The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 377

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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 377

“D-did you just say you would make me stronger right now?”

Mark Goeten repeated my words, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“That’s correct.”

I nodded, observing the trembling pupils in Mark Goeten’s gaze.

“Of course, I’m not talking about raising your realm immediately. Rather, I mean helping you display your true capabilities. And naturally, this will serve as training for my throwing techniques as well.”

I drew out a steel throwing knife with its edge unsharpened and gave it a flourish.

“There’s no need to be nervous. It’s light training, after all.”
-That’s only light for you, isn’t it?

Wrath glared at me with a sidelong glance.

‘That might be true.’

Since I intended to throw steel knives rather than wooden ones at Mark Goeten, he would face considerable hardship if he couldn’t recover his original combat prowess.

“Understood.”

Mark Goeten seemed to grasp the true meaning of this training, gripping the black-bladed sword in his hand with renewed strength.

“How does the blade feel?”
“It fits my hand perfectly, just like the one I used before.”
“That’s fortunate.”

I smiled. I had selected it based on the form and weight of the sword Mark Goeten used to wield, and it seemed I had chosen well.

“But I’m not sure if I should accept such a fine blade…”
“Zigheart is a sword clan, so there are hardly any people who use blades. If you don’t use it, it will only gather dust in the armory.”
“Thank you. I won’t disappoint you.”

Mark Goeten straightened from his stance with a bow. His movements were precise and respectful, as if he had returned to his days as a knight.

“Then I shall conduct personal training in the Training Ground. Since preparations will take more than a day, I thought it best to begin now.”
“Understood.”

He moved to the center of the Training Ground and began wielding his black-blade sword.

I observed Mark Goeten’s sword technique for a moment, then turned my attention elsewhere.

‘I should begin as well.’

I opened the two martial arts texts Glen had given me and began reading. Though I had read and memorized them all last night, I quickly reviewed them again in case I had missed anything.

‘Just as the Head of House said.’

White Thunder Blade was a sword technique focused on speed, while Massive Explosion Blade was one that drew out only destructive power. Since both martial arts were extremely specialized in a single aspect, if I harmonized them appropriately, I could create a sword technique that possessed both speed and strength.
Since both martial arts are extremely focused on a single school, if we harmonize them appropriately, we can create a secret technique that captures both speed and power.

“He wouldn’t have given me these two books of ignorance just by looking at that.”

Glen Zigheart likely aimed not only to create a new martial art by mixing two secret techniques, but also to achieve an effect where his martial art realm itself would grow.

But…

You can’t stop there.

He planned to combine it with the black-blade technique he had mastered in his previous life—a secret art that no one could match in terms of concealment and precision.

It will take you ages to become a match for me!

Wrath let out a loud snort.

How dare you, a fool with no concept of tactics, go anywhere! Just swing your sword the way you always have!

He clicked his tongue, saying it would be impossible unless that guy reached his level.

“It’ll definitely be difficult, but it’s not impossible.”

In my past life, the first weapon I ever wielded was the whip blade. Though I haven’t used it much in this life, I was confident in my understanding of it.

-If the True Demon King were in my place, he’d simply go eat another bowl of mint chocolate ice cream instead of wasting time on such trivial matters.
‘We’ll see about that.’

I closed my eyes and manipulated the Ring of Fire. The gently rotating rings suddenly resonated in unison, producing a crystalline chime.
My concentration intensified until my vision narrowed, and within my mind, the incantations of White Thunder Blade, Destructive Explosion Blade, and Black Severance Blade began to interweave.

Whoooosh!

When the Ring of Fire had rotated roughly a hundred times, the first conception took shape.

‘That’s not it.’

I had focused too much on the speed of White Thunder Blade, resulting in a technique that lacked power.
I immediately discarded it and considered the second conception, but this time I had concentrated solely on force, making it so slow that even a fly could evade it.

‘Using Black Severance Blade to neutralize both techniques would be better.’

Without a shred of disappointment, I immediately sketched out the next conception.

‘This one’s interesting too.’

I smiled as I envisioned tens of thousands of blades flying through my mind.
Small blades sprouted like seedlings within my mental landscape, which had previously been filled with nothing but swords.

*

*

*

Mark Goeten lowered the blade he had been wielding and wiped the sweat trickling down his forehead.

‘Exceptional.’

The Black Line Blade that Raon had given me fit perfectly in my hand as if I had been wielding it since childhood, never slipping away.
It seemed to be of far superior quality compared to the blade I had received from the king when I was in the knight order.

‘To think he would simply hand over something like this….’

I had never heard the name Blackline Blade before, but as someone who had wielded blades my entire life, I understood better than anyone just how invaluable such a legendary weapon truly was.
This was a treasure that could not be purchased even if one stacked gold coins as high as a mountain.

Mark Goeten exhaled sharply and turned his gaze toward Raon.

‘He’s truly difficult to comprehend.’

He was grateful that Raon had bestowed such a legendary blade upon him and accepted him as a failure through a brief trial, but he found him to be an unusual person nonetheless.

‘Yet the most peculiar aspect is….’

That concentration.

Raon had remained motionless for a day and a half while preparing for cultivation.
It seemed he was practicing martial techniques within his mind, and the fact that he could maintain such extraordinary focus without even actively cultivating was astonishing.

‘Thanks to that, my own training has progressed well.’

With someone beside him burning with such tremendous concentration, his sense of wielding the blade had become far sharper than usual.
At this moment, he felt he could unleash power that exceeded his current capabilities.

“A sparring match would be ideal right now….”
“Then let’s do it.”

As Mark Goeten muttered his regret, a quiet voice came from beside him. When he turned his gaze, Raon was looking at him with his eyes open.

“Raon!”
“I’ve kept you waiting far too long.”

He rose to his feet and smiled as he loosened his shoulders and ankles.

“You wanted to spar, didn’t you?”
“Ah, well….”
“Our original purpose was sparring after all, so we should naturally proceed with it.”

Raon observed Mark Goeten and nodded.

“You won’t need any preparation, Mark.”
“That’s correct.”

Mark Goeten adjusted his grip on the Black Line Sword, his eyes gleaming with intensity. His body had been heating up from continuously practicing sword techniques until now.

“Then let’s begin right away.”

I stepped back with a light motion, grasping the flying blades in both hands. Without even announcing that I was starting, I hurled three flying blades from my right hand simultaneously.

Whiiiing!

The flying blades came hurtling through the air with a sharp cutting sound, targeting the vital points of his thighs, shoulders, and abdomen.

Clang!

Mark Goeten brought the Black Line Sword down diagonally, deflecting all three of my flying blades in a single stroke.

‘Light.’

Contrary to expectations, the flying blades I had thrown were neither particularly fast nor heavy.
To be honest, the wooden flying blades I had thrown from the cliff felt more powerful than these.

“How was it?”
“Quite light, I’m afraid.”
“I thought as much. Please wait a moment.”

I stood still and closed my eyes. After a long moment, when I opened them, a different aura bloomed above my shoulders from before.

“I’ll try again.”

I hurled three flying blades from my left hand simultaneously. Just like before, they targeted his thighs, shoulders, and abdomen.

Mark Goeten narrowed his eyes, observing the incoming flying blades.

‘The same as before… wait?’

Though they were thrown with the same level of aura and method, the speed had more than doubled compared to moments ago. They also possessed the characteristic of the Assassins’ swordcraft—silent and with a faint, obscured presence.
It had characteristics similar to the swordsmanship of the Assassins—it made no sound and felt like an obscure presence.

“Still, it’s not so difficult that I can’t hit it.”

Mark Goeten held his breath and unfolded the Baekjung Hoejeol of Byeoklanddo. Rough, jagged sword strikes traveled between heaven and earth, deflecting all of Raon’s secret techniques.

Clang!

Not only speed and concealment—the weight and force of the blade technique had increased as well. I furrowed my brow at the counterattack, which was on an entirely different level from before.

“Raon. This is….”
“Ah, just a moment.”

I closed my eyes while standing, just as before. Opening them slightly faster this time, I caught the blade technique with my right hand.

“Let’s go again.”

I rose lightly into the air and unleashed the blade technique for the third time.

‘The speed has increased again.’

The second blade technique had already felt quite swift, but this one was faster still, and the concealment—that elusive quality difficult to grasp—had deepened further. Had it been nighttime, one wouldn’t have been able to discern the target at all.
The secrecy became so profound that it was difficult to get a sense of direction. If it had been nighttime, it would have been impossible to properly discern where they were aiming.

Clang!

Mark Goeten lowered his stance and unleashed a torrent of blade strikes from the Wallblade Technique. The aura spinning like a windmill collided head-on with my blade technique.

‘Tch!’

The power had risen again.

It wasn’t merely speed and concealment that had grown. The force imbued in the blade technique had achieved yet another breakthrough.

‘Is this even possible?’

I couldn’t believe that simply standing in contemplation for such a brief span could yield such a dramatic transformation in the blade technique’s power.

“Huff….”

After straining to deflect the three blade techniques, I exhaled heavily. When I lifted my head, Raon had already closed his eyes and sunk into meditation.

Mark Goeten swallowed dryly, his hand trembling as he gripped the Blackline Blade.

‘W-will he grow even stronger here?’

…

I threw the flying blade and paused to think. This cycle repeated three more times. Each interval of contemplation grew shorter, while the speed and destructive force of the flying blades became increasingly difficult to withstand.

“Haaa….”

Mark Goeten exhaled a turbid breath and regained his grip on the black-line sword. He bit his lip while watching Raon across from him.

“Then I’ll go.”

I released three flying blades with a relaxed gesture. The blades left my hand and sank into the wind before plunging downward. The momentum seemed obscured, yet the speed was breathtakingly swift.

“Tch!”

Mark Goeten clenched his teeth and unfolded the Wallbreaker Sword’s secret technique, Lightning Piercing the Wall.
A fierce, jagged sword strike collided head-on with my flying blades.

Crash!

The flying blades and sword clashed, but the force was overwhelming. Unable to deflect all three blades, he stepped backward to evade them, managing to parry only two.

Slice!

A thin stream of blood trickled from his left thigh where the blade had grazed him.

“Ugh….”

Mark Goeten released a ragged sigh. If the trajectory of the incoming blades hadn’t been predictable, it would have been truly dangerous.

“Hey, Raon… Ugh!”

I was already lost in thought again, unsatisfied with this flying blade technique. A chilling dread crept down his spine.

‘This… this is too much now?’

This really isn’t going to work?

If the speed and power increased again and the flying blades came at him, he had no confidence he could withstand them.

‘Should I stop him?’

Just as I was about to say that defending had become difficult, light returned to Raon’s eyes. Now it took less than ten minutes to think things through.

“It’s sufficiently complete now.”

He smiled faintly and drew out a new hidden blade.

“Wait, just a moment….”
“Let’s begin again.”

Raon released the hidden blade with those words. The speed and concealment were now so extreme that it seemed invisible—my heart sank at the sight.

“Damn it!”

Mark Goeten raised his black-line blade with trembling fingertips.

‘What kind of training is this?!’

*

*

*

Raon pushed off the ground lightly and hurled the hidden blade gripped in his right hand. Stained crimson by the aura of Manhwagong, the blade curved like a water-soaked serpent and vanished from sight.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the blade reappeared, releasing a sinister killing intent toward Mark Goeten’s solar plexus.

“Ugh!”

Mark Goeten bit his lips until they bled and retreated a step. He twisted his wrist sharply and raised his black-line blade to counter. It was the Absolute Cutting technique of the Wall-Breaking Blade.

Clang!

The black-line blade wrapped in energy and the crimson hidden blade collided, unleashing a tremendous shockwave that swept across the Training Ground.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

The flying dagger I hurled pressed down upon Mark Goeten’s blade as if gripped by an invisible hand, crushing his entire body beneath its weight.

Clang!

Mark Goeten couldn’t withstand the terrifying force coursing through the flying dagger and was sent flying backward along with his dark blade. The dagger grazed his ribs instead of striking the solar plexus I’d aimed for.

Rip!

His combat uniform tore open, and crimson blood seeped from the wound.

“Ugh…”

Mark Goeten staggered and dropped to his knees. His entire body was covered in wounds both large and small, as if freshly carved by a blade.

I caught the flying dagger I’d just thrown and smiled.

‘It’s finally complete.’

The new flying dagger technique I’d created by extracting only the best qualities—the speed of the Lightning Dagger, the power of the Explosive Dagger, and the subtlety and precision of the Black Severing Dagger—had finally found its form.

‘Flawless Dagger.’

I named the newly created flying dagger technique the Flawless Dagger. It was an arrogant name that carried the meaning of a perfect technique without even the slightest flaw.

-This makes no sense…

Wrath narrowed his eyes to slits as he watched the flying dagger float through the air.

-You’re creating a new technique in such a short time at your level? How is this even possible!

He shrieked in disbelief.

-You’re not even at the level of the True Demon King or that old geezer who touched transcendence, yet how did you manage this!
‘Well.’

I pushed Wrath aside with a smile.

‘If you do it well, it’ll work.’
-There you go again! I’m sick of hearing that!
‘It’s the truth. What can I do about it?’

Of course, mere skill alone wouldn’t suffice.

During my life as an assassin, the weapon I’d wielded most intimately wasn’t a sword—it was the blade art. In my previous life, I’d mastered the Black Severing Blade and possessed profound understanding of blade techniques, which allowed me to harmonize three martial arts in this brief span of time.

‘With just a bit more refinement, it’ll be complete. Not just the Flawless Blade, but….’

I narrowed my eyes as I watched Mark Goeten’s shoulders trembling.

‘Even him.’

Mark Goeten’s body and aura were now activated as if he’d been rolling across a battlefield for hours, having spent all this time contending against the Flawless Blade. While his raw strength hadn’t increased dramatically, he’d now learned to deploy everything he possessed, unlike before.

‘Now it’s time to elevate his strength.’

I smiled faintly and gestured to Mark Goeten.

“Mark Goeten. Shall we begin again?”
“Again, again?”

Mark Goeten sat slumped, his jaw trembling.

“Wasn’t it all supposed to be over?”
“Over? No. This is just the beginning. There’s still much to refine. I think we can push the power and speed up even further.”
“I don’t think I’m at the level to receive what comes next.”

He waved his hand dismissively, his complexion ashen.

“You can do it. Absolutely. I believe in you.”

I raised my fist and shouted encouragement to Mark Goeten.

‘This is just the beginning. What am I saying?’

This was the most crucial period for elevating Mark Goeten’s strength. It would be grueling, and there would be moments where he’d nearly brush with death, but it would all become his flesh and blood.

-You’re saying you almost die sometimes?
‘That’s right. I’ll control it well.’

Right up to the brink of death.

I smiled softly and unleashed an even more refined Mist Veil toward Mark Goeten. The crimson-stained blade moved with a quiet cry like a thunder dragon hidden within lightning, surging toward the space between Mark Goeten’s brows.

“Haaaaa!”

Mark Goeten roared with tremendous force and unleashed a barrage of strikes. His black-lined sword emitted the brightest light yet, but it couldn’t overcome the power infused in the Mist Veil and was swept away like sand caught by a wave.

Boom!

A violent explosion erupted, and Mark Goeten was hurled backward, crashing into the ground.

“Ugh….”

Mark Goeten staggered as he pushed himself up. His weakened arms and legs trembled uncontrollably.

‘Good.’

I smiled watching him.

‘He’s definitely improved.’

Just now, Mark Goeten had demonstrated power beyond what he originally possessed. It was a small step, but he had climbed it nonetheless.

“R-Raon. At this rate, I’ll di….”
“We continue. True training should have no gaps.”
“W-Wait!”
“There are no pauses in my training.”

I unleashed the Mist Veil once more. The blade, transformed into a ray of light, bared its sharp edge toward Mark Goeten’s left chest.

“Ah….”

Mark Goeten gripped his sword tightly with trembling hands.

‘One mistake and I’m dead….’

My instincts honed by years as a knight and mercenary screamed at me. One wrong defense, and it would all end here.

I forced every ounce of strength into my grip and burned away the sinking aura entirely.

“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”

Mark Goeten didn’t shout a battle cry—he shrieked a plea for mercy as he drove the final technique of Nakhwado into me.

Boom!

As my vision darkened like the fall of night, I muttered to myself.

I think I made a terrible mistake coming here….

*

*

*

“Haaah….”

Burren Zigheart exhaled deeply and opened his eyes. A brilliant azure gaze, as if touched by wind itself, illuminated the Cultivation Chamber.

“Is this the Soun Hwan?”

He gazed at his palms, a smile brimming with exhilaration spreading across his face.

‘Incredible.’

As a member of the Main Lineage of Zigheart, he had consumed countless elixirs, but the Soun Hwan was exceptional among them. It didn’t merely increase aura—it transformed his very body through cultivation.

It wasn’t a complete metamorphosis like rebirth into a perfect form, but he could distinctly feel that his body had become capable of moving faster and with greater power.

‘With this, I might be able to use it now.’

A smile bloomed as he realized he could finally employ the first technique of the Sak Pung Sword, which he had refrained from using due to incomplete mastery.

Burren Zigheart glanced up at the ceiling and let out a soft chuckle.

“I received help from that fellow again.”

Sihan had come because Raon had won the championship in the Six Emperors duel tournament. My heart burned with gratitude toward the fellow who had handed over such a precious elixir without hesitation.

‘The way to repay him is by becoming stronger myself.’

Raon always thinks not just of himself, but of the growth of the entire Gwangpung Unit. The only way to repay this elixir was for all of us to grow faster and stronger together.

‘Let me see.’

About five days had passed.

The clock’s markings that could track the date had advanced five notches.

‘I should head out now.’

Though I hadn’t fully absorbed all of the elixir, I had cultivated enough that it would be more effective to go out and conduct other training.

Burren rose to his feet and brushed the dust from his training robes. With an expression of triumphant return, he opened the door to the Cultivation Chamber and stepped out.

It was night—the Training Ground was shrouded in darkness. The Cultivation Chambers were all sealed, suggesting others were still cultivating.

“So Raon and Mark Goeten are….”

As I was about to search for the two who were supposed to be standing guard, a small explosion erupted from the center of the Training Ground.

BOOM!

A violent shockwave detonated, and someone was sent flying through the air before crashing into the ground.

“What… what is this?”

I focused my eyes to see what was happening, and the state of the Training Ground was abnormal. It looked as though magical bombardment had ravaged it—there wasn’t a single intact spot anywhere.

‘What on earth happened here?’

The Cultivation Chamber’s interior was completely soundproofed from noise and impact, so I hadn’t known. It seemed as though a war had erupted.

CRACKLE!

As Burren Zigheart stood bewildered, something began crawling toward him from the spot where the shell had just detonated.

“Gasp!”

I was about to swing my sword down, thinking it was a zombie, but upon closer inspection, it was Mark Goeten from Nakhwado, who had arrived with Raon not long ago.

“M-Mark?”
“S-save me….”

Mark Goeten, covered in blood, clutched at Burren Zigheart’s ankle while his pale lips trembled.

“Please save me!”
“What?”

As Burren Zigheart stood frozen with his mouth agape, Raon emerged from the veil of sand and dust. He tossed the short blade in his hand and caught it again, a smile playing across his face.

“Looks like it ended well.”

Raon gestured toward Mark Goeten, who lay collapsed on the ground.

“Mark, we’re not done yet. Let’s go one more time. Just one more round….”

Burren Zigheart swallowed hard at the chilling sight before him.

‘What on earth have you done….’

What in the world could he have done to turn a man into a zombie like this?

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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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