The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 203

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 203

Eckon drew his power up leisurely and smirked.

‘Is he young and inexperienced? He’s overflowing with confidence.’

Even a three-year-old child could see this was an obvious mismatch, yet Raon was betting everything on it—just as Sheryl had said, he was brimming with arrogance.

‘It’s a different method than expected, but I should definitely teach him a lesson.’

I hadn’t asked Sheryl for permission, but it should be fine. All I needed to do was crush Raon’s spirit.

“Shall we begin?”

Eckon tilted his chin and tightened his grip.

“Yes. Whenever you’re ready.”
“Hmm?”

He applied a grip strength that would make most swordsmen cry out, yet Raon’s expression remained as calm as always.

‘Does he have some real strength?’

That would explain why he’d challenged me to an arm-wrestling match.

Occasionally, there were lean swordsmen with surprising strength. Raon seemed to possess that kind of practical muscle.

‘But it won’t matter.’

Eckon smiled and gestured to the Heavenly Sword Squad swordsman beside him.

“Are you both ready?”

The Heavenly Sword Squad swordsman shook their clasped hands and asked.

“Yes.”
“Understood.”
“Then let’s begin!”

Eckon immediately poured all his strength into his grip the moment we started. He intended to crush me with sheer grip strength alone, without even needing to twist.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

The collision of power erupting from our clasped hands caused the boulder supporting our elbows to tremble as though it might shatter.

‘What is this?’

Despite exerting considerable force, my expression remained completely unchanged. My hand showed no signs of being crushed, holding firm against his assault.

‘Something’s off.’

The power I was currently displaying exceeded seventy percent of my full strength. Even a swordmaster accustomed to wielding considerable force should have recoiled in shock, yet Raon’s expression remained serene, as though he were simply sipping tea.

“Commander. Are you actually putting in any effort?”

I lowered my eyebrows slightly, as if questioning whether he was doing this properly.

“Hah!”

Veins bulged across Eckon’s forehead.

‘I was planning to take it easy….’

Since he was a fellow with fighting spirit I appreciated, I abandoned my intention to hold back. That arrogance of his definitely needed to be corrected.

“Of course not! This is where it really begins!”

Eckon channeled power through his entire arm and drove me backward.

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch!

Monstrous force erupted with such intensity that the earth itself trembled where the boulder was embedded.

‘This one’s going to hurt a bit!’

I unleashed every ounce of power my body could muster, pressing down on Raon with overwhelming force.

But.

‘What… what is this?’

Eckon’s lips trembled.

‘Why isn’t he budging?’

Why wasn’t he falling?

Raon’s arm didn’t yield or waver in the slightest—it remained planted like an ancient tree rooted for a thousand years. It felt as though a colossal wall, or perhaps a mountain with no visible peak, stood immovable against me.

“Tch!”

Gritting my teeth, I lifted my head to look at Raon.

“Ah…”

His crimson eyes, as serene as a lake on a moonless night, made my hair stand on end. Even as I exerted my full strength, his expression remained unchanged.

“Hmm?”

Raon tilted his head as if something puzzled him.

“May I ask again? You are putting your full strength into this, aren’t you?”
“You… how are you…?”

Even his voice remained calm. This made no sense. What kind of power could be this overwhelming?

“Now it’s my turn. I’m going.”

With those words, a tremendous force surged through me—like being struck by a tsunami that reached the heavens.

“Ughhhh!”

It wasn’t just his arm strength. The crushing grip transmitted through his palm made my fingers feel as though they might shatter, and an involuntary cry escaped my lips.

“Ugh!”

I bit my lip until it bled, pouring strength into my arms, but Raon’s power was beyond what willpower alone could withstand.

‘A troll? No, even an ogre isn’t enough!’

The monstrous strength was so overwhelming that my shoulders felt as though they might be torn clean off. The force was so immense that my aura began to move of its own accord.

‘No! Absolutely not!’

Even if I lost, I couldn’t afford to lose through foul play. I forced the rising aura back down into my core.

“Arrrgh!”

I screamed and squeezed out every last ounce of strength. The title of Deputy Commander of the Heavenly Sword Squad and the contemptuous words I’d spoken before the match began—I refused to lose with those weighing on me.

Crash!

The stone beneath us couldn’t withstand the tremendous force of our collision and crumbled. When the dust cleared, all that remained visible was the back of my hand pinned to the ground.

“Nngh…”

I let out a stifled groan. The pain radiating from my hand felt as though my bones had shattered into fragments, yet shame prevented me from even showing my suffering.

I lifted my head to look at Raon. He stood there without a single bead of sweat, casually brushing dust from his hand.

‘A monster…’

No other word came to mind. Only that single term echoed in my thoughts.

“Disappointing, really.”

Raon smacked his lips dismissively.

“Those muscles of yours.”

He gestured toward the swollen muscles of my right arm.

“Did you build it just for show?”
“Show? You’re calling my perfectly trained muscles mere aesthetics?”

Eckon’s jaw trembled. For someone who cultivated strength like him, to have his body dismissed as mere vanity was the ultimate insult.

“Wait, my left hand!”

Eckon withdrew his shattered right hand and extended his left forward.

“I’m left-handed! Do it again with my left!”

*

*

*

I clenched my teeth and looked not at Eckon, who was extending his left hand, but at Sheryl standing behind him.

‘Even the Heavenly Sword Master wasn’t expressionless.’

Sheryl’s narrow eyes had widened so much they resembled a full moon.

“No….”

Her expression was as if her soul had half-departed her body. She seemed never to have even considered the possibility of Eckon losing.

“Gasp….”
“The Vice-Commander lost? And to raw strength, no less?”
“What is this….”

The Heavenly Sword Squad swordsmen trembled at a result they couldn’t have imagined. Seeing those mouths that had done nothing but criticize all day finally shut tight brought satisfaction.

“Uwaaaaaa!”
“Raon!”
“Vice-Commander!”
“Hell yes! We’re free from chores!”

Meanwhile, the Gwangpung Unit swordsmen erupted in cheers, embracing each other at this unexpected victory.

“Try it with my left hand too! I’m left-handed, I tell you!”

Eckon glared at the delighted Gwangpung Unit members before extending his left hand forward. His pride seemed wounded by their mockery of his physique.

“Why should I?”

I smiled and tilted my head quizzically.

“What?”
“The match has already ended with my victory. There’s no need to continue.”
“That, well….”
“Wouldn’t it be better if the Heavenly Sword Squad members discussed among yourselves who would handle which chores?”
“Luggage!”

Eckon pointed to the bags placed beside the tent.

“If we lose this time as you suggested, we’ll even carry your luggage!”
“Ah, that won’t be necessary. Dorian.”
“Yes!”

I snapped my fingers, and Dorian laughed heartily as he moved toward the tent. He juggled the backpacks containing the swordsmen’s belongings, then deftly tucked them one by one into his waist pouches like a magic trick.

“You see? We have the finest quartermaster, so we don’t need help.”
“Ah….”

Watching this, Eckon trembled as he held out his left arm.

“However.”

I pointed to the sword at Eckon’s waist.

“If you give us sword technique lectures every evening about medium and heavy swords, I’ll accept the match using my left hand.”
“L-lectures?”
“Yes. Not superficial instruction, but genuine teachings that reveal the true essence of medium and heavy swords. If you do that, I’ll settle this match with my left hand.”
“That’s more than worth it!”

Eckon seemed ready to stake his life if it meant getting to fight.

“Then if I win, you take back the chores, and apologize to my muscles for insulting them!”

Apologizing to muscles—the pride of a muscle-bound man ran deeper than I’d anticipated.

“Understood. I accept.”
“Excellent! Let’s do this!”

Eckon prostrated himself and extended his left arm.

“So we’re doing this while lying on the ground.”
“That rock before was tilted toward my side, so I couldn’t put my full strength into it! And I’ve adjusted my sleeves now, so this time will be different!”

Left-handed, an unstable rock, fluttering sleeves—his excuses were remarkably diverse.

“Very well.”

I smiled lightly and grasped Eckon’s hand.

-Fool!

Wrath scowled at Eckon.

-Does a muscle pig like you truly believe you can overcome my elegant and resilient strength!

He tapped Eckon’s head while lamenting his foolishness.

“Then, let’s begin!”
“Hyaaaaaaah!”

The moment we started, Eckon unleashed his full power in a violent surge. His left arm was indeed considerably stronger than his right, just as he’d claimed.

‘Still meaningless, though.’

With the system, the distinction between left and right hand held no significance.
Both my hands could exert the full 180 points of strength equally, and if I willed something destroyed, I could even channel the power of the Destroyer’s Epitaph. No matter how formidable Eckon’s strength, as a human, he couldn’t possibly surpass me.

“This is tedious. I’ll end it quickly this time.”
“What?”

I effortlessly flipped Eckon’s trembling left arm over.

Crash!

I’d pushed him back with pure physical strength alone, without even channeling my aura, yet a sizeable crater had formed in the ground.

“Ah….”

Eckon lay sprawled on the ground, his left hand buried in the crater.

“This… this doesn’t make sense!”

Spittle drooled from his mouth as the successive defeats seemed to have knocked the spirit out of him.

“How is such power coming from those thin arms! You’ve got nothing but lean muscle, so why are you so incredibly strong!”
“Unlike those cosmetic muscles, my arms are packed with combat-hardened muscle. We call it practical compression muscle.”
“C-cosmetic muscles. So I have cosmetic muscles….”

Having lost twice, Eckon couldn’t refute the term “cosmetic muscles” and buried his head in the ground.

“Did… did he lose again?”
“…He’s not a match.”
“It’s completely overwhelming!”

The Heavenly Sword Squad swordsmen seemed to have given up on the situation, their eyes growing vacant as they sank to the ground.

“Insane….”

Sheryl had lost her usual cold expression. Her face had gone pale, and her lips trembled.

“Well then, let’s settle this.”

I stood up and brushed the dirt from my clothes and hands.

“So we’ve agreed—all the chores the Gwangpung Unit has been doing until now, like caring for the horses, washing dishes, cooking, and setting up tents, will be handled by the Heavenly Sword Squad, and we’ll attend Eckon’s swordsmanship lectures every evening, correct?”
“….”

Neither Eckon nor Sheryl nor the Heavenly Sword Squad responded. They all remained standing blankly, still unable to gather their wits.

“The chores are finally done!”
“Woohoooo!”
“Now we can move forward without worry!”
“Let me show you what nitpicking really looks like.”

The Gwangpung Unit swordsmen’s faces bloomed with smiles at the thought of repaying all the criticism they’d endured until now.

“I told you this was a bad idea!”

Eckon rose with a sharp frown, waving his left arm caked with dirt toward Sheryl.

“I told you I’m not good at this kind of petty nitpicking!”

He quickly sent a meaningful glance to the dumbfounded Heavenly Sword Squad swordsmen.

“Oh, right!”
“They did such a good job there was nothing to criticize.”
“It was hard to find fault as instructed.”

They sighed, admitting that the Gwangpung Unit had prepared the camp so flawlessly there was nothing to complain about.

“As instructed?”
“What do you mean by that?”

Martha and Burren tilted their heads in confusion.

“As you can imagine, we were forced to nitpick.”
“We weren’t trying to start trouble—we were following orders.”
“We were trying to keep it moderate, but you all showed such patience….”

The Heavenly Sword Squad swordsmen scratched their heads awkwardly.

“You don’t mean….”
“The Heavenly Sword Master gave you those orders?”

All eyes in the Gwangpung Unit turned toward the Heavenly Sword Master.

“Sigh….”

Sheryl sighed and nodded, her expression visibly drained of energy.

“Yes. I ordered all of it.”
“Why?”
“The Gwangpung Unit performed exceptionally well in both missions and sparring matches. I wanted to keep you appropriately grounded so you wouldn’t become arrogant. However, seeing how you all handled things, it seems my concerns were unfounded. I apologize.”

She lowered her eyes and offered a sincere apology.

“We’re sorry too.”
“You all did excellent work. It was exhausting to nitpick like that.”
“Yes. I found myself acting increasingly petty.”
“You don’t seem like newcomers. You’ll go far.”

The Heavenly Sword Squad members bowed apologetically and showered us with praise.

“I see.”
“I did think something was off.”
“It was all for us.”

The Gwangpung Unit nodded, seemingly falling for Eckon and the Heavenly Sword Squad’s true intentions.

“Well, since you say you did this out of concern for us, we understand.”

I smiled as I looked at Sheryl and the Heavenly Sword Squad.

“Th-thank you!”
“Yes. Your hearts are as broad as your strength.”
“You’re truly Rimer’s disciples!”
“However.”

As the Heavenly Sword Squad members laughed and tried to gloss over the matter, I raised my hand.

“A deal is a deal. You still need to follow through on your end.”

The reason Eckon, the Heavenly Sword Squad, and the Heavenly Sword Master kept apologizing was obvious. They wanted to avoid fulfilling the task they’d handed over and reclaim the initiative for themselves.

‘Do they take me for a fool?’

They probably wanted to soften our resolve so we’d split the work fifty-fifty, but an apology is an apology and a bet is a bet. We had to see this through.

“Do you see it over there?”

I pointed to the stack of dishes piled up behind us.

“First, I’d appreciate it if you’d wash the dishes, and please decide among yourselves who’ll take the night watch.”
“Ah….”

At those words, Eckon and the Heavenly Sword Squad’s expressions turned ashen. They hadn’t expected such a cold response even after apologizing.

-Hmph. Foolish bastards.

Wrath lifted his chin as he looked at the Heavenly Sword Squad.

-Did you think this viper would simply let such an opportunity slip away? I shall bite and never release my grip.

He was right. How could I possibly let go of such a training opportunity?

“A promise is a promise, after all. The work must be done.”

Sheryl exhaled a low sigh as she looked at the Heavenly Sword Squad’s swordsmen.

“Until the mission ends, you’ll handle the chores. Starting with the dishes….”
“Why are you speaking as if it’s someone else’s responsibility?”

I tilted my head as I looked at Sheryl.

“What?”
“Think carefully about when we made the bet. What exactly did I say?”
“Wh, what do you mean?”
“I said, ‘If I win, the Heavenly Sword Squad will take over the chores we’ve been doing until this mission ends.’ The Heavenly Sword Squad!”
“Ah….”

At those words, Sheryl’s complexion turned deathly pale.

“You didn’t say anything when I proposed it earlier, so you wouldn’t refuse now, would you? You, the great Heavenly Sword Master?”
“Th, that is….”

Her face flushed red, clearly flustered. It was quite novel to see a Grand Master lose control of her expression.

“Waaaaah!”
“He’s, he’s insane. Really….”
“Did you plan all of this from the beginning?”
“Is that even human?”

The Gwangpung Unit and Heavenly Sword Squad simultaneously gasped as they watched Raon dominate the situation.

“I, I swore an oath. Never again will I cross that man. I’d rather die than make him an enemy.”
“You’re slow. I finished that oath back at Habun Castle.”

Crain and Dorian shook their heads in disbelief.

-Heh, you’ve even seized that woman’s leash? How vicious. Absolutely vicious! There’s no viper like you in the Demon Realm!

Wrath’s expression turned astonished as he looked at Sheryl.

“Now then, we’re running short on time.”

Raon clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention.

“Heavenly Sword Master and your members, go wash the dishes. Bring back more firewood when you return. Vice Commander, you’ll be giving a lecture on intermediate swordsmanship starting now. Let’s move quickly.”

Raon smirked as he watched the dazed Heavenly Sword Squad and Gwangpung Unit.

‘Six more fools added to the list.’

*

*

*

Raon left the Heavenly Sword Squad to their conversation and sat by the campfire with the Gwangpung Order members.

“I, is this really okay?”
“It’s nice not to work, but can we really mess with the Heavenly Sword Squad…”
“Th, the consequences scare me though.”

Burren, Dorian, and Crain glanced nervously at the Heavenly Sword Squad behind them, swallowing hard.

“Just focus on the lecture.”
“So we’re supposed to keep getting pushed around like fools? Why are sword-wielders so timid?”

Lunan Slion seemed delighted at the prospect of attending the lecture, while Martha laughed with satisfaction.

“Don’t worry. They’re not the type to hold it against us for something like this.”

Judging by the Heavenly Sword Squad’s past actions, their current words, and the Heavenly Sword Master’s temperament, they weren’t the sort to retaliate over such a matter. For now, I could simply enjoy the moment.

“Y-yes, that must be it, right?”

Dorian nodded and pulled a pastry from his belly pouch.

“Sigh, I feel like I’ve developed indigestion lately.”
“Same here.”

Burren Zigheart and Crain clutched their stomachs and frowned.

“Still, it’s nice not having to do chores.”
“I’m on night watch. I hate waking up in the middle of sleep.”
“I hated dishwashing the most.”
“Ah, right. Now that I think about it, dishwashing really is the worst.”

I smiled as I listened to the Gwangpung Order members chatting idly, when I heard footsteps from behind.

Tap.

Though it seemed like someone coming for the lecture, the sound was so quiet I didn’t think it was Eckon.

I lifted my head when the footsteps stopped ahead. The Heavenly Sword Master stood there, her purple hair fluttering in the breeze.

“I’ll conduct the sword technique lecture instead of Vice-Commander Eckon.”

She stood with her arms crossed, gazing down at the Gwangpung Order with a steady expression.

“Huh?”
“T-the Heavenly Sword Master?”
“Wow….”
“Why… why?”

The Gwangpung Order member’s jaw dropped as he stared at the Heavenly Sword Master.

‘Everything went exactly as planned.’

I chuckled softly while observing the Heavenly Sword Master. I had deliberately drawn her into menial chores and wagered a fencing lecture with Eckon, fully expecting this outcome—and it had unfolded perfectly according to my calculations.

-Bah, nonsense! You’re no god—how could you possibly think this far ahead!

Wrath stammered, clearly flustered.

‘I really did.’

I smirked as I watched the Heavenly Sword Master’s face flush slightly.

‘I simply assumed that even a Grand Master would detest dishwashing.’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————