The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 348
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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 348
I swallowed hard, the sound of my throat moving audible in the suffocating silence. I wanted to suppress it, but the extreme tension made my throat constrict involuntarily.
‘Not yet….’
I hadn’t been discovered yet.
If Derus Robert had sensed my presence, he would have already moved and appeared before my eyes.
The fact that he was still hovering in the sky meant he hadn’t noticed me yet.
-That’s right.
Wrath looked up and narrowed his eyes.
-That bastard just arrived here and is only staring at the collapsed Gorge. He hasn’t found you yet. Of course, if you move carelessly, he’ll notice immediately.
‘I know.’
I nodded, my lips trembling slightly.
‘I understand.’
I had swum horizontally from the deepest level of the Wizard Dungeon, so I was now in the depths of the sea.
Being so far from land, even Derus Robert would have difficulty pinpointing my location immediately.
‘This scent… it’s been a while.’
The scent of death I had felt when Derus severed my neck in my past life tickled my nostrils.
But unlike then, when there was no escape, now there was a path to survival between death and rebirth.
I slowly lifted my head, my neck stiff. A tiny dot was visible far above in the sky.
‘Derus Robert.’
If I concentrated my aura on my eyes, I could see him clearly, but doing so would expose me immediately and I’d be captured alive.
‘I must not panic.’
Never.
Even when Merlin kidnapped me, if I had just used my head a little to make those two fight until the end, the situation might have changed. I needed to maintain composure and think of a way to escape this place.
I clenched my fists with hands grown cold.
‘First, let me assess the situation.’
Without drawing my blade, this was no different from a life-or-death battle where everything was at stake. I had to think about what advantages and disadvantages I possessed.
‘My advantage is that he won’t easily notice where I am.’
Currently, I was submerged just above the Deep Sea. Given the depth and distance, I was in a place difficult to detect.
‘I’ve prepared in advance too.’
Before Derus arrived, I had re-dyed my hair and eye color, resonated the Ring of Fire to reduce my presence to the absolute minimum, and operated Glaccia to create an aura similar to water.
If one didn’t know to look, I would seem like nothing more than a fish or seaweed in the sea.
Meanwhile, Derus was openly displaying his furious emotions. That was how I managed to perceive him first.
I had anticipated that Derus would use a dimensional gate, but his arrival here was far faster than expected.
Part of it was that he had grown stronger than before, but it also meant he hadn’t held back his power.
‘In other words, he’s angry enough to lose his reason.’
He was still staring only at the surroundings where the Gorge had shattered and sunk. His vision had narrowed, consumed by rage.
I forced strength into my trembling arms.
‘Of course, the problems are far from trivial….’
If Derus didn’t move, neither could I.
With his senses, even in the midst of rage, he would catch any awkward movement. I had to remain still like a stone in the sea.
‘And….’
The biggest problem was his aura perception.
Derus Robert was a transcendent being who had surpassed the Grand Master realm. He was one of the Ten Heavenly Masters of the Continent, wielding power that rivaled Glen’s.
If he spread his aura detection not just below, but across this entire area, there was no way I could remain hidden no matter how skilled I was at concealment.
‘I have to endure until that arrives….’
Since I had anticipated the possibility of encountering Derus, I had made preparations before destroying the Wizard Dungeon. I had to hold out until that came.
‘Not much time left….’
-I don’t know what preparations you’ve made, but it seems you’re struggling.
Wrath let out a scoff and pointed his round hand beneath Derus’s feet. A faint aura began spreading outward in the shape of a sphere.
‘Damn it!’
I bit the inside of my cheek hard.
‘He’s opened his aura detection in all directions!’
As the saying goes, words become reality. The worst-case scenario I had imagined was unfolding. Derus wasn’t just searching the area around the collapsed Gorge—he was spreading his aura detection to blanket the entire sea and land.
‘That psychotic bastard!’
In such an urgent situation, instead of conducting a detailed search of where the Wizard Dungeon had been, he was trying to perceive everything at once. He truly was far removed from a normal human being.
If my vision hadn’t been narrowed by rage, I might have been detected the moment I arrived here.
‘And he’s fast.’
True to his transcendent nature, the speed at which his aura spread was abnormally rapid.
Even as he continued detecting across the land, sea, and sky, his speed showed no signs of slowing.
‘Monster….’
I gripped my chest as my heart pounded so violently I thought it would burst from my body.
‘At this rate, I won’t make it in time.’
Even if what I had prepared arrived now, Derus would detect me first. At this pace, it was only a matter of time before he caught me.
‘Damn it….’
That monster’s aura had already crossed the gorge and crept to within arm’s reach. My shoulders trembled faintly at the thick killing intent radiating from the blue energy.
As the aura drew closer, it felt as though an icy blade was seeping into my heart. Even submerged in water, cold sweat seemed to pour down my entire body.
-Shall the True Demon King hide you?
Wrath let out a scoff and extended a rounded hand toward me.
‘Hide me?’
-Indeed. At that level, I can preserve your life with my nature.
Preserve my life, he says.
That wasn’t right. To survive, I needed to trust my own judgment, not Wrath’s.
But I was short on time. I needed his help.
‘There’s no free lunch, is there?’
-Sharp as always. Accept 10 Wrath every 10 seconds, and I shall free you from that aura.
Wrath flicked his hand, urging me to decide quickly.
’10 Wrath every 10 seconds….’
Hiding wasn’t the same as escaping—it meant I couldn’t leave this place. In other words, if Derus remained above, I’d have no choice but to accept an astronomical amount of Wrath.
In other words, if Derus Robert continues to stay up there, he’ll have no choice but to accept an enormous amount of anger.
Raon clenched his teeth as he felt Derus’s aura closing in right before his eyes.
“It’ll come up in a minute. Just until then…”
Soon an opportunity to escape The Facility will come. Until then, I had to endure no matter what.
“Phew.”
Closing my eyes, I took Wrath’s hand.
What a good choice!
The moment I heard Wrath’s playful laughter, my body and soul melted into the Sea. It felt as though I myself had become one with the Sea.
Whoooosh!
Less than 0.1 seconds after grasping Wrath’s hand, Derus Robert’s aura swept past me.
A chilling sensation as if a blade pierced my spine. Yet Derus Robert seemed to feel nothing, only expanding the range of his aura detection.
‘Didn’t catch me….’
Wrath’s confidence was genuine. His ability possessed the power to evade Derus Robert’s aura detection.
-It is an ability called 【Seolhwa’s Silver Veil】. Had that fool examined more thoroughly, it would have been dangerous, but he focused on speed and range, leaving slight gaps.
He looked down at Derus Robert and smirked.
-This is the power of Wrath, Lord of Fury and King of the Demon Realm. From now on, you shall follow the True Demon King as well.
Wrath chuckled and did a little shoulder dance.
[Wrath has increased by 10.]
A message appeared before my eyes just as I released a sigh of relief.
He granted me wrath immediately after just 10 seconds—he was sharp in this regard.
-Perhaps I could devour your body at this rate?
‘That won’t happen.’
I turned Wrath’s delighted chin and looked back, frowning.
‘It won’t stop.’
Derus Robert’s aura detection stretched endlessly. It seemed he was trying to confirm everything in this sea.
[Wrath has increased by 10.]
Another 10 seconds passed.
Derus Robert’s aura detection finally ceased. Yet that was hardly good news.
‘Hah….’
I clamped my mouth shut as I watched the deep blue light spreading from beneath Derus Robert’s feet.
‘That madman!’
He had extended a swift aura sense to block any unexpected movements, then unfurled a second, slower but far more meticulous aura sense to examine everything in this sea.
-Hmm….
Wrath smacked his lips as he observed the scene.
-Ah, we’re bound to be discovered at this rate?
‘What?’
-In my current spirit form, I cannot exert my full power….
He shook his head, saying this was his limit.
‘You’re a Demon King! Use some of that power!’
-How can I have any strength left when you drain the True Demon King’s abilities dry every single day!
‘Damn it….’
The fact that Wrath wasn’t sending his usual fury meant he was panicked too.
I didn’t look at Wrath—instead, I fixed my gaze on the collapsed gorge. Bubbles began rising along with fine dust particles.
My hands clenched. The reinforcement I’d been waiting for had finally arrived.
-If you wish to live, surrender your body to me. You have no allies in this place, do you not!
‘No.’
-The moment you’re detected, you’ll be caught in that man’s grasp!
I shook my head with a faint smile.
‘It’ll be fine.’
-What are you—.
‘Because it’s here.’
Just before Derus Robert’s second aura sense touched my skin, a tremendous cloud of earth and dust erupted from where the gorge had collapsed.
Roooooaaarrr!
The emerald sea turned into murky water in an instant, buried beneath a torrent of dust and soil that erupted upward like a volcanic explosion.
-What in the….
Wrath’s mouth fell open as he witnessed the sight.
‘Gorge foot-stomping.’
-What?
‘When you stomp your feet in a gorge, mud rises up and clouds the water, right? I just maximized that effect.’
When moving through a gorge, the sediment at the bottom rises and muddies the water.
By using Yanhae Mugyeol to mercilessly carve through and shatter the massive gorge, sending it crashing down, all the dust and soil that had settled at the bottom surged upward at once, filling the entire sea above.
Whoooosh!
As the dust thickened, Derus Robert’s presence weakened sharply, his focus shifting toward the deep sea where the gorge had collapsed.
“Damn it!”
Derus Robert, suspended in mid-air, cursed and dove into the water.
The composure and calm that usually defined his face was utterly twisted in fury.
Seeing Derus Robert’s expression filled with a rage I had never witnessed—not in my past life, nor in this one—I couldn’t help but laugh, even as death loomed over me.
-Huh? What’s happening?
‘I told you. It’s fine.’
I released Wrath’s hand and took a slow, deep breath.
‘I can’t afford to move recklessly.’
If I relaxed even slightly, Derus Robert could chase me up from below. Just as Wrath had done moments before, I dissolved myself into the water, moving my hands and feet with deliberate control.
My hands and feet felt stiff as wood from the tension. I loosened my fingers first, then my body, swimming with measured grace.
‘He’s still clinging to me from behind.’
A chill ran down my spine as Derus Robert’s gaze and presence seemed to follow. I suppressed the urge to look back and moved as quietly as possible.
-This… this is insane…
Wrath’s jaw dropped open.
-You… surely you didn’t predict this as well?
‘It wasn’t prediction. It was preparation.’
I nodded.
‘I didn’t want to fall for the same trick twice.’
This was a contingency I’d prepared in case I encountered Derus Robert. Of course, I would have died if Wrath hadn’t helped me.
-So that’s why you crushed it into such fine pieces—to excavate the soil that had sunk to the bottom.
‘Exactly.’
It was a precaution I’d prepared just in case, having experienced Merlin’s trick before. Without Wrath buying me time, I would have died regardless.
-Where are we heading now?
‘Somewhere he absolutely won’t come.’
I chuckled and pointed east. Somewhere Derus Robert would never go right now. It was the direction of the Robert Family.
-Using the dust as cover and having already planned an escape route…
Wrath squinted his eyes as if dumbfounded.
-I want to crack open that head of yours and study it.
‘I feel the same way.’
I wanted to see what was actually inside that head of his, considering all he ever talked about was food. Maybe his brain had been replaced with ice cream.
-Oh, and…
‘Hmm?’
-The True Demon King was a bit flustered and should have given me 30 more Wrath points, but couldn’t. Should I take it now…?
‘Come on, that’s not how it works.’
I waved my hand dismissively.
‘A carriage that has already passed never stops.’
-What nonsense! If I raise my hand to stop it….
‘I’ll step over your hand and keep going. That’s it.’
I chuckled and waved my hand dismissively.
‘Thirty points of Wrath is nothing to me.’
I had grown considerably in recent times, so receiving thirty points of Wrath meant nothing. In fact, it would make it easier to use Wrath’s demonic eye, so it would actually be helpful.
‘Now I can finally breathe.’
Having this ridiculous conversation with Wrath, I felt relief wash over me as I escaped from Derus Robert’s grasp.
As I quickened my breathing technique to expand my collapsed lungs, a message appeared before my eyes.
[You have acquired the trait 【Seolhwa’s Veil】.]
【Seolhwa’s Veil】 was the very ability Wrath had used just moments ago to hide me from Derus Robert.
-W-what?
The moment Wrath saw the message, his jaw dropped.
-Why are you giving this to me! Why are you suddenly giving me Seolhwa’s Veil!
He flailed his hands and shrieked.
‘Ah!’
I snapped my fingers.
‘When I held your hand coming here earlier, I used the sensation from that moment. I guess that’s why I got it?’
-….
Wrath stood frozen with wide eyes, not answering, then raised his hand.
-Hey! Raon Zigheart is here! Raon Zigheart is here! Capture him, I said!
The sea was so loud it trembled, but naturally, there was no one who could hear it.
‘This is nice. I’ll put it to good use.’
Raon hummed a tune while surrendering myself to the school of fish.
*
*
*
Raon swam underwater to the Robert Territory’s resort. I had changed clothes beneath the sea beforehand, and with so many tourists around, no one paid attention to me.
“Haaaaah….”
I exhaled deeply while floating on the water’s surface. Perhaps because I had narrowly escaped an extreme crisis, every bone in my body ached, and my skin felt shriveled.
‘I nearly died.’
Without Wrath’s help and my decision to obliterate the entire Wizard Dungeon, I would have been buried there. Or perhaps I would have been captured by Derus Robert and enslaved again. Relief at having survived suddenly brought a wave of exhaustion crashing down.
-Lucky bastard….
Wrath gnashed his teeth.
-I should have demanded your body from the start!
His resolve had wavered for a moment after witnessing my dream. The regret that he should have seized my body from the beginning made his hands tremble violently.
-At least take 30 Wrath!
‘No. I don’t want to.’
I waved my hand dismissively. It was already over and done with. Thirty would be manageable enough, but sixty might be too much to bear. With Seolhwa’s silver veil now in my possession, there was no need to accept it.
‘How peaceful.’
Perhaps because I had finished everything. I felt drowsy and languid. Just as I was about to close my eyes for a moment.
Roooooaaarrr!
Colossal waves erupted from the Eastern Coast where the Wizard Dungeon had stood. This was no natural phenomenon—it was the shockwave of Derus Robert’s rampage reverberating from the Deep Sea.
“Hahahaha!”
I swept my wet hair back and burst into laughter.
‘I’d love to see that face again.’
Recalling Derus Robert’s contorted expression from when I descended into the Deep Sea, a dark smile spread across my face unbidden.
‘He won’t find anything.’
Aside from the assassins killed when the ceiling collapsed, I’d erased all traces of the other corpses. All he’d find in the Deep Sea were bodies buried beneath rubble.
-You wicked bastard. You won’t die peacefully either…
‘Should we grab some food?’
-Yeah!
Wrath, who’d been hurling curses, nodded eagerly.
I chuckled and left the beach, heading to the outdoor seating of the restaurant Wrath had mentioned wanting to visit.
“Welcome!”
A young Restaurant Staff member approached with a bright smile, menu in hand.
“Our House of the Sea specializes not only in seafood, but also in meat dishes….”
As I opened the menu, the staff member launched into her pitch.
-They say the meat dishes are good too, but you won’t order everything, so let’s start with the lobster pizza, then the grilled shrimp….
Wrath licked his lips as he pointed to the pizza at the top of the menu.
“I’ll take everything on this menu.”
I smiled as I swept my finger across every dish listed.
-Huh?
“Is that… all? You’re dining alone?”
“I can finish it all. And a beer, please.”
After placing my order, I slipped a silver coin to the Restaurant Staff as a tip.
“Yes!”
The Restaurant Staff beamed and rushed into the Dining Hall.
-What, what’s this? Has the sun started rising in the West? You ordered all that food!
Wrath’s eyes widened in disbelief.
‘I promised to buy you everything you wanted.’
Wrath’s words from the Wizard Dungeon still echoed in my heart. As Sylvia often said, when you received gratitude, it was only right to repay it in kind.
“I’ll bring your beer first. The dishes will come out one by one shortly!”
The Restaurant Staff set the beer mug on the table, bowed respectfully, and disappeared inside.
-Beer? You’re drinking in broad daylight?
‘I feel like drinking today.’
From that distant place, through the violent, explosive waves, I seemed to hear Derus Robert’s furious roar echoing back.
I raised the beer mug toward the turbulent tidal wave.
‘One revenge is complete.’
Nameless friend. May you rest in peace.
I drank the beer, offering a prayer for Number Nine’s soul.
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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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