The Reincarnated Assassin Is a Genius Swordsman

Chapter 751 Dozens of sword lights flashed through the gently rising campfire. Raon wore a faint smile as he watched the Light Wind division swordsmen swinging their swords right after finishing dinner. 'They're training on their own now.' Previously, the Light Wind division would rest after dinner, but now they swung their swords without being ordered to do so. Their attitude towards training seemed to have completely changed. -Those fellows have painfully realized their own powerlessness through war. Wrath perched on top of Raon's head, wagging his finger. -It's only natural for subordinates recognized by this king to risk their lives in training to change themselves. He nodded his head emphatically, expressing his trust in the Light Wind division. -As I said before, this king's subordinates will become strong! 'I suppose so. However....' Raon smiled softly as he followed Wrath's gaze. 'I'm more pleased that their way of thinking has changed rather than them just getting stronger.' The Light Wind division had always been passive. They wouldn't train individually unless told to do so, and would scream and run away if asked to spar. But now it was different. They came forward to request sparring matches, and everyone participated in training at dawn and night without exception. The current Light Wind division had grown significantly not just in martial prowess, but also mentally. 'Should I help out a bit too?' -Where do you think you're going! As Raon was about to get up to offer advice, Wrath blocked his path. -There's still food left, isn't there! Wrath wagged his tail, urging Raon to eat more of the hodgepodge stew before leaving. 'You're being a nuisance....' Raon let out a long sigh and swallowed all the remaining stew. -Hiya! Wrath waved his arms and let out an exclamation. -The chunks are infused with a strong smoky flavor! This delicacy is the taste of camping! He wagged his tail contentedly. 'The kids are changing, but you're still the same....' -What do you mean? 'You seem to enjoy life.' -Of course! This king always has a mind to enjoy life, no matter when or where! '...That wasn't a compliment.' Raon shook his head and approached Runaan, who was creating silvery sword light. "Isn't it tough?" He hadn't seen Runaan eating bead ice cream lately. Since she loved bead ice cream even more than Wrath, he was a bit worried. "I'm fine." Runaan calmly shook her head as if it was nothing. "I actually like it." She raised her flushed face, saying she could feel herself growing with each swing of the sword. Raon narrowed his gaze as he observed Runaan, who was hiding her excitement behind her blank eyes. 'Runaan's talent has certainly grown rapidly.' Thanks to absorbing the Baphomet within the helmet, Runaan had gained even more outstanding martial arts talent. Her growth rate was now the highest in the Light Wind division, aside from Raon himself. It seemed she would be the first to break through the barriers of pinnacle Master and Grandmaster levels. "And I have something I need to do." Runaan let out a short breath, saying she had to endure even if it was difficult. "Something you need to do?" "I have to defeat my brother so that mom and dad won't worry." She pressed her lips together, determined to defeat Syria Sullion without borrowing anyone's power. "Syria Sullion...." Raon clicked his tongue as he recalled the Baphomet helmet Syria had been wearing. 'That leech-like bastard.' Syria had come back from the dead and targeted Raon when he was unconscious. Rimmer had said Syria was stronger than before, but Runaan, who had directly blocked his sword, seemed confident. "Even as you are now, it'll be difficult to defeat him alone." "I still have to do it." Runaan shook her head firmly, unlike her usual self. "My brother changed like that because I couldn't stop him." "Couldn't stop him?" "I couldn't do anything." She bit her lip deeply, seemingly recalling the time when she suffered alone, paralyzed by fear of Syria. "If I had overcome my fear and stepped up, the result would have been different. I can't change that time now. So I have to end it." Runaan gripped her sword with eyes filled not with fear, but with responsibility and solemnity, as if her realm of the soul had grown as much as her swordsmanship. -Sniff... Wrath sniffled and rubbed his eyes. -How truly admirable. To think the ice cream girl has grown so much! 'Indeed. It seems her mind has grown more than her martial prowess.' -That's not all! 'Huh?' -It's the first time we've seen the ice cream girl talk so much! He rubbed the tip of his nose, saying he didn't know Runaan's voice could be so pleasant. 'You really are strange.' Raon pushed away Wrath, who was saying he would help Runaan, and lowered his hand. "Runaan." Raon stood in front of Runaan and nodded. "If you need help, just say so anytime." Even if Runaan wanted to defeat the Evil Goat Demon herself, Raon wanted to keep helping her until then. "Then, this swordsmanship." Runaan spoke about the part she was currently struggling with, as if accepting his help. "First, decide the direction your sword wants to go. Think about how to take an offensive stance, what posture to adopt for defensive movements..." Raon didn't simply give her answers, but offered advice that would allow Runaan to think and develop on her own. This scene wasn't limited to just the two of them, but was happening throughout the entire Light Wind division. The sword division itself was breathing like a single living organism. * * * Near a barren mountain close to the Lawless Zone Hollam. Raon stood next to a withered tree, gazing at the city that looked like it was built from ruins. In the center of the desert, numerous buildings rose up. The outer houses looked so dilapidated they might collapse with a gust of wind, but the inner buildings soared high and splendid, reminiscent of the trading city Cameloon. 'It's still the same.' That insane wealth disparity. Hollam was a barren land with no resources, abandoned even by monsters, let alone people. It was a place where no one could easily survive, so those who fled from the continent settled here to form a village, and now it had become a haven for outlaws. A land without law, humanity, or trust. Because it was a place ruled only by strength and money, the wealth disparity was bound to be worse than anywhere else on the continent. In the outer slums, the have-nots struggled to survive, while inside the lavish inner area, the strong overflowing with martial prowess and wealth resided. It was the very embodiment of a world where the strong prey on the weak. -Survival of the fittest, huh... Wrath frowned as he looked down at Hollam. -It certainly looks like that. Even in the Devildom, there were places like this. He swung his round fist as if disgusted by Hollam. "This guy seems to be enjoying himself." Burren, who was standing nearby, smirked as he watched Wrath flailing about. "Enjoying himself?" "Isn't he dancing right now?" He gently patted the head of the angry Wrath. -D-dancing? This king does not dance! Wrath shouted at Burren. -How dare you, a mere eyeball, to the king of the Devildom! He lunged at Burren, threatening to take the eyeball's eyeball. "Yes, yes. I'm glad to see you too." Burren waved his hand, seemingly taking Wrath's anger as endearing. -Arghhhh! Wrath screamed while clutching his head. -Summon this king right now! I'll show that eyeball a lesson... "Yeah. He seems excited." -You bastaaaaard! Who's excited... Gack! Raon threw the screeching Wrath behind him. "Hmm, but how are we going to enter that place?" Burren pointed at Hollam after watching Wrath fly away. "If we enter, word will spread immediately...." He frowned, seemingly worried about their identities being exposed. "We'll have to disguise ourselves and move in groups. But before that...." Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked down the mountain. "There's someone we need to meet." "Someone we need to meet?" Rimmer tilted his head as if hearing this for the first time. "You wouldn't know since you didn't come to the meeting." Raon sighed as he looked at Rimmer. The other swordsmen also looked at Rimmer with exasperated eyes. "D-don't look at me like that! I really had a hard time too!" Rimmer shook his head, saying he had been seriously injured and sick for months. "Anyway, we need to wait until the person comes to us." Raon sat down, leaning against a tree. Chad had said someone would come to provide information when they arrived at this mountain, so now was the time to wait. As night fell and darkness deepened, with Hollam's center starting to shine more brilliantly, a presence was felt at the foot of the mountain. It was a familiar aura, not one felt for the first time. It was Denning Rose, disciple of the Black Market leader and Branch Manager. "Long time no see, Lord Raon." Denning Rose bowed her head as she took off her black hat. "How did the Branch Manager..." "Because you're my responsibility, Lord Raon." She gave an elegant smile, saying it was only natural for her to follow her guest. "It's everyone's first time in Hollam, right?" Denning Rose briefly smacked her lips as she looked down at Hollam. "Hollam is a land that doesn't refuse con artists, murderers, or even demons. It accepts anyone. But that doesn't mean there aren't any inspections. Because it's full of criminals, the scrutiny is stronger than anywhere else." She shook her head, saying they would immediately be exposed if they entered as they were. "So you'll need to disguise yourselves and act." As Denning Rose extended her hand, her guard pulled out old and shabby clothes. "I'll bring clothes to fit everyone by tomorrow, so please wear these and act like criminals or drifters." "I have clothes!" Dorian pulled out old, sand-covered clothes from his pouch. "W-what? Why are there so many!" Krein let out a surprised gasp as he watched Dorian pull out more clothes than there were members of the Light Wind division. "They're essential items." Dorian chuckled and scratched his head. -Kuu! Wrath exclaimed as he looked at Dorian. -It's been a while since I heard those words. How delightful! He grinned, saying it had been a while since the pouch had been put to use. "This should be enough." Denning Rose nodded, saying they were well-prepared. "However, even if we solve the issue of clothes and acting, there's still one more problem." She raised a finger. "Your martial prowess is too strong. Since there are even Grandmasters in Hollam, you'll be exposed the moment you enter. So..." Denning Rose took out two vials from her bosom. "The first vial contains a poison that reduces your aura to one-tenth of its current level, and the second vial is the antidote." She nodded confidently, saying that unless someone was a Transcendent Warrior, they wouldn't be able to detect it. "Ugh, I don't like poison or medicine..." Rimmer frowned, saying he had been taking medicine for over a month. "Understood." Raon nodded and held out the first vial to Krein. "Huh...?" Krein blinked blankly as he looked at the vial. "You should go first, Krein." "No, not this too! If you use my full name..." "Enough, just drink it." Raon pushed the vial towards him, telling him to stop talking nonsense and take it. "Ugh, why did I have to pick a fight back then..." Krein swallowed the poison in the first vial, regretting the time he first picked a fight with Raon during their trainee days. Smoke emanated from his body, and his aura was reduced to about one-tenth of its original strength. Krein's jaw trembled in shock at his reduced aura. 'Impressive.' The fact that the hidden aura could only be sensed after simultaneously using the Ring of Fire and the Perception of the Snow Flower showed that this poison was undetectable even at the Grandmaster level. "Now try drinking this one too." Raon handed over the antidote in the second vial. "Y-yes..." Krein sniffled as he swallowed the antidote. Exactly one minute later, his aura returned to its original level. "It's one minute. Remember that clearly." After making sure everyone in the Light Wind division was aware of the one-minute time frame, Raon handed out the poison and antidote. "Where do we need to infiltrate?" After confirming that all the swordsmen's auras had been reduced, Raon turned back to Denning Rose. "The arena." Raon clicked his tongue briefly. The Holy Sword Alliance and the Black Tower were the kind of bastards who treated human lives like insects, so it was clear they were conducting their transactions there to use the people in the arena as shields if problems arose. "And the biggest reason is..." Denning Rose pointed towards the arena. "Because the Greedy Demon is there." "The Greedy Demon?" "He's a former knight of Owen who's obsessed with money and fighting. He committed crimes and abandoned his knighthood solely for money." She wrinkled her nose, indicating he was an unpleasant character. "The Greedy Demon will probably mediate the transaction between the Black Tower and the Holy Sword Alliance." "He'll take a commission from that, I suppose." "That's right. The Greedy Demon is a monster obsessed with money. He doesn't care who the parties are or what's being traded as long as he gets paid." Denning Rose pointed to the largest and most imposing building in the center of Hollam. "It seems previous transactions were also conducted there." "Transactions in the arena?" Martha widened her eyes in disbelief. "Why in the arena..." Mark Goetun also blinked, seemingly not understanding. "Because it's in the center of Hollam, they can escape in any direction, and it's full of secret passages." Denning Rose curled her lips, saying it was perfect for conducting secret transactions. "Plus, it's crowded. If something goes wrong during the transaction, they can use the people as bait to escape." Denning Rose nodded, calling it the perfect location for a transaction. "I'm sure the transaction will take place there this time too." "Then we should select someone to participate in the arena fights." Raon smacked his lips as he looked at Denning Rose. "As expected, it's easy to converse with you, Lord Raon." Denning Rose nodded with admiration. "Hollam's arena is a place where people fight with pure physical strength, without aura, so it'll be easy to join in. Still, we might arouse suspicion, so it's better if only a few participate." She raised her fingers, saying it would be best if only two or three people entered. "I'll participate first, and for the other one..." "The more attention we can attract, the better. It'll help divert their attention when they're making the deal." As Raon looked around at the Light Wind division, Denning Rose rolled her eyes, suggesting it would be good to make the Sword Lord and others let their guard down. "Someone who can attract a lot of attention..." "Attention..." Raon and Denning Rose's gazes simultaneously fixed on one person. "Huh? Why are you looking at me?" * * * Hollam's arena sought the clash of flesh against flesh. It was a pure contest of strength without weapons or aura, so most participants were men who had lived harsh lives. Into this sanctuary of beasts entered a young woman with fluttering red hair. "Hah, the arena's getting filthy these days." "Forget that she's a woman, she's too small! She won't even be a mouthful!" "The bar's not here, you know? You've taken a wrong turn!" The contestants in the waiting room sneered and openly mocked the red-haired woman. Thud. The red-haired woman walked calmly towards the inner area, seemingly unbothered by the taunts and ridicule. "Hey." A middle-aged giant with deep scars covering his upper body blocked the red-haired woman's path. "This ain't a place for women. Get out and go make some side dishes or pour drinks." He grinned, baring his teeth as he thrust his bony fist towards the woman's face. The other contestants burst into laughter, seemingly enjoying the situation. "Side dish? You mean this?" The red-haired woman curled her lips and bit into the giant's fist. Crunch! Her teeth and jaw strength were so powerful that the protruding bones in the giant's fist were ripped right out. A horrifying amount of blood gushed from his hand. "Arghhhh!" The middle-aged giant rolled on the floor, screaming and clutching his fist with the bones torn out. Ptui. The red-haired woman spat out the bone she had been holding in her mouth and fixed her piercing yellow gaze downward. "Not moving? Want me to pluck out those eyes too?" The middle-aged giant trembled, lowering his eyes and backing away. "Vermin." The red-haired woman sneered at the now-quiet waiting room and took a seat in the innermost area. 'I told her to do it, but...' Raon, who had been watching from behind, trembled his lips. 'She's doing it too well?' -S-scary....