I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-353

Ch-353. **Hidden Trait, Celestial (Heavenly)**

—

It felt as though my head had been struck hard with a hammer.

A possibility I had never once considered.

The progenitor of demons,
the one and only king who reigns as the ruler of the Demon Realm.

The Demon King designed and created the game *Pangaenia*?

That the game’s objective—*slaying the Demon King*—was, in truth, meant to ensure that the Soul of Greed would inevitably reach him.

*The Demon King… coding…*

The thought alone made me shake my head inwardly.

Regardless, *Pangaenia* had appeared on Earth as a game.

Which meant that someone had interpreted it as a game and released it.

Until now, I had been pointing to an entirely different being as the person connected to all of this.

*MintChocoIsDelicious.*

The one who always dominated the top ranks of the Hall of Fame, yet never once proved himself.

No one knew his true identity, and yet he was constantly active.

Because of that, I had assumed he was the one who coded and created *Pangaenia*.

He knew information no one else did, used it to secure top rankings every time, yet it felt as though he was merely *checking* things—like running tests.

In short, a creator.

And if the designer was the Demon King…

“Then who is the Bluebird?”

Bluebird.

A being I had only recently learned about through Isabella.

I had thought the Bluebird was the designer.

He seemed to know the very core of the game.

I had speculated, in my own way, that he created the framework of *Pangaenia* and handed it over to MintChocoIsDelicious.

Which meant that assumption was wrong.

Hypnos tilted his head in confusion.

“‘Bluebird,’ you say?”

“Someone who calls himself an operator. He forms contracts with figures inside *Pangaenia*, allowing dying gamers to possess them.”

“……The more I hear, the more that ‘game’ resembles the ‘Dreamworld’ I created.”

Dreamworld.

Inside the World Tree, Hypnos had created a realm of dreams.

By doing so, he made all the evil gods fall into infinite dreams—and forget.

Yet he was saying that the game *Pangaenia* was similar to the Dreamworld.

“Similar?”

“There are many kinds of dreams. Lucid dreams, unconscious dreams, dreams where one becomes a being of imagination, dreams that could plausibly occur in reality…”

“But it isn’t a dream.”

“Yes. It is reality. More precisely, it is a dream made into reality. Endbringer—do you know why I constructed the Dreamworld and established myself within the World Tree?”

“…No. I don’t.”

“Because of the ‘Golden Scale.’”

“……!”

Ah.

Only then did it finally click.

Fragments of the broken Golden Scale caused players to awaken and transform.

I was no exception.

Even now, transforming into Randolph consumed an enormous amount of fragments of the Golden Scale.

And yet, it undeniably existed.

And the force that allowed it to exist was, ultimately, the Golden Scale.

“The Golden Scale is a powerful medium that turns dreams into reality. In the primordial world, even when only the World Tree existed, various species were able to emerge—all thanks to the Golden Scale.”

A power that turned imagination into reality.

It must have been involved even in the emergence of species.

If so, the Golden Scale itself could be called the power and authority of *creation*.

Hypnos continued.

“And as you have already experienced while ascending the layers, within the World Tree, my domain has become both dream and reality. That ‘game’ is the same. However, something is strange.”

“What do you find strange?”

“In *Pangaenia*, contracts are used to create puppets, while on Earth, games are used to create connectors who control those puppets. In between, it seems there are multiple ‘operators,’ each fulfilling a different role. Which means… the Demon King may not be the true designer after all.”

Designer.
Creator.
Operator.

Perhaps they saw the Dreamworld created by Hypnos and conceived the game *Pangaenia* from it.

At the same time, a genuine question arose within me.

“There must be an ultimate goal they’re aiming for.”

“Yes. Their purposes all seem different, but the fact that they continue fulfilling their respective roles means that, in the end, they’re painting a similar picture. It’s merely a fight over who gets to claim the completed painting.”

Each moves separately for their own purpose.

Yet none forget their role.

All race toward the completion of the picture.

But no one knows who will add the final stroke and become its owner.

I stroked my chin.

What they were aiming for.

Hypnos murmured softly.

“To connect the two worlds would require an unimaginable amount of Golden Scale. Where could they possibly obtain that much… In *Pangaenia*, they provide bodies. On Earth, they supply souls… By intensifying chaos and confusion, what they stand to gain is… Hm. Could it be…!”

His expression turned deadly serious.

I had a rough idea as well.

The picture they were drawing.

In the end, it was—

“‘The Celestial(Heavenly) Realm’?”

When I spoke, Hypnos nodded heavily.

“……Yes. It seems they intend to forcibly open the Celestial Realm by creating a key. Wait… Ah! Now I understand. The Demon King intended to become the key himself! If the Demon of Greed were to wound Destruction and obtain the authority to head toward the Celestial Realm…!”

Hypnos trembled.

By becoming the final boss, the Demon King sought to become the key that would open the Celestial Realm.

But his purpose failed.

He failed to take me—failed to seize the Soul and body of Greed.

And yet, something felt oddly off.

“…Hidden Trait, Celestial .”

“Yes. That is the key. But… no, wait.”

“I have it.”

“……!!!”

Hypnos’ eyes widened to their absolute limit.

Hah.

I was just as shocked.

To think that the purpose of the hidden trait ‘Celestial’ was to serve as the key to opening the Celestial Realm.

Of course, that likely wasn’t all.

*Gulp.*

“There is a high chance the Demon King knows that you possess the key, Endbringer. The other parties are still moving to *create* a key, so they likely do not know… That is why the Demon King continues to invade Earth!”

The Demon King, inheritor of Destruction’s bloodline.

He—he alone—knew.

That the soul possessed by the Demon of Greed was the key to reaching the Celestial Realm.

It wasn’t merely about coveting Greed’s infinite growth potential.

…The reason the Demon King began invading Earth was to find me—the Soul of Greed.

Why does the Demon King invade Earth?

I had finally found the answer.

“Hypnos. Do you know anything about the Celestial Realm?”

The term had appeared countless times, yet I still didn’t know much about it.

A brief pause.

Then Hypnos spoke with difficulty.

As if even speaking of it required caution.

“That place… is the gods’ ideal world. The seat that holds dominion over the rise and fall of all worlds. The throne of the Absolute God, capable of creating and destroying worlds.”

“…An Absolute God.”

“But even if one forcibly creates a key, it cannot be used unless there is a ‘door.’ Unless a gate to the Celestial Realm suddenly falls from the sky—”

That was when it happened.

*Shiiing!*

The air itself began to tear.

“Hm?”

Hypnos’ eyes went wide.

Because something that should never have been possible was happening.

In the World Tree’s dungeon, the Dreamworld, it was impossible for anyone to forcibly intrude.

Moments later, the crack widened—

—Kyahahahahaha!

…Hel appeared.

And upon seeing Hel, Hypnos—

“Th-the Guardian… of the Door…!”

—cried out in shock.

Seeing his reaction, I tilted my head.

“Guardian of the Door?”

“Why would the guardian of the Celestial Gate be here?”

“He’s my pet, though.”

“…?”

“Hel. What have you been doing all this time?”

—Kyahahahahaha!

Hel was holding a large amount of something in both hands.

It was hidden beneath his cloak, but soon he shoved one into his mouth.

*Crunch!*

—Kyahahaha!

He laughed even louder, as if it were delicious.

“An apple?”

“Y-you mustn’t eat that! It’s the ‘Fruit of Good and Evil’ before completion—!”

*Crunch! Crunch!*

*Chomp chomp chomp!*

*Buuuurp~*

The incomplete Fruits of Good and Evil vanished in an instant.

“My goodness…”

Hypnos pressed his hand to his forehead.

Then he said,

“The fact that the Guardian of the Door is accompanying you means… the ‘door’ must have fallen from the Celestial Realm—into *Pangaenia*.”

“Hel isn’t the only one. There are eleven more siblings who look like him.”

“The twelve guardians of the gate. Did he arrive with anyone else?”

“You mean the sleeping Emperor of the Empire?”

“I don’t know who that is, but he would know the whereabouts of the door.”

The one who suddenly fell into *Pangaenia* carrying the egg of Lineages.

That was the current Emperor of the Empire.

To think he truly came from the Celestial Realm.

If he descended through the door, then he would know its location.

But the Emperor was asleep.

And Wilhelm was highly likely to be of the Emperor’s bloodline.

The claim that Wilhelm was born of a being from the Celestial Realm.

As if to prove it, Wilhelm’s soul was vast and beautiful.

Above all, Wilhelm’s body grew endlessly—if he were of celestial blood, it all made sense.

*And that body is now in the Demon King’s possession.*

…This might be bigger than I thought.

The Demon King had never shown himself directly, making it hard to judge.

But judging by the revived and strengthened lords of hell, he would not be an easy opponent.

*In the end, all of this is the struggle of those who seek the Celestial Realm.*

If my guess was right—

MintChocoIsDelicious, the Bluebird, and the Demon King.

All other involved parties wished for the Celestial(Heavenly) Realm to open.

But not me.

No matter how I thought about it, that place would bring nothing but harm.

In a fleeting moment, I reached a conclusion.

“We have to kill the Emperor.”

…I decided to kill the Emperor.

If the one who knew the door’s whereabouts disappeared, the Celestial Realm would never open.

—

—

 

The second-generation Awakeners grew rapidly.

After completing the tutorial on the Island of the Gods, backed by the support of massive guilds, they began breaking through the main quest faster than anyone else.

‘Choi Kang-nam’ was the one who benefited the most.

《‘Northern Temple’ cleared!》

《‘Main Quest 6: Clear a Party Dungeon’ completed.》

《Calculating results.》

《An overwhelming result that would shock even the constellations of People’s Hall!》

《Total score: 370 points!》

《‘Hall of Fame’ rankings are being updated.》

“Uwaaaaaaah!”

The moment he exited the dungeon.

Covered in dust, Choi Kang-nam let out a roar.

He had finally surpassed him.

Randolph—his score!

He had prepared obsessively for this, entered the dungeon with a single goal, and made sure not to overlook a single detail.

Though Randolph had cleared the most difficult party dungeon, the ‘Demigod Trait Dungeon,’ the party dungeon Choi Kang-nam cleared—the ‘Northern Temple’—was a place that could never be conquered without overwhelming genius.

“I did it—!!!”

The efforts and sacrifices of his party members.

And Choi Kang-nam—his genius—finally shone.

He had proven himself the greatest among the second-generation Awakeners.

With trembling eyes, Choi Kang-nam looked again at the Hall.

《1st – Choi Kang-nam (370)》

《1st – Arin (370)》

《3rd – Randolph (350)》

《4th – Wilhelm (345)》

“I’m the strongest—!!!”

Choi Kang-nam cheered.

How many times had he brushed past death?

Easily more than twenty.

*You must be challenging a party dungeon by now too, Park Hyun-myung.*

But this time was different.

Park Hyun-myung would never surpass him.

Neither Randolph nor Wilhelm could—so how could he?

“Do not act rashly.”

“……Master. But—”

“I said don’t.”

“…….”

Choi Kang-nam shut his mouth.

The woman he called Master—

Arin, the vice leader of the Hero Alliance, stood beside him.

More beautiful, stronger, and wiser than anyone else.

In truth, this had only been possible because of her.

Without Arin’s help, he could never have achieved that score.

Even so, he was happy.

*I’m the strongest—!!!*

He repeated it over and over in his heart.

Choi Kang-nam resolved to keep growing stronger, to earn Arin’s favor—

And rise to the position of Alliance Leader.

Whether Choi Kang-nam cheered or not—

*Let’s compete once,*

Arin—

No, the Seventh Lord Basara smiled inwardly.

Could Park Hyun-myung surpass the score she had created?

Come to think of it, though Basara had taken possession of an Awakener’s body, she had never pushed the main quest.

So surpassing Randolph and Wilhelm wasn’t enough.

Basara wanted to compete with Park Hyun-myung.

“Uh…?”

That was when Choi Kang-nam screamed.

“…….”

Even Basara was shocked.

Because—

《‘Hall of Fame’ rankings are being updated.》

Once again, the rankings changed.

Which meant someone had reclaimed first place.

When Basara saw the name—and the score—

“…That lunatic.”

She could only let out a hollow laugh.

The gap was so absurd that competition itself was impossible.

And Choi Kang-nam—

“W-what? This is a lie, right? That’s impossibleee—! Gah!”

Letting out a scream, he clutched the back of his neck—

And collapsed unconscious.