I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 121

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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 121. Madness Spreads

Anyx of Grayza.

The eldest son of House Grayza, a nobleman destined to lead Starlon.

He would later earn the name Mokgung and join Samgyeol, positioning himself as a pillar of the Starry Generation.

Yet now, staring at the choice he’d made, he swallowed a hollow laugh.

He was buying three minutes against a monster that clearly lay beyond his capacity—alongside members of Ssang-A-Dan.

And he was doing it while trusting in a strategy that wasn’t even certain to work.

The only person he was truly counting on was Krash.

In effect, the survival of every Ssang-A-Dan member hung on him alone.

If Krash failed, the Ssang-A-Dan fighters—exhausted from buying time—wouldn’t even escape. They’d be annihilated.

If they were lucky, perhaps a handful would live to see another day.

‘Me, who always makes rational choices.’

How had he ended up making a choice like this?

A memory surfaced in Anyx’s mind—of that day, two years past.

The Sacred Ground of Stars, two years ago.

The day he’d been struck by a boy he’d met at Ara Dragon Manor, unleashing all his power in a single blow.

Boom!

“Lord Anyx!”

In that instant, Elfin’s cry pierced the air as Decarabia’s four arms stretched downward.

A torrent of tentacles erupted from those four limbs.

Each bundle of tentacles, laden with curses, immediately targeted the Ssang-A-Dan members.

Enraged that Krash had vanished, the creature launched a massive assault to find him.

Witnessing this, Anyx struck the wooden floor beneath him with a sharp boom.

In that moment, Anyx’s Recovery merged with the Wood Heaven Style, and timber erupted upward, wrapping around him like a shield.

Crack, crunch, crunch-crack!

The tentacle bundles collided with the wood, the elastic appendages compressed and crushed.

A sickening noise screamed across the timber again and again.

But the four fists that came flying after—those he could not stop.

Crunch!

The reinforced wood collapsed under a single blow.

Through the gap, Decarabia reached out once more.

But Anyx was not alone in this.

The members of Ssang-A-Dan leapt as one and unleashed their attacks upon the extended limb.

Crack, crunch!

Without a mage, large-scale barrage attacks were impossible.

Because of this, their strikes could do little more than slice through the tentacle and leave shallow marks on its hide.

Yet it was enough to provoke Decarabia’s fury.

“Graaaaaaah!”

Decarabia shrieked as though disgusted by insects gnawing at its flesh, and began thrashing its arms wildly.

Anyx immediately caught the blows with wood or created platforms, shielding every member before they could be struck.

A grunt escaped him.

All this continuous exertion was taking its toll.

Anyx suddenly felt the severe drain on his Aura, and strain crashed down upon him.

But he bit his lip and forced himself to bear it.

Cold sweat poured from him as he continued to support the Ssang-A-Dan members.

Normally, he would never push himself this far.

But if not for him, none of these people would walk away alive.

Headaches pounded in Anyx’s skull.

Yet he ignored the pain and drew deeper still upon the Wood Heaven Style.

And this image resembled someone very closely.

Anyx recalled a particular figure with sudden clarity.

A boy his own age who gave everything, who would burn his own body to ashes if it meant transcending his limits.

The same boy who had been trampled so cruelly, overshadowed by the star that was Charlotte—a brilliance that outshone even Anyx.

Krash.

Anyx had been blessed with acclaim since the moment of his birth.

He was the eldest son of the Grayza house, and possessed innate talent besides.

After signing a contract with a god, Anyx’s life had been an unbroken ascent.

No one dared look down on him; instead, they vied for his favor.

Even the princess of Starlon had become so enamored with him that she followed him about like a shadow.

But that day.

Anyx faced someone who denied everything he was.

Not counterfeit stars small like himself.

An overwhelming star that shone brighter than the world itself, beyond Starlon.

Charlotte Balheim.

When Anyx first met her at the Sacred Ground of Stars, Charlotte was beautiful.

In those distinctive eyes lay an arrogance and nobility without parallel.

It was not something anyone could possess.

It was a privilege granted only to the strong.

So Anyx found himself fascinated by Charlotte.

He wondered just how formidable she truly was, this woman who, like him, was called a genius.

And he reached for a box he should never have opened.

Against Charlotte, Anyx could do nothing.

The Wood Heaven Style he took pride in shattered from a single stroke of her blade, and her movements were too fast to follow with his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, all he felt was pain radiating from his face.

His face had been crushed against Charlotte’s sword blade.

‘A calamity. They say Balheim is a den of monsters, and it seems they weren’t wrong.’

Elfin, one of the Samgyeol who had been broken alongside him, swallowed a bitter laugh and cradled her fractured arm.

‘Wow, she’s really strong. I want to fight her again!’

And Ballak, the third of the Samgyeol, displayed his competitive spirit despite both legs being shattered.

But Anyx was different.

Unlike Elfin, he could not muster pure respect and acknowledgment.

Unlike Ballak, he could not feel longing for strength or competitive fire.

Anyx could feel neither.

He was Anyx, who had once reigned at the apex of the Sacred Ground of Stars.

Had he at least fought Charlotte to a standstill, it would have been different.

But he had suffered a one-sided beating.

For Anyx, it felt as though all the pride and dignity he had built thus far had been utterly shattered.

From that moment on, the time Anyx spent training began to diminish steadily.

There was reason enough.

Even if he devoted every moment of his life to cultivation, Charlotte would surpass him with a single stride.

Following in her shadow his entire life, the best title he could hope for was second-place—nothing more.

For Anyx, who had lived his whole life as the first, this truth was unbearable.

So Anyx let go.

Rather than chase desperately after her heels, it was better to do nothing at all and simply exist as he was.

Yet even as he resigned himself, Anyx could not tear his eyes away from Charlotte.

The more he looked, the more he understood how blind he had become.

Somewhere along the way, he had begun watching her every move, every day.

Though he knew the rose had thorns, his hand kept reaching toward her anyway.

Then came the day.

A figure entered Anyx’s field of vision.

It was none other than Charlotte’s brother, Krash Balheim.

When Anyx saw Krash, what he felt was intrigue.

‘I wonder what Charlotte’s brother is like—just a small, idle curiosity.’

Because he too had heard the rumors that Krash was half-witted.

So he threw down a very simple provocation.

He was curious how Krash fared, crushed as he must be under the colossal shadow of his sister.

And then.

Anyx witnessed a sword stroke that cleaved the heavens.

A single will to fell his opponent even if it meant his own destruction.

The Krash that Anyx faced was indeed half-witted.

Iron forged over countless hours of hammering and tempering.

Krash was like that iron.

And against such a Krash, Anyx had essentially lost.

He no longer had the confidence to stand against even a single stroke of Krash’s blade.

Yet why was it?

Anyx had begun to train again.

Watching Krash—who had lived under Charlotte’s shadow even more than Anyx himself—refuse to yield.

The thought began to take root: perhaps it was too early for him to surrender.

And shame gnawed at him too.

Here was he, lauded as one of the Samgyeol, broken twice by a brother and sister.

For the sake of his tattered pride, he had taken up training anew.

And word of Krash continued to reach his ears.

The singular resolve Krash had shown that day proved to be no fleeting thing.

Krash had gone on to accomplish deeds that made all of Starlon speak in hushed tones.

Each time Anyx heard such news, he found himself pouring even greater focus into his training.

Krash has not surrendered.

And so neither would he.

Then came the entrance ceremony, when he saw Krash again.

Krash had achieved the feat of toppling Associate Professor Kairan.

Witnessing it firsthand, a smile and a fierce competitive spirit played across Anyx’s lips.

If you can reach that height, then I can reach it too—such hope bloomed within him.

And now he stood here.

A testament that all his accumulated training had not been in vain.

Anyx, together with the members of Ssang-A-Dan, was holding back Decarabia head-on.

‘Why is this happening?’

Each time he approached his limits, his concentration only climbed higher.

With no thought of letting a single person fall, his concentration had surged to its extreme, pressing toward an entirely new realm.

That was what a genius was.

When faced with crisis and the wall of one’s limits drew near, they took one more step forward to transcend it.

Only such people truly deserved the name of genius.

And Anyx, too, stood among the ranks of such geniuses.

Anyx’s Wood Heaven Style grew ever more refined.

His Wood Heaven Style gripped Decarabia with such suffocating precision that the monster grew increasingly aware of Anyx’s overwhelming presence.

“Elfin!”
“Yes, right away!”

Elfin, gasping for breath, shot upward on feathered wings and blocked one of Decarabia’s arms.

With concentration pushed to its absolute limit, Anyx had no sense of how much time remained.

“Krahh!”

In that instant, one of the Ssang-A-Dan members, exposed to the venom seeping from Decarabia’s tentacles, fell.

Anyx immediately caught the member with a Wooden Branch and secured them against the outer wall, shielding them from harm.

Ssang-A-Dan members continued to be whittled away.

Each retirement added to the count.

And each one multiplied Anyx’s burden.

It was in that moment.

Decarabia decided things could not continue as they were and wrenched its mouth wide open.

Light began gathering in the creature’s maw.

The instant Anyx saw it, his hair stood on end.

Danger.

If that struck directly, there would be no time to stall—it would be over.

“Everyone, fall back!”

Without hesitation, Anyx forced his Wood Heaven Style to its maximum.

Crrraaaash!

Behind Anyx, massive arms and a towering body surged upward.

A giant of wood rose before them, its frame matching Decarabia’s own.

Wood Heaven Style.

Fifth Form.

Wood Heaven Giant.

Anyx gripped his throbbing head as he thrust the Wood Heaven Giant forward.

The Giant, now one with Anyx, swung its arm in a massive arc, following his fist.

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-crash!

The Wood Heaven Giant’s enormous fist, swung across the plaza, crashed down on Decarabia’s face.

Boom!

“Grraaaah!”

The beam of light streaming from Decarabia was severed in an instant—the creature hadn’t managed to dodge the fist in time.

“As expected of Anyx!”
“Hold the line! We’re almost there!”

Everyone exhaled in relief at the sight—but in that very moment—

The beam of light that they’d thought had vanished from Decarabia’s maw began pouring forth once more.

“No!”

By the time Anyx moved to intercept, it was already too late.

A flash erupted across the ceiling.

Everything caught in that radiance was hurled backward in unison, and Anyx’s Wood Heaven Giant shattered.

The members of Ssang-A-Dan who’d been standing beneath it were swept up in the concussive wave.

The Ssang-A-Dan members lost consciousness.

Even Elfin’s resolve wavered for a moment—Decarabia’s flash was potent enough to kill them all.

But before them—

Trees surged upward, layering upon themselves with frenzied intensity.

Endless barriers of timber rose and rose, binding the ceiling, coiling around it again and again.

The Wood Heaven Style.

Third Form.

Mokcheon Long Wall.

The rate at which the trees grew far exceeded any speed Anyx had yet displayed.

Blood poured from Anyx’s nose.

His eyes had turned a vivid crimson from the excessive expenditure of Aura.

Yet Anyx continued pouring every ounce of his Aura into that barrier without pause.

Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash-crash-crash!

At last, the pulsing flash descended upon the Mokcheon Long Wall that Anyx had erected.

The flash began to obliterate the entire barrier.

Yet Anyx’s Mokcheon Long Wall did not end.

Recovery poured forth ceaselessly, spawning new wood in its wake, unfurling an endless barricade.

A barrier that approached infinity continued to block the flash’s path without end.

Splash!

Blood streamed from Anyx’s mouth.

His body trembled violently as it pushed past its limits.

A shock that threatened to steal his consciousness hammered through him.

Yet still, Anyx’s Mokcheon Long Wall held.

Crack—

And then, at last, Decarabia’s radiance faltered first.

Seeing the light fade, hope bloomed across the faces of the Ssang-A-Dan members.

Anyx, having poured everything out, dropped to his knees on the wooden floor as if to say it was over.

Barely any Aura remained in him.

Thud!

In that moment, something crashed down onto the fractured wooden barrier.

The wooden wall shuddered violently, and Decarabia’s face became visible between the splinters.

Every face drained of color.

The attack Anyx had repelled with all his might was merely one attempt among Decarabia’s assault.

Just as despair began to settle into their eyes—

“Three minutes!”

Elfin’s voice cut through.

Whoosh—

Wind swept across the arena.

And within that torrent of air—

two figures descended, their hair streaming behind them.

One was a boy with dark blue hair.

The other was a girl whose locks mingled black and deep purple.

Their clothes billowed as remnants of black flame whipped violently around them.

The heat radiating from both was so intense that even those at a distance felt its searing touch.

Through the black flame, the boy Krash’s eyes gleamed with crystalline clarity.

Anyx, seeing that, smiled with relief.

His part was done.

“Krash, drive it home with everything.”

Anyx spoke, and in the same breath, collapsed where he stood.

Decarabia, sensing danger far too late, lifted his head backward.

But it was already too late.

The scabbard that had sheathed Krash’s blade was shattering apart in a burst of lightning.

“Grrrraaaaaahhh!”

The moment Decarabia screamed and thrust out his hand—

As if mocking his desperate thrashing—

Because Anyx had refused to yield, suppressing and suppressing until he reached the black flame, it finally poured forth into the world.

Extinguish-Fire Erosion.

Third Form.

Extinguish-Fire Heaven Thunder.

The storm of black flame swallowed the plaza whole.

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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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