I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-10

Ch-10. **Are You Doing Well?**

—

“…Is Randolph really Phantom?”

Three people—two men and one woman—were gathered at a café by Gangnam Station.

Two burly men who looked exactly alike, and a beautiful woman.

Even as the noisy bustle filled the surroundings, the three of them continued their conversation while sipping coffee at a corner table.

“It’s certain. Even if we ignore Main Quest 1, scoring higher than Gracia in the class evaluation is impossible unless you have extensive knowledge of the game.”

The woman spoke.

And just as she said, the highest-tier classes could never be obtained through skill alone. You needed overwhelming luck—and knowledge that surpassed even that luck.

If he wasn’t Phantom, that score simply didn’t make any sense.

“The fifth-year ghost player Phantom has finally shown himself. Things are going to get crazy.”

“Will we be able to make contact first?”

The two identical men spoke in their deep voices.

The woman only shrugged at that.

“And how? We searched for years and never found him.”

“That’s because Phantom wasn’t an actual player all that time. Now that he’s become a real player, we should have a way.”

“Then should we try ‘fishing’? The Secret Auction must have opened by now, right?”

“Fishing, huh…”

“If he wants to take first place in Main Quest 3, he’ll need a ton of good items. Obviously he’ll use the auction.”

Fishing—slang used by players.

You list a high-quality item at a cheap price in the Secret Auction, attach the ‘Twin’ ability of a talisman to it, and use that to locate the buyer.

The ‘Twin Talisman’ allows you to track the location of its pair, no matter how far apart they are.

Beginners who didn’t know this would buy cheap items without thinking, only to be tracked down, robbed, or killed.

In the game—and in reality.

“But isn’t that the kind of underhanded trick only lowlifes like ‘Massacre’ use?”

“If he’s Phantom, he’ll know every talisman option inside out. There’s no way he wouldn’t notice.”

Both of the twin brothers strongly voiced their opposition.

Fishing was a scummy tactic used by people who hunted beginners—people like Massacre.

And even if someone did try it, Phantom wouldn’t fall for it.

The only ones who ever got fished were newbies with less than a year of Pangaenia experience who didn’t know talisman names.

But the woman only clicked her tongue.

“You still don’t understand Phantom? He’s the guy who really went to cut off the Demon King’s head. Sure, he failed, but didn’t you see his decisiveness when he started the Grand Expedition?”

Most people had already accepted that the player Wilhelm *was* Phantom.

And Wilhelm had been truly insane.

Despite countless obstructions and the collapse of multiple factions, he managed to start the Grand Expedition.

Even though he failed despite holding *eight* unique items, Wilhelm’s achievement was something that would remain in Pangaenia’s history forever.

It was literal myth-grade.

“If he sees a fishing-bait item in the Secret Auction, he’ll probably go, ‘Oh? Nice,’ and buy it. ‘Come at me if you dare. If you show up, I’ll kill you all.’ That’s the Phantom I know.”

The woman’s eyes gleamed.

*Phantom fangirl.*

Thinking the same thing, the two men scratched their heads at the same time.

“Once we meet him, what do we do?”

“Obviously, we invite him to our guild.”

“Will Phantom really join our no-name guild?”

“We have to try. Sure, Phantom is probably an incredible person in real life too… but compared to the other lunatics, we’re better.”

Most Pangaenia players were insane.

They were full of people who couldn’t distinguish between the game and reality and casually committed murder like eating a meal.

After the previous ‘Collapse’ phenomenon brought monsters into reality, some managed to clean up their public image. But their nature didn’t really change.

“Speaking of which… what kind of person is he? A major corporation’s CEO? Or maybe the son of a chaebol?”

The woman’s eyes sparkled as she let her imagination run wild.

The two men, watching her, only shook their heads.

– – –

– – –

 

<<‘Sub-Quest – Sanctuary Exploration’ has been completed.>>

<<100% exploration! A number unbelievable even when seen with your own eyes!>>

<<You are the first to perfectly clear the Desert Sanctuary.>>

<<You have acquired the ‘Teleport Book.’>>

<<Achievement unlocked: ‘Sanctuary Conqueror (First)’.>>

<<You have accumulated enough experience and leveled up!>>

The moment I achieved 100% exploration alongside Dramut.

Notifications rolled in along with the quest completion.

“Whoa!”

I let out a sound of admiration when I saw the rewards.

A Teleport Book and a first-clear achievement.

When I picked up the thick, blue book, its description surfaced.

**『Teleport Book (Epic)**
A magical book that transports you to a fully explored location.
Casting time: 30 seconds. Usable once per day.
Currently registered waypoint – Desert Sanctuary』

If you reached 100% exploration in a dungeon or location, this book allowed you to return there at will.

There *were* warps that transported you between regions, but they were limited, imprecise, and expensive.

This item solved all those problems in one stroke.

*This’ll fetch at least 1 million gold.*

1 million gold—the price of a luxury mansion in Pangaenia.

*If I put it on the Secret Auction, I bet the demand would be high.*

Thanks to my ranking in Main Quest 2, the Secret Auction was now active.

It was a place where all players could trade anonymously.

I had no intention of selling it, but I was curious how much demand there would be.

Only around 20 of these existed—a truly rare item.

*And the achievement…*

Achievements could only be obtained after enduring countless trials and hardships. You had to accomplish something noteworthy enough to be recognized across Pangaenia.

Once acknowledged, your Honor soared. And high Honor could earn you titles or the friendship of named NPCs who responded only to those bearing specific honors.

But above all—

*Level 3.*

Finally, level 3.

Every time I cleared a Main Quest, I leveled up.

It wasn’t fast, though. Actually, it was absurdly slow.

*Because required EXP increases based on talent. My required EXP is probably at least ten times the average.*

Normally, by the time you cleared Main Quest 2, you should have been at least level 4—5 if you were strong.

Being only level 3 now meant my required EXP was insanely high.

The price of having too much talent.

*But in return, my stat cap broke. Instead of 10 per level, it’s fixed at 12. Probably because of a hidden trait.*

There were advantages.

Ridiculous, game-breaking advantages that made the slow EXP irrelevant.

*Status window.*

I murmured, and a sheet of parchment appeared before me.

—

## **<Status Window>**

**Name:** Randolph
**Class:** Star Heir

**<Stats>**
**Level:** 3

Strength: 36(+5)
Endurance: 36(+5)
Agility: 36(+5)
Intelligence: 36(+5)
Holy Power: 36(+5)

—

Every level-up increased *every* stat by exactly 12.

Anyone who saw this would scream at me to stop abusing bugs.

It was completely impossible through normal gameplay.

*All talents are maxed, so every level gives max stat gain. But even then, 10 per stat should be the limit.*

Stats increase randomly depending on talent and experience.

The maximum per level for a single stat was 10, and you needed enlightenment to reach 100 in a stat at level 10.

To go beyond that, you had to transcend.

But here I was, getting 12. In *every* stat.

*Meaning… once I hit level 10, I’ll already have two-star-tier stats.*

Stats you’d normally only get after consuming two Stars and transcending.

This was beyond broken.

On top of that, the class trait ‘Star Possession Effect’ boosted all stats by 5.

In all five years I’d played Pangaenia, this was something I had never seen.

Once is coincidence. Twice is fate.

*Among the new hidden traits, one of them must be responsible for this.*

I stroked my chin.

Thirteen hidden traits. Three of them completely new to me.

**【Glutton】, 【Great Sage】, and 【Heavenly】**

I didn’t know exactly what they were, but one of them had to be directly linked to this phenomenon.

I would have to discover their effects gradually.

In any case, I’d gotten everything I needed from exploring the sanctuary.

*Shadow Cloak, Fairy Queen’s Tear, Teleport Book.*

Just seeing them made me smile.

Not one among the three was disposable.

All were ultra-rare raid boss drops.

Especially the Fairy Queen’s Tear—the essential talisman that granted special equipment options.

“Monster!”

“A giant sea creature has appeared in the Sanctuary!”

Apparently I took too long exploring.

Warriors began entering the sanctuary one by one, spotting Dramut.

“Before the Great Warrior and the Queen arrive, we must escape.”

Isabella’s expression hardened.

More warriors poured in by the moment. We needed to leave before the sanctuary was sealed off.

“Dramut—rampage.”

Slaaaaaa!

At my command, Dramut moved.

Even unwillingly, a servant obeyed his master. No right to refuse.

As Dramut began rampaging, I slowly pulled out the Shadow Cloak.

“Use it with me.”

“…Pardon?”

“We have to leave the desert before a pursuit party is formed. To do that, we need to get out unnoticed.”

“Ah.”

The only way to slip out quietly amid the sanctuary’s chaos.

If the soldiers directly saw either Isabella or me, things would escalate.

Isabella slipped into the cloak with me.

“Get closer.”

“…Yes.”

Her eyes trembled slightly.

Staying pressed close, we slipped out of the sanctuary without a sound.

—

—

**Warp out of the desert region.**

It took about half a day for the warp to activate.

“Do not worry. The curse is lifted.”

Because of the curse, Isabella couldn’t use warps.

She could never leave the desert.

But now, blessed by the Star, she could.

“I… trust you.”

Isabella nodded.

At the edge of the desert lay a sheer black cliff. Nothing but endless darkness below.

Her eyes overflowed with longing and desperation as she stared into the abyss.

Warp was the only way to reach the next region.

This part was the same as the game—regions weren’t physically connected.

In any case, it was too late for Isabella to return. By now, the Queen must have mobilized search and pursuit squads.

“Until the warp activates, I need to commune with the Star.”

“I will protect you.”

Understanding my meaning, Isabella took up a defensive stance.

Communing with the Star—

It meant logging out.

But this wasn’t a safe zone. If I logged out, beasts, monsters, or pursuit squads could attack.

I was entrusting my safety entirely to Isabella.

If I had chosen the Talisman of Protection instead of the Fairy Queen’s Tear, I could have set up a safe zone. But I had no regrets.

The Tear was far too valuable.

*A hopeful beginning, at least.*

Before me stretched a golden carpet path leading to a royal road.

Considering the link with reality, my growth in Pangaenia was extremely important.

If more Pangaenian monsters invaded Earth in the future—

*…The Demon King. That thing might descend.*

A creature even Wilhelm couldn’t defeat might appear in reality.

That chilling apocalypse.

I sat down, inhaled deeply, and closed my eyes.

*Logout.*

<<Logging out…>>
<<Move your character to a safe location.>>
<<…>>
<<Logout complete.>>

—

—

Ssshhhh!

I shaved under the shower spray.

After finishing, I dried my body with a towel and rubbed my hair dry.

“Haah, refreshing.”

How long had it been since I last showered and shaved?

The long-overdue shower felt unbelievably revitalizing. Enough to make me regret not doing it sooner.

*…I really lived like a shut-in.*

Leaving the bathroom, I looked at the state of my room and sighed.

Well, I had lived for over a month without any outside contact. I hadn’t cleaned properly and had just been living in chaos.

The one time I went out—transforming to fight the Giant Mantis—didn’t even count as going outside.

A shut-in. But I couldn’t stay depressed and holed up forever.

Even if I’d quit my job, I couldn’t keep living like this.

“Let’s clean.”

The moment I made up my mind to tidy the room—

Ding~

My phone vibrated with an incoming message.

I picked it up from my desk and checked the contents.

And my expression twisted.

—Oppa. Are you doing well?

…It was a text from my ex-girlfriend—the one who broke up with me saying I had no future.