NOVEL NEXT Chapter 853
Chapter 15: The True Art of Theft
“That’s more chaotic than I imagined.”
I thought being a Count meant having some respect and a solid fortune, but boy, was I wrong.
“I don’t want to eat this!”
“Aida, out there, people are starving with even less than this. You shouldn’t complain.”
Aida, my little sister, tossed the bread aside and started crying, while our father, Count Bradley Somerset, had a stern word with her.
I glanced at the food laid out before me, thinking that the dining scene in a noble household would be similar to an ordinary family’s.
On the table was a thin, mysterious soup and bread that could double as rocks for how hard they were.
Definitely not the kind of appetizing food you’d expect, even for a child.
Resolute, I tried to dip the bread into the soup, but just as I broke it apart—
Crack!
Did I just hear wood splintering?
—
“I’m now the supreme thief? So, the true secret of the Supreme Thief?
As I heard those words, excitement bubbled within me.
“Could it be the Divine Skill…?”
“No way. That’s something I could never teach you; it’s not something you can just go out and use, so why bother?”
“Then, does that mean there’s some other secret skill that’s not the Divine Skill?”
“Cough cough… People have mentioned you lack talent, right?”
“……”
Feeling a bit stung, I shut up, and the Supreme Thief chuckled.
“You’re not someone destined to achieve greatness as a martial artist. But somehow, you’re still here, so in a strange sense, you’re pretty incredible.”
“That’s not your decision to make.”
“I’m not insulting you. Not having talent isn’t a death sentence. Actually, in my eyes, it might even be easier since you’re not a pure martial artist…”
“……?”
The Supreme Thief slowly extended his hand. Suddenly, he shimmered like a mirage, and before I knew it, he had ripped a piece of my sleeve off. Then he spoke.
“Did you feel the moment I stole that?”
“…I’m not sure. I think I might have?”
The feeling was different from the Divine Skill. In the case of the Divine Skill’s Deception, I was completely at a loss, but this time, I felt a slight tingle on my senses as he swiped. I could have defended against it if I wanted, but it would have been exceedingly difficult.
‘Did he use this technique earlier too?’
This was the same trick he pulled when he stole my sleeve despite my defense.
The Supreme Thief flicked the piece of fabric with his finger, saying:
“What I just used is a technique I can apply in the human realm, the Absolute Realm, Technique of All Things! With this, I’ve become the best thief in the world.”
“Hmm… I get that it’s an Absolute Realm, but what exactly is its effect?”
“Did you read my book on the Hundred Transformations of Thieving?”
“I did.”
“Then you’d know the title of the three ranks of thieves; tell me what they are.”
I racked my memory and replied.
“The lowest rank is a thief called ‘Jeol’ (窃), the middle rank is called ‘Do’ (盜), and the highest rank is called ‘Tu’ (偸).”
“Do you know the distinction between them?”
“Jeol, the lowest rank, steals without thinking or skill; Do, the middle rank, thinks but lacks skill; and Tu, the highest rank, has both thought and skill.”
“Wow, you’ve got a good memory!”
The Supreme Thief looked at me in surprise and said:
“Exactly right. So why must a true thief possess both thought and skill?”
“Because you need to think to stay a step ahead of your opponent and have skill to understand their techniques.”
“That’s also correct. But in fact, there’s another level beyond that.”
The Supreme Thief’s expression turned serious.
“The ability to read hearts. That’s the third ability required to become a master thief, following thought and skill.”
“Read hearts…? Like mind reading?”
“It’s a bit different, hmmm… Let me see if you can block my theft this time.”
“Okay.”
Tydaht
I put everything I had into defending against his maneuvering hands. Just like before, he pretended to struggle for a moment, but soon after, effortlessly placed a lump of silver on his palm. He flicked it with his fingers and said:
“It is hard, but I successfully stole from you with a 100% success rate since earlier. Why can’t you stop me from stealing?”
“Because your moves are faster than mine.”
“Is my technique definitely faster than yours, then?”
“It’s… not that. The speed is similar.”
“Ha ha. This is the trick of it. I read your martial intent.”
“……?”
“Do you think martial arts have no mind behind them?”
“Martial arts are concepts created by living beings, not living things themselves. How could a concept have a mind?”
“That’s a misconception. Martial arts have life and intent.”
“What…?”
“A top-notch thief like me can hear them, and I can read their hearts… This is something I’ve heard since I was young; it must be my talent! To be precise, it’s not that I read minds; it’s that I hear them.”
I couldn’t make sense of what the Supreme Thief was saying.
Martial arts have life?
As I puzzled over it, he said:
“Stealing tangible things is easy. After all, they exist. But the corresponding will that comes with that thing complicates the theft. To overcome that will and intent, you must read them to find the gap. That’s what I believe is the ultimate realm of theft—the art of stealing that which does not exist.”
“I don’t quite understand…”
“Ah, just shut up and listen!”
The Supreme Thief snapped, looking irritated.
“I wasn’t planning to tell you all this. It’s completely my trade secret! I was going to teach you something else, but my pride made me want to instill a sense of respect for the best thief in you.”
“……”
“If your true form knew this, they’d probably be horrified, haha.”
With a bitter smile, the Supreme Thief slowly raised his hand. As it turned back into that shimmering mirage again, I observed intently as he spoke:
“To steal that which doesn’t exist… first, you need to make the thing you wish to steal ‘exist.’ You manifest its existence in your mind. Once the unreal becomes realized, you can trace the flow and steal it as you wish… That is the ultimate realm, Technique of All Things.”
Whoosh!
In an instant, the Supreme Thief vanished and reappeared behind me. I momentarily wondered if he used the Divine Skill, but it didn’t seem like it; he spread his hand and said:
“I just stole your qi with the Technique of All Things. Do you feel it?”
“Stole my qi…?”
I flinched.
“Gah!”
In that moment, I sensed about 10% of my qi draining away, like the tide going out. His words weren’t empty; I was shocked, and as I looked at him, he continued:
“The Technique of All Things is usually used to siphon qi during close combat, steal pieces, read techniques to prevent attacks, exploit gaps, or adjust distances by stealing space. There are countless applications depending on the user’s skill.”
Whoosh!
“If you develop this to its utmost, it evolves into the Divine Skill, allowing you to truly steal everything. Though, in the human realm, there’s a limit to how far you can go. That would be the limitation of Heart Reading Technique.”
Once again, the Supreme Thief appeared as if teleporting right before my eyes. I was genuinely awestruck at his divine presence.
‘Oh my… Stealing everything isn’t just a joke!’
The idea that even intangible things like qi could be stolen, and even the spaces between people can be pilfered, was outrageous!
Indeed, a martial master of the Absolute Realm!
I asked the Supreme Thief, “Where on earth did you learn such things? I felt like I’ve been traveling through the Jianghu for ages, yet I’ve neither seen nor heard of anything like it.”
I didn’t mean to be polite, but the Supreme Thief seemed far more extraordinary than I had anticipated. I thought I had learned every world-class technique and secret in my pursuits, but his martial skills were on a completely different level. He replied:
“I have no master and no sect.”
“Huh?”
“I just had talent from a young age, getting by on thievery… Observing others’ martial arts, picking things up as I went along… I’ve been self-taught for decades. If I had properly studied martial arts, I might have reached this Absolute Realm earlier, but I didn’t find it particularly interesting.”
“……”
A genius.
No, a genius who couldn’t even be put into words.
If what he said is true, then the Supreme Thief possessed the extraordinary ability to learn just by observing others’ martial arts. He could be on par with or even surpass the legendary Sword Demon.
He continued, “To master this doesn’t require much talent in martial arts. The key is to ‘listen.’ It’s simply about enhancing that through the knowledge of the Absolute Realm.”
“Is that different from talent in martial arts?”
“Very much so. I’ve taught some so-called geniuses in the world, but none could grasp it.”
“…How can I learn it? Saying this is awkward, but I lack the talent.”
“You can do it. I feel that you can somehow achieve it. That….”
The Supreme Thief stared at me keenly and said:
“I like that you want to take the easy way out. A thief should be like that!”
What?!
As I stood there open-mouthed, he grinned.
“This is just my intuition.”
“……”
“My intuition is usually right.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult…
‘Damn it. What does he mean I’m trying to take the easy way out?’
But if I thought about it, it might have some truth, so I had nothing more to say. Could the heart of the Divine Skill filter human intention?
In the midst of my sudden existential dread, the Supreme Thief said, “Enough chit-chat, let’s get started.”
“…Yes. Please teach me the essence.”
“Essence? There’s none! You just have to listen; what sort of essence could that be? Do I look like a pedantic martial master to you?”
“Then how should I learn?”
“Figure it out, do your best!”
Clap!
As he spoke, the Supreme Thief swiftly attempted another theft. I tried to block him again but got swiped once more. He tossed me the silver lump he had filched.
“Put it back in your sleeve. If you can prevent me from stealing, you’ve passed the basic training.”
“Can I attack you?”
“Of course. Did I say you couldn’t? After all, as a thief, you’ll inevitably get hurt during the job, and you must overcome that to become the best thief.”
He didn’t think much of it.
Swoosh!
The next time he tried to swipe, I drew my sword and aimed to cleave him in half with a strike. My speed was tremendous; I thought no matter how skillful he was, he would have to pull back at this distance.
However, the moment I made my attack, the Supreme Thief evaded my sword strikes with some strange movement and swiped my sleeve again.
Clap!
“It’s easier because you’re attacking and leaving openings! Defense is way harder!”
“……!!”
How is this happening?!
“How did you evade?”
“I dodged with Shadowless Escape. This is my living!”
I shuddered as I realized he dodged all my strikes effortlessly. Someone demonstrating this level of skill at such close proximity would be among just a few in the entire martial arts world!
This was the power of the Supreme Thief’s distinctive martial arts, the Shadowless Escape!
Although he remarked that Shadowless Escape lags behind Soul Removal Technique, it seemed it only fell short in terms of speed, as it was absolutely a world-class martial skill in real combat.
‘Was he also the one who casually evaded Yeodong-bin’s Heavenly Escape Sword Technique in the Tang Dynasty Imperial Palace?’
I thought Yeodong-bin had overestimated the Supreme Thief, but it turned out he truly was a top-tier master.
Gripping my sword again, I said, “Let’s go.”
Clap!
Clap!
I repeated the task a hundred fifty times, yet I was never able to stop the Supreme Thief from his robbery. Out of breath from spent qi, the Supreme Thief said:
“It’s not a matter of talent, is it? You’re already at a level that’s sufficient for learning. So, listen to your heart.”
“Listening to my heart… I don’t quite understand what that means.”
“It’s not a Zen riddle. At this stage in your martial arts, you’re more than capable of grasping it. Recall all the stealing you’ve done until now.”
“……?”
“The desire to take the easy way out is the most important aspect.”
In all my life, I’d never received advice like that before.
‘Taking the easy way… Taking the easy way…’
I thought about how much I had stolen throughout my life.
Not only the thefts I performed with the Hundred Transformations, but upon rebirth, I had also swindled countless treasures using the Essence of the Puppy and Wooden Armor! Of course, I can’t say all of that was thievery, but it was true I took items into my possession that could belong to someone else. If I considered that thievery, I had more than enough experience.
Yet, thinking this way also made me feel a bit embarrassed. It seemed I’d been stealing far too much, and I would continue to do so. When my face flushed, the Supreme Thief noticed.
“Whoa… this is quite the reaction I’ve never seen in any of my students. You must have done quite a bit of thieving.”
“Th-that’s not it.”
“Be true to your nature. Why must you struggle to obtain everything through sheer effort? Who are you working so hard for like an ant?”
The Supreme Thief clenched his fist.
“I don’t want to struggle! I want to live life the easy way! That’s the will of thieves!”
“……!!”
Damn it!
I disdainfully agreed!
But at the same time, I was irritated and shouted, “No! That’s not right! What nonsense is that!”
If that’s the case, then what does it mean for the years of hard work I put in?
“Really? Then prove it!”
<Swoosh>
Once again, the Supreme Thief’s moves came at me. This technique wasn’t speedier than others, yet even using my most powerful technique, I could only push him back temporarily; he’d sneak in like a snake, stealing again and again. It became undeniably clear that the Supreme Thief really was able to read my martial intent beforehand.
Then, like the Supreme Thief, I needed to read the martial intent as well. No, I needed to listen. But if martial arts aren’t alive, how could they communicate? And how was I supposed to listen to them? What did this have to do with taking the easy way?
And then it hit me.
‘Ah…?’
Could I block his attacks without effort just like how he does it? If I aimed to do it easily, couldn’t I?
As I reflected on my desire to obtain everything with ease, it filled my chest, leading me to a meditative state. I felt myself move further into the space of mastery as it blossomed into vibrant colors and all my senses twisted in freedom.
In that state, I sensed something like a ‘heart’. It was the same desire the Supreme Thief had to obtain everything effortlessly, and by following that impulse, I utilized the Seven Great Techniques and the Thunder God’s martial methods to keep pace with him.
At that moment, hesitation washed over me, and my heart demon crept in. I nearly grasped this state, yet felt a profound rejection.
Is it really okay to proceed like this?
Is it really true that my essence lies in taking the easy way out?
Having spent my life as a martial artist, the contradiction between that existence and thievery overwhelmed me with repulsion.
‘I won’t let a single technique dictate my life.’
But simultaneously, I made up my mind to overcome this path.
Though I had to acknowledge the tendency towards laziness and convenience within me, I also recognized how many efforts I had invested. While I liked the idea of taking the easy road, I was also aware of the significance of persistence. My heart would speak truthfully.
I had nothing to be ashamed of, so I would step forward with integrity.
There was no more time to hesitate!
With that thought in mind, I realized that ‘hearts’ aren’t something seen or touched but somehow were felt. I started to grasp the idea of making ‘what does not exist’ into ‘existence’. I also understood what it meant to follow instinctively.
<Swoosh>
And when the Supreme Thief sought to move a step ahead, I instead leapt a step ahead and reached for his sleeve.
Clap!
As our hands intertwined again, a lump of silver was in my palm.
I had stolen the piece of silver from the Supreme Thief’s sleeve!
The catch was that I didn’t even understand how I’d done it, but I had succeeded!
The Supreme Thief spoke in awe, “You’ve done it.”
“……”
“I felt your determination.”
“Determination…? ”
“Not entirely sure, but it could be the will that abhors meaningless efforts and wasted time? Is that what drove your skill? You seem a complicated fellow.”
“……”
“You’re both similar and different from me.”
Truly, it was quite baffling.
Having just met this person for the first time, it felt like he was peering into my soul. Just like he said, my desire to not spend eternity wandering through this empty space pushed me to act.
As I fell silent, the Supreme Thief smirked.
“I’ll teach you nothing more about Technique of All Things. What I’ve shown you isn’t truly an Absolute Realm but a ‘technique’, so all you have to do is cultivate that sensation. Your range of ‘stealing that which does not exist’ will continue to expand.”
I think I understood.
He had simply honed this ‘technique’ into a realm of absolute mastery, and it must have been a separate ability derived from the Supreme Thief’s raw talent.
‘What a valuable weapon I’ve acquired.’
I nodded and said, “So, is that it…?”
“Didn’t I say I’d give you a gift? There’s one more.”
“What gift?”
“I taught you thieving techniques, the divine methods aren’t particularly needed, so all that’s left is the last of my skills.”
The Supreme Thief slowly donned a mask he pulled from somewhere.
“I will teach you the supreme disguise technique, the evolved form of the Dragon Transformation, the Thousand-Faced Master!”
“Whoa, hold on a second.”
I hastily interrupted the Supreme Thief.
“It feels like we’ve spent quite some time already… Is it okay to take an unlimited amount of time here?”
“Do you have urgent matters in the outside world?”
“I don’t exactly, but if time here flows like it does in the human realm, it could be an issue…”
“It’s for a year.”
“Excuse me?”
The Supreme Thief remarked casually.
“With the power I hold as the master of this place, you can spend a year here without consequence. Leaving will mean time flows normally again.”
“……!!”
“After a year, I have to send you out, though.”
He folded his arms.
“Anyway, the Thousand-Faced Master takes much longer to master compared to the previous two. Extreme delicacy and precision are paramount, and there’s a lot of detailed knowledge to understand. A year might not even be enough, so learn as much as you can before you leave.”