N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 343
Gold... light?
Raon's irises, which had shimmered like rubies, were now tinged with a golden hue. He blinked and looked again. In that brief moment, the brilliant golden color disappeared, returning to its original red.
"Golden light?"
Raon tilted his head, looking at his hands.
A moment ago, your eyes gleamed with golden light.
'Gold?'
The eyes of his ancestors was not red like his, but a brilliant golden color. It was possible that he was affected by that blood because it was just an image in his mind.
'Well, that could be it. But...'
Raon glanced at Wrath and clicked his tongue.
"Even though you're a king, you talk so vulgarly about eyes."
Ahem, your eyeballs were shining with a golden color.
"Eyeballs or eyeballs... it's all the same."
Even when he was greedy for food, Wrath didn't look like a demon lord when he used such vulgar language. His words were sophisticated, but his cheap mannerisms were evident.
Spare me the royal tone!
Wrath waved his hand, dismissing it as nonsense.
"You, the glutton who eats everything alone. Did you get what you wanted?"
No, I didn't get much.
Raon sighed briefly, lowering his head.
"Oh!"
Wrath' crumpled face spread wide like crisp paper. He seemed delighted that he hadn't obtained everything.
Look at that! You're always tormenting me by eating Nadine's bread, and you expect things to go well? It's not too late now! If you pay homage to the demon king, he might give you a spell to ease your life...
"I haven't finished speaking yet."
Huh...?
"You didn't get much, that's true. But I figured out where to get the rest."
Raon smiled faintly while caressing the sword scars of the master-level swordsmanship, Exquisite Flawlessness, left by his ancestor.
'This wasn't the end.'
His ancestor's swordsmanship wasn't fully revealed here. Due to the enemy's sword strike, it was interrupted in the middle, leaving these thick traces.
'So, it helped.'
The ancestor's swordsmanship was so high that if he had seen it perfectly performed, he might not have gained anything at all. He was able to improve his martial arts level by seeing the interrupted swordsmanship.
The time he spent in a state of trance was too short to make a significant improvement in his level, but his swordsmanship, Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, and the ring of fire all improved to the point of reaching the end of Master Intermediate..
'If only I had a little more opportunity…'
He could break through the wall and reach Master Advanced level.
And he knew where the key to breaking that barrier was.
A key, you say?
"Yes. I know where the full Exquisite Flawlessness is engraved. No, it's not just that..."
Raon pushed the flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, into the gap left by his ancestor's sword scar. The heat emanating from the crack spread throughout the dungeon, connecting with the other sword scars.
"Now I can even know the geography of this dungeon and the positions of the beings inside."
This dungeon was created by Raon's ancestor and his adversary. In other words, from beginning to end, the sword scars of those two were engraved here. So, by using the flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the Ring of Fire, he could know where to go and who was where in the dungeon.
"In simple terms, it feels like I've become a magical map myself."
Huh!
Wrath was utterly baffled, his mouth hanging open. His windpipe was visible.
How could something so insane...
"Thanks to my well-preserved ancestor."
Thank you, Ancestor!
Raon bowed his head to the sword scar and expressed his gratitude to his generous forebear. Then, through the Ring of Fire, he accepted the information being transmitted.
"At the very bottom, there are two strong energies."
They weren't human energies. One was a monster that had reached the supernatural level, and the other felt like an artifact guarded by that monster.
"Right above that is the complete Exquisite Flawlessness sword scar."
Right above where the energies of the monster and the artifact could be sensed, he felt the presence of the completed Exquisite Flawlessness sword scar. In the end, he needed to go there to obtain the treasure and elevate his Martial Enlightenment.
"And..."
From the location of the artifact upwards, he sensed the energies of Martio, Cosini, and the shadows he had felt at the beach, but their numbers were fewer.
"Fewer than what I saw at the beach."
Seeing fewer shadows than at the beach, it seemed like they had stationed assassins sporadically, like sentinels.
"This method is preferable."
After all, he had to deal with all of them. Splitting them up like this would work in his favor.
This... this is unbelievable! Call your ancestor. I'll kick his side for you!
Wrath seemed to be unhappy with how smoothly things were going, to the point of grinding his teeth.
"Do you want me to finish quickly so you can enjoy some delicious food too? Want some Nadine's bread?"
He took out Nadine's bread and shook it in front of Wrath.
Hiiiik….
Wrath shook his eyes like a child who saw a stick and lowered his shoulders.
Oh, okay, I get it.
Seemingly realizing what he should do now, Wrath stepped aside and straightened his waist, or whatever that was.
"Well, what can I do to help you?"
Wrath' voice brightened considerably.
"Just stay quiet."
He chuckled and opened his pocket dimension pouch. He took out Dorian's disguise tools, changed the color of his eyes and hair to black, painted his skin pale, and added fake scars under his eyes.
Ching.
He created a round ice mirror with cold air and examined his face. It was nothing like Raon Zieghart his appearance now resembled an assassin named Raon, who had lived as Derus' shadow in his past life.
"It's perfect."
It had been about twenty years.
Right now, his face looked like that of an assassin Raon, who had been kidnapped, brainwashed, and educated by Martio.
Martio is one of the main perpetrators involved in everything from kidnapping, brainwashing, and education of himself.
'I can't just let him die easily.'
Martio had stabbed him countless times with his knife, and he had been torn apart by his released beasts, going without food for a month and surviving on dirt-covered grass.
'He won't get away easily.'
He intended to make Martio regret every moment of his life, not just by inflicting physical pain but also by causing mental trauma.
Raon smiled eerily and wore the Heavenly Drive sword and the Blade of Requiem around his waist.
Gooooo!
Through the gap in the wall, he located the positions of the shadows closest to him.
"About a twenty-minute walk."
If he took a shortcut, he could probably get there in less than five minutes.
He decided on his direction and ran through the passage created by his ancestor.
"It's easy."
Thanks to the sensory feedback from the Ring of Fire, he moved without hesitation, arriving at the location where the shadows were on guard without getting lost.
"Chiiing!"
He used the flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to open the wall behind where the shadows were standing.
"What...."
"Ugh…."
The shadows tried to retreat in that brief moment, but the Blade of Requiem was faster.
Swoosh!
A silver gleam cut through the shadows' throats.
"Guh..."
"Ah..."
The shadows let out short gasps and clutched their throats before tilting backward.
Thud.
Raon grabbed the bodies of the two shadows that were affected by Cosini's warding magic and hung them against the wall.
Tsk tsk.
Wrath clicked his tongue and tapped his chin disapprovingly.
Stupid guy. You have been found out.
He pointed at the corpses.
In my royal opinion, you lack talent in assassination. You should just swing your sword openly.
"Pfft!"
Raon burst into genuine laughter in response to Wrath' comment.
"Oh, really?"
"Sorry, but I deliberately let them make noise."
You deliberately let them make noise?
Raon grinned and brushed off the blood on the Blade of Requiem. After living as an assassin for several years, he wouldn't make such a mistake. Making the noise was just a signal to inform everyone that a skilled assassin had cut through the shadows before they could react.
Why?
"To let them know I'm here."
Deliberately making a whimper and erasing any trace of his presence was just a signal to let them know that a shadow had been cut through by an assassin.
...I really can't understand how your head works."
Wrath shook his head in bewilderment.
"True assassination isn't just about killing. It's about achieving the desired outcome."
Raon looked down at the ground where he felt Martio's presence.
"Keep watching."
From now on, he would show them what real assassination was.
* * *
Martio looked up quietly. His pupils sank as cold as ice.
"Don't react; just listen."
"What's going on now?"
Cosini turned around and frowned.
"I'm already tired. Why is this so bothersome...?"
"We have an intruder."
"An intruder?"
She looked up and narrowed her eyes.
"My warding magic didn't catch anything, did it? I told you before, it's absurd for anyone to intrude here."
"The presence of the shadows I placed at position 4 has disappeared. I heard faint moans."
Martio lowered his chin heavily, looking at Cosini.
"Without my orders, those guys won't leave that place even if their limbs are severed. It means they've encountered an intruder."
Despite Cosini's confidence that there were no enemies, Martio had been focusing on the upper area, and with the faint groans, he felt two shadows collapsing.
Now it was certain. Someone other than them had entered this dungeon.
"And they're powerful."
"They must have come from behind, but the shadows couldn't even react, let alone trigger the alarm spells. It's not your typical intruder. Had I not focused, I wouldn't have sensed it either."
"Are you sure?"
"I am."
"Hmm, in that area, you're better than me."
Cosini chewed on her lip and nodded. When it came to detecting human presence and sound, Martio was several steps ahead. His certainty meant that someone else was definitely present.
"So what should we do? Stop and wait?"
"No."
Martio pointed to the ground.
"You continue pretending you don't know anything. Keep up the speed but reduce the noise."
"Got it."
Cosini nodded and flicked her fingers. The ground continued to be dug and churned at the same speed, but the sounds emanating from it were reduced to less than half.
"Hmm..."
Cosini followed Martio down below, her eyebrows furrowing.
"Two more were taken down. The sounds are even quieter than before. This intruder is a highly skilled assassin."
"Considering that even my warding magic didn't catch anything, it's certain."
Martio glanced back, twisting his lips.
"So, are we just going to continue like this? The damage could get worse."
"Those things don't matter; they're expendable. It's better to lure them in."
"Lure them in?"
"The intruder probably knows our numbers. If we continue descending two by two as bait, they'll likely follow."
Martio gave a grim nod.
"They'll attack us when we're close. The moment they underestimates us, thinking we're just humans."
"Hmm..."
"We'll keep pretending to dig until that moment, then strike back."
"Shouldn't we chase and deal with them now?"
"They're far away. If they escape, it'll be difficult to catch them. This is someone we absolutely cannot afford to miss."
Martio clenched his fist audibly.
"I have to capture this one."
The one who tried to ruin Derus' plan. Whoever they were, Martio had to find out everything about them, including their identity, accomplices, and affiliations, even if it meant torturing the information out of them.
"Two more are gone."
Their speed of movement was fast. They were bold yet composed. But the bolder they were, the easier they were to kill. The one behind them was likely at that level.
Martio visualized the upcoming situation in his mind, his gaze turning cold.
"Come as you please."
This one was definitely coming for him.
* * *
They must be expecting me to come.
Raon gradually closed the distance, feeling the aura of Martio and Cosini getting closer, and he grinned coldly.
"Exactly as predicted."
Martio thought he was following behind, so he acted as if he were going forward while intentionally leaving behind a tail to tempt him to follow. It was clear that they didn't just want to kill him; they wanted to capture him for information.
'It's a good plan.'
If only he wasn't the one after him
He knew everything about Martio: what kind of person he was, what he was thinking, and how he would move. He also knew the layout of the dungeon.
Martio might think he had the advantage, but this was a fight that he was bound to lose.
Raon smiled faintly and gently opened his fingers.
'Now all I have to do is...'
Kill his presence.
He had to kill his presence even more than when he had spent four days behind the shadows.
"Goooooo..."
Raon resonated all of his rings of fire. Instead of raising his presence as usual, he suppressed it to the extreme, concealing himself.
Like a small pebble on the floor, like a drop of water falling from the ceiling. He transformed himself into a piece of mana that dwelled in this dungeon.
"Wuuwuung!"
He could feel the vibrations of Cosini digging the ground. Her mana felt like it was touching his shoulder.
Raon bit his lip.
'Not yet.'
He was clearly close, but even a wounded Martio could dodge it now. He had to wait a little longer.
'Huuuuu.'
He even calmed his emotions beyond his physical body. He erased all of his resentment, anger, and determination from his previous life. He painted his body and mind white like a newborn child.
Wuuwuung!
The vibrations caused by the footsteps of Martio and the shadows, passing through Cosini's magic, tickled his feet. He could see the movements of Martio and the shadows in his head through the flow. All of their senses were directed backwards and upwards.
'Now!'
Raon bit his back teeth and kicked the ground. He came out not from the front or back, but from the left wall. The Supreme Harmony steps, which had grown even more, pushed against the wall and reached Martio's back in an instant.
Ziiiiiiiiiiing!
In a moment when not even the shadows, Cosini, or Martio could react, Raon's sword emitted a chilling light.
