I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-369

Ch-369. **Entering with 13 Hidden Traits**

—

Who was he planning to kill?

Choi Kangnam?

Or Darkstar?

There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in Alkar’s voice, heavy with rage.

The confidence of someone who believed he could kill anyone if he so wished.

And I didn’t question that confidence.

After all, not a single person here had even noticed Alkar’s presence.

With the exception of Issera and Lucaria, he was, by all accounts, the strongest of the Bloodspawn blood lineage.

—How dare such insects… O god. If you grant me permission, I shall erase them all.

…Surely he didn’t mean everyone gathered here?

Toward Alkar, who regarded humans as nothing more than bugs, I expressed my opposition.

Choi Kangnam wouldn’t be able to harm me in the slightest anyway.

If I truly wished, I could dispose of him at any time without Alkar’s help.

“Hmm……”

When I continued to give no response, Darkstar tilted his head.

*A lackey, perhaps?*

Well, someone had to handle the menial work.

The other delegations, likewise, had brought along people to support and assist them.

If Choi Kangnam’s name wasn’t even on the roster, then as he himself had said, there was no need to pay him much mind.

Even Arin remained silent.

Pulling his hand back as if disinterested, Darkstar stepped forward again before the reporters.

“I once again welcome my comrades who will be challenging the ‘Black Dome’ alongside me.”

He emphasized that the conquest of the Black Dome would be carried out under his leadership.

It was truly a historic moment.

Countless people had challenged the Black Dome—and vanished.

Among them were more than a few who had been called the strongest.

Yet in the end, the one destined to save humanity was none other than Darkstar himself.

Though the Hero Council’s name no longer carried the weight it once did, Darkstar was confident that this undertaking would allow him to soar even higher.

With the forces gathered here, failure was unthinkable.

The signal flare announcing the revival of the Hero Council.

*We will succeed. No matter what.*

Darkstar’s eyes burned with fervor.

*

*

United States, San Francisco.

At Ocean Beach, where the Pacific met the shore, nearly five hundred Awakeners had gathered.

Normally, the place would have been packed with people, but now, aside from them and related personnel, it was completely empty.

Ever since the appearance of the Black Dome, an emergency alert had gone out, and the city itself had been evacuated.

Thus, as elites from all over the world gathered in one place, a full-scale strategy meeting began—

“Darkstar. You’re saying you’ll lead us?”

…And from the very start, the meeting began to creak and falter.

Wang Jinsong, dispatched as China’s representative, frowned as he openly rejected Darkstar.

He was a rising powerhouse who had begun to make a name for himself only recently.

But it wasn’t just Wang Jinsong.

Many people were displeased with Darkstar acting as commander.

“This was already discussed with the U.S. government. You were informed well in advance, weren’t you?”

Darkstar narrowed his brow as well.

This had been announced even before requests were sent out to each nation.

That the Hero Council, led by Darkstar, would investigate the Black Dome.

The intention behind raising objections now was painfully obvious.

“Isn’t the Hero Council known for lying as easily as breathing? How are we supposed to trust and follow you?”

“The Hero Council has lost all credibility.”

“Shameless bastards. I hear Wilhelm and the Knights of the Round Table are all still alive—do you still think you’re the best?”

As if they had been waiting for it, people began chiming in one after another.

This was no longer the Hero Council of the past.

The vigor with which they once overwhelmed everyone else had long since vanished.

They had been able to silence Awakeners, distort the truth, and reign above all only because the Hero Council’s presence had once been that overwhelming.

But after repeated failures, internal fractures, and as one truth-teller after another began to emerge, they lost everything—honor included.

And that wasn’t all.

“Shouldn’t you be over in Adrium, begging on your knees instead of standing here?”

“Exactly. I hear you’re deeply in debt to the Goddess Church too. Once the Knights of the Round Table become the Goddess Church’s representative order, the Hero Council will be completely wiped out in Pangaenia.”

“With what face could they even show up there?”

In Pangaenia, the Hero Council’s situation was dire.

After the Grand Expedition, they had borrowed money from various places in an attempt to strengthen their position.

It was widely known that they owed significant debts, especially to the Goddess Church and the Three Great Merchant Guilds.

However, after King Valan’s “Revelation of the Grand Expedition’s Truth,” it was revealed that everything had been a lie.

Debt collectors came knocking, and the Hero Council was forced to sell off even the cities they owned just to raise funds.

The problem was that even then, it was nowhere near enough.

They could barely afford to pay the interest.

And to make matters worse, the Knights of the Round Table were revived.

They seized the Tower of Ruin and developed close ties with the Goddess Church.

If the Knights of the Round Table truly wished it, they could erase the Hero Council’s name from Pangaenia entirely.

At a time when even kneeling and begging wouldn’t be enough, why was he here acting as commander?

Darkstar’s expression hardened further.

“…You won’t follow me? Then who do you intend to follow instead?”

“At the very least, someone who won’t stab us in the back.”

“Ah, yes. Definitely not the Hero Council.”

A reputation scraping rock bottom.

Sweat beaded in Darkstar’s palms.

He never imagined he would face such fierce opposition, even with humanity’s survival at stake.

If it were a matter of force, he could have challenged them outright—but this wasn’t about strength.

Trust had hit zero; Darkstar’s power meant nothing here.

But if not the Hero Council, then who here could serve as the banner to rally under?

There was no one stronger than them, no one with more experience.

“I will.”

At that moment—

Someone stepped forward in front of Darkstar.

“…!”

“V–Vice Chairwoman?”

The eyes of the alliance members, Choi Kangnam included, widened like lanterns.

No one had expected Arin to step forward.

As she did, Darkstar let out a snort.

“…This is absurd.”

Darkstar knew at least a little about Arin.

A rising powerhouse, vice chairwoman of Korea’s representative alliance—that much, at least.

But even so, it was ridiculous.

Korea didn’t possess a single member of the Top 10.

They had only been invited as a courtesy, having experienced the Black Dome phenomenon—the “Jeju Island Disappearance”—ahead of others.

Beyond that, Darkstar had no expectations whatsoever for Korea’s delegation.

From his perspective, they were small fry.

Not even fit to be supporting cast.

And yet—

“You seem to be mistaken. From what I hear, you’ve only just cleared Main Quest 6. The people gathered here are mostly veterans who’ve cleared 10 or more. This isn’t a place for small fry.”

Arin had cleared only Main Quest 6.

Meaning that no matter how strong she was, there was a limit.

And a place whose vice chairwoman was only at that level—what could one possibly expect?

Meanwhile, most of those gathered here had cleared Main Quest 10: *The Trial of the Dragon God Einhassar*.

This was not Arin’s stage.

Yet her expression didn’t change in the slightest.

“I dislike men who prattle on endlessly. Prove it with action.”

“…Seems you’re confident in your skills.”

…Fine. This worked out better.

Darkstar changed his approach.

If he crushed Arin overwhelmingly and made an example of her, that would suffice.

Show them what happens to those who reject him.

It wasn’t a method he hadn’t used countless times before.

“Very well. Since you stepped forward so boldly, I’ll grant you a match.”

As if she could possibly defeat a 3-star Transcendent like him.

Even if Korea’s representative, Park Taewoo, were here, he’d be no match.

And so, the duel was set in motion—suddenly.

*Gulp.*

Choi Kangnam swallowed hard.

He knew her strength better than anyone, but her opponent was Darkstar.

A being said to be on par with Gracia.

A monster among monsters, proudly seated in the Top 10.

Unless a miracle occurred, there was no way Arin could defeat Darkstar.

That was what everyone thought.

*

*

“……”

“……”

How much time had passed since the duel began?

Silence hung over the beach.

It couldn’t be helped.

“T–This is……”

“Darkstar… lost?”

Because everyone’s assumptions had been proven wrong.

All stared in shock at Arin—and at the unconscious Darkstar.

It wasn’t simply because Arin had won.

From the start of the duel to this outcome, barely ten seconds had passed.

It was a crushing defeat, an overwhelming gap.

But… was such a thing even possible?

…The hierarchy of the Top 10 had changed.

From Korea—a country no one had expected—came a new member of the Top 10.

*Tuk. Tuk.*

As if it were nothing, Arin brushed her hands off, as though she’d touched something filthy.

*He’s even more insignificant than I expected.*

There had been no need to fully release her mana.

Whether Darkstar was a 3-star Transcendent or not, he wasn’t a proper Transcendent to begin with.

*Because he transcended with a false star born of arrogance.*

She knew exactly what the Demon of Pride had been doing.

Creating stars from the bodies of gods who had lost their divinity and been defiled—

And scattering them everywhere.

Darkstar was an Awakener who had transcended using one of those “false stars.”

A false transcendence, not even half-complete.

Worse still, drunk on power, he didn’t even know how to use it properly.

That was the limit of this man.

Those who transcend with false stars can never overcome their own walls.

They can never reach the extreme, never achieve completion.

He had invited stupidity for the sake of immediate power.

Frankly, Gracia seemed far stronger than Darkstar.

At length, Arin looked around and spoke.

“If anyone objects to me leading, step forward now.”

“……”

“……”

…There could be no objections.

The situation was far too absurd.

Everyone stood there, struck dumb.

*

*

 

The Korean delegation was in a festive mood.

No one had even imagined that Arin would defeat Darkstar.

And now, she had become the representative leader of Awakeners gathered from across the world.

Following her, Korea’s standing would naturally rise as well.

No—there was no need to even go that far.

Already, the looks directed at the Korean delegation had changed entirely.

*Back during the second invasion, Korea wasn’t even mentioned…*

*She paid them back properly.*

During Issera’s invasion, Korea had been thoroughly ignored by Darkstar.

They weren’t even listed among the countries receiving aid.

It had angered Park Taewoo enough to protest.

Now, Arin had repaid that humiliation in full.

How could it not be exhilarating?

*Looks like Korea has grown explosively in the meantime.*

*What’s their secret?*

*We’ll have to keep a close eye on the entire delegation.*

They began scrutinizing every member who had come with Arin.

All except one.

—Be careful, my god. I sense something ominous.

…I gazed at the approaching Black Dome.

We had traveled by ship, and it was now right before us.

Up close, it was even more overwhelming.

A black sphere swallowing the entire sea.

Slowly, I turned my gaze to Arin, standing at the bow of the ship.

*…Surely not.*

Her posture and bearing during the fight with Darkstar—

They were far too similar to someone preserved in Wilhelm’s memories.

But that was impossible.

*There’s no way it’s Basara, one of the Seven Lords…*

There was no way she’d be here, pretending to be human.

I shook my head, dismissing the thought.

And at that moment—

【Entering the ‘Bottom of the Abyss’.】

【Entry conditions satisfied.】

【Entry conditions exceeded.】

【Entrants possess a total of 13 Hidden Traits.】

【All entrants are granted ‘Immunity to the Curse of the Abyss’.】

“…Thirteen Hidden Traits?”

The messages that appeared the moment we entered the Black Dome.

As she read them, Arin’s expression stiffened completely.