episode_0001

Looking back, the root of all this was because of one bastard.

– “How about trying this game?”

At the time, it was one of the most popular games.

But for me, finishing a certain project was far more important than some game.

A project that had devoured over half a year of my time.

It was almost done, anyway. After finally wrapping it up, a friend introduced me to a game.

[Arcadia RPG]

The genre was JRPG.

A turn-based game with a story.

I liked games like this.

The story was as cliché as they come.

A tale of heroes who must slay the Demon King.

The unique part was that each class had its own “hero.”

Warrior Hero, Mage Hero, Thief Hero, Priest Hero.

I chose the Thief.

No particular reason.

Warriors and Priests were Lawful alignment, while Mages and Thieves were Neutral.

Lawful types gain more influence but are restricted in their actions.

I wasn’t too fond of that.

“Thieves hit hard or have quick movement skills.”

So I went with Thief.

Difficulty? Obviously, Very Easy.

My adult body wasn’t what it used to be.

“Back in the day, I’d always pick Very Hard.”

But now, the opposite was true.

Anyway, after creating my character—

“The problem is, I ended up here.”

I dragged my hands down my face, overwhelmed by a crushing sense of despair.

Cut me some slack.

What the hell do you want from me, dropping me into a world like this?

After taking a few deep breaths, I calmed down a bit.

“What should I do?”

The road ahead seemed impossibly bleak.

But for all I knew, I might have to live here from now on.

“Status window…”

Hoping against hope, I summoned my status screen.

▼

Name: Han Yuseong (Lv.1)

Strength: 1 Agility: 1 Stamina: 1 Magic: 1 Mind: 1 Perception: 1

◈Gifts – [Thief’s Pinnacle (S)], [Absolute Theft (S)]

◈Skills – x

“…At least I have this.”

But what were these “Gifts”?

Curious, I tapped on them.

[Gift] Thief’s Pinnacle (S) ◇You can do pretty much anything a thief could conceivably do.

[Gift] Absolute Theft (S) ◇You steal something from the target.

“……”

The descriptions were laughably vague.

Still, I counted myself lucky.

“At least having a status window means I can assess my situation.”

These days, people without even that were everywhere.

Compared to them, I had it good—I even got a status window.

“I set the game difficulty to Very Easy.”

Not knowing whether that applied here was a little depressing, but—

“Well, still.”

Having something to rely on helped clear my head.

That said, there was one more problem.

“I don’t know anything about this game.”

That was the issue.

I knew the general plot because the guy who recommended it had given me the rundown.

An empire, a few kingdoms, and a righteous tale of slaying the Demon King.

And what the “heroes” were supposed to be.

“They said they were bearers of S-rank skills, right?”

Skills so rare that even scouring the entire continent would yield only a handful.

The early story involved competing with other S-rank hero candidates, eventually narrowing it down to four who would set out to kill the Demon King.

A survival-of-the-fittest scenario, gathering candidates in a lonely crucible before choosing the final four.

“An S-rank is proof of being a once-in-a-generation talent.”

Even if mine was specialized in theft, it must’ve been exceptional to earn that rank.

“First… I should test it.”

If I had an ability, of course I’d want to try it out.

I scanned my surroundings for something worth targeting.

“My conscience is a little conflicted.”

As a Korean, my morals nagged at me, but I’d have to live here from now on.

I closed my eyes and observed a three-second moment of silence for my conscience before moving.

“I think I know what to do.”

Was this “Gift” some kind of power?

Knowledge flooded my mind—how to steal, what could be stolen. Thief’s Pinnacle.

“That one looks too poor. That guy seems too dangerous.”

Soon, I found my mark: a well-off but kindly-looking middle-aged man.

I closed the distance to within a meter.

“What I can steal…”

A wig, 37 gold coins, 58 silver coins.

His clothes, even the dagger at his waist—I could take it all effortlessly.

“This is practically magic.”

The sheer absurdity of it almost made me laugh.

Wait, this guy was wearing a wig?

“Looking closer, there are some… odd details.”

But that wasn’t important now.

My target: one gold coin.

Then, the [Absolute Theft] Gift hammered its mechanics into my mind.

“So this is how it feels.”

I moved my hand as the knowledge guided me.

The distance was too far to reach physically.

And yet—

A strange sensation, as if my hand slipped into something.

Suddenly, a gold coin rested in my palm.

“So this is how the ability works.”

I’d thought it was like magic, but I hadn’t expected it to be magic.

As the realization settled, a new thought struck me.

Gift: Absolute Theft.

It said it “steals something” from the target.

Then—

My eyes gleamed with a strange light.

If this Gift worked the way I imagined—

“Can I steal someone else’s Gift?”

An ability like that would surely have limitations, but—

What did “S-rank” mean again?

A talent so rare that searching the entire continent would barely turn up a handful.

Even if it was just “theft,” wouldn’t it be capable of something that extraordinary?

It was a solid theory. A brilliant idea.

Now I just needed someone to test it on.

“Is there anyone with an outstanding talent around?”

To avoid unnecessary risks, I needed the most exceptional person I could find.

But I’d never played this game.

“I’ve heard a few things from that guy, but…”

Finding someone based on names alone was impossible.

As I racked my brain, tapping my foot impatiently—

A woman came into view.

Her face was eerily familiar.

Eyes like pools of blood, hair to match. Snow-white skin, a crimson dress. A strangely alluring aura. And she was staring right at me.

Even though I didn’t know the game, I recognized her.

“She’s one of the characters on the game’s title screen.”

My friend had gushed about her name.

The very same guy who recommended this game wouldn’t shut up about her.

“Lucia, wasn’t it?”

Her character art was plastered right on the game’s title screen.

“She’s definitely important.”

And most crucially—

She was the villainess who influenced the entire story.

“I don’t know the details yet, but…”

An antagonist who stood in the heroes’ way as they sought to defeat the Demon King.

Meaning, she was no ally to them.

As that thought crossed my mind—

A blue window unfolded before my eyes.

[Encounter Quest] You have encountered the Villainess, Lucia. Either capture her interest or rid yourself of it. Reward: ??? Failure: No penalty.

“……”

Usually, these things had “death” as the failure condition, no?

Was it because I’d set the difficulty to Very Easy?

The lack of stakes was oddly comforting.

“I’ll pass on this quest.”

Whether it was gaining her interest or whatever, I wasn’t interested.

The reward was tempting, but survival came first, right?

“And besides…”

I wanted to test the limits of my ability.

My power was theft.

Wouldn’t stealing anything from her be to my advantage?

“Talent, skills, whatever.”

The description didn’t specify limits.

So in theory, I could steal anything.

[You have gained Favor from the Villainess, Lucia.] [The upper limit of what you can steal from her has increased.]

Just as I resolved to approach her—

I froze.

“Gaining favor increased what I can steal?”

Two questions arose:

Why did favor raise the theft limit?

And—

“Why did her favor go up in the first place?”

I looked at Lucia.

The crimson-eyed woman smiled sweetly and waved at me.

“You there, sir?”

“Huh? M-me?”

“Yes.”

Her voice was soft, her demeanor elegant.

Every movement seemed designed to charm.

“If it’s not too forward, I’ve taken an interest in you. Might you spare a moment?”

“Excuse me.”

“Huh?”

I grinned and—

Leaving her dumbfounded, I activated my Gift.

Maybe because I’d done it before, I instantly knew what I could take from her.

“But…”

This was different.

Among the things I could steal, one stood out—marked by ???.

“Is this what the increased limit unlocked?”

No idea what it was, but I used my Gift to “steal” it.

That bizarre sensation again, like my hand slipping into something.

I took it.

“A gem?”

That’s what it felt like.

“Huh? Wha—?”

Her smooth voice wavered in confusion.

Before things got messy, I bolted.

After putting some distance between us—

“This should be far enough.”

No signs of pursuit.

I pulled the gem from my pocket.

“Whoa.”

A blood-red jewel, radiant and beautiful.

I didn’t know much about gems, but this had to be valuable.

“Wait, did I just steal a gem?”

I’d thought it was something special, given the strange feeling.

“Well, a gem’s not bad, I guess…”

Then I stopped.

The name of the item floated above the crimson jewel.

And when I read it, I couldn’t help but panic.

Absolute Theft steals something from the target.

So I’d intended to take one of her talents. She was the game’s villainess, after all.

I figured stealing anything from her would make things easier for the heroes.

“And if she’s evil, my conscience wouldn’t bother me as much.”

That’s why I decided to steal from the villainess.

She even took a liking to me, raising the theft limit.

I’d assumed I could steal one of her skills.

“Then why—”

[The Villainess’ Obsession]

—the hell did this get stolen?

This made no sense.

“Well, maybe it has a good effect.”

I checked the item.

The moment I read the description, my soul left my body.

[The Villainess’ Obsession] ◇You inherit all the obsessions the original owner held.

…

What the fuck?