I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills - Chapter 18

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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 18. Crimsongarden August

An immortal.

Crimsongarden August.

Krashu had once tried to steal her Immortality long ago.

But it had not been his own will.

‘Arthur.’

He had commanded Krashu to do it to the Crimsongarden standing before him.

But Krashu had failed.

Because of a single Dial created to steal her Immortality.

The condition was simple.

He had to be stronger than Crimsongarden August.

And that one condition alone, Krashu could not meet.

Back then, Krashu was nothing but a cursed lump with a stubborn streak of vitality.

Even after Krashu failed to steal from her, Arthur said nothing and simply dismembered Crimsongarden, then submerged her directly in the Lava Cave.

Adding that she would spend eternity there, dissolving and regenerating in endless cycles.

‘Arthur wanted me to steal her Immortality so he could use me as a tool to absorb curses that never died.’

That was why he could display such an attitude.

Krashu looked at the present Crimsongarden before him.

After Krashu revealed his skill, she remained frozen, unable to speak.

It was only natural.

The skill was the only way to erase the Immortality that cursed her.

So it was only after some time had passed that Crimsongarden, who had been silent, opened her mouth again.

“What are the terms.”

And her eyes turned serious for the first time.

The mockery from just moments before had vanished entirely, and in Crimsongarden’s steady gaze, Krashu felt sincerity.

She wanted to erase her Immortality at any cost.

“Help me grow stronger.”

And Krashu immediately spoke aloud the terms of the deal he had been thinking about from the start.

Krashu had certainly grown stronger.

And he would grow stronger still.

He could steal more skills, master hidden techniques, refine them — and ultimately become a true powerhouse.

But that was merely the realm of genius at best.

And Krashu knew all too well how powerless genius became in the face of annihilation.

Genius changes the world.

But genius cannot protect it.

The world demanded something greater than genius.

So Krashu would stop at nothing.

Even if the one before him was an agent of World Erosion, Krashu was prepared to devour everything in his path.

Crimsongarden was a force to be reckoned with — her mastery of her art alone rivaled Arthur.

With her aid, he could become undoubtedly stronger than he was now.

‘I have no intention of perishing alongside this world.’

The truth was, to Krashu, the world had been nothing but cruel.

Born a pauper, he’d endured every hardship imaginable — only to be denied recognition and betrayed by those he called comrades.

Part of him wanted simply to let it all collapse.

And yet.

This world was where he lived.

Without it, there was no him.

It was not for others’ sake.

He held back annihilation for himself alone — to survive.

So Krashu would endure, and endure again, striving once more to prevent the world’s end.

That was Krashu Balhim.

The pauper treated as a freak.

“This is the condition for erasing your Immortality.”

To unlock Crimsongarden’s Dial, he needed to grow stronger than her.

Whether that strength was something visible to the eye or merely her perception remained unknown.

But the Dial had made it clear.

So in a sense, Krashu and Crimsongarden’s aims aligned perfectly.

If Krashu grew stronger, the Dial’s condition would be satisfied, and he could take her Immortality away.

Which meant Crimsongarden too had reason to make Krashu strong.

“A condition imposed by the skill itself.”
“Right. If you can’t meet that condition, even I can’t take your Immortality from you.”

Hearing Krashu’s words, Crimsongarden regarded him with arms folded across her chest.

‘Not a lie, then.’

There was no way a Regressor would propose such a bargain to her without giving it serious thought.

‘Make me stronger.’

For some reason, a dry laugh escaped her.

Did this child have any idea what those words truly meant?

That she would become a disciple of the Dragon King’s lineage itself.

‘…Yes, rather than endlessly pursuing the meaningless while raising the grade of World Erosion, it might be worthwhile to cultivate something certain that stands right before me.’

One who could kill her.

She had deliberately investigated while raising the grade of World Erosion in search of such a person.

But then Krashu appeared before her without warning.

If he could free her from Immortality, she would sell her very soul.

What did it matter if he became her disciple?

A provocative smile played across her lips for the first time in ages.

“Good. If that’s the condition, I’ll nurture you. I’ll raise you to be the strongest in this world.”

Seeing Crimsongarden’s confidence, Krashu felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

Then he rose from his seat and extended his hand.

“Then I’ll be in your care. Crim.”
“Yes, I’ll also—”

In that instant, Crimsongarden’s face hardened.

“What, you brat? What did you just call me?”
“Crimsongarden’s too long to say.”

Crimsongarden wore an expression of disbelief, but Krashu remained unperturbed.

‘Only that man ever called me Crim.’

She had never imagined that in this world, another would call her by that name. She exhaled sharply, then clenched her fist.

“Call me Master.”

And with that, she brought her fist down upon Krashu’s head as a teacher would.

＊ ＊ ＊

Krashu, who hadn’t expected to catch a blow to the head, completed the investigation alongside the familiar that had returned with Crimsongarden in her investigator form.

Still nursing the lingering ache in his skull, he was touching his head when a bird pecked at the carriage window with its beak—tap, tap.

The bird was a vivid scarlet, with a black spot on its neck like a mark of distinction.

When Krashu opened the window, the bird hopped onto his shoulder.

“Crimsongarden, isn’t that color a bit conspicuous?”

The moment he spoke her name, the bird lunged for his cheek with its beak.

This was yet another familiar that Crimsongarden had sent.

“Don’t worry. I can change the color whenever I like.”

With that, Crimsongarden shifted her plumage to black.

“How’s that? I matched it to your useless apprentice’s hair color. You’re just like a crow—ugly as sin.”
“Thanks for the compliment. Crows are intelligent, after all.”
“You’ve got a black heart to match, so the comparison fits perfectly.”

Krashu was seriously contemplating roasting this bird.

He was genuinely considering it.

“So where’s your main body?”

Sending a familiar meant her true form was elsewhere.

At his question, she ruffled her feathers.

“You already know, don’t you?”
“That whole Regressor business.”

Indeed, Krashu understood her condition well enough.

She was Immortality.

More precisely, an Immortality locked in eternal sleep.

Her true body lay somewhere in this world with eyes closed, dreaming.

And there was only one way to wake from that sleep: to erase the Immortality.

So she wanted to erase it.

Eternal sleep was, in some ways, more terrible than death itself.

That was why Crimsongarden controlled more familiars than any other World Erosion entity.

Through their eyes, she could see the waking world—not dreams, but reality.

‘And yet with those familiars, she’d matched Arthur’s combat strength.’

Though admittedly, all those familiars had died in the process.

Looking at that alone, wasn’t Crimsongarden’s main body stronger than Arthur?

‘Still, her body got torn to pieces and thrown into lava. There’s no way to know for certain.’

In that interval, the carriage lurched beneath him.

At last, the carriage had begun to move.

Good riddance to the tedious Main Family.

For now, I mustn’t return for anything.

‘Though once Father returns soon enough, I suppose I’ll have to stop by at least once.’

Until then, farewell.

After some four hours in the carriage had passed, Krashu finally arrived at Cheongsong Manor.

Having been gone only a handful of days, he felt almost as though returning home—when he spotted something white trotting toward the carriage with quickening footsteps.

At the sight of it, Krashu’s mind conjured the image of a white chick.

That chick was none other than Bianca.

She approached him as he descended from the carriage and spoke.

“Welcome back.”

His betrothed had come to greet him, it seemed.

To judge by the way she clutched a book to her chest, she’d been reading when she heard the carriage and hurried out.

Her expression still blank, Bianca circled him lightly once.

He was wondering what she was doing when she nodded.

“You’re not injured.”
“Did you wish I’d come back wounded?”
“I heard it was dangerous.”

So she had been concerned after all.

“This is as quickly as I could manage.”

“Nothing, save that a letter arrived for you, sir.”
“A letter?”

‘Darling.’

Darling, the future master of Silver Star Fortress.

It hadn’t seemed so long since returning from the Silver Star Holy Ground.

There was no reason for her to contact him so soon.

Krashu tore open the letter and scanned its contents.

A moment later, his expression grew incredulous.

‘So that’s what she’s really like.’

The letter said she’d developed a cure for the Color-changing Disease and would visit soon.

To create a cure for the Color-changing Disease in such a short time.

Krashu glanced at Aliod.

“This seems to be good news for you.”
“Sir?”

Since Aliod had a daughter afflicted with the Color-changing Disease, Krashu told him this and carefully folded the letter back into his pocket.

“A guest will be arriving soon. When Darling comes, show her in.”
“Yes, understood, sir.”

Aliod lowered his head immediately, despite his unspoken questions—the very picture of professionalism.

Which was precisely why Krashu kept him at his side.

It was then that Krashu noticed Bianca standing motionless in his peripheral vision, watching him intently.

“Young Master, Bianca was quite worried about you.”

Aliod whispered this to Krashu in confidence.

‘Bianca was worried?’

Her?

Since returning to the past, he’d grown close to her after a fashion.

But even so, the idea that she’d actually worried seemed implausible.

“When word came that you were involved in the World Erosion incident, she wanted to go to the Main Family.”

But hearing that she’d actually tried to seek out the Main Family for him, Krashu recognized the sincerity behind it.

So she could feel worry, even without emotion.

Though that was less emotion than a matter of reason, come to think of it.

Now that he thought about it, it had been a while since he’d checked the Dial on her last.

By this point, wouldn’t she have become something like a friend?

Krashu immediately activated the Black Hood.

A Dial materialized before his eyes.

Krashu, who had been watching the Dial with half-lidded eyes, suddenly opened them wide.

‘The first Dial has unlocked.’

Bianca’s first Dial, which had been sealed all this time, had finally come undone.

Krashu met Bianca’s gaze as she looked at him with an expressionless face.

Still, it seemed he had become something like a friend to her by now.

The effort of looking after her all this while felt worthwhile.

Only one Dial remained.

With this, Bianca would soon recover her emotions.

For some reason in good spirits, Krashu lifted his hand and gently stroked Bianca’s hair.

At that, Bianca looked at him with a bewildered expression.

But she didn’t seem to dislike the gesture, so she sat still.

“Bianca, have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”

She still had so much growing to do—no point in letting her go hungry.

“Aliod, prepare something delicious for her.”
“Yes, understood.”

As Krashu watched Aliod hurry off to prepare the meal, a raven-shaped Crimsongarden waddled out from the carriage and alighted upon his shoulder.

Seeing this, Bianca’s eyes widened slightly.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce—she’s a new family member.”

Krashu noticed Bianca’s gleaming eyes and lowered himself to show Crimsongarden more clearly.

Bianca then carefully raised her small hand and stroked Crimsongarden’s feathers.

“…It’s soft.”

Crimsongarden didn’t seem to mind Bianca’s touch either, remaining perfectly still.

“What’s her name?”

She didn’t seem curious at all about why he’d brought a raven along.

Did Bianca like animals?

Looking at Bianca as she asked the raven’s name, Krashu’s lips curved into a mischievous smile.

“Crimsongarden.”

The pinch he gave Crimsongarden afterward remains a secret.

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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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