The Stealth Genius Freshman
"Live by doing what you love."
That was what everyone had said. Talent or no talent, it didn't matter.
But what if you had a natural talent for something you hated?
What happens then?
It happens.
"Life's exhausting."
Some people even said it back then.
If you do what you're good at, you'll eventually come to enjoy it.
But for me, with my clear likes and dislikes, I couldn't agree.
Even if you had a natural talent for handling animals, if you were allergic to fur, becoming a vet would be impossible.
And if you had incredible swimming talent but suffered from aquaphobia, you couldn't become a professional swimmer, could you?
"Still, you're not that bad, right?"
"I'm allergic to thieves."
"That's hilarious."
The rapid clacking of a PC keyboard echoed loudly.
"But you have to do thieves! In Solitaire Online, hitting from behind doubles your attack power. Why not?"
"I hate it."
"Why do you hate thieves so much? You can eat like a pentakill after stealing one."
"I just hate thieves."
"Ugh! Why are you wasting your talent! You should have been born at a thief academy instead of in Korea!"
"What kind of place is that in this world?"
It couldn't be helped.
I, Kim Dohan, a twenty-seven-year-old special forces commander, had never touched thieves before.
I wouldn't become a brave warrior or a powerhouse mage.
Why would I bother with flashy thieves?
I couldn't understand it at all.
"Even if I say I'm good at thieves, I won't become one, friend."
"Thieves are strong!"
"Those sneaky backstabbers—what's so good about them?"
Kim Dohan changed to a blue light and crossed the crosswalk.
The car didn't notice the openly crossing Kim Dohan.
"Hey! A car! What are you doing crossing while watching a webtoon?! It's dangerous!!"
Thud.
That was my final memory before I reincarnated into the original webtoon Solitaire Electric.
Twenty-seven years of life ended there.
…
And so I reincarnated into the fusion fantasy world of the webtoon I had read, and only lived seventeen years under the name Ethan Cass…
Yet the reactions of those around me were strange.
"Why are you all making a fuss just because I completed a stealth mission?"
Students wearing masks jumped in place and shouted.
"No, that's not it, Ethan! Using stealth just now was awesome! How did you pull off full invisibility in one go!?"
"Ethan… doing a snatch without using qi… I'm so moved. I'll apply to become an imperial instructor!"
"Seeing you beat seven opponents alone with just a gauntlet, I’ve decided to pledge my loyalty to you, Ethan! The second son of the author’s son will serve you with all my heart!"
I had entered the Thief Academy with my chronic thief allergy.
"You are the unparalleled genius thief of Thief Academy!!"
I had become a genius thief.
"…"
What to do?
Living in this other world was going to be exhausting.
*
To understand the beginning of this story, we must go back in time.
It was the day of the Thief Academy entrance ceremony.
People of various races gathered in front of a small cave.
"Why am I even here?"
Kim Dohan—now Ethan—sighed deeply and looked up at the stage.
After his father, Garret Cass, ordered him to steal the Crown Prince's half of the Imperial Seal, he had been abruptly sent to the empire's Thief Academy.
According to the story, since Ethan had inherited his family's bloodline and possessed a natural talent for thieves, he was to become a thief master, infiltrate the imperial palace, and steal the half of the seal… something like that.
"Background setting's out of the way now."
First, I needed to listen to what the scarred old man on the stage was saying.
"My name is Donovan Quido. I am the headmaster of the Thief Academy where you will enroll."
Even the students standing far in the back turned their heads at the headmaster's voice.
The murmuring soon filled the cave.
"Is that the Donovan Quido from the legendary Hero Party?"
"He's the successor to the legendary thief master!"
"They say he openly stole an entire building right in the middle of the Central Empire Capital, where security is tight."
"What? And he wasn't caught?"
"How is such a legend here?"
It seemed like strange praise, but
'I don't know this person.'
In Solitaire Electric, becoming the empire's Thief Academy headmaster was on the level of a division commander in Korea.
'Still, there's no entry for him in my database, so it must be because I reincarnated from a past point.'
Even the original setting was too vast, and I didn't know a lot.
Even after seventeen years of reincarnation, Ethan still found this place brand new.
"… Enter through the wooden door visible behind you. Space will continue inside the academy. Enter one by one in order."
He briefly explained about the school, then noticed two new students fidgeting under the stage.
"What do you plan to do after entering?"
"Let's bet who masters wall-climbing first!"
Donovan's mouth twisted.
"Our new students have no caution at all."
Ethan sensed something odd in the headmaster's posture.
"What's this? Strong."
Instantly, a tornado-like whirlwind of wind roared in front of the cave.
"Kyaaah!"
"Uwaah!"
Powerful wind swept through the tightly packed students.
Some dropped their held items and fell to the ground.
"Disappointing."
Donovan's lowered voice came from the front.
"This year seems to have no useful people."
He raised both hands.
Student information cards and nameplates fell like rain onto the floor.
"W-what the?!"
"That's my ID card!"
"Where did my badge go!"
"My ID card disappeared!"
"My only Jayson Union ID!"
Amid the confused students, the headmaster's voice thundered.
"From now on, your empire ID cards are in my hands."
He displayed various passports, ID cards, and badges.
From the East, West, South, North, and Central regions.
All kinds of empire ID cards proving identities from every region were held in his grasp.
No matter how high your status, without an empire ID near here, you couldn't return to your home region.
This southwestern area was particularly poorly administered, and reissuing ID cards took years.
Thud.
Soon the students' ID cards fell into a long, ornate box.
"Thief Academy's rule is simple. The one who stole is innocent. The one who got stolen from is guilty."
"…"
"If you want to graduate and become a thief, steal the ID cards using the skills learned here."
The students fell silent.
"Stealing is not a crime if not caught, but be careful. The moment you get caught, you'll enter solitary confinement."
One student shouted.
"You took our ID cards! You openly stole from us too!"
"Do you have proof that I stole your ID cards?"
"…"
It was an absurd argument, but the student soon fell silent.
Because Donovan's hands were now empty.
"Where's the proof? I stole your ID?"
"That's absurd…"
"Look carefully. It could be in your bag? Or dropped while walking?"
The student whose ID was stolen shouted louder.
"Stealing students' ID cards? Where is that allowed!"
"Did you steal it from me? My ID card?"
"Then… obviously…!"
Instantly, Donovan's cold voice dropped.
"Then you have no qualification to enter Thief Academy."
"…"
"Leave. Before the entrance ceremony, those who steal items have no qualification to enter."
The new student clenching his teeth couldn't continue under Donovan's cold gaze.
"What…!"
"I won't say it twice. Leave."
Before he could even see the academy gate, the student packed his things and left silently.
Donovan surveyed the crowd.
"Anyone else whose ID was stolen?"
"…"
Students instantly fell silent.
Donovan had his back to the wall.
'Many people with no skill but sharp eyes came.'
The headmaster, Donovan, spoke with a slight head tilt.
"I'll explain the school inside the cave. Take a few questions, then move to the main gate for the entrance ceremony. Any questions?"
Without a welcome greeting, it jumped straight into Q&A.
From the crowd, a hand shot up.
"What happens if you steal the ID card?"
"Good question. You're more level-headed than that idiot I just passed."
Donovan said forcefully.
"Steal the ID from me, and you'll receive a graduation certificate! Such talent is no longer teachable here."
He smirked.
"Of course, only if you can steal it."
"…"
"With your current level, you can't even touch the ID card while we all attack at once."
"…"
"The one who recovered the ID fastest took about three years. I'm curious how long it will take you."
Students began murmuring.
And arrogant words were heard.
"What kind of thief master is that? If the box is right there and you can't take it, aren't you stupid?"
"Hey… the opponent is that Donovan!"
"Doesn't matter. I'm getting the graduation certificate and going straight to the Central Guild!"
A burly student with pink skin and fangs jumped off the ground into the air.
But that's as far as it went.
"Woo-gyak!"
As if hit by an unseen hand, he crashed to the ground, head hitting the stage.
The students couldn't even track what had happened with their eyes.
Only Ethan carefully observed Donovan's movements.
'He suppressed the student incredibly fast and returned to position.'
Even without active duty, Donovan's combat power was no different from a thief master's.
The headmaster clapped his hands.
"When a superior speaks, listen to the end and don't attack. Basic rule as a thief hasn't been followed."
Ethan tilted his head.
'Isn't the basic of thieves to ambush while the other is talking?'
Ethan was engraved deep with thief discrimination.
"The one in front. You. You. Pull him out."
The pulled students looked at the pink-skinned fang student and murmured.
"… Is he dead?"
"He isn't moving."
"Wow… he wasn't even visible just now."
The headmaster gestured to the woman beside him.
"Lock that orc up in solitary for a week after he wakes up."
"I'll pass that on."
The student with dazed eyes was dragged away by the students' hands.
"Anyone else want to challenge?"
Students fell silent in response.
This time, Ethan raised his hand.
"Oh, you pretty guy. What's your question?"
"If I fill all the quest scores and credits but still can't steal the ID, what happens?"
"What kind of talk is that?"
Donovan tilted his head.
"Stealing the ID is a graduation requirement. If you can't meet the requirement, you can't graduate. Isn't that obvious?"
He pointed his thumb toward the cave.
"Among the ones locked inside the school… no, the students currently enrolled, there are some who haven't graduated in twenty years."
"…!"
"But don't worry. You won't end up like those idiots, rotting in solitary forever. Try your hardest."
Students' faces turned pale.
"What kind of talk is this! I've never heard of such a story!"
"We came to a prestigious school so boldly!"
"Even in thirty years, I'll never graduate! How am I supposed to steal something from a thief master!"
Soon it became noisy again.
At that moment, a hand quietly rose from the crowd.
"Excuse me, headmaster?"
"You asked one question."
Ethan looked around and raised his hand again.
"No one else is raising their hand."
"… Indeed. Then ask."
Ethan continued.
"The other students all submitted their ID cards, but I didn't. Is that allowed?"
Donovan slowly blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Ethan scratched his head.
"No, it seems the headmaster didn't take my ID."
On Ethan's hand, the empire ID card swung.
It had the name Ethan Cass.
"Eh? What's this? Why do you have an ID?"
"He didn't get his ID taken!"
"What? What?!"
Students rushed toward Ethan in an instant.
"Why only you have an ID? How did you protect it from that damned headmaster… I mean, from the legendary thief master?"
"Hey! Later, when I go out, lend me your ID!"
"From the first day, you avoided the headmaster's hands all by yourself! You're pretty good!"
The cave became noisy instantly.
A weak crease appeared on Ethan's forehead.
'These will-be thieves have no manners and are noisy.'
'That's why I stay put until someone discovers me.'
But he had at least some social sense, so he couldn't say such impolite inner thoughts out loud.
Students, excited, rushed closer.
"A huge guy came!"
"Hyung said there hasn't been any student who didn't have their ID stolen during the entrance ceremony!"
"Let's study together later!"
"Name…? Ethan? Nice to meet you! Ethan!"
The headmaster's eyes widened.
'What is that guy…?'
The headmaster was a legendary figure who had already reached thief master rank.
No matter how he had lived a leisurely life after retirement, the opponent was a new thief who had just submitted an application to enroll in Thief Academy.
A newbie thief who had seen through the headmaster's movements and prepared in advance?
"That's impossible."
Even if it were the Crown Prince of the empire, it was too much for Ethan's hands.
"From the start, I didn't even know that guy existed."
The headmaster raised his senses, but strangely, the place where Ethan stood felt completely empty.
"Everyone else has a strong qi presence, but why?"
Strange guy.
Ethan Cass.
The only person with almost zero presence.
A passive stealth user.
The corners of Donovan's mouth tilted up pleasantly.
"A born thief, born assassin talent."
He muttered without moving his lips.
"This batch has a crazy person."
The headmaster added Ethan Cass's name to his list of key figures.
Ethan had updated the youngest name on the headmaster's list.
"After the entrance ceremony, what kind of food will come out."
Ethan, secretly rubbing his nose while the headmaster spoke, didn't know.
How much chaos one stealth ability would bring to the empire and Thief Academy.