The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 761

 Chapter 761

 

"What is that?"

Raon leaned his upper body forward as he looked at the red and blue iron beads.

'Is it the golden steel?'

It felt similar to the metal known as golden steel, which amplifies all energies, but the color was different.

"As expected, you don't know?"

Vulcan chuckled as if he expected this.

"This red one is the red flame gold, which amplifies heat, and this blue one is the ice crystal, which enhances cold."

He lifted the iron beads and told Raon their names.

“They can’t amplify all energies like golden steel, but they are special metals that can intensify fire and cold beyond normal limits.”

Vulcan nodded, suggesting they would suit Raon well.

“Of course, I also have the golden steel.”

He shrugged as he pulled out the golden steel, the same as Raon had seen before, from an old box.

"…How did you get all of that?"

Raon let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the metals in Vulcan’s hands.

‘Did he conquer a dungeon or something?’

He had no idea where Vulcan got such treasures, which were difficult to find even with money. Especially the red flame gold and the ice crystal, which he had never heard of, made him even more curious.

“I received them.”

Vulcan shook his head as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“You received them? All of those?”

"Yes. An anonymous sponsor gives them to me sometimes."

He smirked, looking up at the sky outside the workshop.

"An anonymous sponsor…."

Donating metals instead of requesting a sword to be made— Raon was curious to meet whoever it was.

“Strangely enough, they always stop by right when you come or just before you do.”

Vulcan twisted his lips and wagged his finger.

“Before I come…”

Raon clicked his tongue. Hearing Vulcan's words, one person came to mind.

"Well, enough about this."

Vulcan set down Heavenly Drive and tilted his chin toward Raon.

“You seem to have something on your mind.”

“How did you know?”

Raon widened his eyes.

"Your sword is telling me."

Vulcan lowered his eyebrows, explaining that a swordsman's wavering shows in their sword.

"Even if you don't tell me, at least get your mind straight to some extent."

He clicked his tongue while stoking the furnace’s fire.

“If you waver, your sword will break as well.”

Vulcan's gaze became heavy as he urged Raon to clear his mind.

“Hoo….”

Raon let out a short sigh and sat down on the worn-out chair in front of the table.

“The story might take a little time, so please have a seat.”

“Hmm.”

Vulcan nodded briefly and sat across from Raon.

“To be honest…”

Raon told him about the things that had happened and the worries he had been struggling with in order to find a clue to Transcendence.

“That’s not much of a worry.”

Vulcan snorted as if it was absurd.

"Pardon?"

Raon blinked in surprise. Vulcan wasn’t someone who usually spoke like this.

“Do you remember what kind of swordsman you said you wanted to become?”

He gestured with his chin, wanting him to recall the words he said in the charcoal kiln.

“I…”

“You said, ‘I want to become a swordsman who would never break, no matter who I face or what situation I’m in.’”

Before Raon could even recall, Vulcan’s lips opened first. He remembered every word Raon had spoken in the charcoal kiln, without a single mistake.

"It was the first time a young lad made such a vow, so I remembered it exactly."

Vulcan smiled faintly as he caressed Heavenly Drive's blade.

“I thought your goal was more difficult than becoming the greatest martial artist. In this field, no matter how great your talent and determination, people wither and die suddenly. But…”

He nodded firmly and increased the furnace’s heat.

“You’ve been achieving that goal. You defeated the Axe King and earned the nickname of Usurper, you saved Glenn Zieghart, the Destructive King of the North, and you even exposed Derus Robert’s true identity.”

Vulcan slammed his hand down enthusiastically.

“You are becoming the unbreakable swordsman you set out to be. Who else has shattered Derus Robert, the great villain, like you did?”

“That was…”

As Raon was about to say it was due to luck, Vulcan continued.

"Should Raon Zieghart, who astonished the continent, ascend to Transcendence as ordinarily as others? If you don't want to break under anyone, taking everything you have with you isn’t a bad idea."

Vulcan grinned broadly, saying the same as Glenn. It seemed that those who stood at the peak saw similar things, even if they walked different paths.

“…You're right.”

Raon nodded heavily.

'From the beginning, I vowed not to break.'

Exposing Derus Robert’s true identity and elevating Sylvia to the direct line were goals that anyone would laugh at if they heard them now.

But he had achieved all those goals and reached advanced Grandmaster level. 

Having accomplished goals that were nearly impossible, he felt that there was no reason he couldn’t reach Transcendence as well.

“If I don’t want to break, I can’t afford to be ordinary.”

“Now your eyes look better.”

Vulcan murmured that he liked it and clapped his hands loudly.

"You finally look like the boy I know, the one who believed in himself even when he couldn’t form any aura for months."

He smiled softly, as if reminiscing about the days in the charcoal kiln.

“I won’t forget again.”

Raon thanked him and bowed his head to Vulcan.

“Enough. Let’s get to work…”

As Vulcan was about to suggest getting started, the door to the workshop opened, and a middle-aged man with a pipe in his mouth entered. It was Vulcan’s son, Haren.

“Raon? What are you doing here?”

Haren approached, roughly pulling the pipe from his mouth.

“I came to leave Heavenly Drive since I heard Sir Vulcan has returned.”

Raon greeted him, saying it’s been a while, and bowed his head.

“Is that so? Then I’ll help!”

Haren said it was perfect timing and moved to Vulcan’s side.

“Father! Let me help, too.”

“No.”

Vulcan shook his head firmly, saying it wasn’t necessary.

"What? But I've been training continuously! You even acknowledged that I can sell swords…."

Haren's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting Vulcan’s refusal.

“That’s why it’s not necessary. Just watch closely. You'll see what your role is.”

Vulcan’s voice was calm. He wasn't angry, but it seemed he had another intention.

“Ah…!”

Haren glanced between Vulcan, Raon, and the workshop before letting out a low groan.

“Understood.”

He set his pipe down and nodded solemnly.

“I won’t disappoint you.”

“Sir Haren?”

“Raon. Just wait.”

Haren winked at Raon and left the workshop.

His back had grown broader than Vulcan’s, likely from all the hammering he had done.

“What’s happening right now…?”

“Don’t mind him. Pour your energy into these metals.”

Vulcan pointed to the red flame gold, the ice crystal, and the golden steel on the table.

“Understood.”

Raon nodded and grabbed the three metals at once.

Whoooong!

He poured all the energy he could muster into them—starting with the Ring of Fire, then Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Glacier, Light Wind Flow, and even the energy he gained from the Saber Sword Sovereign.

‘Let’s push a bit more.’

Having learned a new method to draw out emotions and will through Karoon, he poured all his accumulated emotions and will into the metals.

“Perfect.”

Vulcan marveled as the red flame gold, the ice crystal, and the golden steel trembled and shook.

“We can start right away.”

He threw the glowing metals into the blazing furnace and pumped the bellows.

Fwoosh!

The intense heat felt like standing inside a volcano filled with molten lava.

"Just breathe like you did that day. That will be enough."

“Understood.”

Raon bit his lip and stood in front of the furnace. The heat was so intense it stung his skin, but he focused, operating the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.

‘It’s not about strength.’

Right now, determining the right direction was more important than simply becoming stronger.

Claaang!

The hammering of Vulcan echoed like a resonance, causing the energy of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to tremble.

Raon, his eyes closed, focused on the hammering that had transcended the boundaries of blacksmith.

‘Let me look back on my foundation.’

He had mastered countless energies and swordsmanship, but his core foundation was the Ring of Fire and Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.

It was these two energies that formed the base, allowing him to craft a vessel so great that even Glenn was amazed.

To reach Transcendence while possessing more than anyone else, he needed to nurture his foundation.

Whoooosh.

Lost in a trance before the same fire, Raon and Vulcan were completely immersed. In the rounded workshop, only the deafening clang of the blacksmith’s hammer striking metal and the steady breathing of the swordsman could be heard.

*   *   *

"No way..."

Rimmer turned away from Vulcan’s workshop, from which thick smoke billowed.

"If you were going to do this, you might as well have just given it to him openly!"

He glared at Glenn, furrowing his brow.

“You told him to go to Mirtan, but why keep it a secret that you gave him the metal?”

Glenn, having realized that Raon was contemplating Transcendence, had visited Mirtan ahead of him and tossed three rare metals to Vulcan.

What made it even more amusing was that he didn’t just give them outright, he claimed he “picked them up on the way.”

Rimmer couldn’t understand why Glenn would do something for Raon yet keep it hidden.

“Ahem! Others might get jealous.”

Glenn gave a short cough and shook his head.

"With Karoon the way he is now, no one could be that petty!"

Rimmer shook his head firmly.

"And Even if there was, they wouldn’t dare say anything! Karoon or Balder wouldn’t let them!"

He stomped his foot, saying that the current Zieghart was different from before.

"Ah, seriously! Instead of the Destructive King of the North, you're the King of Excuses."

Rimmer clicked his tongue, exasperated.

“This is why Raon doesn’t call you grandfather.”

“Have you seen it?”

“What? I don’t need to see it. It’s obvious. If you just told him to call you grandfather, everything would be resolved…”

"That's not how it works."

Glenn slowly turned his chin.

“That title only has meaning if Raon chooses to use it himself.”

That was why he hadn’t told Raon to call him ‘Grandfather’ at North Grave Mountain.

What he desired wasn’t a forced title but one that came from the heart.

“Then at least tell him about the metal!”

Rimmer shouted.

“Well, that…”

“Ugh, seriously. This is frustrating. Get a grip, will you?”

Rimmer tapped his temples, urging Glenn to think straight.

"That's why they call you an old geezer stuck in the back room..."

“Shut your mouth!”

“Guh!”

Before Rimmer could finish mumbling, Sheryl’s kick sent him flying into the air.

"Y-you’ll kill me at this rate! This damned woman... Aaaargh!"

His scream echoed as he tumbled down the cliff.

“…”

Sheryl watched Rimmer disappear into the mist, then quietly moved to stand beside Glenn.

“I agree with you, head of house. A forced title holds no meaning. However…”

Her sharp eyes shifted toward the edge of the cliff.

"As that idiot said, it's right to tell him that you gave him the metals."

“…Then why did you kick him?”

“He was noisy.”

Sheryl wiped her hands as if asking if there was a problem, turning her chin with a calm expression.

"Fair enough."

Glenn nodded in understanding.

"And how’s Raon doing?"

Sheryl exhaled softly as she looked at Vulcan’s workshop, from which heat waves rose, and exhaled softly.

"He won't become stronger or gain enlightenment immediately. However..."

Glenn watched Raon and Vulcan, whose breaths were aligning, and a faint smile appeared.

"It seems the vessel to gain that enlightenment is being forged."

*   *   *

Two days later.

The endless heat from Vulcan’s workshop finally subsided.

Raon slowly opened his eyes as the constant clanging of the hammer, like the last embers of a dying fire, came to a halt.

‘It’s clear.’

Unlike the workshop, filled with smoke, dust, and intense heat, his mind was as calm and transparent as a garden pond.

It felt as though the worries that had been clouding his thoughts had washed away like rainwater.

Ugh, finally. It’s over.

Wrath stretched, letting out a long sigh.

He thought he was going to die of boredom!

He shook his head, wondering how Raon could stand still for more than two days.

‘I wasn't just standing still.’

Raon tapped his temple lightly, smiling.

‘I was refining my mind and spirit.’

Indeed.

Wrath looked at Raon, narrowing his eyes.

You seem a little different now.

He nodded in approval, noting it was a change beyond mere strength.

With Wrath’s acknowledgement, Raon lowered his gaze.

On the anvil that Vulcan had hammered relentlessly lay a sword shimmering with silver light.

It was the same sword he had wielded countless times, yet something about it was different.

“Red and blue lines?”

The noble and graceful blade remained the same, but two lines were now engraved upon it.

It was as if the red flame gold and the ice crystal had melted into the sword, fusing with the golden steel.

“Ungh!”

Vulcan straightened his hunched back. Though he looked a decade older, his eyes gleamed with joy as he gazed at Heavenly Drive.

“Take it.”

Wiping the blade with a clean cloth, he handed the sword to Raon.

"This is the new Heavenly Drive sword, a sword that will steady you, even when you waver."

He lightly swung the sword, urging Raon to take it.

“…Ah.”

Raon received Heavenly Drive with the same caution one would handle a newborn child.

‘It feels like my arm has grown longer.’

Gripping the hilt, he felt the sword meld with his hand, as if it had become an extension of his body.

The moment he raised the sword, he rotated the Ring of Fire that had been refined by the sound of Vulcan’s hammer.

Whooosh!

As he activated the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, the red line on the blade ignited, the entire sword glowing crimson.

“Is this amplification?”

Just as Vulcan had assured, Heavenly Drive, now imbued with the red flame gold, emitted far more intense heat than before. It felt as if the sword itself was filled with fire.

“What do you think?”

Vulcan nodded his chin, his eyes suggesting he already knew the answer.

“It’s perfect.”

Raon nodded, watching the flames dance along the blade.

‘It feels like this sword will never waver.’

Just as Vulcan had said, even if his resolve faltered, this sword would not. It was flawless. There were no words left to describe it.

Hmm…

Wrath looked at Heavenly Drive from various angles, pouting his lips.

It's almost too good for you to use.

Coming from him, that was as good as a compliment.

“Is that so?”

Vulcan chuckled, sipping his now-cold liquor with satisfaction.

 

“Thank you.”

Raon lowered the sword and bowed deeply to Vulcan.

“From the beginning until now, you’ve always helped me…”

"Stop with the cringeworthy words."

Vulcan frowned and waved his hand dismissively.

"You're not the only one who's benefited."

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

"Every time you fight and win, more people come begging me to make them swords. Even a Grandmaster showed up recently."

He clicked his tongue, complaining that the requests were only increasing with each passing day.

"So, did you make them a sword?"

"Why would I make a sword for those brats?"

"Of course not."

"Exactly. I didn’t even open the door for them."

Vulcan shook his head, saying it was nonsense.

"Then why do you say you benefited from it?"

"This isn't a place where I live alone, is it?"

He spread his hand and pointed toward the village of Mirtan, visible below the workshop.

"The youngsters who were rejected by me asked others to make swords for them. Thanks to that, the village is bustling."

Vulcan rotated his wrist and laughed.

"Your feats are even leading to the prosperity of this village, so I have no choice but to say thank you."

For that reason, he shook his head, saying he wouldn't accept the repair and enhance fee for the sword.

"Even so..."

"I always keep my word. You know that, right?"

Vulcan took another swig from the bottle, saying he didn’t need money.

"Understood."

Raon stepped back with a slight smile. Vulcan was a man of integrity who even kept promises made to himself when he was a young trainee.

If he put it like that, there was no other way.

"Then please don't refuse my expression of gratitude."

He performed a polite sword salute and was about to sheathe Heavenly Drive.

Boom!

The workshop door swung open roughly, and Haren entered. He was breathing heavily, holding a scabbard in his hand.

"Ah, I’m not too late, am I?"

"Sir Haren?"

"A new scabbard."

Haren said he had made a scabbard for Heavenly Drive and held out a scabbard carved with a dragon head.

"Did you make this yourself?"

"Who else would have made it?"

He snorted, as if it were obvious.

"Hmph. A scabbard for someone like you?"

Vulcan approached as if it were nonsense and examined the scabbard first.

"Hmm...?"

But unlike when he usually brushed things off, he raised an eyebrow at the sight of the scabbard.

"How is it? Pretty good, right?"

Haren straightened his back, brimming with confidence.

"Not too shabby."

Vulcan nodded, implying it had barely passed his standards. Since he wouldn't go easy on his own son, it meant the scabbard was indeed well-made.

"Yessss!"

Haren roared and stretched out his hand. He seemed overjoyed to have been acknowledged by his father, the Continent's Blacksmith.

"Then that was…"

Raon let out a small exclamation. It seemed that when Vulcan had earlier told Haren to do something else, he had been working on this scabbard.

"Try it."

Haren rubbed his hands, as if urging Raon to sheathe Heavenly Drive.

"Alright."

Raon nodded and slid Heavenly Drive into the scabbard.

Click.

The blade fit perfectly, as if the sword and the scabbard had been one from the beginning. It was a level of completion that seemed as though it had been made by a single person.

"It fits perfectly. The design is excellent as well."

Raon thanked Haren and bowed his head. He liked it even more because the dragon head resembled the Mad Dragon Kaibar.

"The real value of that scabbard isn’t its sturdiness or its shape."

Haren chuckled and lifted his head.

"You….Did you again…!"

"That scabbard has..."

As Vulcan widened his eyes, Haren raised a finger.

"...a special ability!"

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