I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-348

Ch-348. **Destruction Shop**

—

Randolph’s power is darkness taken to its absolute extreme.

It is a *deeper darkness*—so profound that even a Forgotten God who freely wielded curses was left aghast. Because of that, I had been restraining Randolph’s transformation as much as possible.

‘It’s still power I can’t fully control yet.’

It was simply too overwhelming—beyond my own ability to regulate.

After devouring *another Randolph* in the Tower of the War God, Randolph’s darkness grew even denser.

That *other Randolph* had already displayed overwhelming dominance even against Abyss Kings and primordial beings on the Island of Gods.

And now that I had consumed even that existence and grown stronger still, there was no need to explain just how deep and thick this darkness had become.

The proof was right there.

Gurgle! Gurgle!

‘…Even the World Tree itself is being affected.’

…It was being stained.

Uncontrollable darkness welled up and spilled forth.

In the process, it dyed the entirety of the World Tree pitch-black.

The problem was that it didn’t end with mere discoloration.

Suddenly, the words spoken by the Forgotten God just before her erasure came back to me.

‘Another destruction—*the End*, was it.’

The true meaning of another destruction being *the End*.

Now that I saw it, the word fit perfectly.

There could be no term more appropriate than *End*.

The World Tree—and everything within it—had fallen within the End’s sphere of influence.

Aaaaaaah—!

Screams echoed from somewhere.

Everything touched by the darkness let out sounds like screams.

The ground crumbled, breaking apart into countless fragments before vanishing.

The entire colosseum of the 3rd tier turned to dust, scattering as though it had never existed.

And yet, the greed of the darkness did not stop.

It continued expanding its domain, gnawing away at everything.

…At this rate, even the World Tree itself might perish.

‘…This is absurd.’

Seeing the phenomena caused directly by Randolph’s darkness left me dumbfounded.

Just standing still—merely existing—produced this much devastation. If I were to descend all the way to the roots in this state, I couldn’t even imagine what would happen.

This wasn’t just a vague sense of danger.

True to its name, Randolph’s darkness caused the End simply by existing.

It couldn’t be adjusted.

Not yet—because the light-aligned power I had accumulated as Park Hyun-myung was nowhere near enough to counterbalance Randolph’s darkness.

Only once balance was achieved would I be able to wield it properly.

‘If the effects of divinity are added… I might be able to regulate it a little.’

But I couldn’t release the transformation yet.

There was still something I had to do.

If I was going to cleanse this place, I had no choice but to maximize Randolph’s darkness.

So long as I could regulate it even slightly, I could draw the outcome I wanted.

Thus, after destroying the Forgotten God’s symbol,

I turned my gaze to the messages that continued to appear.

‘The points are more than sufficient.’

Messages confirming my victory over the 3rd tier’s trial, and that I had obtained a total of 121 *Forgotten Knight Souls*.

Converted entirely into Prestige, that amounted to a staggering 605 points.

Far beyond my original target of 500.

I immediately bestowed all the souls upon my order members.

Then—

《You gain Prestige by bestowing ‘Forgotten Knight Souls’.》

《★ marks indicate effects currently obtained.》

《★Prestige 10: All stats of all order members +1》

《★Prestige 20: All stats of all order members +2》

《★Prestige 50: Skill proficiency efficiency of all order members +50%》

《★Prestige 100: EXP gain of all order members +50%》

《★Prestige 200: All stats of all order members +5》

《★Prestige 300: Total penetration of all order members +10%》

《★Prestige 400: Maximum level cap of all order members +1》

《★Prestige 500: All order members gain Divinity》

《All Prestige effects are applied to the ‘Order of the Golden Scale’.》

《All stats +8, skill proficiency efficiency +50%, EXP gain +50%, total penetration +10%, level cap +1.》

《All order members acquire ‘Divinity’.》

《‘Divinity (Holy)’ – All blessings and prayers are doubled in effect. Deals double damage to ‘Darkness’ attributes. ‘Sacred Bond’ is permanently active.》

《‘Sacred Bond’ – The more united the ‘Order of the Golden Scale’ is, the more divine it becomes. The ‘Commander’ receives double the effect.》

Whoooosh—!

Light spread through the darkness.

This was due to the divine effect granted to every member of the Order of the Golden Scale.

‘Sacred Bond!’

Just as expected.

No—its effect exceeded my expectations.

All blessings and prayers doubled.

Which meant—

‘Even the Goddess’s blessings have been amplified.’

I could feel my light alignment strengthening.

It had grown incomparably larger than before—yet it was still nowhere near enough to achieve balance, which was almost laughable.

However, the importance of divinity didn’t end there.

Especially *Sacred Bond*—it was the natural nemesis of darkness.

To the point that ordinary evil gods wouldn’t dare approach.

Though the power of the End itself wasn’t deflected, the commander received double the effect, and the fact that my light alignment was further strengthened mattered far more.

‘I can now at least redirect the flow of the darkness.’

It was only the tip of the iceberg.

…but it *was* possible.

Redirecting Randolph’s darkness.

Redirecting the End itself.

That much, at least.

I barely managed to prevent the Order of the Golden Scale and the White King’s Order from taking damage.

And furthermore—

《A new ‘Prestige Effect’ has been added beyond Prestige 500.》

《★Prestige 600: Damage dealt by all order members +5%》

《Prestige 700: EXP gain of all order members +50%》

《Prestige 800: Skill proficiency efficiency of all order members +50%》

《Prestige 900: Natural regeneration of all order members +2,000%》

《Prestige 1,000: All order members gain Justice》

There were still more effects tied to Prestige scores.

If I had my way, I would have liked to stay with the order and achieve more *Incomprehensible Feats*.

But—

‘I can’t stay with them in Randolph’s form.’

Most of them didn’t know that I was Randolph.

And they wouldn’t be able to endure the power of the End at close range.

If I was going to wipe out the Forgotten Gods, it was best to move alone from here on.

Still—

‘The Destruction Shop.’

There was something I had to check before moving.

The moment I obtained Destruction Points, the *Destruction Shop* appeared.

【The ‘Destruction Shop’ has opened.】

【You can use ‘Destruction Points’ to strengthen ‘Destruction’.】

【Current Destruction Points: 1】

《Shop List》

【Land of Destruction (1 Point): Designates godless land as a ‘Land of Destruction’. In this land, the power of Destruction rapidly regenerates. All divine blessings and authorities are nullified.】

【Tower of Destruction (1 Point): Erects a ‘Tower of Destruction’ on land with gods. Trials can be imposed; if the trial is not cleared within the set time, the area is forcibly converted into a ‘Land of Destruction’.】

【Knight of Destruction (1 Point): Designates a target as a Knight of Destruction. The target immediately becomes a retainer of Destruction and gains an appropriate rank. If the target lacks a soul, a soul befitting their rank is created.】

【Gate of Destruction (1–??? Points): Summons a Gate of Destruction. Its rank is determined by the points spent, and powerful ‘Monsters of Destruction’ emerge from the gate.】

【Eye of Destruction (1 Point): Installs an Eye of Destruction in a Tower of Destruction. The Eye finds everything that Destruction seeks. Only one Eye per tower; the more towers and eyes exist, the broader and more precise the search becomes.】

【Horn of Destruction (1 Point): Obtains the Horn of Destruction. When blown, hidden gods reveal themselves.】

……

The list seemed endless.

And every single item was ominous.

‘…They’re all tools meant to destroy the world.’

At their core, everything revolved around *gods*.

Designating Lands of Destruction, then annihilating the gods within them.

Expanding that territory, destroying all civilizations and deities.

It matched the ancient tales of when Destruction first appeared.

Stories of brilliant civilizations declining, gods losing their power and being forgotten.

In the end, most of them were cast into the Abyss.

If not for the sacrifice of the goddesses, Pangaenia itself might not have survived.

‘Knight of Destruction.’

I fixed my gaze on that option.

It was something I could use.

And there just so happened to be a suitable vessel right in front of me.

《You purchase ‘Knight of Destruction’ using Destruction Points.》
《‘Lilith’ is designated as a Knight of Destruction.》
《Creating a soul suitable for Lilith’s body.》
《The ‘Supreme Soul (Lilith)’ evolves into the ‘Primordial Soul (Black Moon Lilith)’.》

Lilith gained a soul, and the rank of her soul itself rose.

After that, Lilith and I ascended the tiers together.

Upon reaching the 4th tier, the Forgotten God refused to duel.

But in the 5th tier—*the Hidden Room*—I was able to summon all Forgotten Gods, including the one who had fled after refusing battle.

*

*

The Forgotten Gods sensed it.

That something had appeared.

An existence darker and more terrifying than anything they had imagined.

And the Forgotten God of the 4th tier realized that it had emerged on the 3rd tier.

Naturally, she also realized that the Forgotten God of the 3rd tier had been erased.

—The God of Curses… erased?

Unbelievable.

The Forgotten God of the 3rd tier—one who wielded primordial power and curses—was among the strongest even here.

And yet, erased.

Even Destruction cannot erase gods.

Thus, the Forgotten God of the 4th tier immediately refused the duel.

—W-what is this? How did you summon me?

But reality is cruel.

She looked around.

The 5th tier—*the Hidden Room*.

A place where Forgotten Gods do not set the rules—the challenger does.

Yet to think those rules would be used to summon *all* Forgotten Gods within the World Tree’s dungeon.

—You dare summon me?

—Have you lost your mind?

—Whoever you are, you can’t possibly face all of us.

—Absurd.

Most of them didn’t yet know that the Forgotten God of the 3rd tier had been erased.

Only the 4th-tier one realized it, being directly below.

They did not interfere with one another.

The farther the tiers, the less they knew of what happened elsewhere.

‘Should I tell them now?’

The 4th-tier Forgotten God hesitated.

But soon, she shook her head.

Telling them would only cause unnecessary chaos.

‘No… this is better. He can’t possibly face all the gods gathered here.’

That thought eased her mind instead.

The game hadn’t started yet—escape was still possible.

And with all these Forgotten Gods gathered, there was nothing to fear.

【The ‘Master’ of the Hidden Room has appeared.】

【Master, survive against ‘Another Destruction’.】

A simple message appeared.

Survive?

What kind of absurd rule was that?

Yet the Forgotten Gods were shaken.

They knew *something* had appeared—but they were hearing the name *Another Destruction* for the first time.

—Destruction?

—Why is Destruction in the World Tree’s dungeon?

—How could a heavenly weapon…?

Even if it was *Another* Destruction, Destruction was still Destruction.

And they knew Destruction well.

Its power was something even gods feared.

Thud.

When the Forgotten Gods finally beheld the form of *Another Destruction*—

—That thing… is Destruction?

—But what is that darkness?

—Beyond the Four Great Evil Gods.

—Still, no matter how vast its darkness, what can it do to us, already forgotten?

They were all confused.

It was nothing like the Destruction they knew.

And these were gods who had already lost and been forgotten.

What more could Destruction do here?

Destruction’s role lies solely in destroying the world.

It can take gods’ lands and power—but it cannot erase gods themselves.

Only the heavens can do that.

But those doubts did not last long.

The moment Another Destruction began to move—

One by one, the symbols that represented them shattered and vanished.

……

The Forgotten Gods realized it.

—Y-you’re not Destruction!

—The one who declares the end of all things…!

—The End! It’s the End!

—R-run!

And that it was already far too late to run.