I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 115

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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 115. Why Did You Come Down With Me

Krash turned to look at Anyx and opened his mouth.

“I understand.”

His mind was churning with thoughts of stealing the night, yet not a hint of it showed on his face.

—Cunning bastard. The more time goes on, the better your act gets. What nonsense are you dreaming up now?

Only Crimson Garden understood what Krash was thinking, and she offered a jab at him for it.

Aside from the reason they had to go to the Night God’s Tomb, Krash also understood why the Yellow Tower had posted the request.

If the Invasive Species dug in at the ruins, the Yellow Tower would have a hard time and find it troublesome.

But asking another nation for help only meant endless wrangling over rights and interests.

So instead, they’d simply pooled requests at Rahelern Academy—they could resolve the matter cleanly with just a standard bounty, without any of that territorial squabbling.

In any case, there were plenty of cunning mages in the world.

“Did you see everything?”

Krash asked while looking toward Haring, and she nodded her head, then drifted back.

Krash handed the Quest Request back to Elfin.

“Then we’ll head to the inn, drop off our things, and leave right away. There’s supposed to be a Guide Mage at the prepared inn to lead us to the ruins.”

The distance to the ruins was considerable.

At least over a week of travel on foot would be needed.

Since these kids weren’t accustomed to the Desert Region, a guide would make things much easier.

As Anyx walked ahead, Krash noticed Haring had fallen into step beside him without a sound.

The others didn’t show much warmth toward her, so walking next to a classmate seemed more comfortable.

‘Having this one nearby just keeps making me think of Bianca.’

Their faces were different, but both were essentially expressionless.

Looking at it this way, it seemed like similar types were drawn together.

‘I heard Debram is famous for date pastries.’

Before heading back, he’d need to send one to Bianca by Magic Delivery.

She had a sweet tooth, so she’d enjoy eating it.

—Thinking of your fiancée again?

He wished this one would stop reading other people’s minds.

* * *

Shortly after, Krash arrived at one of the inns in Debram.

It was an inn comfortable enough for nobility to lodge without complaint.

The rumor that the Yellow Tower provided support must have been true.

After meeting with the person who had been asked to serve as their guide, Anyx gathered provisions and supplies the inn had prepared for crossing the desert.

“My, the Grayza Family is quite famous even in our Yellow Tower. I’m honored to make your acquaintance.”
“We’re the ones who should be grateful for the Yellow Tower’s generous assistance.”

Anyx and the Guide Mage exchanged pleasantries, laughing all the while.

Watching that display, Krash thought to himself that Anyx hadn’t changed a bit.

And for good reason — the man wore the same artificial smile not only for the Guide Mage, but for his own squad members as well.

‘Hiding what he truly feels.’

Whether Anyx knew it or not, Krash could see through that false grin with perfect clarity.

‘Always the same.’

Whatever else he might overlook, he could never bring himself to approve of that smile.

By then, preparations were complete, and Anyx came over.

“Everyone, let’s move out.”

And so we began crossing the desert toward Night God’s Tomb.

What happened after that?

Nothing particularly noteworthy, really.

The first day, the second day, and the third day.

Krash crossed the Desert Region beyond Debram’s walls without incident.

World Erosion occurred frequently enough, given the lawless nature of the area.

But these weren’t second-year students unfamiliar with World Erosion — they were first-year students who had completed their training and spent the past six months on practical experience.

They’d grown quite accustomed to World Erosion during their year at the Academy.

As a result, Krash didn’t need to step in; they handled things smoothly on their own.

‘From what I remember, these students already had good coordination.’

There was no need to speak of the skill of Elfin, one of the Three Gems alongside Anyx.

The seven from Staron were inseparable enough to be called the Staron Seven.

Their families were naturally close, and since they worked together to hold back World Erosion in their homeland, their coordination was naturally excellent.

On top of that, the other students Anyx had carefully selected all worked together harmoniously as a whole.

Perhaps that was why.

Among all of them, only two had managed to stay aloft.

One was Krash, and the other was Haring, who would later become a Dokbong.

In Krash’s case.

Without Krash needing to lift a finger, everyone else scrambled over themselves trying to curry his favor, stepping forward eagerly in his stead.

The Staron Seven in particular were in absolute chaos.

Being from the same city, they knew firsthand how valuable the Balheim name was.

‘These wretches who couldn’t wait to tear me apart in the Star’s Holy Ground.’

The moment he shed the title of Half-Blood, they fawned over him so shamelessly he could only scoff.

But Krash himself no longer cared much about absorbing a mere Four-Star World Erosion.

He’d absorbed World Erosion to his fill in the Demon Realm.

Unless gaining Night itself came into play, there was no reason to absorb more World Erosion now.

So Krash simply waved them off—go ahead and sort it out yourselves—and stepped back.

Haring, on the other hand, was an island unto herself.

No one asked her to do anything in particular, nor did anyone offer to help.

Because of that, Krash spent most of his time watching from behind alongside Haring.

If it had been just a day or two, it might have been bearable.

But as nearly a full week slipped away while they stood there doing just that.

Krash finally struck up a casual conversation with Haring.

“Want one?”

Krash held out a piece of Hardtack he’d brought along, and Haring took it without a word.

Then she popped it into her small mouth and watched the Ssang-A Squad fight off the World Erosion beside Krash, both of them munching quietly.

For the first few days, Haring had refused to eat the Hardtack he offered, but now that she accepted it, she seemed like a stray cat slowly warming to the person who fed her.

Perhaps it was the lack of anything better to do that made the time feel empty.

On a day spent passing the hours thinking it all pointless.

“We’ve arrived!”

At last, the Guide Mage announced their arrival at the ruins.

The Ssang-A Squad stood motionless, staring toward the ruins.

But no matter how hard they looked, all they could see was sand stretching in every direction.

Well, what else could they expect?

After all, the Night God’s Tomb only reveals itself at night.

It was still midday.

So they had no choice but to wait until nightfall.

“This is going to take a while, so let’s rest over there in the shadow of that rock.”

And so the Ssang-A Squad found itself taking an unexpected break.

Once the sunlight pouring down from the sky was blocked by the rock’s shadow, things became bearable.

Besides, with a mage present, they didn’t have to worry about the sand.

A defensive barrier cast in a circle would keep the sand from blowing in.

Thanks to that, quite a pleasant rest followed.

Though for Haring and Krash, who remained on watch, it hardly counted as rest.

“Um, Krash.”

At that moment, Krash turned his head toward the voice beside him.

There stood Elfin, holding a Water Bottle.

Dark hair swept back from her brow, and a tall frame.

She wore clothes that somehow brought to mind a magpie.

Anyx Grayza.

Balak Hogma.

Together with these two, she was called one of Staron’s Three Gems.

Elfin Emilia.

When she offered him the Water Bottle, Krash took it.

It looked as though she had something to say.

“Sit.”

At Krash’s words, Elfin settled herself, smoothing her skirt.

Meanwhile, Haring withdrew with a visible air of discomfort.

Seeing her again, she really did remind him of a stray cat.

“Do you remember what happened with Anyx before?”

By “before,” she likely meant the time at Star’s Holy Ground.

Krash had even deeper memories than that, but he nodded all the same.

“Since then, Anyx has changed quite a lot thanks to you. So he regrets many things about what happened back then.”
“To my eyes, he’s the same as always.”
“I suppose that’s one way to see it.”

Anyx is still engaged in hollow conversation with his squad members.

That man rarely lets his true feelings show.

“Still, you’ve changed without question. You’ve begun to grasp how to move forward.”

Elfin, called one of the Three Gems alongside Anyx, had spent more time with him than anyone else.

For that reason, she was the most attuned to his transformations.

“And I believe all of that is thanks to Krash.”
“What influence could I possibly have on him?”
“After you were defeated by Charlotte, you lost your way.”

Charlotte is a star that shines far too brightly.

A star too strong suppresses and extinguishes the light of the stars beside it.

So Anyx lost himself before Charlotte, that star.

“You admired her, yet you resented her as well. You had witnessed what genius truly was.”

Charlotte’s talent was a double-edged sword to Staron.

Undoubtedly the finest blade, yet it wounds those who stand beside it.

Krash, too, had once been wounded by that blade, so he understood.

“But on the day you met Krash at Star’s Holy Ground, you glimpsed something other than talent.”
“Are you saying I’m an easier star to look at than Charlotte?”

Despite Krash’s wry response, Elfin let out a gentle laugh.

“No. You’re an entirely different star from her. Charlotte is the sun—a blazing sun that blinds the eyes of those who gaze upon it with open eyes.”

Elfin continued, her voice steady.

“Meanwhile, you shine as brilliantly as that sun, yet because you stand at such a distance, you can be seen with both eyes open. I believe that is the Tian Shu Star—what you are, Krash.”

The Tian Shu Star, forever in its place, becomes a guide for those who seek the path.

Elfin spoke of Krash as a star that showed the way forward for those who would follow him.

Ironically, the first of the Cheon Sal Stars was none other than the Tian Shu Star itself.

“Anyx saw that Tian Shu Star and found his path. Perhaps he unconsciously harbored the emotion—maybe I, too, can move forward.”
“All I did was throw a punch because I didn’t like the look of that bastard.”
“As they say, interpretation depends on the one interpreting. Just as later generations add their own reading to the words left by their predecessors.”

This woman was quite the eloquent one, wasn’t she.

Elfin rose from her seat as though she had said all she needed to say.

“What I wished to convey is that I hope you won’t judge Anyx solely by his past.”
“What did I say to Anyx?”
“Nothing, sir. Only… whenever Anyx arrives, your eyebrows furrow like this.”

Elfin wrinkled her own brows with her fingers, as though to show him his own face.

Surely it’s not quite that severe.

—Ha, you’re just as good at it.

Krash largely ignored the remark from Crimson Garden.

“It’s enough that you’d simply consider my words.”

Elfin bowed and turned toward Anyx.

Whatever else one might say, Anyx was certainly blessed with loyal subordinates.

‘He has a real knack for hitting exactly what others were carefully watching.’

Krash clicked his tongue and leaned his chin against his propped-up knee.

The sun in the sky had begun to sink slowly toward the horizon.

* * *

Night arrived with stars densely scattered across the heavens.

The moment when a great full moon hung suspended in the darkness above.

At last, the forgotten ruins buried in the Desert Region began to reveal themselves.

The sight was truly wondrous.

The endless dunes that had been piled high suddenly vanished all at once, exposing the massive structures of ancient architecture.

“Let’s move.”

At Anyx’s word, the resting members of Ssang-A Squad rose to their feet.

Since this place had been concealed beneath the sands, the terrain sloped downward.

Following that slope down, an entrance leading into the interior of the ruins came into view.

“Then I shall wait here.”

The Guide Mage’s assistance reached no further than this point.

From here on, everything depended entirely on the capabilities of Ssang-A Squad.

“Maran, I’m counting on you.”
“Yes!”

Hearing Anyx’s request, the one bearing Scout Technique took the lead.

With that, Ssang-A Squad began filing entirely into the ruins.

The interior of the ruins was composed of stone and moss.

It was so clean of sand that one would never believe it had been buried beneath dunes mere moments before.

“There’s nothing ahead. Let’s proceed.”

As the scout moved forward, Krash began dispersing his Sixth Sense throughout the surroundings.

The ruins were essentially a labyrinth.

At the same time, several presences made themselves felt throughout the maze.

‘Nothing here, my foot.’

Invasive Species were swarming all over the place.

-Your sensory range has expanded too far. Are you blaming the kids for that?
“I’m technically the same age as them anyway.”
-It’s not about appearances anymore. Tsk, tsk. At least you used to be cute. Now you just look grotesque.

The further the conversation went, the harsher the treatment.

In that instant, the entire ruins resonated with a deep, heavy boom.

“Maran, what’s the status of the ruins?”
“I’ll find out right away!”

When Anyx turned to Maran, his face too was flustered.

He clearly hadn’t grasped what was happening yet.

“It’s fine. Steady yourself. Take your time.”

Even as Anyx spoke, he slowly summoned his Aura.

He was preparing for the worst.

Meanwhile, Krash’s eyes opened to narrow slits.

Dangerously close to the edge of his Sixth Sense’s reach.

Something massive was stirring below.

‘The main presence is an Invasive Species.’

His eyes opened with a cold gleam.

He’d hoped things would proceed smoothly, but it seemed they wouldn’t.

Just as they’d become aware of the Invasive Species when entering the ruins, it had now detected them.

-So whose servant is this? That moon rabbit’s creature?

And Crimson Garden had also sensed the presence below.

But Krash’s eyes registered a separate question.

He’d assumed Weol Myo had sent the Invasive Species here merely to inspect the tomb.

Yet judging by the presence he sensed now, this was something entirely different.

‘It looks like it’s draining the power of the Night God.’

Later, Weol Myo would make use of the Night God’s power.

But she hadn’t employed a method of extracting it like this.

Do so carelessly, and you risked incurring the Night God’s wrath and suffering divine punishment.

‘Now I understand.’

Krash’s reaction was masterful.

He’d grasped the situation in an instant.

Weol Myo had deliberately lured Chim Sik Sa into draining the Night God’s power.

Even if Chim Sik Sa failed and incurred Divine Punishment, it wouldn’t be Weol Myo bearing the consequences—it would be Chim Sik Sa himself.

‘If Chim Sik Sa succeeded in extracting the Night God’s power, Weol Myo would simply arrive and claim it. If he failed, well, then Chim Sik Sa was just a discarded pawn.’

And that was surely what had happened—failure.

That would also explain why Weol Myo hadn’t attempted to drain the Night God’s power himself.

‘Which is why I’ve never even heard the name Chim Sik Sa before.’

The man had drawn the Night God’s wrath and been struck down by Divine Punishment—obliterated from memory.

‘So it was destined to fail, after all.’

But Krash didn’t like that something he’d been targeting was being touched.

In that moment, the presence from below surged stronger.

“Hey, Anyx.”

So Krash called out to warn him.

The moment Anyx turned, Krash spoke tersely.

“It’s coming.”

The instant those words left his lips, Maran, their scout, went rigid, eyes wide.

“Something’s rising from below!”

Too late. Far too late.

“Everyone, get clear of this ground now!”

By the time Anyx’s command came, it was already too late.

Just as they all tensed and leaped away from the earth—

Boom!

The ground erupted.

Debris scattered from the explosion in all directions.

Through the billowing wreckage—

Crack-crack-crack!

Trees that had been rooted in the walls surged upward in unison, filling the crater as the blast swept those caught in it, and wooden spikes lanced toward them from below.

It was the Wood Heaven Style—a secret technique of the Grayza Family to which Anyx belonged.

“Everyone, grab hold!”

The moment Anyx shouted, the members of Ssang-A Squad swiftly used the trees as footholds and avoided the fall.

Having faced World Erosion in days past, they reacted without panic, making quick decisions.

“Is everyone all right?”
“Yes, we’re fine!”
“We’re unharmed!”

Listening to the responses coming from all directions, Anyx’s eyes narrowed.

Maran’s Sensory Detection, as a member of Ssang-A Squad, was remarkably broad—broad enough to have earned him a place among Staron’s Seven.

Anyx trusted Maran considerably, and yet someone had moved before his senses could react.

That someone was none other than Krash.

‘He was far faster than Maran.’

It seemed Krash had already sensed the floor’s collapse long beforehand.

Maran had detected it only much later.

That meant one thing: Krash possessed a far broader Sensory Detection than Maran.

‘With combat ability like that. And an even wider sensing capacity than Maran’s.’

Anyx had witnessed Krash’s combat during the entrance examination.

He had seen with his own eyes how much Krash had grown there.

It was something that transcended mere bloodsoaked effort—something beyond explanation.

And as he watched that sight, Anyx’s fist had clenched hard.

‘Balheim.’

It was the moment he understood anew what that name truly meant.

It was the moment his eyes, standing upon the Wooden Branch that had sprouted from the wall, gleamed quietly.

“Master Anyx!”

Elfin’s voice reached him from a distance.

She hurried toward him using the wooden foothold Anyx had created.

“I can’t see Master Krash anywhere!”
“What?”

Anyx’s eyes widened sharply.

Then he hastily began searching his surroundings.

Nothing.

Krash was nowhere to be seen.

Anyx’s gaze snapped downward.

Beneath the crumbling debris lay a chasm so deep that no bottom was visible.

Had he fallen?

‘No. That can’t be.’

Krash had clearly known the floor would give way.

Yet he wasn’t here.

In that moment, Anyx realized someone else was missing too.

“…Elfin, where’s Haring?”
“What?”

Elfin belatedly scanned their surroundings.

She’d been slow to check—thinking of them first as faction members rather than fellow Ssang-A Squad personnel.

Haring was nowhere to be seen.

Which meant—

“Don’t tell me Krash…”
“He went down after her. Had to have.”

Anyx clicked his tongue sharply.

That Krash had gone was one thing; failing to keep track of Haring was his own mistake.

Exceptional as she was, Haring remained a second-year student.

She couldn’t have been prepared for something like this—and Krash, knowing that, had likely stepped in to handle it.

Anyx’s brow tightened slightly.

The Ssang-A Squad was his charge.

Everything that happened within it fell squarely on his shoulders.

He exhaled slowly.

His eyes fixed on the pitch-black void below.

“Everyone, make ready. We go down.”

He had to find the second-years, now.

＊ ＊ ＊

Far below, in the depths.

Krash pushed off the walls and landed lightly on solid ground.

The moment the floor above erupted, Krash had seen Anyx react—and without hesitation, he’d descended.

After all, it was a chance to venture into the heart of Night God’s Tomb alone.

So when he moved to act on his own initiative, without warning—

Krash glanced back when an unexpected figure descended after him.

“Why did you follow me down?”

The one who touched ground in Krash’s wake was none other than Haring, a second-year student just like him.

Krash hadn’t expected her to descend as well, and he turned to stare at her with a bewildered expression.

At that, Haring touched the back of her neck and looked away.

“It looked like you were falling.”

Contrary to Anyx’s assumption, Haring hadn’t actually fallen.

When she saw Krash plummet rapidly through the broken floor below, she judged that he was falling and followed suit.

But as she watched him lightly push off the walls to slow his descent, she realized he wasn’t falling at all.

By then it was too late.

Krash’s expression grew even more bewildered as he took in what she’d said.

“Me? Falling?”

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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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