I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills

After finishing his promise with Charlotte, Kraush parted ways with her and moved along.

It wasn’t long before he sensed someone approaching nearby.

When Kraush turned his head, there stood a woman with ash-gray hair tied up, her sharp shark-like features standing out.

“Yo, little brother.”

Seeing her act so nonchalant about what could have been a crisis earlier, Kraush let out a sigh.

“If things went wrong with Rona, the fact that you’re a servant of the Crimson Garden could have been exposed. How can you act so carefree?”

“Wahaha, I’ll admit, that was a bit nerve-wracking. Rona may be reckless, but she doesn’t lie.”

It seemed like she wasn’t excluding herself from being reckless, though.

In any case, she let out a hearty laugh and rested a hand on her side.

“So, there’s a reason you went out of your way to call me, right?”

“Keep an eye on Rona Imblaze.”

Hearing the next words, her eyes briefly gleamed.

“Rona wasn’t pointing to a specific individual, was she? You’re thinking that one of the Black Witch’s subordinates will appear by her side?”

As expected of someone who dabbled in magic, Taria quickly understood.

“Yes. From the Black Witch’s perspective, she wouldn’t want the servant she carefully planted to be exposed.”

If Rona were to go rogue and reveal all the World Eroder’s servants, the Black Witch’s side would also suffer great damage.

Naturally, as one of the Black Witch’s servants, they’d want to eliminate Rona before that happened.

Taria, being a first-generation student, had more freedom to keep an eye on Rona than Kraush, who was a second-generation student.

“Of course, aside from that, it’s still a good idea to keep watching Rona.”

Hearing Kraush’s words, Taria tilted her head.

“Is there another reason?”

“It’s just about keeping possibilities open.”

Taria folded her arms and let out a nasal hum.

“So, if things get dangerous, call me through the Crimson Garden. I’ll come running.”

Kraush gestured casually toward the sky.

There, a crow was leisurely flying above.

Seeing the crow, Taria grinned.

“Do I look that weak? I can handle it even without you, little brother.”

As the top student in the first-generation magic department, she clearly had a lot of pride.

Not to mention, being a subordinate of the Crimson Garden, she must have learned many spells herself.

But the world isn’t all about that.

“When I’m in danger, I’d ask anyone for help.”

Taria had just turned 16 this year.

She was undoubtedly a genius and would later become one of the Ten Greatest Under the Heavens.

However, that was still something for the future.

At present, she could not yet be considered strong by the world’s standards.

Taria, too, seemed like a fledgling who had yet to experience much of the world.

Even a genius like her was bound to make mistakes at some point.

“Especially when it comes to the World Eroders, no matter how skilled you are, there’s nothing to gain from acting recklessly.”

World Eroders mostly possessed unique powers not found in this world.

Their training methods from their respective worlds often introduced unforeseen variables.

Kraush had witnessed countless individuals perish due to such variables.

Naturally, Taria would not be immune to those variables either.

“So, please call me. Two are better than one, after all.”

“…Hmm.”

Listening with her arms folded, Taria eventually unfolded them and adjusted her glasses.

“Little brother, you’re like an old man. You remind me of the instructors at the Magic Tower.”

“Please call it maturity.”

“Well, 15 is about the age when people start liking to act mature.”

Recalling her own experiences, Taria nodded in agreement.

Unfortunately, Kraush had lived at least ten more years than her, despite looking her junior.

But there was no way Taria could know that.

“Alright. I’ll take your advice into consideration.”

With that, Taria waved her hand and walked away.

Kraush watched her departing figure with unease.

And for good reason.

Taria had made similar mistakes in the past due to her pride.

That incident had ultimately caused her to hole up in the Magic Tower.

“Taria-senior, just remember one thing.”

Kraush called out to her retreating figure.

“The Black Witch can implant a subordinate into someone without their consent.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

And with that, Taria left.

Kraush stared at the space where she had been before speaking softly.

“Crimson Garden, I leave this to you.”

[ Don’t worry. She’s my subordinate. I’ll keep a close eye on her. ]

At least he could trust Crimson Garden to handle this matter.

Kraush stretched and cracked his neck, feeling the fatigue wash over him.

Today had felt like an especially long day.

‘I should stop by Darlene, undo this female transformation quickly, and head to my room.’

Training or not, the mental exhaustion was overwhelming.

All he wanted now was to rest.

＊ ＊ ＊

Finally back to his male form, Kraush returned to the dormitory, feeling a rare sense of comfort.

「How was it?」

The memory of Darlene’s annoyingly curious and expectant expression popped into his head as he walked, making him annoyed.

Still, he held it in, barely managing to find his way to his dorm room.

Just as he was thinking about lying down on his bed for a while.

“Ah, Sir Kraush!”

He encountered his personal maid, Alicia, standing just outside his door.

The moment she spotted him, she waved enthusiastically, and Kraush, though puzzled, returned the greeting as he approached.

“Alicia, why are you outside?”

“There is a guest inside.”

A guest?

Kraush blinked.

It didn’t make sense—he wasn’t expecting any visitors.

‘Who could it be?’

He glanced around, noting how the nearby dorm students quickly averted their gazes and hurried into their own rooms.

For some reason, the dormitory felt unusually chaotic today.

His gaze fell on the door to his room.

A strange, foreboding aura made him feel as though opening that door would lead to trouble.

After a moment’s hesitation, Kraush grabbed the doorknob and turned it.

His personality made him prefer confronting uncertainty head-on rather than dwelling on doubts.

Creak

The door, unusually stiff today, opened, and Kraush stepped inside.

The room felt inexplicably full.

No, “full” was the perfect word to describe it.

Seated at the table in his small room was a being sipping tea from a cup far smaller than its hands could comfortably hold.

Kraush stared blankly at the creature for a moment. He felt an overwhelming urge to close the door and walk away.

But knowing the other party’s status, Kraush suppressed the impulse and addressed the figure.

“Headmaster.”

The being was none other than Durandal, the Fighting Emperor, a former member of the Four Above the Heavens and the current headmaster.

Why the headmaster of Rahern Academy was calmly sipping tea in his dorm room was a mystery Kraush didn’t particularly want to solve.

But he was certain of one thing: he didn’t like this situation one bit.

“Oh, Kraush, you’ve finally arrived. You seem quite busy.”

“I’ve been diligently excelling in my studies at Rahern Academy, which keeps me occupied.”

“Haha, I heard you achieved top marks in martial studies during the recent midterm evaluations. Congratulations.”

There was no way someone like the headmaster would come here just to offer a simple congratulations.

Kraush cautiously approached, his gaze tinged with wariness.

“You seem to have been waiting for me. May I ask why?”

If you have business with me, get to the point and leave.

Kraush’s words were filled with his intent.

Hearing this, Durandal let out a hearty laugh and gestured with his hand.

“Take a seat for now.”

Following his direction, Kraush sat down.

Alicia quickly brought tea and snacks, setting them in front of him.

Kraush, having had his fill of these during the endless chatter at the Women’s Association, had no desire to touch them.

Still, out of courtesy, he took a sip of the tea Alicia had prepared and then looked at Durandal.

There before him sat a figure akin to a massive bear.

Facing him across the table, Kraush could now fully grasp just how enormous this man was.

The real issue, however, was that despite such a massive frame, this man could move with agility.

“Kraush, do you wish to become stronger?”

An abrupt question.

But also a question that felt almost meaningless, considering every student in the martial arts department shared the same ambition.

“That’s a given.”

“No, I’m speaking of something deeper. Do you have a goal for becoming stronger?”

Kraush blinked.

Durandal’s eyes, more serious than anyone else’s, made it clear this wasn’t just casual small talk.

A goal.

Of course, he had one.

In his past, when he was only half a person, no goal seemed to hold any meaning in his life.

But there was one single goal he could cling to.

That goal was to prevent the destruction of the world.

The sole purpose of his existence.

To prevent annihilation, Kraush had never stopped yearning for strength, not even for a moment.

Had Durandal picked up on this?

Even without receiving a reply, Durandal’s face broke into a wrinkled smile.

“Those with a purpose grow endlessly stronger. I’ve seen many like that.”

During an age of upheaval.

Durandal had witnessed countless individuals growing in their own ways, or sometimes faltering and failing.

And because he wished that not one more of those individuals would falter, Durandal founded Rahern Academy.

“There is an ancient prophecy left behind by the Sephira lineage.”

The Sephira family, known as astrologers.

Durandal, who had long remembered a prophecy he heard from them, looked at Kraush.

“They say that revealing a prophecy to its subject binds them to fate, so I won’t go into specifics.”

His clear eyes reflected Kraush.

“But Kraush, I believe you are the one who aligns with that prophecy.”

Kraush looked puzzled.

He couldn’t understand what Durandal, with all this preamble, was trying to convey.

“You know of Calamity Dragon Fall, the secret art I created?”

“Yes, of course…”

The art of “Felling the Calamity Dragon,” a fearsome secret technique.

With this art, Durandal had stopped countless World Erosions.

Calamity Dragon Fall was the most optimized technique against World Erosion, a veritable anti-Erosion weapon.

Through Calamity Dragon Fall, Durandal had even been able to erase the power of World Erosion from those who had become subordinates of the World Eroders, returning them to their original state. R̃₳NỗꞖÈŞ

The assistant professor of the Magic Department, Jenikalen, who had orchestrated the recent noble kidnapping incident during the midterm evaluations, was one such case.

“I have never trained a successor for Calamity Dragon Fall. I had no children, nor did I find anyone suitable.”

At those words, Kraush’s eyes slowly widened.

He was beginning to grasp what Durandal was leading to.

“Calamity Dragon Fall.”

Durandal’s lips curled into a smile.

“Kraush, would you like to learn it?”

Become the successor to the Fighting Emperor, Durandal.

That was the invitation being extended.

Kraush froze, his widened eyes betraying his shock.

This was an opportunity of unimaginable magnitude.

Kraush would inevitably have to confront the World Eroders’ gathering, Ixion, in the future.

Learning Calamity Dragon Fall would undeniably become a tremendous asset for him.

However, there was a problem.

That was Kraush’s own relationship with the power of World Erosion.

Using Calamity Dragon Fall would undoubtedly clash with the power of World Erosion that Kraush wielded.

In essence, it was a path directly opposing the one Kraush had been walking until now.

What kind of results that might bring, even Kraush couldn’t predict.

But Kraush was not foolish enough to let such a chance slip by.

Life was always full of risks.

And Kraush knew better than anyone how great the rewards could be when one crushed and overcame those risks.

‘There’s definitely a way to use Calamity Dragon Fall.’

Kraush’s mind began to race.

‘Ah.’

And at that moment, an idea struck him like lightning.

One solution.

Just one.

If he could obtain that curse, he could achieve an incredible result.

And coincidentally, Kraush was already planning to seek out Veltua Lacroix to obtain the highest-grade curse.

The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place, and another step toward preventing the world’s destruction was taken.

Kraush’s blue eyes shone fiercely.

“I’ll learn it.”

Those with a goal become stronger.

And that statement perfectly described Kraush.

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