The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 260

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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 260

Rimer stared at the artificial dantian, two types of elixirs, and the bracelet artifact laid before him, swallowing hard.

‘An artificial dantian and elixirs capable of restoring the mana circuit….’

Could it be that with these, I could return to how I was before?

The thought of repairing my dantian—which leaked aura like a bottomless vessel—and having the wounds in my mana circuit disappear, those agonizing stabs of pain that struck whenever I channeled aura, made my heart pound violently.

“Mm….”

Yet my hand did not reach out hastily. Regardless of whether Raon’s words were true—whether I could truly return to my former self—I questioned whether I deserved to take this artificial dantian and these elixirs.

‘The elixir the Lord gave me must be for my sake.’

The tears of Sheti that Burren brought from the Branch were surely an elixir Glen had prepared in advance. There’s no harm in consuming that. No, it’s only right to find its true owner.

‘But.’

Rimer exhaled softly and gazed at the artificial dantian and the Spirit Restoration Elixir.

‘These two are different.’

The artificial dantian and Spirit Restoration Elixir were items Raon had risked his life to obtain from the dungeon. Since there was one other person in Zigheart who could use them besides myself, I could not simply claim them.

‘This bastard….’

I slowly lifted my head to look at Raon. His crimson eyes, steady as the moon rising in the night sky without the slightest tremor, drew a hollow laugh from me.

‘Is he testing me?’

Sylvia, Raon’s mother, also had a damaged dantian and mana circuit. If she had this artificial dantian and elixir, she too could live a new life, yet he was entrusting them to me—I could not comprehend it.

‘No, setting that aside….’

Rimer closed his eyes. Recalling the Gwangpung Order swordsmen, whom I had seen countless times and could now read their emotions and thoughts from their eyes alone, I let out a quiet chuckle.

‘If I start over, I won’t be able to protect these people.’

Reclaiming my former realm using the artificial core was undoubtedly a joyous prospect. Even now, I could feel my heart racing with anticipation.

Yet restoring my former power would demand considerable time. No matter how high one’s cultivation had reached, rebuilding one’s aura from scratch was an entirely different matter.

Rimer slowly opened his eyes. He gazed at his disciples one by one—faces identical to those he had envisioned moments before—and offered a faint smile.

‘I cannot betray those who trusted and followed me.’

It was regrettable, certainly, but unavoidable. I was not yet ready to entrust these children to another’s care.

‘Just a little longer.’

I wished to remain by their side for just a little while more.

I wanted to see Lunan smile radiantly, to witness Burren earn Karun’s recognition, to see Martha complete her vengeance and find peace.

And…

Finally, I turned to face Raon, whose eyes still burned with quiet intensity.

‘I want to see this one become the king of Zigheart.’

Though it would likely prove impossible.

Rimer gazed into Raon’s eyes and settled his resolve. If there were no one else to fill the role, this concession would benefit everyone.

“Listen! When will you rebuild your aura? This is tedious—I’m just taking the elixirs. I’ll put this artificial core and the other elixirs up for auction and split the profits with you…”

I shook my head vigorously in refusal.

“Instead, this artificial core and the other elixirs will go to auction, and we’ll split the money fifty-fifty…”

Rimer chuckled softly and reached toward the elixirs when Raon seized his wrist.

“R-Raon?”
“Is this truly your choice, Unit Master?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking whether this decision truly comes from your own heart right now.”
“Ah….”

Words failed me beneath those crimson eyes that seemed to pierce through my very soul.

**

*

I narrowed my eyes while gripping Rimer’s wrist.

‘He’s giving the answer I expected.’

On the way back to Doran Village, I had already anticipated how Rimer would respond.
Though he appeared carefree on the surface, his heart carried weight that few could match—so his reaction was entirely predictable.

‘He’ll try to use the elixir to restore only his mana circuits, to protect us.’

After Rimer used the artificial dantian, it would take considerable time to recover his former realm. During that period, the current Gwangpung Unit alone wouldn’t be enough to fight, so he had likely intended to consume the elixir and restore only his mana circuits.

‘He must have thought of Mother as well.’

Sylvia’s dantian was also shattered. Rimer had surely yielded because he hoped she would use both the artificial dantian and the elixir.

But Rimer was mistaken about both of them.

“R-Raon? My wrist is burning….”

Rimer grimaced, pointing to his reddened wrist.

“Are you truly going to choose the elixir?”
“No, I’m getting old too. When would I ever build up my aura? It’s troublesome.”
“That’s not the issue here.”

I shook my head without releasing Rimer’s wrist.

“Two things, then?”
“Huh…?”

Rimer’s eyes widened at my mention of two things.

“First, let me be clear: these two items cannot heal our mother.”
“What do you mean…”
“A shattered dantian can be replaced with an artificial one, but the mana circuits cannot be restored even with a Spirit Recovery Pill.”

If Rimer’s mana circuits were like a hose that had dried out from overuse with tears scattered throughout, then Sylvia’s mana circuits were like a hose that had been cut in the middle with scissors—water could no longer flow through it at all.
Even a Spirit Recovery Pill, which restored mana circuit conditions, could not mend Sylvia’s circuits.

‘Not now.’

To reconnect her mana circuits, I would need to reveal the formula for the Spirit Recovery Pill to the Saint and improve its efficacy.

“That’s…”
“And second.”

I released Rimer’s wrist and pointed to the Gwangpung Order behind me.

“We are strong. No—we will become strong enough never to lose to anyone. I will wait here, so follow the call of your heart, Master Rimer.”

Rimer was a martial artist—one who had reached the highest realm of swordsmanship. One could never ascend to such heights without loving the way of the blade, so he must surely desire the recovery of his dantian more than anyone.
He had simply endured, holding back for the sake of the Gwangpung Order and in hopes of Sylvia’s recovery.

“Y-yes, that’s right! We can endure!”
“You always think about yielding. That’s why you lose at gambling!”
“Right.”

Burren, Martha, and Lunan also noticed Rimer’s thoughts and nodded.

“Master! Aren’t you underestimating us?”
“We’ll be waiting here, so come back fully recovered!”
“You’re the one who gathered us together, Master! You have to believe in us!”

The members of the Gwangpung Order shook their fists and cried out for him to trust them.

“Master’s Sword Realm Manifestation.”

I scraped the floor with my hand and met Rimer’s gaze directly.

“You said it was created without straining the dantian, designed for fighting the strong, didn’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“The fuel that maintains that Sword Realm is your life force, Master. Life force that consumes your lifespan.”
“How did you… how could you possibly know that….”

Rimer’s lips trembled slightly.

“We don’t want to see you make such a sacrifice.”

I clenched my teeth as I met his wavering green eyes.

“Please live properly.”
“Master!”

The Gwangpung Order behind me bowed their heads with the same conviction in their hearts.

“Good grief….”

Rimer covered his eyes with his hand and let out a hollow laugh. After his shoulders trembled for a long while, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Can you really survive without me?”
“Of course.”

I nodded firmly.

‘I won’t let anyone die.’

Never.

The Gwangpung Order is my second family, after the Annex Building. I will give everything I have to save them all.

“Right. If a master doesn’t trust his disciple, who will?”

Rimer spoke the word “disciple” for the first time in a long while and lowered his hand from his eyes. A vivid light flickered in his leaf-green irises.

“The artificial dantian and the spirit medicine… I’ll select them all….”

Before he could reach out, I grabbed the artificial core first.

“Huh?”

Rimer’s mouth fell open as he grasped at empty air.

“W-why all of a sudden…?”
“I will give it to you, but first we need to check whether this artificial core can be duplicated before using it.”

According to Roengrin’s words, it would be difficult, but there was a chance, so I wanted to verify it.

“Ensia will be coming to Zigheart soon, so I’ll ask her first before giving it to you. For now, Master Rimer, put on the bracelet and use Sheti’s tears to restore your mana circuits.”

I placed the artificial core back into my possession after finishing those words.

“Y-you should’ve said so earlier! I was all ready for this! How can you just take it away!”
“Now that I think about it, it’s safer to do this back at the clan. And it’s better to check and use the artificial core properly.”
“Ugh! You’re supposed to give it here! I got all excited! I was looking forward to it!”

Rimer threw himself on the ground like a child, thrashing about in frustration.

-Hmm!

Wrath, sitting on my shoulder, nodded his head vigorously as if impressed.

-A mockery befitting the Demon King of Mischief! Truly, you are suited for the Demon Realm…
‘That’s not it.’

*

*

*

After helping Rimer recover his mana circuits with Sheti’s tears, I climbed to the top of the Spire in the center of Doran Village.

From atop the modest tower, Doran Village was the very picture of peace. Smiles adorned the faces of its people, and their conversations were filled with warmth and hope.
I felt reassured knowing that I had protected their peace, preserved the warmth of this place.

‘I was lucky.’

It was dangerous this time too.

Because I met Garam, I could learn Tiller’s true form, and thanks to Rimer blocking for me, I survived against Demon King Roman, and because Roengrin was Wrath’s servant, I was able to secure the Artificial Core and the Spirit Flowing Ring.
There wasn’t much I accomplished on my own.

‘I can’t fight like this going forward.’

When I first faced Demon King Roman, fear blossomed in my chest.

Not that I would die, but that others might.

I was terrified that the Gwangpung Order—my family and comrades—would die, that Rimer, my foolish but excellent teacher, would die, that Garam, who had only just begun to live alongside his own kind, would die.

It was fortunate that I encountered Roman, someone I could reason with. Had I fought against Eden or the White Blood Cult’s Grand Master, Rimer would have perished, and the Gwangpung Order would likely have been annihilated.

“Sigh….”

I bit down hard on my lips.

‘It’s terrifying.’

Standing above others.

In my past life, I was an executive of Shadow, but I never cared for my comrades the way I do now.
I was raised as a hunting dog where fear didn’t exist—whether my subordinates died or I died, as long as the mission was accomplished, it was over.

But now it’s different. Because I’ve witnessed the lives of the Gwangpung Order swordsmen beside me, because I know what kind of person Rimer is, I don’t want a single one of them to die.

‘The way to save everyone is simple.’

Become stronger.

I must grow stronger through faster and higher-quality training and combat than before.

“That too….”

I gripped the blade of the Heavenly Sword tightly.

‘Not just me, but all of us.’

Just as I had told Rimer, it wasn’t only I who needed to grow—the entire Gwangpung Order had to strengthen.

We had to build our power and accumulate experience so that we could overcome any enemy and escape any situation we faced.

‘If only we had been stronger this time, the Unit Leader wouldn’t have been hurt.’

The reason Rimer had pushed himself so hard was because the Gwangpung Order was weaker than the Nambuk Alliance.

If I had defeated Rector and the Gwangpung Order had crushed the Ill Fortune’s subordinates, Rimer wouldn’t have needed to overextend himself, and we could have driven Roman away. All of this had happened because the Gwangpung Order was weak.

I turned to look back at the Gwangpung Order’s Dormitory behind me and offered a faint smile.

‘It’s good that they rest well here.’

Once we returned, they wouldn’t be able to sleep.

I resolved to undergo bone-grinding training to prepare for the life-or-death confrontation with the Demon King in three years, and to push the Gwangpung Order members beyond their limits as well.

‘Steel grows stronger the more it’s struck.’

I could already hear the Gwangpung Order’s groans in my mind, and laughter escaped me naturally.

‘And that person too will be—’
-Hmph!

As I smiled, Wrath burst forth from the ice flower bracelet and let out a snort of derision.

-If one could grow stronger through mere thought, there would be no weaklings in this world.
‘That’s why I’m going to put in the effort.’
-Effort is not what matters; what you do is what matters. From what the True Demon King has observed, your limits and those of your servants are abundantly clear.

He pulled at his cheeks and stretched his mouth wide as he cackled.

-I can see it now. Your pathetic form begging the True Demon King for aid because you lack the protection of that old fool! The sight of it is already vivid before my eyes!

Wrath did a little shoulder dance, saying he could inject even more rage into this.

-The day your body falls into the True Demon King’s hands is drawing near….
Uuuuoooong!

As Wrath’s laughter deepened, a violent vibration erupted from the Soul Reaper Sword.

“Hm?”

The moment I grasped the Soul Reaper Sword’s hilt, a message materialized before my eyes.

[The Soul Reaper Sword has purified a vast amount of blood essence.]
[The Soul Reaper Sword offers the purified blood essence to you.]

From my left hand gripping the Soul Reaper Sword, waves of pristine energy surged inward.

Goooooooh!

The largest quantity of blood essence I had ever obtained—energy so refined it could rival natural mana itself—flooded in, and a shiver cascaded down my spine.

‘Insane.’

The purified blood essence correlates with both the quantity and quality of the absorbed essence. Having slain the Apostles and the Archbishop and consumed all their blood essence, it was only natural that the purified essence surpassed anything I’d experienced before.

Uuuuoooong!

The pristine energy the Soul Reaper Sword granted me circulated through my mana pathways following the incantations of Manwha-gong and Glassia, finally settling in my dantian.
Only after my dantian—grown through reaching Master rank—pulsed once could it fully accept the influx.

[All stat points increase by 10.]
[The trait 【Demonic Adaptation】 rises to 4-star rank.]
[The trait 【Ambush】 rises to 4-star rank.]

-Wh-what?! Why now?! Of all times, why now?!

Wrath’s eyes widened like lanterns as he stared at the messages. His trembling pupils reflected sheer alarm.

-Ugh! You must be listening to the True Demon King’s words! From the timing, there’s no way you’re not….

He shrieked that it was impossible, but the surprises were far from over.

There was one more message remaining.

[A new ability has been generated in the Soul Reaper Sword.]
-Yaaaaaaah!

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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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