.

“If you straighten your shoulders just a bit, you’ll do much better.”

“My shoulders? Understood!”

He bowed his head as though he’d heard the voice of a god and immediately straightened his shoulders. As his movement changed, his expression brightened.

“Hey!”

Just as I was about to attend to the soldier beside him, Dorian’s voice rang out from beyond the Training Ground.

“That’s not it! Run faster!”

Dorian was still leading the Sulgyek Swordsmen—those who hadn’t yet escaped their status as junior scouts—around the Training Ground. Since he couldn’t teach them swordplay, he was simply putting them through physical conditioning.

‘The fellow has decent strength and leg power, at least.’

From his earliest days as a trainee until now, Dorian had run every single day, giving him stamina that even seasoned swordsmen struggled to match.

“Who used aura just now?”

Dorian’s eyes flashed as he turned around. Following what Rimer had taught him, he forbade the Sulgyek Swordsmen from using aura and drove them to run on physical strength alone.

‘He’s running well.’

I narrowed my eyes as I watched Sulgyek Commander Edquil running directly behind Dorian. The commander was clearly intimidating—his eyes were full of complaints, yet he followed orders without hesitation.

“Alright, stop!”

Dorian came to a halt, catching his breath. Since he hadn’t used aura and had run at full speed, exhaustion was plainly written across the swordsmen’s faces.

“Next is reconnaissance practice. Get down!”

“Ugh!”

“Damn it….”

“I hate this the most….”

The Sulgyek Swordsmen dropped to all fours, their noses nearly touching the ground.

“Now, in that state, circle the Training Ground. It’s practice for observing traces on the floor. Give it your all.”

“Ugh….”

“Huff….”

The Sulgyek Swordsmen began crawling like tortoises around the perimeter of the Training Ground. It seemed like mockery, but it was actually one of the Scout Unit’s reconnaissance training exercises.

-But why is that guy teaching Scout Unit training? He doesn’t even know reconnaissance properly.

‘Now that I think about it, that’s true….’

I tilted my head. Somehow, Dorian had become their instructor. The amusing part was that no one complained about it.

‘Well, I suppose it makes sense.’

Even though they held the title of Scout Unit members, they were actually swordsmen capable of wielding aura. It would be burdensome for ordinary scouts to instruct them, so Dorian was perfectly suited for the role.

“Hehe.”

Dorian approached with a smirk.

“Looks good?”

“Good? I’m dying of boredom.”

Despite his words, his face never stopped smiling. When he first arrived at Habun Castle, he had been pale as if on death’s door, but now his cheeks had filled out with healthy weight.

“Still, it’s easier than I expected. I thought I’d only ever fight without breathing room.”

Dorian muttered that rumors truly couldn’t be trusted.

“Hm? You didn’t know?”

I narrowed my eyes.

“What? Know what?”

“This place is called the Battlefield of Hell or the Hell of Battlefields because of the Waves that occur twice a year.”

“W-Waves?”

“It’s a phenomenon where land monsters from the Sturrin Mountains and Forest, along with sea monsters rising from the Northern Sea, pour in endlessly. I thought you’d know about it?”

“Ah, the more you know, the scarier it gets, so I didn’t bother looking into it! Ignorance is bliss!”

Dorian shook his head violently like a dog shaking off water.

“Waves? What even is that! Terrifying!”

“There will be signs soon. Once it starts, expect not to sleep for three to five days.”

“You can’t sleep because you’re fighting?”

“Right.”

“Aaahhhhh!”

His eyes crumbled like sand battered by waves as he gnawed at his fingernails.

“It’s fine. If you move exactly as you’ve been taught, you’ll make it through safely.”

“That’s right, isn’t it? It has to be…doesn’t it!”

Dorian let out a cry and rushed toward the Scout Unit members to ask them about the wave. When he received the same answer as before, his complexion gradually drained to an ashen gray.

“It’s over! My life is finished!”

Now he clutched his head and screamed toward the sky.

‘Your first subordinate is quite entertaining.’

I chuckled softly and tapped Wrath, who was floating about in a daze.

-…This king knows not of such a fool.

*

*

*

“Madman! So you just let him go?”

A man in a blue robe bared his teeth. A chilling coldness emanated from his sharp, jagged fangs.

“There was no choice. Attacking again there would have been a blunder.”

The Black-robed Man exhaled a shallow sigh.

“That plan of yours, those schemes! You overthink everything far too much!”

“Better than you, who charges in like a mindless beast.”

The two glared at each other, radiating a primal ferocity that rivaled that of monsters.

“So what’s next then? Your plan to draw out Milend is essentially ruined!”

“It’s fine. I’ve devised a new strategy.”

The Black-robed Man shook his head.

“A new strategy?”

“The wave that’s about to begin. We’ll blend our powers together within it.”

“Blend them?”

“Yes. You’ll use your strength to allow more sea monsters to participate in the wave.”

“And what will you do?”

“I’ll prepare to bring down the walls.”

He lifted his robe. A skull covered in long black fur floated suspended in the air. Black light emanated from its hollow eye sockets as if it were alive.

“A Boom Skull?”

“With this creature, I can certainly demolish those fortress walls.”

“You’ll be torn to shreds by Milend before you even reach the walls.”

“That’s fine. I’ve modified it to hide within the shadows. Even a Master wouldn’t detect it.”

The Black-robed Man stroked Boom Skull with a confident gesture.

“And after that? Habun Castle won’t crumble even if we destroy the walls.”

“Don’t worry. The plan to draw out Milend and the executives begins after the walls fall. Once the walls crumble, they’ll have no choice but to emerge.”

“Sigh, this is the last time.”

The Blue Robed Man furrowed his brow and crossed his arms.

“Even if you and I share the same objective, our methods need not be identical. If this fails as well, I’ll move according to my own judgment.”

“That won’t happen.”

The Black-robed Man fingered the green mask in his hand, a thin smile playing across his lips.

“I’ll play a card that forces Habun Castle to move.”

*

*

*

The Training Ground in the pre-dawn darkness, shadows still clinging to every corner.

I brought my blade down in a sweeping arc. The frozen ground melted beneath the heat-laden sword wind, and the cold air shrieked in protest.

I stamped my foot and raised the blade, movements alive and vital as if facing a formidable opponent. I was locked in a battle to the death with an enemy born from imagination alone.

Whoooosh.

Frigid air exhaled from Raon’s lips. His eyes frosted over, and the heat radiating from his blade dissipated into bitter cold.

The gleaming blue blade shot forth like a beast’s fang, savage and precise. The scorched earth, melted by flames, hardened into stone, and frost blossoms bloomed across the empty air.

Ice flowers that had danced upon the silver blade scattered on the wind, swirling around him in an ethereal vortex.

Shing!

Each petal of frost became a blade infused with cold and killing intent, shredding the enemy Raon had envisioned before melting away like morning dew.

“Hah.”

I steadied my breathing, allowing the frigid energy to settle.

-Hmm….

Wrath let out a sound of displeasure.

‘Why?’

-Your growth is unusually rapid.

‘….’

Rion stared at Wrath with a dumbfounded expression. After instructing me to practice imagery, this was his reaction? He seemed to have forgotten everything except the taste of pineapple pizza.

“Wow!”

As I stood bewildered by Wrath’s reaction, Dorian approached from the outer edge of the Training Ground.

“Now there are six ice flowers blooming. Every time I see you, something’s changed—it’s dizzying.”

Dorian clicked his tongue in amazement at how rapidly I was growing stronger.

‘My growth really is faster than I anticipated.’

By harmonizing Wrath’s guidance with the experience gained from missions, the development of Glacial and Radiant Sword was dazzling. The unexpected pace of growth left even me astonished.

“If you trained from dawn until night like I do, you’d grow stronger quickly too.”

“From dawn until night… Even at sixteen, you haven’t changed a bit, have you, Young Master?”

“There’s no reason for me to change.”

Whether I left home or turned sixteen, nothing had truly changed. All I did was maximize the time given to me through training.

“Did you come back from training?”

“Not exactly training—I was just touring the castle.”

Dorian grinned and nodded.

“Did you take the Sulgyek Swordsmen with you again?”

“Yes. It’s routine. Routine.”

“Less than a month left now. That’s a shame, isn’t it?”

“I know. Sigh….”

The Sulgyek Swordsmen had less than a month remaining in their tenure as members of the Scout Unit. Dorian’s expression was tinged with regret.

“Still, it’s fine because there are other junior members.”

Dorian viewed himself not as an escort for the Scout Unit, but as a member of it. He’d complained bitterly at first, but he’d adapted well.

“Looks like you’ve gotten used to it now.”

“You’ve adapted just as much, young master.”

“Well, I suppose so.”

He was right. Between scouting missions, assignments, and seeing the Scout Unit members every day at the Training Ground, I’d grown genuinely fond of them.

“If only that wave didn’t exist. Ugh! Did I really just say that cursed word out loud? Damn it!”

Dorian clutched his head as if the very thought repulsed him.

“Forget about it. Let’s go get something to eat.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dorian nodded, his energy deflated.

Let’s head to Frost’s Branch. The food at the Soldier Dining Hall is absolutely dreadful.

Wrath waved his frost-formed hand pleadingly, urging me to visit Frost’s Branch.

‘Isn’t the Soldier Dining Hall decent enough? I find it delicious.’

-You call that hard, stale bread and soup delicious? I’ve suspected it for a while now, but your palate is clearly defective. All the stat points that should have gone to your taste buds were redirected to your willpower instead.

‘That might be true.’

I chuckled softly. In my past life, I’d only received a single piece of bread after completing missions. A place where I could enjoy a proper meal at every sitting was nothing short of paradise.

Still, hearing such criticism from someone obsessed with mint chocolate and pineapple pizza was rather ironic.

‘Maybe I should visit for once in a while.’

-Really? You mean it?

‘Yes. I should listen to you occasionally.’

-You’re not plotting something, are you?

‘Not at all.’

I turned with a slight smile, feeling the growth in my swordsmanship, aura, and frost energy. I decided to indulge Wrath’s palate for once.

“Dorian, let’s head to Frost’s Branch for breakfast today. My treat.”

“Pardon? What brings this on?”

“We should treat ourselves to something special occasionally.”

“Oh! Understood, sir!”

I entered Frost’s Branch with Dorian, whose mood had improved. Since it was morning, every table was occupied except for one.

“Oh! Instructor!”

“Instructor! Our respects!”

“Have you come to dine?”

“Yua! Prepare the instructor’s meal at my table!”

The soldiers who had been eating breakfast rose in unison and bowed their heads to me.

“I’m not an instructor.”

“But you watch over our form every day—you’re definitely an instructor!”

“Yes! We shall regard you as our master!”

“Enough. Just eat your meals.”

I waved my hand and sat at the central table. These days, so many people called me instructor and offered their respects that it had become tiresome.

“I’m so glad you came today!”

Yua came rushing out from the Kitchen, her twin-tails swaying.

“We have a new menu item! Would you like to try it?”

Yua smiled brightly and pointed to the newly added section on the menu board.

“Apple meat pie?”

“Yes! It’s a moist and sweet meat pie made with ground apples!”

“Hmm….”

It didn’t appeal to me.

I preferred meat to be meat and fruit to be fruit. Mixing them wasn’t really my preference.

-Eat it! Choose! Decide!

Wrath’s frigid aura erupted like a pillar of flame.

-This King finds the apple meat pie most enticing!

His voice was dripping with anticipation.

“Then give me one of those pies, and Dorian, what about you?”

“I’m not one for adventures, so I’ll keep it simple—the Scout Unit standard meal with a pineapple cookie on the side!”

“Yes!”

He pulled a pineapple from his satchel. Yua accepted it with practiced ease.

-Add the pineapple cookie! This King wishes to experience that delightful chewiness!

“Sigh, I’ll have a pineapple cookie too.”

“Yes!”

Yua laughed brightly and headed into the Kitchen.

“How many pineapples do you actually have?”

“There aren’t many left now.”

He patted his belly pouch with a regretful expression. The phrase “not many left” was somehow unsettling.

-Thorough preparation. Truly befitting my number one subordinate. Instruct him to stock up on food supplies.

‘You said he was a stranger not long ago.’

-….

Wrath turned his head away, pretending not to hear.

As I chatted with Dorian, Yua soon returned with steaming dishes.

“Oh, that smells wonderful.”

“It doesn’t just smell good—it tastes amazing too. Please, try it!”

Yua placed her hands on her hips and nodded enthusiastically.

“All right.”

I smiled faintly and picked up a knife. As I cut into the pie, the tart sweetness of apples mingled harmoniously with the rich, savory aroma of meat, and my mouth watered involuntarily.

“Dad, hurry! Eat faster.”

‘Stop pestering me.’

Just as I was about to serve myself some pie, commotion erupted outside the Dining Hall.

Bang!

The door burst open, and Radin rushed in with a flushed face. His eyes burned with urgency.

“Raon! There you are!”

He had been searching for me.

“What’s the matter?”

“The Commander is calling for you!”

“At this hour?”

“It’s urgent.”

From his words, I could discern what had transpired.

“A Wave has manifested.”

“A Wave….”

I furrowed my brow and rose to my feet.

“Wave? Wave. Wave!”

Dorian called out the word three times before freezing like a wooden puppet.

“W-wave, you say?”

“Damn….”

“Ah, it’s finally time.”

The soldiers’ eyes trembled with tension. They set down their forks nervously and bit their lips.

“Yua, we’ll have to try the new menu another time. Don’t worry—just stay here.”

“Yes, understood.”

I patted Yua’s anxious shoulder reassuringly, then followed Radin out of the Dining Hall.

-Wait, hold on! Where are you going!

Wrath stretched his body like rubber, clinging desperately to the pie dish.

-Whatever this wave is, I shall handle it all! Just one bite. One bite before you go! Raon!

He tried to grab the pie dish with hands formed from cold energy, but of course they passed right through. Like an arrow released from a bowstring, he was dragged along behind me.

-Why must I be denied happiness! Why!

“Waaaaaave!”

Frost’s Branch echoed with the anguished cries of the Demon King who had failed to eat his pie and the coward who cowered beside him.

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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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