I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 133

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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 133. The Origin of Doping

Staron’s students had thrown themselves into their Doping Self-Destruct with total commitment.

Thanks to that, the Staron students had more than pulled their weight.

But their opponents were veterans of countless irregular situations like this.

Noticing that the Poison Aura’s effective duration wasn’t as long as they’d hoped, they obstinately stalled for time until the Staron students collapsed.

The result: six Staron students fell, while the Imperial Faction—now somewhat acclimated to the tactic—suffered only four casualties.

On Krash’s side, only Haring and Krash remained standing.

By contrast, Pandra’s side still had Arsolder and one more Imperial Faction member.

So the numerical disadvantage had tilted toward Krash, exactly as they’d planned.

But Pandra’s expression darkened.

This entire plan had been designed to bring Krash down.

At this rate, even if he defeated Krash, the credit would almost certainly go entirely to Arsolder.

And worse—Krash was still at full strength.

Pandra knew firsthand just how devastating his Instantaneous Power could be.

‘If Arsolder falls here….’

Pandra understood perfectly well that he’d face backlash from the other Imperial Faction powers.

Though Arsolder probably wouldn’t care either way.

Pandra had ambitions to rise within the central nobility.

“Libra.”

So Pandra turned his gaze toward the Imperial Faction member whose long hair was tied back.

The man wore a white scarf wound tightly around his neck, making his appearance distinctive.

Libra was from the Raitness Family, the most remote provincial noble house, positioned at the very fringe of the empire.

Their territory was desolate wasteland, more wilderness than civilization.

Libra Raitness was the direct heir of that nomadic clan.

“We can win this.”

And he was the one among the provincial powers Pandra trusted most.

As always, the man let out a long yawn, rubbing his eyes as he spoke.

“Dunno.”

He never gave a straight answer.

But skill never lies.

He climbed onto the Arena with an unhurried gait.

Seeing this, Krash spoke to Haring, who was about to ascend.

“That one’s quite strong. Be careful.”
“Got it. Leave it to me.”

Haring climbed onto the Arena with her response.

As she took the stage, Libra let out a long yawn.

Unlike his perpetually drowsy appearance, Haring held two Daggers and regarded him quietly.

“Begin!”

The referee student’s signal came at once.

Haring’s form vanished along with Invisibility.

As Haring disappeared, Libra continued to yawn languidly.

“Libra, fight properly!”

At Pandra’s shout, Libra opened his eyes halfway and glanced casually around.

It was Invisibility—both presence and form completely erased.

There was no way Libra could track an Invisibility that even Krash’s Sixth Sense couldn’t follow.

At the moment he scratched his head in confusion.

A sensation struck his flank, and his body lurched.

“Ouch.”

As his body recoiled, his side tore slightly, blood droplets spraying.

It wasn’t a deep wound.

Libra had withdrawn his body before the Daggers could dig deeper.

In his gaze, Haring appeared—Invisibility dispelled, Daggers thrust forward.

By the time Libra drew his sword to counterattack, Haring had already pulled back, vanishing once more into Invisibility.

Libra’s eyes opened wider.

She was a trickier opponent than he’d expected.

“Hmm.”

As he stroked his chin, he came to a decision.

“This won’t be easy.”

He rolled up his sleeves.

In that instant, the Weighted Chain wound around his arm beneath his sleeve came loose with a whisper and uncoiled downward.

At the same time, Libra began spinning the chain—weighted with a metal sphere at its end—in lazy, deliberate circles.

“Whoa, Libra’s using that thing. Everyone back!”

The student referee standing near the Arena didn’t even look back before fleeing, and the other students recoiled in alarm.

And soon Libra’s Weighted Chain began its assault.

Crack! Clang! Bang-bang-crash!

The chain elongated endlessly across the Arena, a whirlwind of iron and malice.

It tore through the Arena itself, the Weighted Chain rampaging outward in all directions.

The chain’s assault was so violent that its shockwave carried beyond the Arena’s boundaries.

Crash!

And naturally, even Haring, cloaked in Invisibility, couldn’t evade the entire onslaught.

She dropped the Invisibility and drew her Aura, batting the chain away with her Dagger.

The numbness traveling up her arm told her exactly how much force was behind each strike.

“Found you.”

The chain that had touched her Dagger snapped and coiled around her arm in a flash.

Before the startled Haring could react, Libra’s arm muscles bulged with power.

His arm, suffused with Aura, yanked the chain taut in an instant.

Haring’s body lifted off the ground as she was hauled toward Libra at blinding speed.

But Haring was no mere novice.

Even as she was being dragged, she twisted her body and hurled her Dagger straight at Libra.

Seeing the blade streak toward his head with lethal precision, Libra twisted his face aside at once.

But what met him in the space where his head had been was Haring’s leg.

Thud!

The blow landed with sickening clarity, and Libra’s head snapped back.

Haring kicked off his face and sailed backward, catching the Dagger she’d thrown as she landed on her feet.

Then she brought the Dagger down against the chain.

The Poison Aura flowing from the blade hissed against the metal with a sharp, burning sound.

She intended to cut through the chain and free herself.

Clang!

The chain suddenly tightened again.

When Haring lifted her head, Libra’s face was pale, blood streaming from his nose, which he wiped away carelessly with his sleeve.

“It stings.”

With that, Libra pulled on the chain again.

Haring had no choice against his strength—her arm was yanked forward and her body dragged across the ground.

Haring’s brow furrowed slightly.

Because Libra looked far too intact.

“He’s waiting for the poison to circulate through him.”

At that, Libra snorted away the nosebleed and spoke.

“Your family sends us poison materials all the time. We’re used to it.”

The Raitness Family controlled not only flatlands but also vast forests.

It was the Raitness Family itself that harvested poison ingredients from those woods and sent them to the Laguen Family.

So Libra, having been exposed to poison materials since childhood, had built considerable immunity to toxins.

Realizing this too late, Haring’s eyes narrowed.

She understood at once that the matchup favored him.

“Let’s finish this. I want to sleep.”

The moment those words left his mouth—

Libra began swinging the Weighted Chain wildly, the one bound to Haring.

Her body was dragged along with the chain, and she was hurled toward the ground like a weight at the end of it.

Crash! Bang! Crash!

With each deafening impact, Haring slammed against the Arena floor repeatedly.

Those watching couldn’t bear it and squeezed their eyes shut.

“Well done, Libra!”

Pandra shouted eagerly as he watched Libra.

With Invisibility and Poison sealed away, this was Libra’s dominant victory.

As he exclaimed with delight, he turned to look at Krash.

Three remained: himself, Libra, and Arsolder.

Too heavy a burden for Krash to carry alone.

As he wore a smug expression, his eyes met Krash’s.

Even as Haring was being battered, Krash’s expression remained unchanged from the start.

In the moment Pandra realized this, doubt flickered across his face.

“Gah.”

Libra suddenly spat a mouthful of blood and staggered.

His eyes went wide.

His vision began to blur.

‘Poison?’

Had the poison from earlier finally spread through his body now?

Doubt clouded Libra’s gaze.

He was immune to ordinary poisons.

All poisons were fundamentally similar in nature, cycling through the same principles—nothing that would work against him in a match.

“Did you use some instant-death poison in a duel?”

Libra was thinking that even if true, it seemed excessive, when Haring hauled herself up from the ground, battered and unsteady.

The Weighted Chain still bound her hands.

“I didn’t use anything like that.”

She spat blood pooled in her mouth onto the floor—her lips were torn from biting down—and her violet eyes gleamed.

“I just used something new.”

Recently, Haring had been researching Poison and Curse alongside Darling and Dorma.

Through that work, and with Dorma’s guidance, she’d acquired a new poison herself.

It was the result of what Krash had done with Poison and Curse to create an instant-enhancement elixir—she had alchemized a new poison by fusing Poison and Curse together.

Though still crude, allowing her to handle only lower-tier Curses, it had already greatly expanded the scope of her poisons.

‘He’ll grow stronger still.’

In Haring’s eyes, Krash would only continue to become stronger.

She didn’t know what his goal was, but he had saved her twice.

If that was the case, she would follow him, repaying that debt.

She reached into her Poison Pouch.

Though Libra had lost much strength from the poison-curse, he remained formidable.

The Weighted Chain itself was made of no ordinary material—even her acid-coated Dagger couldn’t corrode it.

So she changed her approach.

From the pouch came a single Jincheong Pill.

A pill that amplified muscle strength during the poison’s effect cycle.

“This won’t do.”

Even as his vision swam, Libra immediately hoisted the Weighted Chain to prevent Haring from seizing the advantage.

Haring, already drained of much of her strength, was lifted skyward by the motion.

But by then she had already placed the Jincheong Pill between her teeth.

Crack!

With the sound of the pill shattering, Haring felt a vitality surge through her body unlike anything before.

Simultaneously, awash in amplified power, she snatched the Weighted Chain from mid-air with her own hand.

Then, suspended high above, she pulled the chain upward with raw force.

Whoooosh!

With absurd strength, Libra—clearly rooted to the ground moments before—was instead yanked skyward by the chain.

His eyes snapped wide open before he could even react, dragged upward in an instant.

Libra began to swing his sword, but Haring’s Dagger was already thrusting toward him.

Clang!

Libra’s sword and Haring’s Dagger collided, forcing his body apart.

And in that opening, Haring’s leg extended once more.

“Ugh.”

Thud!

With Libra’s gasp, Haring’s heel drove precisely into his jaw.

His head snapped back, and he was launched downward.

Boom!

A deafening crash erupted, and dust billowed up from the impact.

Through the settling dust, Haring touched down lightly.

Gradually, the dust began to clear.

There lay Libra, spread-eagle on his back, eyes closed.

He wasn’t unconscious, but moving seemed beyond him.

“I yield.”
“Haring of the Laguen Family, victory!”

The moment Libra declared his surrender, the referee—a student watching from a distance—cried out immediately.

Hearing that call, Haring spun sharply to look at Krash.

It was a habit from childhood—whenever she accomplished something, she’d look to him like this, seeking his praise.

When their eyes met, Haring suddenly became aware of what she’d done without thinking.

A flush of embarrassment crept across her face, but Krash simply nodded.

“Well done.”

And at his praise, she felt a warmth bloom quietly inside her.

“You can come down now.”

When Krash said so, Haring turned her body.

“I can do more.”

Hearing her stubbornness, Krash’s brow tightened slightly, but he let out a long sigh.

He should have known she’d say that.

“Libra, you idiot.”

In that moment, Pandra climbed up to where Libra had gone, muttering in irritation.

His plans had fallen to pieces, and he was in a foul mood.

Above all, he found Glen and Haring—Imperial agents working for that side—utterly galling.

“Juniors, I never imagined those of you favored by the Empire could be so foolish.”

As Haring listened to his words, she steadied her breathing.

The impact from Libra’s attack and the aftereffects of the Jincheong Pill were beginning to settle in.

“Ready.”

She shook her head, trying to clear her dimming focus.

She could still do more.

If she could plant even one dagger and inject her poison, Krash would have the easier path to victory.

She gripped the dagger tightly.

“Begin!”

It was the moment Haring activated Invisibility at that signal.

Her vision clouded over.

Through the haze, Pandra slowly raised his glasses.

“So you resort to the same tired tricks.”

A storm of blade-dust began to rage outward from Pandra at its center.

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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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