I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-29

Ch-29 **True Glory**

—

The strongest man on Earth, **Gracia**.

He strolled through a street in Eunpyeong District late at night—a place where several buildings had been destroyed by the Giant Mantis.

And here, **Hydragon** had also appeared.

*”I don’t know them.”*

During an interview, reporter Kim Hana had responded decisively, claiming she didn’t know Hydragon’s owner.

Ultimately, Gracia had no choice but to visit the scene of the incident in person.

*”I must find it.”*

What he sought wasn’t the Phantom.

He was searching for a player once rumored to possess Hydragon’s soul back in **Pangenia**.

Or more precisely, he was after **Hydragon’s soul** itself.

*”I have to find it and recover Hydragon’s soul at all costs.”*

—
—

**Whoosh!**

Golden light began to ripple and surge upward.

Gracia, now descended, was shrouded in a faint mist and crackling electricity.

Soon, thousands of swords materialized in the air, aligning in perfect order.

Each was of such exceptional quality that they could be called treasures.

**Whirl!**

With a wave of his hand, the thousands of swords began to orbit in the air.

Gracia grasped one of them.

**“The *True Abyss Seeker’s Sword*.”**

If the title of “True” was associated with mastery or limit-breaking attributes, then the title meant the weapon’s unique performance had been maximized to its extreme.

The Abyss Seeker’s Sword was a blade stolen after slaying one of the rulers of the Abyss—then refined and enhanced to an unparalleled degree.

This sword could penetrate even “safe zones” to track its target.

Of course, a lead was necessary to use its tracking ability—something like a strand of hair or a nail.

The more specific the clue, the farther and more accurately it could pinpoint the target.

Gracia retrieved a small item—a **“Wish Orb.”**

An orange orb with a white star drawn on its surface floated in the air.

This orb, too, was something he had seized after killing an Imoogi (a serpent on the cusp of becoming a dragon).

It granted the user’s wish, materializing it as precisely as possible.

However, the simpler the wish, the more reliably it could grant it. Complex or intricate desires often went unfulfilled—a significant limitation.

For example, wishing to instantly kill any target below level 10 could easily be granted.

While it took a month to recharge a single wish, this wasn’t the time to conserve resources.

**“Reveal everything related to the man in this photo within this area.”**

Gracia pulled out a photograph of the presumed owner of Hydragon.

The plan was to use the Wish Orb to locate evidence and imbue that evidence into the True Abyss Seeker’s Sword to track down the target.

The orb burned brightly and then **popped!**

**Whoosh! Whoosh!**

Stars spun out of the Wish Orb and began circling the surroundings.

*”Hmm…”*

No matter how much time passed, the stars found nothing.

This was the scene of an incident. At least a small clue should have surfaced—something as minor as footprints.

Yet despite the simplicity of the wish, the Wish Orb was unable to produce even a speck of evidence—a highly unusual occurrence.

*”He wasn’t in a transcendent state.”*

If the target of a wish were transcendent, then the Wish Orb couldn’t even touch a single strand of their hair.

However, Gracia could distinguish between transcendent beings and non-transcendent ones.

The owner of Hydragon, as seen in the footage, was clearly not in a transcendent state.

If someone who wasn’t transcendent could avoid being tracked by the Wish Orb, they must have been using another method.

*”A high-grade tracking evasion skill, or perhaps privileges like the Guardian Wall.”*

But even this was a remote possibility.

No one would bother mastering a skill to its highest level just to evade tracking. Similarly, privileges like the Guardian Wall—which granted immunity from anything below a specific level—were rarely above level 10.

Using the Wish Orb had been a gamble, but finding nothing felt like a failure.

*”Should I vaporize the entire Eunpyeong District to draw him out?”*

Gracia’s gaze turned cold and ominous.

—
—

At that moment, a message appeared.

**[The rankings of Main Quest 4’s Hall have been updated.]**

Gracia frowned.

This notification only appeared when rankings changed. This was the fourth time in recent days he had seen it.

There was only one suspect.

**<Rank 1: ??? points. Randolph>**

**<Rank 2: 200 points. Gracia>**

**<Rank 3: 191 points. I Love Mint Chocolate>**

**<Rank 4: 180 points. Dark Star>**

**<Rank 5: 170 points. Balmush>**

**<<Your ranking has decreased, reducing the available slots in the “Golden Rule Shop” by one.>>**

*”…Phantom.”*

Randolph. That guy must be the Phantom.

There was no other explanation for how he kept overtaking Gracia.

*”Question marks?”*

But the score was odd. ??? points. He had never seen a score displayed like that.

Was it so high that it couldn’t even be measured?

*”Just how many points do you need for your score to display as question marks?”*

**Ding! Ding!**

Just then, a ringing sound filled the air.

Gracia turned to see skeletal reapers draped in black cloaks, wielding scythes as they rang black bells, approaching him.

*”…To follow me even outside Pangenia, the ‘Rift’ must be drawing near.”*

These were **Reapers**—relentless hunters of “Players.”

Though they had only appeared within Pangenia before, now they had begun manifesting in reality, likely due to the impending Rift.

Gracia clasped his hands together.

**Whoooosh—!!**

Thousands of swords merged into a colossal pillar of light.

—
—
—

Serengeti closed her eyes again.

The dreadful curse of the Demon King began to manifest once more.

Hudson held Serengeti’s hand tightly until the end. Beside them, Marquis Weiser looked at the two with an expression of utter complexity.

“…Hah.”

It was a feeling he couldn’t describe.

Hearing Serengeti personally admit to having a secret engagement ceremony with *that man who seemed to have nothing to offer* almost made him grab the back of his neck and collapse on the spot. He barely managed to hold himself together.

“Marquis, rebuilding the warp gate and stabilizing it would require at least 5 million gold.”

Hudson’s eyes lit up.

It was a dead end anyway. There was no retreat.

“Are you asking me to sell Serengeti for 20 million gold?”

“Haven’t you already tried selling it to Duke Cyan?”

“That’s a closed matter. It’s irreversible. If Duke Cyan finds out, you’ll disappear without a trace.”

The deal with Duke Cyan had already been sealed.

The duke, who ruled over three major cities, wielded power second only to the king.

A mere merchant couldn’t possibly contend with him. Moreover, if he discovered the secret engagement, not only Marquis Weiser but also the city’s peace would be jeopardized.

“Does the Duke have someone named Maxim under him?”

I interjected into their argument. A completely unrelated topic.

Hudson answered.

“Maxim, one of the Eight Heroes?”

“Yes.”

“He’s currently inheriting one of Duke Cyan’s territories and undergoing successor training.”

Maxim?

*He’s come a long way.*

From being one of the Eight Heroes to undergoing successor training under Duke Cyan. Becoming the ruler of a major city was a meteoric rise.

*From a mere mercenary to the lord of a great city.*

That too, just a mercenary.

Maxim had been the leader of the mercenary group I hired during the Great Expedition. Despite the hefty sum I paid him, he was the first to flee—a scoundrel.

And yet, here he was, parading as one of the Eight Heroes, catching Duke Cyan’s eye, and now ruling a great city. The situation was almost laughable.

*What’s the criterion for being one of the Eight Heroes?*

Was it based on who fled first?

But among the Eight Heroes was also Gracia.

Gracia hadn’t even participated in the Great Expedition. If he had, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed. he was my top priority for recruitment back then.

I wanted to slap my own wrist for extending an offer to someone I thought was a “named NPC.”

In any case, Gracia now openly called himself one of the Eight Heroes, both publicly and in reality.

Was it to provoke me?

*Or perhaps, he’s waiting for me to appear.*

There was no way I would believe his absurd proposal to “join forces.”

When I played as Wilhelm, Gracia and I never crossed paths. he had deliberately avoided me.

And yet, as soon as Wilhelm died, he started spouting nonsense.

His talk of cooperation was likely just a ploy to suppress or kill the newly reborn player—me.

Those who tarnished Wilhelm’s legacy and the glory meant to be shared with the great knights were unforgivable.

Especially those who fled the Great Expedition first or didn’t even participate.

If it had been the 500 knights interred in the monument, I would have understood. I wouldn’t have minded if Wilhelm’s name were absent from that place of glory in their stead.

*They are inevitable enemies.*

No matter how I looked at it, no matter how many times I conceded, the conclusion was the same—they must be dealt with.

*Maxim is the easiest to handle among them.*

Among the Eight Heroes, Maxim was the weakest.

I turned slowly and headed out of the room.

Hudson asked, “Where are you going?”

“To hold a proper memorial.”

“What?”

“The 500 knights. Compensate their families with 10,000 gold each.”

“…Me?”

“A servant’s money is the master’s money.”

“Wait, what… Excuse me?”

What kind of logic was that?

Hudson was speechless at the audacity, as if I had entrusted him with the funds.

But what could he do?

“…Fine.”

The man had already left. There was no point in arguing further.

—
—

“They fought bravely, back to back, holding the line without yielding an inch against the merciless demons.”

Before the monument, the city’s people gathered for the memorial.

I held up an old book.

“This is the journal left by the Knight King. Within it are detailed accounts of the Great Expedition. Every heroic act of the knights listed here has been preserved without omission.”

The Knight King’s journal.

Of course, no such thing existed.

“James, Noah, Lucas, Jacob…”

I recited the 500 names one by one, leaving no one out.

“And Zion. Their glory must be passed down to future generations. The true heroes are not those called the Eight Heroes but these brave souls who stood firm, unnoticed and unsung.”

“Zion…”

An old woman clutched her chest, tears streaming down her face.

Mae. The woman I had carried to the relief center.

Unable to accept her son’s death, she had been in denial until I laid the harsh truth bare.

“As the Knight King’s successor, I mourn their honorable deaths. To ensure their eternal rest, I will forever honor them in my heart.”

I bowed deeply to the monument.

And yet, the ache in my chest remained.

*James, Noah, Lucas, Jacob, Zion…*

I repeated the 500 names again, engraving them deeply in my mind.

—

The system notifications followed:

**《500 knights have entered eternal rest.》**

**《Honor has increased by 50.》**

**《Achievement unlocked: True Glory.》**

**《Heavenly Spirit Egg hatching rate has increased.》**

**《Waypoint ‘Knight’s Garden’ has been added to your Teleport Book.》**

—
—

It’s good to see you again, my friend!”

“Next time, I’ll come visit you instead.”

“Haha! A friend is always welcome!”

After seeing off the High Dryad and the Dryads quickly, I let out a sigh of relief. Even though they’d only stayed in the city for a day, they looked so frail and exhausted it seemed like they were on the verge of collapsing.

The next day, after using the Teleport Book to send the Dryads back, I finally turned my attention to a newly available opportunity.

**《‘Secret Auction House’》**

**《‘Golden Rule Shop’》**

Two commands for buying things appeared before me.

I chose the one at the bottom: **Golden Rule Shop**.

**《The Golden Rule Shop has opened.》**

**《Remaining time to use the Golden Rule: 140h 36m》**

**《The number of ‘items’ visible depends on your Hall of Fame ranking.》**

**《Rank 1 is granted 10 items, with each subsequent rank up to Rank 5 showing one fewer item. From Rank 6 to Rank 10, 5 items are visible; from Rank 11 to 100, 4 items; and ranks outside the top 100 can see 3 items.》**

**《The Golden Rule Shop refreshes every 30 days. Refreshing the shop consumes 10h of Golden Rule time.》**

**《As the 1st place holder, you are entitled to see 10 items.》**

The shop allowed me to purchase items using fragments of the Golden Rule.

*“140 hours, huh.”*

Thanks to the ‘Large Fragment’ I had obtained by completing Main Quest 4, my remaining time had surpassed 100 hours by a significant margin.

I wouldn’t be able to spend it all, but to say I wasn’t curious about what I could buy would be a lie.

With anticipation, I focused intently on the Golden Rule Shop’s item list.

**《Unknown Mythical Egg: 300h (Stock: 1)》**

**《Blessed Supreme Elixir: 30h (Stock: 9)》**

**《Omni Core: 50h (Stock: 4)》**

**《Great Cataclysm Talisman: 60h (Stock: 5)》**

**《Moonlight Butterfly Talisman: 40h (Stock: 3)》**