I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 101

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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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Chapter 101. Power Up!

Krash returned to Cheong Song Manor after stopping by Valheim, and for the first time in what felt like ages, he felt the warmth of coming home.

The fact that he felt this way despite so little time having passed meant the Agaress incident had been far more substantial than he’d realized.

“Welcome home, sir. You must be exhausted.”

As Krash arrived, Alliod, the manor’s steward, bowed to greet him.

Since Lilish had covered up the Agaress affair, Alliod had likely spent these past days in considerable worry upon hearing that Krash had gone to the Holy Kingdom due to injuries.

So when Krash returned unharmed, the steward finally let out a breath of relief.

“By the way, sir, a letter arrived from the royal family.”
“I can guess what it’s about.”

Krash read the contents of the letter Alliod handed him.

The sender was none other than First Prince Hilnaider Staron.

The letter’s message was straightforward.

[You remember our deal, don’t you?]

It was telling him to exercise some restraint, as controlling information had its limits.

Knowing how bewildered Hilnaider must have been when he heard the news, Krash let out a wry laugh.

This incident had spiraled out of control precisely because Krash himself had tried to keep his identity hidden.

He had nothing to say in his own defense.

‘Still, for the time being, there’s no reason to leave Cheong Song Manor. It should be fine.’

Krash burned the letter away with Black Flame.

“Alliod, we’ll be having a guest soon.”
“Yes, sir. Shall I prepare a room?”
“Yes, if possible, make it cool. She’s even more sensitive to heat than Bianca.”

It was about Bianca’s mentor, who would be arriving at Cheong Song Manor before long.

-There’s one more.

Just then, Crimson Garden, who had refrained from appearing in crow form during his time in the Holy Kingdom, settled onto Krash’s shoulder.

-The one who’ll help with your training.

So she’d prepared that as well.

Crimson Garden was nothing if not thorough in her preparations.

“Besides the person I just mentioned, it looks like one more guest will be coming. Alliod, could you prepare one more room?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll have that ready as well.”

True to his reputation as a first-rate steward, Alliod began making preparations without delay.

With his preparations complete, Krash made his way directly to the training grounds.

Bianca, as always, followed along at his heels and settled into a chair with her book open.

Krash glanced at her, then turned his head forward.

A crow had alighted before him.

-Do you know what the advantage of Cheonsal-seong is?
“In exchange for sensing murderous intent in everything, your physical abilities increase proportionally.”

There was also the matter of curses growing stronger alongside it, but Krash saw no need to mention that.

-If that’s all there were to it, could you truly call it Cheonsal-seong? The greatest reason those with Cheonsal-seong sense murderous intent stems not from anything external, but from the overwhelming power they carry within themselves—power too immense to contain. Because they are so strong, it overflows of its own accord, manifesting as murderous intent.

Crimson Garden appeared to know a great deal about Cheonsal-seong.

-Cheonsal-seong encompasses seven celestial bodies. It begins with Tian Shu Star and proceeds through Tian Xuan Star, Tian Ji Star, Tian Quan Star, Yu Heng Star, Kai Yang Star, and concludes with Yao Guang Star.

Only when one can master all seven stars does one gain the ability to control and restrain the murderous intent.

-But there are few in a century who can wield all seven stars. In this age, only your sister would be capable.

That is why those who possess Cheonsal-seong ultimately cannot endure and descend into madness from murderous intent.

Consider how Blavi, who possesses Cheonsal-seong and belongs to Sepia—a house of astromancers—cannot maintain his sanity without them.

-Your talent cannot master all seven stars. You know this better than anyone.

Krash had climbed to where he was by devouring the gifts of others.

His own innate talent remained half what it ought to be.

-Therefore, of these stars, you will master only three. Even that will be a precarious undertaking.

Fortunately, through the Eye Doll Curse, Krash could also suppress the murderous intent of Cheonsal-seong itself.

So handling only three of the seven stars was acceptable.

-The first is Tian Xuan Star. It carries the strongest yin-aligned power and symbolizes the moon among the Seven Celestial Bodies. It pairs well with your Moonlit Yin Form, too.
“So I’ll be able to extend the limits of Annihilation Erosion further.”
-Tsk. Honestly, it might be better if you didn’t.

Crimson Garden, who had seen firsthand the state Krash returned in each time he pushed Annihilation Erosion, did not look pleased.

Yet she could not simply leave him be, so she resolved to teach him Tian Xuan Star nonetheless.

-The second is Tian Quan Star. As the star that carries both auspicious and inauspicious fortune in the heavens, it is what most intensifies the murderous intent of Cheonsal-seong—yet it is the star that refines talent into genius. It will be of the greatest aid in compensating for your lacking potential.

This was the star Krash needed most.

To stand against those with abundant gifts, he needed to pack as much talent into himself as he possibly could.

-And finally, Yao Guang Star. This star holds the power to forge lightning itself. It will help you wield Lioneer far more effectively than before. Moreover, this star is also called the Breaking Army Absolute Command—the wellspring of the force that shatters enemies, the very source from which those with Cheonsal-seong draw their innate physical prowess.

Having finished explaining the three stars, Crimson Garden spread her wings and rose into the air.

-Your task is to master all three of these stars before you enter the Academy.

And if Krash were to master all three of these, those who could rival him at the Academy would be few and far between.

Summer was already beginning to wane.

Less than half a year remained.

Within that time, Krash had to master three of the Cheonsal-seong stars.

“Looks like I’ll be burning the midnight oil.”
-That’s where you excel, isn’t it.

And it was true—this relentless persistence was Krash’s only real strength.

Drawing the Lioneer, a blade of golden light surged forth.

In the same breath, Black Flame and Lightning Qi erupted around him.

“Let’s see what happens.”

Stubborn determination was the one thing he truly had mastered.

* * *

Though early autumn approached, late summer heat still lingered in the air.

Bianca spent another day reading at Krash’s side.

Her appetite for books had grown noticeably of late, her method of learning about the world entirely through their pages.

And lately, most of what she read concerned World Erosion or combat manuals.

There was only one reason for it.

To be of help to Krash, who threw himself willingly into danger day after day.

‘He’ll come back hurt again, I’m sure of it.’

Bianca was the sort who acted the moment she decided.

But she knew something too.

Books alone did not make one strong.

She had tried to cultivate an Aura according to what the texts taught, yet her expression remained uncertain.

Born the youngest daughter of House Haden Hartz, cast aside by her own family, she was entirely ignorant in such matters.

‘When will the teacher he spoke of finally arrive?’

Bianca watched Krash, drenched in sweat, wrapped entirely in Black Flame.

Nearly every day he was trapped within Black Flame, mastering the Tian Xuan Star.

Come next year, Krash would attend the Academy.

The thought made her eyebrows knit together.

Though she yearned to follow him with all her heart, she was simply too young—the entrance exam for Rahelern Academy remained barred to her.

‘If only I’d been born a year earlier.’

As Bianca brooded over her late birth, her legs began to swing restlessly beneath the chair, moving of their own accord.

If she’d been his age, they could have attended the Academy together.

Instead, she was left behind by a single year.

And lately, Bianca had acquired another source of worry.

There seemed to be an odd number of women gathering around Krash, and it bothered her more than she cared to admit.

Though she couldn’t quite explain why it unsettled her so.

But unsettled she was, nonetheless.

Thinking of it only made her chest ache, a dull, persistent pang.

“……I want to be the only one at Krash’s side.”

The words tumbled from her lips without warning, and Bianca’s hand flew to her mouth in shock.

It hadn’t been long since she’d recovered her suppressed feelings.

Her emotions had spiraled out of control in an instant, and she was stunned by her own admission.

‘……Was I really that greedy?’

To want Krash all for herself.

Even she was shocked by what she’d just confessed.

Bianca forced her racing heart to calm, imagining how Krash would have scolded her if he’d overheard.

Her heart had been pounding like this lately whenever she saw his hands—an impulse to reach out and touch them seized her whenever they came into view.

“Ugh, it’s absolutely stifling in here. I hate it.”

It was at that very moment.

Bianca’s head snapped toward the sudden voice.

A woman with blue hair stood there, haggard and drenched in sweat from head to toe.

She was perspiring so heavily that her skin showed through gaps in her clothing.

Upon spotting Bianca, the woman managed a strained smile.

“Hello there, cute little miss. You’re Bianca Haden Hartz, aren’t you?”

The appearance of this suspicious figure sent Bianca springing from her chair.

She dropped into a boxing stance she’d memorized from her instruction manual.

Though the woman only laughed behind her hand at how adorable the display was.

She looked like a tiny white chick puffing up its feathers in alarm.

“You don’t need to be so guarded. I’ve come here as your teacher.”
“Really?”

The moment those words reached her ears, Bianca finally lowered her guard and rushed forward.

“I need to become stronger. Can you teach me right now?”
“Huh? Right this instant?”

Watching Bianca’s earnest enthusiasm, she found herself sweating profusely.

With skin as pale as Bianca’s own, she hailed from the Arctic Sea, a realm north of House Haden Hartz where nothing but ice stretched endlessly.

Having struggled through this suffocating heat to reach here, all she wanted now was to rest if at all possible.

“Please, Master.”
“Master… hm, well.”

Having spent all her years alone in the frozen lands, the word “master” caught her off guard, and she cleared her throat awkwardly.

She’d always been weak against such appellations.

Then she glanced at Bianca’s sparkling eyes.

‘Hmm, I was told Crimson Garden was a taciturn child.’

But from what she could see now, the girl seemed far from taciturn.

She turned her gaze toward the burning Black Flame.

The moment she’d appeared, there was a boy who’d clearly sensed her presence.

Caw—

Just then, the cry of a crow pierced through the sky.

Seeing one of Crimson Garden’s ravens, it was unmistakably Krash—the boy whom Crimson Garden cursed every time she opened her mouth.

‘For Crimson Garden to curse him like that, I wondered what sort of child he was.’

It seemed he was a boy she cherished far more than her words suggested.

And the girl before her was none other than the one Crimson Garden had personally asked her to teach.

When their eyes met, the radiance flowing from Bianca burned even brighter.

In the end, unable to resist that gaze, she exhaled slowly.

“…All right. Then first, I should tell you what sort of person I am. This is what I do.”

At that moment, a snow-white wolf emerged from behind her back.

The wolf carried an intense Frost Magic within it.

Simultaneously, a snow-white serpent appeared coiled around her neck.

Each time it flicked its tongue, despite the summer heat, the snake emanated a pure white chill—unmistakably extraordinary.

“A wolf and a snake.”

Like a raven with animals—Bianca loved them all.

So her eyes naturally could not tear themselves away from the serpents and wolves.

“Children I’ve shaped from Aura, crystallized in ice form. Of course, the ones you’ll create will only take the shape of mist for now. What do you say—want to learn?”

When she posed the question, Bianca nodded.

“Yes, I’d be grateful.”

A teacher summoned by Krash himself.

Bianca answered without the slightest doubt.

“Hm, what an adorable student. My name is Zena Edalsia. A pleasure to work with you.”

The Northern Environmental Sorcerer, Zena Edalsia.

A guardian watching over the Eternal Frozen Lands, one of the Forbidden Zones.

And Bianca’s future master.

* * *

So Bianca and Zena had become master and student.

From within the Black Flame, Krash was quietly watching them both.

—Stare any harder and you’ll burn your eyes out. Is your fiancée really so consuming? If she troubles you that much, why not stick to her side your whole life?

Crimson Garden’s jab reached his ears.

He was struggling enough to master the Tian Xuan Star; the fact that Krash was managing it at all meant his concentration couldn’t afford to scatter.

“I can’t, even if I wanted to.”
—Oh? So you *want* to?
“…Crim, you’re dying to gobble me up, aren’t you?”
—Absolutely, I’ll swallow you whole. Just dust yourself with pepper first—it’ll make you tastier.

She spoke those words while fluttering her wings and descending before him.

—Forget it. There’s nothing more worth concentrating on anyway, I’d wager.
“What do you—”

As Krash showed his confusion, Crimson Garden’s raven form began to twist and warp.

—Since Zena came, the other one I called wouldn’t have failed to arrive either.

The moment he heard that voice following behind, Krash drew Lioneer.

Everything in his field of vision was warping.

This was a curse.

Clap!

Applause echoed from somewhere.

—Real combat training. It’s exactly the kind of thing you’d relish.

My word, it’s an utterly reckless method of instruction.

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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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