The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 386

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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 386

I swallowed hard as I watched the young hedgehog wave its tiny paw.

‘Hedgehogs are supposed to hibernate in winter….’

Zigheart experienced eternal winter, and this was the harshest season of all.
A wild hedgehog should have been deep underground, belly full and fast asleep, not grinning like that and waving its paws.

-What deep thoughts you’re having!

Wrath’s jaw trembled as he watched the hedgehog break into a grin.

-It’s obvious! That Mad Woman!

He muttered something about being scared and disappeared into the Ice Flower Bracelet at unprecedented speed.

‘I know that too….’

I obviously knew who was inside that hedgehog, but I had harbored a faint hope—just maybe—that it might actually be a real hedgehog.

“Sigh….”

I exhaled deeply and met the hedgehog’s gaze.

“Merlin?”
“Yep!”

The hedgehog nodded with a bright smile. There was no “just maybe” about it.

“How did you even get in here?”
“I watched your match yesterday.”

Classic Merlin. She ignored my question entirely and said only what she wanted to say.

“Even when things got complicated, you didn’t panic. You overcame every obstacle together with your allies. It was truly magnificent!”

Merlin gave a thumbs up as if to say I’d done well. It was astounding that she could strike such a pose while in hedgehog form.

“You saw all of that?”

My jaw dropped.

‘The Head of House was there too?’

Glen had been at the Urban Training Ground where yesterday’s battle took place. The audacity of watching until the very end when he could be captured and killed at any moment drew a hollow laugh from me.

“I had to see you commanding and fighting, even if it cost me my lifespan.”

Merlin twisted her body and laughed with a ufufu sound.

-Truly, she is the Mad Woman indeed….
‘Insane….’

For anyone else, those words might be a joke, but not for Merlin. Cold sweat trickled down my back.

“Hup.”

Merlin climbed down from the tree and crept toward me. Slow as she was in the hedgehog’s body, the short distance meant she was soon at my feet.

“I have something to tell you. Listen to me.”
“You have spines, though.”
“It’s fine if I don’t raise them. Oh, and don’t touch my sides. It’s embarrassing.”

Her face flushed red as she said she was ashamed of her love handles being pinched.

“Sigh….”

This is driving me crazy.

But it was clear she’d brought important information, so I couldn’t refuse.
But it was clear that he had brought important information, so I couldn’t refuse.

Raon let out a deep sigh and picked up Merlin. The thorns she was controlling curled slightly inward.

“See? It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

Merlin waved her small hand, telling me to look. If the Mad Woman hadn’t been present, I would have embraced her—she was that adorable.

“What do you want to tell me?”
“The Black Tower detected you.”

Despite her cute appearance, her voice carried an icy edge.

“Detected?”

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Merlin.

“They must already know I killed the Black Tower Master, right?”
“They knew that much. But now they’ve marked you as a target for elimination.”

A blue light flickered in Merlin’s dark pupils.

“The Black Tower is secretive and relentless. Since you’ve defeated one of their layer lords, even if he was from a lower tier, they’ll definitely study you and send someone stronger.”
“I suppose so.”

I nodded in agreement.

‘They’re ruthless, after all.’

The Black Tower, wielders of dark energy, showed no mercy. They would certainly come for revenge, whatever methods it took.

“But how did you find out?”

Both the Bi-Yeon Society and the Black Market were investigating the Black Tower, but I hadn’t expected to hear about this from Merlin first.

“I infiltrated them.”

Merlin scratched her round nose and giggled.

‘Infiltrated?’

Did she just say infiltrated?

I couldn’t believe that an executive of Eden had infiltrated the Black Tower.

“You’re doing all this because of me?”
“Of course.”
“Why would you even infiltrate…?”
“Because I’m worried about you.”

Merlin tilted her head as if asking why I would question something so obvious.

‘Ah…’

Every time I heard her words, my mouth went dry. I felt grateful yet unsettled.

-Huh…’

Wrath let out an exasperated sigh from within the bracelet.

“Eden seems to be preparing something too, but I can’t quite figure out what.”

Merlin frowned, mentioning that Tacheon had been wandering around alone lately.

“You don’t know either?”
“He’s slightly suspicious of me. He’s handling the important work himself and only giving me minor tasks.”
“Suspicious?”
“Since you were my target, he might think there’s a connection between us. He’s sharp, after all.”

She assured me that I hadn’t been exposed yet and told me not to worry too much.

“I need to dispel his suspicions first, so I’ll have to be more careful with my movements going forward.”

Merlin waved her small hand.

“Once I obtain important information from the Black Tower or Eden, I’ll come find you again. Until then, take care of yourself.”

She said it was time for her to leave, waving her small hand back and forth.

“Thank you for telling me…’
“Give this little one twenty earthworms. That was our agreement.”

Merlin winked with her hedgehog eyes before disappearing.

“Wait, hold on! How am I supposed to find earthworms here right now!”
Squeak?

The hedgehog cradled in my palm stood on all fours and stared at me. The way it narrowed its eyes made it clear it wanted me to produce food immediately.

“Ah….”

I trembled as I held the hedgehog in my hand.

“Where am I supposed to find earthworms right now….”

I never imagined I’d encounter Merlin inside Zigheart, so my spatial pouch was completely empty.

Screech!

The hedgehog raised its voice demanding I produce food immediately, its spines bristling.

-What are you doing! If you made a promise, you have to keep it! Start digging in the ground!
‘I never made that promise….’

I sighed and activated Seolhwa’s senses to search for insects and earthworms in the surrounding area. Honestly, I could barely sense anything.

“C-couldn’t we settle for ten instead of twenty….”
Squeak!
“Fine. Fine.”

Shaking my head, I began digging with my bare hands where I could feel the faintest trace of energy.

-The True Demon King fears that Mad Woman, but….

Wrath approached from the side and chuckled.

-Watching you panic is unbearably delightful!
‘Shut up, and help me find earthworms before the creature eats all the bugs.’
-Ugh….

*

*

*

I barely managed to find twenty earthworms for the hedgehog and dig it a proper burrow before I could finally escape its clutches.
The creature gave me a satisfied thumbs up before falling into hibernation.

‘I’m exhausted.’
-Hungry, I am….

Wrath, who had helped me search for earthworms, draped himself limply across my forearm.

-Let’s eat the moment we get home.
‘After I sleep.’
-Eat first, then sleep.
‘What kind of logic is that….’
-Just eat, that’s all I’m saying!
‘Everyone’s still sleeping.’

As I was about to climb through the window of my room to avoid waking the others, the door to the Annex Building opened.

“Raon. Come here.”

Sylvia stepped out from the doorway and waved her hand.

“Mother?”

I widened my eyes in surprise and approached Sylvia.

“You haven’t been sleeping?”
“As you get older, you need less sleep in the mornings.”

Sylvia smiled, saying she had just woken up.

“Still, you should rest a bit more….”
“Once my eyes open, I can’t fall back asleep. But….”

She gave me a sidelong glance while taking my dust-covered hand.

“Why are you still speaking so formally to me?”
“I’m already over twenty now.”

I thought that since I had passed the age of adulthood, it was time to speak more formally.

“That’s enough.”

Sylvia shook her head vigorously at me.

“I’m not ready for you to grow up yet.”

She laughed, saying I was still at an age where I could be childish.

“I’ve long passed that age, haven’t I?”
“True, you’ve never been one for cuteness since you were young.”
“Hmm….”

I had no rebuttal to that. Having possessed an adult’s mind since infancy, childish affection and whining were simply impossible for me.

“But to me, you’re still my child.”

Sylvia gently caressed both my cheeks.

“Outside, they see you as a towering warrior—a hero, a sword dragon. Many people seek you out trying to impress you.”
“Is that so.”

I smiled faintly. The groundwork to elevate Sylvia to the Main Lineage seemed to be working well.

“But I reject them all and pay them no mind.”

Sylvia smiled while holding my gaze.

“Don’t worry about getting me into the Main Lineage—focus on what you need to do. I haven’t asked, but I know there’s something truly important you must accomplish.”
“How did you….”

My eyes widened. I had never told Sylvia what I was aiming for, so her words caught me off guard.

“Because I’m your mother.”
“Ah….”
“Judith is on duty today. Come wash up, and I’ll make us some sandwiches.”

Sylvia waved her hand and headed toward the Kitchen.

“Over there….”
-Mother is the best!
“….”

*

*

*

After I finished bathing and opened the door, Judith bowed her head respectfully.

“You’ve arrived, my lord.”

She gestured toward the sandwich and milk placed on the table, inviting me to eat.

-That woman’s sandwiches are actually quite decent.

True to Wrath’s words, Judith’s sandwich was fragrant and clean-tasting, genuinely delicious.

“I’ll enjoy it.”

As I sat at the table and took a bite of the sandwich, Judith approached from the side.

“While you were away training, information about Oma arrived from the Black Market. Would you like to see it directly, or shall I brief you?”
“Tell me about it.”

Judith possessed an unparalleled talent for information management, so hearing it from her was far more convenient.

“First, Oma’s movements have decreased dramatically. The only activity was from the Nambuk Alliance and the Black Tower, but even they haven’t shown any major movements.”
“It’s because of the Six Emperors meeting.”
“Yes. It seems they’ve gone into hiding after realizing that the Six Emperors’ alliance remains solid and the Head of House’s military strength is still intact.”

Judith nodded, her gaze growing sharp.

“However, we must not let our guard down. They’re not simply fleeing—they’re undoubtedly gathering strength.”
“That’s true.”

I smacked my lips. Oma consisted of madmen who couldn’t remain idle for long. They were definitely hiding with some ulterior motive in mind.

“The Black Tower moved to gather information, and that information was….”
“Me.”

Raon chuckled as he looked at Judith.

“Did you know, sir?”
“It was obvious.”

Thanks to Merlin, I could see right through what those Black Tower bastards were thinking.

“Do you have any information about your younger brother?”
“Not yet.”
“You can show disappointment if you want.”
“It’s fine.”

Judith shook her head calmly, as if devoid of emotion.

“You acted well during the puppet show before. That realistic scream—’Kyaaaaaaah!’….”
“Y-Young master!”

Her face flushed crimson for the first time. Apparently that was something she found truly embarrassing.

“I-I should take my leave now. And thank you for your concern.”

Judith left the room with her earlobes burning red.

-Hmm.

Wrath watched the door close behind Judith and began writing in his round bread-like fist.

-Always pretend to look after your subordinates….
‘It’s not pretending.’
-Either way, this isn’t difficult at all. There’s no demon king in the Demon Realm who cares for his subordinates as much as the True Demon King.
‘Can you please stop writing that?’
-As I said yesterday, since you’re stealing the True Demon King’s power, shouldn’t the True Demon King take something in return?!

Just as he frowned, insisting there was no such thing as a free meal, a message arrived.

[You have achieved victory against an opponent of a higher realm.]
[All ability stats increase by 8 points.]
[The mastery of True Sword and Ceremonial Sword increases.]

The message indicated that by defeating Trevin, my ability stats and mastery of True Sword and Ceremonial Sword had increased.

‘As expected.’

After the sparring match, it had become easier to employ the subtleties of True Sword and Ceremonial Sword, and it seemed that wasn’t just my imagination.

-W-why are you giving me this again!

Wrath dropped the round hand he’d been writing with.

‘You said it yourself. Where in this world is there anything free?’

I shrugged as I watched Wrath’s lips tremble.

‘Today’s lecture fee.’
-Shut your mouth! I’ve already paid the lecture fees in full for my entire lifetime! This is fraud!
‘Then report me. Though there’s nowhere to report it.’
-You wretched bastard! I can’t take this today!

Wrath erupted for the first time in a while, and that day my strength and agility increased further.

*

*

*

“Ugh….”

Julius gazed up at Bekmang Mountain Cliff and let out a hollow breath.

“You’re telling me to climb that?”

Are you insane?

One wrong move and I’d tumble straight down the sheer cliff face. The very thought made me question my sanity.

“Get up here!”

Raon’s voice echoed from the cliff’s summit.

“I’m really going to kill that thing today.”
“Your personality is hopeless, Raon….”
“Let’s go!”

Martha, Lunan, and Burren—the squad leaders of the Gwangpung Unit—set the example by ascending the cliff first, with the other Gwangpung Order swordsmen following in their wake.

Even with black rings—heavy iron bands—fastened around their wrists and ankles, the Gwangpung Unit climbed the cliff at an astounding speed.
It felt disrespectful to say it about my seniors, but they moved with the agility of cockroaches.

‘How are they moving so fast while wearing those things?’

The black rings were heavy enough on their own, but they also suppressed aura. The fact that they could scale the cliff so rapidly without using their full power was almost unbelievable.

“We should go too!”

Yua, who had become a Gwangpung Unit trainee alongside me, clenched her fists tightly.

‘This fearless little thing….’

Yua showed no fear of the cliff whatsoever—her face flushed red with eagerness to climb faster.

“Aren’t you scared?”
“We trained for three months to do this.”
“That’s not what this training was for.”

Julius shook his head. Over the three months since the Gwangpung Unit’s sparring match with the Cheoljeon Unit, we’d undergone basic training, but I didn’t believe this would become easy.

And for good reason….

“Gaaahhhhh!”

Crain, who had been climbing the cliff, was struck by a stone blade and plummeted downward.
He quickly released his black rings and shielded his body with aura before hitting the ground.

Boom!

Crain slammed into the ground with such force that the earth trembled as if it might collapse.

“Ugh….”

He barely managed to open his mouth, his eyes trembling violently.

“That damned bastard Raon. Why does he always target me first… Hack!”

As Crain muttered his curses, a stone flew from somewhere and struck his forehead.

“This is fun!”
“Ugh….”

Yua bounced excitedly with delight, while Crain’s face turned deathly pale.

“Don’t worry.”

Dogyae approached the two children and shook his head.

“I’ll catch you even if you fall.”

He said the others had grown accustomed to it and no longer needed catching. The moment those words left his mouth, members of the Gwangpung Order began raining down from the cliff like a downpour.

“Ahhhhh!
“Damn it!”
“Why does that madman’s spear technique keep improving!”

The Gwangpung Order members cursed at Raon or screamed as they were driven into the ground one after another.

“Let’s go!”

Yua giggled with unbridled joy and began climbing the cliff. Without the Black Ring equipped, she ascended at remarkable speed.

“Ugh….”

Julius gritted his teeth and placed his hands on the cliff to follow Yua.

‘I can’t lose to this guy.’

Regardless of anything else, I couldn’t stand watching that Yua monopolize Raon’s praise. I overcame my fear and climbed the cliff with all my strength.

Raon smiled as he watched Yua and Julius scrambling up the cliff.

‘They’re doing well.’

I had thought it would be difficult for them to climb without aura given their insufficient training, but both were managing quite well.

‘Yua climbs for joy, and Julius climbs out of stubbornness.’

Yua enjoyed the training itself, while Julius gritted his teeth and climbed, refusing to lose to her.

‘Having a rival—that’s the beauty of it.’

I chuckled softly and tossed the Venom Blade I’d been wearing on my finger downward. The blade descended without a sound and aimed for Dorian’s forehead.

“Wh-what!”

Dorian sensed the danger and tried to dodge to the right, but the Venom Blade rotated smoothly like a wind-swept leaf and struck his ribs.

Crack!

A thunderous sound erupted as if a sledgehammer had struck, though the blade had merely grazed his flesh.

“Gaaaah!”

Dorian fell downward in tears.

“You demon!”

Unable to curse properly, he shouted the word as he vanished.

-Not a demon, but a Demon King candidate!

Wrath shook his head, saying I had long surpassed the demon stage.

‘I’m not becoming a Demon King.’

I let out a low chuckle and drove the curved blade downward. The whip-like strike of the blade lashed across the Gwangpung Unit member’s shoulder.

‘I won’t lose to swords anymore.’

Mugyeolbi’s growth had been even faster than the Gwangpung Unit’s advancement. Since I had created several additional techniques, there was still a long way to go before they could conquer this cliff.

‘Should I blend it with that as well?’

Now that Mugyeolbi had reached a certain level of proficiency, it seemed reasonable to combine it with the Biryeongdo I had received from Derus Robert in the past.

‘I’ll set a date soon….’

As I was recalling the incantation of Biryeongdo, I heard footsteps from behind. Turning around, Roen stood there with a benevolent smile.

‘Still as ghostlike as ever.’

True to his epithet of the King of Assassins, his ability to conceal his presence far surpassed my own.

“I greet the Vice-Commander of the Gwangpung Unit.”

Roen bowed respectfully.

“It has been a while, Roen.”

I returned the greeting with an even deeper bow.

“The Head of House is looking for you.”

Roen nodded gently with a soft smile.

“The Head of House is looking for me?”
“Yes. It appears the second trial has been decided.”

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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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