I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-321

Ch-321. ⟨Hidden Trait: Druid of the Golden Scale⟩

—

After being acknowledged as the head of Fang,

Raiga left Hyun behind in the sanctuary and departed for the Empire.

He entrusted the authority of the family head to his disciple, Hyun.

And when Raiga returned—

The Fang Knight Order was with him.

They carried a massive coffin.

Their bodies were drenched in sweat, as if they had run without rest.

“…Master.”

The sky was dark.

Despite it being early morning, thick clouds blocked out the sunlight.

A steady rain fell, and fog filled the air.

On such a day—

Raiga carefully set the coffin down before the World Tree.

On both sides, the knights of Fang stood in formation.

Beside them, High Elder Albino and ten elders watched in silence.

Dantalion, the previous head of Fang.

Raiga’s master.

He had passed away without receiving the blessing of the World Tree.

Originally, it was customary for the head of Fang to be laid to rest after death, receive the blessing of the World Tree, and be buried.

Only then was it believed that one could find true peace and be fully embraced by the divine.

However, because Dantalion had forcibly taken Raiga as his disciple and sealed Fang, the former head was stripped of his right to receive the World Tree’s blessing.

And so, it should have been impossible for him to ever return to this place.

…It should have been.

If not for Raiga.

If not for Hyun…

It would have been impossible.

He would never have been able to break the stubborn resolve of the High Elder and the elders.

He might not have attained enlightenment—he might even have died by now.

Naturally, he would never have been acknowledged as the head.

That was why he had traveled back and forth between the Empire and the sanctuary without rest.

Even moving at top speed, a journey that should have taken twenty days was completed in five.

He simply wanted to bring his master’s body here as soon as possible—one day earlier, one minute earlier, even one second earlier.

Perhaps that was why.

The shoulders that had felt heavy his entire life felt strangely light today.

They trembled faintly, and his vision spun.

No—this wasn’t it.

Raiga soon realized that what he was feeling was no illusion.

“Ah…”

The droplets falling weren’t rain.

Raiga was crying.

He was sobbing like a child.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had cried—whether he ever had at all.

Dantalion, the master who had sacrificed everything for him.

The thought that his master would finally be embraced by the World Tree made his chest ache unbearably.

It was a tangle of emotions.

But if it were merely sorrow, Raiga would never have shed tears.

This overwhelming surge was undoubtedly happiness.

True liberation—something he had never felt in his life!

“……”

Raiga slowly lifted his master’s body from the coffin.

Dantalion.

Despite decades having passed, his body was unchanged from when he was alive.

Even his rigid expression, as though clinging to some lingering regret.

But Raiga knew what that regret was.

Dantalion had been born and raised in the sanctuary.

He must have dreamed every day of returning here, of being embraced by the World Tree.

And Raiga knew better than anyone how deep his despair must have been when that dream became impossible.

“Rest peacefully, Master.”

Raiga bowed his head, filled with reverence.

And then—

…A miracle occurred.

A single beam of light fell from the sky.

The dark heavens, choked with storm clouds, split open.

Brilliant sunlight pierced through the former head’s body.

At the same time—

“Ah!”

“T-the World Tree…!”

Those watching—

Especially High Elder Albino—stared in shock.

For the roots of the World Tree rose from the ground,

And gently wrapped themselves around the body of the former head, Dantalion.

Albino had seen countless heads of Fang receive blessings—

But never like this.

Never had he seen the World Tree itself embrace someone.

Even when a druid died, the roots of the World Tree did not stir.

And the miracle didn’t end there.

“His expression…?”

Raiga’s master.

The former head of Fang.

Dantalion’s rigid expression—

His lips twitched upward.

Perhaps it was an illusion.

Perhaps it was simply an effect caused by the World Tree’s roots.

Even so—

“Master. Please… find peace there.”

Raiga smiled as well.

There was no greater blessing than this.

For him.

For Dantalion.

Never again would there be salvation so profound.

Shrrrk.

Soon after, Dantalion’s body turned to soil,

Then to dust, scattering into the world.

Having shed all lingering attachments, he finally departed on his long journey.

But before leaving, he left something behind for his remaining disciple.

When Raiga saw it, he burst into laughter in disbelief.

“Yes. I’ll be sure to pass it on.”

He understood what it meant.

Yet unlike Raiga, who laughed—

“…!!!”

“T-that is…!”

“I didn’t see wrong, did I?!”

“Hoh…!”

The elders could only gape in shock.

What the former head, Dantalion, had left behind—

Was…

Gulp.

High Elder Albino swallowed hard.

—

—

 

I quietly looked at Raiga standing before me.

Having received the World Tree’s blessing, he was clearly different.

Not in appearance.

But in presence.

Or perhaps atmosphere.

There was ease about him.

As if a heavy burden had finally been cast off.

“Take it. This is yours.”

Raiga extended his hand.

Something rested upon his palm.

“I can’t accept this.”

I shook my head.

This was something the former head of Fang had left to Raiga.

It wasn’t mine to take.

“If you don’t take it, I’ll burn it and be done with it. It’s useless to me anyway.”

“…Very well.”

An unyielding will.

I had no choice but to accept it.

I examined what he handed me.

Resting in my palm was a small seed.

What the former head of Fang, Dantalion, had left behind after turning to dust.

A seed wrapped in radiant light.

As I held it and stared—

【Seed of the World Tree (無)】

* A seed that inherits the ‘Sacred Lineage.’
* Formed of the ‘Golden Scale.’
* Connects the world and brings harmony.
* ????
* ????

Related information surfaced.

I was taken aback.

…A Seed of the World Tree.

But there wasn’t much information.

Question marks?

To be precise, there was little *readable* information.

Several lines appeared as question marks.

Meaning the information was either missing—or beyond interpretation.

This happened sometimes.

Things unreadable depending on the level or rank of one’s observation skill.

Yet with my near-ultimate perception and hidden traits, there was almost nothing I couldn’t see.

And still—I couldn’t read it.

*So it depends on me.*

Moreover, it felt strangely familiar.

Sacred Lineage.

I had seen that phrase before, while preparing to conquer the Abyssal Labyrinth.

I had consumed the “Golden Fruit” given as a reward by a radiant hero’s constellation—

Which was later revealed to be a “Fruit of the World Tree,” allowing me to absorb the Sacred Lineage.

That was the trigger that evolved the hidden trait *Druid’s Affinity with Nature* into *High Druid’s Great Nature*.

But this wasn’t a fruit.

It was a seed.

Normally, it should have been planted in the ground.

“May I use this seed however I wish?”

“Yes. It’s yours now. Do with it as you please.”

This seed was akin to his master’s final will.

And he was telling me to use it freely.

He had even said he would burn it if I didn’t.

He wasn’t lying.

“…Understood.”

I nodded.

Then—

Gulp!

…I swallowed the Seed of the World Tree.

“Kh—!”

“What—what are you doing—?!”

The elders watching grabbed the backs of their necks in shock.

Instead of planting it, he *ate* it?!

That was when—

Squirm!

Energy surged from my throat, spreading throughout my body.

Fwoooooosh!

Brilliant golden lines burst forth, swaying gently as they circled around me.

The Golden Scale.

I quickly sat down and began to stabilize the energy.

At the same time—

《The ‘Seed of the World Tree’ has begun to digest.》

《Achievement unlocked: ‘Breaker of the Forbidden (2)’.》

《The seed’s effects are circulating through your entire body.》

《Absorption rate: 10%…》

The absorption was sluggish.

The energy was far more intense than the fruit I had absorbed before.

It wouldn’t be easy to absorb it all.

That was when someone placed a hand on my back.

*Raiga.*

He was lending his energy to assist with the absorption.

It was an extremely dangerous act.

One wrong move, and Raiga’s energy channels could twist and go berserk.

Yet he didn’t hesitate.

He poured everything he had into ensuring the seed’s energy was fully absorbed.

《Absorption rate: 20%…》

《Absorption rate: 30%…》

The stalled absorption rate began to climb rapidly.

《Absorption rate: 100%!》

《You have successfully absorbed all of the ‘Sacred Lineage (2)’ contained within the seed!》

《Hidden trait ‘High Druid’s Great Nature’ has evolved into ‘Druid of the Golden Scale’.》

《Achievement unlocked: ‘Heir of the Golden Scale Lineage’.》

《Due to your ‘Great Aspect,’ honor gained is doubled (20,000).》

《20,000 honor has been converted into 2 Sanctification.》

《You now possess 12 Sanctification.》

《Skill ‘Rapid Growth’ transcends into ‘Rapid Evolution’.》

《Light alignment increases.》

《Light (10%), Darkness (90%) → Light (20%), Darkness (80%).》

……

《The origin and source of the ‘Golden Scale’ is the ‘World Tree’.》

《A ‘Druid of the Golden Scale’ gains the ‘Complete Golden Scale’ upon possessing a World Tree.》

《You have been recognized as the owner of one World Tree (‘World Tree of Honor’).》

《You can obtain 1 ‘Complete Golden Scale’ per 1,000 hours.》

《You currently possess 0 ‘Complete Golden Scales’.》

Brrrrr!

A tremor ran through my entire body.

Sacred Lineage.

This meant the lineage of one who could become the owner of the World Tree—

The owner of the world itself.

Previously, I could only nurture and grow nature.

Now, I could wield the World Tree itself and delve into its very origin.

*So the Golden Scale came from the World Tree.*

I finally understood what the Golden Scale truly was.

The shattered fragments of the Golden Scale had been extracted from the World Tree in the first place.

Now it all made sense.

The power that connects worlds.

The driving force that allows passage into other dimensions—

It had been the World Tree all along.

And that meant there were limits.

The amount of Golden Scale a single World Tree could produce was finite.

*That’s why the World Tree here in the sanctuary—and the one in the Primordial Forest—were withering.*

The reason was simple.

Excessive output of the Golden Scale.

They had been endlessly producing shattered fragments of the Golden Scale—

So naturally, they would wither and die.

Even if they recovered, they would dry up again.

What I had to do was clear.

*Revive dying World Trees, resurrect dead ones, or plant new ones—somehow, I must increase the number of healthy World Trees.*

Of course, it wasn’t just to produce more Golden Scale fragments.

*…Complete Golden Scale.*

Only then could I obtain more of the *Complete* Golden Scale.

A laugh almost escaped me.

Complete Golden Scale?!

And I could obtain it just by waiting?!

One every thousand hours—but that was more than enough.

Previously, a single Complete Golden Scale required achieving a miraculous feat.

And I had always been plagued by a shortage.

Especially after spending them all to summon Wilhelm—leaving me with zero.

Like rain after a drought.

But that wasn’t the only good news.

*You guys… are you there?*

I could feel it.

From the Forgotten Dungeon of Honor, formed at the World Tree’s core—

I sensed a very familiar presence.

But that couldn’t be.

There was no way they’d be there.

I shook my head and slowly opened my eyes.

“…Congratulations.”

Raiga was the first to speak.

With a face that had grown noticeably gaunt,

the High Elder and the other elders quietly went down on one knee, offering their reverence.

“Congratulations. O Primordial Druid.”

Primordial Druid.

High Elder Albino knew of druids who wielded the World Tree and the Golden Scale.

He recognized at once that my current state was precisely that.

I gave a small nod.

“Thank you. But, High Elder.”

“Yes. O Primordial Druid. Please speak.”

Looking at Albino’s face, still steeped in awe, I broke into a faint smile.

“Now it’s your turn to be verified, isn’t it?”

As if nothing had happened, Albino’s expression instantly stiffened.

He had been waiting until Raiga returned.

And now, he realized there was no longer any way to avoid it.

In the end, as though surrendering everything, the High Elder spoke with resignation.

“…Yes. To follow a great being, this is a procedure that must be carried out. I will undergo the verification of qualification. …I, the elders as well. Everyone in Fang, including the Sixteen Pavilion Lords.”

“…Pardon?”

“…?”

“…???”

For a moment, the elders blinked, thinking they had misheard.

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