I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-285

Ch-285. **The Sovereign of Mysteries**

—

Mystery (神祕).

In games, it is an “effect” obtained once a character reaches certain qualifications while being raised.

Similar terms include special effects or auras.

Sometimes it is expressed as “majesty,” and true to its name, it serves as proof of a character’s dignity and authority.

However, the significance of a human’s Mystery and a monster’s Mystery differs greatly.

A human’s Mystery focuses more on *appearance* than on additional abilities.

It emphasizes making that person appear more dazzling and grand.

But a monster’s Mystery is no different from the *rank* it has accumulated over the course of its entire existence.

The Mystery itself is directly tied to crucial abilities, or even to life and combat power.

In extreme cases, there are monsters that contain *everything* about their existence within their Mystery.

Monsters that change dramatically depending on whether their Mystery is turned on or off.

For example, the race that uses Mystery in the most dramatic fashion is the *fairies*.

And—

“Ah… ahh… no… no…!”

The Mystery of Ant King Pheromone.

That Mystery was nothing less than the very meaning of Pheromone’s existence.

Pheromone trembled violently, gripped by fear.

“I—I can’t go back. I… I am a king…!”

The King of Ants.

Was his Mystery tied to that very name?

But if it were merely the Mystery of kingship that had been destroyed, he could simply reclaim it.

Pheromone was not trembling in fear over the loss of a simple qualification.

The problem was far more fundamental.

The very *root* of Pheromone—something he must never lose—had been destroyed.

Guuuurrrr!

At the same time, Pheromone’s entire body began swelling like a balloon on the verge of bursting.

“How could you destroy the ‘Blessing’…?!”

Blessings bestowed through Mystery.

Hidden Trait Mutant!

The Black King’s greatest ability—*Bestow Blessings*—was precisely the act of injecting Mystery.

His primary power was to embed “Hidden Traits” into a Mystery and impose it upon others.

Naturally, Mysteries containing Hidden Traits were designated as Unique-grade and could never be destroyed.

There existed nothing in this world capable of destroying a Unique-grade existence.

…And yet.

Pheromone’s gaze turned toward *Eternal Randolph*.

Randolph.

The final boss existing within the Tower of the War God, and the one who possessed five stars.

At first, Pheromone thought that Randolph had finally appeared as Phase 3.

But that was wrong.

The moment he grasped the true nature of his opponent, Pheromone finally understood what was happening.

“You… you are not human. You are… ‘Mystery’…!”

Beyond Unique-grade.

A *non-standard* Mystery bearing the name *Eternal Randolph*.

A Mystery that had taken physical form.

Just like a fairy.

For fairies place the entirety of their rank into their Mystery.

But Randolph was not a fairy.

Which meant this was not all there was.

“That is only… a part of Randolph.”

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

His entire body shook.

He was afraid.

Terrified.

For the first time since his birth, Pheromone felt *fear*.

It was a fear of a completely different nature from when he had faced “Despair” with intelligence.

Back then, even in helplessness, his will to overcome had burned fiercely.

But now, Pheromone could do nothing.

He couldn’t even kindle the will to move toward the future.

An absolute, inescapable fear.

“A Mystery that destroys Mysteries…! I’ve never even heard of such a thing!”

Mystery is qualification.

A qualification forged over a lifetime cannot be forcibly destroyed by another.

If such a thing were possible, then it could only mean one thing—

“The Sovereign of Mysteries…”

What stood before Pheromone now was a ruler who stood above all Mysteries.

The kingly Mystery that reigns over Mysteries themselves.

Only a sovereign could destroy all qualifications.

…He had believed that the Black King—who granted qualifications—was such a sovereign.

But he was wrong.

Utterly wrong.

And yet, even this sovereign Mystery—this power capable of destroying Unique-grade Mysteries—was only *a part* of Randolph.

The Four Calamities Baal, the Blade Dragon God, and now the Destroyer of Mysteries!

What, then, would appear next?

This thing—this Randolph—was the Black King’s natural enemy.

The Black King’s power, once thought absolute, was utterly helpless before Randolph’s Mystery Destruction.

And yet, the Black King was unaware of this truth.

It had to be conveyed to prepare—but it could not be conveyed.

“Degeneration.”

He could no longer speak.

Language itself slipped away.

His vision deteriorated, and only instinct remained.

He was reverting to the insignificant ant he once had been.

“No…”

No.

No…!

《‘Ant King Pheromone’ has been defeated.》

《Remaining HP of ‘Eternal Randolph’: 100%》

《‘Curse of Dominion’ stacks.》

《‘Curse of Dominion’ activates.》

《‘Ant King Pheromone’ is dominated by ‘Eternal Randolph’.》

—

—

 

《‘Ant King Pheromone’ is dominated by ‘Eternal Randolph’.》

“….”

Reading the message that appeared amid the tension, Raktusha frowned.

Defeat was defeat—but to be dominated after a single loss?

It made no sense.

Had he gone beyond a mere curse of domination and willingly knelt?

“Stupid bastard…”

Raktusha spat the words bitterly.

Ant King Pheromone.

Born not long ago, his intelligence itself was low.

No matter how monstrous his talent, he was the type whose foolish mind made his body suffer.

One thing was certain—his reckless independence had increased the difficulty.

“I’ll wipe them all out.”

Raktusha raised the Black Heaven Sword.

His wounds from the Blade Dragon God hadn’t fully healed yet, but showing weakness here would make him easy prey.

The main forces were the biggest problem.

Great Earth Dragon, Gunggi, Medusa…

And Aria.

It was obvious they would first target him and the Dark Elf Lord—the Black King’s closest aides.

“Is the Fifth-Pillar Randolph a human?”

At that moment—

Contrary to Raktusha’s expectations, Gunggi’s gaze was fixed on the humans.

On Hudson and the others.

They did not answer.

But as if it didn’t matter, Gunggi continued.

“The Tower of Mystery exists only in Cramdel. The mythical trial that the Fifth-Pillar Randolph was the first to conquer… that trial has been recreated here in the Tower of the War God.”

The Mythical Trial had only ever been completed by the Fifth-Pillar Randolph.

Even the White King had faced the same trial—but had not reached its end.

Yet here, the same trial was unfolding in the Tower of the War God.

“…The Tower of the War God is currently ‘manifesting’ the experiences of Champion Randolph. And Champion Randolph is human.”

Of course, others had experienced the Mythical Trial as well.

So it *could* have been merely similar.

But the main forces of Cramdel were certain.

If it had been recreated this precisely, then only one conclusion remained.

“I am asking whether Champion Randolph and the Fifth-Pillar Randolph are the same being.”

A deeply suppressed voice.

Yet beneath it churned emotions seething with betrayal.

Cramdel rejects humans.

Humans can never enter Cramdel.

Becoming part of the main pillars is even more impossible.

If it were confirmed that the Fifth-Pillar Randolph—whom they had believed to be their ally—was in fact a human who had deceived them…

They could never forgive it.

And as if to reinforce that conclusion—

Gunggi shifted his gaze toward those standing behind Hudson.

“Especially you two. You were Half-Dragonkin, weren’t you?”

Isaac and Isabella.

They had entered Cramdel disguised as Half-Dragonkin using the Michela Set.

But now, neither of them was wearing the Michela Set.

They stood there in their true human forms.

Ssshhh—

Medusa nodded.

As the eyes that surveyed all of Cramdel, she had already confirmed Isaac and Isabella.

Those appearances and that distinctive aura—there was no mistake.

Humans disguised as Half-Dragonkin.

Humans who had infiltrated Cramdel by deceiving them all.

And the Fifth-Pillar Randolph, who had been with those humans.

The pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

“How dare you…”

At first, it had been nothing more than suspicion.

But seeing Isaac and Isabella confirmed it.

The Fifth-Pillar Randolph was human.

A human who walked among humans.

There was no room left for excuses.

Grrr—

Gunggi bared his fangs.

The reason didn’t matter anymore.

They had been deceived.

And deception demanded ruthless punishment.

He would tear those humans apart—and kill Randolph as well.

“Stop.”

Just as Gunggi was about to attack—

Aria stepped in front of him.

“Move aside, Aria. Or will you shield the companions of the one who betrayed us all?”

“…I am acting as the White King’s proxy. Mind your words.”

“A proxy is only a proxy. You are not the White King. Step aside, before I tear you apart as well.”

Gunggi’s rage had already exceeded its limit.

Whooooo—

Gunggi’s form began to change.

In an instant, he transformed into a ferocious being with a tiger-like face, hooked claws, and wings sprouting from his forelimbs.

Larger than before, with a density of mana beyond comparison.

He could truly be called a Beast King.

But Aria could not step aside.

“Randolph…”

From the moment she entered the Tower of the War God—

Aria had been unable to steady her mind.

“The one I saw on Mountain of the Trainees… that was the Fifth-Pillar Randolph?”

The swordsman who had saved her.

The swordsman who had surpassed her.

That very figure now stood as a statue at the tower’s entrance.

—

At first, she thought she must have been mistaken.

The statue of Champion Randolph.

Radiant, blazing with presence—yet somehow familiar.

“Randolph…?”

Aria read the name engraved beneath the statue.

Randolph.

The same name as the Fifth-Pillar Randolph.

But she dismissed the thought.

The swordsman she had met on Mountain of the Trainees had clearly not been a Fifth-Pillar.

“…I have someone I care about.”

“Forget him.”

“He is stronger than Raktusha. He saved me from Raktusha, and might even be able to control the Four Calamities.”

When the White King first introduced the Fifth-Pillar, Aria had deliberately drawn a line—thinking of the man she had met on Mountain of the Trainees.

She had admitted she cared for him.

The impression left by the swordsman who manifested sword force and split a monument in half had been etched deeply into her mind.

But as she climbed the tower, doubts began to surface.

And when she finally reached the 25th floor—

“Why is Spear Master Balte over there?”

Seeing Balte hidden behind Hudson and the humans, she fell into despair.

The man quietly gripping a spear behind them all.

The very spear master she had relentlessly pressured on Mount of the Trainees, in the Chaos Zone.

The one she had told to give up due to lack of talent.

Yet he had never given up.

Why was he with Hudson’s group?

There was only one answer.

That swordsman had saved Spear Master Balte—and made him a companion.

Hudson was a human who governed the Labyrinth City, the city of the Fifth-Pillar.

So if the swordsman she met on Mountain of the Trainees truly was the Fifth-Pillar Randolph…

“Why…?”

Why did Randolph—

enter Cramdel and deceive them all?

Her.

The main pillars.

Even the White King.

Why had he continued to act as a corpse crow?

Even when introduced by the White King, he had shown no sign of it.

When he later possessed the Northern Heaven Ice Sword and traveled together toward the desert city of Faisalmer, he showed no hint either.

He treated her as though it were truly their first meeting.

Had he been using them from the beginning?

“…I will go and confirm it myself. Until then, you would do well to remember our purpose, Gunggi.”

That was why—

She could no longer endure it.

She had to confirm it with her own eyes.

Eternal Randolph.

Seeing him directly would make everything clear.

At Aria’s declaration, Gunggi and the other main pillars were thrown into confusion.

“Aria. If he truly is the one, challenging him would be—”

Great Earth Dragon tried to stop her.

The terror of the Fifth-Pillar lay in *Mystery Destruction*.

If Aria challenged him and her Mystery was destroyed, the consequences would be irreversible.

Still, Aria shook her head.

And then—

《‘Aria’ challenges ‘Eternal Randolph’!》