Chapter 1: I Stole Something Strange.

When I think about it, all of this started because of one person.

“Why don’t you try playing this game?”

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

However, for me, completing a certain project was far more important than something like that.

It was a project I had poured over six months of my time into.

And I was finally about to finish it.

After I wrapped up that project, a friend introduced me to a game.

[Arcadia RPG]

The genre was JRPG.

A story-based turn-based game.

I liked games like that.

The story was nothing special.

You have heroes, and you have to kill the Demon King.

One unique aspect was that every job class had its own “hero.”

A Warrior Hero, Mage Hero, Thief Hero, and Priest Hero.

I chose the Thief.

The reason wasn’t anything special.

Warriors and Priests were aligned with good, while Mages and Thieves were neutral.

If you chose good alignment, you gained greater influence but were restricted in your actions.

I didn’t like that kind of thing.

“Thieves have strong critical hits and quick mobility.”

That’s why I chose the Thief.

The difficulty? Obviously, I picked Very Easy.

My worn-out adult body was no longer what it used to be.

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

But now, it’s the opposite.

So, after creating my character, this is what happened:

“The problem is that I ended up in this place.”

I rubbed my face with my hands, overwhelmed by an intense sense of despair.

“Please, just let me off the hook.”

“What do you even want from me, throwing me into a world like this?”

After letting out several deep sighs, I felt a bit calmer.

“What should I do?”

The path ahead seemed completely bleak.

But I might have to live here from now on.

“Status Window.”

I called up a status window with a glimmer of hope.

Name: Han Yuseong (Lv.1)

Strength: 1

Agility: 1

Stamina: 1

Magic Power: 1

Mental Power: 1

Perception: 1

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

◆ Skills
– X

“At least I have something.”

But what is this thing called “Gifts”?

I tapped on the Gift section out of curiosity.

[Gift]

Thief’s Pinnacle (S)
◇ Allows the user to do almost anything a thief could be capable of.

[Gift]
Absolute Theft (S)
◇ Steals from the opponent.

“What a ridiculously unhelpful explanation.”

Still, I decided to feel grateful.

“At least the existence of a status window means I can assess my situation.”

These days, there were plenty of cases where even that wasn’t provided.

Compared to that, how was I doing? I had been given a status window, after all.

“I did choose the game’s difficulty as Very Easy, didn’t I?”

It’s a bit sad that I don’t know whether that difficulty setting will apply here or not, though.

“Well, still…”

The fact that I had a means to rely on helped calm my mind a bit.

However, there was one more problem left.

“I don’t know much about the game.”

This was the issue.

I knew the rough outline of the story because the person who recommended the game had explained it to me.

There’s an empire, a few kingdoms, and the overarching story involves fighting the Demon King and eventually killing him.

I also knew a little about what the “heroes” were.

“They said heroes are S-class skill holders, right?”

They’re people with skills so rare that there are only a handful in an entire kingdom.

In the beginning, the story revolves around competing with other hero candidates, all possessing S-class skills, to determine the final heroes.

It’s like placing all the candidates in some kind of isolation, evaluating them, and selecting four heroes to embark on the journey to defeat the Demon King.

“An S-class skill is said to be the proof of a talent so rare it’s almost nonexistent across the continent.”

Mine seemed specialized for thievery, but there had to be something unique about it to deserve that classification.

“Well… I’d like to test it out first.”

Naturally, if one obtains a skill or ability, the first instinct is to try it out.

I looked around to see if there was anything nearby worth targeting.

“It feels a bit wrong, though.”

As a Korean, my conscience tugged at me slightly.

But considering I might have to live in this place indefinitely, I decided to push forward.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment and held a three-second silent prayer for my conscience.

“I think I know what to do now.”

The Gifts—were they powers? Knowledge was already flowing into my mind.

I instinctively knew how to steal, what to do to succeed, and how to execute the act.

This was the influence of Thief’s Pinnacle.

“That person looks too shabby, and that one looks too dangerous.”

After scanning the area carefully, I found a suitable target—a middle-aged man.

He appeared moderately wealthy and had a kind expression.

I approached within one meter of him.

“What can I steal…?”

A wig, 37 gold coins, 58 silver coins.

Clothing items, and even the dagger hanging by his side—all of it could be stolen effortlessly.

“This is practically magic.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of such an incredible ability.

Wait a minute. This guy was wearing a wig?

“Now that I look closely, something about it does seem off.”

But that wasn’t important right now.

My target was one gold coin.

At that moment, the [Absolute Theft] Gift drilled its method of use into my mind.

“So, this is how it works.”

Following the flow of information, I moved my hand naturally.

It was a distance I shouldn’t have been able to reach.

And yet.

I felt my hand passing through something, as if it had been submerged.

In the next instant, a gold coin was resting in my palm.

“So, this is how the ability manifests.”

I thought it seemed magical, but I didn’t expect it to be literally magical.

As the thought crossed my mind, an idea came to me.

Gift: Absolute Theft.

It was said to “steal what the target possesses.”

If that was the case…

My eyes began to sparkle with intrigue.

“Could I also steal someone else’s Gift?”

If this ability worked as I imagined, it would likely have some limitations or conditions.

But what exactly is an S-class ability?

It’s said to signify a resource so rare that you couldn’t find many across the entire continent.

If my ability could even steal something like a Gift, then wouldn’t it possess that level of capability?

It was a reasonable and exciting idea.

If that was the case, I needed to test it on someone else.

“Where can I find someone with exceptional talent?”

To prepare for any potential complications, I needed to find the most capable individual I could.

But I was just someone who hadn’t played the game.

“There are a few things I’ve heard about, though.”

Still, trying to locate someone based on just a name seemed almost impossible.

Just as I was about to stomp my feet in frustration, I saw a woman.

She had a strikingly familiar face.

Blood-red eyes that seemed soaked in crimson, hair of the same fiery hue, and skin so pale it almost gleamed.

She wore a red dress that exuded an oddly provocative aura.

She was also looking at me.

Even though I didn’t know much about the game, I knew who she was.

“She’s one of the people featured in the game’s title.”

The reason I knew her name was because of my friend, the one who wouldn’t stop talking about it.

The name that friend had sung praises about so often.

“Lucia, right?”

There was an illustration of a character prominently displayed on the game’s title screen.

“She’s definitely an important figure.”

And the most important thing?

She was a villain who influenced the story’s entire plot.

“I don’t fully understand what this story is about yet.”

But I knew she was an antagonist, one who tried to stop the heroes on their journey to defeat the Demon King.

That also meant she wasn’t on the side of the heroes.

As these thoughts crossed my mind, a blue window suddenly appeared in my vision.

[Encounter Quest]

You have encountered the villainess, Lucia.

Either capture her attention in some way or ensure she loses interest in you.

Reward: ???

Failure Penalty: None

“Usually, something like this would come with a ‘death upon failure’ condition.”

Was it because I had selected Very Easy?

With no death penalty, I felt a bit more relaxed.

“Let’s abandon this quest.”

I decided to give up on drawing her attention—or anything else for that matter.

The reward intrigued me, but survival had to come first, didn’t it?

“And besides…”

I wanted to test the limits of my ability.

My power was to steal.

So, wouldn’t it be beneficial to steal something—anything—from her?

“Whether it’s her talent or something else.”

There were no written limits to what could be stolen.

If there were no restrictions, then theoretically, I could steal anything.

[You have gained the favor of the villainess, Lucia.]

[The maximum limit of what can be stolen from her has increased.]

Just as I resolved to approach Lucia, I stopped in my tracks.

“The limit of what I can steal increases when I gain her favor?”

Two questions arose in my mind.

Why did gaining her favor increase the limit of what could be stolen?

And.

“Why did I gain her favor in the first place?”

I looked at Lucia.

Her crimson eyes sparkled like blood under the light, and her red hair flowed softly.

She was smiling brightly at me, waving her hand in my direction.

“That gentleman over there?”

“Huh? Are you talking to me?”

“Yes.”

Her voice was gentle, her demeanor regal.

Every move she made seemed to radiate grace, as if she naturally drew people to her.

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’m quite interested in you. Could I borrow a moment of your time?”

“It is too much trouble.”

“Oh?”

With a bright smile, she spoke.

Leaving behind her bewildered expression, I activated my Gift.

Perhaps because I had already grown accustomed to the sensation from earlier, I could clearly tell what I could steal from her.

“But…”

This time, it was different.

Among the things I could steal from her, there was something that gave off a mysterious “???” vibe.

“Is this the result of the increased limit?”

I didn’t know what it was, but I used my Gift to “steal” it.

That peculiar sensation of my hand sinking into something—I felt it again.

I pulled something out.

“A jewel?”

That was what it felt like in my hand.

“Huh? Huhhh?”

Her gentle voice wavered with confusion.

Before things got annoying, I ran.

After a short sprint through the alleys.

“This should be far enough.”

There didn’t seem to be any sign of pursuit.

I pulled the jewel from my pocket, feeling its texture in my hand.

“What’s this…?”

It was a crimson jewel, radiating a rich, blood-like hue.

It was breathtakingly beautiful, its luster mesmerizing.

I didn’t know much about jewels, but surely this one would fetch a high price.

“Wait, did I really steal just a jewel?”

I had thought the mysterious “???” item would be something amazing.
Still, it was a jewel, so it wasn’t a total loss.

But then I stopped thinking.

Hovering above the crimson jewel was an item name.

When I saw it, I froze in disbelief.

I had used my ability to steal something from her.

Since she was a villainess in the game, I figured stealing one of her skills would weaken her and make things easier for the heroes.

“And, if the person I target is evil, I’d feel less guilty about it.”

That was why I decided to steal from her.

With her favor increasing the limit of what I could take, I assumed I could snag one of her skills or abilities.

“But why…”

[Obsession of the Villainess]

“Why the hell did I end up with this?!”

I couldn’t make sense of it.

“Well, maybe it has some good effects?”

Hoping for the best, I checked the item description.

The moment I read it, the light in my eyes began to dim.

[Obsession of the Villainess]
◇ You will inherit all of the original owner’s obsessions.

“What the hell?! Are you kidding me?!”