Chapter 4
For the successors who would find themselves in the same plight as those who had not received blessings…
The half-wits of the past spent their time in the Green Pine Hall, diligently creating technique books filled with their skills and memories.
And this was the secret library of the Green Pine Hall.
A library solely for the foolish.
“Ha, unbelievable.”
As Kraush stepped up to the shelf, he slowly pulled out a dusty technique book.
What if he had discovered this place just a tad earlier?
Rather than obsessing over skills that could be gained through a contract with a god…
Perhaps he could have achieved greatness through human-made creations.
“I’m a bit late, aren’t I? Dear ancestors.”
Kraush chuckled wryly as he lifted his head.
Thanks to Demaris Balheim, the worst of the half-wits, this library had been sealed away.
Now, he had finally reopened it.
However, while the technique books left by his ancestors were good, Kraush was actually searching for something else among them.
As he turned his head, a chill ran down his spine.
An eerie presence struck him hard.
Despite having endured the curses of countless world erasures, this chill was unmistakable.
It was clear.
‘Demaris Balheim.’
The cursed technique book left by the devil.
It lay over there.
Thud, thud…
Kraush’s footsteps began to move slowly.
At the very end of the library stood a sinister book bound in black.
At first glance, it almost looked like it was smeared with blood. Kraush carefully lifted the book.
Then, he let out a ridiculous laugh.
‘So that’s why he went insane.’
As Kraush gripped the dark technique book, a swirling energy surged from it.
Just by touching it, his fingertips began to burn.
But Kraush didn’t even let out a sound.
He was all too familiar with the pain from the curse of world erosion.
This much wouldn’t stop him.
‘So, that’s why he was consumed by the erosion of the world.’
Kraush discerned why Demaris Balheim had lost his sanity through the curse that emanated from the book.
The curse of world erosion was brutal.
He had spent years researching and analyzing ways to dispel the curse, and with great difficulty, he had managed to offset one curse with another.
If they each carried a single curse, even Kraush wouldn’t have been able to endure it.
‘Moreover, stealing the curse somewhat weakens its effect.’
A curse grows stronger when it clearly targets a subject.
Since Kraush had stolen the curse, the one that lost its target grew weaker.
Of course, the horrific pain still remained.
Crack!
Ignoring the burning sensation on his hand, Kraush flipped through the pages.
He began to read the book slowly.
The contents were written in the form of a diary.
Demaris Balheim.
The man known as a half-wit, who was eventually consumed by world erosion and called a devil.
Demaris had written the entirety of that miserable tale here.
However, the narrative didn’t particularly stir any emotions in Kraush.
What mattered was the story that followed.
‘I found it.’
In that moment, Kraush’s eyes sparkled.
The reason Demaris was labeled as the greatest disgrace of Balheim wasn’t simply because he was a devil but for another reason entirely.
It was that he was a monstrous force strong enough to be called the strongest in Balheim.
Even when the finest warriors of his time confronted Demaris, they all lost their heads to him.
How could he have been so powerful?
The answer was simple.
He had created unusual techniques to control world erosion.
He inscribed the erosion into his own body, using that power in an insane form of technique.
And through that madness, he rose to the top.
Ultimately, he became the monster consumed by world erosion, though.
But the techniques he left behind…
Extreme Blood Poisoning (極血浸毒).
A forbidden art deemed taboo even within Balheim, which absorbed world erosion into one’s own body.
No one would have suspected that the book containing this forbidden technique would be tucked away in a secret library at the back of the Green Pine Hall.
‘Learning this is the way forward.’
As Kraush read through the details of Extreme Blood Poisoning, he clenched his fists tightly.
Though more than half of the book had burned away by the time he discovered it, this time it would be different.
Of course, Extreme Blood Poisoning was incredibly dangerous.
But Kraush had a plan.
‘The flaw of Extreme Blood Poisoning lies in the madness of world erosion and the curse that afflicts those overtaken by madness.’
He was familiar with the individuals afflicted by that curse.
And he knew that one of those individuals was quite close to him.
It felt ridiculous to steal the curse once more, but it was necessary for the future.
Eventually, Kraush intended to steal not just curses but also skills.
Right now, he needed to grow stronger without any skills.
Closing the book on Extreme Blood Poisoning, Kraush stood up.
“Aliod.”
“Yes, Young Master Kraush.”
“From today onward, no one is allowed into the Green Pine Hall until I have mastered every technique book here.”
That was an order from the current master of the Green Pine Hall.
Aliod’s eyes widened as he looked at Kraush, then bowed deeply.
“Yes, understood.”
Kraush began pulling books out once more.
As he witnessed Kraush’s back, Aliod fell into thought.
‘How on earth does Young Master Kraush know about this place?’
Even at a glance, the library contained astonishing technique books.
This was a place even Aliod, assigned as the butler of the Green Pine Hall, didn’t know about.
It was as if he had heard about it overnight from someone.
If that were the case, who on earth was it?
‘Could it be…’
The only person who could possibly guide him to such a place in the Green Pine Hall was none other than the current head of Balheim.
Mu-hwang Balrok Balheim.
It must have been him.
‘Has the head not given up on Young Master Kraush yet?’
Seeing Kraush, who had formed a contract with a god, the head must have hinted at the secret of the Green Pine Hall to him.
Having reached that conclusion, Aliod clenched his fist against his chest.
‘How could I even consider giving up on a young master whom the head hasn’t given up on?’
Aliod felt a wave of shame wash over him.
At that moment, emotions surged within him.
The emotions he felt when Kraush was first born.
The mindset of wanting to support him as a butler and eventually see him rise as the head of Balheim.
‘Young Master Kraush forgave me, even after I made mistakes.’
If a master forgives a servant’s blunders, it’s the servant’s duty to repay that grace.
‘When a fallen person rises again, they can stand even stronger.’
How foolish of him to have made such a stupid mistake.
Blinded by his daughter’s illness, he realized the gravity of who he had almost given up.
Ultimately, it was the duty of the head butler to guide Kraush onto the right path.
To even think about betraying him, even for a moment.
He made a firm resolution to completely reject the proposal from Kraush’s third brother.
‘My master is Young Master Kraush.’
He engraved that truth deeply in his heart once more.
＊ ＊ ＊
A few days after Kraush entered the secret library, Velokin Balheim, the third direct descendant of Balheim, received shocking news.
“Did that fool refuse my proposal?”
Velokin scowled, recalling Aliod, who had just bowed his head moments ago.
Aliod had turned down a proposal for the sake of the half-wit youngest brother.
He had promised to handle everything without any repercussions.
Moreover, he had even said he would solve his daughter’s incurable illness.
Yet suddenly, this guy had changed his demeanor out of nowhere.
‘That bastard, he didn’t seriously give up on it, did he?’
Velokin had thought Aliod would have abandoned Kraush long ago.
So why was it that Aliod was refusing his proposal now?
“That piece of trash shouldn’t be lingering in our family.”
Velokin ground his teeth, displaying utter loathing.
Beside him lay a torn newspaper, featuring an article about the prodigy called Charlotte.
With disgust, Velokin shoved the shredded newspaper into the trash can.
He found it absolutely revolting that the woman’s bloodline was running rampant in the Balheim family.
One was called the genius of the century, while the other was a disgrace to Balheim.
They were both equally annoying.
“Is anyone out there?”
“Yes, Lord Velokin, did you call?”
At his shout, a man suddenly appeared at the door.
Dressed impeccably in butler attire, he was none other than Velokin’s dedicated butler.
“Go check on the Green Pine Hall where Kraush is staying. I need to find out why that butler suddenly changed his attitude.”
Velokin couldn’t make sense of things, so he decided to investigate personally.
However, moments later, he stumbled upon a fact that made him even angrier.
No one was allowed into the Green Pine Hall as per Kraush’s orders.
Not even his own third brother.
And so, as Velokin’s fury grew day by day…
Inside the secret library, Kraush was diligently training every day.
After a while, Kraush sat in a lotus position, exhaling deeply, then opened his eyes.
A refreshing feeling of aura flowed through his entire body.
It was evident that his aura level had significantly risen compared to before.
‘With this level, I should have reached the beginning stages of Expert.’
There are several levels to aura.
The first is the most basic level—Aura User.
It’s the stage when one has just awakened their aura.
The next level is Aura Expert.
This is the stage where most aura users find themselves, essentially separating the average person from the genius.
There’s a saying in the world.
If a person doesn’t graduate to Expert by the age of thirty, they’ll remain an Expert for life.
At that point, Expert can be seen as the end for common people.
And Kraush had barely slipped into that realm of commonality.
Currently, he was thirteen years old.
For his age, this was quite impressive.
But his family was none other than Balheim.
Direct descendants of Balheim typically entered Expert by the age of eight.
In fact, Charlotte, who was only two years older than Kraush, had already reached the highest level of Expert and was on the verge of mastering it.
It wasn’t without reason that she earned the title of Sword Star before even entering her twenties.
‘It truly is an absurd talent.’
Yet even Charlotte had been powerless in the face of destruction.
Compared to her, Kraush was now just stepping into Expert.
Could he truly protect the world with this measly level?
“Only time will tell.”
Kraush didn’t feel any despair.
He was a half-wit, after all.
That fact was nothing new to him.
More than anything, he found joy in this moment.
Whether it be Expert or not, he had previously lived with the curse that twisted him inside out every time he used aura.
Moreover, all the technique books in the secret library were crafted by fellow half-wits of Balheim.
Thanks to that, the technique books were easy to understand and master.
Though he couldn’t hope for talent akin to Charlotte’s, he would still grow stronger.
For now, that was more than enough.
“Young Master.”
Just then, Aliod’s voice echoed from outside the secret library.
Kraush organized the books and walked out.
“You’ve entered the realm of Expert. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, but it’s nothing special.”
Kraush casually replied to Aliod, who was offering his congratulations before giving him a confused look.
“A young lady named Bianca Hadenhart has come to the Green Pine Hall.”
Kraush thought to himself that it was about time she arrived.
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