I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 113

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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 113. Student Captain

“The Special Grade Class students should follow Charlotte.”

Following Ganon’s instruction, the Special Grade Class—Krash among them—moved to follow Charlotte.

Their classmates watched with eyes full of envy.

Seeing this sight, they too would redouble their efforts to enter the Special Grade Class in the future.

‘She won’t be stopping at seven. She’ll keep adding people to the class as she sees fit, based on their grades and achievements.’

It was a thought very much in character for Charlotte.

She believed that those with power must live in a way befitting that power.

Behind Charlotte’s confident stride,

all the Special Grade Class students followed in silence.

The presence of Charlotte walking ahead was immense.

Even Krash, watching her, felt as though there wasn’t a gap in her armor.

The others needed no mention.

The place she headed toward was the Great Hall, where the first-year students had gathered.

From what Krash had picked up, today happened to be a practical training session, and he would be assigned to participate as well.

“Even though you’re from the Special Grade Class, you’re still second-year students who’ve just been admitted. For your first practical training, you’ll be distributed among the student captains and act under their direction.”

Charlotte kept glancing at Krash as she spoke.

Krash deliberately avoided her gaze.

If he were assigned to Charlotte’s group, he’d be at her mercy all day long.

To be honest, even though they were siblings, Krash and Charlotte didn’t have the best compatibility.

“You two seem quite close.”
“…If it looks that way, you ought to get yourself checked.”

Krash could not possibly agree with Carandis’s remark.

Soon after, the second-year students led by Charlotte arrived at the Great Hall where the first-year students had gathered.

The Great Hall didn’t house only the Martial Arts Department.

As mentioned before, this lesson was practical training.

Practical training at Rahelern Academy meant

venturing beyond the city walls to the lawless zones where World Erosion occurred daily across the globe.

There existed not only Invasive Species in those places, but also criminals, vagabonds, and even offspring of those who caused the World Erosion itself.

Students of Rahelern Academy honed their skills and experience in such places.

That was Rahelern Academy’s practical training.

Naturally, such practical training at Rahelern Academy was conducted jointly by the Magic Department and the Theology Department as well.

There were also those from Special Studies who went out for practical training, and it would be organized according to each person’s abilities and preferences.

For reference, the Literature Department’s practical training was securing sponsorships from Sepia or dignitaries from various nations.

‘A unit is only formed when we’ve recruited at least one member from every department.’

So the amount of funds a unit could use varied depending on how much sponsorship the Literature Department student managed to bring in.

Just then, as Krash shifted his gaze, he spotted Aslan waving in the distance.

Beside him stood a few second-generation Magic Department students.

They must have been selected as Special Grade students as well.

As expected, among the Theology Department was none other than Astria, the Saintess.

Though she possessed an innate disposition that would make her appear younger, she bore the most mature appearance of them all.

When her eyes met Krash’s, she let out a small “hmph” and turned her head away.

It was clearly a sulk over not having been treated to lunch earlier.

Yet it was so typical of her to steal glances in his direction every so often.

The moment Charlotte entered the Great Hall, all eyes turned sharply toward her.

At the same time, those gazes pierced beyond Charlotte and landed on Krash as well.

The display Krash had given during this entrance examination had been striking even to the first-generation students.

Their eyes shone with various colors, each reflecting their own designs regarding Krash.

Some harbored political motives, while others burned with curiosity.

And every last one of those who cast such gazes was no ordinary figure.

This was the gathering place of Rahelern Academy’s first-generation students.

Even under the weight of such scrutiny, Krash remained composed.

After all, no matter how accomplished they were, they were mere fledglings at this stage.

Click, click.

In that moment, someone began approaching Charlotte.

The instant Krash saw her, he had to fight the urge to narrow his eyes.

The Empire’s Third Princess.

Sigrin Epania.

She was the woman Krash disliked most.

“Charlotte, as Student Captains, we’ll be dividing the second-year students among us from now on. Shall we begin?”

As Charlotte had mentioned earlier, even the Special Grade Class would have their first practical training assignments distributed among the first-year students.

They were about to draw lots for that now.

“Very well.”

Charlotte glanced sideways at Krash, then turned and walked away.

Her gaze carried the unmistakable resolve to claim him.

The problem was that Sigrin Epania had done much the same as she passed.

The moment their eyes met, she flashed him a radiant smile.

Krash barely managed to suppress his gag reflex.

‘There are twelve Student Captains in total, I believe.’

A Student Captain could come from any department.

But in cases like Literature, Theology, or Special Studies, a Student Captain wasn’t particularly necessary.

Those departments specialized in support roles; they didn’t engage in direct combat.

As a result, all twelve Student Captains currently came from only the Martial Arts and Magic Departments.

“Krash, it seems the Lady Sigrin has taken quite a liking to you.”

Mery seized the moment to speak up.

It appeared she was trying to boost Sigrin’s favor in this opening.

“That makes no sense. The Imperial Princess would despise Valheim above all else.”

Before Krash could even respond, Carandis cut in sharply.

She was an absolute Kingdom loyalist who bristled at anything Imperial.

Well, it made sense—she was a princess of Poseus, after all.

While Mery was still flustered, Carandis pressed her advantage.

“Don’t bring their sinister machinations into this. You’d almost think they were criminals—which, being Imperials, isn’t far off.”
“That remark is distasteful.”

It was Glen Diana who stepped in, not Mery.

Mery’s younger cousin.

He seemed unconcerned when people insulted Mery directly.

But when the Empire itself came under open attack, he displayed unmistakable displeasure.

Yet Carandis straightened her spine defiantly in response to his reaction.

“Distasteful? Are you claiming ignorance of the atrocities the Empire has committed against the Four Kingdoms all this time?”
“The Four Kingdoms have been eyeing the Empire on every opportunity. The Empire merely retaliated for what you have done.”
“Retaliation? And what of the invasion fleet the Empire sent to Poseus waters not long ago—or have you forgotten?”
“It’s simply that the Invasive Species from the ocean side have recently begun crossing into Empire territory as well, so we’re providing reinforcement.”
“And that’s only because the Empire grew greedy, expanding their lands far beyond reason!”

Carandis and Glen’s conversation began to heat up.

Krash regarded Carandis with an expression of mild surprise.

Then again, this woman had never directly confronted the Empire like this before.

“Really, it’s absurd. What do you think, Krash? We’re on the same page here, aren’t we?”

And soon Krash grasped where her groundless confidence came from.

The top student of the Martial Arts Department’s second cohort was Krash.

And Krash was of Balheim’s direct line, belonging to the Four Kingdoms faction.

Naturally, the second cohort of the Martial Arts Department could only grow stronger with the power of the kingdoms faction.

Being first in a place where power was concentrated carried its own weight.

And second place belonged to Mery.

Even if she held that rank, she was a criminal.

The Empire would have struggled to rally the second cohort around Mery.

Knowing this well, Carandis could hold her head high now.

Unlike the days when Krash was half a coin’s worth, unable to leverage Balheim’s name at all.

Now he could wield that name with considerable force.

Glen turned to face him.

He too found it difficult to counter if Krash spoke.

Carandis was certainly a princess.

But in Martial Arts, strength includes military might.

Krash, who had demonstrated power beyond that of Balheim’s direct line, was not someone to be treated lightly.

“I didn’t come here to play petty power games.”

And Krash fixed both of them with a cold gaze.

“World Erosion has been expanding rapidly over the past few years, and I came to Rahelern Academy to learn how to prevent catastrophe.”

Everyone knew this fact.

They simply recognized it as: World Erosion has been appearing a lot lately—nothing more.

People rarely understand something until it stands directly before them.

But Krash knew this was a sign of apocalypse.

That this rotting world had been preparing for its own destruction for quite some time.

“Inside World Erosion, there is no Empire, no kingdom.”

Krash saw it with his own eyes.

The storied Empire, the kingdoms that had rivaled it.

In the end, they all crumbled to dust.

Before the Apocalypse, dividing power meant nothing.

Krash intended to shatter every faction within Rahelern Academy—that haven where the talented congregated—and claim the summit for himself.

One year.

Within that span, he would topple every Student Captain who lorded their position over others, and stand at the peak himself.

That was Krash’s objective.

“Outside these walls, I’d let it go—all that squabbling over power.”

Krash fixed both of them with a warning stare.

“But if you two keep it up even within the World Erosion Zone, neither of you will walk out with anything worth having.”

At least this much was genuine.

“Y-yes, of course. I have no intention whatsoever of doing that inside the World Erosion Zone!”

Carandis hurried to speak, afraid of drawing his ire.

Glen, too, offered no rebuttal—he had no appetite for further conflict.

Mery knew Krash well enough by now.

She found nothing strange in his words.

Even in his powerless days, he had been this way.

Only Haring, the future Lord of the Poisoned Peak, regarded Krash with an odd look.

“Ah, they’re coming!”

As the Student Captains approached, Balak reacted.

Among the Student Captains was Anyx, who belonged to the same Stalon Trio as Balak and could be called his peer.

Three of the twelve Student Captains who comprised the leadership were making their way over.

Naturally, Krash knew all their faces.

At the fore, the Sword Saint Charlotte Balheim.

The tall one with dark hair, Peley—the Common Man’s Hero.

And trailing behind, the sharp-featured one with chestnut hair—Anyx Grayza, the adversary who would one day become Krash’s nemesis.

In Rahelern Academy, where talented individuals swarmed, these three had been elevated to Student Captains among the inaugural cohort.

Their gifts were undoubtedly among the very best.

And yet, even among such transcendent talents, one stood overwhelmingly apart.

Charlotte walked at the very front of the group.

When her eyes met Krash’s, her expression turned wistful.

‘Didn’t get him.’

From what he could tell, they’d apparently decided to recruit the second-year students through some kind of magical lottery.

Even Charlotte wouldn’t bulldoze her way past that.

‘Thank goodness.’

Krash actually felt relieved.

If he’d gone on the first practical training under Charlotte’s command, it honestly would have given him a headache.

She was taking an oddly keen interest in him lately—nothing like before.

In the meantime, Anyx stepped beside Charlotte, who had stopped.

He regarded the second-year students with a faint smile as he spoke.

“Welcome, second-year special grade students. Since this is your first practical training, you’ll be paired off and taken out together.”

It was his way of being considerate.

Having a classmate alongside would make them feel more at ease, after all.

“So just follow the student captains as we call out your names.”
“I’ll start.”

The moment Anyx finished speaking, Charlotte stepped forward.

She stared intently at Krash for a moment, then clicked her tongue and called out names.

“Mery, Glen Diana, Carandis Poseus. Come with me.”

Carandis’s eyes lit up as she looked at Charlotte, while Mery’s shoulders flinched.

Carandis was clearly hoping to become closer to Charlotte through this—her eyes sparkled with that intent.

As for Mery, she was probably disheartened at not being picked by Peley, who belonged to Sigrin’s group.

While their contrasting reactions passed.

This time it was Peley who spoke up.

“Balak Hogma, Glen Diana, and Arthur Gramalte—you three come with me.”

Peley wore a warm smile.

“Oh, Captain! Are you strong?”

Balak spoke to Peley with an excited expression, apparently unconcerned with who picked him.

“Huh? Haha, not really. There are far stronger people than me in this world.”

Peley broke into a hearty laugh, though his eyes held a faint note of longing.

There was someone he wanted to meet at the Academy.

Though, truth be told, the person he most wanted to see stood right before him.

“I’m last, then. Haring, Lagren, Krash Balheim—you two come with me.”

The first practical training had assigned him to Anyx’s group.

Krash rolled his neck loosely, working out the stiffness.

For some reason, this practical training felt different.

It seemed like Anyx’s judgment would ultimately decide something crucial.

The Anyx that Krash had once met at Ara Dragon Manor, where they’d gathered at the Holy Land of Stars, remained unchanged in his memory.

Upon learning of Charlotte’s engagement, he’d broken down, failed to avoid a trap within the World Erosion Zone, and dragged his allies into disaster with him.

That same Anyx who’d spat out the mad notion that if Krash died, Charlotte’s wedding wouldn’t be delayed.

He would come to harbor a twisted love-hate toward Charlotte, who shattered him, and eventually he was destined to fall apart because of it.

But Krash understood now.

One could not judge a person based solely on memories of a previous Regression.

‘Will you truly be the Anyx I remember? Or will you be—’

Someone changed?

There was no way to know.

The world had shifted greatly, and even now it diverged moment by moment from the path of the previous cycle.

Krash simply glanced briefly at Charlotte, then watched Anyx walk away.

He held no particular expectations.

After all, great expectations breed great disappointment.

In truth, Krash still harbored no goodwill toward Anyx.

So whatever outcome awaited him, he was prepared to accept it with equanimity.

Even if that result proved unfavorable.

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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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