I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-212

Ch-212. **Wilhelm’s Memory**

—

What is *Sword Force*?

In the game, Sword Force was like a type of skill.
A legendary skill you could obtain upon reaching Sword Mastery Level 30.
One that everyone knew about but was impossible to acquire.

Naturally, its effect was nothing short of overwhelming.

**Damage +50%!**

And with its dazzling visual effects and sheer intimidation, Wilhelm—wielding Sword Force—couldn’t help but become the object of admiration.

But even Wilhelm’s Sword Force was a far cry from “purity.”

*“Wilhelm didn’t reach Sword Mastery Level 30 purely.”*

From the beginning, there was no class capable of reaching Level 30.

None—except the class I now possess: **Supreme Sword Saint**.

Wilhelm, just like others, only expanded his level cap by borrowing external power—stars, equipment, special tools.

*“A pure Sword Force, as Knight Commander Raiga puts it… refers to reaching the state of Sword Force **solely through one’s class**, without relying on expanded level caps.”*

Meaning—Knight Commander Raiga possessed a class comparable to **Supreme Sword Saint**.

However… he mistakenly believed that **I surpassed my level cap by completely controlling Baal**.

If my class were Baal itself, then surpassing the level cap far beyond 30 would make perfect sense.

*“Just what kind of class does he have?”*

I was curious.
So curious it drove me insane.

Another class that expands the Sword Mastery limit to **Level 30** besides Supreme Sword Saint…?

The very fact he displayed Sword Force meant he raised his mastery to Level 30.
And he did it without external help—**solely through pure training**.

How many swords must Knight Commander Raiga have wielded, faced, and mastered? I couldn’t even imagine.

*“This isn’t just a skill.”*

Which made it all the more fascinating.

I had never deeply pondered Sword Force.
To me, Sword Force was nothing more—nothing less—than a convenient damage-boosting skill.

**KAAAANG—!**

Steel collided with steel—Sword Force against Sword Force.
No technique. No finesse. A purely brute-force strike.

A dull thud echoed like a baseball bat smashing through flesh.

**BOOOOOM!**

The second clash shook the world like an explosion.

The strength behind our strikes remained the same—so where did this difference come from?

*“Because of balance.”*

The balance of mana comprising the Sword Force wasn’t equal.

If mana at every point were distributed perfectly evenly, every strike would make the same sound.

Sword Force is a technique that maximizes destructive power by condensing mana to the extreme.
The more mana concentrated, the harder it becomes to keep balanced.

But—

*“…only my balance is subtly off.”*

Each time our blades collided, only my Sword Force trembled dangerously.
Compared to Knight Commander Raiga, my mana distribution was uneven.

Of course it was.

I had always just *poured* Sword Force into my blade—
Used it like a skill.

But for Raiga, Sword Force was the fruit of training.
Proof that he had reached the **ultimate realm**, a manifestation of his very status.

*“I’ve been far too complacent.”*

Ah.

Once again—I was reminded.

This isn’t a game.

Everything carries meaning.
One must be able to **infuse meaning** into their sword.

But I never gave Sword Force meaning.
I hadn’t put in the effort nor devotion for that.
I simply treated it as one of the many skills.

The reason I could so effortlessly wield Sword Aura and Sword Force wasn’t because I reached a certain mastery level.

It was because—

*Wilhelm.*

Because I played Wilhelm and inherited Wilhelm’s memories, I merely walked the path he had paved.
To me, it was a game—
but to Wilhelm, it was not.

*“What did you feel when you first held a sword?”*

…I had never once wondered.
Never once tried to know.

Wilhelm’s feelings.
His effort in carving his own path.

Those were not things that could be accomplished with a few mouse clicks.

*“How did you feel when you first manifested Sword Force?”*

I tried to recall.
To go back, retracing Wilhelm’s footsteps.

And then—I saw.

Wilhelm.

—*At last…!*

Finally, I saw it.

—*You damn god! I’ll burn every world you’ve ever created!*

The real Wilhelm.

…A voice like metal scraping.
Having reached his ultimate realm through grueling effort, Wilhelm screamed in despair.

It was part of the scene I had dismissed as the **Intro**—
the moment of recollection following his Game Over at the hands of the Demon King.

*

*

There exist countless gods in the world.

The Goddess of Earth, Leah.
The Sky Goddess, Pina.
And many more—too many to count.

But to Wilhelm, **none of them** were true gods.

*“A true god is omniscient, omnipotent—absolutely impossible to resist.”*

That was Wilhelm’s definition.

So the so-called “gods” the world spoke of were far from true gods to him.

*“The one who moves me at will—that must be the real god.”*

When he became aware of himself, he was already holding a sword.
Every enemy he felled led the people to praise him as the Knight King.

A forced purpose.
A fate burdened with mission.
All of it came from the god who controlled him.

Whenever he regained self-awareness for a brief period, he could only ask:

*“Who am I?”*

He grew stronger by the day.
Every rise in power deepened his sense of self—yet his body remained shackled.

The god never granted him freedom.

*“If I complete the mission, will I be free?”*

The mission: Kill the Demon King and restore peace to the continent.

Once his purpose was fulfilled—
would the god finally release him?

If he could gain freedom, he could finally live on his own terms.

*“Then I will grow stronger.”*

Wilhelm’s solidifying sense of self demanded greater power.

He memorized the micro-movements of every muscle, repeating them relentlessly in simulated battles.
Breaking through walls and gaining countless realizations, his growth accelerated.

Whenever the god’s control loosened even slightly, he moved his body—
and acted the part of the flawless Knight King, while nurturing his dream.

To roam the world freely.

“Finally…!”

When he transcended Sword Aura and completed Sword Force—

Wilhelm trembled.

It was unlike any realization before.

Understanding Sword Force not only strengthened his ego, it brought him close to the **source of mana**—to **truth**.

**Awakening.**

For the first time, Wilhelm *felt alive*.

And then—his very perception of the world changed.

*“I pour myself into my sword. I become the god.”*

Yes.

That circulation—that balance—was the first step toward **completing oneself as a god**.

A perfect, absolute form of *Force*—
such a creation could be considered the work of a god.

And the one who created it could, in a sense, be called a god himself.

*“I can do it. I can reach it.”*

He felt he could finally grasp his mission—
even if his foe were the Demon King, or even a god.

At the same time, Wilhelm looked up to the heavens.

What do you think, you miserable god?

I am doing everything to fulfill the mission you imposed on me.
I act endlessly. I achieve endlessly.

So answer me.

…Please.

Tell me that I’m on the right path.
That I’ll obtain what I seek at the end of this road!

But if you insist on remaining silent—

“YOU DAMN GOD! I WILL BURN EVERY WORLD YOU HAVE EVER CREATED!”

Because I really might burn the world you made.

*

*

Wilhelm’s memories.

The recollection of the moment he manifested Sword Force.

For a moment, I felt as though **I had become Wilhelm himself**.

*“You hated me…”*

Just like the other characters.

Like Isabella and Isaac, he bore resentment toward me for moving him against his will—

No. Perhaps even more than them.

*“Wilhelm was fully aware.”*

Isabella and Isaac said they could barely remember anything during the period of their control—
not until long after their affliction.

Probably until I abandoned them.

But Wilhelm was different.

He was aware.
Aware that his body was moving on its own.

*“Wilhelm’s strength wasn’t earned by my efforts alone.”*

Without his will, he never would have stood before the Demon King.

The effort he endured was something no ordinary human could ever hope to imitate.

In a state of total loss, he focused solely on becoming stronger.

That’s not something “just anyone” can do.

*“Understanding Sword Force… a first step toward becoming a god.”*

Now I understand.

I think I finally understand—

The meaning of Sword Force.
The meaning Wilhelm placed in it.

The moment he first felt **truly alive** was the moment he manifested Sword Force.

That joy, that meaning—
was something he would never trade for anything.

—

《‘Sword Mastery’ level has increased.》

《Sword Mastery has reached Level 31.》

《Sword Mastery has surpassed Level 30 and transcended to the next stage.》

《You have completed the Hidden Quest ‘Mastery Level Transcendence (7)’ bestowed by the Master of the Training
Mountain!》

《Achievement unlocked: “The Challenger Who Achieved the Myth of Mastery Levels.”》

《Would you like to receive your reward?》

《Reward: Unique-grade “Apocalypse.”》

…And simultaneously, my mastery level rose.

*Winter (Final Twilight)* expanded the maximum mastery level.
Thanks to that, I can raise Sword Mastery up to Level 35.

But I have no idea what happens after Level 30.
Even with the expanded cap, reaching Level 30 was nearly impossible.

Reaching 31 was nothing short of a miracle.

*“Unique-grade Apocalypse, huh.”*

The hidden quest I received when I climbed the Training Mountain.

When my mastery growth rate surpassed 400%, the mountain’s master set new conditions.

At first, the condition was “Reach 25 Mastery.”
But every time I rejected the reward upon leveling up, the quest continued to scale upward.

Thus came the seventh condition—

The chance to obtain **Apocalypse**, meaning “great calamity.”

*“A name I’ve never seen before.”*

Even to me, the name was unfamiliar.

I’ve seen the names of nearly every Unique-grade artifact in the continent—
but none bore that name.

If it’s not equipment, and not a mystic… then what is it?

*“Same structure as when obtaining a mystic. The higher the goal, the greater the reward.”*

What is clear is that the reward grade keeps rising.

But Sword Mastery Level 32—
I’ve never achieved that.

Stopping here would be the sensible choice.

If I recklessly challenge and fail to reach it, even Apocalypse will vanish.

This isn’t like repeatedly challenging the Tower of Mystics.
I can’t use tricks this time.

But—

*“I refuse.”*

《The challenger has refused the reward.》

《The scale of the quest increases.》

《Hidden Quest “Reach Mastery Level 32 (The Incomprehensible)” has begun.》

I wanted to continue challenging.

Because a chance like this may never come again.

If someone else saw this, they would call me reckless.
Ask why I’m so stubborn.

But it doesn’t matter.

This challenge is my first act of pioneering—
and…

*“…I truly was your god.”*

The rightful duty of **Wilhelm’s god**.

—

 

 

 

 

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