The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 437
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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 437
The swordsmen of the Gwangpung Corps swallowed hard, their gazes lifting toward the platform.
As the sun began to set, casting crimson light across the platform, Raon stood with eyes blazing like molten scarlet.
“Hmm….”
Burren’s fingertips trembled as he observed the gleaming intensity in Raon’s eyes.
“Something seems off about his gaze….”
Normally, Raon’s eyes carried a cool or frigid light, but now they burned with a kind of unhinged madness.
“It’s not just seeming off—he’s completely lost it.”
Martha stepped beside Burren and released a weary sigh.
“The eyes of a man who’s lost his mind.”
She bit her lip, noting they were identical to the eyes of Gwangpung Corps swordsmen when they’d been driven mad by grueling training.
“This isn’t good.”
Lunan trembled, acutely sensing the shift in the aura emanating from Raon.
“Eyes as cold as ice cream….”
She lowered her gaze, noting they’d grown far more sinister than when he’d first begun his focus-strengthening training.
“Ugh….”
“What, doesn’t the atmosphere feel eerie to you?”
“Why are his eyes so wide? It’s terrifying!”
“What on earth happened between him and the Head of House?”
The Gwangpung Corps swordsmen also sensed that Raon’s gaze and demeanor differed from his usual self, their brows furrowing with concern.
Thud.
I took a single step toward the Gwangpung Corps. Though my stride was short, it radiated a pressure as immense as a giant’s footfall.
“It has been a while.”
I clasped my hands behind my back and offered a gentle smile. Yet my eyes rolled back further than usual, emanating a profound dread.
“Have you all been well?”
I lowered my gaze toward those gathered below the platform, inquiring after their welfare.
“Well, we’ve been….”
“Resting well….”
“Occasionally loosening up our bodies….”
“I have come to understand something during my training in this place.”
I lifted my chin without waiting for their responses.
“Something you’ve understood?”
“What… what is that?”
Despite the oppressive atmosphere, the swordsmen of the Gwangpung Corps raised their hands one by one, curiosity stirring within them.
“That I have been committing a grave sin against all of you.”
“A sin?”
“What nonsense is this?”
“Well, I… I’m not sure….”
Lunan, Martha, and Burren exchanged bewildered glances, unable to comprehend my words.
“A most grievous sin at that.”
I raised my right hand and swept back my disheveled hair.
The swordsmen of the Gwangpung Corps moistened their parched lips as my eyes grew an even deeper crimson.
“I have underestimated your potential and failed to draw out all the limits you possess. There are still jewels buried deep within you, yet I merely skimmed the surface without excavating them.”
I had committed a grave transgression, and I bowed my head in apology for having disregarded you all.
“Through training with the Head of House and Lectar, I’ve come to understand it clearly. How to grow stronger, how to transcend my limits. I’ve grasped it all.”
I laughed, saying there was no need to worry anymore. From within that bright smile bloomed a pale yellow madness, and the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen’s jaws trembled.
“W-we’re fine!”
“That’s right! We don’t need to break through any ridiculous limits!”
“Handsome Raon. I like things as they are now.”
Burren, Martha, and Lunan frantically waved their hands.
‘We absolutely cannot cross that line!’
‘I saw him breaking into cold sweat—if we did that, we’d die!’
‘I just want to eat one more ice cream….’
The three of them cried out inwardly that they could not endure another hell, and refused the new training.
“S-sub-commander. No, Commander! Concentration enhancement training is enough for us!”
“Absolutely! You don’t need to worry about us anymore!”
“Commander, you’re busy as it is—we’d feel terrible taking up your time!”
“There’s a saying that the old way is the best way. We’ll continue as we have been!”
The Gwangpung Corps swordsmen, including Dorian and Crain, also felt a spine-chilling dread and shook their heads frantically.
“I’m fine. There’s a faster path, so there’s no need to make you take the long way around. Good things shouldn’t be enjoyed alone—they must be shared. Starting today, I’ve decided to train with you all during the evening hours.”
I raised my clenched fist forward, saying I wanted to grow together with them.
“W-we don’t really need to share….”
“That’s right! You should enjoy the good things alone!”
“I-I have dog feeding time….”
The Gwangpung Corps felt the crisis deepen, tilting their heads back and pressing their lips shut.
“No, I can’t be the only one to suffer through this.”
I descended from the platform with a chilling smile.
“I said I couldn’t bear this alone!”
“You’re openly being spiteful! That demon!”
“Not a demon—at this rate, call him a Demon Lord!”
“Enough. Draw your swords, all of you.”
Raon ignored the Gwangpung Corps’ protests and unsheathed the Celestial Sword. The faint madness that had glimmered in his eyes blazed forth with intense brilliance.
“I’ll show you how exquisite swordsmanship can be.”
*
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*
Raon briefly imparted the method of infusing sword techniques with refined essence before ascending the platform once more.
“From now on, we begin training to harmonize the essence of Swift Blade with the swordsmanship you’ve been cultivating. Whatever your technique, you will learn to channel ultimate speed.”
He issued the training directive and brought the Celestial Sword down from above.
Whoooosh!
Ferocious and razor-sharp, the opening strike of the Crimson Aura Sword wrapped itself in the pinnacle of velocity, and a scarlet blade-light rent the darkness asunder.
“I-I can’t even see it?”
“Was the Commander’s sword always this fast?”
“And he’s not even going all out….”
The swordsmen of the Gwangpung Corps gaped in awe as they witnessed Raon’s Swift Blade technique—his sword cleaving through the air at terrifying speed, then sheathing so seamlessly it appeared never to have moved at all.
“Once you try it, you’ll understand—it’s not as frightening as it seems.”
Raon lowered the Celestial Sword and twirled his fingers in a circle.
“Picture the image of channeling ultimate speed into your swordsmanship, then swing with all your might.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Gwangpung Corps swordsmen answered with a resounding cry and brought their blades down.
Though I had witnessed these sword techniques countless times before, the speed at which the forms flowed together had accelerated.
“Hmm?”
“This isn’t that difficult, actually.”
“Right. You just layer the essence of Swift Blade onto the sword technique and execute it.”
“It consumes a lot of aura and requires concentration, but it’s not something to be afraid of.”
They all smiled, noting that this training was not as difficult and grueling as they had anticipated.
“For a first attempt, you did well.”
I nodded approvingly to the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen.
“However, you haven’t yet fully captured the essence of Swift Blade. Begin again.”
I instructed them to execute the sword technique once more, noting their lack of focus and speed.
“Yes!”
The Gwangpung Corps swordsmen, now aware that this training was not particularly difficult, nodded without hesitation and executed the sword technique again. The speed was noticeably faster than their first attempt.
“Again.”
Yet I called for another repetition, unsatisfied, and the swordsmen executed the technique a third time.
“Again.”
My calls for “again” continued without end. After more than two hours of executing the sword technique at full power while incorporating an unfamiliar essence, exhaustion became plainly visible on the swordsmen’s faces.
“This… this isn’t a joke, is it?”
Burren lowered his blade and exhaled ragged breaths.
“It was manageable at first, but executing sword techniques consecutively like this… my stamina is being drained like blood from a leech.”
Martha gripped her knees, her teeth clenched tightly.
“Martha. You’re weakening…”
Lunan blinked, his body nearly sprawled across the ground.
“If you’re going to say things like that, then get up!”
Martha furrowed her brow and grabbed Lunan by the collar, hoisting him upright.
“Ugh!”
“I’m… dying…”
“I never knew executing sword techniques consecutively could be this exhausting.”
“Having to incorporate unfamiliar nuances seems to drain us even faster…”
The Gwangpung Corps swordsmen, even more drained than their squad leaders, bent over with their hands on their waists as they gasped for breath.
“Once more.”
Raon, clearly dissatisfied again, commanded them to concentrate harder and execute the sword technique from the beginning once more.
“What exactly is the problem!”
“We’re doing it correctly!”
“At least tell us what’s wrong!”
The swordsmen furrowed their brows, wondering how many more times they would have to repeat this.
“If you’re curious, I’ll tell you.”
Raon turned his calm gaze toward the squad leaders standing before him.
“Burren, your body balance is off from the first move. You’re so focused on speed that the flow of your swordsmanship is disrupted. Martha, you’re infusing more of the heavy strike’s essence than the swift strike. Speed and power are different things—understand that properly. Lunan, stop dozing off and concentrate. Dorian, your speed itself is too slow. You need to execute it faster…”
He pointed out every shortcoming of the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen, starting with the three squad leaders.
“Huh…”
“Y-you saw all our weaknesses?”
“After training all day long, is such keen observation even possible?”
“There really is no monster quite like him…”
The Gwangpung Corps swordsmen shook their heads in expressions of admiration and astonishment at his pointed feedback.
“Your arms are idle? Stop marveling and swing your swords!”
As Raon clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes, the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen flinched and hastily raised their blades once more.
“Ugh….”
“Damn it!”
“One day I’ll become stronger than that monster, and I’ll put him through hell training!”
Perhaps because they had just heard the weaknesses pointed out, the swordsmen’s movements were faster and more precise than before.
“Again!”
Of course, Raon called for another round, still unsatisfied.
-Hmm….
Wrath yawned and tapped his head repeatedly.
-Those pathetic fools can’t improve in a single day. They seem to be trying hard enough, so why keep repeating this endlessly?
He muttered that he was hungry and wanted to leave and eat something.
‘Not yet.’
Raon pushed aside Wrath’s round belly and shook his head.
‘They can improve a bit more. And they deserve to suffer a little.’
I couldn’t endure alone the torture of wielding my sword with full force all day long, imbuing it with the subtleties of swordsmanship. I wanted them to understand that pain as well.
“One more time!”
-Sigh….
Wrath let out a deep sigh as he watched Raon’s gleaming eyes.
-There’s not a single sane person in this place….
*
*
*
The next day.
When I finished Lectar’s grueling morning training and caught my breath, Glen appeared and offered me a Nadin bread.
“Thank you for the meal.”
I looked up as I accepted the Nadin bread. It might have been my imagination, but Glen’s expression seemed as warm as the freshly baked bread itself.
“Go ahead.”
Glen gestured for me to eat slowly, then stepped back.
-Damn it!
Wrath shrieked in exasperation, tearing at his hair.
-That cursed bread isn’t just rubber-flavored! It’s like rubber is stuck to my tongue—the stale taste lingers all day long!
He’d begged me to at least tolerate the Nadin bread, but without eating it, I couldn’t endure Glen’s relentless training. I had no choice.
-No, I can’t… blegh!
The moment I swallowed the Nadin bread whole, Wrath collapsed like a broken tumbler toy.
“I’ve finished. Shall we begin?”
I left the unconscious Wrath with my tongue still sticking out and approached Glen.
“Very well.”
Glen nodded and stepped to the side.
‘Hmm?’
Why did he move to the side?
Normally, he would demonstrate the technique first and then instruct me to follow, but instead he stood off to the side.
“Infuse change into the Gwangpung Sword.”
Glen instructed me to demonstrate the swordsmanship first without showing an example himself.
“Understood.”
I nodded and drew the Jecheon Sword. Wondering if he’d grown tired, I unfolded the Gwangpung Sword with change woven through it.
Whoooosh!
The blade, moving with agonizing slowness like a snail crawling, achieved a vivid transformation that shimmered like heat haze rising from flames.
The tip of the Jecheon Sword unraveled like thread, creating a crystalline flow of change.
“Hmm….”
Glen stroked his chin and furrowed his brows. His expression suggested ambivalence.
“Your downward strike was slightly too fast. The focal point of change is the wrist, but you didn’t fully utilize it. Don’t worry about speed—concentrate on the change itself.”
He raised his sword and brought it down, erasing all the shortcomings of the technique I had just displayed. Hundreds of blades filled the Training Ground.
“Try again.”
Glen waved his hand, telling me to correct the points he’d indicated.
“Ah….”
I adjusted my grip on the Jecheon Sword’s hilt, my mouth falling open in surprise.
‘Has the Head of House changed as well?’
Just as Lectar had been influenced by Glen and begun harsher training, it seemed Glen had been influenced by Lectar and now wrapped his instruction in gentleness.
Since they had observed each other’s training, it was clear that changes had occurred in how each of them taught.
“Why do you stand idle?”
“I’ll begin now.”
I lifted the Jecheon Sword and exhaled a short breath.
‘But if things go like this….’
Wouldn’t I just be making things harder on myself?
*
*
*
Though Raon appeared outwardly composed, he exhaled heavily after finishing Glen’s increasingly brutal training regimen.
‘I’m going to die at this rate.’
To satisfy Glen, I had to push my aura and concentration to their absolute limits with every sword technique I executed. Repeating this relentlessly until evening left my body heavy as waterlogged cotton, my mind too foggy to maintain focus.
‘This won’t do.’
I couldn’t simply ignore this stress.
Training the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen and venting this stress seemed like the only way I’d survive Glen and Lectar’s training tomorrow.
As I was contemplating how to drill the Gwangpung Corps today, Lectar entered the Training Ground.
“Head of House.”
Lectar approached Glen with the corners of his mouth curled upward.
“You’ve changed your training methods.”
“Haven’t you also made changes to your instruction, Lectar?”
Glen smiled, noting that Lectar’s lessons had undergone significant modifications as well.
“Observing your teachings, Head of House, I realized that gentleness alone won’t suffice. Sometimes a rougher approach proves more effective.”
“I’ve found the opposite to be true—providing some explanation works better. Point out their shortcomings clearly, and push harder if they can’t improve.”
“A fair point. That certainly increases the time spent wielding the sword.”
“Indeed. Today he executed at least ten more sword techniques than yesterday.”
The two exchanged words that seemed to probe each other’s intentions, then suddenly began consulting on how to make the training even more demanding and intensive.
“Huh…?”
I widened my eyes as I watched Glen and Lectar, who were both wearing genuine smiles.
‘When did those two become so close….’
*
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*
Lectar returned to his chamber after observing Yua and Julius’s swordplay. He settled onto the bed with a faint smile playing across his lips.
‘How delightful.’
I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this way.
Teaching Raon, who grasps five concepts from a single lesson; nurturing my disciple who has become pure as a blank slate; instructing Yua and Julius, who feel like grandchildren, in the way of the sword—every moment since arriving at Zigheart has been nothing but happiness.
‘And beyond that….’
Because of the shared purpose of teaching Raon, I’ve grown closer to Glen as well. Whenever we discuss how to make Raon stronger, it brings a joy reminiscent of conversing with an in-law.
These moments feel more fulfilling than when I was raising Edgar, and I wished for this life to continue.
“I don’t wish to leave. Just a little longer….”
As Lectar lay back on the bed and closed his eyes, two knocks sounded at the door.
“Master.”
“Come in.”
Recognizing Mustan’s voice, I immediately granted him entry.
“My apologies for the late hour.”
Unlike when I had observed his training moments ago, he entered with an expression as rigid as ice.
“What is the matter?”
Rather than answer, Mustan withdrew a pristine letter from his breast pocket.
“A recall order has come down from Ryeon.”
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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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