I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-216

Ch-216. **101st Constellation**

—

“…….”

“…….”

Silence hovered in the room.

Knight Commander Raiga and I sat side by side, quietly staring at each other.

*Why did he come find me?*

Raiga had rushed over first, insisting we talk for a moment.

Yet now that we were seated, he hadn’t said a word.

And asking directly *why he came* felt somehow inappropriate.

*He obviously came because of last night.*

It was surely related to the clash at the Fang training grounds.

But the memories after “Primordial Despair” activated were gone—even for me.

What was certain was that we both survived.

And on the surface, neither of us had any visible, serious injuries.

*…On the surface.*

Reality was entirely different.

Even now, my whole body was screaming.

I couldn’t feel even the faintest thread of mana.

My right arm, which snapped yesterday, was still numb.

Raiga was undoubtedly the same.

Both of us were simply pretending to be fine.

*The battle stopped because of Primordial Despair. Raiga eventually retreated, and he came to ask about what happened—that’s the only logical conclusion.*

That would also explain why he remained silent.

He was waiting to see whether I remembered, or didn’t.

To be honest, I was dying to know what happened as well—but I couldn’t afford to reveal I remembered nothing.

So, resting my chin on my hand, I answered calmly:

“Are you here to settle yesterday’s outcome?”

……The outcome likely never came.

If it had, one of us would be dead.

The way we fought—like we were going to kill each other—there’s no way we’d be facing each other calmly the next day.

Just as I expected, Raiga’s brow twitched slightly.

“…You look more intact than I thought.”

“Mhm. It’d be stranger to get tired from just that.”

Truthfully, I feel like I’m dying.

If not for my natural regeneration exceeding 4,500%, my arm would still be shredded.

At the same time, Raiga’s eyes shifted sharply.

*Unharmed after taking that much damage?*

…It was unbelievable.

Even though he retreated, the damage he dealt to me up to that point—any ordinary human would’ve died several times over.

In return, his body was wrecked.

He force-set broken bones back together.

He layered multiple garments just to hide the bruises that hadn’t healed.

Every time he opened his mouth, it felt like his throat boiled with blood.

And yet, *that* was “not enough to tire him”?

*Bluffing?*

Usually he would have dismissed that as pure bravado and ridiculed me.

But he couldn’t laugh now.

He couldn’t—not after what he saw yesterday.

“Do you want something from me?”

I asked, legs crossed, as if I already knew why he came.

*Want?*
Someone who could take anything he wanted?

There was no way someone like Raiga would *want* anything from a mere goat—

*…Damn it.*

Raiga inhaled deeply, miserable.

…Because he *did* want something.

Something he desperately wanted.

He spoke with great difficulty, as if the words refused to come out.

“………What kind of curse did you place on me?”

Something he couldn’t accept. Something he couldn’t understand.

He was armed with hundreds of blessings and protections.

Even a Demon King wouldn’t be able to curse him.

Yet—he was cursed.

A curse impossibly strong, unbreakable, unyielding.

*Curse?*

Hearing Raiga’s words, even I couldn’t help tilting my head inwardly.

A curse? Out of nowhere?

*That’s strange.*

It was genuinely confusing.

If a curse had been placed on him, *Star Blessing* would have detected it.

*Star Blessing* detected even the curse Destruction placed on the Dragon of Light, Einhasar—so missing a “Despair curse” was impossible.

And yet there was no curse registered.

Which means—

*Raiga only thinks he’s cursed.*

Not that he *is* cursed—but that he *believes* he is.

Even so, that made no sense.

Someone as strong as Raiga would never mistake a curse.

*Like someone who has never been afraid before.*

…Raiga was undeniably shaken.

The way he acted now was worlds apart from the Raiga I saw yesterday.

He was trying to hide it, but his heart was pounding violently.

A heart that always maintained perfect calm was now hammering uncontrollably from the moment he saw me—that was proof enough.

*Ah.*

I finally understood what Raiga meant by “curse.”

And why he came to me so urgently.

I spoke leisurely.

“‘Iron-Blood Monarch’s Heart’ isn’t working, is it?”

“……!!!”

Raiga’s whole body trembled violently.

As expected.

There was no way Raiga possessed only one Hidden Trait—Mutant.

A man of his caliber would have multiple.

Having “Iron-Blood Monarch’s Heart” was perfectly plausible.

But when he faced *Primordial Despair*, Raiga *felt fear*.

For the first time in his life, he couldn’t maintain composure.

He mistook that fear for a curse—and came to me.

*Hidden Traits aren’t omnipotent.*

Honestly, I understood.

Raiga was too strong.

Born with absurd talent, he monopolized every reward.

He had never been defeated, never felt fear.

Of course he would worship the Iron-Blood Heart.

In that case—

“You want the curse undone?”

I smiled.

There was no way I would miss this chance.

Raiga, the one who hunts the Shards of Destruction.

I had many, many things I wanted to learn from him.

*

*

 

“Knight Commander Raiga… came to see the Goat?”

Golden Mask’s voice was filled with displeasure.

A shadow across from him nodded.

“Yes. And he looked extremely urgent.”

“Why would he go to the Goat? Do you have a guess?”

“I don’t know. All sound was blocked by a energy barrier.”

Blocked by a energy barrier?

That meant Raiga wanted the conversation hidden.

The Raiga of old would never have done that.

*I was planning to exclude the Goat going forward…*

Golden Mask bit his lip hard.

Even though he knew he was being watched, Raiga still went to the Goat.

Why?

Was he trying to recruit him?

But was the Goat worth Raiga *personally* acting?

*He’s not worthless, true…*

The heir of the Rahon family who fully controls Baal.

The Twelfth True Patron and a high-ranking executive of the Reaper Cult.

But even that shouldn’t be enough to move Raiga.

There was no way that arrogant bastard—who believed nothing existed beneath the sky except himself—would be moved like that.

*…There’s something about the Goat I don’t know.*

Which meant the Goat possessed something Raiga desperately wanted.

Something he would chase with hunger.

Golden Mask pondered for a long time—then made up his mind.

*Whatever it is, I won’t let Fang have it.*

Raiga and Golden Mask had been old rivals for ages.

There was no way he could quietly hand Raiga what he wanted.

He would have to visit the Goat himself.

Just as he stood up—

“…Golden Mask, we have a big problem.”

A shadow rushed in urgently.

Golden Mask frowned.

“What problem?”

“The Goat left the palace with the Fang Knight Order.”

“………What?”

What kind of nonsense was that?

The Goat left *with* the Fang Knights?

That wasn’t mere recruitment—that was a declaration:

*The Goat is mine.*

And the problem was that the Goat was a high-ranking Reaper Cult official.

Yet Raiga excluded the Reaper Cult—excluded *him*.

Just as Raiga excluded the Goat from the meeting earlier.

*Raiga… are you finally insane?*

Even if they were adversaries, this was the same as openly declaring war.

Reckless. Stupid.

But Raiga was no fool.

Rather—

…Whatever the Goat had was worth the risk.

*

*

 

I had many questions.

But I couldn’t simply demand answers.

So, I chose the *path of not asking*.

*There’s no need to ask.*

I could just see for myself.

*Once I see him hunt the Shards, I’ll understand.*

How Raiga hunts the “Shards of Destruction.”

And how he withstands the bug caused by them.

Nothing would be more reliable than witnessing it with my own eyes.

So I decided to exploit Raiga’s misunderstanding.

But in a way that preserved superiority—and didn’t reveal intent.

—The condition for lifting the curse is simple.
Form a friendly relationship with me. That’s all.

—Are you saying we have to form an alliance?

—No. I’m saying I’m not interested in forming a friendly relationship with someone who can’t even undo *this tiny curse.*

—…?

—You can’t even handle a curse like this, yet you think you can hunt a fragment bearer? That mass of curses?

—…What did you say?

—If that’s not the case, prove it. Prove you’re worth that much.

Raiga’s expression then was indescribable.

A look that said: *What the hell is wrong with this guy?*

—Fine. I’ll prove it.

But the provocation worked perfectly.

As a result, I joined the Fang Knight Order.

We left the palace immediately, crossing several warps.

—Goat. Most of the fragment bearers are inside this Abyss. Don’t tell me you’ve lost your nerve now?

…and I stood before the Sunken Abyss.

A place swarming with transcendent monsters.

A place where you could not predict anything—not even one step ahead.

But that was fine.

*Better, actually.*

I would have had to come here eventually anyway.

《Main Quest 11: “Abyssal Monster Hunt” has begun.》

《Hunt the monsters within the Abyss!》

《You will receive rewards according to the number and grade of monsters hunted.》

《Warning. Entry into the Abyss must be made with caution.》

《Once you enter the Abyss, you cannot ever return.》

《When you exit, your total score will be calculated and your ranking determined.》

《Depending on your ranking on the Hall of Fame, you can receive a “Special Talisman Cube.”》

*

*

The Hundred Thrones.

The Palace of Stars where the hundred Constellations reside.

“The Constellation of the Most Radiant Hero…”

“Why did he unlock *Randolph’s Tale*?”

“Wasn’t he monopolizing it?”

The Constellations were baffled.

The Constellation of the Most Radiant Hero had suddenly opened *Randolph’s Tale* to the public.

The starlight required to read Randolph’s story was so astronomically high that almost no Constellation could afford it.

Only the Most Radiant Hero could subscribe.

Yet the story he monopolized until now—he had opened to *everyone*.

“A story this good shouldn’t be monopolized by me alone, don’t you think?”

“…That is true.”

“Hmm.”

The story of a pioneer who walks a new path.

The unwavering persistence of Randolph shook the hearts of the Constellations.

When he surpassed Sword Mastery Level 31 and reached Level 32, every Constellation unconsciously clenched their fists.

“I want to see more.”

“…This is torture.”

But that was the end of the story.

They had no way of knowing what direction it would take from here.

They had seen him gain strength.

But how that strength would be *used*—that was the most important part.

“If you want to know what comes next, watch it yourself.”

Pay starlight and see with your own eyes.

But only a handful of Constellations could afford that much starlight.

Many Constellations stared at the Most Radiant Hero with envy.

“…Hm?”

“This starlight—?”

Then it happened.

In the Staircase of Starlight—where new Constellations are born—

Fwaaaaaaaaaaaash!

A being appeared, scattering starlight.

The *101st Constellation*—which *should not exist*.

“101st Constellation? Impossible…!”

“Who is it? Who dares to break the *rules*?”

Chaos erupted.

Nothing like this had ever occurred before.

The Hundred Thrones—the name itself meant that *only one hundred* Constellations could reside here.

Since its creation, the rule had never once been broken.

Now, a being appeared that shattered that immutable law.

Everyone’s attention fixed on the newcomer.

And when the Constellation of the Most Radiant Hero saw the 101st Constellation—

his eyes widened in sheer panic.

“Y-you, you are…!”

—

 

 

 

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