The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 17

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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 17

I finished washing up and gazed out the window, my eyes still damp, as sunlight streamed through the glass.

“Today’s the day.”

Six months had passed. This morning marked the selection day for trainees entering the 5th Training Ground.

Normally, I’d be running through the Training Ground at this hour, choking on dust, but thanks to the exam being today, I had some leisure time.

-Raon Zigheart.

As I dried my face with a towel and changed into fresh clothes, Wrath spoke to me.

“What is it?”
-Do you remember our wager?
“Of course.”

I nodded while pulling on my training clothes. How could I forget when he’d volunteered to be my stepping stone?

-I acknowledge your growth is swift for a human, but you haven’t caught up to those two. Are you prepared to accept my emotions?

Wrath wasn’t wrong. Despite three months of relentless training, I hadn’t surpassed Lunan or Buren.

But the exam was different. Whether I sparred with them or simply demonstrated the stamina I’d cultivated, it didn’t matter.

With my past-life experience and the Ring of Fire, I was confident I could win regardless of what the exam entailed.

“You won’t know until you measure it yourself.”
-Your bluster changes nothing. The day I claim your body and soul draws near.
‘Then tell me when it happens.’
-I await the moment your confidence shatters.
‘That won’t happen.’

I waved my hand dismissively.

‘Living with an enemy under the same roof isn’t easy.’

These days, Wrath’s incessant chatter during training irritated me far more than his outbursts of rage.
I couldn’t fathom why this so-called lord of the Demon Realm was so verbose.

‘Though I suppose there are advantages.’

Thanks to overcoming Wrath’s interference, I’d gained considerable stat increases. Despite the pain involved, he was like a goose that laid golden eggs.

【Status Window】
Name: Raon Zigheart.
Title: None.
Condition: Curse of Bitter Cold (Eight Strands), Poor Stamina, Reduced Athletic Ability, Reduced Mana Sensitivity.
Traits: Wrath, Ring of Fire (3-Star), Water Attribute Resistance (3-Star)

Strength: 25
Agility: 24
Stamina: 23
Vitality: 15
Perception: 44

It wasn’t just the numbers in the status window that had improved. My actual physical capabilities had grown tremendously, enabling movements incomparable to my former self.

-Hmph, this king’s status window…
….

While Wrath groaned in frustration,
I wore a satisfied smile as I headed toward the lobby.

-Faces destined to perish soon.
‘Indeed.’

Just as Wrath said, the children in the lobby bore the anxious expressions of soldiers being dragged to the battlefield.

‘It must be because of today’s test.’

Rimer had explained nothing about what the test would entail, its difficulty, or how many would pass.

He’d only said that those who did their best would pass, so it was natural for the children to worry like this.
Had I not been a reincarnator or lacked the Ring of Fire, I would be sitting here with the same gloomy expression as them.

-You wear the face of a defeated chicken before even stepping onto the battlefield. How pathetic.
‘They’re just kids.’

I glanced around at the children shrouded in gloom before stepping outside.

-Are you not a child yourself?
‘I’m different.’
-Hmph. Humans always believe they alone are special.
‘….’

I didn’t respond to Wrath’s provocation. There was no need to reveal the secret of my reincarnation.

Whoosh.

As I walked toward the 5th Training Ground attached beside the Dormitory, light footsteps echoed from behind.

-You never tire of following me, do you.
“Hmm….”

I narrowed my eyes and turned around. A girl with silver hair cascading over her shoulders and violet eyes was trailing after me.

“Lunan.”

It was Lunan Slion. She had gone from merely tagging along during self-directed training to now following me even from the Dormitory.

“Do you have something to say?”
“No.”

Lunan shook her head with a blank expression, her hands clasped behind her back as she awkwardly averted her gaze.

“Sigh.”

I exhaled and turned fully around. Lunan remained unchanged—she would silently follow, then mimic my training with that same vacant expression.

‘Why does she keep following me?’

In truth, Buren demonstrated greater ability than I did. He possessed flashy swordplay, superior physical prowess, and considerable leadership.

Yet Lunan showed no interest in him whatsoever, pursuing only me. It felt like watching a stray cat from the Alley that clings to you after you’ve fed it.

‘But I didn’t even feed it.’

I’d given it a pastry, but that belonged to Dorian. I couldn’t fathom why it followed me around like a duckling chasing its mother when I’d done nothing for it.

‘A peculiar creature.’

I shook my head and headed toward the Training Ground. When I arrived at the entrance, a green-haired man waved his hand.

“Y-Young Master….”

It was Dorian, who’d attached himself to my side after Lunan. He trembled violently, as though seized by chills.

“What’s wrong with you now? Are you hurt?”
“N-No, that’s not it. Today’s the exam, isn’t it? I was so worried I couldn’t sleep at all. Ugh….”

Dark circles shadowed the area beneath Dorian’s eyes as though charcoal had been smeared there. The very word exhaustion was etched beneath them.

“You should be more than capable.”

I looked Dorian up and down. He always trembled and cowered in fear, but his talent and perseverance ranked among the top ten. If he unleashed his full abilities, there was no way he’d fail.

“But I don’t even know what the exam is, and I’m incredibly weak! There’s nothing I can do! Blegh!”

Dorian gnawed at his nails, his eyes quivering. He even retched. It wasn’t theatrics—genuine terror painted his face.

-A coward among cowards. Crush that wretch’s skull at once.
‘You said you liked him before.’
-This King has no use for cowards.
“You’ll be fine.”

I stated it as fact rather than encouragement, then passed Dorian. Despite his timid nature, he’d persevered through training even while retching. He’d manage whatever exam awaited.

“R-Rimer is a man of his word. He said he’d select the worthy, so a pebble like me will fail immediately.”
“Then fail.”
“Ah! Raon!”

I waved without turning back. He was ultimately a stranger. There was no need to offer more counsel than necessary, and conversing with him threatened to spread his gloom to me.

“Hmm.”

As I reached for the Training Ground door, my eyes met those of Buren approaching from the side.

The moment he spotted me, Lunan, and Dorian, flames ignited in his gaze—the look of someone facing a mortal enemy.

“Sigh.”

I exhaled a heavy breath.

‘There’s not a single decent human being around me.’

In my previous life, there were plenty of lunatics too. This life seemed no different.

-Gouge out that bastard’s eyes.
‘Including you, apparently….’

*

*

*

“Raon!”
“Young Master Raon!”

Familiar voices called out from my right as I was warming up in the Training Ground.

“Mother? Helen?”

Sylvia, Helen, and the Annex Building’s handmaidens came rushing toward me.

“Raon!”

The moment Sylvia reached me, she wrapped me in an embrace as tender as a bird cradling its egg.

“Goodness! Your face is half-swollen—you must have suffered so much! Are you alright? Does anything hurt?”

Tears pooled in her narrow eyes, yet despite her words of concern, her muscles and flesh had only grown fuller, not diminished.

“No, Mother, I was just—”
“You must have struggled so much! You’ve worked so hard. *sniff*”

Even after six months had passed, Sylvia remained unchanged. She ignored my words and fretted only over my well-being.

-Even you become childish before your mother, it seems.
‘Shut it.’

Wrath chuckled, amused by the scene unfolding before him.

“Young Master. You must have endured much.”

Helen offered a gentle smile and bowed her head. The maidservants behind her laughed brightly, offering their own words of praise.

“I haven’t even passed the exam yet. What’s all this?”

I scratched my face awkwardly. Being praised for something so trivial made my cheeks itch with embarrassment.

“You’ve endured for six whole months, sir.”
“That’s truly remarkable!”
“Indeed. You’ve accomplished something extraordinary.”

Helen and the maidservants continued their praise without pause. It was only natural—they had likely expected me to return after failing immediately.

“How did you come to be here?”

I pushed Sylvia away as she rubbed her face against mine and turned to Helen.

“Today’s examination permitted guardians to observe. Not only we, but others have come as well.”

Following Helen’s gesture, I surveyed the surroundings. Just as she said, parents and children were reuniting throughout the Training Ground.

“But who is this child…?”

Sylvia’s eyes widened as she noticed Lunan Slion standing behind me. Lunan bowed respectfully to Sylvia.

‘She’s quite remarkable too.’

Lunan continued to follow me even before Sylvia and Helen, never ceasing her attendance. Her personality was more astonishing than her talent.

“Lunan!”

As Lunan and Sylvia locked eyes, a deep voice called out from the left. It belonged to a middle-aged man with cold-looking silver hair swept back.

‘Rokan Slion.’

He was the patriarch of the Vassal Family Slion and Lunan’s father, Rokan Slion.

-That blank-faced little one’s expression never changes, does it.

Just as Wrath said, Lunan’s eyes remained vacant even seeing her father Rokan for the first time in six months.

“Dad?”
“What are you doing here? Let’s go!”

Rokan Slion glared at me and Sylvia, then grasped Lunan’s hand and led her away elsewhere.

-…I’ve witnessed countless humans, but that one is truly peculiar.
‘Indeed.’

A hollow laugh escaped me as I watched Lunan’s gaze following me even as she was dragged away.

“So Lunan is the youngest of the Slion family? The one you took the diagnostic test with.”
“That’s right.”
“Looks like you’ve become friends?”

Sylvia broke into a bright smile, pressing her face closer as she asked how we’d grown so close.

“We’re not friends.”

I shook my head firmly.

“Not friends? Then what kind of relationship is it?”
“I’m not sure….”

Honestly, I don’t know what kind of relationship I have with Lunan. I’m not even sure what friendship means.

“Son. Be friendly with those who approach you. Don’t try to push them away forcefully.”

Sylvia pouted, pushing out her lower lip.

“I’ve never done that.”

Whether you approached or not, I simply didn’t care.

“Never mind that—bring him to the Annex Building later. Mother will prepare something delicious for him.”
“We’re not that close.”
“Ugh, I’m really dying—
…
Wait, are you Raon’s mother?”

Dorian, who had been retching moments before, suddenly widened his eyes and approached with renewed energy.

“That’s right. Who are you?”
“I’m D-Dorian, ma’am! I owe a great debt to you, young master! Please allow me to pay my respects!”

Dorian bowed so deeply his head nearly touched the ground.

“My goodness!”
“Oh, young master!”

Sylvia and Helen beamed with delight. They seemed genuinely pleased to learn that I had helped someone.

“I always wondered why young master Raon was so handsome—now I see you inherited it from your mother. You’re truly beautiful, ma’am!”

Dorian pulled a flower from his pocket and offered it to Sylvia. When he was terrified, he couldn’t utter a word, yet now his words flowed like a river and his actions matched perfectly. I couldn’t figure out what kind of person he was.

“Hehe, thank you.”

Sylvia accepted the flower with a laugh, her eyes crinkling into crescents—she was genuinely delighted.

“That’s enough. Leave.”
“Why are you like this?”

I tried to nudge Dorian away with light jabs, but Sylvia intervened.

“Dorian. Could you tell me how Raon is doing?”
“O-of course. Young Master Raon has risen from the lowest group to the highest group, rewriting the history of the 5th Training Ground. Those who witnessed it were deeply moved….”
“Sigh!”

Dorian seemed intent on relieving the tension of the test through idle chatter, his words flowing without pause. The test hadn’t even begun, yet I was already exhausted.

-This human speaks far too much.

Not as much as you.

“…So the other recommended candidates from the lower groups and I were able to rise to the upper-middle group thanks to Young Master Raon teaching us proper form. I-I’ll tell you about other things later! I’m in a hurry right now!”

Dorian bowed his head and rushed toward the restroom.

“Good heavens….”
“Young Master Raon!”

Helen and the attendants clasped their hands together with moved expressions. Had they listened a moment longer, tears would have flowed.

“It’s admirable that you help the other children, but are you alright? You still feel the cold quite a bit. Is your Dormitory warm enough? Are you in any pain?”

Yet concern shone more brightly in Sylvia’s eyes than admiration. She was truly a woman governed by her emotions.

“I’m healthy.”

I chuckled and patted my chest firmly. Still, the worried gleam in Sylvia’s eyes did not fade.

“I’ll say it again—if things become difficult, you can stop anytime. Don’t worry about others; follow your own heart. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”

I nodded vigorously, and the worry that had marked Sylvia’s face eased somewhat. She remained unchanged—still a mother concerned only for her son’s wellbeing.

“But Helen.”

A hint of mischief sparkled in Sylvia’s eyes as she tilted her head slightly.

“Yes, Sylvia.”
“It’s Raon. Don’t you think he’s gotten even cuter since we last saw him?”
“Of course. Whose son is he, after all.”
“That’s right! Raon! Mother just wants to hold you one more time….”
“Ugh! W-wait just a moment!”

As I attempted to retreat from the approaching Sylvia, a tremendous surge of aura erupted from the entrance of the Training Ground.

‘This presence….’

I clenched my teeth and fixed my gaze upon the main gate of the Training Ground. A terrifying aura emanated from beyond the brown door.

Boom!

The Training Ground’s door swung wide open, and a man who seemed destined never to appear materialized before us.

“W-we greet the family head!”
“We greet the family head!”

It was Glen Zigheart. Everyone who laid eyes upon the master of the Zigheart family dropped to their knees.

‘Why is he here of all places.’
“Father?”
“Mm.”

Sylvia and Helen likewise knelt and bowed their heads.

-So that aura I sensed from afar belonged to this man. To think such a being still exists in this age….

For the first time since awakening, Wrath uttered a gasp of admiration. The martial prowess of this man called Glen Zigheart appeared to astound even him.

-His power transcends all measure. He has surpassed the extremes and shed his mortal coil. Time may be far shorter than we thought.
‘Time? What are you talking about?’
-….

Wrath offered no response, merely regarding Glen with an unblinking stare.

“Mm.”

I turned my gaze back to Glen, who surveyed the children and their parents carefully before ascending the platform and settling into the chair where Rimer had been sitting.

“What?”

Rimer, who had been climbing over the Training Ground’s wall, froze mid-stride, his mouth falling open at the sight.

“Lord Zigheart, why are you here…?”

Glen fixed Rimer with a displeased stare.

“This is an event to select the family’s future. Is there somewhere I shouldn’t be?”
“Not at all, sir. Your presence is most welcome.”

Rimer laughed awkwardly and vaulted over the wall. He bowed to Glen and hurried up onto the platform.

“I had hoped to proceed at a leisurely pace, but with you here, Lord Zigheart, there’s no time for such luxuries. Let us begin the trainee selection examination at once.”

He scratched the back of his head and instructed the parents to step back. They offered their children words of encouragement before retreating to a distance.

“Raon.”

At Sylvia’s call, I turned around.

“Don’t get hurt.”
“Young master, don’t overexert yourself.”

Sylvia and Helen withdrew, their parting words not wishes for excellence but concerns for my safety.

-Pathetically weak. They’re nothing like you.

I nodded. They didn’t seek displays of brilliance—only my wellbeing.

‘Still can’t adjust to this.’

I remained unaccustomed to their manner, so different from the breeders of my past life, who cared only for results.

As I watched them recede, I turned my head. Rimer was grinning at me.

“Now then, everyone from the Zigheart family, young and old alike—I shall reveal the contents of the trainee selection examination you’ve all been curious about.”

Rimer dusted off his hands while standing on the platform. His usual light demeanor belied the small aura that bloomed from within him, unfurling vast wings of presence.

Whoosh!

Though not quite matching Glen Zigheart’s intensity, the formidable aura that enveloped the entire Training Ground made parents furrow their brows and children shrink back.

Thud!

Rimer walked toward the center of the Training Ground with brisk yet majestic strides.

“Pierce through my aura.”

He looked down at the children before him, his gaze sharp and cold.

“That is my test.”

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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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