I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-274

Ch-274. **Fanatic**

—

Hyun of Adrium.

Right after he moved on to the 17th floor—

“…Unity of Divine Sword? He didn’t even swing his blade.”

“He did nothing at all, and yet he passed?”

Everyone could only feel bewildered.

Neither of them had taken any action.

And yet—he passed?

“……”

But Sansha did not answer.

He had no obligation to resolve their curiosity, and moreover, even Sansha himself had not anticipated such a situation.

The moment Unity of Divine Sword activated and he aimed his blade—

Sansha knew.

*If I swing it, I die.*

The instant the sword was swung, he himself would die as well.

Unity of Divine Sword is a technique that *must* strike the opponent.

And it inflicts an unavoidable *fatal wound*.

Even if the blade does not physically connect, it can still deliver a lethal blow—a unique skill.

In short, Unity of Divine Sword materializes reinforced intent.

It is a kind of *Mind Sword*—manifesting the very thought of extending one’s blade to fatally wound the opponent as sword energy.

And yet…

The moment he invoked Unity of Divine Sword, Sansha’s thoughts froze.

Only one thing filled his mind.

*Death.*

*Death.*

*Death…!*

If he extended his sword and inflicted a fatal wound upon that man, the damage would return multiplied, killing him instantly.

*A power that reflects physical damage at more than double… does such a thing really exist in this world?*

There were certainly skills and equipment based on the concept of reflection.

But never—absolutely never—could they reflect *more than the damage received*.

Though called “reflection,” they were closer to *sharing*.

At best, they shared pain or shared damage.

But the man before him was different.

That was why Sansha could not move.

Not attacking, but instead declaring him passed and withdrawing his sword—

That was the reason.

…And perhaps that was not all.

*This is a sensation I never felt even when facing Wilhelm or Randolph…*

Sansha looked down at his hands.

Both of them were trembling minutely, as if sobbing.

Instinctively, he had felt an overwhelming fear of instant death.

Even when facing Wilhelm and Randolph, he had felt awe—but never this kind of terror of immediate death.

Sansha lifted his head.

And then—

*So this is what it feels like to be alive.*

…Smiling, Sansha felt exhilaration surge through him.

He was alive.

Different from when he had been dominated by the Demon of Envy.

Back then, even while living, he had been dead.

But not now.

Reviving through the *trial of the tower* had been the correct answer after all.

To meet such an interesting opponent right at the start—

*I can become stronger.*

For the first time, he was certain.

Feeling the fear of death was proof that he could grow stronger.

And so, he would challenge Randolph again.

Challenge him—and win!

Therefore, it was not over yet.

The true trial was only just beginning.

—

—

**King of Ruin.**

A completely new name born from the fusion and elevation of the previous hidden-class legacies.

Faced with such an unexpected development, I was momentarily left speechless.

*It’s similar to when I obtained the Supreme Sword Saint class.*

After clearing every trial in the Abyss Labyrinth, I had gained the hidden class *Supreme Sword Saint*—

By defeating both Riley, the Hexagonal Hero, and the trial of the Supreme Dragon.

It was a hidden class perfected through continuous class elevation.

*If there’s one difference from back then… it’s the starting point.*

At the time, I had endlessly elevated a normal class just to finally reach a hidden one.

But now, I start from a hidden class.

And evolution beyond that is possible.

If I had simply inherited Heavenly Demon or any other class, I would have beaten my chest in regret.

*Since I have to climb anyway.*

I lifted my gaze upward.

To the end of the tower.

Once you begin climbing, there is no stopping.

《The presence of ‘Randolph’ grows slightly clearer.》

《The presence of ‘Park Hyun-myung’ grows fainter.》

…Even if my body becomes harder to move the higher I climb.

Even if my entire body becomes paralyzed.

*I’ll see it through to the end.*

I always have.

If I were going to stop halfway, I wouldn’t have started at all.

Of course, I want it—right now, even.

It would be a lie to say it doesn’t tempt me.

**King of Ruin.**

Doesn’t the name itself make your spine tingle?

A class name is proof.

And the less ordinary that proof, the higher its rank tends to be—

Like *Heir of the Stars*, or *Supreme Sword Saint*.

That being the case—*King of Ruin*.

The very fact that the word “ruin” is part of the class name is unsettling.

I had never seen a class with such a term attached to it.

But this was surely not the end.

*King of Ruin is only the beginning.*

Now that I know evolution is possible, there’s no way I can stop here.

And if the starting name is already this grand—

What kind of name awaits at the end?

My heart ached with anticipation.

Whoooosh!

That was when it happened.

A warp opened right beside me, and a man appeared.

Looking closely, the person who emerged from the warp felt oddly familiar.

“Aah, Goddess!”

…The fanatic, Aaron.

How did he even pass?

I didn’t need to ask—the reason was obvious.

His entire body was drenched in blood.

Every tendon had been severed, and his body was so weakened he couldn’t move.

He was, quite literally, on the brink of death.

Perhaps because of that—

Aaron collapsed unconscious the moment he came through the warp.

*He recited a self-sacrifice prayer.*

I thought as I looked at the unconscious Aaron.

There were ways to block or evade Sansha’s techniques.

One of them was to weaken oneself—forcing Sansha into the same state.

Aaron had recited a self-sacrifice spell, prepared to die.

As a result, he had passed Sansha’s trial.

…Easy to say, but far from easy to do.

Whoosh!

Whoooosh!

After that, one by one, then two by two, successful challengers appeared through warps.

The pace gradually accelerated, and in no time, a hundred people were filled.

“Welcome to the 17th floor of the Tower of the War God.”

The 101st arrival was Sansha.

Ssssh—

A red circle formed around Sansha.

“The 17th floor is the opposite of the 16th. I will block the challengers’ techniques. If I move even a single step, or leave this circle, you pass.”

Defense instead of offense.

No need to react—far easier.

A man asked,

“Only blocking, then?”

“Correct. I only block.”

“…That’s quite the confidence.”

The final confirmation was complete.

Pure defense.

If anything, it was easier than the 16th floor.

“What happens if we fail? Immediate elimination?”

“Not immediately.”

“Then what?”

“One hour.”

“…?”

“If no one passes within one hour, I will step out of this circle myself.”

“That means… you’ll step out and fight us?”

“Yes. All of you versus me. Until one side dies. Do you understand?”

“And if even one person passes…?”

“Everyone passes.”

Either everyone passes—

Or everyone dies.

The 17th-floor trial ends in only one of those two outcomes.

There are no exceptions.

And yet—such insane confidence.

You could even call it arrogance.

If they kept challenging him for an hour, even Sansha would tire.

They could probably force him to move at least one step.

“…Any method is allowed, right?”

“You ask the obvious. This is an arena. To win, use any means necessary.”

All methods permitted.

Just make him move one step.

But this was not groundless bravado.

*Sansha already saw all of our abilities on the 16th floor.*

A true master can grasp an opponent after just a single exchange.

And Sansha had already faced everyone here on the 16th floor.

He had seen their abilities, experienced them—and reached a conclusion.

That there was no way he could lose.

That he could withstand sixty minutes of nonstop attacks without faltering.

“…Then I’ll go first.”

With an irritated voice, Hanches—the Knight of the Sun—stepped forward.

A transcendent and a powerful tournament favorite.

One of the top three strongest among those gathered here.

Fwoosh!

His sword burst into blazing flame.

“Let’s see how long that confidence lasts.”

Hanches thrust his sword forward.

At the same time—

Gooooo—!

A small sun appeared above Sansha’s head.

The light pouring from that sun converged into a single point, releasing heat powerful enough to burn and melt Sansha himself.

“There is nothing my sun cannot burn. If you do not move, you will vanish without a trace.”

“…Hmm. It is hot.”

“…?”

At Sansha’s reaction, Hanches frowned.

Sansha had closed his eyes, as if enjoying sunbathing, savoring the light and heat.

Of course, he wasn’t completely unharmed.

Sssss—

He was burning, little by little.

The problem was that it was truly only *little by little*.

At this rate, it would take at least another full day to burn Sansha away completely.

“…Phoenix, dwell within my blade.”

Kraaah!

The small sun transformed into a firebird—a phoenix.

As the phoenix was absorbed into Hanches’s sword—

Fwoooosh!

Flames erupted from the blade, and overwhelming heat filled the 17th floor.

“H-hot!”

“Aah! I-I’m burning…!”

People hurriedly backed away.

Ignoring them, Hanches charged straight at Sansha.

Claaang!

Sansha raised his sword and casually blocked Hanches’s phoenix-infused strike.

Clang! Clang! Claaang!

Hanches pressed relentlessly, but Sansha did not move a single step.

It was as if every movement was being read in advance.

“…!”

Hanches clenched his teeth.

He couldn’t accept it.

He, the Knight of the Sun, a paragon for countless knights—

To be unable to push him back even one step.

Such a vast difference in ability.

“How long are you going to keep fighting?”

“It’s already been thirty minutes!”

More than thirty minutes had passed.

*Damn it…!*

Hanches was falling into despair.

For over thirty minutes he had swung his sword, yet Sansha had not budged an inch.

Thud!

In the end, Hanches dropped his sword.

“Huff… huff…!”

Sweat poured from his body, pooling on the floor.

*I can’t win…*

He had no choice but to admit it now.

Sansha.

That thing was a tireless monster.

Despite the overwhelming gap in skill, he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

It felt like facing an enormous wall.

“Damn it! I’m next!”

Impatient challengers rushed forward.

But nothing changed.

They tried throwing explosive potions from afar, releasing poison—but Sansha was fine.

They truly spared no means, yet nothing worked.

“What the hell is he…?!”

“Is he invincible?”

Time slipped by, and soon fifty minutes had passed.

Less than ten minutes remained.

Naturally, their gazes turned toward me.

*My legs won’t move.*

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to step in.

The paradox of fate.

The higher I climbed, the farther my body strayed from normal.

Even at just the 17th floor, my left arm and both legs barely moved.

“…Hmm.”

At that moment—

The unconscious Aaron came to.

I immediately looked at him and spoke.

“Aaron.”

“This place is—ah! O one who conveys the Goddess’s will. Did you call for me?”

Though battered beyond recognition, Aaron responded with all his strength.

…Good.

If my guess was right, there was exactly one way for me to move.

“Worship me.”

“…What?”

“Recite the Prayer of Adoration.”

That was it—the Prayer of Adoration.

But reciting it toward someone other than the Goddess was a taboo of the Church.

That was the problem.

No matter how much faith he had in me, a believer of the Goddess should naturally hesitate—

“Gladly!!!”

…Without even a sliver of hesitation, Aaron began reciting the Prayer of Adoration.

Whoooosh!

Light enveloped me.

Far more intense than I had expected.

Aaron was drawing out every last drop of his remaining vitality and holy power.

A self-sacrifice spell.

A Prayer of Adoration that literally wagered his own death!

*I can move.*

Little by little, my body began to move.

I slowly rose to my feet.

“…Will you challenge me?”

Sansha asked, eyes shining.

On the 16th floor, I couldn’t do anything—but on the 17th, our positions were reversed.

The question was whether I could unsettle him again.

I could even feel his fierce will to avenge himself.

“I will.”

I nodded lightly—

And smiled faintly.

…I could see it now.

The path leading to the top of the tower.

And the sure way to win this trial as well.

【The power of the Hidden-Grade Talisman ‘Natural Cataclysm’ activates!】

Krrrrrrrr—!