I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-28

Ch-28 # Level Up!

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The skills a Dryad can use vary depending on the characteristics of the forest they inhabit.

Although the Crackling Woods were originally created by an earth elemental, they now harbor a wind elemental. As a result, all Dryads in the area could wield “wind-based” skills.

“Hunt!”

“It’s hunting time!”

“Hiriliriliri!”

Over 50 Dryads emerged through the warp that had been created. At base level 7, these powerful entities swarmed the battlefield, immediately shifting the tides.

Riding the winds with incredible speed, the Dryads shattered the frontlines of the Dark Goblin army in an instant.

**Guoooo!**

**Kwooooom!**

But that wasn’t all.

The rubble of a collapsed building merged together and transformed into a colossal **Nature Golem**.

With every swing of its massive fists, dozens of Dark Goblins were reduced to mere pulp.

“It’s a request from a friend! Clear the path to the warp in one go!”

# High Dryad
**【Lv.9】**

But this was no ordinary level 9 entity.

The High Dryad was the guardian of the forest, its ruler, and the sovereign of all Dryads—a veritable **elite raid boss monster**.

A being that required a party of nine level 9 adventurers to defeat.

It wasn’t without reason that many considered fleeing at the mere sight of it.

Thanks to their overwhelming power, clearing the path to the warp became almost effortless.

**Fwoosh!**

A star-like claw raked across the sky.

A wall made of starlight was erected, shattering the malfunctioning warp.

**《One heated warp has been destroyed. 1/3》**

**《Time remaining until the summoning of the ‘Black-Skinned Hybrid’: 9 minutes 01 seconds》**

**《Hybrids are beginning to emerge from the remaining warps.》**

From the two remaining warps, ordinary hybrids began to appear.

Among them was a grotesque creature resembling a massive, purple octopus floating ominously in midair.

Its size rivaled that of a small building.

**【Lv.8】**

And its level wasn’t to be underestimated either.

Even ordinary hybrids were on par with most boss monsters.

“That’s a monster from the Abyss! A truly ominous foe!”

“Can you handle it?”

“Leave it to me, my friend!”

The High Dryad was brimming with confidence.

Perhaps it was the revitalized energy of the forest, thanks to the **Spirit Egg** it had received.

The Dryad conjured a massive spear and bow in its hands. It nocked the spear, made of intertwined vines, onto the bowstring and unleashed it at the hybrid.

**Kwooooosh!**

The ground trembled as the spear pierced through the hybrid’s forehead.

“One down!”

The High Dryad shrugged as it gazed at the lifeless hybrid.

…As expected of an elite raid boss monster—its strength was in a league of its own.

In fact, it seemed even more powerful than the usual High Dryads I had encountered before.

**‘High Dryads are deeply influenced by the condition of their forest. The Spirit Egg obtained from the Tower of Spirits is far stronger than an ordinary spirit.’**

It was undoubtedly the cause of this boost in power.

The spirit obtained directly from the Tower of Spirits was exponentially stronger than regular spirits.

Entrusting such an egg to the forest had rejuvenated the land and made the High Dryad even mightier.

**‘If the spirit hatches, it might even reach level 10…’**

Would that make it a Super Dryad instead of a High Dryad?

Thank goodness it was an ally, not an enemy.

With such fleeting thoughts, I dashed toward the next warp.

**《Two heated warps have been destroyed. 2/3》**

**《Time remaining until the summoning of the ‘Black-Skinned Hybrid’: 8 minutes 05 seconds》**

**《Hybrids and ‘Dark Warriors’ are beginning to emerge from the remaining warp.》**

In no time, I had destroyed two of the three warps.

Only one remained.

“Hmm! My friend, we Dryads cannot fight long outside the forest.”

The problem now was the Dryads’ condition.

Their earlier ferocity was waning.

This was a human city, not a forest—an environment unsustainable for the Dryads.

It was like a fish being dragged out of water.

Proof of this could be seen in their once-glowing, vibrant skin, now shriveling and drying with every passing moment.

“…You’ve done enough by helping us this far. Thank you, my friends.”

I understood how difficult their decision to come here must have been.

Warp travel through a **Teleportation Book** could only be used once per day and worked in only one direction.

If the city fell to the encroaching darkness, the Dryads would be annihilated alongside it.

Yet, without hesitation, they came to fight under the simple name of “friend.”

How pure and reliable they were.

More so than most humans.

I deeply respected their choice.

**‘Dark Warriors.’**

But now, the problem was the Dark Warriors.

Although their level was the same as the hybrids, they were far faster and more agile.

While hybrids moved sluggishly and could be evaded if you knew their patterns, Dark Warriors were an entirely different matter.

It would be difficult to destroy the last warp while avoiding them.

But.

“Priest Andrew!”

I shouted to the lone priest of the goddess’s faith, standing in the Garden of Knights. As the leader of the city’s refuge center, he was my last hope.

“Pray solely for me! Worship only me!”

—
—

Priest Andrew frowned.

He had definitely heard it.

He could ignore it, but the words were enough to provoke him.

“*He’s asking me… to recite the Prayer of Worship?*”

The Prayer of Worship—or the Worship Prayer—is an extreme, self-sacrificial spell that only the highest-ranking priests who commune directly with the Goddess could use.

While praising the Goddess was not considered self-sacrifice, directing worship toward anyone else transformed the prayer into one of immense self-sacrifice.

To ask a high priest to recite the Worship Prayer for someone other than the Goddess was tantamount to asking for their death.

Especially for someone unworthy, the risk of death grew even greater.

“*How does he know I can use the Worship Prayer?*”

Among the priests of the Goddess Church, only a handful—less than ten, excluding the Saint—could officially use the Worship Prayer for non-Goddess entities.

Priest Andrew as one of them.

But apart from one person, he had never revealed this secret to anyone.

After all, those who had used the Worship Prayer for non-Goddess purposes all met grim ends.

“*Worshiping someone other than the Goddess is heresy of the highest order.*”

It was the gravest sin one could commit.

Anyone guilty of it was immediately branded a heretic within the Church.

Because of this, Priest Andrew had only wanted to live quietly, dedicating his life to service at the relief center.

“*I told only Wilhelm, the King of Knights…*”

So how could an outsider possibly know?

But he had definitely heard it—*worship me and pray for me alone.*

Had he been discovered? Or was it just a coincidence?

“He is the heir to the King of Knights, Priest Andrew,” came a voice from the side.

Marquis Weiser had stepped closer to add to the conversation.

“If Serengeti has acknowledged him, it must be true.”

“…Ah.”

If Serengeti, who had been closest to the King of Knights, had confirmed it, there could be no mistake.

“*No wonder. I thought his gaze felt so familiar…*”

The man’s eyes were uncannily reminiscent of Wilhelm, the King of Knights.

Now he understood why.

If this man truly was Wilhelm’s successor, then Wilhelm must have spoken of Andrew to him.

Andrew owed a debt to Wilhelm—something that even granting absolution hadn’t been enough to repay.

For Wilhelm, he wouldn’t have hesitated to lay down his life.

But Wilhelm was gone.

Priest Andrew took a deep breath.

“Oh, gracious Goddess, full of grace, glory to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end…”

He clasped his hands together and began to chant the Worship Prayer.

But this time, its target was not the Goddess.

It was the man—the heir to the King of Knights.

The divine energy radiating from Andrew’s heart soon reached Randolph.

A prayer not for the Goddess but for a mere human.

A prayer for an unworthy target.

This was a sin so grave it demanded atonement through death.

Yet—

“Ah…!”

At that moment, Andrew trembled.

“The Goddess!”

“The Goddess has descended!”

“Ahhh!”

—Because everyone could see it.

The Goddess descending above Randolph, her golden light shimmering as she kissed his forehead.

—

**[Main Quest 4: Seal the Rift in the Realm of Darkness] has been completed.**

**Completion time: 3 minutes 56 seconds.**

**Calculating results…**

**Due to the intervention of a ‘Singularity,’ standard calculations are impossible.**

**Total Score: ???. Updated to the Hall of Fame.**

**You have acquired: ‘Large Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule.’**

**The Celestial Beings of the People’s War frown upon you.**

…

**The ‘Golden Rule Shop’ is now open.**

**Tip: Use fragments of the Broken Golden Rule to purchase unique talents, items, and potions. Rare options include creatures like the ‘Mythic Species.’**

…

**The Dark Legion retreats into the Abyss.**
….

…

**The ‘Hybrid of the God’s Flesh’ gazes at you, promising a return.**

…

Level up!

—
—

The city was saved.

All broken warps were destroyed, and the Dark Legion was driven back into the rift.

But everyone had witnessed something beyond belief.

“*What… did I just see?*”

It was enough to make one’s heart pound wildly just to see the appearance of a Dryad and a High Dryad.

But compared to what came after, those sights paled in comparison.

“*The Goddess… truly descended.*”

The Goddess blessed Randolph with a kiss on his forehead.

This wasn’t merely the result of a Worship Prayer—it was the Goddess herself, manifesting and bestowing her blessing.

Such an event had never been witnessed or recorded in the Church’s history.

Even the Marquis Weiser rubbed his eyes.

The Goddess who had embraced Randolph disappeared as if it had all been an illusion.

But the image she left behind was indelible.

For a fleeting moment, a mere instant, the sight of Randolph slaying the Dark Warrior resembled none other than the King of Knights himself.

The one they once called the Goddess’s Knight.

*Thud.*

Priest Andrew suddenly fell to his knees.

Before Randolph—the Goddess’s Knight.

*Thud. Thud.*

One by one, all those present followed suit, kneeling.

No one had instructed them to do so.

It was a natural reaction.

After all, they had just witnessed the divine.

Who would dare stand before a God?

At least here, no one did.

The Marquis Weiser was no exception.

“You commanded the Prayer of Worship for someone other than the Goddess. That sin cannot be taken lightly.”

Randolph stepped toward Priest Andrew.

Even as the heir to the King of Knights, Randolph was still only human.

For using the Worship Prayer on a human, Andrew would undoubtedly face excommunication from the Church.

Andrew had spent all of his divine power, aging himself ten years in the process. It would take years of devout faith to recover, but he wouldn’t have the chance.

Still, Andrew had no regrets.

Randolph stood before him now, speaking.

“The King of Knights once told me that he would bear your sins. That the absolution you gave him, he would return to you.”

…In the past, Andrew had granted Wilhelm absolution.

As a priest, he was allowed to issue three absolutions in his lifetime, and Wilhelm was the only one to whom Andrew had granted it.

Absolution didn’t require a physical token—it was simply the authority to forgive one sin.

But absolution was not hereditary. Wilhelm’s heir had no right to it.

*”It was good to see you again, Priest Andrew.”*

Those words Randolph had spoken when leaving the relief center—words Andrew hadn’t understood at the time—now made perfect sense.

“Ah.”

Even so, Andrew could say nothing.

He could only shed silent tears.