I Became a Disaster-Class Newbie by Stealing Abilities - Chapter 4

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Wave 4. A New World (2)
With the Giant Scorpion King felled, only the small fry remained.
“Shrieeeek!”
“Screeeee!”
Splurt!
Crunch!
Slash and slash again.
The enormous Giant Scorpions were being massacred one-sidedly.
‘So this is what it feels like. Fighting without handicaps.’
Joo Sang smiled as he watched his right hand trembling faintly.
The freedom was incomparable to when he’d relied only on his left sword.
With his right side now in play, his attack patterns had become dozens of times more varied.
His center of gravity and balance had stabilized considerably.
‘Yes. I can grow further.’
As the things he’d only imagined in his mind became reality, the hunger to grow stronger erupted within him.
“I, I can’t believe it.”
“Is that even possible? Am I dreaming?”
“Who’s the monster here? Can a human really do that much?”
Exclamations burst from the Adventurers watching the battle.
Astonishment and exhilaration.
And beyond that, a feeling of awe.
Just the fact that someone worth ten thousand soldiers stood among them was enough to make their hearts swell.
“Say, you mentioned his name was Kang Ho Young, right? And you said he’d logged five hundred hours? Then how much must this fellow have under his belt?”
“At minimum, at least ten times more than me, I’d estimate. Judging by his movements, he might even have been a regular Knight. Not just a mercenary.”
“Surely not. Are you telling me he’s logged five thousand hours in this cursed game? And a Knight, no less—are you serious?”
A profession called the Flower of Martial Arts.
Those who had worked as Knights within The Emperor could be counted on one’s fingers across the entire world.
Most were only apprentice Knights, not even regular ones.
And even that had caused an uproar on the internet.
“Well, yes. I was just speaking off the cuff.”
Kang Ho Young shook his head, feeling foolish for his own remark.
* * *
[You have successfully cleared an ‘Out-of-Specification Difficulty’ for the first time!]
At last, the moment of reward had arrived.
Joo Sang forced his trembling heart to calm down.
Ding!
[You have deceived over 80% of all selected personnel.]
[You have successfully cleared a mission with a success probability below 0.01%.]
A Unique Ability obtainable only by meeting the harshest of conditions.
[You have acquired the Unique Ability ‘Plunder’!]
[Acquisition Difficulty: Transcendent Rank]
[Description: When you achieve specific conditions or quests issued by the system, you may plunder one of the following from your target: a Unique Ability, trait, stat, memory, or item.]
[However, the Plunder condition only activates if your target’s disposition leans toward evil, or if they pose a threat to you.]
Beyond SSS-Rank, perched in the realm of the Beyond Heaven—Transcendent Rank itself!
‘Finally!’
Joo Sang swallowed the roar threatening to burst from him.
He had succeeded in obtaining the most crucial puzzle piece for completing the long journey that lay before him.
Now he could steal the abilities and information of the strong, then use them whenever needed.
The corners of his mouth couldn’t stop twitching at that honeyed truth.
“Say, wouldn’t you need a sturdy tank? I was a wrestling selectee, so I’m confident in my physicality.”
“Ahem! And if you need money when you return, just say the word anytime. I’m something of a building owner in Gangnam myself—I’ve got prime real estate in Shinnonhyeon.”
Those trying to grow closer approached, attempting conversation.
“…….”
Joo Sang ignored every offer without so much as a response.
In a situation where he had to move with ruthless precision, he had no intention of carrying cumbersome baggage.
It was then.
Whoooosh!
Two magnificent doors appeared before them all.
They were striking, wrapped in crimson petals and golden petals.
“Right. That’s it. I forgot about these.”
“That’s where the luck-based nightmare of a game started.”
The crowd stirred.
Most of them had played through the early game, so they understood viscerally how crucial this choice was.
There were two options.
1. Possession Door.
2. Adventurer’s Door.
First, the Possession Door involved being randomly possessed into a resident within The Emperor.
Theoretically, possessing the Emperor himself would let you clear the game instantly, but that hardly counted.
The odds were essentially zero percent.
The probability of becoming a lower noble, a knight, or a semi-noble like a mage was nearly impossible.
Still, if luck smiled on you, you could be born with a silver spoon and grow comfortably.
Of course, if you were unlucky, you might end up as a Combat Slave or test subject.
‘The Adventurer’s route, on the other hand, lets you keep your current form.’
You’d face pointing fingers for being a foreigner and suspicious stares, but you could start on friendly terms with certain factions.
Beyond that, there were several other worthwhile benefits.
Each path had clear advantages and drawbacks.
So caution was essential.
“What do you think he’ll choose?”
“Possession, probably? The Adventurer discrimination is brutal.”
“True. Getting through that early hungry period is absolute hell.”
Everyone’s attention fixed on the main character.
“I’m going with Possession. Back in the game, I once inhabited the body of a cult priest. The difference in starting conditions was just incredible.”
“If we happen to meet in there, let’s work together. I’m Gerald, by the way. From Texas, United States.”
“Then I’ll be starting in North America. I’m Ichiro, from Japan.”
Each person made their choice.
Some forged alliances and deepened bonds; others prepared to move alone.
[Time Remaining: 0H:4M:24S]
‘Well then, let’s go.’
The Possession Door.
Or the Adventurer’s Door.
He’d already decided which one.
The main character took his first step into the new world.
* * *
[You have selected the ‘Adventurer’s Door’.]
[Warning: Do not disclose information or conversations about the game to those who belong to the world within The Emperor.]
[Revealing certain information will result in death.]
The black screen gradually brightened with the brief message.
Soon, a landscape both familiar and strange unfolded.
Streets lined with shantytowns.
A half-collapsed shopping mall.
A river turned dark and murky.
This was Hanam, in Gyeonggi Province.
“Rat Meat Sticks for sale! We also trade for Protein Bars or clean water!”
“Anyone here for blood donation? We buy by the liter. We’ll give top market price for organs and other goods too.”
This place always looked like a shadow city stripped of dreams and hope.
A slum swarming with vagrants and criminals.
His gaze stretched toward a distant point.
The World Tower, the symbol of Jamsil, came into view.
‘I should aim to reach that place within three months.’
The closer you got to the center of Seoul, the more it approached noble territory.
Conversely, the farther out into the suburbs, the closer to hell.
Of course, advancing to the upper regions required enormous wealth and a corresponding public merit score.
[Imperial Calendar, Year 2026, Month 9, Day 17]
[1:15 PM]
The central clock tower displayed the current time and year.
2026—called the most turbulent year of the Turbulent Era itself.
He’d come as a latecomer, which made him somewhat anxious.
But fortunately, the timing was perfect.
Soon, a cascade of unmanageable crises would erupt.
And the true story of The Emperor would begin.
Countless rewards and fortuitous encounters awaited as well—opportunities that would overflow.
‘First, I need to secure some money.’
To survive, the most essential thing was currency.
In the short term, food, shelter, and clothing; in the longer view, building and maintaining power and influence.
There was nowhere that didn’t require money.
That was when it happened.
A loud commotion erupted from the direction of the alley.
“Stealing food? You mock Imperial Law itself!”
A uniformed soldier growled.
“I was just so hungry. It’s been over a month since I arrived here, and I didn’t know what else to do….”
A gaunt man offered excuses.
A month ago—that meant he was from the thirty-first wave.
A newbie who’d chosen the Adventurer’s Door, it seemed.
“Did you come from Earth?”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
“All you adventurers are the same. We should just cut you down root and branch from the start.”
Contempt filled his gaze.
As if he were looking at a cockroach.
“You’ll pay your debt with one hand. Choose which one—left or right—and I’ll let you keep that much dignity.”
“Cut off my hand for a single loaf of bread? That’s insane!”
Screech!
The adventurer frantically drew his blade.
He swung it wildly in desperation.
Then something changed.
“It is not merely bread. What you’ve violated is the Imperial Principle itself—and by extension, the word of His Majesty the Emperor.”
A handsome man in an immaculate black suit stepped forward between the soldiers.
At 188 centimeters tall with blonde hair that suited him perfectly, he possessed striking features.
An overwhelming aura that would utterly eclipse any ordinary actor.
“B-Veniroph…Knight Veniroph.”
“There’s no need for you to involve yourself directly, sir. We can handle this ourselves.”
The soldiers snapped to attention, visibly frozen.
They had no choice.
The man called Veniroph was a Knight.
A pillar supporting the Empire itself, and simultaneously a superhuman who embodied ‘strength’ in its purest form.
He could kill a person on a whim without facing any sanction whatsoever.
“It’s fine. It’s unfortunate he’s not from the thirty-third wave, but since it’s come to this, I’ll handle it myself.”
Before the words even finished—
Slash!
A devastatingly clean blade stroke carved through the adventurer’s left arm.
Thump-thump.
Blood gushed forth.
“Aaahhhhh! My arm! My arm!”
A shriek wracked with agony echoed through the street.
Yes. This was everyday life here.
A world where human lives were treated like insects.
Whether one adapted to this reality or not would determine everything that came after.
“What shall we do with him?”
A soldier hauled the sobbing adventurer to his feet.
“Hmm. Assign him to the Combat Slaves. I hear we’re running short on personnel—they’re ground through so quickly these days.”
Sending a one-armed man to a battlefield with a weekly survival rate below ten percent was tantamount to ordering his death.
“No, please. I was wrong. Please, spare me. I beg you.”
“Take him away!”
The adventurer wept and pleaded, but the soldiers carried out the order without hesitation.
Just as the incident was concluding—
“Traces of dimensional transfer… and recent ones at that.”
Veniroph’s gaze suddenly fixed on empty air.
He traced the lingering mana slowly.
His eyes came to rest where Kang Ho Young stood.
A smile formed—far too cold.
“Are you an adventurer as well?”
…he asked.
“Could you have just been summoned?”
Suddenly, suspicion had flared up in an unexpected quarter.
[Plunder Condition: Allay Knight Veniroph’s suspicions.]
[Reward: You may randomly Plunder one item from among the target’s Unique Abilities, Traits, Stats, Memories, or Inventory.]
At the same moment, an irresistible proposition appeared.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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