The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 169

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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 169

Raon and Lunan Slion entered Balkan’s Smithy under his guidance. The interior was filled with heat radiating from the furnace, evidence of his continuous work.

“Sit over there.”

Balkan pointed to a small table and chair tucked in the corner of the Smithy.

“I’m honored. It’s been two years since an outsider last entered my father’s Smithy.”

Haren plopped down in the adjacent seat and crossed his arms.

“Don’t dirty anything, don’t make noise, just stay quiet and—ow!”

Balkan frowned and yanked Haren’s ear.

“Ow! Father! What are you doing!”
“You’re the loudest one here. We have guests—why are you sitting there? Go fetch some tea!”

With that, he drove his fist into Haren’s head.

“Argh! Use your words!”
“You wouldn’t listen to words anyway.”
“Ugh! I should just leave this household.”

Haren rubbed his throbbing head and disappeared deeper into the Smithy.

“If that ruffian was discourteous in any way, I apologize.”

Balkan exhaled a deep sigh and nodded.

“He wasn’t always such a reckless fool. He became like this after meeting a certain gambler.”
“A gambler?”
“Yes. That elf you know well.”
“Huh?”
“What?”

At the mention of an elf they knew well, Raon and Lunan Slion’s ears perked up simultaneously. With gambling thrown into the mix, there was only one person who came to mind.

“Our captain must have caused quite the incident….”
“Captain? So that fool has become a captain now.”
“Yes.”
“Sigh. The world truly is in decline.”
“What exactly did Captain Rimer do?”
“Rimer. That bastard….”

Balkan looked up at the empty air and clenched his teeth.

“He gambled with my foolish son and lost everything!”
“….”

Raon’s eyes went blank. He couldn’t understand what Balkan had just said. If Rimer had lost at gambling, why was he angry?

“Hm?”

Even Lunan Slion’s brow furrowed, a rare occurrence.

“I’m not sure what you mean….”
“That idiot beat Rimer in gambling and then thought he had a talent for it. He abandoned his hammer and wandered from gambling house to gambling house, squandering every last coin he had. He’s still out of his mind, living like a ruffian.”
“Ah!”

Now I understood what Balkan meant.

Haren had won everything against Rimer in gambling and mistakenly believed he had a talent for it, falling into the vice.

-In other words, he beat a complete fool at gambling and deluded himself into thinking he had talent.

Wrath let out a scoff.

‘In any case….’

Honestly, it wasn’t Rimer’s fault, but whenever he was involved, problems always seemed to arise. One might say he carried misfortune and calamity with him.

“If Rimer had lost just a few rounds, things wouldn’t have fallen apart like this. I don’t understand how he could have lost fifteen straight! And then he went around teaching Haren all sorts of bad habits!”

Balkan clenched his fists in frustration. Raon had nothing to say and simply bowed his head in silence.

“Sigh, yes. Well, that’s all in the past now.”

He exhaled a deep sigh and gazed intently at me.

“I heard about you from that gambling addict, but you’ve grown quite impressively.”
“Did the Commander speak about me?”
“That damned fool told me your story, then asked if I could lend him some money.”
“….”

The more I heard about Rimer’s exploits, the less I could hold my head up straight.

“I-I’m so sorry. How much did that man borrow?”

I immediately pulled out a pouch of gold coins, ready to repay it.

“Never mind. That amount doesn’t matter. But you’ve exceeded what I heard. Your accumulated sword energy has already surpassed half the Wall. In just five years, to reach this level—it’s truly remarkable.”

Balkan broke into a refreshing smile. When he spoke of Rimer, his expression had been fierce enough to kill, but when he spoke of me, his face lit up with warmth.

“And who is this swordmaster?”

Balkan’s gaze turned toward Lunan Slion.

“She’s my colleague. She came along because she wanted to have a sword forged.”
“I’m Lunan Slion.”

Lunan Slion rose immediately and bowed her head.

“Your sword energy is sharp—no, cold, befitting the Slion Family. Does Zigheart have nothing but talented individuals these days?”

Balkan read Lunan Slion’s aura and let out an exclamation of admiration.

“I’ll introduce you to the Village Chief of Mirtan right now. With him, you’ll be able to forge whatever sword you desire perfectly.”
“Thank you.”

Lunan Slion bowed her head once more.

“Then you’ll begin manufacturing right away?”
“I’d like to, but there’s one problem.”
“A problem, you say….”
“The geothermal energy around Mirtan Village has dropped significantly below normal levels. It usually returns to its original state within a week, but even after two weeks, the geothermal output remains low.”

Balkan frowned as he tapped the ground with his foot.

‘So that’s why.’

I’d heard that Mirtan Village was quite warm despite being in the north, but when I actually arrived, it was only slightly warmer than Zigheart.
I’d thought it strange, but it seemed the geothermal issue was to blame.

“If the geothermal energy is low, even using gold-grade fuel will make it difficult to achieve the desired temperature. It seems something has happened to Skelay Mountain.”
“If the geothermal energy doesn’t return by this week, we agreed to request support from Zigheart. Just call for it.”

Haren set down a teacup and kettle in the middle of the table with a thud and took a seat beside us.

“Shall I go check on it?”

I turned my head toward the door and spoke while gazing at Skelay Mountain.

“Hmm, then….”
“What? Don’t be ridiculous!”

Before Balkan could even open his mouth, Haren waved his hand dismissively.

“Maybe if it were this female swordmaster. But someone like you? You’d be dead the moment you got there. That place is crawling with monsters that feed on heat… Ugh!”
“Are your eyes just for decoration?”

Balkan sighed in exasperation and struck the back of Haren’s head.

“Could you go instead?”
“Lunan Slion and I together would be no different from having support sent from the Family.”

I nodded. Since Lunan Slion was also an Expert, clearing out the mountain’s monsters would be entirely feasible.

“Stop hitting me already! Who exactly is this kid?!”
“This boy is the future of Zigheart.”
“Huh? Eh?”

Haren rubbed his head and pushed back from his chair, rising abruptly.

“The future of Zigheart? Wait, then the promise the old man mentioned….”
“That’s right. You all mistakenly assumed you were meeting the lord, but the swordmaster I made a promise to is this brat here.”
“Huh? Ah, I don’t feel anything at all? Could this young punk really be Expert-rank or higher?”
“You would have sensed it easily enough if you hadn’t spent the last two years drowning in gambling.”

Balkan clicked his tongue with obvious disdain.

“Tch!”

Haren bit his lip hard, unable to find words to respond.

“Then I’ll head out right away. I can serve as a guide—”
“Ah, there’s something we need to do first.”

Balkan raised his hand, blocking me as I tried to stand.

“We need to identify the materials that suit you before we can work efficiently.”
“Materials?”
“Just as there are many types of swordsmanship, there are countless varieties of metal. Finding the ore that matches your aura and temperament is essential work. Haren! Bring the Goldstone!”
“I’m not a servant to be ordered around like this… Ugh!”

As Haren sipped his tea, one look at Balkan’s stern gaze sent him back inside, returning with a cracked golden stone bearing handprints in its center.

“This stone contains an iron called Goldvein within it. It’s the king of metals—capable of amplifying any aura in existence.”
“Goldvein….”

I’d heard of it before. Goldvein was the legendary-grade metal that couldn’t be purchased even with money—its value was determined by the asking price alone.

“This Goldstone, crafted from Goldvein, consumes aura and reveals which metal is most suitable for you. Would you like to try?”
“But won’t it shatter if I pour aura into it when there are cracks?”
“It absolutely won’t break, so don’t worry.”
“Understood.”

I was about to place my hand on the Goldstone when I glanced to my right. For the first time, Lunan Slion’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“Lunan Slion. Want to try first?”
“Sure.”

I pushed the gold crystal stone forward, and Lunan Slion immediately nodded.

“Place your hand in the concave section, then push your aura through the gap.”

Lunan Slion nodded and placed her hand on the center of the stone, channeling her aura into it.

Hummmmm!

A faint silver light seeped from the cracks in the gold crystal stone, and a chill began to emanate from its surface.

“Hmm.”

Balkan tapped the stone lightly and opened his eyes wide.

“The aura is remarkable too. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such pure cold energy.”

He scratched his chin, telling Lunan Slion she could remove her hand.

“The best would be cold blood. If that’s not available, then silver-form steel—something that accepts cold energy well….”
“I have cold blood.”

Lunan Slion pushed forward the box she had been holding tightly to her chest.

“Excellent!”

Balkan opened the box he received from Lunan Slion and let out an exclamation of admiration.

“This size and quality. Perfect. This is high-grade cold blood. An excellent sword will come from this.”

He touched the cold blood and nodded with satisfaction.

“Raon. Your turn.”
“Understood. However….”

I placed my hand on the gold crystal stone but paused, glancing at Haren. I sent him a look telling him to leave, but….

“What! Never seen a handsome guy before?”

He seemed to think I was challenging him to a staring contest and glared back even more intensely.

“Get out of here!”

Balkan hurled a wooden block from beside the table at Haren.

“Damn it! Really! What’s so secret about an aura!”
“You’re too loud. Just guard the door!”
“Cursed old geezer!”

Haren grumbled as he stepped outside and took his position at the door. He seemed to be the type who listened well once given an order.

“Despite how foolish he appears, he possesses genuine passion and talent for smithing. Once I forge your sword, I intend to beat some sense into that fool’s head.”
“He certainly seems talented.”

The fact that despite his antics, he’d sensed Lunan Slion’s sword aura was no ordinary feat. As Balkan’s son, Haren undoubtedly possessed considerable talent.

“Then begin.”
“Yes.”

I nodded and placed my hand on the golden stone. Since Balkan had likely already discerned that I possessed both fire and cold auras simultaneously, there was no need to conceal it from him.

Clang.

As I attempted to infuse the golden stone with both auras, I sensed multiple presences approaching from outside.

“The door really did open….”
“We’ve come searching for ten days straight, yet you wouldn’t show your face once. Is it true you opened the door for this mere boy?”
“This is nothing but an insult to us!”
“Are you mocking the Jetul Kingdom!”

Angry voices mixed with the clang of armor. These were the Jetul Kingdom knights I’d been hearing about since arriving here.

“Why are you all like this? Whether we receive guests or not is our master’s decision!”
“Silence! Did you think you could disrespect the Jetul Kingdom and simply walk away!”
“It’s not disrespect—we have a scheduled client! This is business interference. Please leave!”

Surprisingly, Haren didn’t flee. Instead, he stood at the door, blocking the knights’ path.

“Sigh, I avoided meeting them because it was troublesome, but now it’s come to this.”
“Cough!”

Balkan was about to leave with a sigh when Haren came flying inward with a scream.

“Damn it, those bastards….”

Haren tried to get up immediately but stumbled and fell again. He hadn’t taken a severe blow, but hits to his jaw and abdomen had thrown off his balance.

“Tch, I’ll step out for a moment.”
“I’ll go with you.”

I stepped outside the Smithy alongside Balkan, whose expression had darkened. Knights clad in armor bearing the emblem of three swords on their left chests regarded us with cold, menacing eyes. As expected, they were knights of the Jetuul Kingdom.

“Surely you don’t mean this brat?”

A blue-haired youth in his mid-twenties standing in the center ground his teeth. The aura of blade energy I sensed from him was considerable—a formidable warrior who had reached the upper-intermediate Expert tier.

“Master Balkan! This is too much! You won’t even show us your face, yet you’ve chosen this mere child?”
“It’s not a choice—it’s a promise. I gave this boy my word five years ago that I would forge him a sword.”
“Five years ago? He must have been nothing but a little kid back then!”

He widened his eyes in disbelief.

Tch.

I clicked my tongue watching the flushed knights.

‘They’ve grown quite well.’

I couldn’t entirely fault their feelings. If a legendary Continent craftsman who wouldn’t show his face even after ten visits suddenly opened his doors to a young swordsman, anyone would be irritated.

But that was something they should have swallowed. Coming here out of anger and throwing a tantrum didn’t just shame themselves—it tarnished the kingdom’s name as well.

Seeing them invoke the name of Jetuul while acting like this only made me think they were immature.

“What exactly did you see in this brat that made you decide to forge him a sword!”
“Stop mentioning that brat—you’re getting on my nerves.”

I stepped forward, lowering my brows.

“Get out of here, you brat! This isn’t a place for you!”
“The one who should leave is you.”
“What?”
“The owner said he’d take the order from his reserved guest, so why are you unrelated people making demands and throwing your weight around?”
“That is….”
“I don’t understand what you expect to gain by beating the owner’s son and still standing here.”
“Shut your mouth! Balkan’s sword is the pinnacle of art. A vermin like you has no right to possess it!”

The young man in the center ground his teeth and stepped forward.

“State your name!”
“Then you should introduce yourself first.”
“How insolent!”
“Do you know who this person is!”

The knights beside the young man bristled with aggressive intent, ready to charge at any moment.

“This is Zigheart territory, not Jetuul. If you want to boast about your stripes, go somewhere else.”
“Tch!”
“You bastard!”
“Stand down.”

The young man restrained the knights who were reaching for their swords and stepped forward himself.

“From the way you speak, you must be from Zigheart. I am Prince Tarkan of the Jetuul Kingdom. The Azure Hawk of Jetuul!”

Tarkan continued, lifting his chin with pride.

“Even for Zigheart standards, I find no value in you whatsoever!”
“Hmm.”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he regarded Tarkan.

‘So he was a prince.’

A prince in his mid-twenties who’d reached the upper-intermediate Expert realm—I could understand his arrogance driving him to charge forward.

Though I say I understand it, that doesn’t mean I’m going to let it slide.

‘Now that I think about it, Jetuul was famous for swift and precise swordplay.’

Just as the three swords etched upon the armor weren’t placed there for nothing, Jetuul had earned renown for fast and accurate bladework.

‘Why not extract some swordsmanship techniques.’

Since things had come to this, provoking that prince to learn the subtleties of Jetuul Kingdom swordplay didn’t seem like a bad idea at all.

-So he’s becoming a fool too….

Wrath trembled at his shoulders as he watched Raon’s faint smile.

“A prince? The way you act is so filthy I thought you were a thug. Does the Jetuul Kingdom really raise its successor like this?”

Raon smiled mockingly at the prince.

“S-shut up and tell me your name!”
“Raon Zigheart.”
“Raon? Never heard of you. So you’re from the Branch Family after all.”
“And?”
“Ha, a nobody from the Branch Family with no reputation whatsoever—how dare you receive a blade from Balkan the Craftsman!”

Since Zigheart was not a family that spread information to the outside world, they knew nothing about me.

The renown of Habun Castle spread not by my name but by the epithets of “young sword demon” and “fire wall,” so it was only natural they didn’t know who I was.

“Then test me directly.”
“What?”
“Test whether I have the qualifications or not with your own hands.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted!”

Tarkan drew his sword as if things were going well. A blade thinner and sharper than a typical longsword gleamed as it caught the sunlight.

“If I win, you withdraw from here at once.”
“Then if I win, you’ll kneel and apologize for your arrogance.”
“By all means. But that won’t happen!”
“Come on. I’ll give you the first move.”
“You bastard!”

As Raon flicked his finger, Tarkan glared and stomped the ground. A flash of lightning-like sword strike aimed at his chest. Despite his anger at not having honed his swordsmanship properly, his first attack was clean and precise.

Clang!

Raon spun the ring of fire to meet Tarkan’s incoming blade, watching it all the way through before flicking it aside.

“Hmph. So you do have some skill.”

Tarkan snorted and bent his knees slightly before unleashing a barrage of sword strikes. They were as fast as rain streaking across the earth, yet wrapped in an organic, flowing rhythm.

Clang! Clang! Clang-clang-clang!

Raon decomposed each of Tarkan’s swift sword strikes by using the six resonating rings of fire and his vision that had been trained to the extreme limit.

‘He’s mixed speed with precision. A rising swordsmanship that targets only vital points.’

Tarkan’s sword strikes weren’t merely fast. They possessed the precision to drive the blade into small vital points. Despite his volatile temperament, he had properly mastered the swordsmanship of a noble house.

“Let’s see how far you can go!”

Whether he had decided to display his true power or not, the momentum radiating from Tarkan surged dramatically, and the aura bursting from his blade scattered like rays of light.

Whoooosh!

Not only did the power increase, but the speed of his sword accelerated further. It was a swift strike that seemed to split the very air.

“Haa…”

Raon blocked Tarkan’s endless barrage of sword strikes by a hair’s breadth while refining the incantations of the swift sword technique he was creating. It was proving to be invaluable training, as he had never encountered swordplay that pursued speed to such an extreme degree.

“He’s so exhausted he can barely hold his sword!”
“Finish him!”
“End it!”

The knights of the Jetul Kingdom smiled as they cheered for the prince. Since Raon had examined and blocked Tarkan’s sword just before it touched his skin, it appeared from the side that he was overwhelming him.

But Tarkan, who fought directly, was having a taste of death.

“What the hell is this guy?!”

At first, I thought I could win easily since I barely felt any momentum from him, but everything changed the moment our blades clashed.

Each time our swords met, it felt like striking an iron wall—my palms burned with searing pain, and my wrists trembled as if they might shatter.

‘And on top of that….’

Initially, he seemed unable to properly track my blade, but now he was moving his sword faster than I was. It was probably just my imagination, but this man appeared to be evolving through this duel itself.

‘I need to end this quickly.’

Tarkan gritted his teeth and drew forth every last ounce of aura, wrapping it around his blade and arm. He concentrated the aura at the point of impact, then detonated it in a single explosive moment. It was Ilju-sal, the ultimate technique of Jorkin swordsmanship.

Shiiing!

A sword strike so blindingly fast that even his own eyes could barely follow it shot toward Raon’s chest.

‘There’s no way he can block this…what?’

Tarkan swallowed hard. Raon’s lips, which he’d expected to show panic, were curled into a thin smile.

“I was waiting for something like this.”

With that chilling voice, Raon’s hand rose like lightning.

Crash!

Tarkan’s blade, struck by Raon’s sword, shattered like glass and scattered into the air.

“Ah….”

Tarkan’s lips trembled. Raon’s blade had moved later, yet it had struck first—a speed of sword technique that only a Master could produce.

“You’ve learned well.”
“Learn, learned? What did I learn… Ugh!”

As Tarkan lowered his head with trembling jaw, Raon’s blade whipped across his face.

Crack!

Tarkan’s jaw and mouth took the simultaneous blow, and four corn-kernel-like teeth scattered as he collapsed.

“Whoa, Your Highness!”
“This is outrageous!”
“What in blazes are you doing?!”

The escort knights rushed forward to catch the prince and leveled their blades at me.

“Wasn’t that a fair duel? Why are you drawing your swords?”
“That is….”
“Ugh….”

The knights’ eyes wavered like a small sailboat caught in a wave. They still couldn’t accept that the prince had lost.

“If you have complaints, come find me at Zigheart. Of course, before that….”

I narrowed my eyes, pointing at the limp Tarkan.

“When he wakes up, tell him to come to me and apologize on his knees. You won’t forget that, will you?”
“Grr….”
“We’ll see about this….”

The knights bit their lips until they bled, then turned their backs.

‘We’ll see about this, they say….’

They might rely on the backing of the Jetuul Kingdom, but I have the enormous name of Zigheart behind me as well. If they lose their heads, they won’t even dare to come looking for me.

“You… did you learn that swift blade technique from that prince’s sword?”

Balkan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Rather than learned, I’d say I took some reference from it.”
“Ha, you’ve become a monster in the time I haven’t seen you.”

He shook his head in exasperation.

“He won’t be coming back here again.”

I sheathed my sword with a faint smile.

“Hmm, I appreciate your consideration, but you didn’t need to step forward like that.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“You drew all their attention so that neither I nor my foolish son would suffer harm.”
“Well….”

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. Balkan understood that I had deliberately repeated the name Zigheart and waved his hand, saying there was no need for such things.

“Before, you were like an emotionless doll, but it seems you’ve learned to be more human.”

Balkan chuckled softly and patted my back.

“Let’s go inside. I’m eager to see what suits you quickly.”

*

*

*

I re-entered the Smithy and placed my hand upon the gold ore. Channeling both Mana Craft and Glacial simultaneously, I pushed aura into the crevices of the stone.

Whirrrrrrr!

Like rice paper absorbing ink, red and blue aura seeped through the entire stone, radiating brilliant light.

“With this light and color, combined with the current steel and…huh?”

Balkan stepped closer to the gold ore, his eyes widening.

Between the red heat and blue chill, a new light sprouted like a seedling. The three forces spiraled together as if they had been one from the beginning, radiating an auspicious golden radiance.

Crackle-crack!

Spider-web cracks formed across the supposedly unbreakable gold ore, and the golden aura grew increasingly dense.

Boom!

Ultimately, the golden stone couldn’t withstand the force and shattered into fragments, releasing a tiny metal sphere that gleamed with radiant brilliance.

“Gasp!”

Balkan’s eyes widened as he beheld the sphere.

“The golden core revealing itself on its own!”

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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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