The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 632

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 632

I sat atop a black rock where lava surged upward, my gaze lowered.

[Kiiiek….]

The Phoenix, which had appeared more colossal than a volcano, now sat collapsed on the ground, drained of all strength and reduced to a size smaller than a chicken.

“Your name.”
[….]

I flicked my finger, demanding the name, but the Phoenix merely gaped its beak as if its mind had fled.

“Answer.”
[Pweek, pweek?]

As I lowered my voice to a chilling tone, the Phoenix released frightened chirps like a chick.

“I ask again. Your name.”

I narrowed my brow, my cold eyes bearing down.

[K-Kaiyan, sir!]

The Phoenix spat out its name with the sharp beak that had once terrified humans.

“Kaiyan, then….”

I nodded and posed my second question.

“Your age?”
[W-Well, after a thousand years passed, I stopped counting precisely.]

Kaiyan scratched the back of its head with a wing, embarrassed at not knowing its own age.

[Besides, this is a special place, so it’s a bit difficult to determine age….]
“You don’t know, and that’s it?”
[….]
“Answer.”
[Squawk, squawk!]

The creature trembled with a frightened expression, its beak quivering.

“It doesn’t have to be exact. Just give me a rough estimate.”
[W-well, if we’re counting just the years I’ve lived, it seems to be a bit over three thousand….]

The Phoenix answered with its eyes squeezed shut, as if forcibly calculating its age.

“Three thousand years….”

From the moment I first saw it, I sensed that its size and firepower were on a different level from ordinary phoenixes, and as I’d suspected, this creature had lived an extraordinarily long time.

“What were you doing here?”
[I was fulfilling a promise….]
“What promise?”
[I stay in this place and test those who enter. That’s my duty.]

Kaiyan continued, stroking its beak with a wing.

[Only humans I permit are allowed to descend to the lower levels.]
“So you really were a gatekeeper.”

As it was dying, the creature had shouted that no one could leave this place without its permission. It seemed my suspicion was correct—it had been serving as a guardian here.

“What exactly am I witnessing right now?”

Burren Zigheart shook his head in disbelief.

“Are we really interrogating a phoenix right now?”
“Wasn’t it fine when you revived the phoenix and used it for combat training?”

Martha snorted, remarking that Burren was quick to be surprised.

“I don’t think I’ll be shocked by anything the Organization Master does anymore.”

She brushed her hair back while gazing at the back of Raon’s head.

“Handsome Raon.”

Lunan Slion clapped her hands in approval.

“Who did you make a promise with?”

Raon glanced down at Kaiyan and gestured with his chin.

[W-Well….]

Kaiyan forced his trembling head upward.

[That’s the thing, but could I ask you just one question?]
“What is it?”
[Could I see the flames you used to resurrect me in detail?]

His tone had changed completely. I never knew the Phoenix could speak so gently.

“The flames I used to resurrect you?”
[They felt similar to the human I made a promise with….]
“….”

Raon’s eyes narrowed as he listened to Kaiyan’s words.

‘Was this indeed the work of the First Patriarch of Zigheart?’

It seemed the Zigheart Ancestor had also been the one to establish this Phoenix as a gatekeeper.

After casting a barrier so others wouldn’t hear, I summoned the flames of Manhwagong.

Whoooosh!

As I reached the Heavenly Flame of Manhwagong, delicate golden light wrapped around the flames, reflecting in the Phoenix’s eyes.

[As I thought….]

Kaiyan nodded while observing the flames of Manhwagong, which still leaned more toward red.

[Still immature, but you are indeed his descendant. Though your temperament is the complete opposite….]
“What?”
[N-no, that’s not it!]

Kaiyan’s wings trembled as if he feared another strike.

“That person created this place, didn’t he?”
[Yes. Though it seems multiple people worked on it together….]
“I see….”

That memory was genuine. The First Patriarch of Zigheart and his companions had indeed created this space.

“Why did you accept the role of gatekeeper?”
[I owed him a debt….]
“A debt?”
[He saved my kin’s children. Without him, we would have been captured by humans and enslaved.]
“I see.”

It seemed the First Patriarch had rescued a Phoenix that had been captured by humans. He truly had his hand in everything. He must have possessed quite the wandering spirit.

[Since my life was already drawing to a close anyway, I accepted his proposal and became the gatekeeper of this place.]
“Tell me exactly what that person asked of you.”
[He said to administer appropriate trials, send those who pass down to the lower levels, and allow those who fail to retake the test.]

Raon nodded as he observed Kaiyan’s eyes, which had stopped trembling.

‘Now I’m beginning to understand.’

It appeared the First Patriarch of Zigheart had created this space for all of his descendants. The fact that he called it a trial made it certain.

“But isn’t something odd?”
[N-no?]
“When you first saw us, you displayed genuine killing intent.”

Kaiyan had emanated a murderous aura as if to slaughter every human in this place, not as a trial.
I had used him as a training dummy, killing him multiple times, precisely because I sensed that genuine killing intent at that moment.

[That… that wasn’t my intention.]
“Not your intention?”
[Some humans found this place not long ago. They weren’t satisfied with merely passing through this land—they twisted the Formation and Barrier. Among them, there was a Monster I couldn’t even handle…]

I had a feeling I knew who that was.

‘Derus Robert.’

Just as I’d sensed on the first layer, Derus Robert had definitely come here himself.

‘This place isn’t a normal Tomb after all.’

Whether this had originally been Zigheart’s Training Facility or the Sword Master’s Tomb, it was now nothing more than a trap created by Derus Robert.

“Did you happen to see his face?”
[I was captured in an instant and couldn’t see it. He was incredibly strong, but he was wearing something on his face…]

Kaiyan’s tail trembled, still gripped by fear.

“I see.”

I nodded calmly. There was no reason to be disappointed. Derus Robert would never leave traces of himself in a place like this.

[Th-thanks to you, I regained my senses. I can open the path to descend to the lower layer…]

Kaiyan glanced nervously and began inching backward.

“Where do you think you’re going.”

I reached out and grabbed Kaiyan by the throat.

[Squawk!]
“You’re not some chick.”

Anyone watching would think I was tormenting him.

-You ARE tormenting him!

Wrath shook his head.

-That poor thing. If I were the True Demon King, I would have devoured it in one bite….

He smacked his lips regretfully.

“Sigh….”

I exhaled deeply and plucked a feather from Kaiyan.

[Ow….]

As I plucked feathers one after another, Kaiyan’s eyes glistened with tears.

[Y-you really intend to eat me? I have no meat on me now, so I’d taste terrible….]
“That’s not it….”
-You’ve thought of something brilliant!

As I shook my head, Wrath raised his clenched fist.

-I have just realized something absolutely magnificent!
‘What is it?’

Uneasy, I looked at Wrath nonetheless.

-You can keep resurrecting that Phoenix, can’t you?
‘Yes.’
-Then leave just one feather, devour the creature, resurrect it with that feather, devour it again, and resurrect it once more! Repeat endlessly!

Saliva cascaded from Wrath’s mouth.

-Tender meat flowing without end! Solving world hunger across the entire Continent! An infinite roasted chicken buffet!

His eyes rolled wildly.

-Didn’t that chick ask you to let me eat it! Into my mouth at once!

Muffled cry!

I shoved my fist into Wrath’s mouth.

‘You gluttonous fool! Eat this and shut your mouth!’

*

*

*

“Sigh.”

Delphos slumped into a pristine white chair, clutching his forehead.

“His words were correct after all….”

He bit his lip as he stared at the shattered crystal sphere.

“Yes?”

The Sabi Commander shook his head, clearly confused.

“He instructed me that should Raon Zigheart somehow enter the tomb, I must eliminate him as swiftly as possible. He said to consider the danger level equivalent to that of a Transcendent.”
“But then why….”
“I believed the others were more important.”

Delphos furrowed his brow as he regarded the broken crystal sphere.

“In truth, there are at least five creatures within the tomb stronger than Raon Zigheart. It made no sense to monitor a mere twenty-year-old boy while leaving those monsters unattended!”

He bit his lip, as if he hadn’t anticipated matters would unfold this way.

“Besides, simply killing him serves no purpose. A truly troublesome opponent.”
“Then what if we direct all the traps and monsters from the next layer toward the Gwangpung Corps?”

The Sabi Commander approached, bowing his head.

“No matter how strong Raon Zigheart is, he cannot protect all of the Gwangpung Corps. In fact, if Raon stands at the front and handles every trap and monster, that would be even better. We could deplete his stamina and aura that way.”

He clenched his fist, as if this was the only option.

“Yes. That’s the only way for now.”

Delphos sighed and nodded his head.

“I’ll prepare it.”

The Sabi Commander nodded and vanished into the shadows.

It was then that Delphos began massaging his temples as if irritated.

Clang-clang-clang!

From the right corner of the dark chamber, the sound of chains rang out alongside an eerie noise like a demon from hell crying out.

Ooooooh!

Delphos calmly turned his gaze toward the source of the sound. In the space shrouded with grey mist—as if guarding or imprisoning something—black eyes gleamed.

“It’s not your turn yet.”

Delphos met the black eyes and curled up the corners of his mouth.

“The protagonist always makes their entrance last, after all.”

*

*

*

I dipped the worn iron ring I had bought in Camelrun during my trainee days slightly into the lava.
The ring remained intact within the lava, unmelted and pristine.

Screeeech!

After some time had passed, a strange resonance emanated from the ring’s surface.
It wasn’t melting. The yellow rust peeled away, and mysterious patterns began to be engraved upon the ring.

‘Done.’

I wrapped the golden-gleaming ring with Phoenix feathers. Since the feathers were large, three of them were enough to cover every part of the ring.

Whoooooom.

The ring emitted intense heat from within the Phoenix feathers and trembled slightly. Once this trembling ceased, the ring’s seal would naturally break.

‘Now then….’

I retrieved the ring I had received from Merlin and submerged it in the lava in the same manner.

‘This won’t work.’

Even after soaking it in the lava for quite some time, there was no significant reaction. This ring also bore a special seal, but the method of release seemed to be different.

‘I’ll need to find another way.’

Accepting the situation, I slipped Merlin’s ring back onto my finger.

“Kaiyan.”

I dusted off my hands and gestured to Kaiyan, who was trembling behind me.

[Squawk?]
“Open the door.”
[Screech!]

Kaiyan clicked his beak and spread his wings—no larger than a human palm—to their full length.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

The lava split in a jagged pattern, and a dimensional gate opened above the scorching red earth, leading down to the next level.

[If you enter that passage, you should be able to reach the 3rd Floor Maze.]
“A maze?”
[Yes. The third floor is a maze. You’ll need to find your way while avoiding traps and monsters.]
“Hmm….”

I turned my gaze toward Kaiyan and looked at the Gwangpung Corps.

“Go down first.”
“Understood. Team 1 will enter first, then the rest in order!”

Burren nodded and gestured, and the Gwangpung Corps descended into the hole one by one.

[W-well then, please be careful, and I shall take my leave….]
“What are you talking about?”

I shook my head and extended my right hand, seizing Kaiyan by the throat as he fluttered about in an attempt to flee.

[Squawk, squawk!]
“Where do you think you’re going?”
[I-I’ve completed all my tasks….]
“You’re going to guide us. If you know what a maze is, you know the way well enough.”
[Squaaaawk….]

Phoenix rolled her eyes nervously, but there was no one anywhere to save him.

-Well done!

Wrath waved his hand in approval.

-You mustn’t let go of the all-you-can-eat roasted chicken!
‘That’s not what this is.’
-What do you mean it’s not! Isn’t he riding on you?
‘Well, yes…’
-And doesn’t he resurrect infinitely?
‘I suppose that’s true…’
-Then it’s definitely all-you-can-eat roasted chicken!
‘….’

At this point, I couldn’t be bothered to explain further and simply ignored him.

[I-I do know the way roughly, but to move quickly, there’s something I need….]
“Never mind. Just follow me.”
[Kyaaaaaaah!]

I descended into the hole leading to the 3rd Floor Maze, gripping Kaiyan firmly by the throat.

….

The people still remaining on the Second Layer stood dazed, unable to enter despite the opening that had appeared.

“Aren’t you going down?”
“…What’s the point of going?”
“Exactly. There are humans out there kidnapping the Phoenix that emerged from the trial—what could we possibly gain?”
“I’m giving up.”
“Me too. I’ll just stay here and head home….”

That day, the Gwangpung Corps was the only group to descend from the lava chamber to the 3rd Floor Maze.

*

*

*

The sensation of falling had grown somewhat familiar by now. As I opened my eyes, feeling the strength drain from my body before returning, I saw tan sand covering the entire ground.

I lifted my gaze, narrowing my eyes slightly.

‘Is this a maze?’

A massive wall stood directly before me, obscuring my view ahead. The wall’s color was entirely gray, making it difficult to discern my location.

‘Where….’

I activated Taehwa Technique and lightly struck the ground.

Boom!

I attempted to cross the wall, but as if an invisible ceiling existed, I could neither pass beyond it nor see past it.
It seemed to be completely sealed off.

“I tried, but it seems we can’t cross the wall.”

Rimer shook his head, confirming that he too could not escape beyond the wall.

“It won’t break even with strong force.”

Martha retrieved the sword she’d driven into the wall and clicked her tongue in frustration.

“It won’t freeze either.”

Lunan Slion shook his head in disappointment as well.

“How long will it take to properly navigate this place?”

I gave Kaiyan a slight shake.

[I-I believe it will take at least half a day even with my guidance.]
“Half a day, huh….”

I wasn’t certain how much time had passed since we entered this place, but those who went ahead likely had a high probability of having already traversed this maze.
Since time was slipping away, I needed to descend as quickly as possible.

“Is there no faster way?”
[In the past, that man placed his hand on the wall and did something—a path to the end of the maze opened. But I’m not entirely sure what he did….]
“Did something, you say….”

I ran my tongue across my lips and examined the wall carefully. On the surface, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary barrier blocking the way.

Yet hearing Kaiyan’s words, an idea began to form.

Whoooosh!

I activated the Ring of Fire and Manhwagong simultaneously.
Flames that could rightfully be called the fire of Zigheart blazed in my palm as I traced the barrier my ancestor had shown me onto the wall.

Rummmmmble!

The flames surged forward like a torrent breaking through a dam, etching a vivid barrier across the maze’s wall.
The completed barrier flashed with golden light, then opened a swirling passage.
It resembled the opening to descend to the next layer, but the color was different.

“It works.”
[S-Screech!]

Kaiyan fluttered his wings in apparent panic before collapsing.

[That, that’s the door! How is this possible!]

Judging from his reaction, it seemed we were indeed on the right path to the end of the maze.

“What, what is this!”
“Organization Master! What have you done!”
“Why is there a door right as we arrive….”

The Gwangpung Corps also widened their eyes in shock at the sudden development.

“Are, are we allowed to enter here?”

Dorian swallowed hard, fear evident in his expression.

“Others may lack the qualification, but we possess it.”
“What do you mean by that….”
“I’ll explain later. Let’s go for now.”

Raon offered a faint smile before stepping into the corridor of flames ahead.

Unlike the other passages, this one was a walkable path rather than a descent. Strangely, it was the first time since entering this tomb that I felt warmth.

Following the crimson line like the carpet in the Audience Chamber, I spotted another flaming corridor identical to the entrance.

As I emerged slowly from that passage, a colossal wall loomed before me, and at its center lay an opening leading to the fourth floor.

“Simple enough.”

Raon was gazing at the passage to the fourth floor with a faint smile when it happened.

A pale white hand shot out from behind the left wall. Accompanied by an eerie black frost, a woman with a youthful appearance that seemed out of place here glided forward.

Seol Goehu.
The floor master of the Black Tower and a mage who had ascended to Grand Master had reached the end of the maze.

“I’m not sure why you’re here, but this works out well.”

Seol Goehu drew a sharp smile, raising a transparent finger.

“I regretted not finishing things outside.”
“I regretted it too.”
“What?”
“I spent all my time training my subordinates, so I didn’t get my fill.”

Raon drew the Heavenly Sword without a sound. Golden light surged within his crimson eyes.

“Even if it’s not an all-you-can-eat, at least be an appetizer for me.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————