I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills

Chapter 69 I Don’t Lie Down with Dogs

That night,

Kraush, having promised to travel with Lakradiyon, lay in his room with his eyes closed, honing his aura. Thanks to Cream’s advice, his aura grew stronger with each day of training. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling of insufficiency.

As he lay there, Kraush’s eyelids slowly began to rise, detecting a presence on his knee. There was Bianca, sound asleep using his leg as a pillow. He wondered how long she had been there. Swallowing a rueful smile, he gently lifted her head and placed it on a pillow, covered her with a blanket, and was about to get out of bed when he heard her sleepy voice.

“Mr. Kraush.”

Turning to Bianca, she rubbed her eyes and asked,

“Are you leaving already?”

Her question was in regard to Demonic Bastion. If Kraush left for the Bastion, Bianca would have to spend a long time apart from him, which made her cling even closer to his side with the time they had left. Kraush stroked her hair soothingly.

“No, not yet. Go back to sleep; I’ll be here for a while.”

“Uh-huh, okay.”

Reassured, Bianca nuzzled into Kraush’s hand and drifted back to sleep. Recently, as she entered a full growth spurt, her childish whims seemed to increase, which worried Kraush. He left the room quietly, so as not to wake her, and was greeted by Crimson Garden perching on his shoulder.

[Already sharing a bed with a girl. You’re living a life driven by lust.]

“What are you looking at?” Kraush replied with disbelief.

[Isn’t it obvious when you share a room with that child?]

Crimson Garden’s insinuation, despite knowing the true reason, was utterly absurd to Kraush. Initially, Kraush had intended to provide Bianca with her own private inn room. But she expressed fear of being alone. When suggested she share a room with her direct maid, Elly, Bianca insisted she wanted to stay with Kraush. As Bianca developed emotions, she had been using Kraush’s company to quell her anxiety. Knowing this, Kraush couldn’t refuse and indulged her whims. Even though he chose a room with two beds, somehow Bianca always ended up in his bed by the morning. After several attempts to return her to her bed, which always resulted in her swift return to his side, Kraush gave up.

‘I’m worried about when it’s time for the academy.’

Once this year passes and Kraush enters Rahelrn Academy, he’ll be hard-pressed to see her for at least a year. As he pondered what Bianca would do then, he couldn’t help but laugh at himself for becoming so deeply concerned about her. Before his regression, their engagement was the only slight connection they had. How things have changed.

[Stop laughing so suddenly. It’s unnerving.]

“Even if I explain, you’d still complain,” he muttered to Crimson Garden as he exited the inn.

The reason Kraush ventured out at night was that his extended sixth sense had caught someone lurking – a visitor he had been expecting. Despite the darkness, he deliberately moved through the back alleys to encourage an encounter. As expected, a figure in a robe emerged.

“Pendal.”

The man was none other than Pendal. Recognizing Kraush, Pendal slowly pushed back his hood, revealing his gray hair glistening in the moonlight while glaring ominously at Kraush.

“Balheim heir, is it true you’re entering Demonic Bastion with Lakradiyon?”

As expected.

Kraush’s expression remained relaxed in response to the predictable Pendal.

“So what if it is?”

Pendal clenched his jaw.

Then he slowly got to the point.

“If you’re going, don’t go with Lakradiyon. Come with me. Pendalord is also challenging Nakcheon.”

The words from Pendal were unexpected.

“Pendalord has been challenging Demonic Bastion continuously. Much has changed inside over the years, new shortcuts have emerged. With us, you could reach the 8th floor in no time. Naturally, we’ve prepared extensively to challenge Nakcheon.”

The proposal wasn’t bad on the surface. Pendal had reigned as king of the Bastion. Despite not entering the 8th floor anymore, he had always moved through the earlier floors with ease. He could certainly be considered an expert in navigating them. On the other hand, Lakradiyon had only been practicing her swordsmanship since leaving the Bastion. In terms of knowledge about the Bastion, she might fall short of Pendal.

“No thanks.”

Regardless of all considerations, Kraush had no desire to accompany Pendal.

“What?”

“Who would willingly walk into danger with a dog that has bared its teeth at them?”

Once bitten, a dog is likely to bite again.

Pendal gritted his teeth.

“And it was you who squandered the opportunity from the start.”

It was Pendal who had attempted to sabotage Kraush’s entry into the Bastion.

“Now you come to me, after all this, offering to team up instead of Lakradiyon. Don’t you find that a bit ridiculous?”

Pendal’s lips pressed into a thin line.

Kraush had known Pendal would come tonight and that he would make such a proposal. But the answer had always been clear. In Kraush’s memories, Pendal had always been a pitiable figure.

“I’m going with Lakradiyon. That won’t change, even if you come with an offer.”

As Kraush moved to walk past him,

“Wait…!”

Pendal reached out as if to stop him, but halted at the sight of Kraush’s eyes. Having suffered a loss to Kraush not long ago, Pendal couldn’t be sure he could win in a direct confrontation. Besides, Pendal knew the consequences of attacking a Balheim in the night.

In the end, Pendal withdrew his hand and ground his teeth.

“…I’ll be heading to Demonic Bastion first. Pendalord will be the one to defeat Nakcheon.”

He was determined not to let anyone beat him to Nakcheon, especially not Lakradiyon and Kraush.

“Suit yourself.”

Kraush passed by, unbothered.

[He’s walking right into the trap he set for himself.]

Crimson Garden clicked her tongue in feigned pity.

And Kraush could not disagree. From start to finish, Pendal had acted just as he had anticipated.

‘Maybe it’s their true nature.’

Whether before or after his regression, people remained the same, Kraush thought.

＊ ＊ ＊

Demonic Bastion.

Kraush, having entered the first floor of the ancient fortress crafted with the dwarves, world-devouring smiths, glanced sideways. There were four of them in total, gathered for the assault on the 8th floor. Derrick, notable for his protruding belly despite his title as a scout responsible for traps and pathfinding; Penichelri, a female white mage proficient in both holy and offensive magic; and Lakradiyon, the Light of Demonic Bastion.

“Never thought I’d see Rack back in the Bastion.”

Derrick chuckled, apparently quite pleased that Lakradiyon had returned to the Bastion. Penichelri seemed to share the sentiment.

“It’s true. The whole place was abuzz when they heard Lakradiyon was entering the Bastion. I’m so honored to be part of this.”

She swayed her dark chestnut ponytailed hair happily. Lakradiyon herself scratched her head in a slightly embarrassed gesture.

“You’re well-respected.”

“That seems to be the case, yes.”

Kraush’s casual comment made Lakradiyon fan her blushing face.

[Those guys are on the move too.]

During this exchange, Crimson Garden’s voice arose. Referring to Pendalord, no doubt.

[It seems they’re planning their own Bastion assault, just like you.]

“Only on the surface.”

Kraush’s reaction was as expected.

As he glanced at Lakradiyon, he contemplated Pendal’s complex feelings of inferiority towards her. He hadn’t openly attacked Lakradiyon, probably out of embarrassment.

‘But if there’s a chance…’

Kraush knew Pendal would eventually show his fangs.

He looked up as they reached the top of the stairs, and the view of the first floor of Demonic Bastion unfolded before them. A luxurious hallway lay ahead, with a red carpet stretching forth. Paintings adorned the walls, interspersed with flower vases, and windows punctuated the walls, an oddity for a subterranean location. Demonic Bastion was as surreal as ever.

Suddenly, a ticking sound heralded the appearance of a rabbit clutching a watch. The rabbit glanced at them, then started to sprint forward. With each tick, its body grew until it was a muscle-bound behemoth that charged without hesitation.

“Lakradiyon.”

Watching the rabbit, Kraush spoke.

“May I see your skills?”

As his words fell, Lakradiyon was already in motion. Her sword carved a smooth arc through the air, cleanly impaling the muscular rabbit’s throat. A yellow aura blade burst forth from her sword, severing muscle and bone.

Shink!

The rabbit’s head soared into the air before tumbling to the ground with a single strike.

“Whew, you’re still formidable.”josei

“Of course, sister!”

Derrick and Penichelri exclaimed, admiring her prowess. Kraush felt no different.

‘Impeccable. A true master.’

If Pendal was untamed and unpredictable, Lakradiyon was the epitome of precision. Two completely different kinds of strength. Observing her was also the closest thing to witnessing the threshold of mastery, the next realm Kraush aspired to reach. Even if the title of ‘master’ was downplayed above that realm, the reality was that many would never achieve it despite a lifetime of striving.

And Kraush was no exception.

Despite using elixirs, gaining skills, and learning secret techniques, the realm of mastery had to be conquered on one’s own merits.

‘Summer is approaching fast.’

As time passed and spring gave way to early summer, the next seasons would inevitably follow.

‘That means my enrollment in Rahelrn Academy is coming up.’

Not much time remained to survive in the gap of talent.

“Let’s keep moving.”

This was his chance. The best observational material for breaking through the threshold of mastery was right beside him. This Bastion assault might yield more benefits than he anticipated.

＊ ＊ ＊

Outside the structures that made up Demonic Bastion, someone was on the move. A figure donning a robe with a patch over one eye and armed to the teeth made their way through the shadows. She lifted the hood of her robe slightly to glance at a newspaper.

The headline read that a Balheim heir was challenging Nakcheon.

“Damn it, are they trying to steal my prey?”

Cursing, she crumpled the paper and tossed it aside. Her steps quickened, her tiger-striped long tail swaying beneath the hem of the robe.