Chapter 4 (4/223) - Became a Skill Thief

For the successors who would be placed in the same situation as themselves, who had not been blessed.

The ancestors, who were half-pennies, stayed at the Cheongsong Pavilion and created secret manuals that fully contained their skills and memories.

This was the secret archive of the Cheongsong Pavilion, an archive for half-pennies.

"Huh, I see."

Krash approached the bookshelf and slowly pulled out a dusty secret manual.

If he had discovered this place a little earlier, what would have happened?

Instead of being obsessed with the skills obtainable through a contract with a god.

Could he not have achieved a realm through the products created by humans?

"I'm a bit late, aren't I, ancestors?"

Krash raised his head and joked.

The archive, which had been sealed due to the worst half-penny, Demaris Balheim.

He had finally reopened this archive.

However, while these secret manuals of the ancestors were good, the one Krash was looking for was different.

As Krash turned his head, goosebumps rose on his body.

A very eerie aura struck his body.

Even after bearing the curse of countless world erosions, he still felt this chill.

It was certain.

'Demaris Balheim.'

The secret manual left by the devil.

It was there.

Thud, thud—

Krash's footsteps slowly began to move.

The ominous black book at the very end of the library.

Krash slowly lifted the book, which seemed to have bloodstains on it at first glance.

Then Krash let out a sigh of amazement.

'Now I understand why he went mad.'

Krash grabbed the black secret manual, seeing the surging aura.

The tips of his fingers slightly burned upon contact.

But Krash did not even groan.

The pain from the curse of world erosion was familiar.

This was not enough to stop him.

'He was devoured by the curse of world erosion.'

Krash realized why Demaris Balheim went mad through the curse emanating from the book.

The curse of world erosion was vicious.

He had barely managed to withstand it by researching and counterbalancing the curses over several years.

If he had taken on the curses one by one, even Krash would not have been able to endure it.

'Besides, the curse is slightly weakened when stolen.'

The effect of a curse is stronger when it is clearly targeted.

Krash had stolen the curse, so the curse, having lost its target, had weakened.

Of course, the terrible pain remained.

Rip—

Krash turned the pages without caring about the burning skin on his hand.

He began to read the book slowly.

The content of the book was in the form of a diary.

Demaris Balheim.

The story of how the half-penny, who was called that, was eventually devoured by world erosion and became known as a devil.

Demaris had written down this terrible story here.

However, the narrative did not evoke much emotion in Krash.

What mattered was the story that followed.

'I found it.'

At that moment, Krash's eyes sparkled.

The reason Demaris Balheim was called the greatest disgrace of Balheim was not because he was a devil, but because he was a monster so strong that he was called the strongest in Balheim.

When Demaris was rampaging, the world's top warriors attacked him.

But they all had their necks cut by Demaris.

How could he have been so strong?

The answer was simple.

He created a unique secret technique to handle world erosion.

A mad technique that involved engraving world erosion into his body and controlling its power.

And thanks to this madness, he reached the pinnacle.

Although he eventually became a monster devoured by world erosion.

The secret technique left by such a person.

Gyokkechimdoc (極血浸毒).

A forbidden technique in Balheim, which involved absorbing world erosion into one's body.

No one would have known that this forbidden technique book was tucked away at the very end of the secret library in Cheongsong Pavilion.

'If I master this, it's possible.'

Krash clenched his fists tightly as he read the contents of Gyokkechimdoc in detail.

Although more than half of it had burned away and could not be learned when he first discovered it.

This time, it was different.

Of course, Gyokkechimdoc was extremely dangerous.

But Krash had a method.

'The flaw of Gyokkechimdoc is the madness of world erosion, and the curse that can control such madness.'

Krash knew the cursed creature well.

And the fact that the creature was quite close to him.

Although it was absurd to steal another curse.

It was necessary for the future.

One day, Krash intended to steal all the skills, not just the curses.

Krash, who had to become strong without skills now.

Krash closed Gyokkechimdoc and stood up.

"Aliod."

"Yes, Master Krash."

"From today, do not let anyone into the Cheongsong Pavilion until I have mastered all the secret manuals here."

It was an order as the current owner of the Cheongsong Pavilion.

Aliod, seeing Krash, opened his eyes wide and bowed deeply.

"Yes, I understand."

Krash began to take out the books again.

Aliod, watching Krash's back, was lost in thought.

'How did Master Krash know about such a place?'

A library containing shocking secret manuals.

Even Aliod, who was assigned as the butler of Cheongsong Pavilion, did not know about this place, yet Krash found it as if it were natural.

As if he had heard about it from someone overnight.

Then, who was that someone?

'Perhaps.'

There was only one person who could teach about such a place in Cheongsong Pavilion.

The current head of the Balheim family.

Muwhang Balheim.

No one else.

'Perhaps the head did not give up on Master Krash.'

Seeing Krash break the divine contract, the head must have hinted at the secret of Cheongsong Pavilion to Krash.

Aliod, having reached this conclusion, clenched his fist tightly.

'How could I have given up on Master Krash when even the head did not?'

He felt extremely ashamed of himself.

At the same time, emotions welled up.

The feelings from the time when Krash was first born.

The resolve to support this person for life and one day make him the head of the Balheim family.

'Master Krash forgave me even when I made a mistake.'

If the master forgave a mistake, the butler should repay the favor.

'When someone who has fallen gets back up, they can stand more firmly, yet how could I have made such a foolish mistake?'

Blinded by his daughter's incurable illness, Aliod realized who he had given up on and felt self-loathing.

Failing to guide Krash on the right path was ultimately his responsibility as the butler.

Even for a moment, he had thought of betraying him.

He decided to firmly reject the offer made by Krash's third brother.

'My master is Master Krash.'

He reaffirmed this in his heart.

＊ ＊ ＊

A few days after Krash entered the secret archive.

Velokin Balheim, the third in line of the Balheim family, heard an absurd piece of news.

"Reject my offer for that half-penny?"

Velokin frowned deeply, recalling Aliod, who had bowed and left a moment ago.

Aliod had rejected the offer for the half-penny youngest.

He had clearly promised to handle everything without any trouble.

Moreover, he had promised to cure his daughter's incurable illness.

But this guy suddenly changed his attitude for some reason.

'Damn, I thought he had already given up on Krash.'

Aliod was supposed to have given up on Krash long ago.

Why did he reject my offer now?

"Such trash should not remain in our family."

Velokin, grinding his teeth, showed intense disgust.

Beside him was a torn newspaper.

The protagonist of the newspaper was none other than the legendary genius, Charlotte.

Velokin, pushing the torn newspaper into the trash can, stood up.

The descendants of that woman running rampant in the Balheim family were maddeningly disgusting.

One was called a legendary genius, and the other was a half-penny who disgraced the Balheim family.

Both were extremely annoying.

"Is anyone out there!"

"Yes, Master Velokin, did you call?"

Hearing his shout, a man suddenly opened the door and appeared.

Dressed in a well-pressed butler's uniform, he was none other than Velokin's personal butler.

"Go to the Cheongsong Pavilion where Krash is staying. I need to find out why his butler suddenly changed his attitude."

Unable to understand it, Velokin decided to investigate personally.

However, he soon became even more enraged upon learning one fact.

The Cheongsong Pavilion, following the order of its owner, Krash, did not allow anyone to enter, even if it was the third brother.

As Velokin's anger grew day by day.

Inside the secret archive, he was repeatedly training every day.

After a while, Krash, sitting in a lotus position, exhaled a long breath and opened his eyes.

A refreshing sensation from the aura flowing within swept through his body.

He could clearly feel that his aura level had significantly improved.

'At this level, I must have reached the entry level of Expert.'

There are several levels in aura.

The first stage is the most basic level of aura, Aura User.

It is the stage where one has just awakened to aura.

The next stage is Aura Expert.

The most populated stage of aura users, and it can be seen as the dividing line between the ordinary and the genius.

There is a saying in the world.

Those who do not graduate from Expert by the age of thirty will remain at that level for life.

To that extent, Expert can be seen as the end of the ordinary.

And Krash had just entered this realm of the ordinary.

He was 13 years old.

By age alone, it was a considerable level.

But the family he belonged to was none other than the Balheim family.

The direct line of the Balheim family enters the Expert stage at the age of 8.

Charlotte, who was two years older than Krash, had already reached the highest level of Expert and was on the verge of becoming a Master.

It was not for nothing that she earned the nickname "Sword Star" before the age of 20.

'Even now, her talent is absurd.'

But even such a Charlotte was powerless in the face of destruction.

Compared to her, he was just entering the Expert stage.

Could he really protect the world at this level?

"I'll have to see."

Krash was not particularly discouraged.

He was a half-penny.

That fact was not new to him.

Most importantly, he was enjoying it now.

Expert or not, in the past, he had lived with the curse that twisted his insides whenever he used aura.

Moreover, the secret manuals in this secret library were all created by half-pennies of the Balheim family like himself.

Thanks to this, the manuals were easy to understand and master.

Although he could not hope for the same talent as Charlotte, he could become stronger.

For now, this was enough.

"Master."

Just then, Aliod's voice came from outside the secret library.

Krash organized the secret manuals and walked out.

"You've entered the Expert stage. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

Krash gave an appropriate response to Aliod, who congratulated him first.

Then he made a face as if asking what business he had.

"Miss Bianca Hadenharts, your fiancée, has come to the Cheongsong Pavilion."

Krash thought what was coming had come.