I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-278

Ch-278. **Unclearable**

—

There was one question that every player had been curious about.

— *How strong is Randolph, really?*

It was a question about Randolph’s **martial power**.

From the moment he appeared, he repeatedly reclaimed first place in the Hall of Fame.

Randolph made his name by accomplishing countless myths and scores so extraordinary that they defied ordinary reasoning—

yet, strangely enough, his actual combat strength had never been properly revealed.

The reason was simple.

— *He never shows himself.*
— *Phantom has always been like that.*

There were countless rumors about why he never appeared.

That he preferred bug-like playstyles.
That he disliked socializing.
That he wasn’t human.
That he was an administrator.

And so on.

But no definitive reason was ever confirmed.

In Pangenia, Phantom was a one-of-a-kind existence.

The countless “guides” he had written were still treated as absolute truth among players.

And that wasn’t all.

Every character Phantom raised was on a completely different level of **strength relative to level**.

This wasn’t just a matter of superior control.

His entire approach to character development was fundamentally different.

He never raised a single character carelessly.

Otherwise, why would he be called the *Phantom God*?

So although many people had claimed to be Phantom—

— *This time, it’s real.*
— *This is the real Phantom!*

Randolph was Phantom’s character.

The character Phantom possessed after being summoned into Pangaenia was Randolph.

Naturally, he must have raised him with the utmost devotion and passion.

No one knew why Randolph had become a **subjugation target**—

but if so,

— *This is a chance.*
— *A chance to confirm just how strong Randolph really is!*

How strong was Randolph?

This was the perfect opportunity to find out.

—

—

**The Four Calamities, Baal!**

The moment he came face to face with that monstrously massive beast,

Union, the Golden Ratio Mage, felt as though his heart had stopped.

*‘…Phase 1? Not Randolph, but Baal?’*

He had challenged immediately to identify his opponent—

yet the one who appeared was not Randolph.

To face Randolph, Baal had to be defeated first.

Union, who had invaded Earth together with Issera, took a deep breath.

*‘Fine. Hide all you want. I’ll come for you soon.’*

Union was confident.

Though he had been deceived by lineage and utterly defeated by Issera, he had since gritted his teeth and recovered most of his original strength.

*‘How dare you steal my experience potions…!’*

Just thinking about it made his teeth grind.

He wasn’t weak.

He had only been forced into weakness because all the experience potions in which he had stored his power were stolen.

Had he been in a normal state, he wouldn’t have lost so miserably to Issera.

But now, that was no longer the case.

*‘I’ll prove it. My power.’*

Having regained his original strength, Union was brimming with confidence.

And he intended to prove it.

By defeating Randolph and solo-subjugating the Champion of the War God’s Tower, he would restore his pride.

After all, the War God’s Tower could be climbed even from Earth.

— *Guuoooooo—!*

In an instant, a powerful curse spread in all directions.

The Four Calamities, Baal.

Ordinary beings would cough up blood and die just by standing before Baal—

but Union calmly raised his staff, glowing with the Golden Ratio.

“Once supreme, now pitiful beast.”

*Whiiiiing!*

“Die.”

In that moment—

*Kuurung!*
*Kwakakakakakakaboom!*

Meteor after meteor, summoned from all directions, crashed down upon Baal.

—

—

 

《The “Golden Ratio Mage Union” has been defeated.》

《Phase 1: Remaining HP of “Four Calamities (四凶) Baal” — 85.7%》

《If challengers do not appear for an extended period, “Four Calamities Baal” will recover HP.》

《Climb the War God’s Tower.》

《The more people reach higher floors, the easier it becomes to clear “Champion Randolph.”》

《If “Champion Randolph” is not subjugated within 15 days, the War God’s Tower will collapse onto the surface.》

Union’s defeat.

While most people had expected this outcome, it wasn’t entirely without gain.

— *He shaved off almost 15% solo?*

— *When he fought Issera, he was a total joke.*

— *Yeah. I can see why Gracia kept him around.*

— *Maybe the summoned Baal is weaker this time.*

— *Hmm. I think so too.*

If someone could shave off around 15% alone, maybe it was doable.

That was when—

based on Player Talk, one question after another about Randolph began to surface.

— *But how did Randolph summon the Four Calamities Baal?*

— *Champion Randolph is Phantom, right?*

— *No matter how many mythical trials Phantom cleared, Baal was already destroyed, wasn’t he?*

— *There were rumors that Randolph of the Five Pillars was the “omen” that appeared back then.*

— *Think about it. The “Black Egg God” during the Jeju Island Destruction Incident.*

— *What about the Black Egg God?*

— *Didn’t Baal swallow the omen, then split open, revealing the “Black Egg”?*

— *Right. And the “Reaper of the Black Egg” warped everyone out.*

— *So Randolph is the Black Egg God?*

— *The one who emerged from Baal’s belly? Is that why he can summon him?*

— *The Black Egg God is worshipped like a god by the people of Jeju.*
— *If that’s true…*

— *Holy shit, I’ve got goosebumps.*

The opinion converged: Randolph was the **Black Egg God**.

Which meant, at the same time, Randolph was also the **Dreadful Omen**.

Those trapped in the Abyss had all witnessed the Dreadful Omen driving Baal into a corner.

That grotesque curse power froze everyone present just by being seen.

And that was Randolph?

The being worshipped as a god by Jeju’s residents.

Moreover, when Issera invaded, the *Reaper of the Black Egg* appeared once again and played a crucial role.

— *If the Reaper follows Randolph, it all makes sense.*

— *That explains why a reaper from the Abyss appeared on Earth.*

— *Don’t tell me the Reaper of the Black Egg will show up as a boss too?*

— *It’s Phase 1. So Phase 2 or 3 could exist.*

— *How many phases did Sword Saint Riley have in the Abyssal Labyrinth?*

— *Phase 5… I think?*

— *Fuck. I’m from Jeju—I can’t climb the tower.*

— *Same. I have some shame, you know…*

— *And if the Reaper truly follows Randolph, it completely refutes the Hero Association’s claim that “Randolph doesn’t care about Earth.”*

— *He’s been more serious about protecting Earth than anyone else—Randolph… no, Phantom.*

The atmosphere changed.

Not merely because Randolph’s identity was shocking—

but because people were beginning to feel the weight of his devotion.

Until now, Randolph had carried an image of living well for himself alone.

That image was largely the Hero Association’s doing.

They had gone all out to ruin the images of Randolph and Phantom.

Their slogan was simple:

“Phantom stands alone. He never thinks of others.”

“Whether Earth falls or not, he’ll never show himself.”

“Besides clearing main quests, what has he ever done?”

Propaganda emphasizing his mystique and selfishness.

But all of it was wrong.

Even if no one recognized it, he had been moving alone, silently, for everyone’s sake.

He had poured his full effort into saving them.

He was doing things far more important than showing himself or gaining popularity.

From solo-clearing the first invasion—the King of the Dead—

to saving people from Baal, and exerting decisive influence in the second invasion against Issera.

— *Phantom God…*

— *I’m joining the Phantom Church…*

— *Today’s our first day…*

— *I’m quitting the Mint Choco Faction…*

— *Sorry for all the hate, Phantom God…*

— *This was all the Hero Association—no, it was my fault for believing them blindly…*

The message board grew solemn.

But there was no time to remain solemn.

《The “Ogre Lord” challenges “Champion Randolph.”》

《Phase 1: “Four Calamities (四凶) Baal” appears.》

《Remaining HP of “Baal” — 81%》

《The “Red Dragon” challenges “Champion Randolph.”》

《Phase 1: “Four Calamities (四凶) Baal” appears.》

《Remaining HP of “Baal” — 75%》

《The “Vampire Lord” challenges “Champion Randolph.”》

《Phase 1: “Four Calamities (四凶) Baal” appears.》
《Remaining HP of “Baal” — 69%》

…

Lord-class monsters across Pangaenia.

Dragons and even Vampire Lords were among them.

As if competing with one another, they challenged continuously without pause.

But at some point, Baal’s HP stopped decreasing.

— *Remaining HP 54%?*
— *Is it over?*
— *Was that a rush?*
— *Damn, that scared me. Why are there so many monsters that could casually wipe out a city?*

So-called *named* monsters.

Creatures one would flee from without a second thought if encountered—

yet here they were, appearing in droves.

Sensing the gap in power, even the monsters began to hesitate, and the challenges slowed.

Just when people were starting to feel relieved—

《“Swordmaster Raktusha” challenges “Champion Randolph.”》
《Phase 1: “Four Calamities (四凶) Baal” appears.》

…

…

《“Swordmaster Raktusha” has successfully subjugated Baal!》

In an instant, Baal was subjugated.

By a single individual.

The remaining HP was erased in the blink of an eye.

Player Talk exploded once again.

— *?????*

— *What the hell?!*

— *He wiped 54% in one shot?*

— *Who the hell is Raktusha?*

— *One of the Black King’s close aides… but that’s weird. He shouldn’t be strong enough to beat Baal.*

— *Calm down. It’s still only Phase 1.*

— *What’s Phase 2? What’s coming next?*

Everyone’s attention converged.

Phase 1 alone had featured the Four Calamities, Baal.

Phase 2 would surely bring something even stronger.

Not just players, but everyone climbing the tower began focusing on Raktusha’s next challenge.

—

—

 

“Hoooh…”

Raktusha took a deep breath and shook his trembling hands.

He had nearly died.

The Four Calamities, Baal.

Its strength was exactly as terrifying as before.

The humiliation he had suffered on the Mountain of Practitioners still lingered in his mind.

*‘Baal is the same—but I’m stronger now.’*

The reason he won was simple.

Baal hadn’t changed, but he had.

And not by a small margin.

He had received further instruction and grace from the Black King, and through sparring with Ant King Pheromone, he had broken through his limits.

Even so, he had nearly been killed.

The Four Calamities truly were monsters beyond measure—even if only their shell remained.

*‘Despair is stronger.’*

One thing was certain: Despair was stronger than Baal.

After all, the Four Calamities Despair hadn’t been just an empty shell.

“What’s next?”

Phase 1.

He had only passed the first trial.

His goal was to reach the end and retrieve Baal’s fragment.

The road ahead was still long.

Still, if the opponents were on Baal’s level, there was hope.

At that moment—

*Ziiiiik!*

A golden warp opened before him, and someone emerged.

*Step.*

A woman stepped forward.

She had a human form—but was not human.

Raktusha’s thoughts froze.

*‘What in the—’*

He couldn’t help it.

This was on a completely different level from Baal.

Instinctively, he knew.

Baal had merely been a brute with enormous HP and raw power.

With preparation, it was something that could be cleared.

But the woman before him—

《Phase 2: “Blade Dragon God” appears.》

…had **no weakness**.

 

 

 

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