I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-102

Ch-102

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The rumor claimed that a fifth main pillar had been born.

That he now possessed the ability to tear through the shroud of myth and destroy the mysteries.

That he was a true monster who might even surpass the White King himself!

…But rumors always grow distorted.

“Yes. He is someone who possesses the potential to kill me.”

“…!”

And the White King acknowledged it plainly.

Aria couldn’t help but be startled—she had never once heard him use the expression *‘someone who can kill me’* to describe another person.

Could the rumors actually be true?

“If you ever meet the Fifth Main pillar, you’ll like him.”

His tone was strange.

*Like him?*
Why would she ever need to like the Fifth Main pillar?

*No way…?*

Aria’s expression twisted.

“I’m not interested.”

“You will need to be.”

“…”

“The Fifth Main pillar is currently the master of the Abyssal Labyrinth. When he finishes consolidating it, you will meet. I will arrange the meeting.”

Her ominous premonition proved correct.

The White King meant to hand her over to this so-called Fifth pillar—the King of Crows.

A word once spoken by the White King was absolute.

That was precisely why Aria had buried herself atop the Mountain of Trainees—to avoid this fate.

“…I already have someone in my heart.”

“Forget him.”

“He’s a warrior who surpasses Raktusha. …He saved me from Raktusha, and he may even be capable of controlling a Calamity.”

If what she saw had been real, he truly was a sword god who surpassed Raktusha.

He had cut through the Trainee’s Stele with a single stroke.

More importantly, he had deciphered the book left behind by the Sword saint, and exactly as written, he cut the stele and possessed the qualifications to control the most ominous blade of them all— Baal.

As expected, the moment Calamity was mentioned, the White King’s ears perked.

“In that case, bring him. I must confirm it with my own eyes.”

He meant to weigh the Fifth Main pillar against this man personally.

And if he truly *could* control Calamity Baal, that would be an earth-shattering revelation.

If true, his value might even surpass that of the Fifth Main pillar.

Aria spoke, firm with resolve.

“Before that, I will awaken the Northern Heavenly Sword.”

“…The Northern Heavenly Sword?”

The Northern Heavenly Sword was an originless blade sealed in the north.

So dangerous and powerful that the White King had sealed it himself.

“If I want to catch his attention, I must grow far stronger.”

“Ridiculous.”

“It is the truth.”

Aria did not yield an inch.

She had realized how narrow-minded she’d been—just a frog in a well.

There were many geniuses in the world.
And there were true geniuses who surpassed even those geniuses.

To stand before them, she couldn’t fear any challenge.

*Stronger than Raktusha, and able to control even a Calamity…*
Absurd, yet undeniably fascinating.

Besides, now that it was certain the Black King was after her, even the White King couldn’t sit idle.

Preparations were already underway, but the more cards one held, the better.

*I’d like to meet him at least once.*

*

*

 

Damn it.

His mouth tasted bitter, but there was no alternative.

Having failed to uncover the Phantom’s identity and having failed to kidnap the White King’s daughter, the only thing left for Master was the imperial super-auction.

*It’s incredible.*

The moment he set foot on the territory of Darkan—the host of the auction—he was overwhelmed.

He had heard rumors that it was a renowned swordsmanship lineage, but even in front of the warp gate, countless works of art were displayed everywhere.

The buildings were massive.

Each one crafted in a style so beautiful it was impossible not to be overwhelmed.

Even the soldiers guarding the warp looked exceptional.

“Should I have arrived in something even flashier?”

“Is that even possible?”

Blackflame responded dryly to Master’s remark.

She had followed him half in resignation, half to support him.

Master puffed out his chest proudly, pulling his golden eight-horse imperial carriage—the one crafted illegally by the Emperor himself.

*…This is where it really begins.*

He needed to draw as much attention as possible, to make contact with imperial nobles.

The carriages scattered around were impressive, but none outshone his.

Some of those owners were surely among the invited elite.

They must have arrived early to gather information before the auction began.

“We’re the first players participating, right?”

“…Shut up.”

“Oh, are we not supposed to say that word here?”

This was the Empire.

And the Empire despised players openly.

There was a real possibility the Reaper Cult had its roots somewhere within imperial borders.

If they didn’t want to be noticed and killed, they had to watch their mouths.

“Still, this is amazing. If a mere vassal territory under the Empire looks like this, what must the Imperial Palace be like?”

The Imperial Palace…
He couldn’t even imagine it.

But if he could ever reach the Imperial Palace itself, he could recover all losses and rise even higher.

Still, even here, the golden eight-horse carriage drew plenty of eyes.

The imperial citizens stared as the carriage slowly trotted past.

*Go ahead and stare. It cost thirty million gold to prepare this thing.*

Of course, he’d coaxed that thirty million gold out of Blackflame.

Regardless, he basked in the attention, nose in the air.

“What—what the?”

“A Hydragon?”

“How can a monster use the warp—?!”

Suddenly, commotion erupted around the warp again.

A gigantic beast had stepped through the warp.

…Impossible.

The warp leading into the Empire was strictly monitored and supervised.

Elite imperial knights guarded it personally.

A monster using the warp to cross into the Empire?

Even with a hundred concessions, it was impossible.

“That’s not a normal Hydragon.”

“…It’s a Hydragon summoned with the Hydragon’s Soul.”

What?!

The Hydragon’s Soul?!

Wasn’t that the exact relic Gracia had been scouring both Pangaenia and Earth for?

But he was certain—
its horns aside, no Hydragon looked that natural unless it was summoned by the Hydragon’s Soul.

Who…?
Which lunatic had summoned a Hydragon and marched into Darkan’s territory?

No sane person would summon a Hydragon and attach a carriage behind it.

“Stop!”

“Halt!”

Even more shocking was the soldiers’ attitude.

Instead of attacking immediately, they acted as if they already understood something.

Then a man stepped down from the carriage.

“‘Skullbreaker’…?”

“Isn’t that a giant-only weapon?”

The weapon in the man’s hand was unmistakable.

The Skullbreaker.

A blade used only by the greatest warrior of the giant race.

Yet here it was, wielded by a man who *looked* human.

“And what’s with that goat-mask helmet? That’s some crazy fashion.”

Blackflame muttered.

No one knew what that helmet was.

But one thing was certain: the man carrying the giant-exclusive Skullbreaker was a warrior of terrifying strength.

What word summed him up best?
*Overwhelming.*

He held a greatsword over three meters long in one hand, wearing a black goat mask.

He wasn’t even wearing a shirt.

His body looked like a wild beast carved from perfection itself.
It was enough to rob a person of their senses.

“It took us thirty minutes to get through. Will they really let that through?”

“…No way.”

He couldn’t possibly be human.

He was clearly something wearing a human’s skin.

Maybe a transformed giant.

There was no way the Empire would admit someone like that.

Even with an invitation, they had undergone thirty minutes of identity checks.

And now this?

Dragging a Hydragon into the imperial city?

No chance they’d allow it.

“Pass!”

“Proceed!”

“…What?”

Blackflame stared, dumbfounded.

He had only shown a slip of paper—and was let through instantly.

No checks, no procedures.

The carriage pulled by a Hydragon rolled into the city freely.

Every pair of eyes trailed after it.

—

—

 

“It seems we didn’t arouse much suspicion.”

Hudson exhaled in relief after clearing the warp gate.

He had been worried the entire time that they might not be allowed through.

I looked at him and let out a short laugh.

“Relax. We passed perfectly.”

The moment they accepted the invitation without question, it meant that the lord of Darkan had personally approved it.

They clearly believed Hudson to be an associate of the White King.

From here on, there was no danger of being caught within the territory.

“By the way, are you sure you’re fine being my escort?”

“It’s fine. You may speak casually.”

“…How could I possibly?”

“You’re the one invited to Darkan. I’m only here as your escort.”

“I—I’ll try…”

He would have to get used to it.

I was here under the pretext of being Hudson’s escort, after all.

“Uh… excuse me.”

A voice suddenly intruded from inside the carriage.

I turned my head—
a man clutching a spear in both hands blinked awkwardly and scratched his cheek.

“Isn’t this the Empire? Am… am I allowed to come along?”

The spearman, Balte!

The side character I picked up from the Mountain of Trainees.

He had spent two full years in the Chaos Trainee Zone, swinging his spear under maximum restrictions.

It’d be wasteful to abandon a character who had managed to blossom his External Energy.

“It’ll be a good experience.”

Hudson answered casually.

He already knew Balte was my sub-character—
just like Isaac and Isabella.

“A g-good experience? Will I be of any help?”

Watching Balte tremble like crazy, I glanced at Hudson.

*An innocent fool, huh.*

*He really is.*

The spear-fighter character seemed to be extremely shy.

I shrugged.

**【Lv. 10】**

Amazingly, Balte’s level was 10.

Now that all restrictions had lifted, his true level had surfaced.

He had entered the Mountain of Trainees at level 7 and emerged at 10—proof he had accumulated tremendous experience over two years.

Was it thanks to training daily with the White King’s daughter?

He had no idea she was the one who had been beating him senseless all that time.

“M-my pathetic skills won’t become a burden… will they?”

“You are excellent.”

“N-no, not at all. Someone like me could never…”

Balte had absolutely no idea of his own value.

A level-10 spearman who had opened External Energy.

Practically a pre-transcendent with overwhelming potential.

If anyone realized his talent, they’d try to recruit him at any cost.

He also possessed tenacity.
He was truly a late-blooming prodigy.

*Being defeated nonstop for two years must’ve shaped his personality.*

Getting pummeled by Aria every day had likely made him timid.

And leaving him unattended had been the decisive factor.

If he hadn’t been abandoned, things might have turned out differently.

*Why do I keep running into all the characters with a few screws loose?*

Back in the days of playing Pangaenia, I had raised characters experimentally.

Hundreds had been abandoned—Balte was simply one of them.

Isabella, Isaac, Balte…
Ironically, I kept running into discarded characters with defects.

Meanwhile, the characters I’d raised with true care had not appeared at all.

Though I had poured all the Stars into Wilhelm, that didn’t mean the other characters hadn’t transcended as well.

*‘Salted-Pollock Conan, People-Hooking Fisherman, Thunder-God Descent.’*

The master of swordsmanship I had painstakingly raised with **ten thousand SP**, the successor to the legendary Pollock Conan—

Pollock Conan.

Where was that guy now?

‘People-Hooking Fisherman’ was the lord of the sea, a fisherman who could hook even **Extinction-Fisher Demon**.

‘Thunder-God Descent’ was a great mage of lightning…

They were empty shells now, since I’d stripped all their good items and transferred them to Wilhelm, but even so, as transcended characters their base abilities were still exceptional.

So where had they all gone?

*Are they dead?*

These were characters who, if alive, would have found some way to send word.

Considering that not a single trace of them had surfaced, it truly made me wonder if they had died.

“Balte. Do not argue with the lord’s words. If the lord says you’re excellent, then you’re excellent. Repeat after me: I am excellent.”

“Y-yes. I… I am excellent.”

“Good. Never forget the grace the lord has bestowed upon you.”

“I—I won’t forget.”

Hudson began tightening Balte’s discipline.

Balte had already realized that I was the one who had helped him awaken External Energy. Hudson was making sure he remembered that fact clearly.

Before long, Hudson stopped the carriage and spoke to me.

“My lord. You must be hungry—shall we eat first?”

“Where are we?”

“The most expensive restaurant in the entire Darkan territory. They say only imperial nobles or the rulers of major cities dine here.”

“Let’s go in.”

I nodded.

There was still plenty of time before the super-auction.

Arriving early had been intentional—
to scout Darkan territory in advance.

Since imperial nobles and numerous city-lords had all gathered here for the super-auction, I couldn’t afford to miss this chance to observe them beforehand.

—

—

**‘Darkan’s Afternoon.’**

A four-story building, with the entire structure used as a restaurant.

Just as Hudson said, a vast array of brilliantly decorated carriages were parked out front.

Imperial nobles and the invited rulers of various cities—

They were all dining here.

“A Hydragon?”

“…What the hell is that?”

“Did someone bring it pulling their carriage?”

“So the Hydragon is a *horse* now? Did the territory actually permit that?”

Even without any decoration, the Hydragon was more than enough to draw every gaze.

Guests eating on the outdoor terrace area all turned toward us.

Whether they stared or not, we strolled leisurely into **Darkan’s Afternoon**.

 

 

 

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