The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 173

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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 173

I followed Balkan into the Smithy. Three boxes sat atop a table cluttered with miscellaneous items.

“Are these the boxes you prepared?”

“That’s right.”

Balkan opened the first box with a faint smile. Inside lay the Golden Crystal that had emerged from the Golden Crystal Stone.

“You’ve already seen the second one.”

The second box contained the Golden Coal I had crafted at the Charcoal Kiln on Bekmang Mountain years ago. Despite five years having passed, it bore not a single scratch.

“And finally…”

Balkan smacked his lips slightly before opening the third box. Inside lay a Golden Crystal slightly larger than the one in the first box.

“…You obtained it.”

My mouth fell open as I gazed upon the third Golden Crystal.

‘I never thought he would manage to acquire it.’

Since Golden Crystal was the most precious metal, I had assumed it wouldn’t be found in Mirtan Village, and even if it were, no one would part with it.

I had worried whether I would need to search elsewhere, but Balkan had procured the Golden Crystal in this short span of time. He was truly worthy of the title of master blacksmith of the Continent.

“Huh?”

Haren tilted his head sharply as he gazed upon the Golden Crystal Stone in the third box.

“This was in the village?”

He muttered that it was strange, tapping the Golden Crystal Stone lightly.

“If there was a Golden Crystal Stone of this size, there’s no way I wouldn’t know about it. Elder, are you sure you really found this here?”

“W-well, yes.”

Balkan nodded his head with a slightly awkward expression.

“Hmm? This is really strange. Why do you have that look on your face? Where did you get this from….”

“Quiet!”

He furrowed his brow and struck Haren on the head.

“Ow! Why are you hitting me again!”

Haren clutched his head and stumbled backward with a cry.

“At this rate, I’ll really become a blockhead!”

“You were already a blockhead to begin with!”

Balkan kicked Haren away and waved his hand dismissively.

“Where did you obtain the Golden Crystal Stone?”

I asked, gazing at the Golden Crystal Stone in the third box. Since this would be my first sword, I didn’t want to create any problems.

“I didn’t steal it or take it by force. Don’t worry.”

“I know you’re not that kind of person, Master. I simply thought I should express my gratitude to whoever gave it to you.”

“It’s an anonymous patron. They didn’t want to reveal their identity.”

“An anonymous patron?”

“After hearing about your circumstances and identity, they wanted to support you.”

“What if they make some strange request later?”

“That’s not the kind of person they are. I stake my name on it. No problems will arise from you accepting this Golden Crystal Stone.”

Balkan waved his hand as if to say he wouldn’t answer further questions. Though cold sweat beaded on his forehead, his expression remained confident. It didn’t seem like he was lying.

“I understand then.”

I nodded. A master craftsman of Balkan’s caliber wouldn’t engage in anything suspicious. Though he seemed to harbor secrets, I decided to trust him for now.

“And…”

Balkan opened the large box below. The Bloodchill that Lunan had brought was divided into two pieces.

“Lunan.”

He handed over one of the larger pieces of Cold Blood and a single Gold Bullet from the table to Lunan.

“Take these and head straight down to the Village Chief’s Smithy. I’ve already sent word ahead, so he’ll be waiting for you.”

Balkan pointed to a diamond-shaped smithy located directly below the hill.

“The geothermal energy will take about two days to return, so go ahead and establish the size and shape of the sword you want.”

“Understood.”

Lunan gathered the Cold Blood and Gold Bullet before standing. Before leaving, he glanced at me and gave a nod—a gesture of encouragement.

“Come back safely.”

“Will do.”

I waved with a smile, and Lunan, seeming delighted, bounded down the hillside with a spring in his step.

“Now it’s your turn.”

Balkan covered the boxes and looked at me.

“Before, you said you wanted to become a swordsman who never breaks. Is that desire still valid?”

“Of course it is.”

I nodded, my resolve unwavering. That goal had not only remained unchanged but had become even more steadfast. To accomplish what I desired, I could not be broken by anyone.

“I appreciate your consistency,” Balkan said with a faint smile, placing a piece of crimson metal on the table.

Balkan chuckled softly as he set the red iron on the table.

“This is Flame Iron. It will become half of your blade. It falls slightly short compared to Glacial Blood, but with the addition of new materials, it should suffice.”

“New materials, you say…?”

“That turtle you brought with you.”

He pointed toward the corpse of the Red Dragon Turtle, visible even from within the smithy.

“If we use that, the Flame Iron will become a material that won’t lose to Glacial Blood. Glacial Blood, Flame Iron, and Golden Binding to anchor the center—a truly worthy blade will be born.”

Balkan clenched his fist and smiled.

“Now, tell me what form you desire.”

“I would prefer something similar to this.”

I drew out the blade I had brought and presented it. Neither thick nor thin, it was slightly longer than a standard sword by about a finger’s width. Since I would need to learn and master countless sword techniques in the future, my blade had to take the form of a universal sword capable of channeling all sword art attributes.

“A universal sword. Indeed, it suits you well.”

Balkan narrowed his eyes and nodded.

“Understood. Then come back at dawn two days from now. We’ll begin the work once the heat returns.”

“I’ll see you in two days, then.”

I bowed to Balkan and stepped outside. Concerned about Lunan, I made my way directly to the Village Chief’s Smithy.

“Father.”

Haren watched my back before turning to re-enter the smithy.

“What is it? Why are you calling me in such a repulsive manner?”

Balkan waved his hand as though something filthy had touched him. It had been an eternity since that boy had called him father.

“I have a request.”

Haren dropped to his knees.

“A request?”

“Let me help forge that sword.”

“Have you lost your mind?”

“I think I have too. But if I miss this chance, it’s truly the end for me!”

“You spend all day drowning yourself in drink and gambling, and now you want to participate in the work?”

“Please, I’m begging you! Even menial tasks are fine. I don’t need to touch the blade! Just let me be inside that smithy!”

He drove his head into the ground hard enough to draw blood.

“What have you seen in Raon that brings you here?”

“A vessel.”

As Haren lifted his head, the murky haze that had clouded his eyes began to clear.

“I witnessed a vessel of unprecedented magnitude. One that has never existed before.”

“Hmm…”

“That vessel grows thicker and stronger, and I want to lend my strength to it! Please, help me!”

“Hah.”

Balkan met Haren’s earnest gaze and exhaled a shallow breath.

“Two days from now, at dawn. By then, rid yourself of the stench of alcohol clinging to your body and sharpen your scattered mind. And if Raon refuses you, I will cast you out immediately.”

“Understood! Thank you!”

Haren bowed deeply and bolted from the room.

“Well, I’ll be.”

Balkan chuckled softly as he watched Haren run—something he hadn’t done in two years.

“I had hoped he would regain his senses, but I never expected this.”

He smacked his lips as he gazed at the Village Chief’s Smithy, now bathed in brilliant light.

“So I’ve incurred a debt to Raon….”

*

*

*

At the entrance of the Casino in Southern Zigheart.

Hum, hum, hum.

Rimer emerged while humming a cheerful tune. The timidity that had weighed heavily on his shoulders just this morning had vanished entirely, replaced by the swagger of a triumphant general.

“Mm-hmm.”

Rimer grinned wickedly as he gazed at the pouch of gold coins in his hand.

“I’m not sure if this is a good thing or not.”

Without that old man who always took his money, he had managed to win handsomely from the other players for the first time in ages. With this haul, he could live comfortably for quite some time.

“First, I’ll pay back the debt… no wait! I’ll win more tomorrow, multiply it, and then repay it.”

He clenched his fist as he muttered the delusional nonsense that every gambler spouts.

“Tomorrow, I’ll match today’s luck….”

“Hey, gambler.”

As Rimer turned toward the tavern, a sharp voice cut through the air behind him.

“That voice—blunt as a ladle, yet carrying a hint of warmth….”

I turned around to find the Heavenly Sword Master standing with her arms crossed.

“Our Heavenly Sword Master!”

“I haven’t a shred of affection for you, so spare me the flattery.”

The Heavenly Sword Master frowned and shook her head.

“Wow! It’s been forever!”

“Hmph.”

Rimer waved his hand cheerfully, while the Heavenly Sword Master snorted in response.

“I won big today. How about a drink? My treat.”

He brought a finger to his lips and gestured toward the tavern.

“Let’s talk first.”

“Talk works for me. Tell me about the mission.”

“Follow me.”

The Heavenly Sword Master flicked her fingers, moving toward the outskirts of the Bustling District.

“There’s nothing here. We could’ve just talked about this at the tavern.”

“Shut up and come.”

“Why is our adorable Heavenly Sword Master being so sharp-tongued today?”

“Would you finally shut your mouth if I severed your head from your shoulders?”

“Ugh.”

Rimer touched his neck and swallowed hard.

“How much farther! I need to get to bed early if I’m going to work hard tomorrow!”

“We’re here. This is it.”

The Heavenly Sword Master stopped in the empty Training Courtyard behind the Bustling District.

“What kind of conversation could we have here… Ugh.”

Rimer’s lips trembled. A predator’s aura washed over him. Every fiber of his being screamed a warning. Run. Now.

“Wait… surely not…?”

He turned his head to the side. A man who shouldn’t be here. A man who fit least of all in this place—he stood with his back against the wall.

“M-Master of the House!”

Glen Zigheart gazed down at me with a chilling intensity in his eyes.

“You ignored my warning.”

“No, that’s….”

“So I’ve come to have a ‘conversation.'”

“That doesn’t look like the gaze of someone wanting to talk….”

Glen’s frigid stare pressed down upon me like he might devour my very flesh.

“Conversation isn’t limited to mere words, is it? There is also the language of the body.”

Glen slowly raised his hand.

A low rumble echoed across the sky.

Dark clouds materialized across the clear night sky in a display of otherworldly power.

“Wait, just a moment.”

Rimer raised his hand with unhurried composure.

‘I knew this would happen.’

From the moment I borrowed money from Roen, I had anticipated this situation. And naturally, I had already prepared countermeasures for it.

‘I’m not a fool, after all.’

I had no intention of stupidly taking that lightning strike head-on. If I used the method I had prepared, I could escape this place unscathed.

“Please hear me out, sir.”

Rimer spoke words of calm and slowly lowered his hand.

“I’m sure you’re curious about what Raon is doing right now.”

Glen Zigheart was truly a fool for his grandson. If I brought up Raon’s name, he would have no choice but to stop. It was the only way to hold back the Northern Destruction King’s House.

“If you want to hear what that boy is doing, first clear away the clouds… huh?”

Rimer’s mouth fell open. The dark clouds in the sky, which should have disappeared or thinned, grew even denser instead, beginning to emit crimson lightning.

‘This… this isn’t supposed to happen?’

This wasn’t it at all!

“M-Master! I’m talking about Raon! Where he went, what he’s trying to do—I’ll tell you everything! You love Raon!”

I cried out desperately, but Glen Zigheart’s eyes grew only colder, and the clouds laden with lightning showed no sign of dispersing. Instead, they conjured a terrifying bolt of lightning.

‘What… what in the world is happening?!’

I never imagined that foolish grandson would react like this. Now, escape was the only option left.

“Damn it!”

Rimer attempted to retreat using the footwork of extreme polarity, but the Heavenly Sword Master, who had moved in an instant, blocked his path.

“Hey! If that hits you, you’re really dead!

“Farewell, gambler.”

As the Heavenly Sword Master offered a gentle, knowing smile, the sky itself turned crimson.

Crack-boom!

Rimer watched the torrential lightning descend and dropped the pouch of gold coins from his hand.

“Strange… my luck seemed so good today…”

*

*

*

Two days later, at dawn.

After confirming that the village’s geothermal energy had returned, Raon headed toward Balkan’s Smithy.

However, the Smithy that I had expected to find Balkan alone in was occupied by Haren. His hair, which had once fluttered like seaweed, was now shorn close to his scalp, and his eyes gleamed with renewed vigor. For someone I hadn’t seen in just two days, the transformation was striking.

“What are you doing here?”

“You may assign me menial tasks or treat me as though I don’t exist. I simply ask that you allow me to remain in this space.”

He bowed deeply, his voice trembling with sincerity.

“Why?”

“Because I sense that I am on the verge of understanding something.”

I turned my gaze toward Balkan.

“Do as you wish. I don’t care whether he stays or goes.”

“Very well, then. I’ll put him to work on some tasks.”

I had already planned to make Haren into the Gwangpung Unit’s dedicated blacksmith once he regained his senses. If he could gain insight here, all the better.

“Thank you. Thank you.”

Balkan patted my shoulder and smiled faintly. Even a master craftsman of the Continent could not escape the bonds of blood, and gratitude rang true in his voice.

“Then let’s begin. I don’t know how long this will take. Haren!”

“Yes!”

Haren rushed into the Smithy and ignited the furnace. The temperature soared in an instant. Thanks to the recovery of geothermal energy, the heat within the workshop was incomparably more intense than before.

“Infuse the aura you use into these two metals.”

Balkan pointed to the Coldblood and the Flame Iron reinforced with the carapace of the Red Dragon Turtle resting on the table.

“Understood.”

I approached the table and grasped the Flame Iron and Coldblood. I simultaneously infused Glacial Aura into the Coldblood and the energy of the Ten Thousand Harmony Technique into the Flame Iron.

Ssshhiiiii!

The Flame Iron blazed crimson as if consumed by fire, while the Coldblood gleamed with a pristine white radiance like an untrodden snowy plain at dawn.

Crackle!

As I pushed deeper, purer aura to elevate the light and heat, a damp, murky essence began seeping upward. The culprit was obvious.

‘Wrath,’

-Why, am I not helping you?

Due to Wrath’s frigid energy, turbidity began clouding the Coldblood, which had been radiating a clear silver light.

-You grow far too quickly. Allow me to maintain balance from within.

Still venting frustration over the rewards obtained from capturing the Red Dragon Turtle two days prior, he continued releasing murky energy.

‘Phew….’

I exhaled a silent sigh. I had suspected as much, and my suspicions were correct. It was good that I had prepared countermeasures against this incompetent Demon King.

‘There’s a tavern called Dwarf’s Hammer in the Village Outskirts of Mirtan Village.’

-What hammer? You’re suddenly spouting nonsense….

‘That tavern sells a dish called roasted Outan pig, and the skin is crispy like a cookie, the meat is tender and soft, and the sauce is made with fifty ingredients, making it incredibly rich.’

-Wor….

The moment Wrath heard those words, he stopped pushing the frigid aura and began drooling icy saliva from his mouth.

‘I was planning to let you eat that since you’ve been quiet lately, but it looks like I’ll just have to leave.’

-I, I am magnanimous. There’s no way you would threaten me just because you obtained a good sword.

He placed his hand on his waist with a flourish. A refreshing laugh escaped as he began to draw the sword.

-B, but when will we go to that tavern?

‘Once I finish forging the sword.’

-Ahem, I shall wait with benevolence.

The moment Wrath heard my answer, he retreated into the bracelet. The sound of him drooling could be heard even from here.

‘It’s really that easy.’

I chuckled softly, erasing Wrath’s aura before pushing my own aura deeper into the two metals.

“That’s enough.”

As I continued pouring aura into the metals like water into a cracked vessel, Balkan raised his hand.

“Seeing the aura infused into the metals, I can tell just how much you’ve grown.”

Balkan sensed the aura contained within the two metals and let out a loud exclamation of admiration.

“That’s sufficient. Step back now.”

“Yes.”

I nodded and retreated. Balkan tossed the first metal sphere into the furnace, where thick heat shimmer was already rising.

Roooaaarrr!

The heat shimmer that had been finger-thick swelled to the size of a forearm, and the furnace’s heat became so fierce that breathing grew difficult.

“Huff!”

“Ugh!”

Even Balkan and Haren, who had spent their entire lives before the furnace, let out groans at that intensity.

Since the heat was intense enough to reach even me standing back, the two of them must have been experiencing pain as if suffering burns.

Balkan tossed two chunks of Golden Crystal Stone into the furnace and stretched his hand backward.

“Get your head in the game and bring the Flame Iron!”

“Yes!”

Balkan received the Flame Iron from Haren and inserted it into the middle of the furnace.

Whoooosh!

Tremendous heat blazed forth, beginning to melt the crimson metal ingot.

“Next!”

“Yes!”

Balkan withdrew the half-melted Flame Iron from the furnace, then inserted the Glacial Blood. A pure stream of cold essence bloomed within the intense heat.

“Now, all at once!”

“Yes!”

Balkan and Haren simultaneously inserted the partially melted Flame Iron and Glacial Blood into the furnace.

Even under the tremendous heat that could melt the furnace itself, the Flame Iron and Glacial Blood did not yield easily.

Hummmmm!

After searing the metal chunks for a considerable time until their forms crumbled, Balkan withdrew the two metals and lifted his hammer.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Balkan’s hammering began.

Neither forceful nor hasty, neither sluggish nor faltering—a rhythm as natural as breathing from birth itself. Each strike rang with unwavering consistency and flow. The hammer of a master craftsman who had walked a singular path for decades resonated through the heat-laden smithy.

I swallowed hard.

Watching the hammer strikes infused with soul, my hair stood on end with each resonant blow.

Like a swordmaster who had reached the absolute pinnacle wielding their blade, I couldn’t tear my eyes away or draw a breath—I could only watch Balkan’s hammering.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

As the hammering found its rhythm, the Crimson Flame Art rose of its own accord and danced brilliantly, while Glacial Aura stood upright and sang with ethereal grace.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two energies synchronized with Balkan’s hammering like breathing itself, surging through every mana circuit in my body and endlessly amplifying their own power. It was a rampage so intense that controlling it properly became nearly impossible.

“Huff.”

Unable to endure any longer, I collapsed to the ground.

‘What I need to do now….’

Attempting to clumsily wield two energies would only make it difficult to prevent a runaway. Now was the time to solidify the foundation.

Ting!

I set down both the Crimson Flame Art and Glacial Aura, then activated the Ring of Fire.

The six Rings of Fire vibrated and gently subdued the rampaging energy, allowing me to regain my composure.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Ring of Fire, Crimson Flame Art, and Glacial Aura moved as one body in rhythm with Balkan’s hammer strikes—sounds that seemed to strike the soul itself rather than mere metal.

Boom! Boom!

The hammer strikes carried slightly more force than before. This was the sound of Balkan striking the third metal seal.

It was the Ring of Fire that resonated with the seal. The six rings resonated in answer to the cry of the Metal King, unfolding a flow as majestic and unstoppable as a mighty river.

As the energies of the Ring of Fire, Crimson Flame Art, and Glacial Aura connected endlessly, the heat from the Red Dragon Turtle that I hadn’t fully absorbed melted like butter throughout my entire body.

My muscles and bones grew firmer and more refined, while my mana circuits and dantian pulsed and swelled even larger.

Gulp, gulp, gulp.

I felt the exhilaration of resonance as the external and internal energies seemed to connect along invisible lines, and I sank deeper into profound cultivation.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Balkan was no different from me. Concentration transcended into absolute immersion. With azure eyes blooming with spiritual essence, he struck the metal endlessly.

As the soulful hammer strikes continued, the Flaming Iron, Coldblood, and Golden Binding merged as though they had always been a single metal, gradually revealing a blade that radiated an eerie, pitch-black luminescence.

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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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