The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 132

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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 132

—A winning streak?

Wrath’s mouth fell open as if it might split.

“Ah, there was a winning streak bonus.”

I glanced at the message and nodded. It seemed the additional reward for consecutive victories was being applied this time as well.

“Don’t be so tense about it. It’s just a few stat points going up anyway.”

During the four-win streak, my Strength, Agility, and Stamina had each risen by about 1 to 2 points. This time would likely be similar, so it wasn’t such an incredible reward.

—But all those stat points come from my original body, don’t they?
“Think about food instead. Food.”
—Tsk.

Wrath clicked his tongue in resignation.

[As an additional reward, all stats increase by 2 points.]

“Huh?”
—A-all stats?

Both Wrath and I widened our eyes at the fact that all stats had increased, not just individual ones. But the message wasn’t finished yet.

[As an additional reward, the achievement of two traits increases.]

Thanks to the winning streak, what should have been a reward of one trait rank increase had doubled to two. It seemed the winning streak rewards jumped significantly at every fifth increment.

“I like this.”

I smiled faintly as the message disappeared. Raising trait achievement takes a long time even with the system in place. To receive two trait rank increases like this—it was a reward far beyond my expectations.

—Why… why traits?

Wrath shook his head in incomprehension, trembling visibly.

-My fury rises from the stat increases alone, so why are you raising the grade of my trait?!
“You said it yourself.”

I waved my hand, suppressing the frigid aura that blazed up from Wrath like wildfire.

“A perfect system does its utmost to make its owner strong. This is just the same thing.”

I recited back the very words Wrath had boasted about so often.

-B-but this is different! If I had known there was such a bonus reward, I wouldn’t have admitted defeat so easily!
“Isn’t the problem that someone forgot? You already knew winning streaks existed.”
-Ugh….

Wrath ground his teeth, unable to find a retort.

I waited for the messages to appear, anticipation playing at the corners of my mouth.

[Ambush has increased in grade.]
[Glacial has increased in grade.]

“What?”

I swallowed hard. Ambush was one thing, but I never dreamed that Glacial, which I had just acquired, would increase in grade so quickly.

Thoom.

I closed my eyes immediately and opened the Sea of Senses.

‘Insane.’

The range of the Sea of Senses had expanded far beyond what I felt last time, and its waves had become purer. It wasn’t just within the Dormitory anymore—I could sense what people outside were doing as well.

Whoosh!

A colossal tidal wave surged before my eyes. I knew exactly who it was.

-Grrr….

When I opened my eyes, Wrath was unleashing a tremendous surge of frigid power and fury, exactly as expected.

WHOOOOSH!

A torrent of cold that erupted like a volcano coiled around my entire body like serpents.

-Today I shall sever your lifeline once and for all!
“You really shouldn’t. You’ll just end up giving me more stat points again.”

I offered the advice sincerely. My body hadn’t recovered yet. My dantian was nearly depleted, my mind felt sluggish, and my bones ached. Yet against Wrath in his current state, I couldn’t afford to lose even if I wanted to.

-Silence! A hollow wretch like you, I shall swallow whole!

Wrath brought down a tidal wave of cold and fury that he’d summoned upward. Terrifying frigid power poured down upon my head, crushing both body and spirit.

“Hm….”

I furrowed my brow. Despite my water-attribute resistance increasing, the cold was so intense my skin felt like it would tear. Wrath was undoubtedly growing stronger with each passing moment.

‘But.’

My rate of growth still surpassed his, and now I even had the strongest shield. I couldn’t lose even if I wanted to.

Whoooosh.

I steadied my breathing and activated Glacial, now at the second star. A wall of cold conjured through imagery materialized along my mana circuits, blocking Wrath’s frigid assault.

CRACKLE!

Cold clashed against cold, and the crushing pain rapidly diminished. As the physical agony faded, the mental burden lessened as well. At this rate, I could endure for an entire day. No—I could endure for a lifetime.

-Freeze! You conniving weasel!

Wrath knew this, yet consumed by rage, he continued pouring forth endless waves of cold.

‘When will this end.’

Feeling slightly guilty, I stifled a yawn and took a few more hits for him.

I had planned to wait a bit longer before trying to persuade him, but a message appeared within minutes.

“Ah, my stats went up.”
-Hehehehe!

*

*

*

-Really?

Wrath, whose stats had been stolen once again, trembled with anxiety in his shrunken form.

‘Yes. I promised, after all.’

I nodded. Since I had gained so much thanks to Wrath, I could easily honor a promise to share a meal with him.

Besides, I was hungry too.

Having eaten nothing for four days, I craved food desperately—regardless of Wrath. I threw on my outer robe and left the room.

“Oh? Young Master!”

Dorian, who had been carrying a wet cloth and water, widened his eyes in surprise.

“When did you wake up?”
“Just now.”
“Are you feeling alright? You’ve been lying in bed for four days!”
“A bit hazy, but I’m fine.”

I nodded and rotated my arms in circles.

“Thank goodness! I went to find the Commander and the healers, but they said you were fine and absolutely not to disturb you….”

Dorian wiped his eyes with his sleeve and muttered that he could finally get some proper sleep. It seemed he had been worrying about me the entire time I was unconscious.

It felt slightly awkward to say thank you, so I simply patted his shoulder instead.

“But as soon as you wake up, where are you going?”
“My stomach’s stuck to my spine. I need to eat something.”
“Let me come with you! It’s time for me to eat too.”

She set down the water and pressed against my side.

“Oh, and don’t be surprised when we go outside.”
“About what?”
“You’ll find out soon. Hehe.”
“What are you talking about?”
-Ignore that fool. Hurry and fulfill your promise to me.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Wrath clung to me like a leech and waved my arm.

‘I know, so stop pestering me.’

I let out a small sigh and left the Dormitory.

“It’s been a while since defense duty was this comfortable.”
“Being able to sleep more is the best part. I wish it was like this every day.”
“Once that person wakes up, it’s all over.”

The interior of the castle was busier than usual. The fervor from surviving the wave still lingered in the air.

“So anyway…huh?”
“Hmm?”
“That… that person!”

As I headed toward Frost’s Branch while hearing the soldiers’ laughter, the noisy street fell silent as if gripped by an invisible hand. Every eye turned toward me.

“Raon!”
“Raon!”
“You’re awake!”
“He’s finally awake! The hero of this wave!”
“Waaaaaaah!”

Soldiers, knights, and swordsmen alike rushed toward me, erupting in cheers. Genuine smiles with eyes and mouths moving together. Everyone here was truly delighted that I had awakened.

‘Why are they doing this?’

I narrowed my eyes. I had merely bought time to save the soldiers. I was bewildered by why people I had only glimpsed in passing were rejoicing so intensely.

“Raon is
still a patient! Everyone, fall back!”

A familiar voice cut through the deafening cheers. It was Terian. He grabbed my arm and dragged me back, driving the soldiers away.

“Yes!”
“Understood!”
“Raon! Please recover so you can accept my drink!”
“Thank you for saving my comrades!”
“I will repay this debt someday!”

Even as they retreated, the soldiers left words of gratitude and wishes for my swift recovery—all expressions of their concern for me.

“You remain unchanged.”

Terian smiled faintly as he observed my furrowed brow.

“Pardon?”
“You don’t understand why soldiers, knights, and swordsmen with whom you had no prior connection worry about you and cheer for you?”

I nodded. I had never considered blocking the path to save a soldier to be such a remarkable deed.

“Among those who fell from the castle wall, there were quite a few from the Scout Unit, but most had no real connection to you. Some were even Sulgyek Swordsmen who had looked down on you.”

He continued, watching the soldiers calling out my name.

“Yet you turned away from none of them. You drew your sword and raised a wall for all of them. A hero who risked his life to protect soldiers even the Commander had abandoned. Anyone stationed at Habun Castle would be drawn to such a man.”

Terian’s eyes gleamed with a brilliant blue. It seemed that even he, as a warrior of Habun Castle, was not exempt from being drawn to a hero.

“This is my gratitude as Vice-Commander.”

He slowly lowered his head.

“Raon. Thank you for saving our soldiers. Should you ever desire it, I will repay this debt at any time.”

Our eyes met as Terian lifted his face. A smile filled with resolve. A laugh brimming with sincerity.

“I will help too! I will help you!”
“Just call on us whenever you need!”
“Raon! I’ll help you too! Whether it’s useful or not, I’m going!”
“If I can be of help, I’ll go too.”

Not only soldiers and knights, but also the Scout Unit members and the Sulgyek Swordsmen raised their hands, urging him to call on them.

“Ha….”

Raon exhaled sharply, his chest burning with heat.

This was precisely the scene I had longed to witness upon arriving here. Everyone becoming one during or after battle. Experiencing it firsthand, my heart pulsed with fervent warmth. Another emotion. It felt as though I had discovered the driving force to survive in this world.

He offered a faint smile as he watched the soldiers and knights calling out his name.

-…Aren’t you going?

*

*

*

At Wrath’s urging, Raon entered Frost’s Branch, leaving the cheers of the crowd behind. Inside, chaos erupted—people insisting they would buy him meals, offer him drinks, let him eat for free for life.

“Was that what you mentioned earlier?”
“Yes. It was more than I anticipated.”

Dorian sighed while fanning himself with his hand.

“Swordsman! Are you alright now?”

Yua came rushing from the Kitchen, her twin braids swaying.

“Yes.”
“Thank goodness. I came by to check on you!”
“You came?”
“Yes. I brought you porridge, but you couldn’t eat it.”
“I ate that!”

Dorian chuckled and raised his hand.

“Either way, thank you.”
“Not at all. Taking care of regular customers is essential.”

Yua laughed softly as she set down the menu. Whether sincere or teasing, her words came across as endearing.

“What would you like today?”
“The apple meat pie I couldn’t have before, and….”
-Hmmm!

The moment “apple meat pie” left my lips, Wrath drew in a sharp breath. It was an inhalation brimming with anticipation.

“Oh, I apologize.”

Yua’s eyes narrowed apologetically.

“We’re completely out of apples right now, so the apple meat pie is sold out.”
“It’s gone?”
“Yes. After the wave ended, we had an enormous rush of customers.”
-What? Huh?

Wrath’s eyes went blank. His lips trembled visibly—he looked ready to explode again.

“What about pineapple pizza then?”
“That’s not my department….”

Yua’s gaze shifted toward Dorian.

-Hey, ask quickly! My first lieutenant must have pineapples and apples!

Wrath looked at Dorian with eyes burning with hope, unwilling to abandon his expectations.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have either.”

Dorian shrugged.

“We ran out of pineapple cookies after distributing them to celebrate the end of the wave.”
“What about apples?”
“I gave those to Raon and the Scout Unit as snacks a while ago.”

Hearing that, I recalled the yellow apples he used to give me. He would hand me one every morning, saying it was good for me.

“If apples and pineapples keep coming out of my pocket, it wouldn’t make sense, would it?”

Dorian scratched his belly and laughed with a hehe. Hearing the word “sense” come from this fool’s mouth was utterly absurd.

“Rocks and logs are fine, though?”
“Those are things I use all the time. They’re essential!”
“Sigh….”

I exhaled in exasperation. There was something fundamentally wrong with Dorian’s common sense.

‘What a peculiar fellow….’
-What a useless bastard!

Wrath glared at Dorian and clenched his teeth. So much for being my number one subordinate—he’d been discarded in an instant.

-Apple meat pie, pineapple pizza, pineapple cookies. All three are gone? This can’t be! This can’t be reality!

Wrath’s voice carried an enormous wail of despair.

-What are we to do!
‘There’s nothing I can do about it. We don’t have the ingredients.’
-I don’t care about such things. You made a promise—keep it!
‘Just be quiet for a moment.’

I pushed aside the ear-splitting Wrath and looked at Yua.

“So what do we have available right now?”
“We have knight’s set meal, swordsman’s set meal, and Scout Unit set meal. We can also make basic soup.”
“Then I’ll have one Scout Unit set meal….
-Bread, stew, roasted meat, and scrambled eggs! Such a plain and boring meal! The very thing I despise most is a set meal!

Wrath shrieked in protest and puffed himself up like a pufferfish. Normally I wouldn’t care what he did, but stripped of his stats and traits as he was today, he’d become so small like a baby pufferfish that I felt oddly sorry for him.

‘There’s no way around this.’

Raon realized today was the day to deploy his hidden secret weapon.

‘How about this?’
-Shut your mouth! My refined palate isn’t satisfied so easily….
‘Lunan Slion gave me those pearl ice creams. There are still some left.’
-Huh?

Wrath’s sharp, icy spikes curled inward into a rounded shape.

‘You know, right? The ice cream Lunan Slion gave me when he left. There’s still some of it remaining.’
-P-pearl ice cream….

Focus returned to Wrath’s eyes, which had been consumed by madness.

‘If I remember correctly, there’s mint chocolate among them too….’
-Mint chocolate!

The moment I mentioned mint chocolate, cold air erupted from Wrath’s mouth like bamboo shoots. It was an automatic reflex.

-C-cough.

Wrath closed his mouth as if drool were dripping and cleared his throat, embarrassed.

-S-so….
‘Hmm?’
-You’ll let me have 2, right?

He held up two fingers in a calm voice, his anger completely dissipated.

What is a true gourmet, anyway?

I fell into deep contemplation.

*

*

*

Milend and his officers were organizing the situation following the wave in the Commander’s Office.

“Since Raon has awakened, wouldn’t it be fitting to hold a festival for a day?”
“I agree. We’ve been resting sporadically, so a full day of proper rest would do us good.”
“If we present Raon with a commendation that day, we can raise the soldiers’ morale to its peak. No matter what anyone says, Raon is the hero of Habun Castle right now.”

Raon’s name continued to spill from the officers’ lips, their voices soft with genuine admiration.

“A festival, hm? A day should be fine.”

Milend nodded. Once the wave ended, monsters would not attack for some time. With Raon awake, a day of celebration seemed well-deserved.

“Then Charles will oversee the festival arrangements, and regarding the commendation for Raon….”

As he was about to address the next matter, the Commander’s Office door burst open. It was Kizen, the captain of the 2nd Scout Unit who had been on patrol.

“C-Commander!”

Kizen gripped the door frame, his jaw trembling. It was the first time the most courageous of the scouts had shown such a reaction.

“What in the world have you seen….”
“A L-Lord! An Ice Troll Lord has appeared!”

At those ominous words, a heavy silence descended upon the Commander’s Office, extinguishing all traces of merriment.

—————
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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