The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 27

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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 27

“Haah!”

Burren Zigheart cycled through the forms of the Lightning Fist before exhaling roughly.

‘This isn’t easy.’

The second stage, True Victory Fist, had been learned at the Main Mansion, so I passed through it without difficulty. But mastering the third stage, Lightning Fist, was proving far more challenging.

It was a martial art that blended advanced subtleties with fundamental techniques, making it difficult to learn.

‘Still, I should be able to finish it by next week.’

Thanks to solidifying the foundations of martial arts while at the Main Mansion, my form was gradually improving. Since I’d been training in Lightning Fist for over two weeks now, I could pass through it within the next week.

‘Again then.’

Burren Zigheart clenched his teeth and began training in Lightning Fist once more.

He repeated the martial art until the taste of blood filled his mouth and his training clothes clung to his body with sweat, then corrected his posture.

Whoosh!

As I was slowly circulating my breath, a sharp whistling sound came from the right. Turning my head, a beautiful girl with long black hair was wielding a training sword with fierce intensity.

‘Martha Zigheart.’

Martha had finished her hand techniques long ago and was the first to move on to swordplay.

Perfect posture and flawless form. Her swordplay was at a level that commanded admiration. Her personality was insufferable, but I couldn’t deny her skill.

‘But….’

There was something odd about it.

Martha’s progress was faster than anyone else in the Training Ground, and her skill was the finest. All the instructors were taken aback.

Yet her expression held not a shred of ease.

She wielded her sword with an expression brimming with irritation and tension, as though a ravenous beast prowled at her heels.

‘I suppose she has no choice.’

Burren Zigheart furrowed his brow and turned his head in the opposite direction. He was there.

Raon Zigheart.

With such a monster behind her—one who grasped the form of the Seven Fists Technique in a single day and completed the True Victory Technique in merely ten days—she couldn’t afford to relax.

It was absurd, but at this very moment, Raon was training in the Lightning Strike Technique, just as I was.

Whoosh!

As Raon’s fist shot forward, the air warped with a sound like thunder, and the ground of the Training Ground trembled beneath his rolling feet.

The subtle essence of the Lightning Fist technique was unmistakably woven into his every movement and stance.

‘A monster.’

I had grown up hearing whispers of genius and monstrosity from those around me, but I never imagined I’d be directing such words at someone else.

‘How is this even possible?’

Before becoming a trainee, I spent a month mastering the Trembling Fist technique, yet only after three additional days of training could I begin the Lightning Fist.

‘Even then, people called me fast.’

A month of training earned me praise for being exceptional, yet Raon had caught up to that level in merely ten days. And it wasn’t just the form—he had already grasped the true essence and woven it into his technique.

‘At this rate…’

It seemed he would transition to swordsmanship around the same time I did.

“Sigh…”

Burren Zigheart exhaled deeply. In truth, what astonished me as I observed Raon was far more than his talent alone.

‘His effort and resolve.’

I had never once failed to give my all during training. Frigid breath escaped my lips as my entire body drenched itself in sweat.

Even to an outside observer, my physical state had deviated far from normal, yet I abandoned no training whatsoever.

People speak easily of giving their all, of persevering to the end, but few actually achieve it.

‘But I do.’

Each time, I exhausted everything I possessed to pour my utmost effort into training.

I wielded the method Rimer had spoken of—surpassing my own limits to achieve the fastest growth in skill—more efficiently than anyone else in this Training Ground.

‘Astonish me every time.’

Even though I regarded him as an enemy, admiration welled up unbidden. He embodied the Zigheart name more than anyone else in this Training Ground.

“Burren Zigheart. Your hands have stopped. If you need rest, go to the Rest Area!”

“No, sir. I’ll continue.”

At the instructor’s shout, Burren Zigheart bowed his head. He exhaled deeply, letting the flood of thoughts drain from his mind.

‘Right. This isn’t the time for that.’

He renewed his vow never to lose to Raon. He had to learn from his resolve and give his all in every moment.

Crack!

Burren focused his mind and extended his tightly clenched fist.

*

*

*

Whoosh!

Martha’s hand, which had been slashing her sword with fervent intensity as if an enemy stood before her, came to a halt. She exhaled softly and gripped the blade tighter.

‘How irritating.’

Despite being the only one wielding a sword in this Training Ground, an unbearable frustration welled up inside her.

‘This is all because of….’

Martha bit her lip and turned her gaze. She could see him—the one exhaling white breath as he threw punches.

Raon Zigheart. The moment she saw him, her chest felt suffocatingly tight.

‘He’s already entered Lightning Fist.’

While she had been advancing in sword techniques, Raon had already mastered both fist methods and begun training in Lightning Fist.

If he had prior knowledge of fist methods like Burren or Lunan Slion, it would be one thing. But to achieve such rapid progress starting from scratch was simply absurd.

‘Damn it….’

The thrilling talent chasing from behind. The fear of losing the lead at any moment suffocated me.

‘That position was mine.’

Ever since being adopted into the Zigheart family, I had always been the one chasing others.

I had surpassed the Direct Line and Branch Family members who boasted of their genius and pretended to be superior, mocking their despair.

‘But….’

Now that the roles had reversed, I realized how terrifying it was to be the one being chased.

Whoosh!

Martha brought her sword down, trying to erase Raon’s ever-growing presence.

The blade of her training sword, laden with frustration, tore through the empty air.

She swung her sword again and again until the sun hanging at its zenith descended to the western hills.

“Huff….”

Martha exhaled a long breath and lowered her sword. After swinging it all day, the frustration that had been suffocating her had subsided somewhat.

But the moment she glanced to her right, her brow furrowed again. Raon’s martial arts were still advancing at this very moment.

‘Does that damned bastard never tire?’

Training all day while maintaining extreme concentration—I’d never seen such relentless obsession, even among the most stubborn fools. This was a type of human I’d never encountered during my time in the back alleys.

Tsk.

Martha Zigheart confirmed the sun had set, then turned and left the Training Ground.

“You’ve worked hard, Miss.”

“Mm.”

Camel, the butler waiting at the door, bowed his head. I lacked the energy to respond with words, so I simply nodded.

“Miss.”

Camel quickened his pace to match mine as he called out.

“There’s no need to be so anxious.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Everyone has forgotten his weaknesses in light of his recent remarkable displays, but Young Master Raon carries a significant flaw.”

Camel glanced toward the Training Ground where shouts of exertion echoed, then smiled knowingly.

“Are you talking about his illness? That bastard is stubborn enough to ignore pain entirely.”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

“Young Master Raon has the lowest level of talent when it comes to aura.”

“What?”

“You wouldn’t know since you were adopted before the aptitude test, but Young Master Raon’s mana sensitivity came out at the lowest level in the evaluation.”

Camel pointed to his dantian and smiled faintly.

“Isn’t Young Master Raon the only one in the 5th Training Ground who hasn’t mastered aura?”

“That’s right.”

Martha nodded. All the trainees who had learned the Linden cultivation method two months ago had successfully established aura in their dantians.

Among the trainees, Raon was the only one who hadn’t mastered aura, just as Camel said.

“The cultivation methods obtainable through the same rank are at best intermediate to upper-intermediate level—slightly superior to Linden. Yet seeing that he still hasn’t mastered the technique, his mana talent must be at the lowest level, just as the aptitude test showed.”

“Ah!”

“No matter how talented one is in swordsmanship and martial arts, without sufficient talent for aura, one cannot become a true warrior.”

Camel shook his head with a benevolent smile.

“I see.”

Martha curled up the corners of her mouth and nodded.

‘I simply lack talent for aura.’

I had forgotten this truth, so dazzled was I by Raon’s extraordinary martial talent. Yet even now, he remained unable to master aura.

There was a saying: a warrior weak in aura talent was incomplete. Raon Zigheart was a half-formed warrior, blessed entirely with martial technique and nothing else.

“Hehe.”

Laughter escaped me unbidden. The anxiety that had gnawed at me through sleepless hours evaporated in an instant.

“Needless worry. I wasted my concern on someone beneath my notice.”

Martha walked toward the Direct Line Training Ground with the lightness of one who had shed a heavy burden, while Camel followed behind her, wearing a smile so faint it bordered on incomprehensible.

*

*

*

I never ceased my training. I moved without pause, driving the essence and flow of Thunderbolt Fist deeper into my body and spirit with each repetition.

Cold sweat trickled down my back, and white breath like snow poured from my lips. To any observer, exhaustion was plain. Yet my face shone as though facing the sun itself.

“Hah.”

I moistened my parched lips and smiled faintly.

‘This is becoming increasingly enjoyable.’

Every movement the instructor demonstrated was etched into my mind without a single millimeter of deviation, and that flow and form were reproduced through my body.

I had never realized that learning martial arts could be this pleasurable.

‘Of course it is.’

In my past life, I didn’t learn martial arts—only survival and killing techniques. My growth was solely in methods of taking lives.

Expanding my aura and training the Assassin’s Blade were not for my own advancement, but to sever the breath of my enemies.

Even if my body was crushed and mangled, I carved only the methods to kill my enemies into flesh and spirit.

But now it is different.

The Seven-Form Fist, the True Victory Fist, the Lightning Fist—though merely fundamental martial techniques, simply learning and mastering them made my heart swell with pride.

‘Because this is growth for myself.’

Training not to kill someone, not to follow someone’s orders, but for my own sake—even through the hardship, I could only laugh.

‘Even pain is bearable.’

In terms of suffering alone, the chill from the mana circuit makes this more agonizing than my past life. Yet the exhilaration of growth kept my body moving without pause.

The ring of fire spun fiercely, grasping the flow of martial arts and strengthening my body.

Feeling not just my fist technique but my body and spirit growing as well, training became nothing but a joy.

-Such basic flailing—what do you intend to accomplish with it? If you simply surrender your body to me, I shall place you at the pinnacle of the Continent this very moment.

‘Without my will behind it, such power means nothing.’

Blindly following another’s commands was sufficient in my past life. I had no need for ultimate strength obtained by surrendering my body.

-How foolish. A weakling like you could struggle for a lifetime and never reach that height….

‘Hmph.’

My mood was so refreshed that even Wrath’s nonsense drew laughter from me.

Crack!

I used Wrath’s words as a rhythm, unfolding the stances of the Lightning Fist in sequence. Through training, I seemed to be gradually learning what joy truly felt like.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As I threw my fists with all my strength and paused to catch my breath, one of the trainees approached and bowed his head.

“Um, excuse me, senior. Would it be alright if I asked you one thing?”

“What is it?”

“The final stance of the Tremor Fist—I’m having trouble with it….”

“Spread your right foot a bit wider. Your legs aren’t balanced.”

The moment I saw the trainee’s stance, I identified the problem.

“Ah! Thank you!”

The trainee bowed and stepped back. Understanding immediately, they corrected the pointed flaw and assumed the proper stance.

“Wow, fixed in one go!”

“He really is a martial arts genius!”

“He sees better than the instructors.”

After checking each other’s stances, the trainees turned admiring gazes toward me.

I paid no attention to their astonishment. After martial arts training until sunset, I returned to the Dormitory.

I finished a simple dinner and immediately entered my room to prepare for aura cultivation.

Unlike martial arts, where progress exploded with each passing day, aura cultivation advanced sluggishly, yet my expression remained composed.

‘I knew from the start it would take time.’

I reviewed all the aura cultivation techniques in my mind and understood.

Aura cultivation was a legendary-tier cultivation method, like the Ring of Fire.

If I mastered it properly, I could wield an aura so formidable that finding a worthy opponent would be difficult—so it was only natural that acquiring it required considerable time.

‘Besides, I’m absorbing the cold energy as well.’

I was circulating not only the heat from the Flame Cultivation Method, but also the cold energy within my mana circuits simultaneously.

Cycling two opposing forces at the same time—the fact that such energy settled so readily in my lower dantian was, if anything, the stranger phenomenon.

‘There’s no need to worry.’

It was true that my current progress was slow.

But I harbored no anxiety whatsoever, knowing that the rewards awaiting me upon mastering the Flame Cultivation Method and fully absorbing all the cold energy would be extraordinary.

‘I’m looking forward to blooming that first flower.’

I closed my eyes, envisioning a single blossom unfurling from the flames of the Flame Cultivation Method, and surrendered myself to cultivation.

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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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