The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 964

 Chapter 964

 

“Grrgh!”

Burren let out a harsh breath as he climbed the sand dune that had flowed down from the foot of the North Grave mountain.

“What the hell did he do to make the sand this hot?”

Raon had ordered them to climb this sand dune as their first training exercise. It had sounded so simple that they assumed it was just a warm-up, but the sand was so scorching hot, it felt like they had been dropped into a living hell.

“And the heat isn’t even the worst part!”

Martha gritted her teeth, lifting her feet alternately like a desert lizard to avoid the burning sand.

“The damn bastard suppressed our physical strength and blocked our aura, so we can’t even run properly! That’s the real problem!”

Raon had somehow learned how to suppress both their physical strength and their aura, reducing them to the state of ordinary people.

Thanks to that, they had no choice but to trudge up through the searing sand that swallowed their feet with every step.

“I-I can’t go any further…”

Runaan, exhausted from the heat, panted with her tongue hanging out like an overheated puppy.

“I’ll just sleep here…”

She dropped to her knees and bowed her head, saying they should just bury her here.

“You’ll die if you sleep here!”

Martha shouted for her to snap out of it and grabbed Runaan by the collar, hauling her back to her feet.

“I-I can’t believe there’s a place this hot in Zieghart.”

Trevin shook his head, saying there wasn't even a place like this in the south.

“It feels exactly like climbing a volcanic area. No, it’s worse…”

He bit his lip, saying it was even hotter and more grueling than the volcanic zones he had passed during missions.

“Come to think of it, was there ever a sand dune like this in the North Grave mountain? This sand feels more like something you'd find on a beach.”

Burren narrowed his eyes at the golden sand that shimmered with rising heat haze.

“This sand…”

Mark Goetten’s legs trembled as they sank into the sand, and he pointed at Dorian.

“It came from our quartermaster’s belly pocket.”

He said Dorian had helped Raon install the sand here, and he swallowed dryly.

“Hrk…”

Dorian hunched his shoulders as soon as his name came up.

“Dorian…”

“It’s you again?”

“Useless as ever…”

“Was the reason you prepared the supplies so thoroughly just to torment us?!”

The Light Wind swordsmen glared at Dorian, gnashing their teeth.

“I-I only gave him the sand because he asked! I didn’t know he’d heat it up like this!”

Dorian shook his head furiously, insisting that he had never imagined it would turn out like this.

“And I’m a victim too! I’m climbing this with you!”

He exhaled hot air, the heat surging in his breath, and looked more aggrieved than anyone else.

“Damn it…”

Martha narrowed her eyes as she looked up at Raon standing at the top.

“Where the hell did that crazy bastard come up with a training method like this!”

She stomped the ground in frustration, only for her feet to sink deeper into the sand.

“It’s probably from the Chamber of Self.”

Burren, his arm reddened from the heat, bit his lip as he gripped it.

“This is exactly like the trial that bastard went through in the Chamber of Self…”

Raon had recreated the sand mountain trial he went through in the Chamber of Self and brought it into reality. Just the fact that he pulled this off, and even had the power to heat the sand like this, was enough to make them grit their teeth in disbelief.

“Ehehe…”

Runaan’s eyes were spinning as if she had finally lost her grip on consciousness.

“W-what if we all just say we can’t do this and stop for today?”

Krein whispered in a faint voice, barely daring to suggest it.

“Stop the training?”

“Yeah! I mean, come on, we’ve had both our aura and physical strength suppressed Let’s just tell him we’ll try again tomorrow—”

“Shut up and keep climbing.”

A spine-chilling voice, like metal scraping, cut through the conversation from behind.

“You think saying let’s try again tomorrow is actually going to work?”

The sharp voice belonged to the Gambling Monster. His brows furrowed as he flatly declared that was not happening.

“S-Sir Gambling Monster…”

Burren gulped dryly as he watched the Gambling Monster roughly push Krein aside with one hand.

“Are you alright, Sir?”

The Gambling Monster was drenched in sweat, likely because his body was still soaked in liquor. His black long jacket clung to him with sweat, making him look even more wretched.

“But why are you even here, Sir General Administrator?”

Martha opened her eyes wide in confusion.

“Why do you think? That bastard said I need to join the training from now on. Said I’m too weak…”

The Gambling Monster clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, glaring up at Raon who stood atop the sand dune, his pride clearly wounded

“You accepted that?”

Mark Goetten exhaled in disbelief. For someone like the Gambling Monster, who usually wouldn't take that kind of insult lying down, the fact that he accepted it was truly surprising.

“A single strike.”

The Gambling Monster let out a rough breath and shook his head.

“I made a bet with him, but I couldn’t even block a single strike that didn’t use aura. He’s turned into a complete monster.”

He bit his lip, admitting he couldn't even block Raon’s sword strike that didn't use aura.

“As a warrior, I made the bet, I had no choice but to accept the result. Not that I knew it would be this damned kind of training…”

He muttered that he might’ve been better off just taking the strike and dying on the spot, as he dragged his heavy steps forward.

“With one strike without aura, he defeated the Gambling Monster?”

“That crazy bastard came back even crazier…”

“H-handsome and terrifying…”

Burren, Martha, and Runaan swallowed dryly as they watched the Gambling Monster climb the sand dune, his jacket soaked with sweat sticking to his back.

“If even the Gambling Monster’s getting dragged into this, you think he’s going to go easy on us?”

“We just have to climb. There’s no way out.”

“Right. If we stop now, he’ll probably make us do something worse…”

The swordsmen clenched their eyes shut and started climbing the burning dune, where waves of heat shimmered up from the golden sand.

At that moment, the same thought echoed in everyone’s mind.

Why did he come out of the Chamber of Self so soon?!

He should’ve stayed in there for another month!

*   *   *

Ssshhk.

Raon pulled his hand out from the sand and smiled with satisfaction.

‘It’s working better than I expected.’

To recreate the sand mountain trial from the Chamber of Self, he’d heated the sand using the fire of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. Thanks to reaching 10 stars, he could now control the heat effortlessly.

‘Those expressions… not bad.’

Raon chuckled to himself as he looked at the swordsmen, their faces twisted like they’d aged a few years overnight.

‘Only when it hurts does it become real training.’

The truth was, even if he heated the sand to absurd levels, the Light Wind swordsmen could’ve avoided it using footwork or withstood it using their aura.

But doing that wouldn’t count as training. That’s why he had personally suppressed their aura and even their physical capabilities.

He had recreated the exact same conditions he’d endured in the Chamber of Self, forcing them to climb the sand dune.

Are you really an angel, you bastard?

Wrath let out a dumbfounded snort.

You’re putting your subordinates through the same hell you went through?! You’re insane, no other word for it!

He frowned and asked how Raon had become this twisted.

‘I’m not doing this for fun.’

Raon calmly shook his head.

‘I’m doing it because I want them to grow like I did.’

Bullshiiiiiit! At least fix that smug grin before spouting lies!

Wrath wrinkled his nose, saying he wanted to show him a mirror.

‘Ah, really?’

Raon lowered his chin and used his fingers to press down the corners of his mouth, which had risen.

‘Okay, fine. To be honest, yeah, I did kind of want to see them struggle. Lately, they’ve been breezing through most training like it’s nothing.’

Ever since every member of the Light Wind Division had reached Master, they passed most training with ease and acted like it was no big deal.

Since he couldn’t spar with them or have them do the focus enhancement training every day just because they were acting arrogant, he’d been thinking about what kind of training would actually challenge them, and thanks to the Chamber of Self, he’d found the perfect method.

‘I just didn’t think they’d suffer this much from the heat.’

The swordsmen of Zieghart had grown up in a cold region, so they seemed especially vulnerable to heat. From the Gambling Monster to Runaan, every one of them wore the same expression, like the heat was killing them.

‘Once they get used to the heat… maybe I’ll toss them into an icy sea, chilled with Glacier’s cold energy?’

Raon thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to toss them into icy waters, filled with cold energy that pierced straight to the bone, once they were more acclimated to the heat.

‘Maybe they’ll develop both water resistance and fire resistance like I did?’

You were definitely born in the wrong realm…

Wrath narrowed his eyes, muttering that if Raon had been born in either the devildom or the heaven, he would’ve surely turned into an evil god.

‘Thanks for the compliment.’

Raon chuckled and waved his hand just as he sensed someone coming down from the top of the North Grave mountain.

When he turned his head, he saw Aris, drenched in sweat, running down a rocky slope.

“So all that noise was you lot.”

Aris gave a faint chuckle, saying she could hear the screaming even from the top of the mountain.

“The top? You climbed all the way up?”

Raon’s eyes widened. He knew Aris had been working on rebuilding her body, but he hadn’t expected her to make it all the way to the summit.

“That must’ve been dangerous.”

The peak of the North Grave Mountain was a land of eternal snow, a place one couldn’t reach on foot alone. The fact that Aris had climbed all the way there, with her body still not fully healed and no aura to support her, was astonishing.

“You’re underestimating your aunt too much. If I’m the Sword Emperor’s aunt, this much is nothing!”

Aris shook her head with a smile, saying that climbing the mountain daily had helped her regain her health.

“That’s true…”

Raon nodded as he examined her.

“You’ve changed a lot. It’s honestly incredible.”

She was a completely different person from the woman they had brought back to Zieghart, broken, both in body and spirit, after being betrayed and wounded by her own son.

She still had a long way to go, but it was clear she had been doing everything she could to rebuild her body, training steadily, supported by a proper diet.

“It’s all thanks to that dragon heart you gave me.”

Aris raised her right hand and pressed it over her heart.

“I didn’t want to waste even a single drop of mana.”

She gave a cool, clear laugh, saying she didn’t want to show him a shameful version of herself.

“But I’m more surprised by you.”

She met his gaze and smiled faintly.

“Everyone said you wouldn’t gain much from the Chamber of Self… but from the looks of it, you came out with a lot.”

Though she hadn’t heard any news, she was certain he had achieved something significant.

“Wait… don’t tell me—you have recovered your aura?”

“No, I can just feel it.”

Aris shook her head, saying it was just her intuition.

“I may not be at your level, but I have to make it work.”

She licked her lips, saying she was going to absorb every last drop of mana in the dragon heart.

“Your condition has improved a lot. I take it you’re planning to begin cultivation soon?”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the muscle that had returned to Aris’ arms.

“Yeah. I’m planning to start this weekend.”

Aris nodded, saying her schedule was already set.

“Who will guard you?”

“The Ragged Saint Uncle. Haven’t asked him, though.”

It seemed she had already decided on Federick as her guard without even asking his opinion.

“That guard…”

Raon lowered his chin slightly as he looked at her.

“I’ll do it.”

“You will?”

Aris widened her eyes in surprise, as if the thought had never even crossed her mind.

“Yes. Right now, you don’t have even a speck of aura. If the mana in the Dragon Heart surges or spirals out of control during cultivation, it could be dangerous. I think it would be safer if I’m the one standing guard.”

Aris was showing impatience, wanting to recover all her martial power at once. That urgency made Raon feel that it would be best if he personally guarded her, just in case anything went wrong.

“No, that would just make me feel even more guilty. You’ve already done so much for me, I can’t ask you for this too…”

She lowered her head, saying it wasn’t right to receive that much from him.

“Especially ‘that matter’, it was something I should’ve finished with my own hands. But I ended up leaving it to you. I’m truly sorry.”

She bit her lip, saying she should’ve been the one to kill Sif with her own hands.

“Aunt…”

Raon couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must feel like for a mother to say she should have killed her own son.

“Please don’t say that. You’ve done so much more for me than I could ever repay.”

He smiled and shook his head. It was the truth. He owed his life to Aris more than she could ever know.

“No, I…”

“I’ll come see you this weekend.”

Raon cut her off gently and gave her a small bow.

“…Haah, alright.”

Aris let out a sigh and nodded with resignation.

“Haaah…”

“I-It’s over…”

“I seriously thought I was going to die…”

“We did it! We crossed through hell!”

While Raon had been speaking with Aris, the Light Wind swordsmen had endured the brutal heat and finally reached the top of the sand dune.

“How about that! We conquered the hell you created!”

Martha grinned, baring her teeth, as if to say that suppressing their physical strength and aura didn’t matter.

“Yeah. This was no different from our regular training.”

Burren brushed some sand off his clothes and nodded, trying to act cool.

“That was easy!”

“This kind of heat? Just feels like a sauna!”

“Don’t you have anything harder?”

“Did you take a vacation in the Chamber of Self or something?”

The other swordsmen also looked up at the sky and let out triumphant shouts, clearly riding the high of accomplishment.

…Though not everyone had energy left.

“Uuugh…”

“Liquor… Please, someone get me some liquor…”

Runaan had collapsed and was wobbling on the ground like a melted slime, and the Gambling Monster was clawing at the sand with both hands in search of alcohol.

“They got here about thirty minutes earlier than I expected.”

Raon clicked his tongue as he looked up at the sky.

“Good work, everyone.”

To be honest, he thought it would take them another half hour at least. But the Light Wind swordsmen had powered through like madmen and climbed the dune faster than expected.

“Tch!”

“You really underestimated us, huh!”

“Yeah, this is nothing. Piece of cake.”

“We even survived the war against the Black Tower.”

Now flooded with a sense of victory, the swordsmen began to boast again.

“Oh yeah? Then you should be able to keep going.”

Raon twisted the corners of his lips into a smirk and motioned with his chin toward the bottom of the dune.

“…Huh?”

“W-what?”

“You’re not serious…”

“What are you waiting for? You climbed it, you’ve got to come back down too.”

He grinned as he told the bewildered swordsmen to descend the very dune they had just struggled to conquer.

“R-right now…?”

“We’re going back down?”

“You’re telling us to go back down… through all that sinking sand?”

The swordsmen trembled, their jaws clenched, as if their ears had betrayed them.

“If you’re not going to walk down, I can roll you down.”

Raon smirked as he summoned a sharp wave of energy around himself.

“Ugh!”

“He’s insane…”

“I want to die…”

“The guy who said it was easy and the guy who said he could go again, both of you are dead when we get down!”

Unable to resist Raon’s overwhelming pressure, the swordsmen slowly turned around to face the scorching sand once more.

“Daaamn it!”

“Damn you, Raon Zieghart!”

“Mom, I think I picked the wrong job!”

They cursed and screamed as they hurled themselves back into the scorching sands.

“…Can I do it too?”

Unlike the other swordsmen, Aris looked at Raon, saying she wanted to do it.

“Of course.”

Raon nodded with a smile.

“Thank you.”

She gave him a slight nod in return, then followed after the Light Wind swordsmen down the dune. Despite having no aura and still lacking in physical strength, she pushed forward faster than the others with sheer willpower alone.

“It looks like the time has come.”

Raon watched Aris’ unwavering back with a deep smile.

“It’s time to release Zieghart’s Red Shark back into the ocean.”

*   *   *

On the morning of the promised day, Raon left the annex building and headed to the lord’s manor training ground.

“You’re here.”

Federick greeted him with a smile and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“I was worried about whether I’d be able to handle this, but I feel reassured now that you’re here.”

He nodded in gratitude, thankful Raon had made time for this.

“I should be the one thanking you.”

Raon bowed deeply and said he was grateful for always looking after his aunt.

“Alright. Go on in.”

Federick ruffled Raon’s hair fondly and pointed toward the inner cultivation chamber where Aris was waiting.

“Yes, thank you.”

After bowing again, Raon entered the chamber.

Since it was part of the lord’s manor training ground, the cultivation chamber was over twice the size of a regular one. It looked large enough for several people to cultivate at once.

“You’re here?”

Aris, who had been leaning against the wall, raised a hand. Her pale face showed that she was nervous.

“How’s your body?”

“Perfect. I’ve been adjusting everything to peak for today.”

She nodded, saying she had physically prepared herself.

“And your mind?”

“That’s… a little...”

Aris bit her lip lightly.

“I’m… worried.”

She let out a heavy sigh, saying she wasn’t sure if she could pull this off.

“If I fail, it’s all over.”

“You don’t need to worry about failing. And even if you do fail, it’s fine. We’ll just find another dragon heart.”

“You and your jokes.”

“I’m not joking. It’s really okay to fail as many times as needed.”

He meant it. Considering that not a single dragon had appeared during the war with the Black Tower, it was clear now that they had crossed a point of no return.

From here on out, Raon intended to kill every dragon he came across. He was planning to drive them to extinction. So even if Aris failed, it didn’t matter, he’d just give her another heart after killing another.

Are you planning to drive dragons to extinction?

Wrath let out a stunned snort.

You’re truly a madman….

Even demon kings didn’t go that far, he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Hahaha!”

Aris burst into laughter too, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

“Hearing you talk like that… Now I feel like I really can’t afford to fail. I’ll make sure I succeed.”

She gave a relaxed smile and sat down in the center of the chamber.

“Hoo…”

Taking a slow breath, Aris reached into her subspace pocket and pulled out the rainbow-glowing dragon heart, placing it on her lap. It was the one Raon had given her long ago.

“I’ll begin now.”

She looked at him for a moment, then gave a faint nod.

“Go ahead, whenever you’re ready.”

“I never thought I’d feel this reassured with you around.”

She smiled gently, saying that her nephew really was the best, and then closed her eyes and began circulating her aura cultivation method.

Wooooooom—

The Dragon Heart began to emit a swirling light, and the mana within it started slowly drawing into her fingertips.

Given her firm resolve, it didn’t look like she’d open her eyes until she had absorbed every last drop of mana from the Dragon Heart.

‘Looks like this will take a while.’

Sensing the unwavering resolve radiating from Aris, Raon nodded quietly.

‘Things should stay quiet for a while… maybe I’ll check that thing I’ve been putting off.’

You idiot! What did you forget this time!?

Wrath grumbled, shaking his head as if Raon’s stupidity exhausted him.

‘Hmm. I hadn’t checked it because of you.’

Because of me? The King of Essence never avoids anything!

‘Oh, then I guess I can take a look now.’

Raon grinned and called up the reward message he hadn't checked before.

[You have achieved significant growth within the Chamber of Self.]

[You have experienced 101 deaths.]

[All stats have…]

[A new trait has been…]

Huh…? Was it this?

Wrath opened his eyes wide as if he hadn't thought of it as a reward at all.

Damn it! The King of Essence shouldn’t have said anything!

He slapped his chubby hand over his mouth, clearly regretting bringing it up.

‘You didn’t let me check it last time, remember?

Raon chuckled as he continued reading the message, but then narrowed his eyes.

‘Hm… what’s that?’

Just beyond the message window, he could see mana leaking out from Aris’ shoulder, mana from the Dragon Heart.

‘As I thought… she can’t absorb it all.’

Her body still wasn’t in perfect condition. The psychological trauma had been severe, and with her aura completely gone, it made sense that she couldn’t fully absorb the Dragon Heart’s mana.

‘It can’t be helped… Wait.’

Raon dismissed the reward window and narrowed his eyes once more.

‘What if I didn’t just guard her… but helped with that part directly?’

It wouldn’t be easy. Intervening in someone else’s cultivation, especially someone with no aura, was incredibly risky. He could suffer serious damage himself.

But with the growth he’d achieved in the Chamber of Self, he felt he could transfer the mana flowing out of the dragon heart back to Aris.

‘Aunt…’

Looking at Aris, who was cultivating with difficulty, memories of everything they’d been through together came flooding back.

The first time they met when he woke up on a pirate ship, the time they hunted the mad dragon together, the moment she saved his life. And… her face twisted in agony after being betrayed by her son, Sif.

The joys, sadness, anger, and laughter they’d shared, all of it came rushing to the surface, and his chest grew hot.

‘I hope this will help the aunt who endured so much.’

Wanting to give Aris a gift for all the hardships she had gone through, Raon placed his hand on her back and activated the Ring of Fire.

He used the Ring of Fire to purify the mana spilling from the Dragon Heart, and then carefully guided it into her mana circuit.

Fwoooosh!

Around Raon, who was touching Aris’ back, a light bloomed, warmer than even the sun that had once granted him immense power.

 

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