The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 145

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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 145

“Ugh….”

Terian let out a low groan as he pushed himself up.

“Am I dead?”

He remembered losing consciousness, crushed beneath the overwhelming aura of the monster approaching the castle. Since even his father couldn’t stop it, death seemed like the only logical conclusion.

“Well, it doesn’t seem like the afterlife yet.”

Beto, captain of the Ulves mercenaries, pointed at the sky with trembling hands. It should have been dawn by now, but darkness still hung thick and heavy overhead.

“Then how did we survive?”
“I have no idea. There didn’t seem to be anyone who could stop that monster….”
“L-look!”
“Young master!”

Edquil, the Sulgyek Commander, and Dorian suddenly opened their eyes and shot to their feet, staring up at the castle wall.

“What are you two—oh!”

Terian’s eyes widened as he followed their gaze.

Beneath the sky steeped in darkness, a lone swordsman stood. He held no blade, yet he appeared more formidable than any warrior in the world.

A resonant roar echoed across the heavens.

The curtain of darkness that had painted the sky receded like a retreating tide, and the golden sun—trembling with fear—emerged once more into the world.

The way that auspicious light spread outward from Raon was nothing short of miraculous.

“R-Raon….”
“Lord Raon!”
“How is this possible….”

One by one, the awakening soldiers trembled as they watched Raon’s back. They were awestruck by the fact that he alone had held the Castle Wall while everyone else lay unconscious.

Raon slowly turned his head. His face bore a faint smile, yet it was filled with exhaustion and pain. His sunken eyes surveyed the area below, as if confirming their safety.

“Everyone is safe.”

His voice emerged parched, like sand from a desert.

“I kept my promise.”

Raon smiled brightly without a trace of strain.

“Hey, a promise?”
“What promise are you talking about?”
“Suddenly…”
“Ah!”

Dorian clapped his hands, his lips trembling.

“Earlier, you told us warriors to survive! You said everyone should live! You kept that promise!”
“Ah, that….”
“So that wasn’t just a command to survive—you meant you’d make sure we survived?”
“R-Raon….”
“Raon!”

The soldiers bit their lips hard as they looked at Raon’s gentle smile. Otherwise, they would have wept.

“That monster won’t come anymore, so there’s no need to worry… oh.”

Raon raised his hand to gesture, then suddenly stopped. His eyes closed, and he fell backward. The soldiers at the base of the wall tried to rush forward, but the distance was too great.

“Raon!”
“It’s dangerous!”

Just as Raon’s head was about to strike the stone wall, a thick arm rose and caught him.

“Hah…”

It was Milend. The man who had been unconscious stirred awake and pulled the falling Raon toward him.

“Commander!”

Milend nodded reassuringly and supported me with his shoulder.

“The battle is over.”

He walked with labored steps to the edge of the castle wall.

“Give applause and cheers to our hero!”

Milend’s roaring voice struck the hearts of people still reeling in confusion.

“Uwaaaaaa!”
“Raon! Raon! Raon!”
“The hero of Habun Castle!”

My name and the cheers echoed endlessly across the sky of Habun Castle, though I could not hear them.

*

*

*

Two days had passed since the calamity known as Sloth departed.
I still had not awakened, and Milend, Terian, and the other executives gathered in the conference room after taking a brief rest.

“Is everyone in good health?”

Milend, seated at the center of the round table, swept his gaze across the executives. Though he inquired after their well-being, his own condition appeared most severe, with dark shadows etched beneath his eyes.

“I feel much better after resting a bit.”

Vice Commander Terian nodded first.

“I’m fine as well.”
“My head is still a bit foggy. Perhaps it’s from nearly dying and coming back.”

Sulgyek Commander Edquil bowed his head slightly, and Beto rubbed his temples.

Even the long-standing knight commander and the leaders of the swordsmen squads shook their heads with pale faces, still reeling from the psychological shock.

“I lost consciousness early, so the aftereffects weren’t too severe.”
“I also seem to have simply slept and woken up. My body feels terrible, but…”

In contrast, the scout unit commanders who had lost consciousness first looked relatively composed.

“But what in the world was that thing?”

Radin, commander of the 3rd Scout Squad, was the first to voice what no one else dared to speak.

“With three horns and demonic energy potent enough to distort space itself, it’s obvious. A demon.”

Milend clenched his fists and continued.

“A high-ranking supreme demon at that. I’ve encountered demons a few times in my youth, but never one like that. It was on an entirely different level.”
“It truly wasn’t even a match for us….”
“A supreme demon? Isn’t that almost Demon King-class?”

The officers trembled as they recalled Sloth’s overwhelming aura from two days prior.

“It could have been a Demon King.”
“Pardon?”
“Is that… truly so?”

When the word “Demon King” left Milend’s lips, the officers swallowed hard.

“I, the Master, couldn’t even endure it. To face that creature, we would need the leaders of the Six Emperors and Oma.”

He frowned, recalling Sloth approaching with darkness in tow.

“Then what exactly is Raon to have turned back such a Demon King-class monster?”

Edquil’s quiet voice cut through the silence of the conference hall.

“Everyone here must have been prepared for death. Or rather, to be honest, when the commander fell, death was certain. Yet not a single one of us died.”

Edquil continued, his gaze sweeping across Milend and the officers.

“You all know it. Raon saved us.”

All the officers nodded in agreement.

“But this raises a question. How did Raon save us against a monster that even the Commander couldn’t withstand? What method did he use to drive that creature back?”
“That’s true….”
“I’m amazed I’m even alive, to be honest.”
“What exactly did he do?”

The officers shared the same bewilderment, their expressions troubled.

“Are you doubting Raon?”
“No, sir.”

Terian frowned at Edquil. But Edquil simply shook his head without much reaction.

“I suspect Raon sacrificed something precious to himself.”
“Sacrificed?”
“Raon couldn’t have defeated that demon through pure strength. That leaves only a contract or a deal. In my opinion, Raon wagered his own soul and body to save the people of the castle.”

Edquil bit his lip. Blood dripped slowly from his parched lips.

“From what I’ve seen of Raon, he’s that kind of man. He wants to save others, even at the cost of sacrificing himself.”
“Sigh….”
“That boy does have that side to him.”
“Raon….”

Terian and the officers exhaled deeply, as if acknowledging the truth in Edquil’s words.

“When he was unconscious, I heard the word ‘deal’ come from Raon’s mouth.”

Milend leaned forward and closed his eyes.

“A deal….”
“Is that really true, sir?”
“Yes. I’m not sure about other words, but I definitely heard the word ‘deal.'”
“As I thought….”
“This is…!”

Edquil’s brow furrowed, and Terian shielded his eyes with his hand.

“Contracts between demons and humans typically involve power. The demon grants strength to the human and receives their soul in return. But the deal Raon made this time is painfully obvious.”

Milend’s hand trembled on the table as he spoke with evident frustration.

“He sacrificed his own soul to save all of our lives.”
“That would be the case.”
“Damn it….”

Everyone understood, and they all ground their teeth and bowed their heads in despair.

“Commander.”

Edquil exhaled slowly as he addressed Milend.

“Who exactly is Raon? I believe it’s time you told us.”
“You’re right. Keeping it hidden won’t work anymore.”

Milend nodded slowly.

“Raon Zigheart. That’s his name.”
“So he was from Zigheart.”
“As expected….”
“Well, it had to be something like that.”

The officers were surprisingly unsurprised. Given the extraordinary feats he’d displayed, they seemed to have anticipated something along these lines.

“Did you know?”
“There are only two places where a sixteen-year-old child could possess such power and mental fortitude—the Six Emperors and Oma. Since Raon’s nature leans more toward spirit than demon, I had assumed he was from the Six Emperors.”
“Now that you know he’s from Zigheart, will you abandon thoughts of revenge?”
“I never entertained revenge in the first place. Rather, I wish to follow him.”

Edquil shook his head calmly.

“Follow him?”
“Raon?”
“But he beat you senseless!”

I narrowed my eyes, wondering what on earth the officers were thinking.

“I got beaten soundly. Thanks to that, I came to my senses. If it weren’t for him, I would have spent my whole life as a pathetic weakling, bullying those weaker than me.”

Edquil rose to his feet, his eyes now clear and bright. He stood before the Scout Unit leaders and bowed at a right angle.

“I was filled with nothing but stubbornness and forgot what it meant to be a comrade. I acted foolishly. I’m truly sorry.”
“Huh?”
“Why, why are you doing this! You already apologized!”
“That’s right. You’ve said sorry countless times already, so why again…?”
“I thought I should apologize properly in front of everyone like this.”

He kept his head bowed to the Scout Unit members who were waving him off, then straightened up.

“Whether it’s because of today or not, I’ve decided to follow Raon. Even if he refuses to accept me, I will pursue his path. Commander, please expel me from the Castle.”

Edquil knelt before Milend and bowed his head.

“You’re in a hurry.”

Milend let out a scoff and raised his chin.

“Sir?”
“You’re not the only one who owes that boy his life.”

All the officers present nodded at those words.

“Raon has saved the lives of everyone in this Castle multiple times. It’s only right that we repay what he has lost.”

Milend smiled softly and helped Edquil to his feet.

“I will support his path as well.”

*

*

*

Hmm….

I opened my eyes slowly.

‘What’s this?’

I had thought my body was ruined from the aura clash with Sloth, but my limbs felt light as if I’d just woken from a deep sleep.

“That’s strange….”

Tilting my head at the unexpected condition of my body, I sat up. Not just my physique and mind—my senses seemed sharper too.

-Strange? You think it’s strange?

Just as I was attributing it to my increased stats, Wrath erupted from the ice-flower bracelet like a pillar of flame.

-Your head is what’s strangest, you filthy fraud!

Wrath’s eyes were bloodshot. He was genuinely furious.

‘Thanks, really. I survived because of you.’
-What gratitude are you spouting!
‘You were always rambling on about the Demon Realm. I heard it in one ear and let it out the other, but it stuck with me anyway, making it easy to use that information. Without you, I’d really be dead. You’re truly a generous tree, Wrath.’
-You, you….
‘And you got so confident thinking you’d won that you just dumped all that information about Sloth on me. I wouldn’t have made it without you. You really are the most giving.’

I laughed cheerfully and waved my hand.

-Kiiieeeek!

Wrath rolled his eyes while emanating waves of cold.

-I’ll kill you. One way or another, I’ll drive a spear of frost into your soul!
‘We can do that later.’

I waved my hand at Wrath, who was about to charge at me.

‘Let me check the messages first. It seems I’ve obtained something quite valuable.’
-You devilish bastard! You’re the first one since the dawn of creation to swindle two Demon Kings!
‘Are there no con artists in the Demon Realm?’
-If there were another like you, the world would have already been destroyed!
‘Is that so?’

I chuckled softly and pulled up the messages I had skimmed past.

[You have clashed with a transcendent being.]
[Your soul’s grade has risen significantly.]
[All stats increase by 4 points.]

My soul’s grade had risen and all my stats had increased simply from standing firm against Sloth. Once again, I felt the overwhelming power of Sloth sink into my very bones.

-You’re telling me your soul’s grade rose from just enduring for a few minutes?!
‘Hmm….’

I narrowed my eyes as I watched Wrath shrieking in indignation.

‘That means he’s on par with Sloth, or perhaps even stronger.’

It was still hard to believe that this fool who constantly complained and chased after food was a powerhouse equal to or surpassing Sloth.

[Mana Circulation’s grade has risen.]
[Mana Circulation has advanced to 4-star.]

Mana Circulation, which had remained at 3-star, had now advanced to 4-star. All the effort I had poured into cultivating it to near death’s door to withstand Sloth had paid off.

I could feel the sphere of heat accumulated in my dantian was now larger and more refined than before.

‘Then perhaps….’

I examined the next message.

[Glacial Cold merges with Glacial.]
[Glacial’s grade rises to 4-star.]

As expected.
Glacial, which I had been using in conjunction with Mana Circulation, had merged with Glacial Cold and reached the 4-star realm. The sphere of cold energy positioned beside Mana Circulation’s aura now emanated an even purer force.

The Ring of Fire didn’t expand, but my achievement surged tremendously. It seemed another ring would be added soon.

‘As expected, to grow stronger quickly, I need to fight powerful opponents.’

Simply clashing with all my strength against a powerful foe had shattered the barrier blocking my martial mastery in an instant. The saying that real combat was the greatest training proved true once again.

-Hnngh!

A sound like held breath escaped from Wrath. It seemed he was forcibly suppressing his boiling rage.

[The trait 【Sloth】 has been created.]
[When resting, minor stat increases occur, and health and aura recovery speed increase significantly.]

When I saw the third message, both Raon and Wrath’s eyes widened.

-This, this is insane!
“My stats increase just by sleeping?”

Thinking I’d misread it, I checked the message again. But it was the same. It clearly stated that my stats would rise simply from sleeping.

“Wow….”

My mind went blank. It said minor increases, so they’d probably rise in decimal increments, but that was still something. From now on, every hour of the day was equivalent to training.

-Sloth! You bastard! I should have killed you back then! Ahhhhh!

Wrath shrieked, lamenting that he hadn’t managed to kill Sloth.

“No wonder my body felt so light.”

Thanks to Sloth’s health and aura recovery abilities, my body seemed completely restored. It was an ability that proved useful in many ways.

But the messages still weren’t finished.

[You have overcome the severe interference of 【Wrath】.]
[Water attribute resistance increases.]
[Health stat increases by 2 points.]
[Perception stat increases by 2 points.]
[Agility stat increases by 1 point.]

“I was wondering where this was.”

I would have been disappointed if this message hadn’t appeared.

-Ugh, my abilities have been drained again….

Wrath draped himself limply over the corner of the bed like wet laundry hanging from a clothesline. He looked like the very embodiment of a loser.

“So why did you interfere?”
-Shut your mouth. How could I tolerate you swindling people using my name!

He ground his teeth and lifted his head.

-Deceiving two Demon Kings! Even the hypocrites of the Heavenly Realm aren’t as shameless as you!
‘Is that a compliment?’
-You’ve been selling that wretched name at every turn, and now me too! Your wickedness has truly crossed all bounds!

Wrath raised his fist, speaking like a hero despite being a Demon King.

-I will stop your misdeeds by any means necessary!
‘Whether you stop me or not doesn’t matter, but before that.’

I smiled faintly and snapped my four gathered fingers.

‘Hand over the bet winnings now.’
-B-bet winnings?
‘The wager about whether I’d leave this castle or not.’
-Ah….

As the memory returned, Wrath’s eyes went blank.

“The one you were counting on was Sloth, right? He’s probably sleeping while hugging the Goblin King’s magic stone, so he won’t be coming here anymore. Let’s end the bet now.”
-W-wait a moment!

Wrath waved his hand and hastily retreated backward.

-Raon?

His voice became soft, as if wrapped in silk.

“Remember when I saved the Restaurant Manager? You went outside, but I graciously overlooked it, didn’t I?”
“I remember, but you’re not seriously asking me to owe you for that, are you? The King of the Demon Realm wouldn’t be that petty.”

I narrowed my eyes and shook my head.

“Right, exactly. Would the Lord of Wrath—who loves his subordinates, shows generosity, and possesses noble pride—say something like that?”
-Grrr….

Wrath’s hands trembled as he tried to speak. It seemed his words had caught in his throat and retreated back down.

“What? Go ahead and say it.”

I smiled faintly and nodded for him to continue.

-Grraaah! You greedy bastard! May you eat until your belly bursts!

Wrath’s eyes glistened as if tears might spill at any moment.

[You have achieved victory in your wager with Wrath.]

Today, the message window shimmered with particular beauty.

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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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