The Assassin King Reincarnated in a Weak Student

Chapter 010

The attack came without a sound and was filled with malicious intent. 

Kieran’s eyes flickered. In a split second, his body had already reacted before his thoughts could fully catch up. He stepped to the side, just enough for the shard of the bottle to miss his neck by a hair’s breadth. Its sharp edge sliced through the air, only grazing his shoulder.

Without hesitation, Kieran caught the man’s wrist mid-swing. His grip was firm and left no room for the other party to resist.

The old man’s expression changed from anger to surprise, then to intense pain as Kieran tightened his grip. The shard in his hand trembled.

“You—” his voice faltered.

Kieran did not reply, but his eyes glinted coldly, sending a deeper chill through the old man than before.

With a sharp twist, the shard slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a clatter. At the same time, Kieran’s knee struck the man’s abdomen. A choked breath escaped his mouth.

Before the body could fall, Kieran had already forced him down, slamming him onto the ground in front of the house. One hand locked his arm behind his back, while the other pressed his head down.

This time, there was absolutely no resistance left.

“You still don’t understand,” Kieran said softly. His voice was calm, but it carried a pressure that made the air feel heavier.

“I already warned you.”

The man’s breathing was ragged. The smell of alcohol mixed with dust and sweat as his body trembled under the pressure.

“P-please…” he muttered weakly.

Kieran’s gaze did not change. For a moment, silence stretched. Then slowly, Kieran released his grip.

The man immediately collapsed weakly onto the ground, coughing badly. This time, he did not even dare to look up. His anger had completely disappeared, replaced by fear and a sense of shame.

Kieran stood there for a few more seconds, staring at him.

“Leave and never show up in front of me again or I won’t let you off easily next time.”

Then he turned around and went back into the house without saying anything, closing the door behind him.

His mother was still standing in the same place. Her eyes were wide, still fixed on the door, as if she had not fully processed what had just happened.

Kieran paused for a moment. For a brief second, he did not know what expression he should show. After all, his character was very different from the previous ‘Kieran’. However, he did not want to hide his true nature; he wanted his mother to accept him as soon as possible.

The coldness in his eyes slowly faded, and he appeared like an ordinary teenager.

“…It’s over,” he said. His voice was now calmer, without the previous sharpness.

His mother blinked, as if she had just come back to her senses.

“You…” she started, then stopped. Her gaze traced Kieran’s body and then his face. She stared for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.

“Are you okay?”

Kieran shook his head.

“I’m fine.”

His mother stepped closer, her hands still trembling slightly, as if she wanted to check him but hesitated.

“That just now… that…”

Kieran lowered his gaze slightly.

“It was just a reflex. He was going to hurt you.”

His mother stared at him for a long time. Slowly, her shoulders relaxed, though the confusion in her eyes had not completely disappeared.

“…You’ve changed,” she said softly.

Kieran did not answer. Because he knew his mother was right. For a moment, Kieran was unsure how to respond. He wanted to lie and pretend, but the gentle gaze of the woman reminded him of his mother who had passed away.

He was not sure whether this mother would still accept him if she knew that he was no longer her son, but an impostor occupying his body. Moreover, would this woman feel sad if she found out?

Kieran lowered his head and called out, “…Mom….”

However, his mother’s voice came first.

“This is good, child. I’ve always been worried about you. With this, you can protect yourself and me. This makes me relieved. It’s just…”

She held her son’s hand and added, “Don’t put yourself in danger. I don’t have anyone else besides you. Understand.”

The silence lasted for a few seconds. Kieran looked at his mother with a complicated gaze, but also relief. He answered ‘yes’ and promised to protect himself and his mother. After a few more words, he then said what he wanted to say the most.

“Mom, just divorce that old man.”

His mother fell silent. Her gaze returned to Kieran, not only surprised, but also as if assessing whether those words truly came from her son.

“…What?” her voice was soft, almost like a whisper.

“Divorce him,” Kieran repeated without hesitation. “There’s no reason to keep enduring.”

The room fell silent again. His mother did not answer immediately. She lowered her head slightly, her fingers clasping together, as if trying to organize her thoughts.

A moment later, she took a slow breath.

“…Alright. But… it’s not that easy.” She stopped speaking, as if she did not know how to continue. This was not about a long process, costs, and so on, but facing that old man was not easy.

“Let’s talk about it later…” his mother continued, her voice growing softer.

Kieran wanted to say more, but in the end, he nodded slightly.

He understood.

Their family was poor. His mother was just an ordinary woman without any power or connections. Her husband was a violent drunk. And her son, before this, had been weak, withdrawn, and incapable of doing anything.

There was no room for choice other than to endure and be suppressed.

Kieran did not say anything more. However, in his mind, his thoughts were already moving. If the usual path was too slow, even impossible, then he only needed to create another path.

His mother then told him to rest since he had just returned from the hospital, but Kieran reassured her that he was fine and helped clean up the mess in the house. Giving up, the woman turned to the kitchen, and the sound of cooking utensils began to be heard.

Some time later, the small house looked neater again, although its worn and cramped impression did not change. Lunch was served. The two of them ate together before his mother went to the room to change clothes.

“I have to go to work,” she said hurriedly, as if she had just remembered something. She glanced at the clock with slight panic.

She quickly took the bag hanging near the door. Before leaving, her steps paused for a moment as she turned to look at Kieran.

“…Take care of yourself,” she said softly.

Kieran nodded.

His mother looked at him for a moment longer, then finally opened the door and left with quick steps.

After the woman left, Kieran did not stay still for long. He entered his room, which was even narrower, though fortunately well-maintained and quite tidy. Without touching anything else in the room, he took out several medicines from his spatial storage, then put them into a small bag.

He then left the house to sell these medicines. Although selling medicine was not good for the long term, for now, it was quite reliable to generate a decent amount of money quickly.