I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-14

**The Miracle of Hudson**

Ch-14. **The Miracle of Hudson**

—

“Master Hudson. There is something you *must* see!”

“…I told you to knock before entering.”

The manager hurriedly burst through the door into Hudson’s room.

Hudson frowned, scolding him.

“M-My apologies. But the ‘talisman’ you stressed over and over…!”

“Talisman?”

At that single word—*talisman*—Hudson’s irritation evaporated instantly. Instead, his eyes filled with interest as he looked at the manager.

If the manager had rushed in so frantically, it was no doubt an *ultra-rare talisman*.

*The Philosopher’s Stone? The Sun Jewel of Lu? Don’t tell me it’s the Breath of Syndra?*

Any of those three were worth paying fortunes beyond measure—*if* they could be obtained.

Of course, they were also things that *could not* be obtained, no matter how badly he wanted them.

The moment he saw the talisman the manager took out from the jewel box, Hudson froze.

“This is…?”

“Aren’t you pleased? It’s the Tear of the Fairy Queen!”

“…Who brought this?”

The Tear of the Fairy Queen.

It was one of the talismans Hudson had ordered his staff to secure without hesitation if they ever saw it.

But it was also nearly impossible to acquire.

That was because the Tear of the Fairy Queen was something only the *Knights of the Fairy Queen* occasionally carried.

Finding a Fairy Queen’s Knight was difficult enough—but killing one required at least three warriors of Level 10.

And warriors of that caliber?

Even in Arcana, they could be counted on one hand.

Level 10s—called “Transcendents”—were honored wherever they went.

Hudson himself still had not reached that coveted level.

“At first I thought some tramp had wandered in, but he left this tear as ‘collateral.’”

“Then he must be in the VIP room now.”

“Yes.”

Hudson leaned back in his chair.

He reached out and touched the Tear of the Fairy Queen that the manager handed him.

**<The skill ‘Observer’s Hand (Lv 8)’ analyzes the item.>**

A piece of parchment appeared before his eyes.

**『Tear of the Fairy Queen (Raid) (Immortal)**
The crystallized first tear of the Fairy Queen.
Allows equipment to exceed its ‘limit threshold.’
Even if equipment with a removed limit is destroyed, the tear itself will not be destroyed.
However, to use it again, the quest ‘Revival of the Tear’ must be completed.』

“It’s definitely what I’ve been looking for…”

He coveted it.

He coveted it so intensely it was maddening.

But he couldn’t simply swallow collateral for himself.

This casino was operated under Hudson’s name and funded by his enormous capital, but it was still under heavy interference from the Council.

Nothing in Arcana ran without the Council’s surveillance and oversight.

If he was caught embezzling or misappropriating assets, they would come and either imprison or kill him.

Furthermore—

*Someone who can casually leave the Tear of the Fairy Queen as collateral.*

To be able to put down collateral of such magnitude with no hesitation… that required someone at least Level 10. Or perhaps a *Transcendent*.

If it were a Transcendent, the manager would’ve recognized them.

All known Transcendents’ names and faces were memorized by every administrator.

Then maybe not a Transcendent.

Level 10… or someone weaker who had obtained the tear by chance?

If so, killing them and taking it would be possible. Quietly erasing them would keep the Council unaware.

But what if they were too strong to “quietly” kill?

Or they could be part of a union, guild, or a party.

*Five stars did fall recently.*

News that the 5-star Transcendent Wilhelm had battled the Demon King and died had spread not only in Arcana but across the entire world.

There were only 32 goddess stars available for transcendence. Transcendents competed fiercely to acquire them. Wilhelm, who possessed five, was simply insane.

Even he died to the Demon King, losing all his treasures. The stars fell across the continent, burying several ‘Immortal Talismans’ randomly with them.

The Tear of the Fairy Queen was one of those.

So it could have been acquired by chance.

*A player? Or a secluded NPC whose name isn’t known?*

His mind tangled.

If it was a player whose name and face he didn’t know, he had to be cautious.

In Pangaenia, revealing one’s identity as a player was taboo. Death here meant death in reality.

A secluded NPC was just as dangerous.

Pangaenia had many monsters in human form—unfathomably strong hidden beings. Countless players had died to them.

Some even hunted players deliberately, calling them “sinners.”

Thus players hid their identity as much as possible.

“Did he look strong?”

“…I don’t know. But when the guards dragged a man away, he remained composed. And even when the guards pressured him, he showed no sign of fear.”

The guards were mostly Level 6. Highly-paid free knights Hudson had recruited.

If someone remained unfazed under pressure from several Level 6s, that meant they were at least Level 8.

At minimum, Level 8.

After pondering for a long time, Hudson stood.

“Let’s go to the VIP room. I need to meet him myself.”

*

And now—

He stood face-to-face with the man who had flipped the casino upside down.

*Hah. I still can’t tell.*

Even now, after meeting him directly, Hudson couldn’t figure him out.

A muscular man, and a beautiful woman with sun-kissed skin.

He briefly glanced at the mountain of gold piled on the roulette table.

Before coming down, he heard that the man had turned 250 gold into over a million. Something impossible unless the God of Gambling had descended.

*Does he possess a talent like the Golden Hand?*

The Golden Hand—every legendary gambler had it.

But if he truly had it, the dealer would have resolved him already.

Because the dealer was also a Golden Hand holder.

*Pure luck? Impossible.*

He had walked in knowing it would turn out like this.

The phrase “Golden Grace” flashed through his mind, but that was impossible too.

Golden Grace was a well-known hidden trait—but too demanding and useless for anyone to invest in.

Just what was this man?

“Pleased to meet you. I am Hudson, the owner of this casino. If it’s not a bother, would you care for a cup of tea?”

Hudson extended his hand.

“Sure.”

The man met his handshake without hesitation.

This was Hudson’s final move to analyze him.

Hudson let out a small sigh of relief.

He possessed the skill “Observer’s Hand,” which allowed him to analyze anything he touched. No matter how high one’s anti-magic was, at the very least he could determine their level—

*…Nothing. I can’t sense anything.*

He couldn’t read him at all.

Either his anti-magic was absurdly high… or he had something that nullified the skill entirely.

Either way, this was no one to take lightly.

Hudson swallowed hard.

“Haha… let’s go upstairs.”

Hudson forced an awkward smile.

*

**【The skill ‘Observer’s Hand’ is negated by ‘Giant’s Anti-Magic.’】**

I smiled faintly.

*He’s definitely a player.*

As expected—Hudson was a player.

Observer’s Hand was one of the class-linked skills that appeared when someone raised the lowest-tier observation skill to Level 10.

It also required both the “Senses” and “Delicacy” talents, so only someone who had actually played the game could have it.

*So he followed the talent build I posted in my guide.*

And I knew this because I had built that exact setup myself.

Before the homepage vanished, I had posted countless “build guides” on the strategy forums.

Hudson clearly had chosen the “Targeter” class and raised it exactly according to one of those builds.

And the fact that he used Observer’s Hand now meant:

*He can’t see my level. He can’t read anything about me.*

So that much was certain.

Players could not see each other’s level above their heads.

Thus the reason I *could* see levels must obviously be due to one of my unknown hidden traits—Great Sage, Glutton, or Celestial(Heavenly).

“I’ll be blunt. Sell me the item you left as collateral.”

Hudson spoke directly.

“How much are you offering?”

“Two million gold. I believe that is more than generous.”

Two million gold.

Truly big-handed.

The Tear of the Fairy Queen was immortal and reusable.

But its actual function—releasing equipment stat limits—meant that only a tiny number of people truly needed it. For most, despite its fame, demand was low.

So I spoke just as bluntly.

“Ten million gold.”

Hudson’s eyebrows shot up.

“…Ten million gold is enough to buy five grand mansions in District 1 of Arcana. Do you truly believe this collateral is worth that much?”

The annual revenue of a typical Targeter hovered around ten million gold.

And only a handful of magnates possessed ten million gold in liquid assets.

Even for Hudson, it was a burdensome amount.

No matter how much money the casino made, it wasn’t all his.

Half went to lobbying the city council. Taxes took another huge chunk. What he personally pocketed was mere scraps.

“I may not have it, but *you* do.”

Even so, Hudson did not say he lacked the money.

Of course he would want it desperately. He would take loans if needed. Or kill me to obtain it.

“My intentions are purely to collect it as a treasured keepsake.”

“To enter the city council, isn’t reaching Level 10 a requirement?”

“…!!!”

Hudson’s eyes bulged.

How could he know?

Hudson had been stuck at Level 9 for over a year.

But one had to reach Level 10 to become a city council member.

There was only one reason he was stuck:

*Because he could not hunt alone.*

Hudson grew through money.

He bought “power leveling.”

He hired mercenaries, purchased free knights, and hunted monsters en masse to reach Level 9 quickly.

But beyond that—

Reaching 10 required him to overcome the hurdle alone.

His level was high, but his stats were low.

Low stats meant he couldn’t equip high-end gear.

High-end gear usually required “minimum stat requirements.” Just possessing it didn’t activate its full performance.

Low stats, unable to use good equipment, and lacking combat skills—he could not hunt alone.

Thus he needed talismans.

And especially a talisman like the Tear of the Fairy Queen, which could remove stat restrictions—Hudson needed it *desperately*.

But the shock didn’t last long. Hudson forced himself to look at the situation calmly.

“…Who sent you?”

I chuckled softly at his reaction.

“I am a Star-bearer. If someone sent me, it would be the Star.”

“Stop lying…”

“Would you believe it if you saw a ‘Star Guardian’?”

I pulled a book from my coat.

Hudson’s face twisted with shock.

“A T-Teleport Book?”

“No matter how blind you are, you can recognize a Star Guardian at least. Here.”

I hadn’t met Hudson unprepared.

Teleport Book.

I hadn’t used this as collateral for one simple reason:

*…In case I needed to run.*

If things went badly, Isabella only needed to hold out for 30 seconds. I could escape to the Sanctuary via this portal.

But things were going better than expected, so I no longer needed it for escape.

**Zwaaaash—!**

**<<Opening a portal to ‘Desert Sanctuary.’>>**
**<<All daily portal uses have been consumed.>>**

The teleport book floated mid-air and opened a portal for 30 seconds.

A blue portal. Beyond it, the image of the Sanctuary.

And—

“Wha—! A ‘Mythic Species’…!”

Beyond the portal, the massive figure of a *serpent* burned itself into Hudson’s mind.

Not a normal serpent—an imugi on the verge of becoming a dragon.

A Mythic Species. One of the Star Guardians that protected the star alone!

*Worked like a charm.*

Of course, Dramut could not leave the star’s domain. He had to guard it.

But he was perfect for intimidating Hudson.

It instilled the proper sense of fear, preventing him from harboring rash intentions.

“…W-Why would a Star-bearer come to me? I haven’t even earned the ‘qualification’ yet.”

A Star-bearer was someone who helped a Level 10 Transcendent seek a star.

They concealed their identity, making them hard to find—and even harder to obtain a star from.

“You have earned qualification. Because I have come to you.”

Sometimes, a Star-bearer sought out a Transcendent first.

Or through certain “special events,” they met someone who wasn’t yet Level 10.

And there was no one in this world who had encountered more Star-bearers than I did.

Most Star-bearers offered the person what they needed most—but in exchange, set extremely difficult conditions.

Gulp.

Hudson swallowed hard, eyes shining.

Luck surpassing even the Golden Hand.

A state unreadable even by Observer’s Hand, the Targeter’s specialty.

Someone who knew exactly what he needed, and even showed a Star Guardian.

He *had* to be a Star-bearer. The most mysterious beings in this world.

Even if he wasn’t… he was at least a Transcendent. And Transcendents created paths where none existed—

Even if—by some infinitesimal chance—he wasn’t, he was at the very least a Transcendent. And Transcendents were monsters capable of forging paths where none existed.

Whatever he was, he would surely know the most reliable way to reach Level 10.

This was an opportunity. A once-in-a-lifetime, perfect opportunity!

“W-what must I do? No—never mind. Whatever it is, I will accomplish it. Just command me!”

*

Evening. A restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere.

Under the gently dimmed lights, a woman sat looking at her phone.

‘It’s already been ten minutes.’

The woman was Kim Hana.

She had rushed over straight after work, still in her semi-formal office attire, yet even so, she was attracting the gaze of those around her in an instant.

Kim Hana’s expression darkened.

She had hurried to avoid being late, but even though ten minutes had passed since the agreed time, the person she was meeting was nowhere to be seen.

It was the first time a man had kept her waiting like this.

Still, it was a meeting where she intended to express her gratitude.

‘Fine. I’ll wait a little longer.’

Another ten minutes passed.

“Miss, would you like to order?”

“Just some water… I’m sorry. My companion is running a bit late.”

“That’s quite all right.”

It was that point where even the staff’s glances felt noticeable.

Gulping down the water, Kim Hana hesitated.

Seeing how he was this late without a single message or call—did he forget?