I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 105

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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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Episode 105. What are you staring at? Never seen Balheim before?

Kairan, the entrance examiner.

With her arrival, the children’s clamor vanished in an instant.

“The examiner! The examiner!”

Everyone except Ballak, who stood beside Krash.

“The entrance exam consists of three parts in total.”

Krash dimly recalled the entrance exam from before his regression.

‘There’s one more section than last time.’

The exam back then had definitely been only two parts.

“The first exam is an Aura level assessment.”

Krash remembered how terrifyingly close he’d come to failing that test.

Still, he’d done everything possible at the time—bought every Spirit Medicine he could afford and trained himself half to death, determined to grow somehow.

He’d scraped through by the skin of his teeth.

“The second exam is a series of duels between candidates. Based on the Aura levels verified in the first exam, each applicant will participate in three consecutive matches against opponents ranked above you, at your level, and below you.”

This much was the same as before.

“Finally, the third exam is a mock battle against myself as the examiner. For reference, those who pass the first and second exams are considered admitted as students.”

The students murmured among themselves.

Why bother taking a third exam if you were already admitted?

“The reason for the third exam is simple—it determines entry into the Special Elite Class, which was newly added this time.”

The Special Elite Class.

Krash had never heard of such a program before, so his interest was piqued.

It was certain this class had been created as a result of changes in this cycle.

“The Special Elite Class will operate independently of the academic departments that applicants choose. It will function as an early cultivation program for exceptionally talented students. Recruitment will continue afterward, and additional placements may be made based on circumstances even after admission.”

After this brief explanation, Kairan slowly smiled.

“Of course, if all the Special Elite Class positions are filled during the entrance exam itself, there will be no further recruitment.”

With those words alone, the students’ enthusiasm shifted in an instant.

Those trying to enter Rahelern Academy all had their own reasons, certainly.

But now they grasped that entering the Special Elite Class would transform their entire futures.

For the nobility especially, it promised incomparable honor.

For commoners, it was an opportunity beyond measure.

And all those aspiring martial students shared one striking trait in common.

They all wanted to prove they were the strongest here.

That competitive fire that burned in them.

‘This happened because too many talented people gathered in one place.’

Krash understood why the Special Elite Class had been created.

And at the same time, he realized he too would have to enter it.

The Starry Generation would surely gather there in full.

“The condition for the third exam is to defeat the examiner. It’s simple, so I believe many of you will manage it.”

Even as Kairan spoke those words, she didn’t believe them in the slightest.

Her expression carried unmistakable malice toward the entrance examinee.

“Then we shall begin the first exam.”

The moment her words fell, the other examiners who had prepared in advance stepped forward.

They swiftly erected dozens of makeshift single-person tents that had been prepared beforehand.

At the same time, Mages from Rahelern Academy displayed names in the sky above.

“Enter the tent corresponding to the name displayed above, and place your hand on the Aura Stone inside.”

It was, quite literally, a simple test.

Yet from this exam, roughly half the students would be eliminated.

‘The number of admitted students is fixed, after all.’

In the meantime, the students’ names appeared one by one.

Those whose names were called entered the tents with grim expressions.

With four-digit numbers of martial arts applicants alone.

Even with dozens of tents set up, the first exam took quite some time.

“Krash, you’re aiming for the Special Elite Class too, right? I’m going for it, so let’s both go to the same class!”

As a result, Krash had to endure Ballak’s endless chatter.

“If you’re in the Special Elite Class, you’ll get to meet Anyx and Elfin too!”

Among Stalon’s Three Prodigies, Anyx.

And Elfin Emilia.

Two of the three were first-generation students.

As the examiner had said earlier, it was called an accelerated cultivation class, so it seemed the Special Elite Class students would spend their academy life alongside the first-generation students.

“I wonder how strong the examiner is. I’m looking forward to it.”

Krash turned to look at Kairan.

‘Is there really anyone who could win against her?’

It wasn’t widely known to the public.

A figure whose name had been made beyond the city walls, in waters that were practically a Forbidden Zone—the Great Sea.

The Pirate Empress.

Kairan.

The Invasive Species she had newly brought back from the Great Sea and studied must number in the thousands.

‘And the only assistant professor who possessed strength rivaling that of a full professor.’

The reason she worked as an assistant professor was that she herself had judged it unsuitable to run classes directly.

In other words, that meant she was practically on par with the professors in terms of combat strength.

‘How malicious.’

From the moment Kairan, who possessed strength equivalent to a professor, had been assigned as an examiner, her ill intent was unmistakable.

‘Not a single student will pass the Special Elite Class.’

That was how her decision had been interpreted.

Krash let out a short laugh.

Indeed, how far could his current strength reach against Kairan, who was at the professor’s level?

It was a moment when his interest kindled.

* * *

The Pirate Empress, Kairan.

Though she considered it a grandiose and embarrassing title, her skill was certainly worthy of the epithet.

And now she was overseeing the students’ first examination as an examiner.

“Assistant Professor Kairan.”

Just then, she noticed the examination assistant approaching her.

The first exam was still in full swing.

Had something gone wrong?

When Kairan glanced at him, he seemed flustered and hesitated to speak.

As she raised an eyebrow at him, the examination assistant finally found his voice.

“Well, you see… an Aura Stone has cracked.”
“The Aura Stone cracked?”

Kairan’s eyes went round as saucers.

The Aura Stone was the most reliable tool for checking one’s total Aura reserves.

When you poured your Aura into it, the stone would glow with an aurora corresponding to how much you possessed, revealing your total capacity.

Because of this, the Aura Stone was designed to withstand ordinary levels of Aura output without so much as a flinch.

For such a stone to crack was unheard of.

“It couldn’t be from the applicants overusing it.”

Kairan’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

“There exists someone whose Aura reserves exceed what the stone can measure.”
“Yes, exactly. Clearly, they are operating beyond normal parameters.”

He nodded and told her the name of the person who had cracked the Aura Stone.

“…Meri Diana.”

Kairan swallowed sharply.

Once a candidate to become the Empire’s Spear—a lunatic who had attempted to assassinate the imperial family.

‘I heard she possessed the talent of the Heavenly Martial Body from birth.’

Yet could it be that she truly harbored reserves of Aura powerful enough to crack an Aura Stone?

Now Kairan understood why the Empire had stayed her execution.

Had she targeted another imperial prince instead of the fourth princess—whose claim to the throne was negligible—execution would have been immediate.

But because she was the fourth princess, the Empire had compromised, deciding to use her as a tool instead and let the matter pass.

‘A monster has appeared.’

She clicked her tongue softly and instructed him to have a new Aura Stone fitted.

‘The second round is going to be problematic.’

Could there truly be anyone as strong as the person who had cracked the Aura Stone?

For Meri Diana, all three opponents in the second round might prove weaker than herself.

As she was turning this over in her mind, it happened.

Flash!

A brilliant flash of light suddenly erupted from the tent where the test administrator had gone to install a new Aura Stone.

As the students gasped and whispered in alarm at the sudden burst of radiance—

Crack!

The sharp sound of something shattering rang out clearly across the grounds.

Hearing that sound, Kairan felt a moment of blankness wash over her.

Only then did she come to her senses, forgetting even her title as chief examiner, and hurried toward that tent.

As she rushed into the tent, the exam assistant she’d just seen was standing there with a blank expression.

Then, the moment his eyes met Kairan’s, his lips trembled.

“K-Kairan, I assure you, I polished the Aura Stone carefully.”

Upon hearing his words, Kairan shifted her gaze.

What she found before her was an Aura Stone shattered into fragments.

‘Polished, he said.’

The newly brought Aura Stone had simply failed to withstand even ordinary Aura output and shattered.

Kairan’s eyes wavered.

As skilled as she was, she could certainly manage to crack an Aura Stone.

But shattering one entirely?

That was something she couldn’t guarantee, no matter her ability.

Who in blazes had done such a thing?

The moment she lifted her head, there stood someone with black hair streaked through with blue.

That color.

She remembered it clearly.

And with good reason—it belonged to the most troublesome figure at Rahelern Academy.

The same shade as Charlotte Balheim.

The boy with sharp eyes who had raised his hand lowered it smoothly now.

“Shall we try again?”

He then gazed at the shattered Aura Stone with a look of disappointment.

The moment she saw that arrogant demeanor, she understood.

‘Krash Balheim.’

One of the people to watch, and the youngest direct heir of Balheim.

It was unmistakably him.

“The examinee may now leave.”
“Lucky me. If we’d continued, I think I would’ve broken another one.”

Hearing his words, Kairan stiffened.

Breaking the Aura Stone hadn’t been an accident—it had been deliberate.

Watching him walk out leisurely, Kairan caught her breath.

I owed Meri Diana an apology for calling her a monster.

The real monster had been here all along.

* * *

Leaving Kairan frozen where she stood, Krash stepped outside and looked down at his own hands.

‘Honestly, I didn’t expect it to crack.’

The moment he saw the Aura Stone, Krash’s mind drifted back to an old memory.

How pathetic the faint Aura light had appeared to him at the time.

And the examiner’s silent expression of disapproval as he witnessed it—the memory left a bitter taste.

Perhaps that was why.

Seeing the Aura Stone kindled a spark of curiosity in him.

Would an Aura Stone perceive World Erosion as an Aura? he wondered.

‘Well, since I’m doing this anyway.’

Might as well go all out.

With that thought, Krash drew forth his Extinction Erosion.

Thanks to the Cheonsal-seong, his output had grown far more potent than before.

Then, carefully—without letting it damage his own body—he drove the maximum force directly into the Aura Stone.

And the result.

Crack!

The Aura Stone shattered in a shower of light.

Krash’s output was unparalleled in its raw power.

To drive that kind of force into an Aura Stone meant only one thing.

There was no way it could survive.

The moment Krash stepped out from the tent, having carelessly shattered the Aura Stone, he lifted his head.

In the silence.

Everyone—applicants and current students alike—was staring at him.

They had all heard the burst of light and the sound of shattering that had erupted from inside the tent.

-You’ve really done it now, you bastard.

Crimson Garden’s voice came from the Brooch tucked in his pocket, and Krash slowly scratched the back of his head.

Then, into the suffocating silence, he opened his mouth.

“What are you staring at.”

A remark utterly characteristic of Balheim.

While the others remained speechless, Krash paid no mind and returned to his original position.

“Wow, Krash! How much stronger have you gotten!”

At that, Ballak bounced excitedly in place, reacting with unbridled enthusiasm.

Unlike the others, he wasn’t one to read the room—which made him easy to be around.

It was the very moment Krash stopped in his tracks and turned around.

Thud.

Krash’s body went rigid.

The reason was simple.

Among the dozens of tents arrayed before him,

one name had changed to Arthur Gramalte.

‘Arthur.’

Krash’s gaze snapped toward that direction.

But Arthur Gramalte’s name slowly faded and shifted into another’s.

By the time Krash shattered the Aura Stone,

Arthur had nearly simultaneously finished the first exam and emerged.

Their timing had been offset.

Realizing this, Krash hastily scanned the surroundings.

Yet with so many people crowded about, he couldn’t catch sight of Arthur.

‘He didn’t enroll before me.’

For reasons Krash couldn’t fathom, Arthur was enrolling at the same time.

Krash’s brow furrowed.

The Arthur he now faced was not the Arthur he had known.

Arthur hadn’t undergone Regression.

So this version of him was an unknown variable—unpredictable.

Krash looked up and searched for Sigrin.

But unlike before, only her group was visible; she herself was nowhere to be seen.

Krash realized she must have gone to meet Arthur after spotting his name.

Earlier too, Krash had caught sight of Meri, her Robe pulled down low, taking the exam.

When Krash looked around to find Arthur, he noticed that Meri wasn’t visible either.

‘That settles it.’

Krash stopped searching.

It was only natural that those two would band together in some fashion.

So there was no reason to hurry now.

‘I’ll walk my own path.’

Never dreaming that Krash had regressed with memories just as complete as their own.

While they pursued only Arthur, chasing after him.

Krash merely revealed his fangs inch by inch above their throats.

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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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