I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-239

Ch-239. **The Realm of Art**

—

**<Status Window>**

**Name:** Randolph

**Class:** Successor of the Stars

**Class:** Supreme Sword Saint

The first things that caught my eye were the name and the class.

Those two had not changed.

But the most dramatic change came right after.

—

**<Stats>**

**Level:** 9

**Strength:** 146 (114 + 32)

**Health:** 144 (112 + 32)

**Agility:** 145 (113 + 32)

**Intelligence:** 144 (112 + 32)

**Star Power:** 233 (125 + 108)

For a moment, I wondered if I’d misread it.

Because one stat started with an entirely different digit.

*Star Power 233?*

A number so absurd, “bug” wouldn’t even begin to describe it.

If anyone else saw it, they would foam at the mouth insisting I used cheats or hacks.

Star Power was converted mana.
Mana corresponded directly to one’s *rank* or *tier* of existence—
So now I understood why the Sunken Emperor and the other Abyssal Sovereigns mistook me for “Destruction(Ruin).”

*Can stats really rise this sharply?*

Even the base increase alone showed Star Power rising by 75.

No buff, blessing, or artifact in existence offered this kind of scale.

And even if such a thing existed, it would come with catastrophic side effects—
like sacrificing lifespan or evaporating an entire different stat.

I hurriedly read onward.

There *must* be side effects.

—

—

## **<Secondary Stats>**

**Natural Regeneration:** 11,200%

**Total Penetration:** 34.3% (23.3 + 11)

**Curse Penetration:** 15%

**Curse Reflection:** 30%

**Curse Duration Increase:** 30%

**Skill Mastery Efficiency:** 900% (450 + 450)

**EXP Gain Rate:** 200%

“…?”

This had to be a bug.

If not a bug, then a full-blown system error.

Otherwise, even *I* couldn’t make sense of it.

*Eleven thousand two hundred?*

My natural regeneration, once near 4,000%, had suddenly surpassed 10,000%.

A 2.5-fold increase.

At this point, even broken bones would completely restore in half a day.

But it wasn’t merely rapid healing.

*Even lost flesh will regenerate.*

The terrifying aspect of natural regeneration was that after a certain threshold, it became literal *regrowth.*

As long as I was alive, even severed arms and legs would return.

Cockroach-level… no, *beyond* cockroach-level survivability.

And that wasn’t all.

*I’ve never seen Total Penetration exceed 30%.*

With the surge of Star Power, penetration had skyrocketed.

To ignore shields and armor to such an extent—
Even a single percent of Total Penetration was valuable.
Yet here I had **34.3%**.

*I could break a Cursed Celestial Stone in one strike now.*

It felt like only yesterday that breaking such a stone took tremendous effort.

But now? A single blow would suffice.

Was there any human alive with more than 30% penetration?
Unlikely.

Not even Raiga would’ve reached that number.

Already absurd—yet the absurdity did not end there.

*I now have EXP gain rate. And Skill Mastery efficiency has doubled.*

EXP efficiency must have also doubled Mastery efficiency.

Mastery was a type of experience after all.

But I had never seen anything that boosted *overall EXP* gain.

*And EXP gain is exactly what I need most.*

Level 10.
To progress beyond that, this was essential.

Because the EXP requirement for me was fundamentally different from others.

Reaching Level 9 alone had been brutal.

But Level 10?
It required **ten times** the EXP.

Meaning I essentially had to reach Levels 1–9 *ten times over* to hit Level 10.

“…This is… truly…”

I summarized my current impressions in one phrase:

**Insane.**

No—
Beyond insane.

*…This is art.*

Every change was nothing short of an artistic masterpiece.

Now I needed to confirm *why* such changes occurred.

I checked **Special Conditions**.

—

—

## **<Special Conditions>**

**1:** Possesses “Successor of the Stars – 4 Stars (+20 All Stats)”

**2:** Body fused with “Transcendent Baal Set”—related stats added; new equipment may again be worn on those slots.

**3:** Pure stats recalibrated via “Eternal Randolph” effect.

**4:** Possesses Baal’s Core (Shard of Destruction) within the heart.

**5:** Through “King of the Dead,” +2 STR, +1 AGI, +3 Star Power added.

**6:** Sole wielder of Supreme Unique-grade “Winter” (+10 All Stats; 50% penalty reduction)

**7:** “Primordial Armor” grants +9% Penetration based on level.

**8:** “Heavenly Demon Divine Art” – 6 Stars (Star Power multiplied by x1.6)

**9:** “Infinite Vessel” – removes stat caps and nullifies cap-related side effects.

**10:** “Molting” – massively increases regeneration, doubles EXP gain.

*…So that’s why.*

Items 1–7 were old.

Items 8–10 were new.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art at 6 Stars.

A 1.6× amplification of Star Power.

Yet—no side effects.

*The Infinite Vessel completely nullified the technique’s drawbacks.*

Heavenly Demon Arts corrupted the body easily.
And once limits were exceeded, the user became a cripple.

There were absolutely more hidden side effects—
traps laid by the evil god.

But the Infinite Vessel had erased all limits.
And wiped out every side effect.

*If the evil god knew this, he’d be pounding the ground wailing.*

I glanced at the Heavenly Demon Blade.

The evil god hiding inside had curled up tight.

—*Hey, something’s wrong. He suddenly started screaming.*

“Winter” spoke.

I couldn’t hear the evil god myself,
but Winter—being of similar nature—could.

He must’ve realized I’d eliminated the technique’s side effects entirely.

A faint smile touched my lips.

*Six stars, huh.*

With the limit removed, my mastery of the Heavenly Demon Arts had skyrocketed.

At this rate, reaching “Great Perfection” was only a matter of time.

I wondered how the Heavenly Demon would react if he learned of this.

He wouldn’t even have imagined I had learned the Heavenly Demon Arts—

let alone that I’d devoured the traps of the evil god and turned them to my benefit.

I moved on.

**Collections and Skill Mastery.**

Almost done checking the window.

—

—

## **<Active Collections>**

《“Throne of Light” + “Winter (Last Twilight)” = “Dazzling, Frigid Seat (+2% Penetration)”》

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

—

—

## **<Mastery>**

Bow: Lv. 10 — Master Tier
Sword: Lv. 32 — Sword Force unlocked (+60% Damage)

* “Winter” raises sword mastery cap to 35

*Post-30: +5% damage per level*

Nothing unusual here.

Only one thing left.

**Hidden Traits.**

—

—

## **<Active Hidden Traits>**

【Void】
【Dexterous】
【All-Master】
【Weapon Master】
【Giant’s Anti-Magic】
【Beast Lord】
【Golden Grace】
【Mutant】
【Greed】
【Eye of Truth】
【Archdruid’s Nature】
【God of Blood Demons】
【Eternal Monarch Randolph】
【Celestial(Heaven)】

Fourteen in total.

The Heart of the Eternal Monarch and Eternal Randolph had merged, reducing the count by one.

Nothing unusual besides that.

Except—

*The order of traits… “Celestial” is still last.*

Interesting.

On this Divine Island, while gathering starlight, I had begun to notice that the *order* of hidden traits held meaning.

I shrugged.

In any case, the inspection was complete.

*Perfect.*

There could be no more perfect status window.

I still didn’t yet know the abilities of “Eternal Monarch Randolph,” but because two traits had fused, the process of discovery itself would be enjoyable.

Then—

“Just… what are you? How did you drive back those Abyssal monsters?”

A voice behind me.

*Raiga.*

Barely alive when I picked him up—
but somehow still breathing.

His condition remained terrible.
He was still dying.

I met his gaze.

“You seem afraid of me.”

“…Ha. You really think I fear you?”

He denied it.

But I could tell.

He was confused.
And afraid.

Raiga, who claimed to know all things.
But by his standards, I was either an unknown—as mysterious as a deity—or something worse.

I spoke lightly.

“Do you wish to live?”

“…I opened the Fifth Gate. The final gate trades life itself. And… my mana won’t gather. I’ll die soon.”

Raiga stated his own death as if discussing the weather.

If left alone, he would indeed die.

But I could not allow that yet.

I still needed information from him.

*Something inside him devours mana the moment it forms—a tiny insect, invisible to the naked eye. Don’t touch it.*

The Sunken Emperor’s insects.
They were devouring mana inside Raiga.

And instinctively—I knew.

Those must not be tampered with.

“Before you die, tell me your true identity.”

“You will not die.”

“…If that were possible, none of the former Fangs would have died after opening the Fifth Gate.”

So the previous Fang masters had died after opening it.

He spoke with resignation.

“At this rate, the Fang line ends with you.”

“…I suppose so.”

“Then, if you could survive—
you would do anything, wouldn’t you?”

“I told you. It’s not possible.”

“There is nothing I cannot do.”

My confidence shook him.

He inhaled sharply.

Then spoke quietly.

“…I still don’t know what you really are, but why save me? We aren’t exactly friends.”

True enough—they had both tried to kill each other.

I explained plainly.

“It isn’t free. If I save you, you will grant me *one* request.”

“A request…”

“This request takes precedence over all oaths you’ve made—
even those sworn to the Empire or the Fang. Can you accept that?”

Raiga froze.

A vow above all his vows.

“Are you insane? Do you want my life or something?”

“Choose. Die here, or live to continue the Fang legacy.”

“…If your request is to betray the Empire, I refuse.”

“Relax. It won’t violate your principles.”

I wanted only one thing:

The shard of Destruction—
and the method to overcome its “bug.”

Isabella called it a “blessing,” but that wasn’t the whole truth.

“…”

Raiga stared at me for a long time.

Until finally—

“…Fine. Try it.”

Do it if you can, he meant.

What the previous Fang masters and even the Empire could not do—
how could *I* possibly succeed?

*Alone, I can’t.*

Raiga’s condition was beyond my ability to cure personally.

Blessings and elixirs couldn’t stop his death.

But there *was* a possibility.

*Those insects.*

The insects devouring mana inside him.

Their function wasn’t limited to devouring and disrupting.

They could help restore him too.

The only issue—

*How do I persuade the Sunken Emperor?*

But—
there was always a way.

—

—

 

**The Next Day**

Raiga’s eyes widened.

“Y-your Majesty…! Emperor…!”

Their reunion came far sooner than expected.

The Sunken Emperor stood before him.

But the Emperor had no interest in Raiga.

His gaze was fixed solely on *me.*

With a flare of blue flames—
**Ssshhhhh!**
He threatened me.

I ignored it and drew out an item from my coat.

“Did you come for this?”

“……”

It was a small flask.

Filled with an unknown liquid.
Seemingly insignificant.

But I knew what it was.

“Your most precious friend is inside this.”

“……”

“If you understand, let’s negotiate.”

I tucked the flask away.

Obtaining it was simple.

After returning the drained Heavenly Demon Blade to its owner, I received the flask.

The Sunken Emperor had been near the cave for this reason.

He had not been looking for *me.*
He had been looking for **the one holding the flask**—the Heavenly Demon.

“…What do you want?”

he finally asked.

What should I demand?

Healing Raiga?
That was trivial.

Knowing the flask’s value, I couldn’t possibly settle for something so petty.

The Heavenly Demon hadn’t known its worth.
So he failed to negotiate.

But I knew.
Too well, in fact.

Whatever I wanted, the Sunken Emperor would give.

Because this was his most precious thing.

And at that moment—

I became certain.

*They are not the same person.*

The old man—

The one who spent a night with me—

was *not* the Sunken Emperor.

—

 

 

 

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