I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-341

Ch-341. **Infinite Evolution**

—

*Gulp!*

Hudson clenched his sweat-soaked fist tightly.

*Plop! Ploorong!*

In the coliseum arena, he stared at **Poring**, who was currently fighting on the stage.

A slime-type monster evolved through a Monster Soul.

At a glance, it looked unimpressive, but thanks to the slime’s inherent trait—nullifying attacks—it had managed to reach the Top 20.

The problem was the opponent.

*Of all things… a Harpy.*

An aerial-type monster.

Poring was slow.

It didn’t even have hands or feet.

Naturally, it was completely defenseless against the Harpy’s attacks.

What should he do?

All it had was defense and digestion.

“Puahaha! What do you think you can do with a slime like that? Just forfeit already.”

The summoner controlling the Harpy—a werewolf—scoffed.

A monster standing upright on two legs, wearing the hide of a wolf.

He openly mocked both Poring and Hudson.

But forfeiting wasn’t an option.

*I have to reduce the burden on him, even a little.*

The trial on the third floor tested one’s ability to nurture and evolve Monster Souls.

Aside from Albino, this was an extremely unfavorable condition for the **Golden Scale Knight Order**.

Well, to be fair, things had never really been favorable for them.

Yet every time, Randolph—Park Hyun-myung—had resolved everything.

*Every time I swore I’d change, that I’d become stronger… but I never did.*

Hudson clenched his teeth.

…How long was he going to rely on that man’s help?

How long would he hide behind him, waiting for salvation?

*Lord Hyun-myung isn’t weak. He’s strong enough to defeat the Giant of Ruin alone.*

It was embarrassing.

So embarrassing he wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.

Because he’d been mistaken.

The delusion that Park Hyun-myung, having lost Randolph’s form, would be weak.

But he was a man who defeated the Giant of Ruin by himself.

Someone like that could never be weak.

Meanwhile—

*Lord Hyun-myung has proven himself once again. But what about me?*

…Pathetically weak.

Countless times he’d sworn to grow stronger, only to give up after hitting what he believed was his limit.

But limits were nothing more than lines one drew for oneself.

Hadn’t he realized that over and over again by watching Randolph and Park Hyun-myung?

*Plop!*

Poring let out a shrill cry.

Against the Harpy’s almost playful attacks, Poring was utterly helpless.

It was kicked away, slashed by talons, and repeatedly knocked from the air.

Covered in dust, Poring still fought with everything it had.

*Even Poring hasn’t given up.*

Betting everything.

Giving it your all.

Easy words to say.

But Hudson thought back.

Had he ever truly done that?

…Aside from the moment he saved Serengeti, the answer was no.

“Looks like this is getting boring. For someone from the Golden Scale Knight Order, you’re really nothing special.”

The werewolf smacked his lips.

He’d expected *something* different since Hudson belonged to the Golden Scale Knight Order—but to be this pathetic?

The werewolf looked at Hudson again.

“Seems even the Golden Scale Druid has no eye for talent. Taking in trash like you as a member.”

“…Merchant God.”

*Crunch!*

Hudson ground his teeth.

He could endure being insulted.

He could endure being mocked and kicked around.

But there were exactly two things Hudson could not tolerate.

One was insulting Serengeti.

And the other—

*Insulting Lord Hyun-myung is unforgivable.*

…Insulting the lord he followed.

And there was exactly one way for a merchant to overturn the situation.

“I will swear an oath, paying all the ‘value’ I possess.”

Staking value.

Money, equipment—whatever it might be.

A merchant gained power through *payment*.

And now, Hudson was wagering everything.

A method of payment forbidden among merchants.

“I swear an Oath of Victory!”

*Shaaaa—!*

A scale appeared before Hudson’s eyes.

He placed everything he owned onto it.

All his wealth, weapons, tools—he even stripped off his clothes.

But it wasn’t enough.

The scale didn’t move.

The Scale of Value only judged *material worth*.

He couldn’t wager his life.

Then, he had to wager what was most valuable.

*The casino… every contract tied to my interests—I’ll stake them all.*

Even if he didn’t have them on hand, he could still wager them.

He would offer them as collateral to the Merchant God in exchange for the Oath of Victory.

*Whoosh!*

Contracts manifested in midair and landed atop the scale.

“…Have you lost your mind because you know you can’t win?”

The werewolf stared at Hudson in disbelief.

Naturally so.

Hudson now stood completely naked.

He’d truly wagered everything.

Yet the scale still didn’t move.

The Merchant God did not deem it sufficient to overturn the situation.

Only one thing remained.

*…The bone necklace.*

Hudson touched his neck.

A small, finely carved bone necklace.

It had no abilities whatsoever—but it was the first gift Serengeti had ever given him.

To Hudson, it was a treasure beyond all comparison.

The most valuable thing he owned—and therefore the hardest to give up.

Once placed on the scale, it would be gone forever.

Never retrievable.

And there was no guarantee the scale would even recognize its value.

If it didn’t move…

Everything he’d wagered would be for nothing.

*No turning back.*

A phrase from Park Hyun-myung’s homeland.

Hudson had been studying Korean in his spare time.

Of all the expressions he’d learned, his favorite was *no turning back*.

Once you start, you can’t undo it.

Taking a deep breath, Hudson placed the bone necklace on the scale.

At that moment—

*Creeeak.*

…At last, the scale moved.

《The items placed on the scale have reached a value of ‘100,000’.》

《The ‘Merchant God’ grants blessings equal to that value.》

《‘Poring’ begins evolving into ‘Angel Poring’!》

“Ah…!”

*Tremble!*

Hudson’s body shook violently.

At the same time, small wings sprouted from both sides of Poring.

Taking flight, **Angel Poring** instantly positioned itself behind the Harpy.

And then—

*Kyaaaaah!*

The Harpy screamed.

That was all.

Angel Poring expanded its body and swallowed the Harpy in a single gulp.

【Hudson (Angel Poring) has won!】

He won.

…He won!

【The final match of the Top 20 has ended.】

【The Top 10 matches will begin immediately.】

【Hudson (Angel Poring) VS White King ( King Mork)】

There was no time to celebrate.

Of all opponents—White King next.

With trembling eyes, Hudson looked at White King as he entered.

But the moment White King appeared—

*Thud.*

He sat down.

The same with King Mork.

There was no sign of any intention to fight.

“Sit as well.”

“…?”

“Let’s watch instead. The battle between the Golden-Scale Druid and the Forgotten God.”

Watching instead of fighting?

It was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Because Hudson was curious too.

*This works out.*

Angel Poring needed time to recover its stamina anyway.

A being like White King wouldn’t lie.

Hudson sat down as well.

And watched the battle between Park Hyun-myung and the Forgotten God.

“Hm… This is more interesting than I expected.”

White King stroked his chin, clearly intrigued.

But Hudson couldn’t say a word.

*Wh-what is that…*

…He was overwhelmed.

The battle unfolding before him was on a completely different level from his own.

The Monster Soul the Forgotten God unleashed after the Primordial Dragon was a **Primordial Necromancer**.

It cast countless curses and summoned **Death Knights** to assault Angel Behemoth.

Dozens of Death Knights herded Angel Behemoth like prey.

“Oh? Are those Death Knights all ‘souls of Forgotten Knights’?”

They weren’t ordinary Death Knights.

They were strong.

Each one absurdly strong.

Because they were forged from the souls of Forgotten Knights.

“Seems the Golden Scale Druid is out of options. At this rate—hm?”

Then it happened.

At the moment Angel Behemoth’s defeat seemed certain—

“It evolved again?”

…It evolved.

Dianax. Angel Behemoth.

And then—

“A fox with ten tails…”

“The Ten-Tailed Fox!”

Ten-Tailed Fox.

In an era where even the Nine-Tailed Fox was treated as legend, the Ten-Tailed Fox was revered as a god among foxes.

It kept evolving.

Its phases continued to rise.

Like a raid boss.

“Now this is finally getting interesting.”

White King’s eyes, for the first time, brimmed with excitement.

…But he believed there would be no further evolution.

*

*

The self-destruction of the Primordial Dragon had been blocked by evolving into Angel Behemoth.

Its massive body granted it enough vitality to survive.

So the Forgotten God devised her next plan.

She brought forth a species Angel Behemoth could never defeat.

*…How far does it intend to evolve?*

As expected.

Through the **Primordial Necromancer**, the Forgotten God succeeded in hunting Angel Behemoth.

She should have succeeded.

Yet when cornered, it changed form once more.

*The Ten-Tailed Fox…!*

A divine fox that had once undeniably existed, though now forgotten.

It returned to the world.

Two consecutive evolutions.

All eyes turned toward it.

“Beautiful.”

“Gah!”

“My heart’s going to burst!”

Everyone gasped in awe at the Ten-Tailed Fox.

A charm that transcended cognition.

Even merely gazing at it made one’s heart tremble.

Even the dead were no exception.

The Primordial Necromancer and Death Knights halted their attacks.

*Six children merged to form it.*

Of the thirteen beasts, six had merged into the Primordial Necromancer.

Nearly half.

A creature born with dark power opposing holiness.

A monster bordering on divinity.

Yet it was at a loss before mere charm?

—Get a hold of yourselves.

The Forgotten God spoke, lacing her words with a curse.

Only then did the Necromancer and Death Knights move again.

But the holy power fired from the Ten-Tailed Fox’s tails was an absolute counter.

As the situation reversed yet again, the Forgotten God scowled.

Repeated reversals stirred irritation.

—Dark Lord. Bearer of the Cursed Crown.

She cast an even stronger curse.

Not on the Ten-Tailed Fox—but on her own Primordial Necromancer.

Then—

*BOOM! Rumble!*

A small black hole formed.

The Death Knights and the Primordial Necromancer were sucked into it.

*RIP—!*

Tearing through the black hole, a gigantic skeletal giant emerged—

wearing the Cursed Crown.

That was the true body of the **Primordial Necromancer**.

An undying immortal, immune to charm and supernatural abilities—a peerless monster!

—Let’s bring this to an end, child of those despicable goddesses.

The Forgotten God was confident.

No matter how divine the Ten-Tailed Fox was, it couldn’t defeat the Dark Lord.

The necromancer said to have been the strongest in ancient times.

A true monster who sacrificed his own body to contract with an evil god.

*My child.*

She herself had been that evil god.

She knew the Dark Lord’s power better than anyone.

There would be no more evolution.

No—evolution no longer mattered.

With the Dark Lord present, nothing would avail.

—Can you escape crisis once again?

The Forgotten God smiled.

The Dark Lord pressed the Ten-Tailed Fox.

The Ten-Tailed Fox’s attacks did nothing.

Just as the Dark Lord raised its blade to strike—

“…W-what is that?”

“Insane. It’s evolving again?”

“That’s the third time!”

“This time… a white dragon?”

“Th-those aren’t… all wish-orbs, are they?”

…Against all expectations, it evolved yet again.

This time, into the form of a white dragon.

But what truly shocked everyone was the number of wish-orbs it possessed.

Eleven.

—The Elevenfold Firmament…!

The Forgotten God’s shock ran even deeper.

It had to.

Dianax. Angel Behemoth. Even the Ten-Tailed Fox.

…Compared to that existence, they were nothing.

One bearing the name **Firmament**.

Long ago—

…before the heavens were united into one.

*In the primordial era, the heavens were divided into countless fragments, and the one who ruled eleven of those skies was the Elevenfold Firmament.*

That was why it made no sense.

The Elevenfold Firmament lay on a path that could never be reached through Monster Soul evolution.

Loved by goddesses?

Nonsense.

Even then, it was impossible.

That existence lay *outside* everything.

Something that no longer existed—and could not exist.

—You… what are you? How can you bring forth an existence erased by ‘Truth’…?!

…An existence erased by **Truth** itself.

 

 

 

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