I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-213

Ch-213. **The Demon of Greed**

—

Raiga.

The Knight King who formally inherited the name of Fang.

Among all the masters of Fang throughout history, he stood unrivaled.

Overflowing talent and a ravenous desire to become stronger.

By swinging his sword relentlessly, obsessively, without ever resting—
he was finally able to reach the realm of *Swordsaint*.

*The realm that everyone called the end was precisely the realm of swordsaint.*

A supreme position that no one had ever attained except the first master of Fang.

The moment Raiga forged an extremely pure sword-aura, he trembled—
but at the same time he realized:

*“This is not the end, but the beginning. Only now have I stepped onto the starting line.”*

He had only now reached the true starting line.

After that, Raiga slew monsters of the Abyss, and beings revered as gods.

He killed rulers of realms humanity hadn’t conquered for hundreds of years—
“the Deeper Abyss,” “the Judge of Darkness,” “the Flesh Hybrid Queen,” “the Dusken Maw,” and more.

All to reach the true ultimate meaning of martial strength.

Among them were beings who produced sword-aura similar to his—but none of them could satisfy him.

Their aura was not pure. It did not reach the truth.
They were nothing but fakes wearing the skin of *swordmaster*.

*“I’m thirsty.”*

He was maddeningly parched.

Was there truly no one who could satisfy him?

Was there no true monster left in this world who could elevate his martial art?

It was around then that the continent began to whisper the name *“Wilhelm”*—
another bearer of the title *Knight King*.

But the two never crossed paths.

—*Gather the Shards of Ruin. It is the duty of Fang to ensure that “Ruin” never rises again.*

The burden carried by the masters of Fang.

Raiga’s fate was to gather and seal the Shards of Ruin so that the Empire would never again fall.

The clan of Fang, who failed to protect the former Empire—
they could not repeat their mistake.

And so time passed, while his thirst remained unquenched.

*“Baal. The monster standing at the ultimate end of all techniques. A concentrated mass of the purest power!”*

And then—he met it.

In a completely unexpected place, he came face-to-face with someone who perfectly controlled Baal.

More than that… the sword-aura that man displayed possessed the same pure magical nature as his own.

A perfect form.

A natural balance and circulation.

When he saw it, his body nearly writhed with the urge to clash immediately.

But he could not.

To fight within the imperial palace, where the revered Emperor resided, would be a capital crime.

There was no way those Reaper-Cult bastards—especially the Golden Mask—would allow it.

Thus he resigned himself, thinking there was no helping it.

*“So this is fate.”*

…Because that man stepped into the territory of Fang on his own two feet.

Only those with the Hidden Trait *“Mutant”* could detect and enter this place.

But humans who survive while possessing the Hidden Trait *Mutant*—
are fewer than one in ten thousand.

And among those who survive, only one can become the successor of *Fang*.

The ability of the *Mutant* trait is not merely seeing a hidden path and walking through it.

*“Mutants can steal each other’s ability by fighting and killing.”*

Fang had used that trait to pass down their power for generations.

Perhaps that goat-mask also used that trait to fully control *Baal*.

Whatever the case—

*“His sword-aura does not reach mine.”*

It was praiseworthy that he took his aura head-on without shattering instantly.

But that was all.

A contest of *Master vs Master*.

Each clash made it clear—his sword-aura shook precariously.

It was merely an aura propped up by Baal’s power.

Not a realm attained purely by his own strength—certainly not.

*“Tch.”*

Raiga clicked his tongue quietly.

He had been so hopeful, thinking someone who controlled Baal completely might quench his thirst.

But in the end, it was not enough.

Perhaps this thirst would never be quenched until the day he died…

*“Hm?”*

Just as he sank into disappointment, Raiga suddenly tilted his head.

*“His momentum changed…?”*

Something shifted.

In their clash of auras, the goat’s unstable aura suddenly began to stabilize.

His will… deepened.

That was…

*“He has poured himself into the sword. He has become the sword itself.”*

Unity of body and blade.

But that wasn’t all.

*“…You must be kidding.”*

Realizing the goat’s condition, Raiga inwardly shook his head.

What was this bastard?

*“He’s attaining enlightenment while fighting me?”*

Such insolence was beyond absurd.

He was learning enlightenment with an opponent whose neck he could take at any moment right before him.

He was full of openings.

The goat cared nothing about the duel—he was consumed solely with perfecting his aura based on the enlightenment he’d gained.

Many had felt a wall while fighting Raiga before.

But—

*“No one has ever attained enlightenment while crossing swords with me.”*

What was enlightenment?

It was realizing one’s deficiencies.

But such a process was only possible when the two were nearly equal in skill.

When the gap was enormous, enlightenment was impossible—
unless the weaker party simply quit the sword altogether from despair.

“….”

So did that mean their skills were similar?

Impossible.

If he wished, Raiga was certain he could take the goat’s head in an instant.

The difference in skill was absolute.

Then how—
how was he attaining enlightenment from Raiga?

This treatment was a first.

*Fine then. Attain it. I’m curious to see what you realize.*

So he allowed it.

He accompanied that enlightenment to its fullest.

Tonight was the night the Great Moon lingered overhead.

…Fitting for a dance staged beneath such a moon.

How many strikes did they exchange afterward?

*“Stabilized.”*

The goat’s sword-aura no longer shook even when clashing with Raiga’s.

Perfect balance and circulation—beyond doubt.

But that wasn’t the shocking part.

Compared to the goat’s change—completing sword-force was nothing.

“Who… are you?”

Raiga finally spoke.

He could no longer hold back the question.

The being before him was nothing like the one he fought at the start.

It was as if he had become an entirely different person.

The way he gripped the sword—
the stance of his steps—
even the rhythm of his breathing—

Every movement was completely different.

It was as if—

*CLANG!!!*

The moment their swords collided again, Raiga understood.

*“This is not Baal’s power.”*

Baal’s authority?

As if Baal’s mere authority could accomplish this.

Such a trivial power could never evoke this level of awe in him.

*“This is the concentrated essence of martial strength built entirely from scratch—
a being who shattered every wall one by one and finally touched the ultimate realm…!”*

Ah.

These movements. These breaths. That attitude toward the sword.

Every piece of it—
was built personally from the ground up.

He had created a foundation that would never collapse,
and upon it constructed an immortal tower—
not a single brick out of place.

To think this was the same goat who moments ago swung sword-aura like a sandcastle blowing over in the wind.

That immortal tower… was like Raiga’s.

…No.

No, it was not.

That one was *not like him*.

Raiga inherited the accumulated power of the masters of Fang.

But this man—
created true *martial strength* from *nothing*.

He built a fortified, unshakable tower all on his own—
from absolute zero—
walking a lonely path no one taught him.

Only then did Raiga realize:

*“The one who wasn’t pure… was me.”*

Even his own sword-aura hadn’t been pure.

This man was like a creator—
who brought something out of nothing.

Raiga had only polished and expanded the path the masters of Fang had already paved.

Every collision of their blades made his skin shudder—
as if every nerve was being scraped raw.

Every cell screamed.

All flaws vanished.
Only the apex remained.

“…Heh.”

Raiga let out a hollow laugh.

Realizing your own shortcomings—
that too was enlightenment.

*“What in the world are you?”*

A talent beyond imagination.

But Raiga too had such talent.

The difference wasn’t talent.

It was something more fundamental:

His *attitude* toward strength—
his *hunger* for power—
exceeded Raiga’s.

As if he were born solely to become strong.

He excluded every other desire—
and nurtured only power.

But that should be impossible.

Humans were born with needs—
hunger, lust, sleep.

To strip away every other desire and crave only power?

Impossible.

That wasn’t human.

If a life-form like that could exist—

“…He is truly greedy.”

A hunger that seeks only strength.

That must be called—
the **real Demon of Greed.**

—

—

More, more, more.

It feels like he can almost reach it if he stretches his hand.

The path Wilhelm walked.

Beyond that path.

If the path itself were wrong, one would never reach the end—
but Wilhelm’s path was not wrong.

If it were him, he would have walked toward the right direction.

For he had been my god.

Though I earned his resentment, I could not disappoint him.

*“If not now, I will never reach it.”*

At the same time, he understood.

This enlightenment was like smoke—
the moment he looked away, it would dissipate.

He must not lose this chance.

*“I did not know you.”*

All this time, he had been ignorant.

He knew nothing.

Wilhelm’s heart.

His true intentions.

That he had been yearning for freedom so desperately.

And just as he had never known Wilhelm—
Wilhelm would never know him either.

*“If we’d understood each other, we might’ve become friends.”*

Of course, that was no longer possible.

Wilhelm’s body now belonged to the Demon King.

They would never meet again.

But that was fine.

He intended to complete Wilhelm’s mission
and grant him true freedom.

That was the only form of atonement he had left.

He continued forward.

The way Wilhelm had walked.

Following the straight, unbending sword that Wilhelm had swung.

*“You were not wrong.”*

He would prove that Wilhelm had not been wrong—
that he had walked in the right direction.

He hadn’t been able to answer then—
but now, he could show it with action.

He poured his soul into the sword.

For the first time since becoming a player, he could channel his will into his blade.

At that moment—

> 《‘Sword Mastery’ level has increased.》
>

> 《Sword Mastery has reached Level 32.》
>

> 《You step into the threshold of the “Mystic Realm (玄境)”.》
>

> 《Hidden Quest “Transcend Mastery Level (8)” from the “Master of the Mountain of Trainees” has been completed!》
>

> 《O unceasing challenger! All the wills of the mountains sincerely revere and marvel at you.》
>

> 《May there be an answer where you seek to reach. The master of all mountains completes “Purity.”》
>

> 《“The Most Radiant Heroic Constellation” opens your story.》
>

> 《All the constellations of the People’s Hall recognize your challenge.》
>

> …

>
> 《?????????》
>

> 《????????????????????????》
>

> 《A star that should not exist, the 101st Constellation “Star of Purity,” is born.》
>

> 《As a reward, you may obtain ??-rank “Wilhelm.”》
>

> 《Would you like to receive the reward?》

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