I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-116

Ch-116

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**Fantastic Being**

With a distinctively unusual laugh, Hel tore open the warp and appeared.

She didn’t possess multiple pairs of wings like the other “Lineages.”
Yet even with just a single pair of wings, Hel’s very presence alone was more than enough to seize the attention of everyone present.

“……”

Those who had endlessly boasted about their own Lineages—

“……”

Those who mocked others’ Lineages with sneers and scowls—

“……”

Even No. 1, the man with the golden mask—

—*Kyakyakyakyakyak!*

All of them stared in silence at Hel, who sat atop my head.

Of course they would.

They, too, were aware of the difference—the gulf—between the “Lineages” they had summoned and the one I had.

“Wings…”

“White?”

“Is that… a hybrid?”

Even those who acted as if they knew everything in the world, who bore themselves with arrogant indifference toward all things, could not define Hel with certainty.

One white wing, one black wing.

Compared to the other Lineages, whose wings were all black, she stood out unmistakably.

A true hybrid. Mixed.

Why had such a difference arisen?

*The Spirit Tower, the Trial of Chaos. That thing had been at the very end.*

When I climbed the Spirit Tower in the Dryad Forest.

At the deepest end of the Trial of Chaos, what I barely managed to discover was a Celestial Spirit Egg.

I recalled the description of the Spirit Egg I had seen back then.

★ An unidentified egg that fell from the “Celestial Realm,” the end of light, darkness, and chaos.

★ Only a “Celestian” can see the egg and hatch it.

Just two sentences.

But they alone were enough to convey its value.

*An egg that fell from the Celestial Realm. A being only a Celestian can see and hatch.*

That was Hel.

Still, that condition alone wasn’t quite enough to explain the difference between her and the others.

There had to be a decisive reason *why* Hel was unlike the other Lineages.

My guess:

*“Tainted Honor.”*

The Demigod Trait Dungeon.

A section everyone believed impossible—even Wilhelm had failed to clear it.

After defeating the dungeon’s master, the Demigod, Hel swallowed all the overflowing “Tainted Honor” he released, and only then did she finally break free from her egg.

That was the decisive trigger for her hatching.

Of course, it’s possible Hel had been a fundamentally different type of being from the start.
But judging from how she was discovered and how she hatched, there wasn’t a single ordinary element in the process.

Those differences had stacked to create the Hel of today.

Naturally, she could never be the same as the Lineages that awakened through ordinary means.

“…I can hardly believe my own eyes, but… it really does appear to be the twelfth ‘Lineage.’”

“But a white wing on a Lineage?”

“And yet… it seems unable to use ‘Reaper Force’?”

“Impossible. That Lineage hasn’t been hatched long. It doesn’t look like it’s eaten properly, either.”

“Indeed. A Lineage’s true value begins with three wings.”

The golden-mask wearers each contributed a comment as they studied Hel.

Her appearance was striking, yes, but a particular word they used caught my attention.

*Reaper Force?*

It seemed to refer to the power a Lineage uses.

And they were saying that Hel, having hatched recently, could not yet wield that power.

Meaning she could go beyond merely stopping and activating a warp—she could perform even greater miracles.

—*Kiki?*
—*Kekekekekeke!*
—*Kokokoko!*

…And then, something even stranger happened.

The Lineages, who had fallen silent the moment Hel appeared, suddenly became restless and began circling around her, chattering in unison.

“Wait. What are they doing?”

“I’ve never seen this before…”

Their guardians frowned, bewildered, as they watched their own Lineages.

Ignoring their masters completely, the Lineages surrounded Hel in a circle.

As if performing a ritual.

Were they happy to meet a fellow kin?

Or celebrating the birth of a new Lineage?

Or was there yet another reason?

No one knew.

Not even them. Not even me.

*Lineage and Lineage Successor.*

Regardless, the “Lineage” they spoke of definitely referred to Hel.

But there was a subtle difference in nuance.

“Lineage” referred to a bloodline or lineage of the same origin.

And when Hel first awakened, the text had read:

【Celestial Spirit】
【Rightful Successor】

Indeed, it still said “Rightful Successor.”

Only I could see the glowing window hovering over her head.

*If the others were also labeled like this, they would call them Successors, not Lineages.*

This was what puzzled me.

Why insist on calling them “Lineages”?

If they all were “Rightful Successors,” wouldn’t “Successor” be the correct term?

Who would shorten “Rightful Successor” to just “Lineage”?

I pondered deeply.

*If there were originally twelve eggs in the Celestial Realm, and Hel was the only one that fell…*

Then their words—“There cannot be a twelfth Lineage”—made sense.

If they didn’t know one egg had fallen, it was natural they’d never consider the possibility of a twelfth.

But the real issue was the condition for hatching.

Only a *Celestian* could awaken Hel.

*So are they all Celestians too?*

Did they all possess the same Celestial Hidden Trait I did?

No.

I shook my head inwardly.

Even if the Empire was mysterious and powerful, I had obtained the Celestial trait only after paying a staggering amount of SP.

It wasn’t something attainable with a trivial amount of SP.

Unless one sacrificed the entire world, the eleven of them could *not possibly* all possess it.

Especially Celestial, of all Hidden Traits.

And to say these people themselves were “Celestians”?
Too human for that.

*…These are all humans.*

That much was certain.

And humans could not become Celestians.

The Celestial Spirit Egg had *fallen* from the end of light, darkness, and chaos.

If they were not Celestians and had no Celestial trait, how had their Lineages awakened?

*Their Lineages must have lacked the condition of requiring a Celestian in the first place.*

That was the only explanation.

Perhaps unlike Hel, they simply awakened without such a restriction.

“……What on earth?”

“It’s like they’re performing a choir.”

—*Kyakyakyakyak!*

If it *was* a choir, Hel was unmistakably the conductor.

The only certainty was that all the Lineages were… *happy*.

“……”

Everyone stood speechless for a long while, watching the strange sight.

*

*

 

“Now, if your doubts are settled, let us begin the ‘Banquet.’”

Who knew how much time had passed?

As the endless chorus continued, the man wearing the golden mask finally spoke.

The Reapers’ Banquet—its start had been declared.

He continued,

“First, let us review the results of the ‘Cleansing.’
In this cleansing of the Darkan Territory, the number of identified sinners is twenty-five.”

“Only that many?”

“But these were carefully gathered, weren’t they?”

“I thought there’d be at least fifty.”

They all reacted with surprise.

A small number, considering the cleansing was led by the golden mask.

Then the golden mask looked at me.

“That black goat beat me in a wager. I learned through him that my eyes alone aren’t perfect in identifying sinners.”

“You gambled on identifying ‘sinners’?”

“Yes.”

“…And you lost?”

“I did. I lost.”

He admitted it cleanly.

And the gazes of the others shifted toward me.

Not as dramatically as when Hel appeared, but clearly, winning a wager against the golden mask was a major feat.

“In any case, all sinners captured in this Darkan Territory shall be offered to the Banquet.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“That’s all? Disappointing.”

At this, the golden mask smirked.

“If that were all, I would not be qualified to participate in the Banquet.”

Suddenly—

*Srrrrrr…!*

Behind him, shadowy Reapers dressed in black began appearing one by one.

Each Reaper bore a small flame atop its scythe.

Looking closely, one could see the shape of a “sinner” trapped inside.

Souls harvested by Reapers.

Everyone’s attention converged on one among them.

A flame easily three times larger than the rest.

“A ‘high-ranker’ within the top 100?”

“That one… is ‘GlutinousRiceBeanCake’! Impressive. You found him.”

…GlutinousRiceBeanCake?

That was the username that frequently appeared within the top 100 of the Main Quest Hall of Fame.

So these people hunted not just normal players, but rankers too?

“Hahaha! Is that the extent of what you offer at the Banquet? How disappointing, golden mask.”

It was the man wearing the golden lion mask.

Reapers appeared behind him as well.

But there was something distinctly different about them.

Like the Lineages, these Reapers had horns.

“I captured *Gracia*! No one here has prepared a finer ‘meal’ than I!”

“Oh? Gracia?”

“You finally caught that rat.”

…Wait. He caught Gracia?

I frowned subtly as I looked at the large flame hanging from the scythe of the three-horned Reaper behind him.

Indeed, Gracia was inside.

Trapped within the flame, standing motionlessly.

But that wasn’t all.

“Why isn’t he moving?”

“Is that really Gracia?”

The souls in the other flames were all struggling desperately to escape.

But Gracia stood as still as a picture.

When someone pointed this out, the golden lion mask explained:

“…Some nuisance interfered, so I only managed to steal his ‘youth.’
Still, thanks to that, I can now track his location in real time.
Of course—he’ll die soon enough if left alone.”

“Hm, then you’ll catch him before long.”

“Who interfered?”

Though incomplete, it was still essentially a guaranteed capture.

When one person asked, the golden lion replied,

“The ‘Star Bearer.’”

“The Star Bearer…”

“In any event, has anyone prepared a finer ‘meal’ than I?”

Everyone shook their heads.

Even if he had taken only Gracia’s “youth,” capturing such a notorious sinner was still extraordinary.

No one spoke up, and the golden lion roared with laughter.

“Kuhahaha! As expected. No one surpasses me—unless someone has captured *Randolph*! ”

They even knew about Randolph—me.

From the way he spoke, it was clear they knew I had surpassed Gracia and entered the Hall of Fame.

And judging from everyone’s reaction to the name “Randolph,” it was undeniable:
I was their highest-priority target.

*I must never be discovered.*

I had no intention of revealing myself from the start, but now more than ever, I vowed not to let them find out.

After all eleven had summoned their “Reapers” to present their “meals”—

“Hmm… black goat. Since your Lineage has yet to obtain ‘Reaper Force,’ you cannot present a meal at this Banquet.”

The golden mask addressed me.

Reaper Force—apparently, it meant the power to summon a Reaper.

Naturally, “Hel,” who was still young, could not summon one yet.

“But do not worry. If your lineage challenges the ‘Full Feast’ and ‘dines’ here at this banquet, it too will gain Reaper Force.”

“You’re saying we should give a Full Feast opportunity to someone who didn’t present *any* banquet?”

“Golden Mask, that’s far too lenient, isn’t it?”

“I’m the first one who captured Gracia! Isn’t that obvious?!”

The others protested—especially the Golden Lion, who was seething with anger.

It seemed the order of dining was determined by the grade of banquet one displayed.

The Golden Mask merely shrugged.

“All of you had your ‘first banquet’ thanks to the consideration of others, and challenged the Full Feast accordingly. That is the custom and the rule. Don’t tell me it’s been so long you’ve forgotten?”

“Hm.”

“…Fine. But we’re only giving him the chance, nothing more.”

Grudging acceptance.

Nodding at their reaction, the Golden Mask looked back at me.

“Black Goat. Your lineage shall be the first challenger of this banquet. It is also an opportunity to assess the vessel your lineage possesses.”

“What exactly am I supposed to do?”

“Simple. Your lineage shall ‘eat’ those ‘sinners’ we have laid out. When a lineage attempts the Full Feast, we call it so when they devour *all* sinners. But no lineage has yet reached a Full Feast. If it fails, the next lineage eats, and this continues until the fire completely disappears.”

He was telling Hel to devour those souls.

The meal of lineages—souls of sinners were the primary material for ‘growth’.

But until now, Hel had only consumed my “Honor.”

Perhaps that was why her growth had been slow.

—Kyakyakyak?

Sensing my gaze, Hel approached me.

Then she looked at the “great fire” laid atop the banquet table.

A flame formed from every sinner’s fire combined.

Inside it burned countless trapped souls!

“Above all, this ‘Fire of Sinners’ is larger than that of any previous banquet. You are fortunate.”

At the Golden Mask’s remark, the others gave small nods.

Then he spoke again, observing Hel.

“Very well. Let us begin. Judging from her state, this should be your lineage’s ‘first meal.’ Make her eat until she’s fit to burst. Should she somehow reach the Full Feast, she may acquire tremendous Reaper Force.”

Just as he said, Hel was reacting to the fire.

—Kyakyakyakya!

Hel began circling around the flames.

Was she really acting like this because she wanted to “eat”?

Yet I could only hesitate.

*All of those souls are players, or Pangaenians.*

This violated everything I had walked toward until now.

Why was I even here?

Simply because I was curious about the Reaper Cult?

*…No. I must stop the Four Calamities.*

There was no way it was something so trivial.

I stepped into this place to stop the Four Calamities from corrupting Pangaenia and Earth.

Because of me, Baal had already sunk four neutral cities into the Abyss.

Thus, I felt a heavy sense of responsibility.

But without certainty, if I acted rashly, I might waste the only chance I had. That was the sole reason I remained here.

Had I tried to take the Baal Armor immediately after winning the wager, the Golden Mask would have seized it as leverage and demanded something far worse.

Therefore, I could not possibly tell Hel to devour a flame filled with Pangaenians and players.

—Kyakyakyak!

In that instant—

Without even asking my permission, Hel opened her mouth wide.

Fwoooosh!

A great wind surged, and the flames began to violently sway.

“—!!”

“What—?!”

And then, as we witnessed the result that followed, everyone—including myself—was struck speechless.

—

—

 

The mercenary city of Cartel.

Countless people had gathered once more in the final neutral city, determined to eradicate Baal, one of the Four Calamities.

*…We never did find the Hydragon Soul in the end.*

At the center stood Gracia.

White hair fluttering, the unique-grade sword *“Azure Radiance”* in his hand.

Despite large-scale announcements and constant searching, the Hydragon Soul was never found.

Even Korea’s **Hero Alliance** had devoted their full strength, but it was all in vain.

 

 

 

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