The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 266

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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 266

I gave the Gwangpung Order inspectors time for their meal before returning to the Annex Building.
I had intended to thank Ensia for crafting the Black Ring, but she was nowhere to be found.

“She’s been struck with inspiration since this morning and hasn’t left her room.”

Judith, who had come in Ensia’s stead, shook her head with a serene gaze.

“So there’s no need to verify its performance?”
“She seems quite confident.”
“I see. That means it’s flawless.”

The fact that she had retreated to her room without even hearing feedback on the Black Ring’s performance spoke volumes—she was utterly certain of the artifact’s capabilities and quality.
Though young in years, her skill and mindset had already transcended into the realm of a master craftsman.

“I have something to report.”

Just as I was about to ask Judith about the situation at the Central Intelligence Agency, she spoke first.

“The Central Intelligence Agency has issued orders to update your latest information.”
“Latest information?”
“Yes. Your injuries, new equipment, any hidden martial techniques, and your movements. The directive was to approach this carefully.”

She added that such detailed orders had been rare of late.

“Is that so?”

My lips curved upward. The sense of incongruity I had felt from Tias, Burren’s butler, was growing stronger—it might not have been mere intuition after all.

“How are things at the Central Intelligence Agency these days?”
“Quiet.”
“Quiet?”
“Karun Zigheart is away on a mission, so Gelmir Zigheart, the commander of the Jeonmadan, is temporarily running the Central Intelligence Agency. The atmosphere is far more subdued than usual. And that is…”

Her pupils sank deep like a bottomless well.

“The calm before the storm.”

I nodded and accepted Judith’s words.

“They’re preparing something behind the scenes. Or perhaps beneath the surface.”
“Yes. Internal information is being controlled, so I cannot ascertain the details, but the likelihood is high.”
“Information control, then….”

It was the first time Judith had mentioned information control. It seemed I needed to properly investigate Gelmir Zigheart.

“What kind of person is Gelmir?”
“A young powerhouse commanding the Jeonmadan, with combat prowess known to be at the intermediate Master level. He specializes in precise, swift thrusting swordplay, and earned the epithet ‘Storm Wind Blade’ across the Continent after severing the lord of Cheonmuseong.”

Judith exhaled softly and continued.

“His public image is equally impressive. He is merciful to allies but merciless to enemies, they say. However, his true nature is so ruthless that he would cut down even allies if they became obstacles. Many within the Central Intelligence Agency fear him.”
“I see.”

I clicked my tongue briefly.

‘Information control, Tias’s reaction, Gelmir’s true nature, and Burren’s exemption from training….’

When I combined all that information, an ominous chill ran down my spine.
While other things were strange, now that I thought about it, Burren’s exemption from training was the most peculiar.

‘That man wouldn’t easily skip training.’

It made no sense for Burren, the most conscientious member of the Gwangpung Unit, to miss training, and even if he were exempted, he should have come to explain it himself.

‘My thinking was shallow.’

I had let my guard down because Tias, Burren’s closest aide and the one who cared for him most, had come instead.

“You said internal information from the Central Intelligence Agency is being controlled?”
“Yes. It’s quite restricted. They’re being very cautious.”
“I have one request.”

I pointed to the golden pin tucked into my training clothes. It was one of the artifacts I had brought back from Roengrin’s Dungeon this time.

“I’ll give you information about this artifact. In exchange, find Burren’s location within the Central Intelligence Agency.”
“Information about an artifact would certainly be valuable, but why Lord Burren…?”
“It’s just my guess, but I think he’s probably struggling quite a bit right now.”

I turned away with a cold smile.

“He’s my subordinate now, so I should look after him.”

*

*

*

That night.
I looked down at the members of the Gwangpung Order gathered before Bekmang Mountain.
I smiled as I observed their eyes—a mixture of anger, fear, and irritation.

“The rules of survival are simple. You hide, I seek. When we meet, we fight. How’s that? Easy enough, right?”
“You stubborn bastard! How are we supposed to beat you!”

Martha gnashed her teeth as if the very idea was absurd, rushing forward with the intention of grabbing my collar.

“Raon the handsome. We can’t win.”

Lunan shook his head in defeat. He’d met Ensia yesterday, and now he’d started using that ridiculous phrase again.

“That’s right! How could we possibly defeat the Deputy Commander!”
“We couldn’t beat you even before you became a Master, and now you’re like a wall itself!”
“This is unreasonable!”

The members of the Gwangpung Order waved their fists in protest, insisting they had no chance of victory.

“Don’t worry. That’s not what I’m asking you to do.”

I chuckled and fastened the black rings around my wrists and ankles.

“I’ll wear the Black Ring, and you’ll take yours off. In other words, I’ll find you without using aura. Does that work?”
“Oh, you won’t use aura?”
“Really?”
“W-well then, that’s doable!”

The Gwangpung Order swallowed hard, saying there was a chance.

“Wait! There’s more!”

Martha stepped forward with a frown.

“What about during combat? You’re not going to suddenly take off the bracelet and attack, are you?”
“Of course I’ll fight like this.”
“Good! Then it’s worth doing. I’ll smash that smug face of yours!”

Martha bit her lip and raised her fists.

“Me too! I’ve been so frustrated lately!”
“I’ve been rolling around on the ground all day!”
“Ugh, I absolutely can’t stand it!”

All the members of the Gwangpung Order gnashed their teeth in anger.

“Anyone who isn’t found by me or manages to defeat me will get tomorrow off.”
“Gasp!”
“A day off!”
“I’m definitely going to hide! I’ll dig a tunnel if I have to!”

At the mention of a day off, the faces of the Gwangpung Order members flushed red. Their motivation to hide or attack reached its peak.

Lunan Slion stared blankly up at Bekmang Mountain, indifferent to it all.

“I’ll start moving in an hour. Let’s go!”

Raon grinned and clapped his hands. Having seen Rimer so often, I found myself clapping without thinking at moments like these.

“Let’s gooooo!”
“I won’t stop today until I find him!”
“I’m going to knock Raon down! When else will I get to hit that annoying face!”

The Gwangpung Order members shouted in unison and rushed up the mountain. Since they hadn’t used their aura during today’s training, they were struggling to contain their overflowing energy.

I turned around, listening to the sound of the swordsmen climbing the mountain.
The Gwangpung Order members weren’t fools either, so they only shouted at first before climbing the mountain in complete silence.

“This should be fun, don’t you think?”
-Hmph! What’s so entertaining about children’s games?
“Since I promised them a day off tomorrow, they’ll give it their all and struggle desperately. Don’t you think there’s a certain pleasure in crushing that hope?”
-Krrr!

Wrath let out an exclamation as if he’d downed a beer in one shot.

-Such wickedness that even the True Demon King wouldn’t have conceived! You truly are….
‘Here we go again.’

I pushed away Wrath, who was trying to cling to me, and closed my eyes. An hour is a long time. Instead of using aura, I spent the time honing my swordsmanship through meditation.

“Time’s up.”

I opened my eyes after an hour and five minutes had passed, then approached the mountain.

“Not bad at all.”

Some had used footwork techniques to move quickly, but most had dampened their footsteps and erased their traces as they climbed. I smiled, pleased with the results of my teaching.

‘Though that doesn’t mean I can’t find them.’

When searching a mountain, you shouldn’t only look at the ground. There were plenty of clues without examining footprints—bent branches and leaves, scents carried on the wind, the psychology of people moving along mountain paths.

‘Quite a few moved to the right.’

From the traces on the ground and branches, it looked like more than eight people had moved to the right.

‘I should handle this direction first.’

I confirmed the direction of the traces and ran in that direction.

‘The traces are getting clearer.’

Unlike the base of the mountain, once we crossed the midpoint, the traces became blatantly pointing toward the hill.

‘Their intentions are crystal clear.’

I chuckled and began ascending the hill, when practice swords came raining down from both sides and the trees above.

“Give it to us!”
“Hand over the vacation!”
“Give it back!”
“You’re dead!”

The hidden swordsmen of Gwangpung Unit Squad 3 shrieked as they brought their practice swords down upon me.
Their positioning, timing, and reaction speed were all excellent. Of course, one peculiar word bothered me.

“A solid ambush.”

I smiled gently and stepped forward.

Whoooosh!

With that single step, their swords cut through empty air, and I seized the opening to strike the abdomens of two swordsmen on my right.

“Gahhh!”
“Ugh!”

Though they’d only taken a punch to the stomach, the swordsmen couldn’t get up, foam flecking their lips.

“Hey! What are you doing!”
“It’s not even a sword—it’s a fist!”
“I can’t get up.”

I shook my head and stepped forward. I hadn’t used aura, but I’d released all restraints on my strength and agility—they absolutely couldn’t rise.

“Ngh!”
“This… this can’t be real!”
“He can’t use aura! If we all rush him together, we can win!”

With Burren absent, Crain, the vice-captain of Squad 3, rallied everyone and charged forward.

Clang!

I deflected five training swords aimed at my waist with light strikes from the back of my hand and shoulder.

“Don’t just follow your eyes. Sense. Deploy your aura at full capacity to gauge the distance and position of your opponent!”

After deflecting all the blades extending like rose thorns, I threw punches at each one.

Boom boom boom boom boom!

The Gwangpung Unit’s third squad rolled across the ground under the barrage of punches. Only the vice-captain, Crain, remained.

“H-how is this possible…?”

Crain’s teeth chattered as he stumbled backward. His eyes swung like a pendulum in disbelief.

“You said ‘die’ earlier, didn’t you?”
“M-me? That can’t be!”
“No, I heard it clearly. That’s why I saved you for last.”

I smiled and rotated my wrist.

“W-wait!”
“You’re getting a lot more hits.”
“Aaaahhh!”

*

*

*

I had returned to the foot of the mountain, and before me, the Gwangpung Unit’s swordsmen knelt on the ground, rubbing their bruised bodies.

Martha had openly challenged me to a one-on-one duel and got thoroughly beaten, while Lunan had hidden the longest but eventually had his position exposed and surrendered.

“It was impossible from the start for you, who haven’t properly learned reconnaissance and concealment, to avoid being detected by me.”

I made eye contact with the Gwangpung Unit and raised my finger.

“So what should we do?”
“We need to prepare for combat from the start.”

Martha rubbed her bruised jaw and frowned.

“Correct. That’s where the difference lies—in how you fight.”

I nodded and continued.

“Once I reach Master rank, my body and senses will elevate to another level. Even if you all use aura, I’ll still have the advantage. So how should you fight against such a warrior?”
“Just charge in and beat them!”
“Ambush them!”
“Surround them with numbers!”

The first answer was naturally Martha’s. The Gwangpung Order each offered their own answers, but none of them were correct.

“There is no correct answer.”
“No correct answer?”
“What? How can that be!”
“I’m serious.”

I smiled faintly as I watched the Gwangpung Order’s confusion.

“Geography, timing, circumstances—they all change depending on the situation, so there’s no correct answer. But there is a solution: concentration. In that moment, think hard enough that your head splits about which method will help you endure longer, how to fight to bring down your opponent. Focus with everything you have.”

I gazed down at the Gwangpung Order, my eyes burning with intensity.

“Since you won’t know when I’ll find you or how I’ll fight, maintain peak concentration from the moment you depart. Always keep your mind sharp, holding tight to the thread of tension so you can initiate favorable combat. I keep saying it—concentration. Maintain peak concentration throughout this training.”

At my words, everyone in the Gwangpung Order swallowed hard and clenched their fists. I could feel the intensity gathering in their eyes.

“If you understand, head out. Round 2 begins.”
“Yes!”

The swordsmen didn’t complain like before. Humbled by their defeat against me despite lacking aura, and moved by the inspiring advice, they steeled their resolve and quietly climbed the mountain.

I watched the Gwangpung Order carefully ascend the mountain, then turned around. Rather than heading up the mountain, I walked toward the Training Ground.

—Hmm? Where are you going?

Wrath, who had been yawning on my shoulder, tilted his head.

‘The Training Ground.’
-Aren’t you going up that mountain?
‘Why would I go there?’
-Wait, didn’t you just tell those kids to climb it?’
‘I told them to climb it. I never said I was going.’
-Uh, well….

He gaped, clearly not having considered such a possibility.

‘What those kids need right now is time to maintain their focus.’

I turned back and smirked.

‘Since they won’t know when I’ll return, they’ll keep their tension and concentration sharp. It’ll be grueling, certainly, but they’ll grow tremendously in that short span.’

To be honest, it wouldn’t just be grueling—it would be torturous—but that’s precisely why they’d grow so much.

‘Now I need to train myself.’

I shrugged and grasped the hilt of the Heavenly Sword.

-No matter how I look at it, you’re not human!

Wrath’s jaw trembled.

-That’s not how a human thinks!
‘Then I guess I’m not human.’
-You admitted it! You finally admitted it! Excellent! On the royal road the True Demon King will lay out for….
‘I’m not interested.’

*

*

*

I returned to the 5th Training Ground and closed my eyes. I slowly drew up the Ring of Fire and the Thousand Circles, warming my entire mana circuit with fiery energy before drawing the Heavenly Sword.

Roooaaarrr!

A tremendous heat so intense it warped the very air itself flowed across my entire body like pebbles brushed by river water.

Sizzzzle!

The fine sand covering the ground blackened and charred, wisps of gray smoke curling upward.

‘So this is the Inferno Flame Wall.’

The Inferno Flame Wall was a defensive technique that, when forced to take a direct hit, raised the heat of one’s entire body to incinerate the opponent’s aura.

‘As expected, the Inferno Flame Art has plenty of useful techniques.’

Upon reaching Master rank, the martial techniques of the Inferno Flame Art’s Hundred Flowers newly crystallized in my mind. Until now, I had kept my distance while creating and developing my own techniques, but now that I had the leisure, it was time to properly master them.

Whoooosh!

I transferred the Inferno Flame Art’s energy enveloping my body to the Celestial Sword. I sliced the scorching flame-infused aura flowing across the blade into a thin line, then drew a single stroke.

Flaaaash!

The sand on the ground withered under the line of heat flowing from the blade, and the space began to distort as if shimmering with heat haze.

This was the Crimson Severance.

Opposite to the Inferno Flame Wall, it was a destructive technique that added overwhelming firepower to the aura to shatter an opponent’s defense.

I slowly drew the sword downward. Though the sand floor split black and sharp crevices formed, the sand piled on either side did not collapse inward. The heat of the Crimson Severance seemed to melt even the surrounding air itself.

‘Not bad.’

Against opponents of equal or lesser strength, it would be absolutely impossible to defend against, and it could even pierce through the defenses of those ranked above me—truly astounding power.

‘Though the aura consumption is considerable.’

Both the Inferno Flame Wall and the Crimson Severance, being techniques of the Inferno Flame Art’s Hundred Flowers, consumed far more aura than basic swordsmanship. They were excellent techniques, but it seemed wise to choose carefully when to use them.

I smiled with satisfaction and proceeded to unfold and examine the martial techniques I had already mastered and those I could still learn.

I lost myself in concentration, unfolding my swordsmanship, and before I knew it, dawn was breaking.

‘I need to go find them now.’
-What object are you talking about!

Wrath let out an exasperated sigh as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

‘Objects? They’re my valued subordinates.’

I had neglected them. No, I had been training the Gwangpung Order members, so I retrieved the Heavenly Sword to summon them. I turned around to head up Bekmang Mountain, and there was Judith standing in front of the Training Ground with a lunch basket in her hands.

“I greet you, Young Master.”

Judith bowed slightly, bending her knees, then stepped forward.

“What brings you here at dawn?”
“I thought you might be training, so I prepared some refreshments.”

She stood before me with a faint smile—one she didn’t usually wear. It meant she had something to say.

“Ah, thank you. Let’s go this way.”

I smiled and entered the Rest Room with Judith. I spread out a barrier to prevent sound from escaping.

“What’s the matter?”
“Information has arrived.”
“Already?”
“It seemed urgent, so I looked into it rather quickly.”

She nodded, her eyes clear and composed.

“First, this is my prediction. Please keep that in mind as you listen.”
“Go ahead.”
“Burren Zigheart hasn’t been seen in any Training Ground within the Central Intelligence Agency. He’s said to be somewhere inside the building, but no one has actually witnessed him. Meanwhile, Gelmir has been spotted here and there. And there’s one more person who hasn’t been seen.”
“Who is that?”
“Ollan. He’s one of the squad leaders of the Jeonmadan and a master swordsman. However, he has one more specialty besides the sword.”
“A specialty?”
“Yes. Brainwashing.”

Judith’s expression darkened slightly as she continued.

“It’s not a simple method of inflicting physical pain, but rather a brainwashing technique that uses words and mild drugs to shock the mind, leaving no external traces. The weak brainwashing that was placed on me followed the same method.”

Though Raon’s killing intent had erased that brainwashing, her former self had also been subjected to the same type of brainwashing that Ollan appeared to be using.

“So what you’re saying is….”
“Yes. It may not be certain, but there’s a high probability that Ollan is brainwashing Burren Zigheart.”
“That’s practically a certainty.”

I furrowed my brow. Though she’d said it might not be the case, her eyes held absolute conviction.

“Is Gelmir Zigheart really capable of imprisoning his own brother?”
“I believe he is.”
“Sigh… I’m probably the reason why, aren’t I?”
“….”

Judith didn’t answer. Her silence meant she couldn’t be certain, but that made her previous predictions all the more credible.

“The Ropens-style brainwashing that Ollan uses takes about a week to ten days to complete. After that, he continues to summon them regularly for additional reinforcement until the brainwashing is perfect.”
“Ten days….”

I nodded. I remembered Tias mentioning that he wouldn’t be able to participate in training for ten days.

-It’s certain then.
‘Yes, it’s certain.’

I didn’t need to hear anything more. Tias knew the situation but came to the Training Ground under coercion, left with no choice. His unusual behavior was a desperate plea for me to find Burren Zigheart.

“What do you intend to do?”
“The Central Intelligence Agency only has basic troops and the Jeonmadan there right now, correct?”
“Yes. Since Karun left to deal with the Barbarians, those are the only forces remaining.”
“That’s perfect.”

I smirked and nodded.

“The Jeonmadan would make excellent training material for the Gwangpung Unit.”
“Y-you’re planning to attack the Central Intelligence Agency?”
“That’s right. Our people are about to go mad otherwise.”

Raon gazed up at Bekmang Mountain with a cool smile.

“They’ll be able to bite quite well.”
-That’s because of you, isn’t it! I’m sure those bastards want to bite you even more!
‘Even a mad dog doesn’t bite its master.’

Just as I was about to push Wrath away, a thunderous explosion erupted from the inner Cultivation Chamber.

“Huh?”

I immediately left the Rest Room. The area in front of the Cultivation Chamber was engulfed in dust, and through the haze, Rimer emerged with his red hair disheveled and scattered.

“What…?”

What’s wrong with that guy now….

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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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