The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 818

 Chapter 818

 

“Huff…”

Krein exhaled a heavy breath as he climbed the darkened North Grave mountain.

His eyes trembled violently, as if drowning in a sea of anxiety.

"Where is he?"

Pressing his lips together, Krein scanned his surroundings, turning his gaze from side to side.

"He must be watching..."

As he swallowed nervously and tried to hide behind a large zelkova tree, a sharp blade shot toward his neck from the shadow of the tree.

“Eek!”

Startled, Krein reflexively swung his sword at the blade that had burst from the shadows.

“Argh!”

But the force behind the blade was so strong that it sent him flying backward like a kicked stone.

“Ugh…”

Groaning in pain, Krein lifted his gaze and saw Burren shaking his head with a dry expression.

“You aimed in the right direction, but your reaction was too slow. Focus more.”

With that, Burren disappeared back into the shadows.

“Huff…”

Wiping the sweat dripping down his forehead, Krein stood up.

‘This place is dangerous.’

Raising his heels to avoid making noise, he carefully moved to his right. As he tried to hide behind a large rock resembling a tiger, the sound of fierce footsteps echoed from up the mountain.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding?”

It was Martha. Wearing a refreshing smile that could make anyone fall in love at first sight, she charged at him like a ferocious tiger.

“Aaaah!”

Krein screamed and thrust his sword at the charging Martha with all his might, a desperate attempt to survive.

“Too slow!”

Martha shouted that she could see through everything and easily deflected Krein’s attack.

Claaang!

A powerful shockwave erupted between their swords, forcing Krein to his knees and shoving him to the right.

“Ugh…”

Krein’s hands trembled uncontrollably, unable to fully absorb the impact of Martha’s strike.

“You can keep going, can’t you?”

Martha smirked ominously as she swung her sword downward. The heavy strike came down like a giant wielding a colossal blade, aimed directly at his head.

‘M-My head? Not my chest? If that hits, I’m dead!’

Suppressing the tears welling up, Krein gathered all the astral energy above his head and unleashed it in an explosive burst.

Boom!

The intense blast sent him flying backward, crashing into the ground.

“Urgh…”

Krein groaned in pain, unable to even lift his head.

“If you’re confident, block it immediately! What’s with all this hesitation and flailing?”

Martha criticized his lack of focus, kicking him in the stomach, snorted, and disappearing up the mountain again.

“Ugh…”

Krein’s entire body trembled as he slowly got up.

‘If I stay here, I’ll run into that beast again.’

Even though he was drained of energy, he forced himself to move. If he encountered Martha in this state, he wouldn’t wake up for a while.

“Huff…”

Lowering his breathing to the point of becoming one with the plants, Krein descended the mountain.

Trying to distance himself from Burren and Martha, he strangely felt a chill creeping into his bones.

"Cold? N-no way!"

As he swallowed hard and tried to retreat, a silver wind arose around him.

"Darn! She's here!"

He knew who it was without a doubt. Runaan had stirred up a frosty wind that enveloped his surroundings.

‘Where is she?’

He could sense a sharp, chilling within the silver storm, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact location. His hands grew sweaty from tension.

‘I have to erase it before it reaches me!’

Since he couldn’t determine where the attack would come from, the only solution was to eliminate all possible threats.

Chiiing!

Krein drew out his aura to the maximum, he unleashed a saw-like wave of astral energy toward the icy wind.

Whooooosh!

The wave of energy spread like a spiderweb, erasing the silver wind.

Relieved, Krein was about to catch his breath when five sword strikes emerged from the fading frost.

Thwack!

The blades of frost struck Krein, sending him tumbling across the frozen ground.

“Urgh…”

Coughing in pain, Krein lifted his trembling head.

“……”

Runaan emerged from the frost, gazing at him with calm, unflinching eyes.

“Never let your guard down until the very end. Whether you block or evade, always think about how to minimize damage.”

She tapped her head twice as if to emphasize the need to always think, then disappeared along with the frosty mist.

“Ugh…”

Krein collapsed where he was, unable to move.

“I’m seriously going to die. How did I end up like this?”

Raon had said it was slightly tough training, but experiencing it firsthand, it felt like life-threatening torture rather than just tough.

‘They’ve intensified the focus enhancement training ….’

Until now, the focus enhancement training involved ambushes that could be moderately blocked, and once they encountered an instructor, they wouldn't attack again until they hid.

But today’s training was different. The attacks were murderous, and if you only partially defended yourself, you were as good as dead. And it wasn’t just Raon, Rimmer, or the Gambling Monster—every team leader, now monstrous, was part of it, leaving no room to relax.

It was so exhausting that he didn’t feel sleepy at all.

“Aaaaah!”

“Gaaaah!”

“Wait, please!”

Sounds of clashing swords and the screams of the Light Wind swordsmen echoed all around him.

It wasn’t just him. The entire North Grave mountain was filled with the Light Wind members getting beaten.

To be honest, it felt less like training and more like one-sided violence.

“Damn it…”

Clenching his eyes shut, Krein straightened his back.

If he stayed here and encountered another team leader, Rimmer, or Raon, he felt certain he’d be beaten unconscious. He had no choice but to keep moving.

“Haa…”

As he steadied his breathing and stood up, someone appeared from the opposite side.

“Eek!”

“Ugh!”

Startled, he raised his sword, and a groan came from the other side as well.

Krein squinted to see who it was, and as the moon emerged from behind the clouds, the figure’s face became clear.

“Dorian?”

The swordsman before him was Dorian.

But he looked like he’d been through hell—his clothes were in tatters, and both his eyes were bruised like a panda’s.

“What are you doing here?”

Dorian was one of the people responsible for dragging the Light Wind swordsmen into this hell.

He couldn't understand why the guy who had led them here was also suffering alongside them.

“Sniff…”

Dorian wiped his tears with his torn sleeve.

"I only awakened my mind’s eye… but since my skills are still the same, he told me to join in too..."

He sniffled, saying that Raon had forcibly thrown him into the training.

"They're all hitting me harder because I can see their attack directions."

Dorian slumped to the ground, saying he was being beaten even worse than the other Light Wind swordsmen.

“Ha…”

Krein let out a hollow laugh as he watched Dorian cry.

“Is our division leader even human…?”

Normally, whistleblowers or spies assisting from within the enemy's side would be treated with some leniency. But Raon had dragged Dorian— the top contributor to making this training happen— into the same hell. It was inhuman.

“He’s terrifying. Absolutely terrifying…”

Krein shook his head as if he were overwhelmed by Raon’s ruthlessness.

“If only I were stronger than that guy…”

Dorian raised a clenched fist toward the night sky.

“I’d punch his stomach every time he ate…”

He bit his lip, lamenting his own weakness.

“Same here.”

Krein sighed and nodded.

“If I were stronger than the division leader, I’d smack him in the head every time our eyes met!”

He shook his hands in frustration at the thought.

“Do you think there’ll ever be a day when we’re stronger than the division leader?”

“Not a chance.”

Krein shook his head, telling Dorian to stop dreaming.

“This is why you shouldn’t have helped him!”

He frowned, directing his resentment at Dorian for having gotten them into this situation.

“How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this?!”

Dorian shot up, scrunching his nose.

“Even my mind’s eye couldn’t predict his scheme!”

He shook his head furiously, claiming that not even the mind’s eye could see this coming.

“Ugh, all I can do is curse at him…”

Krein was about to let out another sigh when—

“Gaaaah!”

A scream erupted nearby. It was a bloodcurdling cry, as if someone had been stabbed.

“……”

“……”

Krein and Dorian immediately fell silent and quietly got to their feet.

The two exchanged nods before disappearing into the forest.

“Aaaah!”

“Gaaaah!”

But it wasn't long before their screams echoed together in harmony.

*   *   *

"Such pleasant sounds."

Raon wiggled his fingers, treating the screams of the Light Wind swordsmen as music.

To create this hell and even throw that wallet into it… you really are…

Wrath stared at Raon with trembling eyes, as if he were facing an archangel.

‘It’s because they’re lacking in skill, plain and simple.’

Raon waved his hand lightly.

‘Dorian needs to grow more, too.’

Although Dorian had awakened his mind’s eye, his combat abilities hadn’t improved significantly.

Since he had immense potential for growth, it was better to train him rigorously than to let him slack off.

Well, that’s true, but from a human standpoint… no, never mind. My mistake. You’re not human.

Wrath shook his head, realizing his mistake.

‘I'm human, though...’

Raon clicked his tongue and gripped Heavenly Drive with both hands.

But why are you just standing still? He thought you'd be going around beating them yourself.

Wrath blinked in surprise at Raon.

‘This time, I’m trying something different.’

Raon smirked and released Heavenly Drive into the air.

His aura and will naturally connected with it, and the blade emitted a resonant hum as though alive.

No way… is this…

‘Yeah. It’s the Dancing Sword of our ancestor.’

Having seen the Dancing Sword in his dream and thoroughly reading through the martial arts manual of the Dancing Sword, he was now able to weakly replicate the Dancing Sword of the first head of house.

‘It’s still far from perfect.’

Its power and speed were lacking for real combat, but it was more than sufficient for training.

So, you’re going to attack the Light Wind swordsmen with that?

‘That’s right.’

Raon smiled as he sent the Dancing Sword, imbued with a soft flame, into the air.

‘I train, and they train—it's killing two birds with one stone.’

No! That’s impossible to block!

Wrath shook his head violently in protest.

Even the team leaders won’t be able to block it!

‘Not my problem.’

Without erasing his smile, Raon directed the Dancing Sword toward the nearest Light Wind swordsman.

Paaang!

Heavenly Drive became a yellow flash, cutting through the night sky and descending toward the shoulder of a swordsman hiding behind a rock.

“Gaaaah!”

Dorian, who had been catching his breath behind the rock, screamed and raised his sword. Since he couldn't read the trajectory of the Dancing Sword even with the mind's eye, extreme confusion filled his eyes.

“Where is it coming from?!”

Claaang!

Raon easily deflected Dorian’s sloppy defense and struck him in the stomach with the hilt of the sword.

“Gwaaaachk!”

Dorian let out a duck-like scream and collapsed on the spot.

“This… the Dancing Sword is way too much….”

He shed tears the size of chicken droppings, asking if Raon intended to kill him.

“Relying too much on your mind’s eye isn’t good. You need real skills to fully utilize its potential. And also…”

Raon spoke to Dorian through Heavenly Drive and tilted his head.

“If you want to hit my stomach, go ahead and try. I’ll welcome it anytime.”

“Eek!”

Dorian quivered, his chin trembling in fear.

"D-did you hear that?"

"How could I not with you yelling like that?"

Raon chuckled as he watched Dorian’s pale face.

"T-then..."

"Yes. Now it's Krein’s turn."

Just as Raon was about to move to find Krein, Dorian raised his hand.

“Um, division leader?”

"I can't go easy on you."

Raon shook his head, saying he was sorry but that he couldn’t let him off training.

“No, that’s not it…”

Dorian lowered his voice, slightly crouching.

“Can’t you hit Krein harder than me? Please.”

He clasped his hands together, pleading that he didn’t need to be excluded from training, but begged for Krein to be hit twice as hard. ‘See?’

Raon gestured toward Dorian with a shrug.

‘Humans are all like this.’

They learned it from you!

*   *   *

After finishing the Light Wind swordsmen's danger-sensing training before sunrise, Raon descended the North Grave mountain and returned to the fifth training ground.

The sound of fierce wind could be heard from inside. Mark Goetten was practicing alone, swinging his saber alone.

“Is your training going well?”

Raon approached Mark Goetten and tapped the scabbard of his saber.

'He has grown, but it's still a bit lacking.'

Originally, he should have brought Mark Goetten along with the other three team leaders to the Holy Sword Alliance. but since Raon didn’t fully understand what the alliance was like, he couldn’t take Mark Goetten, who was a saber user.

Now, he regretted not bringing him along.

“Haa…”

Mark Goetten lowered his saber and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“I’ve trained as hard as I can here, but I’m still far from enough.”

He seemed to recall Burren, Martha, and Runaan, who had returned with remarkable growth, and shook his head.

However, there was no sign of self-pity in his expression. He simply smiled calmly, as though he was doing what needed to be done.

“You don’t seem impatient.”

“Of course not.”

Mark Goetten nodded calmly.

"Until you took me in, Sir Raon, I had been stuck in one place for decades. The fact that I'm growing even a little now is like heaven to me."

He smiled, saying that he was happy to see even the smallest results from his efforts.

“I see.”

Raon met Mark Goetten’s gaze and gave a soft smile.

Indeed, people who have experienced pain to the point of wanting to die seem to have extraordinary mental strength.

Hey! Explain this properly! Heaven isn’t such a great place!

Wrath shook his head vigorously, insisting that the Devildom was a better place.

“Oh, but lately, I’ve been wondering if I should expand my saber techniques a bit.”

“Expand them?”

“I’ve focused too much on one path, so I thought it might be better to incorporate other techniques or principles.”

Mark Goetten clicked his tongue, saying that he was wondering whether he should expand his martial arts.

“Is that what you truly want?”

“Well, honestly, I’d prefer to continue as I am. But to grow further, I thought it might be better to diversify….”

“Learning different saber techniques and swordsmanship isn’t a bad idea. However….”

Raon glanced at Mark Goetten’s saber, its handle wrappings completely torn from wear, and shook his head.

“Walking a single path doesn’t mean you’ll grow weaker or slower. If you stick to your own path, you might achieve results even faster. When I went to the Holy Sword Alliance…”

Raon shared his observations of the unwavering conviction and strength of the swordsmen at the Holy Sword Alliance, who dedicated themselves to a single path.

“I see… There are people like that…”

Mark Goetten clenched his fist, excitement flashing in his eyes as he heard that swordsmen like him, who walked a single path, could reach greater heights and grow stronger.

“That’s why I have a suggestion.”

“A suggestion?”

“How about visiting the Holy Sword Alliance?”

Raon pulled out a letter from his pocket.

“The Holy Sword Alliance?”

Mark Goetten swallowed nervously as he looked at the envelope.

“But I don’t use a sword, I use a saber. Will that be okay?”

“I was concerned about that too, which is why I left you behind. But as I mentioned earlier, when I visited, I realized the Holy Sword Alliance is just a place where people live.”

Raon smiled faintly and handed over the letter of introduction addressed to Rector.

"It will surely be of great help to you."

The wall of Grandmaster was high. Even among warriors hailed as geniuses for reaching Master quickly, only a rare few ever reached Grandmaster.

Mark Goetten, who deeply understood the pain of stagnation and is working harder than anyone else, was undoubtedly capable of reaching that realm.

Perhaps it was just Raon’s personal wish, but among Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Mark Goetten, he felt Mark Goetten was most likely to break through the wall first.

“……”

Mark Goetten stared at the letter of introduction with wavering eyes before reaching out as if he had made up his mind.

“I’ll go.”

“Good choice.”

Raon smiled as he handed him the letter.

“When will you leave?”

“If I’ve made up my mind, I should move right away. I’ll leave tomorrow.”

He nodded decisively.

“Ah, one piece of advice.”

Raon raised a finger.

“There’s a swordsman named Lawrence who lives in the mountain behind the Holy Sword Alliance’s village. He’s an incredibly kind person and teaches martial arts very well. Make sure to visit him daily.”

He smiled slyly as he spoke.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Mark Goetten promised to do so and left the fifth training ground.

Are you seriously giving up on being human?

Wrath shook his head in disbelief.

Why are you creating a path that kills both of them?

‘For some reason….’

Raon chuckled softly as he watched Mark Goetten’s back.

‘I think they might become good friends.’

*   *   *

After finishing his breakfast, Raon visited the Shadow Agents.

“Welcome to the Shadow Agents.”

The Shadow Agents’ master Chad greeted him with a smiling face, as though he had been waiting.

“I’ve received word from the head of house. You’re investigating the first head of house Zieghart’s whereabouts?”

“Yes, there are some things I’m curious about.”

“Haha, there are always such times. This way, please.”

Chad led Raon into his office, saying he would guide him to the underground library where the records of Zieghart’s past were kept.

"Why to your office...."

“Zieghart’s records are strictly confidential, even the smallest details. Only those with the current Shadow Agents master’s permission may enter, and the entrance is hidden here.”

Chad tapped on the wall several times, and with a thud, the wall split open to reveal a descending staircase.

“Hoo…”

Raon’s eyes widened. Even though he hadn’t been using his aura perception, it was remarkable that he hadn’t noticed the entrance right in front of him.

It seemed to be a mechanism created by a highly skilled craftsman.

“Follow me.”

Chad nodded cautiously and began descending.

The stairs were wide, and there was permanent lighting around, so there was no big problem descending.

“I’ve personally been curious about the first head of Zieghart and have done some research. However, apart from what’s already known, there aren’t any specific records. For anything within the last 500 years, there’s practically no information about him.”

He clicked his tongue, explaining that only records from over 700 years ago contained details about the first head of house Zieghart.

“I see.”

Listening to Chad, Raon continued down the staircase until his feet finally touched the ground.

Lifting his gaze, he saw countless bookshelves arranged like trees in a forest, filled with books and documents.

“This is Zieghart’s history.”

Chad, visibly excited with a flush on his cheeks, stepped forward.

“The closer you are to the entrance, the more recent the records. The further you go, the older the records.”

He suggested starting from the deeper sections for information about the first head of Zieghart and walked ahead.

“Thank you.”

Raon nodded and followed Chad.

Fwoosh!

Suddenly, golden flames burst from the shadowy floor and wrapped around him, as if he had stepped on a trap.

 

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