I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-133

Ch-133

*

“Darkness is approaching!”

“Your Majesty the Queen! Punish that heretical darkness!”

A palace built upon the desert.

Inside, warriors knelt, worshipping a woman seated upon the throne.

But they were all contaminated.

Their minds no longer functioned properly—capable of nothing except fanatical devotion.

However, the Desert Queen was already dead.

Having lost their center of gravity, the warriors only clung together more firmly and turned their eyes to their new queen.

A woman seated upon the Iron-Blooded Throne—
a merciless seat that only one without blood or tears could occupy.

There sat **Isabella**.

Her expression was endlessly cold—
so emotionless it was as though she had become a different person entirely.

With unfeeling eyes, Isabella looked down upon the warriors.

At the same time, a white snake manifested above her hand.

“Jörmungandr…!”

“Ahh, O Serpent Who Devours the World!”

The Mystery—**Jörmungandr**.

Upon reaching Level 10, it naturally guides the user to the *Star of Jörmungandr*.

And now, Isabella had invoked that Mystery, found the star, and claimed it as her own.

A transcendent who had eaten a star—
and not just any star, but a *Named* star, elevating her far above ordinary transcendents.

Her original purpose had been simply to unite the desert.
To fill the empty seat of the queen.

Now that she had eaten the star and achieved that purpose, she no longer had any reason to remain here.

*‘I no longer need to search for my origin.’*

For she had realized the truth.

The moment she transcended by consuming the star—
the countless “memories” that flashed through her mind.

The Dersian family of the Empire.

Memories of being born and raised there, then falling ill with the *Divine Disease*.

The days she lived as a puppet, controlled while afflicted.

All of it resurfaced in her mind.

*‘I was already abandoned.’*

When she succumbed to the Divine Disease, the Dersian family simply created a new “copy.”

The fake became the real, and the real was erased from the world.

She no longer had any reason to return to the origin.

Even if she did return, they would not welcome her.
They would instead brand her as the fake and attempt to kill her.
To them, she was a shameful blemish they wished never to be revealed—a piece of flesh they wanted to carve away.

Moreover—

*‘The one who controlled me. The Player…’*

Having awakened after consuming the star, she reached into a realm far beyond.

There was someone who erased her memories and moved her body at will—
using her like a chess piece.

They called him “Player.”

*‘That man’s face. I definitely saw it.’*

Isabella had seen the man who controlled her.

A man she could not forgive—
must not forgive.

The man who stole her entire life.

Had it not been for him, she would not have been cast out by her family, nor would she have awakened in Faisalmer.

*‘It would’ve been better if I had never known.’*

If she had stayed ignorant, if she had lived without remembering,
she would not need to feel this.

But it was already too late.

The moment she awakened—
the moment she consumed the star—
the memories surfaced whether she wished them or not.

Memories she could not erase, a curse etched deep like a slave’s brand.

She would have to carry this curse forever.

Perhaps it might be better to bury herself in this desert for eternity.

Hooo…

Taking in a deep breath, Isabella fixed her cold gaze on the “darkness” approaching from afar.

The darkness, now nearly upon them, was soon to engulf Faisalmer.

—

—

 

《Successfully eliminated ‘Baal of the Deeper Abyss’!》

《Calculating contribution points.》

《Contribution rankings revealed.》

《1st Place: ‘???’ — 1,250,000 points》

《2nd Place: ‘Savior Gracia’ — 100,000 points》

《3rd Place: ‘Slayer of the Cursed Ones, Barmush’ — 50,000 points》

《4th Place: ‘Berserker Balte’ — 20,000 points》

《5th Place: ‘The Messenger MintChocolateIsDelicious’ — 10,000 points》

《6th Place: ‘Hudson of the Smile’ — 5,000 points》

…

When the warp opened inside the abyss,
Gracia and all other players saw the same windows:
their contribution scores and the rankings.

*‘1.25 million points… question marks.’*

Someone had achieved over ten times Gracia’s contribution—
someone who had single-handedly eliminated Baal.

Gracia reviewed the others in the ranking.

*‘Barmush, Balte.’*

Barmush had significantly contributed by clearing out the Cursed Ones.

Berserker Balte, a spearman, was one who had achieved the “Pinnacle of the Unconscious.”

Driven mad by the curse, his unconsciousness activated,
causing him to attack every Cursed One that entered a certain radius.

Such “epithets” before names reflected each person’s role within the Abyss.

*‘MintChocolateIsDelicious… we never managed to find him.’*

But the only one who remained elusive was MintChocolateIsDelicious.

*‘The Messenger. What did he deliver, and to whom?’*

Where there is a sender, there must be a receiver.

But nothing made sense.
What was sent?
Who received it, and from where?

The only certain thing was that he had been in the Abyss with them—
all while hiding his true identity.

Even in a situation like that.

*‘Question mark is likely Randolph. Fifth pillar Randolph—the dreadful harbinger.’*

But that hardly mattered.

The important part was the identity of the one ranked first.

The three question marks were likely Fifth pillar Randolph.

That enormous, terrifying harbinger.

If Baal had been eliminated, the only one capable of doing it was that harbinger.

The King of Corpse Crows, the Monarch of Ominous Doom.

Its head had been eaten by Baal, but it surely must have devoured Baal from the inside.

*‘…After that, Fifth pillar Randolph evolved from the black egg and was reborn.’*

When all were forcibly transported by warp,
Gracia alone held out as long as possible to witness the black egg crack open.

But what emerged from the egg was completely unexpected.

*‘Why… was it human?’*

It couldn’t have been a mistake.
He was certain.

What came out of the egg was a human.

Yet if that horrifying harbinger was Fifth pillar Randolph,
there was no way it could turn into a human.

Even the official documents sent by the White King had clearly stated “King of Corpse Crows”

It made no sense that a corpse raven would evolve into a human—
unless it had been human from the beginning.

*‘The one who emerged from the black egg was in the purest state possible. The original form, unchanged.’*

Baal was dead.
The system messages confirming the elimination and contribution proved it.

If the one who emerged wasn’t Baal, but Fifth pillar Randolph,
then how should his form be explained?

*‘Unless… the question marks weren’t Randolph at all.’*

Thinking of the harbinger had instinctively led him to the Fifth pillar.

He had been convinced.

But he now had to consider the possibility that his conviction was wrong—
that it had all been Gracia’s misunderstanding
and the being was someone entirely different.

*‘…That face, I definitely—’*

He hadn’t seen it in full detail,
but he had unquestionably seen it.

The face of the one who emerged from the egg.

Gracia had been replaying that face over and over in his mind ever since escaping the abyss.

It was an obsession now.

But every time, he arrived at the same conclusion.

*‘Certainly… the Master of Hydragon. It resembled him.’*

—

—

*

– What’s Phantom doing right now?

When such a post appeared in Player Talk after the “Jeju Island Annihilation” incident,
players began replying like comments.

– Probably pushing main quests

– Was Main Quest 8 the contamination purification one?

– Why? You trying to find him?

– No point—Main Quest 8 covers too many cities

– Contamination removal quests show up in every city anyway

Main Quest 8 required eliminating just **one** contamination source to complete.

Contamination sources appeared periodically in all sky cities.

Sometimes the city lord handled them directly,
but often they issued requests.

Thus, tracking Phantom through that alone was impossible.

– Too common. Hard to make the Hall of Fame with that.

– Someone like Phantom would’ve already cleared an infected city tho

– Where even are such cities now?

– True. People remove contamination so aggressively

– We’re in an era where there are specialists who remove contamination for a living

When a contamination source appears, the city lord notices immediately.

No city lord would leave it unattended.
And even if a city was temporarily without a lord,
there was always an heir designated.

Even in an ownerless region, if a contamination source appeared,
the monsters in that area would instinctively move to eliminate it.

Unless someone *deliberately* left contamination untouched,
a whole city becoming infected simply didn’t happen.

– So what happens if someone leaves contamination unattended?

– I heard a different species emerges

– There’s that rumor that the “Demon King” was born from a contamination source

– No one here actually knows for sure tho

Then—

– If contamination sources exceed a certain number, they begin competing with each other.
When one contamination source is eliminated, the others strengthen.
The final surviving contamination source becomes the “King.”

– ???
– Is that for real?
– You’re writing fiction bruh. How would *you* know?

A post written with the tone of someone who *knew* something.

He posted again.

– Those affected by contamination instinctively follow contamination sources.

The final contamination source that becomes King devours even its followers,

then is reborn as an “Immortal.”
Some call it a demigod.

—

《Insufficient ‘Darkness.’》

《48 hours required to recharge ‘Darkness.’》

This happened the moment the sixth contamination source was eliminated.

The deployed domain vanished due to insufficient recharged Darkness.

Forty-eight hours.
Two whole days without using it.

But I didn’t care.

“Stand In. Hand it over, caw.”

“…Wouldn’t it be better if I handled the blade, sir?”

As I held out my hand, Aria spoke.

Apparently she believed it would be better for someone who knew swordsmanship to wield it.

“Hand it over, caw.”

“…Very well.”

But because I continued to hold out my hand,
Aria closed her eyes as if resigning herself and handed me the Northern Heaven Ice Sword.

The sensation fit perfectly in my hand.

As I swung it—

– Kyak! What do you think you’re touching!

Hmm.
So this is what an ego sword is like?

A bit noisy, but not bad.
A different flavor from Skullcrusher.

*‘It seems full domination hasn’t occurred yet.’*

But now that I was swinging it, I could tell clearly.

The Northern Heaven Ice Sword had not yet been entirely dominated by the Ominous Eye.

If complete domination had occurred, its contract with Aria would have been forcibly severed.

And I felt there was something more to it.

If I wielded it properly, the answer would come.

Fwoooosh—!

Slash!

At that moment, an arrow flew toward me.

I cut it down before it could land,
and arrows began pouring in from afar.

“Lord Fifth pillar. We should retreat for now.”
Aria urged in haste.

I shook my head.

“It’s fine.”

Up until now, everything had basically been bug-abuse gameplay.

Just walking around had been enough to eliminate contamination sources.

**Now** the real game was starting.

Gripping the Northern Heaven Ice Sword, I swung it broadly toward the arrows flying in.

And then—

*Jjeoeo-eok—!*

A curtain of ice unfolded in midair, blocking every incoming arrow.

“H–How are you already using that technique…?”

Aria was momentarily stunned.

It wasn’t simply freezing what it touched—
but scattering an ice barrier over a designated space.
Even she had only *just* reached the level where she could barely use that technique.

To handle the Northern Heaven Ice Sword, one needed not only the right innate qualities,
but also mental communion with the sword itself.

However, that wasn’t all.

*Jjeojeok! Jjeojeojeok!*

The ice barrier split apart, transforming into sharp icicles.

Those icicles shot toward the barbarians who had fired the arrows.

*Fweeeeeeeesh!*

Hundreds—thousands—of icicles rained down upon them in return.

*Puk! Pupukupuk!*

“Gahk!”

“G-gurk!”

 

 

 

 

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