IMPORTANT: I know Emma Flores has this type of ability and I realized it halfway through writing it, but I wanted to give life to this idea. There WILL NOT be a second chapter. This is simply a one-shot, and that is how it shall remain.

However, I am willing to allow others to use this idea, all I ask for is a mention for credit. (Is that too presumptuous of me to ask for?) Unless someone had this idea before me... then disregard.

Enjoy.

...

A dark rumor plagues the Dungeon City. Numerous reports through the Ganesha Familia have revealed a disturbing entity. It was not an Irregular. No, it was a person, according to the reports. No one knew who this was, no name, no identification, but they simply do three things.

One: They challenge other Adventurers to a Duel, under honorable terms.

Two: They Duel and win through unknown means.

Three: The person who challenged them will be found in the same spot, at Babel's main entrance with the mark of ST written on a note.

The writing is the same, and the answers from all of the adventurers are the same, "I don't know." "I remember them challenging me, and then I woke up here." "I didn't see their face, it was like looking into an abyss." The reports indicate that they never go into the Dungeon, nor do they attack and challenge injured adventurers. The Guild themselves don't know the full situation either. So far, most of the Familia under Rank C and above Rank E has been challenged. Adventurers in these are usually ranged from level two to level four. So far, no one above level five has been challenged.

At least, not until the Winter Solstice.

On the eve of the Solstice, a singular person was roaming the streets of Orario. Specifically, they were in Daedelus Street, the second labyrinth of Orario as it is called. The figure waltzed through the snow, watching it being crunched underneath their boots, leaving decently-sized footfalls behind, the figure responsible wore a robe that covered their body and left their shoes visible.

This figure was not Fels, the right-hand man… or was it a skeleton… of the founding father of Orario, Ouranos. The God had confirmed where Fels is at all times and reported that to Ganesha himself. As the Elephant God of the masses, he strived to figure out who this mysterious figure was, and what Familia they belonged to. The Ganesha Familia ruled out Evilus, as they have not been seen nor heard from in over eight years after the Dark Days of Orario. No one wants a repeat of that though.

The figure, upon closer inspection, was fidgeting. Fidgeting constantly, like their own body cannot stay still. They jitter, twitch, and all-around cannot stay still. Their steps were jagged, not uniform. "Teehee~" the sound was reverberating, but there were no walls to echo off of. They were in the middle of the street, so how was that possible?

It wasn't.

Two adventurers were chatting on the street, nursing a small fire in front of them. They weren't guarding anything, but they found the outside to be peaceful. "So, have you heard of the rumor?" This voice was feminine.

"About what, Zoe?" This voice was deeper, masculine.

"About that status thief entity dueling people all around Orario!" the female, Zoe, said all but yelling at the male. "Can you be serious for once in your life, Shaw?"

"Relax Zoe!" The male chuckled, "This is probably a scare tactic by some Familia thinking they are a big shot."

"Teehee~" the figure's voice echoed in their minds. They had new targets, and it looked like the female was more powerful than the male, by at least two levels. The female is level five… perfect… the figure's thoughts turned sinister. "Teehee~ new playthings, let's duel~"

""Who's there?"" they both shouted, alerted and wary.

The figure appeared in their sight, the only way that they could tell was because of the boots. The female paled, "That's them, Shaw! This is the person attacking everyone!"

"You're worked up over this guy?" Shaw pointed to the figure, "They don't even have a falna, the Guild was worried about this? You're level five, Zoe, you can easily take 'em!"

The figure grinned under their cloak, "Are you sure, teehee~" The voice echoed again in their minds. Then, the two adventurers felt themselves getting weaker…

"What's…"

"...happening?"

"Teehee~"

Their screams echoed into the night, giving the figure glee…

...and the confidence to move forward.

There was an emergency Denatus days later. Denatus was usually a quarterly event to discuss the politics of Orario, bringing up potential issues, and naming adventurers who level up past level two and beyond, but right now there was a reason for this. "Alright, we all know what we're here for?" Hermes asked. His blond hair and feathered hat lowered, his voice serious. After getting confirmations from the deities present, he continued, "This mysterious entity is crafty. Their victims are random, no discrimination to be found, but we know they are all adventurers of various familias, including my own." Hermes clenched his fists, hiding his anger.

Everyone paid attention now, as they know if Hermes isn't cracking a smirk, grin, or smile, it was serious. "What do you know, Hermes?" another blond God asked, Dionysus.

"Besides the fact that my children haven't found a lick of evidence, which is embarrassing to admit, but I need to be honest with you all, none besides what we already know." The God put his hands spread out on the central table of the thirtieth floor of Babel Tower. It was a beautiful room, and it would be nice to describe if the situation wasn't serious. The top two Goddesses, Freya and Loki respectfully, agreed to a temporary truce for the sake of this. Their petty rivalry could be put on hold for this. Another Goddess whose name was rising through the ranks was there too and besides her short stature, her assets were big, Hestia.

The Goddess of Beauty spoke, "I have some information that may be useful."

"Lady Freya?" Hermes stared directly at her with suspicion, as he should, but allowed her to have the floor, so to speak.

"As you know, I can see the colors of our children, their souls, whether they've been reincarnated or not, and this specific person we're after is… unique. Only one other has piqued my interest like this before." Both Loki and Hestia eyed her critically. They both knew who she was talking about, as did Hermes.

"Go on," Hermes demanded.

Freya chuckled, her silver eyes glinting in the light, "Patience, my dearest Hermes. As I said, their soul was unique. It is neither one solid color nor is it a mix of colors. Instead, it fluctuates like the wind. The color changes constantly, and I find myself distracted by it more often than I had thought I would be." Out of the corner of her eye, something moved. The Goddess stood abruptly and headed to the edge. Other Gods and Goddesses whispered amongst themselves.

Freya could be lying, but she also could not be lying. Her natural beauty makes most fall to the latter, but she was actually suppressing her charm in order to deliver her words. Suppressing being relative.

"There they are…" she whispered, and everyone snapped their head to her. "Permission to use my Arcanum to demonstrate?"

"Granted." Ouranos' voice boomed in the room. The founding father was present in spirit and found this interesting. While it is Ouranos' job to keep the Dungeon in line, it was also his job to help keep Orario stable—alongside the Ganesha Familia.

A glow surrounded Freya as she snapped her fingers and projected a divine mirror of what she sees. At first, it looked like a blur of colors to every other deity, but as Freya focused her vision, they saw what she meant. The color of this figure was not a singular color. Instead, it passed like a kaleidoscope, shifting changing, jittering.

"Does this supply you with enough information, my dearest Hermes?" Freya purred, elated that she gets to see such a wonderful soul. Hermes only nodded.

"What does this mean though?" a Goddess asked, and others agreed with her.

Hermes sighed, "It means that we will have to keep a tighter leash on our children, much to our displeasure. Loki, Freya, I do apologize for asking this, but can you-"

"Don't even think about it, Hermes. I will not be risking my kiddies because you want an easy win. Besides, weren't there reports that they only went after level four adventurers?"

Ganesha sighed from his seat, "Unfortunately, they went after their first level five a couple of days ago." The happy-go-lucky personality was nowhere to be found.

"What?" Hestia asked shocked. Her Bell wasn't level five, but he was close.

"Hmm, that settles it, I will help. I will ask Hedin and Hogni to assist you," Freya said.

With that being said, Loki eventually will ask Tiona and Tione to help, as they were freshly level six. There was no way she was going to make her Aizu do anything like that.

And so, the Denatus concluded with a plan in the works. Now they could only hope that they wouldn't strike again.

The figure found themselves outside a famous pub in Orario, and it held many adventurers inside. Some powerful ones as well. They grinned, before clearing their throat and testing their voice, "Hello? Ahem, is this working… perfect."

They entered through the main door and greeted the waitress, and they were actually cute, a raven-haired Cat Person. Chloe was her name. "Meow, welcome to the Hostess of Furrtility! Will it just be you, nyah?"

"Yes, please," they said. They still hid beneath their hood. Teehee~ this is going to be fun.

Shut up and do your job.

Why do you have to be so mean~

Lock it down, you two, we need to be precise.

Let me handle it, you friggin degenerates.

The voices were annoying and it was almost impossible to balance them all, but at least the sane one was in control… for now.

A silver-haired waitress rounded the corner and almost dropped the tray she was carrying. They're here! Oh no! Plastering on a fake smile, she walked over to them, "Is there something that you would like today?"

The figure turned, eyed the waitress, "A coffee, if you would, with a dash of honesty."

Syr, the waitress, froze, "S-Sure."

"You're not who you say you are, teehee~ That won't work on me…"

They cleared their throat.

"Apologies, I have a condition that allows me to alter my voice," they said, but their tone said otherwise.

Syr knew they were lying, she just knew. "One coffee, coming up." The smile she had on was faker than Phryne's implants, and so when she left, she almost ran into Ryuu Lion, a beautiful elf, and Syr's bestest friend in all of Orario.

"Syr, what's wrong?" the green-haired, blue-eyed elf saw her dear friend in distress.

Syr took a deep breath, "That customer out there," the girl took Ryuu's hand—which she allowed as one of the only people to do so—and squeaked, "I believe that person is the rumored Dueling maniac."

Ryuu's eyes narrowed, not at Syr, but in thought. "I see. Stay in the back, alert Mia."

"Okay," Syr said but then smiled an unnatural smile that did not fit her innocent profile. She slipped out the back door and then climbed onto a rooftop, where two cloaked figures were waiting.

"Orders, my lady?" the one on the left said.

Syr then spoke with a formal tone, not fit for her, but a Goddess, "There will be no need. I wish to see how this plays out."

Inside the pub, the figure waited patiently before two hands slammed on the counter in front of him, "Who are you, kid? I've never seen you before and you made innocent Syr scared."

The figure felt a powerful presence and grinned, beginning the process. "Your Syr is lying to you, teehee~"

"So, you're the infamous Duelist, aren't you?" Mia said, standing over them. Mia doesn't allow fighting in her pub, but for this, she'll make an exception.

"Duelist? That's friggin lame!"

Suddenly, Mia felt her status disappear, like water vapor. It all made sense for the dwarf.

"Teehee~ I know there's an illegal item called… what was it again?"

The fighting began, as all the waitresses tried to stop them, but it was over as soon as it began. As soon as they absorbed Mia's status, it was already over. Thankfully, the figure did not want to severely injure or kill anyone. They wanted to have some fun, and when they found out about their power, they began. Over the course of their time, they figured out the major downside.

They couldn't die like a normal person. They weren't immortal, but they weren't mortal. They were something in the middle.

Once the last resistance faltered passed out, they spoke again, snapping their fingers, "Oh that's right…" They maneuvered everyone into a chair and wrote across the entire room

ST.

"...call me Status Thief."

Syr watched in fascination and abject awe. Their soul has fluxed when they took Mia's status, their soul had warped into the same warm charcoal color that Mia's soul was before it disappeared into the sea of color.

Hogni, the figure on the right, spoke, "They called themselves… Status Thief."

"Like the item?"

Syr grinned, "A perfect name for them…"

"...Status Thief…"

Orario did not expect the chaos that they would bring.

"Woah! That was a really cool story!" a child squealed up to their parent.

"Indeed, it was based on a true story. According to the story, they still say that they are out there, causing havoc wherever they go," the parent spoke with a child-like mystery tone. Reverting back to a normal voice, "Now, go to sleep munchkin, tomorrow, we'll go see Babel up close."

"Okay! Love you!"

The parent smiled, "Good night, sweetie, love you too."

After tucking the child into bed, the parent quickly changed. It was just becoming night, and that meant it was time.

Not even five minutes later, a figure left the home and shut the door. Once they were a good distance away from the home, they spoke, and it was a shame they had to keep it a secret but...

"Who will be my next victim tonight, teehee~"