The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 31

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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 31

I opened my eyes slowly. A smile blossomed at the corners of my mouth as I felt the scorching energy that had firmly taken root in my dantian.

‘Finally.’

I had pierced through Wrath’s fierce interference and created the Flame Orb aura. Moreover, it was far larger and more refined than I had anticipated.

‘The Flame Orb isn’t everything, though.’

Beside the Flame Orb aura—which resembled molten lava compressed into a sphere—there gathered a chill that felt as though I had dredged up glaciers from the Northern Sea.

It was an accidental byproduct created when I used the Charcoal Kiln’s heat to push back Wrath’s frigid energy.

‘How did a curse transform into such a blessing?’

The Flame Orb aura was more than twice the size I had expected, and beside it, a cold aura had been generated as well.

The reward for risking my life and enduring such excruciating pain had returned far beyond my imagination.

“Hah…”

I calmed my racing heart and gazed at the message that materialized before my eyes.

[You have acquired the Flame Orb.]
[The trait Flame Orb (1-Star) has been created.]
[The Flame Orb has reached 2-Star through intense heat.]
[Through the effect of Flame Orb (2-Star), the trait Fire Resistance (2-Star) has been created.]

The message indicated that the Flame Orb had ascended to 2-Star the moment it was created.

‘I knew this would happen.’

I had known that the Flame Orb energy settled in my dantian was far larger than expected, allowing it to reach 2-Star achievement in one leap.

‘I should be able to bloom it right away.’

A technique that could be used once the Mana Circuit reached the second star—the Unitary Flame. It seemed I could deploy its power immediately.

As I smiled with anticipation, a second message materialized.

[Two strands of the Curse of Bitter Cold dissolve away.]
[The constitution 【Inferior Physique】 disappears.]
[The dissolved cold condenses, and the attribute 【Bitter Cold】 is generated.]
[Receiving the formidable cold of 【Wrath】, 【Bitter Cold】 reaches the second star.]

“Oh.”

An exclamation escaped my lips unbidden.

Two strands of the Curse of Bitter Cold had dissolved, and my Inferior Physique had vanished—that was what the message conveyed.

Remarkable as that was, the truly significant part lay below.

The cold within my Mana Circuit had coalesced into an attribute called Bitter Cold. That icy aura beside the Mana Circuit’s aura—that was precisely this Bitter Cold.

‘Cold energy….’

In truth, I had chosen to accept the Mana Circuit’s cold rather than expel it solely to strengthen my water-attribute resistance.

I felt both delighted and bewildered by this unexpected reward of Bitter Cold.

Before I could fully comprehend what had transpired, a third wave of messages surfaced.

[You have overcome the interference 【Wrath】 unleashed in a moment of crisis.]
[In recognition of the extraordinary mental fortitude you displayed, all attributes increase by 3 points.]

As the messages appeared, my stats surged upward. Through my expanded and then contracted body and spirit, a searing exhilaration washed over me once more.

‘Is this a dream?’

I had merely sought to master the Unitary Flame, yet I had achieved the second star in both the Mana Circuit and Bitter Cold, with my stats elevated besides.

Thanks to Wrath’s interference, I had reached in a single moment what should have taken years of cultivation.

—Damn it all!

As I dismissed the message with a smile, a suppressed voice erupted from Wrath.

-What are you?! How could you overcome that situation?!

His usual pretense of solemnity had vanished. Wrath was in a state of pure, explosive rage.

‘You said it was impossible for me. That nothing would work.’

I waved my hand dismissively, feigning composure.

-This makes no sense! This is absurd! Even when I reigned in the Demon Realm, I never suffered such humiliation. How could such a thing occur…?
‘Give up now.’

I was maintaining an air of ease, but truthfully, I thought I was dead back there. I survived only because I’d spent the past three months wandering the Charcoal Kiln, reading the ambient energy around me.

‘I need to be careful.’

Today had made it clear. Despite growing closer, Wrath was undoubtedly my enemy. I could never let him discover my weaknesses or secrets.

“Are you… all right?”

As Wrath trembled, Balkan approached. His eyes were shaking as if they might burst from their sockets.

“I’m fine.”

I rose to my feet. With my stats elevated and two types of aura now generated, my body felt light as a feather.

“So you gained something?”

Balkan’s lips still trembled as he spoke in a low voice.

“Yes, thanks to you.”

I nodded emphatically. With the aura generated in my core, I felt overflowing with strength no matter what I did.

“I’m sorry about this. The Charcoal Kiln collapsed because of me.”

I pointed to the collapsed Charcoal Kiln. That such a sturdy structure had crumbled was entirely my responsibility.

“It’s fine.”

As I lowered my head to apologize, Balkan tapped my shoulder and approached the kiln.

“If there’s no problem, then that’s all that matters. A Charcoal Kiln can be rebuilt… Hmm?”

Balkan chuckled softly, but his eyes widened to the size of a lantern as he examined the collapsed kiln.

“This is…”

He rummaged through the ruins of the Charcoal Kiln and carefully lifted three pieces of charcoal gleaming with golden light from near the firebox using tongs.

‘What is this?’

I had seen white charcoal and black charcoal before, but never charcoal that shimmered with such a golden hue.

“Ah!”

I remembered. When we first met, Balkan had said he created golden charcoal, not white or black. Looking at that golden radiance, this must be it.

“It seems fortune wasn’t exclusive to you alone.”
“Yes.”
“This is golden charcoal. It holds greater heat than white charcoal and better endurance than black charcoal—a craftsman’s charcoal.”

Balkan placed the charcoal, radiating golden heat, onto a steel plate.

“I’ve been trying to create this charcoal for over ten years, and to succeed like this… Life truly holds mysteries.”

He gazed at the golden charcoal with an enraptured expression.

“It’s thanks to you. I’m grateful.”
“I didn’t really do anything.”
“Every time you circulated your energy, the kiln’s flames surged, and your breathing brought life to the fire. I’m just a fool who’s held nothing but a hammer my whole life, but I can see what you’ve done. This is thanks to you.”

Just as I was about to protest that I hadn’t done much, Balkan continued.

“What is your goal?”
“My goal?”

I couldn’t answer immediately. I didn’t know why he was asking, but the gravity in his gaze compelled me to respond.

‘A goal….’

Just as I had sworn during my cultivation, vengeance against Derus awaited at the end of this path. Yet what mattered most now was Sylvia’s happiness. I wanted her to live contentedly.

To achieve that….

I needed not a brutish, ferocious strength, but rather a power that could never be broken—one that would never falter regardless of circumstance.

It was the same principle as grasping the image of fire: an eternal flame that would never be extinguished.

“I wish to become a swordsman who cannot be broken by anyone, under any circumstance.”
“Unbreakable? That’s hardly the talk of a mere boy.”

Balkan chuckled—not mockingly, but with genuine delight.

“Raon Zigheart.”

He called my name for the first time. It seemed to be Balkan’s way of acknowledging me.

“How many years remain before you can claim a personal blade?”
“I’m not certain of the exact timeline, but I estimate three to five years.”

A Zigheart warrior must complete foundational training and pass the swordsman’s examination before receiving a personal blade rather than a standard-issue one. Such a process typically requires three to five years.

“I see.”

Balkan murmured that such a timeframe was manageable.

“When you’ve forged an unbreakable spirit, come find me. I’ve been saving these for that day.”

Balkan carefully stirred the golden ore resting upon the steel plate.

“You mean you’ll forge me a blade? I thought you had retired.”
“Retirement reversals are rather common.”

A faint smile crossed his face. The wrinkles that had been etched with fatigue and emptiness when I first saw him now seemed to glow with renewed vitality.

“Don’t die.”

Balkan waved his hand lightly and descended the mountain. For someone he’d faced for three months, it was an oddly casual farewell—yet somehow fitting.

“Mm.”

With the sun at his back, Balkan’s silhouette appeared thirty years younger than when I first saw him.

‘Well, that worked out.’

As I opened my palm, crimson flames erupted like a serpent’s tongue—the aura of the Infernal Forge.

Having reached the second star from the beginning, there was no need to restrain it. The flames of the Infernal Forge obeyed my will perfectly.

Whoosh.

As I clenched my fist, the flames vanished, leaving only a faint warmth in their wake.

‘This time… wait?’

Just as I was about to draw upon the bitter cold, I sensed the faintest presence from a tree to my right.

It was so subtle I might have mistaken it for a mountain bird or small animal, but I knew exactly who it was.

“Come out now.”

I brushed my palms together while fixing my gaze on the tree. As I stared, Rimer dropped from the seemingly empty branches like a monkey.

“Huh, you knew?”

He scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.

“I only just noticed.”
“Tsk, I thought so. You startled me when I saw the flames.”

Rimer clicked his tongue briefly. His green eyes still held unmistakable surprise.

“Have you been watching the whole time?”
“No, this is the first day.”

He was smiling, but it lacked his usual composure. The expression of a child caught in a lie.

‘Well, it’s only natural.’

Rimer wasn’t the type to abandon a trainee here without care. It seemed he had been watching over me consistently for the past three months.

“Thank you.”

I bowed my head.

“Don’t mention it. Really.”

Rimer scratched his head vigorously and averted his gaze.

‘How peculiar.’

Rather than pleased by gratitude, he seemed embarrassed. This elf was far from ordinary.

“A bit late in coming, but you’ve manifested an aura. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. Though I wouldn’t say it was particularly late.”

I unfurled a crimson flame across my fingertips. Rimer’s face contorted at the sight.

“Using your aura the moment you’ve created it?”

He exhaled a sigh with an expression of exasperation.

“Isn’t that normal?”
“I’ve never seen anyone use their aura the instant they’ve learned it.”

Rimer muttered that typically it takes a week to a month before one can wield an aura skillfully.

“Now head down. You need to arrive before training time begins.”

Rimer patted my shoulder lightly and smiled.

“Aren’t you coming, Instructor?”
“I need to tidy up here first.”

I pointed at the Charcoal Kiln that had collapsed in on itself. The flames had vanished, but heat still lingered in the air.

“I’ll help you clean up.”
“There’s no need.”

Rimer shook his head and grabbed my arm as I turned to leave.

“I’m an instructor, so it’s fine if I’m late. But a trainee can’t afford to be tardy.”
“….”

My expression must have screamed absurdity, but Rimer simply waved his hand dismissively.

“Anyway, I’ll handle everything and leave. Now go.”
“…Understood. Thank you.”

I bowed once more before descending the mountain.

“Sigh.”

Rimer watched me disappear down the slope, then turned his gaze to the kiln. Balkan had constructed it so the fire wouldn’t spread from the start—there was no need to touch it.

That wasn’t why he’d remained behind.

“Come out now.”

He called upward, the same way he would summon me, his eyes lifting to the sky.

The empty air rippled silently, and a golden-haired elder draped in a black robe descended. It was Glen Zigheart.

“Did you enjoy the spectacle?”
“….”

Glen said nothing, his gaze sweeping across the collapsed Charcoal Kiln and the spot where I had been sitting.

“You’ve been visiting every day, worried about your grandson. I imagine your heart is finally at ease now.”
“That’s not true.”

He shook his head and raised a finger.

Whoooosh!

At Glen Zigheart’s gesture, the shattered remnants of the kiln converged into a single point.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

The debris twisted into a tight spiral like rose vines, then compressed and vanished entirely.

Save for the blackened scorch marks on the ground, no one would have believed a kiln had ever stood here. It was an extraordinary display of aura manipulation.

“The heat from within the Charcoal Kiln was consumed, so the quantity and purity of his aura are extraordinary. Moreover, he deployed the aura he’d just stabilized immediately. Truly remarkable talent.”
“That’s not all.”

Glen Zigheart gazed down the mountain path where Raon had descended, his eyes narrowing.

“That boy has made even his own shackles his own.”

*

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South of Zigheart lies a village where the lights never extinguish. A city of blacksmiths. The Mirtan Village, where master craftsmen hammer away day and night.

Deep within the village stands a Smithy shaped like a perfect sphere. That forge, which had remained dark for over a decade, now glowed with firelight.

“What?! The former village chief’s Smithy is lit!”
“The chief. No, the former chief has returned!”
“Returned? I thought he retired!”
“Didn’t that old man go back to his hometown?”

Blacksmiths at their anvils, blacksmiths in their beds, blacksmiths preparing for business trips—all rushed toward the former chief’s Smithy.

And they asked. Why had he returned?

“I made a promise.”

Balkan, the former village chief of Mirtan Village and a legend among blacksmiths, brushed the dust from his forge.

“I need to forge my body until that day arrives.”

I picked up the hammer and lit the forge, laughing with exhilaration.

“I must create a blade that surpasses the Heavenly Sword.”

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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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