The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 229
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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 229
Roen smiled faintly as he watched Raon settle into his stance.
‘Since it’s his first time, it will be difficult.’
Sound Technique was certainly a form of martial art, but the way aura operated and manifested differed considerably from swordsmanship. Even if Raon had reached Master rank and possessed talent, it was impossible to replicate after seeing it just once.
‘Still, his confidence is admirable.’
Was it because of his youth? Or because he had accomplished so much? Raon’s eyes gleamed with the confidence that he could succeed on the first attempt. Roen, who appreciated such youthful assurance, nodded willingly with satisfaction.
‘So it begins.’
Watching Raon’s eyes, it seemed he was about to start. I lowered my guard and focused my attention to offer guidance.
Screeeech!
The silver blade rose, scraping against the scabbard’s edge. A discordant friction sound vibrated through the air, and a clear, resonant ring followed with a fierce roar.
Whoooooosh!
Aura infused with heat surged along that sound, striking Roen’s ears with tremendous force. The crystalline tone jolted him awake as if ice water had been poured over his head.
“Huh!”
Roen swallowed hard.
‘What in the world is this….’
Bewilderment clouded his mind. One thing was certain: Raon had done the insane thing of infusing aura into the sound from the very beginning.
‘This is beyond reason.’
I thought I had acknowledged Raon’s genius, but it seemed I had been gravely mistaken. He was a monster beyond my imagination.
‘The process of creating the sound, and the method of infusing aura into it—everything was flawless.’
Raon created sound using the friction from drawing his blade and the resonance of the sword after unsheathing it, infusing that sound with aura. It was an achievement so remarkable that it seemed impossible for a first attempt.
‘If that sound had carried killing intent, it would have been dangerous.’
Raon hadn’t imbued the sound and aura with aggression. He seemed focused solely on creating sound infused with aura. Of course, even that alone was enough to make me want to collapse in astonishment.
“Hmm…”
Roen narrowed his eyes as he watched Raon with a slight frown.
‘Is he thinking about why it didn’t work?’
Raon seemed to be contemplating why the sound hadn’t carried aggression.
‘That’s only natural.’
Since I hadn’t seen him use sound as an attack before, it would have been strange if he’d succeeded. What amazed me was his drive for achievement—accomplishing something so extraordinary and immediately thinking about what came next.
‘He’ll surely be able to do it on his own.’
Raon possessed the qualities of a Grand Master who could create his own martial arts. If given time, he would undoubtedly discover how to infuse killing intent into sound, but I wanted to accelerate that timeline and give him the opportunity to create something even greater.
Roen smiled with a look of determination as he watched Raon tilt his head in thought.
*
*
*
“Tsk.”
Raon clicked his tongue as he looked at the Heavenly Sword.
‘Regrettable.’
I had certainly sent the sword’s resonance to Roen with the intent to attack, but that intent never transferred to the sound. It merely released a loud burst of aura-infused sound.
‘It’s far more difficult than swordsmanship.’
Unlike swordsmanship, which relied on a concrete medium, infusing aura into sound that manifested in a fleeting instant proved extraordinarily difficult. I had to channel not merely aura, but the very intent of the attack itself, leaving my mind tangled in complexity.
‘Yet it’s not impossible.’
I had succeeded in imbuing aura into sound on my first attempt, so given time, I could certainly manage to weave killing intent into it and target the vestibular organs within the ear.
‘If I construct it using the incantations I possess….’
By blending the Manyeongong, the Ring of Fire, and the martial incantations I had mastered thus far, I could eventually forge a martial technique capable of channeling sound precisely as I desired, even if it demanded considerable time.
“Master Raon.”
As I set my sights and prepared to move forward, Roen approached. His voice and eyes trembled noticeably—clearly unsettled by something.
“That was remarkable. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to succeed on your first attempt.”
“It’s only a half-success, though.”
“You mean the attack intent.”
“Yes. It’s proving as difficult as when I first learned intermediate swordsmanship.”
I nodded. I hadn’t dismissed the martial technique of sound, but it seemed to demand far more time and effort than I had anticipated.
“Infusing aura into sound is no simple matter. You’ll need an incantation to serve as a medium in place of physical substance. Miss Yua, please come over here as well.”
Roen called to Yua, who had been standing in a daze, and positioned her beside him.
“I intended to teach Miss Yua this as well, so the timing is perfect.”
He raised his fingers with a subtle smile.
“What I’ll teach you is a martial technique called Hyangeum-gong—the art of sound. Master it properly, and you’ll be able to spread sound as naturally as fragrance disperses.”
“You’re… teaching me as well?”
My eyes widened. I understood that Roen would impart martial techniques to Yua, whom he regarded as his disciple, but I never expected him to teach me as well.
“Of course.”
“But why….”
Even within the same family, transmitting personal martial techniques was extraordinarily rare—reserved only for disciples or blood relatives. I had never imagined that Roen, who had lived as an assassin, would so readily share his techniques.
“Hmm, when you ask it that way, it’s not easy to answer. I can’t share all of my thoughts, after all.”
Roen scratched his chin and smiled.
“But if I’m being honest, Raon is someone worth observing—someone who makes me want to help.”
“Pardon?”
I blinked at his unexpected answer.
“Just now, when you couldn’t infuse your will into the sound, you didn’t ask me for the solution. Instead, you thought through the problem yourself and considered how to overcome it.”
“Yes.”
I nodded. Just as Roen said, I had pondered why my will hadn’t manifested in the sound.
“Most others would have asked me first rather than searching for the answer themselves. It’s quite rare for someone to seek their own solution in such circumstances. That’s why I wanted to help you.”
Roen’s expression was serene. Not a trace of the earlier turbulence remained.
“Um, may I listen as well? Roen?”
“Of course. I was planning to teach Miss Yua soon anyway.”
It seemed he intended to share it with Yua as well, since she was also learning the aura cultivation method he had taught.
“I hope you both will develop the Resonance Technique further and create a sound uniquely your own.”
Roen smiled and recited the incantation for the Resonance Technique.
“Whoosh!”
Julius exhaled roughly as he watched the three of us huddled together.
“They’ve all forgotten about me, haven’t they….”
*
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Lunan emerged from his room when lunch was nearly finished and headed toward the Slion Family’s Training Ground.
“Oh, Lunan!”
Rokan Slion, who had been observing the swordsmen’s training in the Training Ground, rushed over the moment he spotted Lunan.
“You returned yesterday, and you’re already jumping into training? You can take it easy today.”
Rokan blocked his path with a reluctant expression, having planned to finish training quickly so he could enjoy snack time with Lunan.
“I can’t.”
Lunan shook his head plainly. His gaze was fierce, yet beneath it lay an unwavering resolve.
“I even prepared ice cream?”
“Ugh….”
At the mention of ice cream, a small crack appeared in Lunan’s resolute expression.
“N-no, I still can’t. I’ll eat the ice cream later.”
After a moment of hesitation, Lunan covered his ears and turned away.
“Hah, refusing even ice cream….”
Rokan exhaled sharply. Lunan rejecting ice cream meant this was an emergency—something serious was troubling him.
“W-what’s wrong! Are you hurt somewhere?”
“I’m not hurt.”
“Then what is it!”
“I need to become stronger.”
Lunan grasped the sword scabbard of Seolhwa’s blade at his waist, his lips pressed firmly together.
“Hmm….”
Rokan bit his lip. He thought he understood why Lunan was refusing even ice cream and insisting on training.
‘It must be because of that damned Raon.’
Lunan had clearly stated that she wanted to grow stronger to keep up with Raon’s astonishing growth.
“Lunan. That Raon bastard. No, catching up to Raon is honestly a difficult task. It’s best to let go of that monstrous fellow and walk your own path from where you stand….”
“What are you talking about?”
Lunan tilted her head in confusion.
“Weren’t you refusing snacks and training to catch up to Raon?”
“No.”
“Then why….”
Rokan Slion’s jaw fell open at this unexpected turn.
“To protect Father, Mother, and everyone else.”
Lunan spoke in a calm voice, saying she wanted to protect everyone in the family.
“P, protect them?”
“Yes. I’m going to protect everyone. So no one can ever lay a hand on them.”
She nodded firmly, her fists clenched tight.
“Gasp!”
Rokan Slion clutched his chest and sank to the ground. Had he not, his heart would have burst right out.
“Huff, she’s back! My good daughter has returned!”
His daughter’s affection, which had been stolen by Raon, had finally turned back toward the family, and he felt as though he might float away into the sky with joy.
“Raon! You bastard! Our daughter’s heart ultimately belongs not to you but to me….”
“Why do you keep calling Raon ‘handsome’?”
“Huh? H, handsome?”
Rokan Slion’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar term.
“What does ‘handsome’ mean?”
“It means incredibly good-looking. There’s also a similar phrase meaning outrageously handsome.”
Lunan explained the concepts of being handsome and devastatingly handsome with a serene expression. Ensia’s indoctrination had proven immediately effective.
“So Raon is….”
“Yeah. Raon is devastatingly handsome, and he’s incredibly handsome.”
“Well, that’s….”
Rokan Slion bit his lip. He wanted to argue, but the words wouldn’t come. The Raon he’d seen this time was so handsome that even a man couldn’t help but acknowledge it.
‘No! It doesn’t matter!’
Whether Raon was handsome or not was irrelevant. I was satisfied simply that Lunan’s attention had returned to me.
“Lunan, but why did you suddenly decide to protect the family?”
Rokan Slion asked a new question to redirect Lunan’s attention back to himself. But that was a mistake he shouldn’t have made.
“Devastatingly handsome Raon told me. That family must be protected by one’s own hands. I will definitely protect Father and Mother.”
Lunan nodded emphatically and walked to a corner of the Training Ground, beginning to swing his sword.
“Uh….”
Rokan Slion stared at Lunan’s back with his mouth agape.
“So… his attention didn’t return because of me….”
Was it because of that damned Raon that he said such things?
He’d thought his attention had returned and felt relieved. He’d believed Raon had grown tiresome to Lunan, but that wasn’t it at all. Lunan had become a devoted follower of Raon’s words.
“This is absolutely infuriating!”
Rokan Slion screamed toward the heavens.
“I’m done for.”
He grasped his sword with a vacant expression, as though he’d given up on everything.
“Just die already!”
“Aaaahhhhh!”
“Stop him!”
“Grab him now!”
The swordsmen of the Slion Family who had been observing the situation rushed forward and seized Rokan Slion’s limbs.
“Let go! I can’t live like this! My sweet, adorable Lunan being corrupted by such a delinquent!”
The swordsmen were swept away by Rokan Slion’s furious movements.
“M-Madam! Please call the Madam!”
“Yes!”
There was only one person who could stop this, so the swordsman closest to the mansion ran like a madman.
“Handsome guy.”
Lunan Slion muttered the word he’d learned from Ensia regardless and swung his sword.
*
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*
A week had passed since I mastered the Resonant Sound Technique.
The Resonant Sound Technique’s incantation became the line connecting sound, aura, and lethality, and I had reached a level where a lower-ranked swordsman could halt their opponent’s movements with merely the sound of my draw technique.
I assumed the stance for my draw technique and channeled the power of the Eternal Harmony Art. I lifted my wrist holding the sword hilt slightly upward and drew the Heavenly Sword.
Uuuuuung!
Simultaneous with the friction between blade and scabbard, a thunderous sword cry resonated outward.
Fwooooosh!
In an instant, the sound wave that erupted forth caused the lake before me to tremble violently. As if magic had detonated, the center of the lake carved deeply inward before erupting like a fountain, spraying azure waters into the air.
“Hmm….”
I narrowed my eyes as I watched the raindrops cascading down like a sudden downpour.
‘It’s still not enough.’
The Resonant Sound technique, which infused aura and killing intent into sound, had become somewhat familiar to my hands, but advancing it further was proving sluggish.
-Phew, that’s enough! What exactly are you saying is lacking!
Wrath burst out, covering his ears as if annoyed.
-Because of you, I haven’t slept in a week! Please, just stop!
‘Sorry.’
I bowed my head to Wrath. Even if he was a tenant, there were rules to uphold, so I apologized immediately.
-From what I can see, your technique now has the same essence as what that old man showed you. Time will resolve the difference in proficiency, so stop this and get some sleep!
‘Ah! I understand.’
I clapped my hands and grasped the sword form again.
-Noooo! You said you understood! Why are you grabbing the sword again!
‘Because I know what’s lacking now.’
-You demon of a man!
Ignoring Wrath’s screams, I drew the Heavenly Sword. The sound created by the friction advanced forward, and with the power of aura, it sliced diagonally across the lake’s surface.
‘That’s it!’
I blended the formula of the Quick Sword technique with the Resonant Sound technique’s incantation, moving sound and aura faster. For the first time, I successfully infused the subtleties of swordsmanship into sound, and a smile spread across my face without my realizing it.
For the first time successfully infusing the subtleties of swordsmanship into sound, an unconscious smile formed on his face.
This is crazy!
Wrath felt it too and dropped his jaw in shock.
-H-how are you so fast…
‘You gave me the hint yourself.’
-What?
‘The difference in proficiency. Since I have higher proficiency in swordsmanship than in sound techniques, I weighted my focus more toward swordsmanship rather than sound.’
This time, I visualized an image of unleashing a swift sword strike, accelerating both the speed of sound and aura. Thanks to the hint about proficiency that Wrath had given me and the previous advice that everything would work if I used visualization well, I achieved a small measure of success.
“Thank you.”
Raon grinned and waved at Wrath.
-Ah, this king… this king’s mouth…
Wrath struck his own mouth and sank to the floor.
‘Next, then.’
Since I had successfully infused the essence of swift strikes into sound, I grasped the sword hilt again, this time intending to imbue it with heaviness.
“Young Master.”
As I was about to draw the blade, Judith’s voice reached me from behind.
“I’ve brought refreshments.”
With those words, she placed a tray on the table, and beneath the plate holding sliced cake lay a thin sheet of paper.
“Thank you.”
Raon wiped his hands with a handkerchief and sat at the table. After taking a sip of tea, he unfolded the booklet that lay beneath.
“Dogyae originally belonged to the Zigheart Main Lineage and the Elder Council, but his current status is ambiguous.”
Judith’s eyes grew serious.
“Ambiguous?”
“Yes. It was something from quite some time ago, so I didn’t know either, but apparently he reached some kind of agreement with the Family Head and obtained his freedom. He still bears the Zigheart name, but he is no longer affiliated with Zigheart.”
“So that’s why he was able to roam the Continent as he pleased.”
Raon flipped through the booklet and nodded. Dogyae was a man of exceptional skill in gambling, drinking, and martial arts, wandering across the entire Continent and leaving behind countless eccentric tales.
‘The Three Trials are the most famous among them.’
The most renowned was the Three Trials—a promise that if one gained recognition in gambling, drinking, and martial arts, the three domains where Dogyae excelled, he would grant any wish whatsoever.
Countless people had challenged him, but all had failed, and Dogyae continued searching for someone to play with.
“I never imagined such a Strange Being existed within Zigheart.”
I couldn’t fathom why someone who had left the family would return. The booklet contained no such information.
“Dogyae is not one to speak much of his own affairs, so that remains unclear. He’s naturally a wanderer, yet he’s been staying here for quite some time.”
“I know the reason. There’s a fool who brings him money periodically. Why would he want to leave?”
I chuckled softly. If there were a foolish Elf who came to me every payday—no, whenever money appeared—and handed over gambling stakes, I wouldn’t think of going anywhere else either.
“Young Master, are you planning to attempt the Three Trials with Dogyae?”
“Yes. I need to win quite a bit and bring it back.”
“Gambling aside, Dogyae’s drinking capacity is formidable. As far as I know, you’ve never consumed alcohol before. If you try to dispel intoxication with aura, he’ll surely notice.”
Judith furrowed her brow with concern.
“Don’t worry about that. I never get drunk from alcohol.”
I waved my hand dismissively. This confidence didn’t stem from actual alcohol tolerance.
‘I have the Ring of Fire.’
The Ring of Fire maintained both body and mind in peak condition at all times. Since even Glen hadn’t detected my mastery of it, there was no way Dogyae could perceive it.
‘Alcohol isn’t a problem.’
With the Ring of Fire continuously purifying my body while Dogyae’s intoxication accumulated bit by bit, the drinking contest was already decided before it began.
As for gambling, I had the fool beside me—no, the Demon King—so I couldn’t lose even if I wanted to.
‘The real problem is….’
Martial Arts.
In the third wager of martial arts, I needed his recognition to voice my wish to Dogyae.
‘I’m still far from ready.’
I set down the teacup and rose to my feet. Wrath handled gambling, and the Ring of Fire covered drinking, but martial arts had no such shortcut. Training was my only path forward.
I approached the Lake once more and drew my blade. A deafening roar erupted from the silver edge, pressing down upon the water’s center.
Judith bowed her head to me, then quietly retreated backward.
*
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*
Three weeks later.
I still stood before the Lake. For a long while, I gazed down at the water without moving, as though admiring the scenery.
With resolve settling in my mind, I nodded and placed my hand upon the sword hilt. The moment my eyes gleamed with purpose, my hand flowed like a cloud.
Shhk.
The blade drew forth. Not the eerie friction of before, but a smooth sound like cutting tofu, accompanied by a refined resonance that moved with me.
The keen edge sang a crystalline note toward the world, yet nothing changed. The Lake, caught in a gentle breeze, bore only small ripples.
Without the slightest change in expression, I sheathed the Heavenly Sword once more. In that instant.
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion erupted at the Lake’s center, and water surged skyward to touch the clouds.
“There we go.”
Raon flicked the sheath of his sword and smiled. Today’s successful martial arts education is all about loyalty. It was a new art that used the condensation of sound in the application section of the Scent Ball to compress the sound containing the aura and make it explode loudly.
Over the past three weeks, I had trained without sleep, and my effort bore fruit. I had succeeded in weaving the subtleties of swordsmanship into the martial arts of sound, and the new technique had become second nature. The reward of my labor filled my hands with strength.
-I’m absolutely sick and tired of this.
Wrath materialized like smoke above my bracelet, his bloodshot eyes glaring upward.
-Repeating the same tedious routine every single day—doesn’t it bore you to death?
‘Actually, I find it fascinating.’
I could feel myself improving with each passing day. There was no room for boredom—only joy.
-Let’s go already! Whether it’s gambling or drinking, finish up quickly and bring your king some ice cream!
‘I was planning to leave anyway.’
I nodded in agreement. While I doubted I could defeat Dogyae, I was brimming with confidence that I would earn his acknowledgment. I grabbed my outer coat from the chair and headed toward the Annex Building.
-By the way, where did all the money you’ve scraped together go? You need that money if you’re going to gamble, don’t you?
Wrath tilted his head in confusion.
‘I put it in my wallet.’
-Your wallet? You don’t even carry a wallet around.
‘I called for it, so it should be coming soon.’
-Your wallet is… coming? What nonsense are you spouting?
“Ah, there it is.”
I pointed toward the Garden with my finger.
“Master Raon!”
Dorian, who had gained a bit of weight during the break, came running over while waving his hand.
“There’s my wallet.”
I chuckled as I looked at Dorian’s belly pouch.
-Huh….
Wrath shook his head as he watched me casually refer to a person as my wallet.
-Is this guy even human?
No matter how I looked at it, the Demon Realm seemed to suit him better….
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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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