I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-205

Ch-205. **First Reaper Summoning**

—

However, the existence of the *Soul of Despair* here made no sense.

‘Despair’ had already been resurrected by the *Black King*.

They had already recognized the signs of resurrection, and they had also confirmed that it had now fully revived and was on the move.

So—was the soul before their eyes, wearing the likeness of “Despair,” a fake?

*‘…With a score like that, there’s no way it’s fake.’*

No other explanation fit the score except for Despair.

And the *Great Will of the Moon* would never assess incorrectly. That much was absolute.

The only remaining question was **how** the Golden Goat had obtained the Soul of Despair.

*‘Then… what is powering the currently revived Despair?’*

It was definitely resurrected.

But was only the shell moving, and not the actual soul of ‘Despair’? The truth was impossible to grasp.

It seemed likely the resurrection wasn’t complete.

*‘…Golden Goat. Did he deceive everyone ever since the First Banquet?’*

At the First Banquet, the Golden Goat had arrived empty-handed.

He had claimed he hadn’t prepared a single soul.

But if that had been a lie…

If he had acted while already knowing everything…

Then all of them had been toyed with.

By that Golden Goat.

He must have had the Soul of Despair from the beginning.

It was far harder to believe he had obtained it *after* the First Banquet.

“…….”

The Golden Goat showed no reaction.

He simply stood there calmly, as if this was natural, as if everything had gone exactly as he expected.

Had he intentionally not stated the name?

To shock the patrons even more dramatically?

Showing only one soul was probably for the same reason.

A confidence born from certainty—because one Soul of Despair would outclass hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of other souls.

*‘He fooled us all!’*

The Golden Mask became convinced.

That goat had planned everything from the start.

At the **Banquet of Special Reapers**, he had wanted to show them—**that he was the most special existence here.**

*‘This one must never be underestimated.’*

The Golden Mask was forced to acknowledge it.

That goat did not accidentally become the **12th Patron**.

He became one because he possessed the worth to deserve it.

Until now he had been dismissed as insignificant, but after today, no one would look at him the same way.

“…According to the rules, the Golden Goat’s lineage will be the first to challenge the ‘Full Meal.’”

The Golden Mask had been pushed to second place.

But it couldn’t be helped.

A score gap more than twice the difference could not be overturned.

“Will he spit it out again?”

“Mmm…”

Their uneasy murmuring was only natural.

If he spat it out again and the next turn disappeared—**the Banquet would end right there.**

As if sensing their worry, the Golden Mask continued,

“Do not fear. The **Great Will of the Moon** has personally ignited the feast. There is no lineage that could ever spit out this offering.”

They needed only to look at the reactions of the lineages.

*Ssssssst—*

*Kihhhhaaaaa…*

Every lineage stared at the feast, shaking with maddened hunger.

With not a single exception.

Because what lay before them was no ordinary feast.

It was a **consecrated offering**, ignited and blessed by the *Great Will of the Moon*.

Which lineage would dare spit out a flame of that soul—**sweetened with divine honey**?

—KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

The Golden Goat’s lineage stepped toward the consecrated offering.

All the lineages watched with murderous envy.

Just one taste of that feast in the shape of Despair would undoubtedly elevate a lineage’s rank.

“Above all, the feast is enormous. Devouring it all at once is impossible.”

Because of its massive size, the “Full Meal” seemed completely impossible.

The patrons agreed with the Golden Mask.

Heat filled the entire palace.

That colossal offering was so large that several turns would pass before it was gone.

And if one couldn’t devour it in one go, **spitting was allowed**.

One only needed to consume the portion they hadn’t touched earlier.

*True.*

*Hurry and eat.*

*In the end, it’s just a matter of who eats more.*

And so the patrons relaxed.

With its sheer size, everyone would eventually get a turn.

What mattered was simply—**who devoured more**.

The amount a lineage could eat had limits.

Just like humans, it was impossible to eat more than the capacity of one’s vessel.

…Right. The order didn’t matter anymore.

There was nothing to worry about.

While they all shared that thought—

*SPLORCH.*

Hel opened her mouth.

*

*

 

The crimson glow subsided.

What had been filling the palace vanished.

The *Banquet of Special Reapers* had officially ended.

“……”

“……”

Silence filled existence.

No heat. No noise. Nothing—only emptiness.

They just stared blankly at one place.

*‘That was a party, alright.’*

Feeling their gazes, **I smiled leisurely.**

I had casually told Saint Seia, half-jokingly, that I was “going to a party”—but it turned into a **literal** party.

At least, for me it did.

*‘A first-prize lottery ticket… who would’ve thought.’*

The Cursed Soul was like a lottery.

And the moment the ticket was scratched—it hit 1st place.

Who could’ve imagined it was the **Soul of Despair**?

*‘So that’s why the Bone of Despair was purified?’*

After lifting Einhassar’s curse, the “Bone of Despair” I had been carrying suddenly purified, which I found strange.

But that was because the soul that cursed Einhassar **was Despair itself**.

Meaning—the Despair awakened by the Black King was moving in a corrupted, impure state.

And furthermore… **even its soul wasn’t truly Despair’s.**

*‘The current Despair is moving using the Soul of the Death King.’*

Now it all made sense.

This was why the Death King handed me the **Bone of Despair**.

It was his way of saying: **Despair isn’t the real Despair.**

He had believed *I* would uncover that truth.

In other words—the Black King was bluffing.

*“Just by claiming to awaken Despair, everyone has overestimated him.”*

Of course, an “awakened Despair” was still a monster no one could ignore—but it was **not the true Despair.**

And yet the Black King did not hide the resurrection.

Instead, he subtly encouraged the rumors to inflate his power.

…What a scam artist.

Everything finally fell into place.

*“Grow through rumors, devour the White King easily, and advance into the Central Continent?”*

The Black King’s intentions were obvious.

I had wondered why, despite awakening Despair and holding overwhelming power, he didn’t immediately attack the White King.

One could interpret it as confidence, but the Black and White Kings were long-standing nemeses.

If there were an opportunity, they should have torn each other apart instantly.

The reason he didn’t… was this.

*“Since he delivered the Fang, the White King will finally begin moving seriously. This will be interesting.”*

The White King was undeniably disadvantaged.

But if he expanded his power, this war might become… **quite worth watching.**

I let out a faint laugh and calmly shifted my gaze to Hel.

—GrrrrUUUUUUUURP!

Hel let out a long burp and drummed her belly in satisfaction.

She had just **fully devoured everything**—the Soul of Despair, the Soul of the Giant, and every single soul the other patrons had prepared.

“…Impossible.”

“How do you ‘fully devour’ something of that size?”

“Golden Mask! If you have a mouth, speak! What is the meaning of this!?”

The patrons rejected reality.

They turned on the Golden Mask.

But the Golden Mask was just as bewildered.

How could he know what happened?

He had never seen a lineage that could devour that many souls in a single go.

“…The Great Will of the Moon has chosen today’s victor.”

There was no other explanation.

The Great Will of the Moon must have aided the Golden Goat’s lineage so it could perform the Full Meal.

**Winner-takes-all.**

*GRRRTTT!!*

Some patrons ground their teeth.

Even if the banquet was winner-takes-all, something like this had never been expected.

They had been stripped of opportunity altogether—just like the previous banquet.

*Interesting.*

I didn’t care about their loss.

I cared only about one thing—

The countless messages floating before my eyes.

> 《Pet “Hel” has gained 1 level.》
> 《Pet “Hel” has gained 1 level.》
> 《Pet “Hel” has gained 1 level.》
> …

> 《Pet “Hel” has reached Level 10.》

> 《“Hel” has completed the Growth Phase and entered the Mature Phase.》

> 《“Hel” now requires 60 Honor per day for meals.》

> 《If “Hel” is not fed, she may rampage.》

> 《“Hel” can now use “Reaper Summoning (???)”.》

Reaper Summoning?

So she could finally summon the Reaper she hadn’t been able to summon before?

It seemed she had gained that ability upon entering the Mature Phase.

Did that mean other lineages would also gain it after passing the Mature Phase?

That wasn’t the only change.

—KYAHAHAHA!

Wings burst forth.

Six in total—three pairs.

> 《The Great Will of the Moon is watching you.》

> 《Will you accept the Blessing of the Child of the Moon?》

Wait. Child of the Moon?

The name sounded familiar.

Recently familiar.

*‘A being who stepped into the Primordial Era!’*

…Ah.

Yes. Among the names the Primordial Dragon God warned me to watch out for—there was the **Child of the Moon.**

Meaning—the one the patrons revered, the one radiating crimson lunar light, the **Great Will of the Moon**, was the very same **Child of the Moon.**

I never expected to encounter a being of the Primordial Era already.

> 《You refuse the blessing.》

Right now, getting involved would not benefit me.

Hel’s evolution alone was more than enough.

> 《Achievement unlocked: “One Who Refused the Blessing of a Great Being.”》

> 《Honor increased by 3,000.》
> 《Honor doubled by “Great Aspect” → 6,000.》

> 《The Child of the Moon frowns and leaves.》

…Good.

He lost interest entirely.

This empire really was unpredictable.

A place where one must never let down their guard.

“Golden Goat. There is something I wish to ask about your lineage.”

“Speak.”

The Golden Mask said.

When I answered, he pointed toward Hel.

“Is that Reaper of yours truly a ‘lineage’?”

“You were the one who acknowledged her, not me.”

“It has been bothering me. From her appearance, to the fact that she—despite being a lineage—could not summon a Reaper like the others. Your lineage seems… closer to a Reaper than a lineage.”

So that was the plan.

He was changing tactics—pushing toward the idea that Hel was **not** a lineage.

I only shrugged.

“You were the one who acknowledged her first at the First Banquet.”

“After seeing her transformation today, doubts have arisen. Why has a lineage taken on the shape of a Reaper?”

As if *I* knew.

Yes, Hel was different from the others.

But that didn’t make her “not” a lineage.

“If she summons a Reaper, will that be proof enough she is a lineage?”

“I will acknowledge it.”

The Golden Mask nodded.

So did the other patrons.

*Perfect timing.*

Hel had just gained the ability to summon a Reaper.

I calmly projected my intent toward Hel.

*Hel — summon the Reaper.*

—KYAHAHAHAHA!!

*FWOOOOSH!!*

Hel agreed and spread her wings wide.

And then—

> 《A “Reaper” has been summoned!》

*KWWWAAAAAAABAAAAAAAAM!!!*

—

 

 

 

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