The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1207

 Chapter 1207

 

“Now tell me.”

Raon lifted a mug filled with beer and tipped his chin toward Charlie.

“How do you trade desire?”

Both Charlie, who sat before him, and Baif, who had brought him to this 'Heaven,' had said that with desire, one could buy anything in this land. having gathered desire through several duels, he now wanted to know how to use that power.

“Ah….”

Charlie stared at Raon, his lips trembling as if he still couldn’t believe it.

“J-just who… who are you, exactly?”

He addressed Raon with extreme deference, bowing his waist even while seated at the table.

“I told you earlier. Don’t bother with names or things like that.”

Raon let out a small chuckle and gently set the beer mug down.

“Well, I suppose you could say I did something noteworthy.”

He waved his hand, brushing it off as if what he had shown so far amounted to nothing.

“You’re saying that wasn’t noteworthy?!”

Charlie snapped his head up as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Sir Jilpen, you devoured more than ten people yesterday alone! Starting with Fishir, you stripped away all the desire of the lower ranks, how can you say that’s nothing?”

There had been talented newcomers before, but no one had ever taken down ten people on their very first day. Charlie slammed his hand hard against the table.

“That’s the disappointing part.”

Raon smacked his lips briefly.

“For some reason, no one wanted to come at me anymore.”

After he effortlessly took down the tenth opponent, no one else tried to fight. They all retreated, fearing him. The moment their mockery turned to terror and shock was, in its own way, an amusing experience.

It’s been a long time since humans looked this pitiful.

Wrath shook his head, recalling the people who had collapsed after their desire had been completely drained from them.

Even we demons show at least a shred of mercy….

He let out a quiet sigh, judging that the humans here were worse in character than demons.

“Of course they’re scared! A newcomer devoured ten newcomer killers!”

Charlie shouted, saying it would be stranger if they weren’t afraid.

“Look over there! Everyone’s staring at us! They’re too scared to even come close!”

He trembled, saying everyone in the tavern was watching them.

“That’s enough.”

Raon cut him off sharply.

“Just tell me how desire is used.”

Raon wasn’t some kid starving for praise. He just wanted to stack a tower that reached the sky as quickly as possible and meet Derus Robert, or an archangel.

“Desire isn’t traded. It’s offered.”

Charlie drew a short breath and spoke.

“Offer it?”

Raon frowned, not understanding.

“Yes. That’s right. You go to the temple over there and offer the desire you’ve accumulated to the god who created this Heaven.”

Charlie nodded, saying he himself had gone to the temple and offered his desire before.

“The god is omnipotent enough to create this world. If you stack a tower and show devotion that reaches the sky, they say the god will send down an archangel, the god’s messenger, and grant any wish.”

He clenched his fist, saying there were even people who had actually seen an archangel descend. Even though he was scraping along rock bottom, it seemed he hadn’t abandoned that dream yet.

‘Hmm.’

Raon nodded calmly.

Anyone who would step into a place as absurd as Heaven of their own accord was bound to be deeply suspicious.
If rumors like that were circulating here, then an archangel must have truly descended at least once.

‘That means this place is that important.’

To Derus Robert, archangels were his most crucial weapons for decisive battles. The fact that such an important being had appeared in a place like this meant Heaven itself was extremely important to them.

‘I’ll have to go to the temple.’

Raon smacked his lips briefly.

‘There’s a risk my identity might be exposed, but I need to see it with my own eyes.’

A building called a temple would definitely have special barriers in place. It could be dangerous, but if I wanted to reach Derus, I had no choice but to enter the temple.

“Still, I don’t recommend going to the temple right away. There are too many famous hyenas around there.”

Charlie frowned, saying that many hunters lurked around the temple, targeting people who went to offer desire.

“Instead, what I recommend is—”

He spread both hands, about to say they should wait—

Bang!

Raon drained his beer in one go and slammed the mug onto the table.

“That’s enough. Take me to the temple.”

He stood up decisively, as if he had no intention of listening further.

“If there are hunters aiming for me, then all the more reason to go now.”

Looking at Charlie’s pale face, Raon curled his lips upward.

“Let’s hunt them instead.”

*   *   *

“Hmm? That is….”

Nagis, who had been hiding in a lodging near the temple, narrowed his eyes as he saw a tall man walking down the main road.

‘It’s that guy from yesterday!’

The newcomer who had taken down ten newcomer killers in the main street and amassed a massive amount of desire, the one who used the name Jilpen outside, was approaching the temple.

‘Just as I thought.’

Nagis clenched his fist and let out a silent cheer.

‘With Charlie at his side, I knew he’d come here.’

With Charlie, who could guide him through Heaven, by his side, and having gained so much desire, it was only natural to expect his next step would be the temple. That prediction was spot on.

‘Charlie probably tried to stop him, but a newcomer like that wouldn’t be able to hold back.’

Nagis chuckled as he watched Raon’s stride, overflowing with confidence.

‘I would’ve come too.’

Right after entering Heaven, he had devoured ten veterans. There was nothing for him to fear.

Even if he heard that there were many hyenas around here, he’d obviously think he could just devour them all instead.

‘That boldness is admirable, but this place is different.’

Unlike those who only targeted newcomers because both the amount of desire they had and the way they handled it were clumsy, the ones around the temple knew how to fight.

No matter how much genius talent that newcomer had in handling desire, he couldn’t overcome seasoned experience.

‘So much.’

An enormous amount of desire could be felt around the newcomer’s soul. The desires taken from the newcomer killers yesterday seemed to have piled up into a mouthwatering piece of prey.

‘Shall I go?’

As Nagis smacked his lips and was about to approach Raon—

Swoooosh!

Before he could move, a man from the building on the right rushed at Raon first.

“Guren!”

The man blocking Raon’s path was a desire hunter named Guren. He was no different from a true hyena, hiding near the temple and only targeting opponents he could defeat.

"Why him, of all people..."

Seeing him jump out the moment the monstrous newcomer appeared, it was clear he had been waiting here for him, just like me.

"Why did it have to be Guren?"

Guren had never once let someone who came to offer desire to the temple slip past.

By forcing them into duel and absolutely preventing them from entering the temple, he showed a hundred-percent success rate whenever he attempted a hunt, an utterly vicious man.

“Fine. Come as you like.”

Raon accepted Guren’s challenge as if he had been waiting for him.

“It’s over. I should head back and get some sleep, hmm?”

Nagis let out a sigh and was about to withdraw.

Whoooooosh!

The veteran Guren couldn’t withstand the desire Raon unleashed. His entire body began to tremble violently.

"W-What is th... Arrrgh!"

Guren tried to resist somehow, but as if overpowered, he was engulfed by the newcomer’s desire and collapsed, looking like a dried-up mummy.

“Hmm, not bad at all.”

The newcomer smiled and nodded, as if satisfied with the desire Guren had accumulated. However, beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

‘Huh…?’

Nagis swallowed hard as he stared at Raon.

‘The fight was extremely short, so why does he look exhausted?’

The battle between the newcomer and Guren had been incredibly brief, and the victory was overwhelming, yet he couldn’t understand why the newcomer looked so tired.

‘Could it be….’

Is he specialized in short fights?

Thinking about it, that newcomer had always ended things quickly, yesterday and today alike.

‘Yes! That must be it!’

No matter how much genius talent he had, it made no sense to show that kind of power the moment he arrived in Heaven. The only explanation had to be an ability specialized for short, decisive fights.

‘Yesterday the opponents were weak, so it didn’t show, but now he can’t help showing fatigue.’

Having reached that conclusion about Raon, Nagis sprang forward.

“Hey, monster. Fight me!”

Unlike that newcomer, I specialized in long fights and defense. If I dragged things out and held on, I felt confident I could win.

“Fine.”

The newcomer accepted the duel with a curled smile, as if he had been waiting not only for Guren, but for me as well.

"Hmph! I won't be taken down foolishly like Guren!"

Grinding his teeth, Nagis spread his desire outward, stacking it layer upon layer to build a defensive wall.

“If I just hold out like this— huh?”

Just as he was about to thicken his desire to endure until the end...

Puuuuunch!

Raon’s desire took the shape of a spear, pierced straight through the wall Nagis had erected, and lodged itself into him.

“Aaaaargh!”

Struck by Raon’s massive and razor-sharp desire, Nagis lost all will to fight in an instant and collapsed to his knees.

“Gghhhhhh….”

The outcome was decided in a single moment, and everything he possessed was ripped out and began flowing into Raon.

‘M-monster. A real monster….’

Nagis lifted his gaze, gasping for breath.

‘That’s not someone specialized in short battles, he’s just a demon.’

A demon born to devour desire. Otherwise, there was no way someone could possess such power the moment they arrived in Heaven.

“Haa….”

Raon bent slightly at the waist, breathing roughly, as if exhausted from the two fights.

“His hands are shaking, he’s clearly run out of strength!”

Nagis stared with his mouth hanging open as, after he himself had fallen, a new hunter jumped out and rushed at Raon.

“N-no….”

Seeing the smile on Raon’s face as he lowered his head in apparent fatigue, Nagis waved his hand weakly, but of course, his intention didn’t get through.

“Good.”

Seeing the demon’s smile accept yet another duel, Nagis lost consciousness.

*   *   *

"The quality is definitely better here."

After hunting down every hunter lurking around the temple instead, Raon smacked his lips in satisfaction.

“The desires are nice and solid.”

Compared to those so-called newcomer killers, they were far more “ripe,” and the quality of the desires they carried was vastly superior.

“And every single one of those people with such high-quality desires fell before Sir Jilpen.”

Charlie let out a sigh, as if he were already tired of being surprised.

"It's a good thing."

Raon chuckled softly and gave Charlie a light pat on the back.

“It just means we’ve got more desire to offer to the temple.”

Because the amount and quality of desire he had gathered around the temple far exceeded his original expectations, the result of offering it later would likely surpass what he had initially anticipated.

“So this is the temple?”

Standing before the temple Charlie had introduced, Raon lifted his head. It resembled the temples outside, but there was something slightly different.

‘So many wings and feathers.’

Unlike temples that reflected the characteristics of various gods, this place was plastered with white feathers symbolizing angels. Rather than a temple, it wouldn’t have been strange to call it a hall devoted to angels.

‘They really are strange, no matter how you look at it.’

Snorting quietly, Raon pushed open the temple doors.

“I’ve come to offer desire—”

As he spoke his purpose and stepped inside, he suddenly stopped without realizing it.

Sssss.

At the center of the temple, the face of the priest standing before the statue symbolizing the god looked exactly like a man he knew.

‘Derus Robert?’

 

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