The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 252
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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 252
Bitern, who had temporarily assumed leadership of the Alliance, swallowed hard as he watched Raon’s back disappear toward the Wizard Dungeon entrance.
‘What… what kind of monster is he?’
How had he shattered the barrier with a single blade stroke?
He’d approached the young—no, childlike—face thinking he could exploit him easily, but he never expected such monstrous power to be unleashed.
‘It’s not just raw strength.’
To break a barrier of that caliber through sheer force alone would require at least Master-rank power. But seeing how he’d cleaved the barrier with sword energy rather than brute force, it was clear he’d read the very flow of the barrier itself.
‘Perfected sword energy combined with the insight to read barriers…’
That was a genuine monster.
He’d completely misjudged him. That smile from the beginning wasn’t naïveté at all—it was composure and confidence.
“Bitern!”
“W-what do we do?”
“He’s just going in like that.”
“Are we really letting him go?”
His guild companions who’d come with him from the start approached, their faces drained of color in shock.
“You fools. This actually works out perfectly.”
Bitern laughed coldly as he watched Raon examine the entrance.
“Huh?”
“It works out perfectly?”
“We’re all terrified and you’re saying…?”
His guild members frowned in confusion at his words.
“Besides, there are the Six Emperors and Oma inside, along with other major forces just as formidable. Even that bastard has no choice but to proceed cautiously.”
“Ah, so then….”
“Right. We follow at a safe distance.”
Bitern nodded slowly.
“If we wait for that bastard to clear out the dungeon’s hazards and follow safely behind, we can at least scavenge some scraps.”
Actually, this worked out better. By trailing that young bastard, we’d have a far superior human shield compared to the Alliance members. Even if we don’t gain much, at least we won’t die.
“Get ready. The moment he enters the dungeon, we charge. We need to arrive before the barrier closes.”
“Understood.”
“Yes!”
Bitern issued orders to the Alliance members, then lowered his stance. The instant Raon stepped into the dungeon, he dropped his hand.
“Move!”
At his command, all the Alliance members bolted toward the dungeon.
‘The barrier isn’t closing.’
Bitern grinned wickedly. The barrier remained split open exactly as he’d cut it.
“Entering now… huh?”
His mouth fell agape as he skidded to a halt.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The dungeon entrance trembled as if struck by an earthquake, then began collapsing into the earth.
“This… this insane bastard!”
“He destroyed the entrance!”
“Dig, dig! If not now, we’ll be buried and won’t be able to enter at all!”
Bitern frantically clawed at the ground with his hands, but rocks and sand continued pouring down from the Gorge, making any effort futile.
Whoooosh!
As if trapped in a maze of mountains, the fractured Barrier began to close, and a noxious miasma bloomed forth.
“You insane bastard!”
Bitern cursed at Raon, who had utterly demolished the entrance.
*
*
*
“Ugh!”
Dorian’s eyes trembled as he watched the entrance crumble.
“W-wait, is this really okay? What if we can’t get out later?”
“It’s fine.”
I sealed the entrance firmly and smirked.
“H-he smiled! He destroyed the entrance and smiled!”
Dorian trembled even more, finding that far more terrifying.
“This is the right call. We can’t afford attacks from behind.”
When exploring a Wizard Dungeon, danger doesn’t come solely from magical traps, mechanisms, and Barriers. Rival explorers lurking behind pose just as much of a threat as any trap.
Those behind us now posed no great threat, but other powerful contenders might arrive, so I sealed the entrance entirely.
“But enemies can’t come in, which means we can’t get out either! Even if we recover the artifact, dying here makes it all meaningless!”
“A Wizard Dungeon doesn’t have just one entrance.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it—would a wizard stay cooped up here forever? They’d need to go out occasionally, dine elsewhere, purchase magical materials…”
“Y-you have a point.”
Dorian nodded blankly, his expression dazed.
“Then do the wizards pass through this path every time with all the traps and barriers they’ve set up?”
“Well….”
“No. Most of them create a passage on the lowest level of the Wizard Dungeon that only they can use. We just need to exit through there.”
Of all the Wizard Dungeons I’d explored so far, not a single one had lacked a secret passage. We’d be able to escape far more comfortably than when we entered.
“B-but what if there isn’t one!”
“Then we’ll have to dig through.”
“But how can we dig through when it’s like this….”
“You have a shovel, don’t you?”
I pointed to Dorian’s waist pouch.
“Y-yes, I do.”
“And a pickaxe too?”
“That as well. I also have a Mana Stone Excavator and a hand cart….”
Dorian pulled out a spear-like object with spiral grooves carved into it and a cart.
“Y-you have something like that?”
I knew he carried a shovel, but I never expected him to lug around a Mana Stone Excavator.
“It’s essential.”
“Then that settles it. We just dig.”
“Ah, right.”
Dorian nodded readily.
“It’s nothing difficult.”
He laughed, realizing it truly was nothing. He really was refreshingly simple.
“Now we just need to be careful moving forward.”
I glanced back briefly before sheathing the Soul Reaper Sword.
“I won’t hand mine over to anyone.”
If I hadn’t come at all, that would be one thing. But having made it this far, I can’t leave empty-handed. Whatever lies below, whoever is down there—I’ll secure relics that can aid Rimer and depart.
“B-but you’re already calling it yours….”
I flicked my tongue at Dorian as if tired of him.
“Let’s go.”
I led the way down into the cave. The path was singular, and with neither traps nor barriers present, we could advance swiftly.
‘It’s growing colder.’
As soon as we entered the Wizard Dungeon, the temperature dropped sharply. True to the reputation of a mage famous for water attribute magic, it seemed the entire Wizard Dungeon had been cooled down.
“Hmm….”
I narrowed my eyes as I gathered the frost fragments drifting through the air in my palm.
‘But this cold….’
Why does it feel so familiar?
The stronger the cold became, the more strangely intimate it felt. Similar yet distinct from Glacia’s—like encountering someone from home in a remote place.
-Hmm….
Wrath too was narrowing his eyes, seemingly lost in thought as he observed the cold.
‘Wrath. Could this cold possibly….’
“Ugh! Damn, it’s freezing! My bones are aching!”
Just as I was about to question Wrath, Dorian let out a cry. Unable to bear it, his hands trembling, he retrieved a fur coat made from Ice Troll hide from his waist pouch and put it on.
“Would you like one as well, Master?”
“No need.”
I shook my head.
‘It means nothing to me.’
With water attribute resistance at the sixth circle, this level of cold held no sway over me.
‘In fact, this worked in my favor.’
Those who had entered before would struggle to endure even this degree of cold, which meant the advantage belonged to me.
Whoooosh!
The deeper we descended, the more vicious the cold became. My breath misted in the air, and frost began to settle upon my head.
“Th-there’s an opening over there!”
Dorian stamped his feet and pointed toward an elliptical entrance at the end of the corridor.
“I’ll go in first.”
I sensed the surroundings and peered into the entrance. It was an extraordinarily vast cavern, and the cold intensified dramatically. It appeared as though a fourth-circle Ice Field spell had been cast across the entire space.
Uuuuung!
As I moved to enter, the Soul Reaper Sword at my waist emitted a low, resonant hum.
The Soul Reaper Sword sang of its own accord for one reason alone.
The presence of White Blood Cult members.
‘So it was the White Blood Cult.’
Those outside had mentioned Oma’s arrival, and I’d wondered who it could be—but it seemed to be the White Blood Cult after all.
‘They would naturally be the fastest.’
The White Blood Cult’s influence was rooted throughout the entire Continent. With branches in every region, they would have moved faster than anyone else if they possessed the information.
“The White Blood Cult is here. Enter carefully.”
“Huh?”
Dorian’s mouth fell open in shock and alarm.
Raon entered cautiously, his footsteps treading over corpses that littered the ground. From their insignia, they appeared to be members of smaller organizations from the surrounding area.
Beyond sword wounds, bite marks were scattered throughout—as if beasts had ravaged the bodies.
‘They’ve even torn the flesh from the bone.’
From the sight of it, they had gorged themselves ravenously in this frozen place. These were vampires who had abandoned their humanity, intoxicated by power.
Whoooooosh!
The Soul Reaper Sword resonated with a more violent cry than before, sensing the presence.
‘Excellent.’
Two birds with one stone.
Beyond securing the relics, this was an opportunity to dispose of these worthless vampires as well.
Raon approached the center of the cavern, deliberately suppressing his aura as if oblivious to their presence.
“New guests?”
“Only two? That’s too few.”
“Right. There should have been more outside.”
“Won’t even fill our bellies.”
Twenty White Blood Cult members scattered throughout the cavern trampled over frozen blood as they approached. Their mouths and lips were smeared with human flesh and blood, their blades gleaming crimson.
“I prefer the one on the left. Handsome ones always have softer flesh.”
“I’ll take the right. Plenty of meat to chew on there.”
Five of the White Blood Cult members bore lines etched across their robes. They were not ordinary disciples—they were priests.
“Silence. Kill them. There must be no disturbance, however minor, for those above.”
A White Blood Cult member stepped forward from the center. The two lines on his robe marked him as the Archbishop overseeing this place.
Raon grasped the hilt of the Soul Reaper Sword, licking his lips.
‘Perfect.’
There was something I wanted to test.
I was curious what would happen if I used Cyan Rain with the resentment toward the White Blood Cult embedded in the Soul Reaper Sword. Since there were worthless fools right in front of me, I decided to use it immediately.
Boom!
At the Archbishop’s gesture, all the White Blood Cult members exploded with blood energy and rushed forward.
Screech!
As the stench of blood from the White Blood Cult members brushed against my nostrils, I awakened Glacial and drew the Soul Reaper Sword.
The righteous incantation of Cyan Rain grazed the blade stained with demonic energy, and an eerie light scattered.
Raon Zigheart-style swordsmanship.
Fourth Form: Blood Rain.
The crimson blade burned even deeper red, exhaling the wail of demons. The grotesque melody tore through the air and shredded the eardrums of the White Blood Cult members.
“Gaaaahhh!”
“Krrgh!”
“Ugh!”
The White Blood Cult members who heard that grotesque sound spewed blood from their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears—from all seven orifices—and collapsed to their knees. They shrieked in agonizing cries, writhed on the ground, and then their breathing stopped.
Whoooooosh!
The Soul Reaper Sword finally ceased its wail after absorbing the blood energy the White Blood Cult members had expelled through its blade.
“Insane.”
I exhaled sharply as I looked at the Soul Reaper Sword, now even more crimson. Against the White Blood Cult specifically, its destructive power was on an entirely different level from Cyan Rain. With this much power, I felt I could even kill the Archbishop.
‘And…’
Though somewhat cruel, the Soul Reaper Sword was satisfied—not simply killing the White Blood Cult members, but making them suffer terribly before death.
“Are you alright?”
I turned around to look at Dorian. The sound was so brutal that I felt a bit concerned.
“Ah, it’s nothing to worry about. But….”
“Hmm?”
“It sounded incredibly sorrowful. I can’t quite put it into words, but it felt like my heart was being torn apart.”
Tears were streaming down Dorian’s cheeks as he spoke those words.
‘Of course it would.’
I nodded in understanding. The Soul Reaper Sword was forged to honor the vengeful spirits who fell at the hands of the White Blood Cult. Before thoughts of vengeance came the profound grief of losing family, and that sorrow seemed to be woven into the blade’s very essence.
‘Someday, we’ll be able to end this.’
I made the Soul Reaper Sword a promise once more and returned it to its sheath.
“Let’s go.”
I stepped into the corridor that the White Blood Cult members had been guarding. The temperature dropped further—even colder than it had been at Habun Castle, so frigid that my breath seemed to crystallize in the air.
“Ugh! It feels like my organs are freezing solid!”
Dorian muttered curses under his breath as he pulled out a fur hat, fur boots, and a heat-infused magical pack from his pouch. He swapped them out with lightning speed.
“Huh? What are these flowers?”
He narrowed his eyes at the ice flowers scattered across the corridor floor. They resembled the flowers on his bracelet, yet were distinctly different. Moreover, a pale blue chill was emanating from the walls themselves.
‘This cold… it’s far from ordinary.’
It was a barrier.
The ice flowers and the chill spreading from the walls and floor did far more than simply lower the temperature. The cold possessed a viscous quality that would seep into the body through the nose and mouth, freezing the respiratory system—a lethal barrier indeed.
Anyone foolish enough to endure it as mere cold would perish from respiratory failure within moments. In fact, corpses lay scattered throughout the corridor, their bodies completely encased in frost.
Whoooosh!
I summoned my mana and incinerated every trace of the encroaching chill directed at Dorian and myself. Though it consumed aura, this approach was far more efficient than any alternative.
“Th-thank you so much! It feels like I just ate a whole bowl of stew.”
“I need to protect my purse.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind.”
I offered a faint smile and moved forward. A soft glow emanated from the end of the corridor.
“This place….”
As I stepped inside, a breathtaking lake shimmering with azure light came into view.
“A lake? Are we supposed to cross it?”
Dorian surveyed the far end of the lake and offered a faint smile.
“This should be easy, right? The distance isn’t that far….”
“That’s not it.”
Raon furrowed his brow and gripped his sword.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
In that instant, the lake surged like waves, converging toward the center of the chamber.
The concentrated water rose like a fountain, taking shape into a colossal human form. A massive ice golem, five meters tall with intricate frost flowers etched across its body, blazed with crimson eyes.
“Gasp!”
Dorian stumbled backward, his mouth agape, his fingers trembling.
“A-a golem! An ice golem!”
“And a rather troublesome one at that.”
This was no ordinary ice golem. It could freely transition between liquid and solid states, granting it rapid regeneration. To defeat it, I would need to either melt its entire body or destroy its core.
‘Well crafted indeed.’
The mana flow was consistent.
Even extending my perception through my senses, I couldn’t clearly detect the core within the golem. Given that Wrath’s eyes couldn’t perceive it either, it seemed the core had been disguised among the other ice particles.
‘Just in case.’
There wasn’t time to find the core given the gap between us and the vanguard, but I remembered the sensation of familiarity with the cold here and activated Glacial.
Whoooosh!
The moment I swept the golem clean with pure cold energy, I felt a semicircular fragment of cold with a subtle difference from other parts coming from inside my right shoulder.
‘Is that the core?’
Even upon closer inspection, a flow distinctly different from other parts was emanating from my right shoulder.
‘Let’s try it.’
I drew the Soul Reaper Sword and rushed forward.
Crunch!
The golem responded instantly, bringing down a fist the size of a human torso like a thunderbolt. Since it was liquid in form, its movements were both smooth and swift.
Boom!
The moment the golem’s fist fell away, I pushed off the ground and drove my blade into the semicircular fragment I had located with Glacial.
Crack!
With a sound like shattering glass, the golem’s movements ceased.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
The golem trembled violently across its entire form before collapsing to the ground as blue liquid, like a sandcastle swept away by waves.
“Huh? Wha—?”
Dorian stared at the Soul Reaper Sword with his mouth agape.
“W-wait, that was just a thrust, wasn’t it? The golem shattered from a single thrust?”
“I destroyed its core.”
“You found the core in one strike? What kind of sorcerer are you?”
“Lucky guess.”
Raon brushed away the ice shards embedded in the Soul Reaper Sword and smacked his lips.
‘That’s strange.’
Even with Glacia’s exceptionally pure cold aura, locating the golem’s core was no trivial feat.
‘Are you perhaps unfamiliar with the cold here?’
I called out to Wrath on my forearm.
-Ugh…
Wrath groaned without answering.
‘Wrath?’
-I need to think. Be quiet for a moment.
He waved his hand dismissively and fixed his gaze on the floral patterns carved into the golem’s body.
‘How peculiar.’
I chuckled softly and opened the door the golem had been guarding, stepping inside.
After passing through a short, dark corridor, three pitch-black caverns appeared, their interiors completely obscured from view.
“Which way should we go?”
Dorian examined the three caverns in turn, muttering that they were identical in size and shape.
Whoooosh!
I attempted to extend my aura sense to probe the interior, but it dissipated almost immediately. The intense cold within was disrupting my aura sense’s movement.
Raon knelt down and examined the traces on the floor. Most people had gone right or straight ahead, following human instinct, but a considerable number had also entered the left passage.
‘Which way should I go?’
Time was running short.
Even with all the time I’d saved so far, there was still a considerable gap between me and those who had gone ahead. A wrong choice here could easily leave me falling further behind.
‘Just in case.’
Thinking that Glacial might prove useful again, I drew forth the frigid aura.
Whoooosh!
Using the pure cold energy, I examined the right cave first, then the center, and finally the left. Unlike when I’d faced the Thousand-Armed Demon, the aura didn’t cut off but continued inward.
‘So Glacial really is more helpful… wait?’
As I was examining the final left cave, I felt a microscopic fissure in the left wall. It was a gap so minuscule that even a thin thread would struggle to pass through.
‘Could this opening be…?’
I pressed Glacial’s cold energy into that crevice.
Crack-crack-crack!
With a sound like stone splitting, the darkness parted, and a passage wide enough for a single person to traverse opened before me. It seemed a concealed barrier had been installed within as well.
It seemed he had set up a hidden barrier inside this place as well.
“Did they even factor in psychology along with fine mana control?”
Roengrin’s mana control was on a different level compared to the Wizard Dungeons of other mages they had encountered so far. It was so natural that even he himself found it hard to detect.
“That’s why it hasn’t been revealed.”
The left Cave, which the fewest people had entered. And since a secret passage was installed in the form of a Barrier on the inner Wall right away, it was only natural that other people wouldn’t discover it.
“I think it would be good to keep Glacia on continuously.”
The coldness of this cave and Glacia had many similarities, not just in feeling. It seemed like if I continued to operate Glacia, I would be able to move faster and more comfortably.
“H-How on earth did you find this place?”
Dorian’s jaw trembled as he looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, “What kind of person is this?”
“Did you perhaps create this, Young Master?”
The fact that he was calling me Young Master again, just like in the old days, showed how truly flustered he was.
“It was coincidence. Let’s go.”
[You noticed this place?]
I chuckled softly and was about to step inside when I heard an admiring voice from behind me.
‘What…?’
I had missed sensing someone’s presence?
I gripped the Soul Reaper Sword and spun around quickly. An old man in a long blue robe, his lengthy beard nearly sweeping the ground, floated suspended in the air. His legs were invisible, and his entire form was transparent, revealing the space behind him clearly. He looked exactly like a ghost.
“W-What are you…?”
[Huh? You can see me?]
The old man approached with his mouth agape, emanating no presence whatsoever—only a chilling aura.
[Oh! God of Wrath! Finally!]
He bounced about like a child, cheering with delight. Despite being transparent, his face seemed to flush red with joy.
“What are you doing?”
Dorian tilted his head, apparently unable to see this old man.
‘A real ghost… wait.’
There could only be one ghost in this place.
Roengrin.
The round spectacles, the blue robe embroidered with flowers, and the narrow eyes—though aged considerably, his appearance matched exactly what was written about Roengrin in the books.
“Are you Roengrin, sir?”
[That’s right! I am Roengrin!]
He nodded vigorously, his face brightening with joy.
“But why are you here…?”
-Ah, now I understand.
As I was about to ask, Wrath exhaled a deep sigh while looking at Roengrin.
‘Understand what?’
-Now I finally comprehend why the cold aura in this place felt so familiar, and why his name rang a bell.
Wrath raised a finger, pointing directly at Roengrin.
-That wretch’s true name is Roenyello. He’s a servant to whom the True Demon King lent his power.
“Ah!”
My eyes widened at those words.
‘So that’s why the cold aura felt so familiar.’
The reason the cold aura in this place felt so natural, and why I could shatter the golem’s core with Glacial and find the passage—it all made sense now. Roengrin must have inherited Wrath’s cold aura.
‘If that’s the case…’
I gazed at Roengrin, my lips curling slightly.
A new target?
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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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