The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1235

 Chapter 1235

 

Squeeze.

Raon clenched his fist so hard it actually made a sound.

‘I knew something was off.’

Since entering this underground training ground, grandfather hadn't displayed any particularly overwhelming martial might.

Even if the pressure in the training ground was intense, he should have still displayed strength far superior to mine. Yet, he hadn’t shown anything of the sort.

It didn’t line up with what he’d said about using his full strength. And now, the reason was obvious.

This training ground didn’t just lower one’s might, it seemed to forcefully equalize the power of everyone inside to the same level.

‘So even here… Grandfather still overwhelmed me.’

With the same amount of aura, the same physical condition, and even the same level of soul, Glenn had toyed with me like a child. It meant there was a massive, fundamental gap in skill between us.

“Haha.”

Raon let out a laugh, unable to contain the chill that ran through him with that realization.

Glenn blinked, looking flabbergasted by Raon’s sudden laughter.

“Because I’m happy.”

Raon looked up at Glenn, his smile deepening.

“Happy?” Glenn tilted his head, clearly confused.

“Yes.”

Raon nodded without hesitation.

“It means there’s still so much room for me to grow.”

After cutting down Derus Robert’s soul, I had grown tremendously.

Frankly, I’d reached a point where I no longer knew how to train or improve further. So I had done what I always did, swing my sword, over and over.

But here, I’d been overwhelmed by grandfather as if I were a child again.

We had the same strength. The same speed. And yet, I was the only one being driven back. That could only mean one thing, there were still countless areas where I could improve. I had come all the way down to the first head of house’s training ground. If I was standing here now, then I wanted to grow stronger no matter what it took. No shortcuts, no excuses. I would squeeze out every bit of progress this place could offer.

‘So how could I not be happy?’

I’d found a new goal. A new path forward.

How could I not smile? My body was completely spent, not an ounce of strength left in it, but even so, I wanted to keep moving. To keep fighting. Even if I had to crawl, I didn’t want to stop.

“Heheh….”

Glenn let out a hollow chuckle, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Do you not find this difficult? Painful?”

His brows lowered, as if asking whether Raon truly felt nothing but joy.

“With this pressure, it’ll be several times more painful than training outside. But…”

Raon glanced up at the ceiling of the training ground, the corner of his lips lifting.

“I think I’ll gain that much more in return. You don’t get something for nothing, there’s no reward without pain.”

His eyes were steady, unshaken, as if to say that hardship and suffering were things he could endure as much as necessary.

You bastard! You take the King of Essence’s rewards without any pain at all!

Wrath yells that Raon shouldn’t talk about “no reward without pain” when he’s been taking his abilities for free.

‘….’

Raon had nothing to say to that. So he stayed silent.

“Nothing can be gained without pain….”

Glenn nodded slowly, resting a hand on his chin.

“That mindset may be exactly why you’ve reached your current level.”

A deep smile spread across his face, as if he had finally grasped the secret behind Raon’s growth. It was a smile filled with pride in his grandson.

Like hell it is! And you can’t even answer the King of Essence back!

Wrath scowled at Raon, wrinkling his nose.

This bastard doesn’t know real pain at all!

‘…..’

Raon ignored him again, pretending he hadn’t heard a word.

Tch.

Wrath sighed as if he were sick of the whole thing and turned his gaze aside.

Setting your nonsense aside, this is an interesting place.

He licked his lips as he scanned the training ground with obvious interest.

Pressure on the body, aura, and even the soul… It’s affecting the King of Essence’s soul as well.

Wrath glanced aside, muttering that even his own soul was being suppressed.

Come to think of it, there was a region like this in Devildom too.

He stroked his chin, as if recalling something.

“A region?” Raon let out a quiet breath. Not a small training ground like this, but an entire region? He couldn’t even imagine its purpose.

Looks like your ears finally opened.

Wrath snorted.

He heard that an entire region works the same way as this place.

He rolled his eyes, emphasizing that it was a fairly large area.

‘Then are there a lot of demons there?’

Plenty. Because all the battle-crazed maniacs go there. Size, ability, bloodline, status, it doesn’t matter. Everyone fights on equal footing, so it’s bound to be popular.

Wrath smacked his lips, adding that it was a neutral zone untouched by the Demon Kings’ influence, which made things even more chaotic.

‘A neutral zone? And that large?’

Raon tilted his head slightly. It didn’t make sense that the Demon Kings would leave such a vast area alone.

Devildom is far larger than this continent. There are countless places their influence doesn’t reach. Still, that region lies close to the central areas. As you said, it’s strange that no one has taken it, but of course, there’s a reason.

Wrath slowly licked his lips.

‘And that reason is…?’

Because they’re strong.

His tone was calm, matter-of-fact.

The demons living there are stronger than the Demon Kings’ elites. Monsters that could make a name for themselves anywhere are lodged in that land like embedded boulders. Even someone like Greed wouldn’t find it easy to swallow that region whole.

Wrath scoffed lightly.

‘So the reason the demons there are strong is…’

As Raon listened, something clicked, and the corner of his mouth lifted.

Exactly what you’re thinking. Whether their opponent is truly powerful or weak doesn’t matter. They fight every single day on equal footing. In an environment like that, growth is inevitable.

Wrath jerked his chin, as if to say it would be stranger not to grow stronger.

‘That confirms it.’

Raon’s smile deepened. In an environment this ideal, training alone wasn’t the answer. Even when exhausted, continuing to fight was the correct path.

I have to keep moving.

This time, not for myself, but for grandfather.

To push grandfather’s might to its absolute limit before his duel to the death with the Heavenly Demon, I had to play my part. Sitting here and resting wasn’t an option.

“Let’s stop here for today and spar again tomorrow—”

Glenn waved his hand, signaling they should call it a day.

“No.”

Raon gripped Heavenly Drive and Wooden Ring Sword embedded in the ground and pushed himself to his feet.

“Let’s continue.”

He shook off the pain and exhaustion as he met Glenn’s wide-eyed stare.

“I’ll become useful to you as quickly as I can.”

*   *   *

“Hoo….”

Karoon frowned as he looked at the piles of documents stacked beside his desk.

‘There’s no end to this.’

It felt like ten times the workload of the Central Martial Palace.

I had started working through them in the morning, and even now, the work showed no sign of finishing. I honestly couldn’t comprehend how father had handled this kind of workload while still building that level of might.

‘At least I have skilled assistants. That’s a relief.’

Letting out a short sigh, Karoon glanced to his right at Roenn and Sheryl.

‘If not for those two, this desk would still be buried in paper.’

True to their status as Glenn’s closest subordinates, Roenn and Sheryl were exceptionally skilled at administrative work. They drastically reduced the number of documents Karoon had to personally review and approve, summarizing everything efficiently.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that thanks to them, the work was finally nearing completion.

‘I thought the kids in the Central Martial Palace were excellent, but these two are on a different level.’

The subordinates he had called from the Central Martial Palace were certainly capable workers, but they seemed miles behind Sheryl or Roenn.

“There’s not much left. Just a bit more effort,” Roenn said with a hearty laugh, assuring him rest was near.

“You really are different, Central Martial Palace master. I thought you’d be complaining nonstop since it’s your first time, but to finish everything in just a week?” Sheryl whistled long and low, clearly impressed by Karoon’s work pace.

“We’re still a long way off.”

Karoon shook his head calmly.

“From now on, I’ll finish all administrative work in the morning and devote the rest of the day to training.”

He frowned, resolving not to let work drag on until evening like this again.

“Huhuhu.”

“That would be nice, if you can manage it.”

Roenn and Sheryl nodded quietly, as if acknowledging the change they saw in Karoon.

“Is this the last one…?”

Karoon sighed as he reached for what he thought was the final document.

Bang!

The doors to the audience chamber burst open, and Chad, the master of the Shadow Agents, rushed inside.

“Acting head of house!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Chad addressed Karoon as acting head and ran straight to the center of the audience chamber.

“These are newly organized intelligence reports and approval documents from Zieghart and across the entire continent!”

He thrust forward a thick stack of papers and booklets, far too much to hold comfortably in one hand, explaining that the information had just been newly organized.

“…Hah.”

Karoon swallowed dryly at the sight of a mountain of documents large enough to completely cover his desk again. It felt less like paperwork and more like a powerful enemy standing in his way, cold sweat trickling down his back.

“Tsk.”

With a resigned breath, Karoon inhaled and reached out to start reviewing the new materials.

“Huhuhuhu.”

Roenn gently pulled the documents out of Karoon’s grasp, smiling faintly.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Karoon frowned at him.

“You’ve been sitting at that desk all day,” Roenn said. “Why don’t you take a short walk?”

He dipped his head slightly, clearly inviting Karoon to step outside.

“He’s right. If you keep shutting yourself in this room, you might not fall physically ill, but all that bottled-up stress will wear you down,” Sheryl added, waving her hand as if urging him to rest.

“You two go and take a break. I’ll stay and keep working.”

Karoon nodded, insisting that Roenn and Sheryl rest while he remained behind.

“The acting head should go as well.”

Roenn stepped back with a gentle smile.

“That way, you’ll understand what it is you’re actually doing.”

He took another step back, clearly inviting Karoon along.

“What I’m doing?”

Karoon narrowed his eyes slightly, not quite following.

“I don’t like putting work off either, but right now, even a short break would be better,” Sheryl said, shrugging as she stood beside Roenn.

“You’ve been like this for a full week. Clearing your head will probably make you more efficient afterward.”

She smiled lightly, saying it would be better to continue after resting.

“…All right.”

Karoon looked at the remaining documents and sighed.

“Just for a moment.”

Truthfully, he wanted to keep working, but since they were Glenn’s people, his father and the head of house, he couldn’t brush them aside. He stood up from his seat.

“Good choice.”

“Come with us. There’s a nice walking path.”

Sheryl and Roenn positioned themselves snugly at his sides, leaving him no chance to slip away as they guided him onward.

“Hm?”

As Karoon followed them, he noticed they were moving farther and farther from the main building. His brows furrowed.

“Where are we going? There are plenty of good paths around the main building.”

Unable to understand, he followed them while tension crept into his forehead.

“If you’re planning to drag me out for a drink—”

Karoon lightly bit his lip as he looked out over Zieghart’s bustling main street.

“Take a look.”

Roenn raised a finger, cutting him off.

“The numbers written on the documents you’ve been handling, those numbers are these people.”

He nodded calmly, emphasizing that the countless numbers Karoon had read and touched day after day were the very people standing here.

“When you spend all your time sitting behind a desk, buried in paperwork, people inevitably start to look like nothing more than numbers and lines of text.”

Sheryl smiled softly as she watched the people of Zigheart spending time with their families and loved ones, washing away the fatigue of the day.

“Ah….”

A low sound escaped Karoon as their words sank in.

‘They’re right...’

I’ve been seeing the people of Zieghart as numbers.

After days of handling nothing but documents, numbers and written lines, I had unconsciously reduced people to figures on a page, just as Roenn and Sheryl said.

“Over there.”

Sheryl pointed toward a massive building under construction on the right side of the street.

“That’s the emergency facility you approved a week ago. You reviewed it as text and signed off on it, and now it’s being built right there.”

She laughed lightly, explaining that the decisions Karoon had personally authorized were taking shape all across Zieghart.

“Ah….”

Karoon’s hands trembled as he felt the people who made up Zieghart, and the words he himself had written, turning into reality.

Standing face to face with the people who truly sustained Zieghart, a chill ran up his spine, followed by a surge of exhilaration.

“Seeing this makes me want to…”

Karoon clenched his fist and pressed his lips together.

“…work even harder.”

He lifted his head, resolve firming as he thought about the responsibility he carried as head of house.

“And there’s one more thing I should tell you…”

Sheryl furrowed her brow slightly, as if she had debated whether or not to say it.

“Go on.”

Feeling the weight of his role and responsibility, Karoon nodded, ready to hear anything.

“The real reason you, acting head of house, had so much work is…”

Sheryl hesitated for a moment, finding it hard to say despite Karoon’s permission, before finally parting her lips.

“It’s because the head of the house didn’t do any work at all before going into seclusion.”

She scratched the back of her head apologetically.

“I suspected as much. I simply thought the head of house was testing me…”

Karoon nodded, as if he’d expected it to some extent.

“No, that’s not it. Lately, he just hasn’t been doing it. He’s been wandering around the annex building instead.”

Sheryl sighed, saying he didn’t listen no matter how many times she told him to work.

“Huhuhuhus…”

Roenn could only laugh awkwardly, clearly at a loss for words.

“…I see.”

Karoon closed his eyes as the tension that had filled his shoulders drained away all at once. Fatigue washed over him in a sudden wave.

“Let’s head back….”

 

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