The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 57

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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 57

I bit down on my lip as the word “kill” left Rector’s mouth, and a tempestuous killing intent swept across my entire body.

Roooar!

But having lived my entire life as an assassin, killing intent held little meaning for me. I resonated the four rings of fire, pushing back the oppressive aura that sought to crush my body.

“Oh!”

Rector’s eyes widened in surprise. His mouth formed a perfect circle as he marveled at my resistance to his killing intent.

“This isn’t a sprout—you’re already a bud, aren’t you?”

He let out a hollow laugh and tapped his scabbard repeatedly, as if deliberating whether to draw his blade.

‘I cannot win this.’

Through assassination, I could kill him, but overpowering Rector with my current martial prowess was impossible. Yet I had something to rely on.

Shing.

I drew my blade first.

“Draw your sword and come at me.”

I summoned my suppressed momentum and pointed my silvered blade at Rector.

“If I draw this, you’ll die, won’t you?”
“The weak perishing is the natural order of things.”
“Ha, what kind of spirit does a brat like you have?”

Rector let out an exclamation and applauded. His hand finally withdrew completely from his scabbard.

“Looking at your aura, your will to fight has vanished. You’d be wasted if I killed you here.”
“A true warrior does not choose where to die.”
“Wow, you’re insane. Are you really a kid? Have you been reading some collection of aphorisms?”
“….”
“Well, that’s not the only reason, actually.”

Rector’s gaze shifted past me toward the trees above.

“Even if I recover that elixir, it means nothing if I die in the process.”

He nodded toward the trees and retreated backward in a single bound.

‘As expected.’

I clicked my tongue. Behind me now, all the instructors were concealed in the shadows.

I couldn’t pinpoint Rimer’s location, but given his nature, he was certainly nearby.

Rector had sensed Rimer and the instructors’ presence and retreated.

“If you belonged to the Nambuk Alliance, this would have been truly entertaining. What’s your name?”
“….”

I didn’t answer and closed my eyes. His question stirred memories from my past life.

When I lived as an assassin in my previous existence, it was rare to hear such words from an enemy, and even if I did, I couldn’t respond.
I always kept silent, fleeing or rushing forward to kill.

My heart trembled slightly—an enemy, a master renowned across the Continent, was asking for my name.

“So you won’t even tell me your name….”
“My name is Raon. Raon Zigheart.”

I opened my eyes slowly and declared my name with confidence.

“Raon, is it? I look forward to hearing your name echo across Terucan Mountain and the Rabel River in the days to come.”

He smiled faintly and descended the mountain. I kept my senses open in case he returned, but he truly vanished.

“Sigh.”

I exhaled and sheathed my sword.

‘That worked perfectly.’

Rector had a masculine personality that belied his delicate appearance.

He charged forward confidently despite knowing he was outmatched in strength. I’d actually grown to respect him. Just as the intelligence from the Robert Family had indicated.

‘I’m glad we didn’t have to fight.’

Rector was formidable. If I’d fought him alongside Rimer, we could have won, but several instructors would have died in the process. Ending this without bloodshed was the best outcome.

I tucked the elixir into my pocket and placed the Seolho Bandit Leader’s head into a thick cloth wrapping. For the sake of credit, I needed to bring the leader’s head back myself.

“Let’s head back then.”

I glanced up at the trees and smiled faintly.

*

*

*

Rimer had already identified the bandits’ positions when the trainees began their search.
Once you saw past the trap of dense forest and towering mountains, you could immediately discern where the bandits were hiding.

But that was only true for someone with his extensive experience. The trainees were different.

As expected, they moved toward the mountains and forest first.

Burren and Martha were no exception. The two of them each chose a direction—one toward the mountain, one toward the forest—and began searching like wild boars.

It was far too predictable to be surprising.

Only Raon and Lunan stood on the path without moving.
They only began to move after the other trainees had long since chosen their directions and started searching.

The two figures headed toward the Low Hill—neither the Forest nor the Mountain.

Those bastards?
I deliberately chose a position where the forest beside the Low Hill wouldn’t be visible, yet I have no idea how they discovered it.

It must be Raon.

It seemed Raon had deduced with his exceptional judgment that the bandits might be hiding on the Low Hill.

However, the bandits—true to their mountain-dwelling nature—had erased most traces of their presence. Even the instructors would struggle to find them, so it was unreasonable to expect Raon and Lunan to detect the bandits’ presence.

Yet Raon surveyed the forest atop the Low Hill, and as if he’d discovered something, he ventured inside.

Then, discovering human traces one by one, he advanced slowly toward the direction where the bandits were concealed.

How is this even possible?

Rimer’s jaw dropped. Here was a trainee on his first mission, tracking the bandits’ trail like a seasoned scout. It was absurd.

And he wasn’t just walking. He crouched low, moving only on the balls of his feet, making no sound whatsoever.

Damn, he even disarmed the traps?

Raon and Lunan disarmed the traps the bandits had set and finally reached the location where they were hiding.

There was a hostage being held there—one even he hadn’t known about.

What should I do?

Rimer moved closer to the tree where the hostage was being held. He was prepared to act immediately if Raon or Lunan failed.

But there was no need to move.

Raon used Lunan as bait to divert the bandits’ attention, then slit the throat of the bandit holding the hostage.

Gulp.

The sharp yet decisive strike sent a chill down my spine. The way he muffled the sound with a pressure point and eliminated the bandit in front—it was flawless.

Then came the sight of him sparing a bandit to extract information. It was like watching a true professional at work.

But there was one mistake. Or rather, one stroke of misfortune.

A silent whistle—the kind only the trained could hear—and Buchae detected it.

Even in that critical moment, Raon didn’t panic. He immediately devised a new strategy and hid Lunan and the child.

After luring Buchae and the bandits into complacency, he burst forward in one fluid motion and rescued the second hostage.

What followed was combat.

Rimer watched the battle unfold with his fingers twitching—Raon at the vanguard, Lunan covering the rear.

He loosened his legs, ready to intervene at any sign of danger, but the opportunity never came.

Lunan laid down frost while Raon drew his blade, and the bandits fell without even managing to swing their weapons properly.

The bandit leader, realizing he couldn’t match Raon even with his swagger, abandoned his subordinates and fled.

I need to be the one to catch him.

There wasn’t enough time to protect both hostages, deal with the remaining bandits, and capture the leader.

Since the Seolho Bandit Leader couldn’t be allowed to escape, Rimer moved in the direction he’d fled.

A hostage? No, that’s another bandit.

The bandit leader descended the low hill, holding a female bandit as though she were a hostage.

If I capture him then….

Just as Rimer was about to ambush the Seolho Bandit Leader before he could even resist, he heard someone rushing toward him from behind.

It was Raon.
He charged toward the bandit leader like a lion unleashed.

The bandit leader feigned panic and hurled the female bandit away. Raon slowed his pace to catch her.

Tsk….

Rimer’s brow furrowed. That woman was a serpent sorcerer. I had to save Raon before the snake could strike.

But then.
The moment the serpent lunged, Raon’s right hand moved.

Slash!

Without a moment’s hesitation, as if he’d known all along, he pierced both the serpent and the woman’s heart with his blade.

“Wow.”

Rimer let out an involuntary gasp of admiration. To kill the serpent without even flinching—such a feat was impossible unless he’d known beforehand.

What kind of monster was this guy?

It was beyond admiration now; my mind was reeling.
In decades of traversing battlefields and witnessing countless talents, I’d never encountered a freak like this.

Raon severed the Seolho Bandit Leader’s neck and even claimed the spiritual elixir he’d been carrying.

Yes. Well done.

I suppressed the urge to applaud. Glancing aside, the other instructors were equally dumbfounded, shaking their heads in disbelief.

Just when I thought it was all over, a young, handsome man radiating intense aura emerged.

A yellow headscarf and formidable energy. A warrior of the Nambuk Alliance.

So there was a connection to the Nambuk Alliance after all.

I’d wondered why the Seolho Chae Bandits were hiding—they must have been waiting for this Nambuk Alliance warrior.

The Nambuk Alliance warrior introduced himself as Rector.
A familiar name.
A young prodigy swordmaster who became a sect leader just ten years after joining the Nambuk Alliance.

Raon showed no intimidation before Rector. He drew his blade and told him to come first.

That guy.
It wasn’t that I didn’t know Rector’s strength. It was a resolve not to back down as a Zigheart warrior.

Rector was astounded by my spirit, even as he found the situation absurd.
And he withdrew.

Of course, he had stepped back knowing that I and the instructors were hidden, but among his reasons was also goodwill toward me.

“I am Raon. Raon Zigheart.”

Ah.

Watching Raon’s back as he earned recognition even from someone far stronger than himself and boldly declared his name, a chill ran down my spine.

The scene from when I first met Glen long ago flowed through my mind like déjà vu.

Rimer clenched his fists tightly.

A king.

Still young and weak, but at last, the seed of a new king seemed to have sprouted.

*

*

*

Raon returned to where Lunan and the children were. The instructors who had rushed over upon hearing the signal had already subdued the remaining bandits.

“You’re back.”
“You’ve accomplished something remarkable.”
“What exactly are you really?”

The instructors clicked their tongues, their gazes filled with admiration, surprise, and astonishment.

“Raon.”

Lunan approached, cradling both children in his arms. The children, wrapped in robes, had cried so much their eyes were swollen shut.

“Lunan. You did really well.”

I meant every word. Thanks to her timely intervention, I was able to save the children without them getting hurt.

“Yeah.”

Lunan nodded enthusiastically, gently stroking the children’s heads—she seemed to be in good spirits.

“Hmm….”

I reached out to ruffle the two children’s hair but stopped when I noticed blood on my hands.

“You’re safe now.”

I squeezed their shoulders gently and offered them a faint smile. I wanted to say more, but the words wouldn’t come.

“Waaahhh!”

The boy burst into tears, clutching his younger sister tightly. It seemed like he’d finally let out the cries he’d been holding back as an older brother.

“You two head down now.”

The instructors pointed toward the outpost below the Low Hill, gesturing as they began clearing the area.

“What about you, instructors?”
“We’ll finish cleaning up here and follow. Leave the rest to us. You’ve done excellent work.”

The instructors gave us a thumbs up.

“Understood.”

I nodded and led Lunan and the children out of the forest, which reeked of the bandits’ stench.

-You don’t even know how to comfort those brats? When I was in the Demon Realm, a great famine once swept through. I took pity on the young demons suffering from hunger and opened the gates of Winter Castle and….
‘Uncle, that’s enough.’
-And to think it takes you this long to kill mere bandits like those. I’m ashamed to be bound to someone like you. You don’t even know how to properly use the power you possess.
‘How should I use it?’
-Fool. The first strike. The first strike. You must condense all your power into the first blow and unleash it explosively.
‘Explosively?’
-Yes. The human mana circuit has mysterious properties, so amplifying and circulating mana is perfectly acceptable….

I began subtly coaxing Wrath to reveal more efficient methods of mana manipulation. As always, he was generous with his knowledge.

*

*

*

When I returned to the base with Lunan and the children, a loud commotion was erupting from the center.

“It’s the mountain. Those bastards are definitely hiding up there.”
“That’s ridiculous. The mountain is as obvious as your hairstyle. Thinking bandits are automatically in the mountains is stupid. They’re definitely hiding in the dense forest to the west.”
“Your approach is too reckless. Relying on intuition without proper tracking and pursuit techniques is dangerous.”
“My intuition outranks your judgment, so shut it. Tomorrow we’re definitely going to the western forest.”

Burren and Martha were arguing about which direction they had confirmed the bandits were in.

“Ugh, here we go again.”
“Those two always fight whenever they meet.”
“But which one is actually right?”

The trainees stood helplessly watching the two bickering figures.

“Ahem!”

When Lunan cleared his throat, all eyes turned toward me, Lunan, and the children.

“What are those children?”
“We asked you to find bandits, not runaway kids from who knows where.”

Burren and Martha frowned upon seeing the two children.

“Who knows? I wonder who it could be?”

I set down the bundle containing the bandit leader’s head and let out a dry chuckle.

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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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