I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-200

Ch-200 **Tree Stick Refinement**

—

The Golden Mask.

We first met at the Empire’s auction, and afterward, he was the one who inducted me into the Reaper Cult as the “Golden Goat.”

Thanks to the imperial seal I received through the “Three Swords of the Empire” in the Abyssal Labyrinth—which still held full authority—I wasn’t met with heavy suspicion.

However…

‘A special banquet of the Reapers, huh.’

If I attend, this will be the second banquet.

At the previous banquet, Hel challenged the “Full Meal” and tried to consume countless souls, only to end up vomiting them back out.

Later, when those masses of souls were devoured during the battle with Baal, they were used together with “Randolph (Eternal)” as the ingredients for resurrection.

“The order to prepare a special banquet… he meant me.”

Back then, I brought no souls at all.

But to participate in this upcoming “special banquet,” I would need to bring souls— the true cuisine of the Lineage.

‘Most other patrons brought players’ souls—but there’s no rule that it must be a player’s.’

I slowly stroked my chin.

Then I had two usable souls.

One was the soul of the Golden Ratio’s mage—Union.

At some point, Hel stole Union’s soul from Issera and swapped it without notice.

Probably when Union visited Issera together with her.

‘The problem is that Union is tied to the Empire.’

Thanks to Union spilling every detail to Hel, I now understood Union rather thoroughly.

He was the first Court Mage of the Arhon Empire.

Like the Emperor, a foundational figure who lived through the ages.

There was even the possibility that the Empire itself dispatched Union as an invader to Earth.

If I presented Union’s soul, suspicion could arise.

‘…There’s also the cursed soul.’

The one used when Ruin cursed the Light Dragon Einhassar.

That soul knocked Einhassar off his status as a Dragon God and cursed him.

The curse was undone and the soul retrieved, but I still had no clue whose soul it originally was.

But considering it was powerful enough to curse Einhassar, it clearly belonged to someone extraordinary.

“Where do you intend to go?” Hudson asked.

“Well… hard to say.”

I answered honestly.

I had a rough idea why the White King was calling me.

He had deployed all his main pillars to the south.

I too, one of the Five Main pillars, had been dispatched to the desert city of Faisalmer.

And now, while the White King and the Black King continued their land war, he was summoning every main pillar—meaning something had drastically changed in the war.

I suspected I knew what.

‘The White King is getting desperate.’

Maybe he had realized that the end of this war would be his defeat—his death.

His foresight must have warned him, prompting an impatient move.

Even from my perspective, the tide clearly favored the Black King.

The main pillars alone could not stop the Black King.

While the Black King relentlessly expanded power, the White King was extremely passive in doing so.

‘The White King must not fall yet.’

He was the umbrella blocking the Black King, shielding me from view.

So should I answer his summons?

One thing was certain—the time for him to exit the stage was not yet.

Until I completely surpassed Wilhelm and built my own power base, he must not be removed.

The White King was the reason I could run straight ahead all this time without looking back—his influence was significant.

That was why I must respond to his call.

‘Marquis Weiser… he wants to take me along to the audience with King Valan.’

But why?

If it were merely a formal audience, the White Knight Serengeti alone would be more than sufficient.

Serengeti’s combat power had already reached the level of the strongest in the human realm.

Yet he still wanted me present…

“Hudson. Has something happened in the Kingdom of Valan?”

“Well… there are rumors. It is whispered that King Friedrich will personally come to demand King Valan’s surrender.”

Friedrich—the ruler of the Iron Kingdom.

A young king who inherited the throne a year ago.

I’d heard rumors about him—

A monstrous king appeared in the East, whose blood was iron, and whenever he twisted his smile, war always followed.

He was conquering the East—so the Kingdom of Valan could not avoid his conquest.

“So it’s nearly a confirmed event.”

“If Marquis Weiser has summoned you, Lord Randolph… yes. It seems internally the visit of King Friedrich is considered certain.”

Weiser was a noble of the Kingdom of Valan.

To protect the king and prepare for the worst, he sought my strength.

He must have judged that Serengeti alone might not be enough.

On this side, too, the air was shifting ominously.

The White King, the Kingdom of Valan—none of them could be ignored.

‘And lastly… the Primordial Forest.’

Even Elder Aruwen, who left ahead of us, still hadn’t reached it.

Priest Andrew entering the Primordial Forest himself was proof of how urgent the situation was.

All four summons—including the Empire—were irresistibly concerning.

But I only had one body.

Therefore—

‘I will go only to the place that only I can resolve.’

I nodded, having settled my decision to some degree.

Then I noticed Hudson fidgeting like a puppy desperate to poop.

“Stop squirming like a puppy that needs to poop. If you’re curious, just ask.”

“…You could tell by my expression?”

“Yeah.”

“T-then, if it isn’t rude, may I ask just one thing?”

“Ask.”

Hudson inhaled deeply and finally spoke.

“The ‘Hall of Fame’… why weren’t you first place, Lord Randolph? Who on earth is ‘MintChocoIsDelicious’? I just… cannot understand it.”

Ah.

The Hall of Fame.

Reasonable question.

Even if my name was hidden, it should have appeared as “Undisclosed.”

But nowhere on the Hall did my name appear at all.

‘Though even I was surprised that MintChocoIsDelicious was number one.’

Of course, there was something I myself was curious about.

A figure shrouded in mystery.

Among all rankers, the one I am most curious about is precisely “MintChocoIsDelicious.”

But during this entire invasion war, I had never seen anyone resembling him.

‘Gate Destroyer. Most likely active in Pangaenia rather than Earth.’

The title alone allowed for a rough estimation.

Just as I sealed the Undead King Ahram beneath Cramdel, MintChocoIsDelicious may have destroyed one of Issera’s invasion warps in Pangaenia.

‘The number of invading demons was far too small. Especially compared to Ahram.’

Barely 200,000.

The forces Ahram gathered under Cramdel were far beyond that.

If not for the Star Guardians and main forces, Ahram would never have been sealed.

Most likely, MintChocoIsDelicious stopped an invasion warp, preventing additional forces from reaching Earth.

‘Someone capable of eliminating an invasion warp…’

Who could they be?

Even in the Abyss, when fighting Baal, he was the one known as the “Messenger.”

Definitely not ordinary.

According to the Master, he was “a being capable of transforming into multiple characters.”

Perhaps that’s true.

The MintChoco I know is a necromancer who handles corpses—but if he also located and destroyed invasion warps…

‘Could it be not one person, but an organization?’

Either he could possess multiple characters, or that name referred to a collective.

“…Lord Randolph?”

Hudson called again, seeing my hardened expression.

I recalled the conversation I shared with the “Primordial Dragon God.”

“He said I was ranked Zero.”

“Z-zero? Zero rank?”

“When a being keeps achieving over-limit feats, sometimes they get recorded outside the ranking list. And whenever that happens, they face ‘unrecorded’ beings.”

“……??”

The Primordial Dragon God—

He too was an unrecorded being.

Because I repeatedly achieved absurd achievements and scored impossible points, I was eventually ejected beyond the list—and that brought me into the Primordial Dragon God’s treasury.

But he wasn’t the only one.

There are far more unrecorded beings.

—Beware. The “Primordial” existences will begin watching you. Unlike me, none of them will be friendly.

—You should also beware those who stepped foot into the “Era of the Primordial.” If they learn you possess the Primordial, they will pursue it desperately.

The primordial beings.

And those who have stepped into the era of the primordial.

I had to be wary of them all—but that also meant that I would continue to encounter and obtain more “Primordial” going forward.

Only those who experienced it can understand.

Naturally, Hudson—who had not—couldn’t.

I simply shrugged.

“Anyway… have Auril, Isaac, and Balte returned from Rundella?”

Rundella—the ruin city.

When the Master went blank, I sent Auril, Isaac, and Balte there.

After conquering it, it was transferred to Park Tae-woo.

Hudson nodded.

“Yes. They returned a few days ago.”

“Good. Summon them all to the lord’s castle together with Andasar. We will kindle the ‘First Flame.’”

“The… First Flame?”

Hudson still looked confused.

I smiled faintly.

“You’ll see.”

*

*

FWOOOOOOSH—!

The fire moved from the tree stick into the brazier and roared violently.

Fire naturally had a way of making those who watched fall into a trance.

Everyone gathered here felt the same.

“Th-this fire…!”

Auril was the only one who was utterly shocked.

As an elf, she had vaguely realized the identity of the flame.

‘The Flame of Life!’

The fire that represented the very beginning of all things.

Auril trembled.

The overwhelming vitality radiating from the fire was unlike anything she had ever seen.

Not even the World Tree emitted this much life!

《The “First Flame” rises.》

《The “First Flame” protects the city.》

《As long as the flame burns, the city will not be polluted, invaded, nor sink into the Abyss.》

《Official residents of the “Labyrinth City” gain +3 to all stats.》

《Civilization development speed of the city increases drastically.》

《Treasure exploration speed increases by 100%.》

《Hidden areas of the “Labyrinth City” are revealed by the First Flame.》

《You acquire the Mystic: “Bearer of the First Flame (Unique).”》

《A “Collection” has been completed and activated.》

《“Bearer of the First Flame” + “Winter (Last Twilight)” = “First and Last (All Stats +2)”》

《Achievement “Bearer of the First Flame” has been completed.》

《Due to the Great Status, honor gains are doubled (10,000).》

《Honor surpasses 30,000.》

《You may now receive “Qualification of Praise” from the Sanctuary of Honor.》

The notifications poured in endlessly.

But this was not the end—only the beginning.

《Refining the “Tree Stick that Contained the First Flame.”》

《The “Purified Bone Fragment of Despair” is imbued with the First Flame.》

《Consumes 1 “Perfect Golden Scale.”》

FWOOOSH!

I threw the tree stick into the blazing fire.

Fire—

Fire is everything.

And the tree stick that carried that fire was the same.

It could become anything, and transform into everything— the most perfect treasure.

And fire always granted the user that which suited them best.

《The “Primordial Armor” has been completed!》

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