Chapter 1
“Shit.”
A man spat out a curse.
It was a situation where swearing was the only option.
The markings of curses were stained across his body in various places.
His right eye had long since lost its function due to the curse.
Moreover, half of his body was nearly devoid of any sensation.
His name was Kraush Balheim.
Once labeled as the disgrace of the Balheim family.
“Disgrace my ass.”
However, such words were a thing of the past.
He was one of the legendary heroes who fought against the apocalyptic erosion of the world.
Even in a family that always treated him like a dimwit, he was somewhat acknowledged, which drove him to struggle desperately for the recognition he craved.
But the results were gruesome.
A meteor shower fell before his eyes as the world was collapsing.
The overwhelming evil that had expanded without restraint devoured everything.
Kraush stared hopelessly at the destruction.
And then, he turned to the person beside him.
“What now, cough, what are we going to do…?”
Kraush’s voice came out distorted due to the curse.
But the reprimand was certainly felt within it.
“What are we going to do, huh?”
At that moment, a platinum-haired man, dazzling like the sun, raised his head.
Even as the world was ending, his sorrowful expression was almost unfairly handsome.
Arthur Gramarte, known as the hero king among the greatest of the legendary heroes.
His words were truly absurd, considering how many had died to bring him here.
It was as if the impending doom had nothing to do with him.
“The world has perished. It’s over.”
Arthur answered in an extraordinarily calm tone.
“Is that really how you see it? Cough, how many people have…!”
“Shut up, Kraush! Arthur did his best!”
In that moment, a woman with hair the color of the sea shouted.
Kraush frowned deeply.
Her name was Sigrid Ephania.
The third princess of the Ephania Empire, who was the driving force behind elevating Arthur to the position of candidate for emperor.
The princess, blinded by her infatuation with Arthur.
But in terms of swordsmanship, she was an astonishing expert, rivaling Arthur.
“Shit, cough cough! Sigrid, I barely managed to get out of your whining about being blind in one eye. So you tell me to shut up? Is that your point?”
Kraush spoke sharply, unlike his usual tone.
Sigrid shot him a disdainful look.
“How dare you say that in front of me, Sigrid? Aren’t you afraid of the consequences?”
“Consequences? Consequences!”
Kraush spat out blood, raising both hands to the heavens.
“The world has ended, and you’re worried about consequences?! Shit, girl! The empire you adored is as good as gone, cough, hack, it’s finished!”
Upon hearing that, Sigrid’s eyes widened.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
But seeing that made Kraush wear an expression mixed with contempt.
She, believing in her royal blood, had treated everyone but Arthur with disdain.
Among them, Kraush had received particularly poor treatment.
The main reason being that Kraush hailed from the most powerful family in the Starón Kingdom.
“Oh, you were a nuisance since the academy!”
Their bitter relationship began back at Rahelrn Academy.
Sigrid, born with a natural talent for swordsmanship, garnered everyone’s expectations.
In contrast, the youngest son of the proud Balheim family was just a dimwit with nothing special to show for it.
If it was just being compared, he wouldn’t have cared.
But Sigrid was the leader of the imperial faction within the academy.
Thus, she had persistently tormented Kraush, aiming to crush the royal faction.
As a result, Kraush faced disdain from not only the imperial faction but also embarrassment from his own royal faction.
The “disgrace of the family” saying had become almost deafening in his ears.
Yet, Kraush endured.
He acknowledged being the talentless fool he was.
And she was someone necessary for the legendary heroes to save the world.
“After losing my sight, I was tormented by you!”
But that was all over now.
The world had crumbled, the empire had evaporated due to the erosion of the world, and the kingdom had met the same fate.
So, Kraush pressed his hand against his right eye with a voice full of hatred.
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have stolen the curse placed upon that crazy girl.
“A trash who can only steal!”
Sigrid’s eyes narrowed.
She drew her sword, the White Dragon’s Tooth, exuding a chill that seemed ready to freeze Kraush alive.
But Kraush only scoffed.
“A trash who can only steal, indeed.”
Kraush hated his abilities.
As she had said, he could only steal, nothing more.
[Skill · Black Hood]
Steals what the target possesses.
Conditions
1. The target determines the value of what they possess.
2. The conditions for stealing are set based on the target’s subjective value.
It was a skill given by the god who had made a contract with him, and it was literally a theft ability.
The more valuable something was to the target, the more complex the stealing process became—an odd skill.
However, there was a single advantage to this ability.
“I can even steal the curses arising from the world’s erosion.”
He could lift curses that even legendary gods couldn’t remove from the world.
Because of this incredible advantage, Kraush had fought alongside the legendary heroes.
As a result, he accumulated a staggering number of curses.
One of those curses kept him from dying, but it meant he could never truly sleep; thus, he was still alive to this day.
It was a number that wouldn’t be surprising if he had died long ago.
“I thought I’d reach four digits soon.”
Unfortunately, the world had perished before he could achieve that.
Anyway, all the curses on Kraush came from stealing them from the heroes.
Arthur’s curse of fear manipulation.
Sigrid’s curse of darkness.
The curse of the saint’s vile line.
The curse of the malice of the flame lord, and so on.
At this moment, Kraush possessed all the curses from those who had now passed away.
Curses are the most worthless entities to their targets.
Because of that, Kraush’s Black Hood was at its most effective.
“But you wouldn’t have made it this far without me…”
Kraush’s one eye trembled with rage.
“Right? Cough, Abella.”
He turned to the spot indicated, where a woman was clinging to Arthur, crying.
The petite figure held a staff adorned with stars in her hand.
She was Abella, the Red Witch and the finest talent birthed from the magic tower, and a member of the legendary heroes.
She too had come this far with Arthur.
“Arthur! What are we going to do?”
However, she did not acknowledge his furious shout.
Since the world’s downfall, all she had done was stick to Arthur and cry.
‘Well, that’s just how she is.’
She had always been a woman who ignored others, sticking to her own will.
When the excruciating pain from the curse gripped her body and she went to the tower for painkillers, they had turned her away at the door.
Of course, that was far from the only humiliation she had endured.
Since then, he had entirely cut her off in his heart.
“I heard you can’t use magic because you lost your voice due to a curse. Cough, cough, but you sure are good at crying.”
Yet the sight of her nonchalantly stealing curses from others made him feel disgusted.
Even now, he felt pain like steel scraping against his vocal cords, a pain that made him cough, all because of her cursed influence.
“Please, it’s pathetic, just stop.”
At that moment, another voice had emerged.
A woman who had been quietly standing behind Arthur.
She was Mary Diana, the strongest knight protecting Sigrid, and the spear of the Ephania Empire.
With her pitch-black hair and tall, glamorous form, she was quite the allure—but for Kraush, it felt insignificant.
Because a significant portion of the curses he bore came thanks to that foolish woman.
The strongest spear meant nothing.
Her self-esteem was so high that it was repulsive, pushing her way through the collapsing world to snatch curses.
“What’s pathetic? You don’t remember how you were cursed to spill your heart out, desperately wanting to hide your feelings for Arthur, just to steal from me?”
That very next day after lifting her curse, it was quite the sight to see Sigrid entering a room with Arthur.
Thanks to that, Kraush ended up missing the first date he promised to himself.
Now, relationship or otherwise, it all felt pointless.
“You can’t say anything profound, can you?”
“Of course I can’t! Cough, cough, I still have some of your curse left!”
Had their curses not mutually nullified, he might have said something different right here and now.
“Couldn’t you have at least saved the world?”
Kraush exhaled with a sense of giving up, glancing back at Arthur.
The biggest problem was Arthur.
This guy never once disappointed Kraush.
He always seemed to know the future, smoothly dealing with everything that came his way.
But in the end, he floundered and ended up like this.
Yet, Kraush stayed with him.
Everyone around Arthur were nothing but fools.
But at least Arthur had never failed to tell him he needed him.
Of course, Arthur never stepped in to stop the radical actions taken against Kraush.
Kraush had expected help from Arthur because he considered it useful to keep him around, regardless of how violently he treated others.
“You were capable.”
Kraush recalled the words he’d said while watching Arthur gaze at the collapsing world.
“It’s over.”
It was as if he were stating that a play had just ended.
That calm statement made everything Kraush had put forth feel utterly pointless.
“Yeah, but in the end, this was a failure too.”
In the meantime, Arthur rose to his feet.
Thick drops of blood were dripping from under his chest.
The reason Abella stuck to him and continued crying was on account of that.
Because Arthur was dying.
He too had failed to stop the world’s demise.
“This time as well?”
But as Kraush mulled over Arthur’s recent words, suspicion flickered within him.
It was as if he were reacting to having been through this once before.
“Don’t worry. But this time was different. I’ve obtained a card called ‘memory transmission.’”
The faces of the three women watching him changed.
Their expressions seemed almost as if they had promised something long ago with him.
As Kraush looked at them curiously, he began to scowl.
“Arthur, what do you mean by that? Am I the only one whom you don’t understand?”
“Kraush, I’m not new to destruction. This world has met its demise numerous times.”
Arthur’s calm words only deepened Kraush’s confusion.
What on earth could he mean by saying the world had perished so many times?
Had Arthur finally lost it in the end?
“But it’s all right. I can go back.”
“That makes no sense! Arthur! Sigrid, Abella, Mary, you all know something, don’t you?”
Despite Kraush’s outcry, all three stared only at Arthur.
As if the world revolved solely around him.
“Now that we’ve come this far, I’ll tell you.”
Finally, Arthur revealed the answer.
“It’s reincarnation.”
Reincarnation?
Kraush’s one eye trembled violently.
It was a term that seemed right out of a story; it had tumbled from Arthur’s lips.
Moreover, the other three appeared to have known of his reincarnation all along.
“Re-reincarnation?”
At that moment, an overwhelming sensation coursed through Kraush, like all the pieces of a puzzle falling into place.
Because he now understood why Arthur had acted as if he knew the future all along.
Arthur’s eyes held sincerity.
He truly was going to reincarnate.
“And this time, I gained the power of memory transmission. With this memory transmission, it’s possible to pass down Sigrid’s, Abella’s, and Mary’s memories back to the moment I reincarnate.”
“So, you’re saying you plan to start over, right?”
If he couldn’t stop the destruction by himself, then he could reincarnate others to help him prevent it together.
Realizing this fact caused Kraush’s remaining eye to go wide with realization.
If that were the case, it might genuinely be possible to stop this annihilation.
Even if this attempt had failed, having those three by his side would significantly enhance the odds.
In an instant, light began to shine through.
It was the light of hope illuminating the despair of this collapsing world.
“Yeah, I’ll restart with everyone.”
Just then, Kraush turned his head up at the mention of “everyone.”
The three beside him had already known this fact.
But himself?
Amidst the demise of the legendary heroes, he had struggled to survive and stolen everyone’s curses.
Would he not also be included?
“Wait, Arthur.”
Thus, Kraush decided to ask.
Weren’t you the one who had once acknowledged me?
“…What about me?”
His lips, which had been closed tightly, finally opened as he posed the question.
Arthur, initially observing Kraush in silence, began to chuckle for the first time.
“Puhaha!”
Hearing his sudden loud laughter left Kraush momentarily dazed as Arthur slowly raised his head, wiping away the tears Abella had tended to.
Then, his golden eyes gleamed brightly.
“Kraush, what meaning is there in transmitting the memories of your broken mind and body?”
Arthur looked down at the dumbfounded Kraush and spoke.
“Don’t worry. I like you quite a bit. Without you, the legendary heroes wouldn’t have made it this far. Your ability to steal curses is quite useful. But that doesn’t mean I need the current you. I only need you, with a clear mind, to follow me.”
Those words felt like he was regarding him as merely a tool.
Just a disposable instrument for one-time use.
Although he was needed with every reincarnation, he was nothing more than a tool—nothing more, nothing less.
“See you again, Kraush.”
With those words, a brilliant light suddenly began to radiate from Arthur’s body.
Realizing that Arthur was beginning to use his reincarnation ability, Kraush stood up, panic stricken, and stumbled on the ground.
The curse had damaged one of his legs, rendering it unable to move properly.
Rolling around in the mud, Kraush yelled out to Arthur, spitting blood.
“Wait, wait! Wait! Arthur! Take me with you! Damn it! If you’re going, take me too!”
But even then, Arthur’s expression remained unchanged.
From the start, Kraush had never held any value in Arthur’s life.
The only reason Arthur pretended to acknowledge him was merely his judgment that Kraush could be helpful.
He had never once recognized Kraush as a comrade.
And had he truly realized this fact only now?
“Had I not known that long ago…?”
In truth, he had realized it a long time ago.
Arthur merely watched in silence as the members of their group treated him with contempt.
As if such treatment were perfectly normal.
If he truly regarded Kraush as a comrade, he would have pulled him back and stayed alongside him.
Instead of recognizing Kraush’s accomplishments, he too had considered him merely a tool.
“I was merely…”
Kraush had been solely pleasuring himself in his heart.
Claiming to be beneficial to the legendary heroes, declaring that he must prevent the destruction of the world, he was merely filling the lack of self-esteem he had been deprived of since his family.
And now,
Was this truly the end?
Was it truly over?
At that moment, Kraush’s thoughts began to blur.
Kraush looked down at his hands.
The collapsing world.
The departing Arthur.
The ability to steal from those who possess it.
It was something he had never thought about since he was already ruined by curses.
But from some point onwards, he had always harbored a question.
Could he not steal skills?
Of course, skills must be something exceptionally valuable to the person, making them nearly impossible to take away.
But that was not something he could concern himself about at this moment.
Kraush’s hand reached out to Arthur.
Had he done the same in the previous reincarnation?
If successful, his current self would have also reincarnated in the same manner.
The fact that he hadn’t meant it was a failure.
But it didn’t matter.
If he didn’t try this at all, everything would fall into meaninglessness beneath the crumbling world.
“Shit!”
With that one curse, as Kraush reached out his illuminated hand, he lost consciousness in a brilliant light.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Huh?”
As the bright light faded, a single curious exclamation echoed through the air.
Amidst the meteor shower pouring down for destruction, a figure slowly raised his head.
And as he did, he realized there was no one beside him and gradually widened his eyes in surprise.
“Wh-what is this?”
Why was he where he should have reincarnated?
As he pondered that question, his thoughts were abruptly crushed beneath the falling meteors above.
Originally slated to experience the tenth cycle, he was now at the ninth reincarnation: Arthur Gramarte.
The day he truly died had finally arrived.
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