The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 276
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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 276
The members of the Gwangpung Order dispersed throughout the Training Ground, each honing their martial techniques.
Though their complexions appeared exhausted, their eyes blazed with brilliant focus, and their sword forms remained steady without the slightest tremor.
Tsk.
As everyone concentrated intently on their sword practice, a sharp clicking sound of the tongue echoed from the Platform above.
“Ugh!”
“Ah….”
“Huh!”
At that small sound, the swordsmen halted their blades and turned their heads stiffly, like wooden puppets.
Raon stood upon the Platform, his brow furrowed as though something displeased him greatly.
“Mmm….”
Dorian’s jaw trembled as he observed Raon’s lowered brow.
‘What is it this time?’
He had been concentrating on his training, but he couldn’t fathom what had displeased him now.
Whenever Raon made that expression, the Gwangpung Unit found themselves subjected to training that tested the very limits of human endurance, and cold sweat began trickling down everyone’s backs.
‘It hasn’t even been two weeks since we endured the hundred-hour trial on Bekmang Mountain….’
That had been absolute hell. Every time I saw Raon charging at me with fire in his eyes, sword flashing, my heart felt like it would burst from my chest. I never wanted to think about it again.
“Hey. Why is that lunatic making that face again?”
Martha approached from the side, her expression darkening.
“He won yesterday’s sparring match, so why does he look so displeased? What kind of nonsense is he planning now?”
“I… I’m not sure either.”
“You’re closest to him, aren’t you?”
“W-well, that’s true, but it’s not just that. I…”
Dorian bit his lip hard. He couldn’t bring himself to say that Raon had been using him as a wallet and purse.
“Things had been quiet lately, and now this starts again….”
Burren let out a heavy sigh while looking at the platform.
“No matter how much I steel myself, whenever that bastard brings a new training regimen, my entire body trembles.”
He too seemed to recall the events from two weeks prior, biting his lip firmly.
“New training….”
Lunan stared into the void with his usual blank gaze. He appeared calm, but he was anything but. His eyes were open, yet his mind had drifted into sleep—his consciousness had fled reality and taken refuge in dreams.
“We’re… doomed….”
“What is it this time?”
“Should we… run away?”
“We’d be caught within an hour anyway, so what’s the point of running!”
Two months ago, unable to endure the brutal training, they had all fled in different directions, only to be recaptured within the hour with their limbs subdued.
With neither escape nor combat as viable options, despair was all that remained.
“There’s no way out. It’s all over….”
“P-please! The Master is human too—surely he’ll show us some mercy!”
“After everything you’ve seen him do, you still say something like that?”
“Sigh… I miss the days when Rimer was the Master.”
“Damn it….”
The members of the Gwangpung Order hung their heads with expressions of despair, as if the new training was already a foregone conclusion.
However, Raon’s exasperation stemmed not from the Gwangpung Order, but from the self-proclaimed Demon King of Wrath clinging to his wrist.
‘What’s with the sudden ice cream craving?’
-It’s been ages since I’ve eaten any! Give me mint chocolate right now!
‘That stuff isn’t even good.’
-Let’s fight!
*
*
*
I watched the Gwangpung Unit training in that half-hearted manner and clicked my tongue.
‘Have I been pushing them too hard?’
The swordsmen’s complexions were as pale as blank paper. They seemed to be suffering beyond mere exhaustion.
‘Well, they’ve been running nonstop.’
Over the past three months, they’d trained without cessation, so their exhaustion was understandable.
‘Giving them rest might be wise.’
Just tomorrow, a single day.
Though I hadn’t yet achieved my goals perfectly, they’d made considerable progress, so granting them a brief respite seemed reasonable.
Raon descended from the platform with a determined resolve.
“Everyone has worked hard. Tomorrow will be….”
The moment I tried to say rest, the entire Gwangpung Order simultaneously took a step backward.
“Damn it!”
“What, what now! What is it this time!”
“Ugh….”
Martha, Burren, and Lunan’s pupils trembled like herbivores who had spotted a predator.
“Kyaaah!”
“H-he’s coming….”
The Gwangpung Order swallowed hard in terror, their bodies leaning backward.
“No. What I meant to say….”
“Aaahhh!”
“Save us!”
“Oh, heavens….”
I merely extended my hand to reassure them, yet the Gwangpung Order recoiled in panic as if they had been struck by a blade.
Raon exhaled softly and scratched his cheek.
‘I’m a bit flustered.’
I had only intended to give them rest, yet their reaction left me somewhat confused.
-Flustered? If you had any conscience, that word should never leave your mouth!
Wrath scoffed, saying I was spouting nonsense.
-Even in the Demon Realm, there was no one who treated their subordinates like you do! You wretched demon!
‘The Demon Realm is surprisingly humane.’
I had merely tailored the training I experienced during my assassin days to match the swordsmen’s level, yet I never expected such a reaction.
It seemed my past life was not human at all—I must have truly lived as a beast.
Raon smiled faintly as he watched the terrified Gwangpung Unit.
‘Come to think of it, this isn’t so bad.’
Since things have come to this, why not continue with the training?
They seemed mentally prepared for new training already, so fulfilling that expectation wouldn’t be a bad idea.
-W-where exactly did you come from? What is your true identity!
Wrath was horrified, saying there was no one like me in either the human realm or the Demon Realm.
-Your heart has been completely stained black with darkness!
‘Just joking.’
I stepped forward in front of the Gwangpung Unit. I smiled as I saw their terrified gazes.
“You’ve all worked hard. Take tomorrow to rest.”
Even though I told them to rest, the Gwangpung Unit showed little reaction.
“Rest…?”
“R-rest? What’s that?”
“I don’t know… what was it again….”
The Gwangpung Unit tilted their heads with vacant eyes like Lunan. Their minds seemed unable to process such an unexpected word.
“W-wait, rest?”
“Rest, you say? Really?”
Martha and Burren were the first to comprehend, their jaws dropping.
“You’ve all suffered enough. Train only until this evening, and get proper rest tomorrow.”
“Yaaaaaaay!”
“Finally! My wish has come true! Three months of prayers have finally been answered!”
“Oh, heavens!”
The entire Gwangpung Order raised their hands and cheered. They shouted the same words as before, but their tone was completely different.
“Raon! You’re the best!”
Lunan also raised the corners of his mouth ever so slightly and gave a thumbs up. It was a rare smile that appeared perhaps once a year.
“Yeah, sure.”
Though it meant nothing, Lunan still seemed to think it was incredibly effective.
“Still, keep training properly until today is over.”
“Yes, sir!”
As I smiled at the Gwangpung Order’s cheers, the Training Ground door opened cautiously, and a stern-faced middle-aged man entered.
‘That person….’
Was that Chad?
I had seen him before. He was Chad, the head of the Bi-Yeon Society, who had been in the Audience Chamber when I reported to Glen.
But I had no idea why he had come here.
“Good day to you.”
Chad approached Raon with a gentle smile that belied his stern appearance, lowering his head in greeting.
“It’s my first time offering greetings in such a manner. I am Chad, Master of the Bi-Yeon Society.”
“I am Raon Zigheart, acting commander of the Gwangpung Unit.”
Raon returned the greeting while observing the slight tremor in Chad’s eyes.
‘A man of proper courtesy.’
As Master of the Bi-Yeon Society, Chad held one of the most influential positions in the family’s information network. For someone of such superior age and rank, his politeness was remarkably excessive.
“I’ve come despite the intrusion, as there is a matter I must discuss with you.”
“Not at all. Please, come this way.”
Raon shook his head and guided him toward the Master’s Quarters.
“It’s rather serious, but first, please take a look at this.”
The moment Chad sat down, he slid a single document across the table.
“King Roman has sent a letter to the commander of the Gwangpung Unit. It proposes a life-or-death duel on the first day of January, three years from now.”
“Three years from now, on the first of January?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, I see.”
I gazed at the documents with a faint smile.
‘A gesture of consideration?’
He does have a conscience.
Rather than three years from the day of the wager, King Roman had shown some consideration by making it three years from the start of the new year.
‘I’ll be twenty-two when it happens.’
Since the new year had arrived and I was now nineteen, the time for our life-or-death duel would be when I turned twenty-two.
‘Not bad at all.’
Because I have Wrath.
Reaching Grand Master in merely three years of training alone would be impossible, but with Wrath’s boundless generosity, it was entirely achievable.
-What are you looking at?
‘Nothing.’
I waved my hand lightly with a subtle smile toward Wrath, whose brow was furrowed.
“Hah….”
Chad swallowed hard as he watched Raon smile.
‘He’s smiling?’
What audacity for a boy not even twenty years old….
Raon was unaware of the conversation between Glen, Roen, and Sheryl. In three years, he would face King Roman, a Grand Master, yet he wore that smile without hesitation. It was hard to believe.
‘They weren’t protecting him for nothing.’
Chad had thought they cherished him merely because of his overflowing talent—enough to become the youngest Master. But that wasn’t it at all.
Raon Zigheart was a star and a jewel that could shine brilliantly on his own. Now Chad understood why those three people took such care of him.
Raon pushed King Roman’s documents aside and looked back at Chad.
“So what’s the second one?”
“How did you….”
“Since you asked me to look at this, I assumed there was more to come.”
“I see. I can’t handle this.”
Chad laughed awkwardly and pulled out the second document from his pocket.
“The second one is a mission that came down to the Gwangpung Unit.”
“A mission? Why would the Head of House deliver it to us? Our unit commander should have gone to the Patriarch’s Hall, so is he skipping out again…?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Chad shook his head quickly.
“He had some pressing matters, so I came in his place.”
He couldn’t bring himself to mention that Rimer was being beaten senseless by Glen, Sheryl, and Roen, so he glossed over it vaguely.
“In any case, this is the mission that’s been assigned to the Gwangpung Unit.”
Chad flipped over the document he’d pulled out and handed it to Raon.
“Granseville—isn’t that the city famous for its entertainment?”
Raon nodded after seeing the location written on the mission document.
“You know it well. That’s right. It’s too small to be called a proper city, but it’s an entertainment district with alcohol, gambling, fine dining, and even drug dens and fighting pits.”
Just as Chad said, Granseville was one of the few places on the Continent overflowing with entertainment.
During the day, visitors enjoyed boating on Molve Lake right in front of it, and when night fell, the city blazed even brighter than daylight, spreading countless temptations.
—Fine dining?
Wrath, who had been yawning as if bored, suddenly sprang to his feet.
-Accept it! Accept it right now!
He flailed his hands wildly, dismissing the matter as not worth dwelling on.
“The White Blood Cult….”
I pushed Wrath away as he clung to me and refocused on the documents. They suspected the White Blood Cult due to the increasing disappearances and corpses found in Molve Lake.
“It says they requested the Gwangpung Unit.”
“Yes. They didn’t explicitly demand it, but they expressed hope that the Gwangpung Unit would come if possible.”
“Hmm….”
If it involved the White Blood Cult, there was a possibility the 7th Apostle was luring us in, so we had to approach carefully.
“For the past few months, so many clients have been requesting the Gwangpung Unit that we’re struggling just to refuse them all.”
“What do you mean….”
“Hmm? You didn’t know? Ever since the Gazel River mission ended, the number of people seeking the Gwangpung Unit has increased several times over.”
Chad said without exaggeration that requests for the Gwangpung Unit came in at least once every three days.
“To that extent….”
“It’s not just the Gwangpung Unit, but because of you, Deputy Master.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You shattered Tiller’s scheme at the Gazel River, survived King Roman, and even beheaded the 4th Apostle. News of that spread across the entire Continent, and requests for the Legend Sword Association have been pouring in like a flood.”
“But why are we only getting a mission now….”
“The Master of the Gwangpung Unit cut off all the assignments in between. He said now was the time to strengthen our foundation.”
“Ah….”
I leaned back on my hands and exhaled softly.
‘Anyway.’
I couldn’t hate him.
Whenever I saw what Rimer was doing, I wanted to hit him, but the moments of genuine sincerity he occasionally showed made it impossible to dislike him.
“I see.”
I finished reading through all the documents and nodded.
‘This should work.’
Whether it was the White Blood Cult, the Black Tower, or a human trafficking ring, giving the Gwangpung Unit real combat experience after so long didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“I accept the mission.”
“Yesssss!”
“A mission! A mission!”
“Finally freed from hell!”
“Let’s head out!”
The members of the Gwangpung Order erupted in cheers, their arms raised high at the thought that they no longer had to train.
“The, the members certainly seem energetic.”
Chad swallowed hard as he watched the excited Gwangpung Order members.
“It seems you’re excited since it’s been a while since your last mission.”
Raon offered a faint smile as he observed the Gwangpung Unit.
“Ah, this is a gift.”
Chad extended a box wrapped in elegant packaging.
“This is….”
“Please don’t feel obligated. It’s merely a dessert that’s become fashionable in the lower regions.”
“A dessert?”
“Yes. It’s a confection called a macaron—meringue cookies with cream sandwiched between them.”
In truth, this dessert had been intended for the previous Bi-Yeon Society leader Alisa, but he had stolen it to make a good impression on Raon.
“Ah, thank you. I should give you something in return….”
“No, please don’t!”
Chad waved his hand as Raon glanced around, as if searching for something with which to reciprocate.
“It was merely a courtesy gift for our first meeting, so there’s no need for that.”
“Still….”
“Really, it’s fine. Then I’ll take my leave.”
He bowed to Raon, who tried to stop him, and departed from the 5th Training Ground.
“Phew….”
Chad turned back to look at the door of the 5th Training Ground and exhaled a quiet sigh.
‘That should have made a good first impression, right?’
He had conducted himself with courtesy, maintained respectful speech, provided detailed explanations, and even offered a gift—creating an impression without any negative marks, if not entirely flawless.
‘I need to build trust carefully from here on.’
There was no doubt—the person in this household he most needed to impress was not the patriarch or the branch heads, but the deputy commander of this small Gwangpung Unit.
“Heh heh.”
Chad patted his own shoulder with satisfaction and returned to the Bi-Yeon Society. Today, for some reason, felt like things would go well.
*
*
*
I narrowed my eyes as I examined the gift Chad had left behind.
‘Chad, Master of the Bi-Yeon Society….’
A person to be cautious of.
The Bi-Yeon Society was the nexus of power within Zigheart and the true seat of influence. The fact that Chad, its leader, was treating me—a mere vice-commander of a martial unit—with such careful consideration made it clear he had ulterior motives.
‘It’s possible the Central Intelligence Agency or Jinmu Hall sent him.’
The people who despised me most in Zigheart were Karun and Valdemar, so it was conceivable they had given Chad secret orders to carry out this mission.
‘I must never let my guard down.’
The most dangerous people are those who approach with a smile. I would need to remain vigilant until I uncovered his true intentions.
‘Cancel the rest. Tomorrow, I’ll resume training….’
—Tch!
Wrath grabbed my sleeve, his expression twisted in irritation.
—Enough with the training already! Now pull out that candied sweet potato dessert!
‘It’s a macaron.’
-Anyway! Show it to me. I’m curious what it looks like!
‘He just wants to eat it, that’s why he’s asking to see it.’
Since that creature’s thoughts were transparent to me, I shook my head.
-Ugh, if you won’t eat ice cream, then at least eat something like that! The True Demon King has the right to eat delicious things too! Don’t you know about human rights?!
‘A Demon King talking about human rights. Go back to your own realm.’
I watched Wrath grinding his teeth and chuckled softly.
-That’s racial discrimination!
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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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