The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 870
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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 870
“Spoils of war? Beyond dragon meat, there are other spoils… Ah!”
Sterin tilted his head in confusion before his eyes widened in realization.
“W-wait, you’re not thinking of going to Matirus’s Lair, are you?”
“It’s not a thought—I’ve already decided to go.”
I shook my head lightly.
“Claiming treasures without an owner is only natural, after all.”
Just as crows gather shimmering objects, dragons are known to collect gold ingots and jewels.
In the ancient texts where legends were recorded, there were accounts of how humans and monsters once presented jewels and gold coins to dragons during the era when the Demon Kings ruled the Continent. An ancient dragon like Matirus might have even amassed mountains of gold ingots and gems.
“Hmm, you’re probably right that treasures exist.”
Sterin cleared his throat and nodded.
“However, since I am an Elf, I’m uncertain whether it’s worth claiming.”
“That’s exactly the kind of thing you would say, Guardian.”
If anyone else had spoken such words, I would have called them two-faced, but Sterin was an exception.
Despite holding the most noble position among the Elves, he lived a life more austere than anyone else.
“But humans need money. Besides, wouldn’t it be interesting?”
“Interesting?”
Sterin tilted his head, not understanding.
“If we forge weapons from the gold ingots and bones of the dragon that attacked us to kill other dragons, don’t you wonder what kind of reaction those creatures would have?”
I smiled and shrugged my shoulders.
“Even if we have materials like dragon bones and teeth, processing equipment would require astronomical sums of money. Raiding a Dragon’s Lair would provide tremendous assistance in the coming war.”
“Using the dragons’ bones and wealth to forge weapons that kill dragons, then….”
Sterin stroked his chin, a deep smile spreading across his face.
“An excellent notion indeed. I’d love to see the twisted expressions on their faces.”
He nodded, declaring he would maintain his body well enough to participate in that battle.
“Yes. You’ll certainly witness it. I’ll raid the other Dragon Lairs as well and send equipment to Sepia.”
Raon nodded calmly.
“O-other Dragon Lairs?”
Sterin’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You’re not planning to raid all three of their Lairs?”
“Of course. Since we don’t know the Red Dragon’s name, we’ll leave that one for now, but the Black Dragon is an ancient dragon, so its Lair’s location must be known.”
Considering the Black Dragon’s behavior—its apparent hatred of humans—and the fact that it was an ancient dragon, its Lair’s location would certainly be documented somewhere.
Whether through the Gwangpung Corps or by dispatching other divisions and units, retrieving it was the right course of action.
“That’s right! The victor claims the spoils—that’s only natural!”
Martha cheered enthusiastically, stamping her feet vigorously.
“Does it have pearl ice cream?”
Lunan Slion smacked his lips as if indifferent to the monetary aspect.
“That wouldn’t exist….”
Crain shook his head firmly, as if it absolutely wouldn’t.
“Raiding Lairs… Is that truly the duty of a Zigheart knight? Isn’t that theft? Though if it means saving many lives, then perhaps it’s something we must do….”
Burren Zigheart stroked his chin with furrowed brows, lost in contemplation. It felt like watching Karun.
“I need to report to the Family Estate about Matirus’s Lair, regardless of anything else. I should give them advance notice.”
I gazed up at the sky and smacked my lips. Perhaps because of the grueling battle, my family’s faces came to mind.
“I already sent a report.”
Burren shook his head lightly.
“You sent a report?”
“Yes. I thought the Head of House would worry, so I sent it after confirming you had awakened.”
He lowered his hand, saying we could contact him later if needed.
“…Right. Thanks for that.”
I let out a thin laugh. Rimer, who had been the unit commander, never sent such reports, which always led to arguments between us. But hearing that Burren had taken the initiative to report felt oddly pleasant.
‘I really do need to select a new unit commander.’
After sending Rimer away, I had been contemplating the matter of succession.
In terms of raw power, Lunan Slion was the strongest, but she wasn’t the type to step forward.
Martha had strong drive and initiative, but her quick temper made it difficult for her to command everyone’s respect.
No matter how much he thought about it, there was no one but Burren who could lead the Gwangpung Corps in his place.
“Wooooo!”
Dorian set down the dragon meat he had been grilling intently and began drooling.
“Lair! Gold! Jewels! Supplies!”
His pupils gleamed with a golden light as if he had already entered Matirus’s Lair.
“Hey, what are you doing?! The meat is burning!”
Wrath, on the other hand, quickly gestured for him to flip the meat, as if he had no interest whatsoever in gold bars or anything like that.
“Ah!”
Dorian snapped to attention as if he’d heard Wrath’s words, quickly flipping the meat over.
“Hmm, this looks almost done, doesn’t it?”
Crain placed the Red Dragon meat—its red hue completely gone—onto a plate.
“Grrr! Since the Organization Master said he wanted to eat it, shouldn’t we have a taste first?”
He thrust the steaming Red Dragon meat forward, as if to say that since Crain had suggested it, he should eat it first.
“That’s fair. But….”
I chuckled and speared a piece of meat with my fork, shoving it into Crain’s mouth.
“The Gwangpung Corps always has Crain go first anyway.”
“Mmph!”
Crain wanted to resist, but he couldn’t overcome my inhuman strength and the meat was forced into his mouth.
“Chew.”
“Ugh… huh?”
He scowled as if he hated it, chewing the dragon meat, when suddenly his eyes went wide.
“What, what is this?! Why is it so delicious?”
Crain quickly chewed and swallowed the meat, then smacked his lips.
“Really? You’re saying that’s delicious?”
Martha let out a hollow laugh, looking incredulous.
“If you’re lying….”
“I’m serious! The char flavor is absolutely incredible! I’ve never had anything like this!”
Crain offered Martha a piece of the dragon meat, urging her to try it herself.
“I’ll go first.”
Lunan Slion stepped forward boldly and took the first bite of dragon meat.
“Delicious.”
Though it wasn’t ice cream, she raised her thumb in an enthusiastic gesture of approval.
“Hmm….”
Martha narrowed her eyes, unwilling to lose to Lunan Slion, and placed dragon meat into her mouth.
“Wow, wait—the fire flavor is really good? It’s completely different from beef!”
She found it genuinely delicious and continued placing piece after piece into her mouth.
“It really is.”
“It’s actually delicious!”
“I never knew dragon meat could taste this good….”
The other Gwangpung Corps swordsmen also savored the Red Dragon and Gold Dragon meat, chewing and swallowing with satisfaction.
-Kuhehe, it makes me happy seeing everyone enjoy it so much!
Wrath grinned widely, delighted that everyone was enjoying the dragon meat.
‘But no one’s touching that.’
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the Black Dragon meat piled on the right side. No one dared touch it, fearing they might become addicted after eating it.
-Foolish. The black lizard simply has strong poison resistance. It doesn’t carry poison within its body!
Wrath shook his head, saying that whatever poison might have existed would have burned away in the fire anyway.
-If the others won’t eat it, then you will! Even I am running out of patience now!
He waved his hand frantically, urging me to stop being considerate and eat quickly.
‘Understood. I got it.’
Raon nodded and placed a piece of Black Dragon meat into his mouth—one that no one else had touched.
First, the salty brine kissed his tongue, followed by a wave of succulent juices.
The rich, savory essence of the meat spread throughout his entire mouth like a breath of pure indulgence.
-Kyaaaaaaah!
Wrath trembled with his fists clenched, letting out a cry of ecstasy.
-This is it! This is why one devours dragon!
He shouted that the taste exceeded all expectations and began dancing in mid-air.
“Are you… quite certain you’re alright?”
Dorian lowered his gaze slightly, asking if there was any poison.
“Yes. The poison seems to have dissipated entirely.”
Raon smiled and nodded, and only then did the other swordsmen begin to eat the Black Dragon meat as well.
“The handsome Raon showed no fear even of food, leading everyone forward….”
Siyan remained hidden behind a tree, continuing to write in her book. Hearing the phrase “handsome Raon” gave me a headache.
“That book is more terrifying than the dragon….”
I was shaking my head at the thought when I bit into a whole roasted piece of Black Dragon meat.
[The trait 【Gluttony】 has been activated.]
[The achievement of the trait 【Poison Resistance】 has increased.]
[The rank of the trait 【Poison Resistance】 has risen.]
Suddenly, reward messages appeared.
-Huh?
‘Hmm?’
Both Raon and Wrath widened their eyes as they saw the messages.
-W-what is this?! Why is my trait increasing?!
Wrath’s mouth fell open so wide it looked like it might tear.
‘Ah, I thought it was strange that poison resistance wasn’t in the rewards, but it’s increasing like this.’
I smiled faintly as I read the reward message.
It seemed that my Gluttony trait had activated, applying the Black Dragon’s strong poison resistance to myself.
‘Then…’
I set down the Black Dragon meat and tried some of the Red Dragon meat as well.
-Kruu! As expected, the Red Dragon is supreme when it comes to flame flavor! The meat itself seems to contain flames!
Wrath puffed out his chubby cheeks and giggled as if he’d never been angry in the first place.
[The trait 【Gluttony】 activates.]
[The achievement of trait 【Fire Resistance】 increases.]
It was the same this time. The rank of fire resistance didn’t increase, but a message appeared saying the achievement had risen.
-Uurgh!
Wrath’s eyes widened as he contentedly smacked his lips.
-Y-you mean it wasn’t just the Black Dragon?
He shook his jaw in disbelief.
-It didn’t happen with that blue lizard before!
‘That was because I didn’t have Gluttony back then.’
-Grrrraaaaaah!
Wrath grabbed his head as if he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
‘What would happen if I ate the Gold Dragon?’
-W-wait!
I ignored Wrath’s words and smiled as I placed a piece of Gold Dragon meat into my mouth.
-Mmm, how delicious! The meat is so tender that it melts like ice cream the moment it touches my tongue.
Wrath, captivated by the dragon meat, calmed his anger and his eyes softened.
[The trait 【Gluttony】 activates.]
[The trait 【Light Resistance】 is generated.]
[The achievement of trait 【Light Resistance】 increases.]
As expected of Gold Dragon meat that wielded light, a trait related to light resistance had been generated.
‘So that’s how it works?’
I stretched my lips into a wide smile.
It seemed I could raise all three resistances through tonight’s meal.
‘I need to eat it all….’
-No, don’t eat it!
Wrath blocked my path, telling me not to eat.
‘Really?’
I folded my arms leisurely as if unconcerned.
-Ugh….
Wrath turned around. His eyes trembled as he gazed at the steaming meat.
‘I don’t mind. Are you really sure?’
-Grrgh!
Wrath shook his head, drooling profusely.
‘You really don’t need to eat any more?’
-J-just one more….
He held up a finger, saying he’d eat just one more piece.
‘That works.’
I nodded and took a bite of the Black Dragon’s flesh.
-Mmmmgh! This is incredible! It tastes even better because I can only eat it occasionally….
Wrath’s expression was ecstatic, yet his description of the taste remained utterly bland.
[The trait 【Gluttony】 has activated.]
[The achievement of the trait 【Poison Resistance】 has increased.]
-Aaaaaargh!
Upon seeing the message again, Wrath let out a scream.
-S-stop eating!
Wrath shook his head, insisting I eat no more.
‘Understood.’
I set down the meat without hesitation.
‘Shall we head back then?’
I’d already received more than sufficient reward, so it didn’t matter either way.
-Wait!
Wrath waved his hand in alarm.
-J-just one more….
‘Alright.’
-No, don’t eat!
‘Alright.’
-Just eat it! Don’t eat it!
He tore at his hair, tears of anguish streaming from his eyes while drool pooled at the corners of his mouth from ravenous hunger.
‘What am I supposed to do about this….’
-System! You angelic bastard!
*
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*
The entrance to a small cave barely wide enough for one or two people to squeeze through.
“Hmm….”
An elderly goblin named Bobor let out a soft groan before the cave’s entrance.
“Why hasn’t he returned?”
Matirus, who had sworn to destroy Sepia and return, had not shown his face for two days, and the distant Grand Forest in the distance was only slightly scorched—far from completely obliterated.
“What on earth could have happened….”
Bobor was pacing before the cave entrance, his brow furrowed in concern.
“Is this the place?”
“Yes, it is.”
With a voice tinged with anticipation, the Black-haired Woman and a Red-haired Elf emerged into view.
“H-humans?”
Bobor recoiled in shock. It was the first time in centuries that humans had set foot in this region, known as Matirus’s Lair.
“A talking goblin—now that’s something new.”
The Black-haired Woman chuckled softly as she regarded Bobor.
“How dare you tread upon this sacred ground with your filthy feet! This is the Lair of Matirus, Master of the Mountain Range….”
“Yeah. I already know.”
She smiled as if she naturally knew this and drew her sword.
“You came here knowing that? If you swing a blade on this land, you’ll face Matirus’s wrath!”
Bobor shook his head side to side. Matirus wasn’t here, and most of the Guardians had marched out together, but he had no choice but to bluff for now.
“How can a dead man be angry?”
The Black-haired Woman chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.
“D-dead? Lord Matirus is dead?”
The elderly goblin’s jaw trembled.
“Yes. He was quite delicious.”
The Black-haired Woman smacked her lips, saying she seemed to have developed a taste for dragon meat.
“N-no, don’t lie! There’s no way he could die to a human….”
“Enough. Just follow your master.”
She raised her sword, saying she would grant him a painless death.
‘I… I can’t escape.’
The reason he had been tasked with guarding this Lair was because he was fluent in multiple languages and possessed a reasonably sharp mind.
Since he couldn’t match even the lowest-ranked Guardian in combat, there was no way to block that gleaming blade.
“Ugh….”
“Stop.”
As Bobor closed his eyes, contemplating death, a quiet voice echoed from below the hill.
Lifting his gaze through the fear, a golden-haired, red-eyed human had appeared before him in an instant.
“It’s better to have someone to guide us, don’t you think?”
“Ah….”
Bobor’s jaw trembled. From that human, he sensed an aura that rivaled even Matirus’s.
“You’ll do that for me, won’t you?”
The golden-haired, red-eyed man drew a cool smile as if to say he was counting on it.
“Y-yes….”
Bobor simply nodded his head.
*
*
*
Matirus’s Lair was vast, as if the mountain range itself had been hollowed out—far larger than its narrow entrance suggested. In scale, it rivaled Sepia itself.
Yet within it lay no objects, no treasures whatsoever. It was nothing but an empty cavern.
“What?! There’s nothing here at all!”
Martha frowned as she gazed upon Matirus’s Lair—vast in size but utterly barren.
“No ice cream….”
Lunan Slion shook his head in disappointment.
“Of course there isn’t any!”
Crain thumped his chest in exasperation.
“Hmm, was he frugal, then…?”
Burren Zigheart stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Y-yes, that’s right….”
The elderly goblin who had introduced himself as Bobor bowed his head.
“Lord Matirus was naturally frugal in his daily life, focusing only on sleep and never accumulating wealth.”
He shook his head, saying that Matirus, unlike other dragons, did not collect human treasures.
“Really?”
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Bobor.
‘Something feels off.’
Though it resembled smoke, his goblin face made it difficult to discern—unlike a human’s expression.
Torture was equally problematic; as an ordinary goblin, he would likely perish too quickly.
‘It could be true, though.’
I spread my aura throughout the entire Lair, but I sensed no empty spaces.
-That’s exactly what the True Demon King said—we should just go back and roast more meat!
Wrath’s eyes narrowed as if suggesting we return to eat more meat.
‘Can I really eat it?’
-Ah….
His lips trembled as he recalled the reward that came after eating meat.
-D-don’t eat it! No, eat it! Ugh….
Wrath collapsed to the ground, wrestling with himself like playing rock-paper-scissors against a mirror.
‘Should I search for another one instead?’
As I contemplated whether to find the Black Dragon’s or Red Dragon’s Lair, Dorian lowered his head and began sniffing the ground.
“I smell it! The scent of supplies!”
Dorian’s eyes rolled back halfway as he drew a pickaxe and began striking the floor of the Lair.
“What are you doing?”
Martha’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Dorian.
“It’s here! Definitely here!”
When the ground refused to yield, Dorian discarded his pickaxe and brought down his sword, wreathed in aura.
Kuwaaaaaaaah!
The cavern trembled under his full force, and the earth carved away in deep furrows.
Then a slender golden gleam flickered through the darkness of the cave. Beneath the shattered ground lay gold ingots, piled like marble slabs.
“….”
“….”
My eyes met Bobor’s.
“Ah, well, that there is….”
“So it was here?”
I chuckled as if it were nothing, dragging my foot across the ground.
Kuwaaaaaaaah!
The thick bedrock shattered completely, and brilliant golden radiance flooded the entire lair.
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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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