The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 678

Gluttony smiled brightly, clearly pleased by the pile of gold coins in her arms.

“Those aren’t for eating,” Raon said, waving his hand at Gluttony as the message windows faded behind him.

“I know.” Gluttony nodded and hugged the pile of gold like a cherished treasure.

“And if possible, try not to kill or eat humans,” Raon added, placing the money for the ice cream and the metal containers on the counter.

“Why?” Gluttony tilted her head.

“If humans die, no one will be able to make ice cream anymore.”

“Oh!” Gluttony nodded as if she fully understood.

In reality, Raon was more concerned about the potential chaos Gluttony could cause if she started any trouble. But it seemed his reasoning had worked.

– Aaarrgh!

Wrath groaned, clutching his temples in frustration.

– That simple-minded glutton! How can she be fooled by something so trivial?

He shook his head, unable to comprehend it.

“……” Raon bit back the urge to say, “Aren’t you the biggest fool of all?”

“I’m leaving,” Gluttony finally said, standing up only after finishing off every last metal container in the ice cream store.

“Where to?”

“There’s a place far away, but I can smell ice cream there.” She pointed east.

‘Huh…’ Raon turned his head in the direction Gluttony had indicated, exhaling slowly.

‘Isn’t that where the Kingdom of Phanick is?’

Though there were many villages surrounding the Kingdom of Supere, the only city far enough to have an ice cream shop was Phanick. For Gluttony to detect the scent of ice cream all the way from here… it was a sense of smell even a dog would envy. Fitting for the Lord of Gluttony.

“Gluttony.” Raon placed his hand on her head. It felt like touching soft cotton. He figured he must be the first human ever to place a hand on a demon king’s head.

“Hmm?”

She didn’t seem to mind him touching her head and slowly lifted her eyes.

“When you run out of gold, come find me. But only when you’ve hidden your demonic energy and there’s no one around.”

“Okay.” Gluttony nodded in understanding.

– Y-You can’t be serious…

Wrath’s eyes widened as he stared at Gluttony.

– Are you really planning on using Gluttony too?

‘I’ve received her favor, haven’t I? It wouldn’t be right to do nothing.’

Raon smiled as he glanced at the message indicating Gluttony’s favor.

Currently, Gluttony thought he was Wrath. Since he might need her power someday, it wouldn’t hurt to build a closer relationship.

– But that’s all because of me!

Wrath grabbed Raon’s collar and shook him violently.

– It’s because *I* fed her ice cream, yet why are *you* benefiting!?

‘Who told you to feed her?’

Raon grinned, looking at Wrath’s flushed face.

– I’m going to go insane! I can’t take this anymore!

Wrath screamed, swearing never to forgive him.

– Gluttony, you fool! You’re being deceived! He’s no different from an angel of the heavens! You must not trust him!

‘I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or an insult…’

Raon let out a dry laugh, shaking his head.

“See you later.” Gluttony waved lightly before disappearing into a white shadow.

“Sigh…”

Raon lowered the hand that had been resting on her head and furrowed his brows slightly.

“I still had questions for her.”

– What!? What else do you need to extract!?

‘I wanted to understand the concept of gluttony better.’

– That fool knows nothing except how to eat! Everyone’s gluttony manifests differently!

Wrath snorted, saying Raon should have already learned that from previous experiences.

‘You’re right.’

Raon nodded in agreement. Given how Envy had turned into admiration, it was likely Gluttony’s manifestation of gluttony would differ from his own.

“Now, let’s check the messages…”

Raon was about to review the message windows when his hands trembled. His legs gave out, and his knees hit the ground.

‘My head…’

Now that Gluttony had left, the tension he’d been holding onto loosened, and his entire body felt as heavy as a waterlogged sponge.

– Don’t fight it. Just sleep.

Wrath’s face, though scowling, appeared in front of Raon.

– You’ve reached your limit.

His words were gruff but warm, and hearing them made Raon’s eyes close naturally.

* * *

“Ugh…”

As soon as Rimmer opened his eyes, he bolted upright.

‘What the hell happened?’

He’d been standing in front of the demon spewing enormous demonic energy to protect Raon and the Light Wind Division. Then, all of a sudden, he had lost consciousness.

“Why did I pass out?”

It didn’t make sense. He’d opened his upper dantian to its fullest, prepared to die, so passing out didn’t add up.

Besides, there was no sign that he’d been struck by the demon, making the current situation even harder to understand.

“Raon…” Saintess Olga spoke weakly, barely able to lift her head.

“That kid knocked you out.”

“Raon did?” Rimmer blinked in disbelief.

“Yeah. I lost consciousness after that too, so I didn’t see what happened next…”

She exhaled a breath that smelled faintly of blood, managing to lift her upper body.

“Damn!” Rimmer bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as he looked around.

Behind him, the members of the Light Wind Division, the holy knights, the priests, and the citizens of the kingdom were all alive and breathing. But Raon was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is that kid!?”

He forced himself to stand on his wobbly legs. Then he saw it—the horrifying scene of an entire part of the kingdom wiped clean, as if erased by a monstrous force.

“What the hell is this…”

Rimmer knew immediately. This was the result of a single, powerful force. The fact that someone other than Glenn was capable of such a feat was shocking.

With dry lips, he started walking toward the erased section of the land.

‘Raon… Please…’

This was the place where Raon and he had stood. Given the magnitude of the demonic energy unleashed here, even Raon wouldn’t have been able to survive.

“Damn it!”

Rimmer cursed loudly and started digging through the ground with his bare hands.

“Ugh…”

“What… What happened?”

“Where are we…?”

The members of the Light Wind Division began to stir, waking up one by one, alarmed by Rimmer’s overwhelming aura and his frantic shouting.

“What the hell…?”

“…Damn. What on earth happened here?”

“Raon?”

Burren, Martha, and Runaan stared at the area erased by *Snowflower*, their mouths agape.

“Right now…”

Rimmer turned around. His green eyes flashed with a chilling light.

“Find Raon! Search the entire kingdom if you have to, but find him!”

“Raon…”

“That’s right. He’s the only one missing!”

Burren and Martha’s faces turned pale.

“……”

Without a word, Runaan was the first to take off running. For once, her usually blank expression showed urgency in her eyes.

“We’re going too!”

“You damn human!”

Dorian, Krein, and the rest of the Light Wind Division quickly nodded and got to their feet.

“Wait! Split up! First team, head west. Second team, go north. Third team, go south!”

Burren furrowed his brow, giving orders to the division members.

“I’ll search the entire area.”

Mark Gorton sighed heavily before moving in the opposite direction of Runaan.

“We’ll help too.” Hopen raised his hand, steadying himself, as he addressed the paladins.

“Split into groups and search for the Light Wind Captain!”

“You do the same! Overturn every building if you have to, but find that kid!”

Olga, agreeing with Hopen, dispatched the priests.

Both the holy knights and the priests, aware that they owed their lives to Raon, ran out into the kingdom despite their injuries.

“Please… Be alive…”

Even though everyone had already left, Rimmer continued digging in the same spot.

If Raon was alive, it was more likely he’d be buried here rather than elsewhere.

As his hands grew raw from digging into the ground, he heard a sharp whistle from the direction of the capital’s bustling district. It was the signal of the second Light Wind team.

Without even bothering to dust off his dirt-covered hands and clothes, Rimmer sprinted toward the signal. Though it wasn’t far, the urgency in his heart made every step feel agonizingly slow.

He activated his *Wind Style* to speed up, arriving at the source of the signal in record time. It was the ice cream store with the broken sign.

The entire second team was already inside.

‘Is he in there?’

Unable to believe it, Rimmer let out a breath and entered the shop. There, he saw Burren, Martha, and Runaan huddled around someone.

In the center of the group, Raon lay peacefully, his eyes closed, breathing steadily.

“His injuries from the demonic energy are severe, but he’s not in any danger.”

Saintess Olga lowered Raon’s wrist after checking his pulse and nodded.

“You don’t need to worry.”

She seemed the most relieved, her lips curling into a faint smile.

“Whew…”

“Waiting for the results of that checkup was torture. I’d rather fight Omaga’s men again.”

Burren and Martha both sighed in relief, their tension draining away.

“Ugh…”

It was only then that Runaan finally looked up at Raon, her gaze softening as she blinked away the tears gathering in her eyes.

“Thank goodness…”

“My hands are still shaking.”

“Yeah, I could barely breathe.”

The other Light Wind swordsmen collapsed onto the floor, exhausted but smiling.

“But what the hell is this idiot doing here?” Burren asked, his face twisted in confusion.

“Looks like he ate all the ice cream…”

“Did some ice cream-obsessed ghost possess him or something?”

Burren and Martha frowned, trying to make sense of the situation.

“Not just the ice cream, but it looks like he ate some metal too…”

Dorian’s voice trembled as he held up a piece of chewed-up metal.

“Come on, no way!”

Krein laughed, thinking it was absurd.

“No, really. There are several dented pieces of metal here.”

Dorian held up another piece, and the Light Wind Division members chuckled softly.

Now that they knew Raon was safe, their tired faces finally broke into smiles.

“……”

Rimmer, watching the swordsmen gathered around Raon, realized something important. Raon Zieghart meant much more to him and the Light Wind Division than he had initially thought.

‘Soon, no one will be able to call him a “little king”.’

Rimmer chuckled softly, patting Raon’s head.

‘We’ll have to start calling him a true king.’

* * *

Raon slowly opened his eyes. The ceiling above him was spotless, as clean as a hospital room.

“Ugh…”

His head and chest throbbed as if they’d been stabbed by a burning blade.

‘I’m in pain, but at least I survived.’

He had passed out at the ice cream shop and had been worried about what might happen, but it seemed he had been rescued in time.

‘This is kind of embarrassing, though.’

The thought of the Light Wind Division frantically searching for him, only to find him passed out in an ice cream shop, made his face flush with embarrassment.

The shame hurt more than his physical injuries.

– You’re very self-aware.

Wrath floated in front of him, nodding in agreement.

– Everyone called you insane!

He chuckled gleefully.

‘This is all your fault!’

– You’re always dragging my name through the mud, so why can’t I do the same to you?

‘Ugh…’

Raon had no response to that.

– Seeing you shut your mouth is quite refreshing. Moving forward…

Wrath stuck out his tongue, ready to tease him further, when—

[The trait <Gluttony> is blooming.]

The white flower bracelet Gluttony had given him began to glow brightly, and a message popped up, announcing the awakening of *Gluttony*.

– Uh…

Wrath froze mid-taunt, his tongue still hanging out.

‘You know, I think your true enemy is the system, not Greed.’

– Shut up!

Wrath snapped his mouth shut, refusing to admit it.

‘Well then, let’s see what it does.’

Raon pulled up the details of *Gluttony*.

<Gluttony>
When you fill your stomach with food you deem delicious, all your stats, soul level, and natural recovery rate increase. The efficiency of any elixir consumed will also be greatly amplified.

Raon’s eyes widened as he finished reading.

‘I had a feeling…’

But this was even more absurd than he’d imagined.

To think that his stats and soul level would increase every time he ate delicious food—*Gluttony* was an utterly broken trait. Raon couldn’t help but laugh.

‘And on top of that…’

There was even an amplification effect on elixirs.

Since elixirs were also something consumed, *Gluttony* amplified their effects. Honestly, this was a trait that shouldn’t exist in this world.

‘I’ll have to be even nicer to Gluttony next time we meet.’

As Raon made a mental note to give Gluttony even more gold coins the next time they met, he noticed Wrath’s unusually calm expression.

‘You seem… uncharacteristically calm?’

– Kghhh…

Wrath’s brow furrowed slightly.

– I… I expected this much.

‘Did you now?’

Since Wrath had watched him receive *Gluttony* firsthand, it made sense that he would have predicted this outcome.

‘Alright, let’s keep going then.’

– Keep going with what?

‘I haven’t checked the other messages yet.’

Raon grinned as he pulled up the messages from earlier.

[You have received the favor of <Gluttony>.]
[You have earned the acknowledgment of <Wrath>.]
[You have repelled <Greed>.]
[You have accomplished an impossible feat.]
[All stats increased by 30 points.]

Even for an impossible feat, gaining 30 stat points at Raon’s current level was an extraordinary reward.

– T-Thirty?

Wrath’s eyes bulged in disbelief.

– This… This is ridiculous…

‘You predicted this too, right?’

– O-Of course!

Wrath, who had been on the verge of cursing, awkwardly nodded. He was clearly trying to maintain his dignity after his encounter with Greed.

‘Let’s keep going then.’

Raon chuckled and pulled up the next set of messages.

[Your trait <Water Attribute Resistance> has leveled up.]
[Your trait <Sense of Snow> has leveled up.]
[Your trait <Unyielding Will> has leveled up.]
[Your trait <Divine Growth in Darkness> has leveled up.]
[Your trait <Affinity with Water Attribute> has leveled up.]
[Your trait <Armor of Snow> has leveled up.]

This time, the messages announced that several of his traits had leveled up.

There were more than usual, but they all made sense given the recent battle.

‘Six traits… You saw this coming too, right?’

– O-Of course!

Wrath’s eyes darted nervously, his voice trembling.

– With my foresight, this much is…

Contrary to his words, Wrath’s face trembled like cotton candy in the wind.

[You have gained the experience of controlling <Wrath’s> body directly.]
[All stats increased by 15 points.]
[Your soul level has greatly increased.]
[Your trait <Focus> has leveled up.]

This must have been a reward for experiencing the sensation of controlling Wrath’s body during the *Demon King Descent*.

‘Wrath, this one…’

– Enough, you bastards!

Unable to contain himself any longer, Wrath exploded into a pink puff of cotton candy.

– Cough! They just keep pushing it! I’m going to destroy the system when I get back! You hear me!?

Wrath raged, coughing and sputtering, but the system, having done its job, ignored him completely and vanished.

– Ugh! I’ll crush them when I return!

‘Looks like I gained a lot.’

Raon reviewed the increases to his stats, traits, and soul level. Of course, the highlight was still *Gluttony*.

– Kghhh…

Wrath sat slumped over, wiping his nose.

– After all that, even Greed looked down on me… Things are only going to get worse from here.

He shook his head, muttering that this was too much to bear.

‘Wrath.’

Raon watched Wrath sitting there dejectedly before bowing his head slightly.

– What?

‘Thank you.’

– Huh?

Wrath blinked, confused by the sudden expression of gratitude.

‘I didn’t expect you to take on the burden of the *Demon King Descent*.’

Even though Raon had used the *Demon King Descent*, his upper dantian and body hadn’t been as severely damaged as before.

With the rewards he had received, he would be able to recover in time for the battle to the death.

Despite becoming stronger, the damage to his upper dantian had been reduced, which meant Wrath had taken on part of the burden.

– Don’t say something so pathetic.

Wrath scowled, his eyes narrowing.

– I always keep my word, no matter what… Cough!

In the middle of his sentence, Wrath started coughing again.

‘When I’m better, I’ll eat whatever food you want.’

Raon smiled faintly, watching Wrath cough and sputter.

– What’s there to recover from!? Just eat it all now! You’ve got *Gluttony*, don’t you!?

‘Oh, that’s true.’

Raon nodded in agreement. With *Gluttony*’s recovery ability, eating food might actually speed up his recovery.

‘It’s like being a zombie…’

The thought that he could eat and sleep to automatically recover his aura, stamina, and mental strength made him realize just how much he had transcended normal human limits.

As Raon chuckled to himself, the door to the room opened, and Saintess Olga walked in.

“Hmm?”

“Oh?”

She stopped in her tracks when she saw Raon awake, then called out to the others outside.

“Hey, your captain’s awake.”

Before Olga had even finished speaking, a loud crashing sound came from the hallway as the entire Light Wind Division rushed into the room.

“Raon.”

“You idiot! Are you okay?”

“What the hell did you do out there!?”

Runaan, Martha, and Burren were the first to reach his bedside.

“Captain!”

“Young Master! We were so worried!”

Dorian and Yua sniffled as they trembled with emotion. The other Light Wind swordsmen’s eyes also shone with concern.

“Raon.”

Just as Raon was reassuring them all that he was fine, Rimmer entered the room last, tilting his head.

“What happened after we passed out? Where did that monster go?”

Raon looked up at Rimmer and nodded.

“They fought with other demons before disappearing.”

“The other demon?”

“Yes. The two demons were fighting like mad, but they fled when the dragons appeared. It seems they were enemies.”

Raon kept his explanation brief, as he had already prepared the answer.

“Demons fight amongst themselves?”

“Humans fight amongst themselves, so it makes sense.”

“Guess we were lucky then.”

The Light Wind members smiled in relief, but Rimmer stroked his chin, still looking unconvinced.

“……”

Saintess Olga stood silently for a moment, deep in thought, before waving her hand.

“How’s your body? Can you move?”

“There’s some pain, but I can move just fine.”

Raon rotated his shoulders slowly and nodded.

“Then get ready. We need to go somewhere.”

With that, Olga left the room.

“Where are we going?” Raon asked, blinking up at Rimmer.

“Who knows.” Despite his vague response, Rimmer smiled knowingly.

* * *

Raon, dressed in the white robes Olga had provided, followed the holy knights as they led him to the palace.

Since the palace had been behind Wrath during the battle, its outer walls had been destroyed, but the interior remained relatively intact.

‘That’s fortunate.’

Had the palace been destroyed, the entire kingdom might have come to a standstill for a while. Thankfully, the damage had been minimal.

– Cough! All thanks to me.

Wrath cleared his throat and nodded.

– I made sure to fight outside the city, so no humans would get hurt.

‘You did well.’

Raon smiled faintly and patted Wrath on the head.

As his hand moved, a sharp pain shot through his chest. It seemed he’d need to rest after this ordeal.

– Instead of patting my head, how about you bring me some food? Now!

‘Sure… Wait, huh?’

Raon had been about to respond when he noticed something odd.

Instead of heading into the palace itself, the holy knight was leading him toward the royal gardens.

‘Why are we going here?’

Confused, Raon furrowed his brows as he followed the knight into the vast garden. There, he saw a large gathering of people lined up in rows.

Saintess Olga, Paladin Kineer, the high priests, the holy knight commander, and many other priests and knights stood solemnly, their hands clasped together.

The garden was decorated with layers of white cloth draped over pillars and trees, and everyone was dressed in ceremonial attire, as if they were preparing for an important event.

In the center of the gathering stood Hopen, draped in a flowing robe of white and gold, the colors of the Supere Kingdom.

“You’ve arrived.”

Hopen smiled warmly, his eyes brimming with emotion as if he were on the verge of tears.

“What’s going on here?”

“I wanted to greet you first.”

“Greet me?”

Raon tilted his head in confusion, but Hopen knelt on one knee, his voice filled with sincerity.

“To the savior of the Supere Kingdom.”

In response to Hopen’s words, everyone gathered in the garden knelt down as well.

“To the savior of the Supere Kingdom!”

The heartfelt gratitude of the people, not enhanced by any divine power, made the pain in Raon’s chest melt away.

“We have a favor to ask of our savior.” Hopen looked up at Raon, a gentle smile on his face.

“A favor?”

Following Raon’s question, Hopen’s gaze shifted to the right. There, a platinum crown glittered in the sunlight, as if it had been forged from pure light.

“Would you do me the honor of placing the crown on my head during the coronation ceremony today?”