I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-394

**394.**

—

The words that *Phantom was here*.

Yet no matter how they looked around, there was no one who appeared to be Phantom.

“Are you joking with us right now?”

The Executioners felt puzzled.

Among those gathered here, there was not the slightest trace of Phantom.

They were all people who seemed to be **avatars**, just like themselves.

…And ever since they had regained their memories, they had been unconsciously expecting something.

Their first meeting with Phantom.

The one who had allowed them to **survive**.

The one who had saved them.

“Then where exactly is Lord Phantom supposed to be?”

As the Thunder Lion frowned and spoke—

“It seems you still can’t feel it yet.”

The place Isabella pointed to was none other than **the First Flame**.

They knew it was no ordinary flame, but they could not tell that Phantom was within it.

Isabella spoke slowly.

“This flame is connected to his soul. The fact that it is still burning so brightly is proof that he is still alive.”

The First Flame itself was proof of Phantom’s existence.

Moreover, after the First Flame was installed within the Labyrinth, the Labyrinth underwent countless changes.

As if reflecting Park Hyun-myung’s very identity.

Just as Park Hyun-myung endlessly evolved, the ecosystem of the Labyrinth had evolved repeatedly as well.

That was why Hudson had kept everything about the Labyrinth strictly confidential.

*…The Labyrinth wasn’t made of light alone.*

Park Hyun-myung had entrusted Hudson with the overall management of the Labyrinth City.

After that, Park Hyun-myung paid little attention to the Labyrinth City itself.

The problem lay in the changes that arose because of that neglect.

Like a living organism, the Labyrinth—housing the First Flame—changed from moment to moment.

The Labyrinth itself expanded, grew more complex, and the monsters adapted and evolved within it.

The problem was that most of those evolutions were related not to light, but to darkness.

The evolved Hydragons and Omens were merely small examples.

From Hudson’s perspective as the one overseeing the Labyrinth, the situation was deeply troubling.

If these facts were ever revealed to the outside world, the repercussions would be immense.

Yet he couldn’t let the monsters leave the Labyrinth either.

Those creatures were species that had adapted exclusively to the Labyrinth’s ecosystem.

*…It was nothing more than greed—to make the city stronger.*

Of course, it had begun with Hudson’s own ambition.

He was the one who had first placed monsters like Corpse Crows and Hydragons into the Labyrinth.

Half of those monsters had even come of their own accord.

Once the White King declared the Labyrinth to be Fifth-Pillar’s city, monsters flocked in from all over, including northern Cramdel.

In response, Hudson designated living zones for them and fortified the Labyrinth like a dungeon, preparing for external threats.

But in the beginning, it had all been ordinary.

They were ordinary monsters.

He had never imagined they would evolve in this manner.

Moreover, the monsters had no intention of leaving the Labyrinth.

Some would indiscriminately attack the moment their territory was trespassed.

Monsters that had slipped beyond Hudson’s control.

What he had begun with enthusiasm—hoping to cultivate the Labyrinth properly—had grown far beyond imagination.

Now, it had reached a point where nothing could be done.

*…It has become the Tower of Destruction itself.*

The Labyrinth was no longer just a Labyrinth.

The Executioners had not seen them, but they were there.

Lilith, and the nameless Eagle.

If anyone were to encounter them… then this place would unquestionably be revealed as the true base connected to the **Tower of Destruction**.

This Labyrinth City itself was the symbol of Park Hyun-myung.

His identity.

His very existence.

“…So even you haven’t found his real body?”

From the Thunder Lion’s perspective, confusion was only natural.

Isabella shook her head.

“We know where he is. But at the moment, there is nothing we can do.”

“Why?”

“Because he is accepting death of his own will.”

“…What?”

“He has saved more than a thousand people. That’s a miracle impossible for a sane mind. And even more so when no one remembers that he saved them.”

“……”

“For a long time, he has fought a lonely and solitary battle. For our salvation, and for the liberation of the world. Now, it is our turn to help him **survive**.”

The same words that man had spoken.

Just as Phantom had allowed them to survive, now it was their turn to let him survive.

And yet… it was not hard to empathize.

…It was impossible to imagine how lonely and isolated he must have been.

The memories they had recovered were nothing short of astounding.

Survival?

That had only been the beginning.

Everything he had done was far removed from merely possessing and controlling their bodies for selfish gain.

“If it were me, I would never have survived in those situations.”

“…That’s true. He laid the foundation that allowed us to transcend.”

“And instead of gratitude, we harbored resentment…”

“There’s no ingratitude worse than this.”

The Executioners let out bitter sighs.

The decisive reason they had been able to **transcend** was because their physical frameworks had already been perfected.

And the one who had perfected those vessels was none other than **Phantom**.

Balanced stats, bodies strengthened by countless hidden pieces.

All those experiences gained through innumerable incomprehensible situations—those were what pushed them beyond their limits.

It wasn’t because they themselves were exceptional.

It was simply because Phantom had already prepared all the materials.

And yet they had sworn to kill him, harboring hatred.

How pathetic.

They had only been under the illusion that he had driven them toward death.

*How lonely he must have been.*

The Executioners felt their chests tighten.

This was not something a human mind could endure.

No—even a god would find it the same.

That he had accepted death might well be their responsibility.

“…It’s a shame we couldn’t kill the Golden Mask.”

One of the Executioners ground his teeth as he spoke.

The Thunder Lion nodded.

“If we accept them, the Reaper Cult won’t stay still. Especially the Golden Mask—he’ll do everything he can to kill us.”

Hudson agreed.

“The Reaper Cult will attack.”

“It won’t just be the Reaper Cult. He’s a real power within the Empire, so the entire Empire—”

“They won’t.”

“…You sound confident.”

“The most trusted figure in the Empire isn’t the Golden Mask.”

“…You mean Sir Raiga?”

Hudson shrugged.

Raiga.

There was no way he would simply side with the Reaper Cult.

Of course, he didn’t yet know that Randolph and Park Hyun-myung were the same person—but after what he had witnessed in the World Tree Dungeon, he was no longer the Raiga of old.

He would not be eager to start a war.

More than anything, he had experienced fear toward *Randolph* at the Tower of the Martial God.

And if Raiga opposed it, the Empire as a whole would not move.

The figure most feared by the Empire was the Golden Mask—but the one who commanded the deepest trust was **Raiga**.

Hudson smiled brightly.

“In fact, this works out well.”

“…?”

“If the Reaper Cult moves and accepts you, the news will spread across the entire continent.”

“You’re going to gather Phantom’s avatars through war?”

“Yes. Just as you came to find us, others will come when they hear the news.”

There was no need to search one by one.

Even if they did nothing, they would gather on their own.

The Thunder Lion was dumbfounded.

“You’re… not afraid of the Reaper Cult?”

“Why should we fear them?”

“No matter how impregnable this Labyrinth is… the Reaper Cult isn’t a group whose strength is fully visible.”

That was the most terrifying aspect of the Reaper Cult.

What was visible was only the tip of the iceberg.

If all the **Lineage Patrons** joined forces—

…even the Balrog Order, which had recently defeated the Goddess Church, was merely a fragment.

They knew better than anyone how frightening the Reaper Cult was, having served within it as Executioners.

Hudson shook his head.

“Our strength isn’t limited to the Labyrinth alone.”

“Don’t tell me you mean the White King?”

“Yes. The moment the Labyrinth is attacked, the White King will aid us. And besides that…”

“Besides that?”

“…I will help as well.”

The voice came from a completely different direction.

Yet no presence had been sensed.

None of the Executioners gathered there had noticed his arrival.

When they turned their gazes—

There stood a man.

“…Who is that?”

“That is **Kasim, the Radiant Transcendent**.”

“…!!!”

The name was well known.

No—there was no one on the Pangaenia continent who didn’t know it.

The Goddess’s knight who had slain an evil god centuries ago.

A man said to be the strongest on the continent, known as the Radiant Transcendent.

Why was he here?

“Kasim and the Goddess Church have decided to stand with us.”

“……”

*

*

The clash between the Round Table and Radiance in the Holy City Adrium.

That battle ended with Radiance’s victory due to the Round Table’s *withdrawal*.

But Kasim was not one to accept that outcome at face value.

Radiance had already suffered repeated defeats at the hands of the Round Table.

Could that truly be called a victory?

Of course not.

Yet at Hudson’s words, he had no choice but to abandon the fight.

“The Master of the Round Table does not wish for this battle.”

“And where is he to say something like that—”

“Have you not already met him? In the World Tree Dungeon.”

“…?”

“Did you not suspect it, at least a little?”

“…Insane.”

The most holy of holy knights, the Radiant Transcendent, cursed aloud.

He had suspected it—but he hadn’t been able to believe it.

Frankly, he thought it was impossible.

The original master of the Round Table had been Wilhelm.

And the Druid of the Golden-Scale was not human, but a druid god.

How could he suddenly become the new master of the Round Table?

It didn’t add up.

Yet the unthinkable had come to pass.

“Do you understand now why our fight was meaningless?”

“…Then why hide it?”

“Why should we reveal it?”

“…Then why reveal it now?”

“The situation has changed. He is in critical condition.”

The Druid of the Golden Scale.

If he were to die, the power of the druids—including the World Tree of Honor—would weaken.

And now, certain things finally made sense.

*So that’s why he conquered the Tower of Destruction…*

If the Druid of the Golden Scale had been the commander, then conquering it was possible.

“To help him **survive**, we need your help, Kasim.”

“…What do I need to do?”

That was the end of it.

The battle had lost all meaning.

And Kasim realized that he would not be acting alone.

They had secretly formed a pact.

The Elf Queen, the Giant of Ruin, the White King, the Ancient Phoenix, the Guardian of Light.

Their factions would move as well.

All for the sake of saving the Druid of the Golden Scale.

Yet there was one thing even Kasim hadn’t foreseen.

That a war on a scale far beyond his imagination was about to begin.

*

*

When the Reaper Cult began to move, dark clouds gathered across the world.

King Friedrich of the Iron Kingdom secretly amassed troops.

Rumors spread that the Black King had crossed into the Central Continent.

There were whispers that the Balrog Order had merged with the remnants of the evil gods’ forces.

Countless other shadows began to converge.

Thus began—

The prologue to a great war that would decide the fate of the continent of Pangaenia.