30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 156

The sword that had unleashed the plum blossoms crumbled like sand.

Its sword aura had completely dissipated.

Not that it mattered—after all, it had belonged to one of those western assassins.

‘Not bad.’

The Plum Blossom Sword Art had originally left him completely drained after use, but today, it felt as though he was a whole different person.

And what was the difference?

‘Being able to stay in the air makes a big one.’

It was subtle yet monumental progress.

Ihan no longer felt exhausted after performing the Plum Blossom Sword Art a few times.

...Or rather, he could now replenish his stamina and mental strength as quickly as he spent it.

The reason for this?

‘All that training is paying off.’

If Taechang were here, he’d go on about traits like [Diamond Body] and [Unyielding Will] helping with stamina and mental resilience, but Ihan only half-listened to such explanations.

This was reality, not a game.

His strength, stamina, and techniques were the results of effort—not game mechanics.

The same applied to the Plum Blossom Sword Art.

He had trained relentlessly, and today’s improvements were simply the result of that dedication.

Faster and sharper than before!

‘About twenty uses, maybe?’

Swish!

Ihan was confident he could perform the Plum Blossom Sword Art at least twenty times without strain.

He picked up another stolen blade and swung it.

It wasn’t a bad weapon, possessing a decent sword aura. Thanks to that—

Whoosh!

—the scattering blossoms were dazzling.

Slice! Slash! Rip!

“!!?”

“-·-!”

“-·-·-uh...-?!”

The assassins cried out, but their tongues had been cut—or maybe they had cut them themselves—leaving them unable to form proper words.

“Even for freaks, why would you cut out perfectly good tongues?”

Ihan clicked his tongue, but the assassins couldn’t answer.

The swirling petals had already pierced their flesh, cutting through hearts and vital organs.

Like scattering bullets.

The Plum Blossom Sword Art focused on penetration and slicing power.

Yet—

“You’re not completely hopeless, though.”

Crunch!

The assassins were adapting.

Though deadly, the Plum Blossom Sword Art wasn’t invincible—once their eyes and bodies adjusted, they began to counter it.

It was proof his technique still had flaws.

Even so—

“Well, I’ve thinned out the weaklings. Not bad.”

“-‥-!”

Over half of the fifty assassins had been cut down.

The remaining half, though injured and bleeding, weren’t fatally wounded.

They glared at Ihan with murderous intent.

Yet Ihan felt no danger whatsoever.

He never underestimated opponents, no matter how weak. So why—

“Why are assassins so damn slow?”

“!!”

Am I underestimating them?

Bang!

In an instant, Ihan shot forward and appeared behind them.

His mastery of Shadow Step had reached a new level.

After countless battles underground, his practice had finally paid off—he could now use Shadow Step as naturally as breathing.

Shing!

Hunting these assassins felt no harder than an owl catching mice.

“-‥-44-·-1!”

The apparent leader barked orders, recognizing the overwhelming gap between them.

The assassins immediately shifted tactics, and three of them lunged at Ihan.

Then—

Boom!

—they detonated themselves.

Using their bodies as bombs, they turned into human grenades.

It was a terrifying move, using their lives as weapons.

The explosion wasn’t just deadly—it was like a shrapnel bomb, sending bones and flesh flying like a claymore mine.

No knight, no matter how skilled, could escape unscathed.

That was common sense.

But—

“Ugh, this is disgusting...”

Brush. Brush.

“......”

“Why are assassins always so damn dirty? Tsk.”

—common sense didn’t apply to Ihan.

He stood without a single scratch.

His clothes were torn and stained, but that was it.

And through the torn fabric, his body was—

“...How is that even human?”

One of the assassins—the only one with an intact tongue—spoke for the first time.

It was a body of steel.

An incredible physique, as if carved from iron.

Could an ogre or troll achieve such a body through endless training?

...No. They had never seen anything like this.

Perhaps he had undergone illegal enhancements like them?

“...But no human modification looks that natural.”

Altered bodies always bore marks—becoming monstrous, like beasts.

Yet his flesh showed no signs of deformity.

Hearing this, Ihan scoffed.

“You think I’m like you?”

Illegal modifications? Please.

“I built this body by training for over 12 hours a day.”

Years of sweat and blood to master Shadow Step and Steel Body.

Whoosh!

Crunch!

—Shattering Strike.

Crunch!

The assassins all fell with a dull thud—headless bodies scattered like discarded puppets.

Starting with the Plum Blossom Sword Art, followed by Shadow Step and Iron Body, and ending with Shattering Strike—