I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-423

**Chapter 423. A Brilliant Move**

—

“I won’t choose either.”

My answer was simple.

Hana, who could only survive by becoming a Dragon God.

Basara, who more than anyone else wished to become a Dragon God.

Choosing between the two was never the answer I had in mind.

—……?

—You won’t… choose?

—Are you saying you don’t need the qualification of a Dragon God?

The Absolutes reacted in disbelief.

“……Why would you make such a choice…?”

Question marks surfaced in Basara’s eyes as well.

A natural reaction.

If no one was chosen, nothing would change.

Was I really going to stand by and watch Hana die?

But from the very beginning, the premise was wrong.

I was not the one who should be choosing.

And they were not the ones who had the right to present choices.

They were gravely mistaken.

I—

“Choose.”

—Us? You want *us* to choose?

—To make one of two mutants into a Dragon God?

They frowned at my words.

Turning even one mutant into a Dragon God was unthinkable.

Let alone *them* making such a choice.

But that, too, missed the point.

The “choice” I mentioned had nothing to do with picking between Hana and Basara.

Slowly, I presented them with a binary choice.

“Either I join the Dragon God Council—or you go to war with me.”

When I said it with a smile, their reactions were priceless.

—……
—What kind of nonsense is this…?
—A being who isn’t even a dragon, joining the Dragon God Council?

Only Dragon Gods could belong to the Council.

Only supreme dragons who possessed both the qualification and the mantle of a Dragon God.

But therein lay the flaw.

“I am a being revered by a Dragon God. If anything, that makes me an even more exalted Dragon God.”

I possessed a unique *mantle*.

The mantle of a **Dragon God’s Devotee**, born because of Hana.

It was the bond that proved the Blade Dragon God Hana revered me—a condition that granted me invincibility so long as she alone could strike me.

And that very mantle was the direct cause of Hana’s frenzy.

Because our souls were deeply intertwined.

My absence had led to her madness.

Therefore—

*Granting me the qualification is the same as granting it to Hana.*

That was why I refused to choose.

The same logic applied to Basara.

Though she wasn’t bound to me as Hana was—

*If I became an Absolute of the Dragon God Council, I could grant Dragon God qualifications myself.*

All I had to do was take the title of *Absolute*.

Then I could personally bestow the qualification of Dragon God upon Basara.

I boldly provoked them.

“Choose. Right now. Will you accept me—or will you go to war with me?”

And I added one more thing.

“If you choose the latter, the two of you standing before me will definitely die.”

—…….

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice? One of you pretending to be many, speaking in multiple voices. And another who’s been silently watching from behind. I’m talking about you two.”

There were clearly at least five voices speaking as Absolutes.

But I had seen through the act immediately.

They had feigned numbers to sow confusion.

In truth, there were only two.

And only one of them was actually conversing.

The other merely observed in silence.

In that instant—

—Impressive.

The voices merged.

Dragon Gods.

Absolute beings who wielded command words.

—You couldn’t see us, couldn’t sense us. How did you know?

“I can see you.”

—…….

The Absolutes were struck speechless.

And I wasn’t lying.

…I really *could* see them.

Clearly—through the **Eye of Truth**.

—One who wields the power of Destruction can never become a Dragon God. Never.

The Absolute spoke with force.

Dragon Gods who protect the world and Destruction were fundamentally incompatible.

Wishing for it didn’t make it possible.

That was when—

“…However, if it’s not about becoming a mere Dragon God, but about entering the Dragon God Council—then there is a way.”

Step. Step.

Someone began walking out of the darkness.

A figure in human form.

So exquisitely beautiful it seemed sculpted.

When the woman with emerald-green hair revealed herself—

“A-Asha-nim, I greet you.”

Dragon God Einhassar hurriedly lowered his body.

Who was she?

To fluster even Einhassar, who had spoken so freely until now—

That question lingered only briefly.

—L-Lady Asha…!

The Absolute behind cried out in agitation.

This mysterious woman was one of the two.

The one who had been silently watching from behind.

Moments later, a man over three meters tall stepped forward from the rear.

*An astonishing amount of Golden Scale.*

He had gathered and concealed it, but I could feel it.

The ring of mana circulating within their bodies.

An endless cycle.

Primordial mana—the source that could become anything, do anything.

They were beings who possessed immense **Golden Scale**.

At last, the woman called Asha spoke.

“From what I hear, you don’t seek merely the qualification of a Dragon God—you aim higher. The mantle of an *Absolute*.”

“Asha-nim. That is even more impossible. To even attempt becoming an Absolute requires the recommendation of the Primordial Dragon Gods!”

The man who followed—Roun—voiced fierce opposition.

From his words, the hierarchy of the Dragon God Council became faintly clear.

Ordinary Dragon Gods, then Absolutes, and above them, the Primordial Dragon Gods.

Below that lay beings they wouldn’t even acknowledge as Dragon Gods—mutants, for example.

Asha, who had been examining me, slowly shook her head.

“Roun. He has already received the recommendation of a Primordial Dragon God.”

“…What are you saying?”

“This armor.”

Asha reached out and placed her hand over my body.

I simply looked at her.

I felt no hostility.

To be honest, I was slightly surprised.

What she touched wasn’t my body—but the **Primordial Armor** protecting it.

“I truly don’t understand…”

Roun frowned deeply.

The Primordial Armor was invisible.

It could change form at will—even become transparent.

Yet she had recognized it.

And went a step further.

“I can feel the trace of the Primordial Dragon God *Yung* in this armor. The wooden staff that once bore the *First Flame*… am I right?”

“…Primordial Dragon God Yung’s…?!”

Roun’s eyes shook violently.

Disbelief plain on his face.

But she was right.

“You recognized it well.”

When I nodded, Asha gave a faint smile.

“…Then Lord Yung still exists, doesn’t he?”

Not *alive*, but *exists*.

A peculiar question—but I answered in the affirmative.

I now knew exactly who their “Yung” was.

“He was sealed in a vault.”

The Treasury of the Primordial Dragon God.

I had spoken there with the soul of a Primordial Dragon God.

“…So he still hasn’t abandoned the ‘Original Forms,’ it seems.”

With a bitter gaze, Asha continued.

“He always emphasized the value of ‘original forms.’ That what protects the world and makes it stronger isn’t newer, stronger weapons—but what already exists.”

The first originals.

Because of them, I had created armor of the **Primordial** grade.

A question naturally escaped my lips.

“Why wasn’t Yung with the Dragon God Council?”

“He left of his own will. Saying that such things weren’t weapons capable of opposing the heavens… He clashed with the other Primordial Dragon Gods.”

I see.

But Yung hadn’t been wrong.

The Primordial grade was power that worked even against Destruction.

Hadn’t the First Flame itself restrained Obliteration?

It seemed the Dragon God Council thought differently.

“Either way, the fact that he entrusted you with the staff and flame he cherished most means he personally acknowledged your qualification.”

“Asha-nim…!”

Strictly speaking, he hadn’t entrusted them to me.

I found them myself.

Roun tried to stop her, but it was useless.

“By my authority, I can resolve this issue—and a few others. However, there remains one final gate even I cannot bypass.”

She clearly held considerable power within the Council.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t speak so confidently.

But the one obstacle even she couldn’t overcome intrigued me.

“What is that gate?”

“Verifying what kind of *command words* you possess.”

“Command words? The power of speech?”

“Yes. Words are power, and they accumulate within the soul. Dragon Gods use command words through *Wish Orbs*, while Absolutes manifest specific command words directly through their own mouths.”

“So each has a different specialty.”

“Exactly. For example, Roun possesses the most vicious command word among the Absolutes. If he speaks the word *death*, even a Dragon God must die. But he’s weak against other command words. The ‘kneel’ earlier was especially weak.”

“A-Asha-nim…”

Roun flustered as she bluntly exposed him.

This, it seemed, was the difference between Dragon Gods and Absolutes.

The presence of true command words.

Meaning the Absolutes’ command words surpassed even the Dragon Gods’ Wish Orbs.

Asha continued.

“If you lack the power of command words, you cannot become an Absolute. That’s why… we must verify.”

“Then let’s verify.”

“I like how straightforward you are.”

Asha smiled.

Then turned and walked away.

“Follow me.”

*

*

Words are power, and they accumulate within the soul.

A being with insufficient soul rank cannot wield command words.

And even a soul of immense rank must meet the **God of Wishes** to awaken true command words.

Only those who passed the trials of the God of Wishes—awakening the power of soul, command words, and wishes—became Absolutes.

*He killed Annihilation and forcibly closed the Gate of Truth.*

Asha thought.

A monster who possessed another form of Destruction—*the End*.

Bringing him into the Dragon God Council would spark controversy.

But it would also symbolize transformation.

Especially since he was acknowledged by the Primordial Dragon God Yung.

—If Phantom truly wished it, the Dragon God Council would be reduced to ashes.

Roun’s words lingered.

If he was that dangerous, it was better to make him an ally than an enemy.

Conversation with him had gone surprisingly well, too.

*Can he pass the trial of the God of Wishes?*

The issue lay in whether he possessed command words at all.

Dragon Gods used Wish Orbs because they had failed those trials.

They couldn’t wield true command words.

Asha stared straight ahead.

Three minutes had passed since Phantom entered the massive **Wish Orb** before her.

If he failed—

She would be harshly reprimanded for exposing him to the God of Wishes without permission.

*Even if it takes days…*

Asha prayed.

Normally, Absolutes took about five days to pass the trial.

If it stayed within that range, even the slow-witted Primordial Dragon Gods wouldn’t notice.

But if it took longer, it would be discovered.

“Asha-nim. Are you sure this is… okay?”

Roun asked worriedly.

If discovered, Asha’s position would be in jeopardy.

Whether this was the right choice—she honestly didn’t know.

But the die had already been cast.

A few more minutes passed.

Thud.

Thud.

Slow footsteps emerged from within.

Only five minutes had passed since he entered.

*He failed.*

Disappointment crept into Asha’s heart.

“……It seems he didn’t pass. To come out this quickly…”

Roun thought the same.

If the God of Wishes had awakened power in just anyone, Absolutes would be everywhere.

Coming out this fast meant there was no need to see more.

He was powerful—but lacking the aptitude to wield command words.

Thud!

Then Phantom appeared.

And Asha and Roun, who had looked at him with mild disappointment—

“……!”

“H-He passed the trial of the God of Wishes… in five minutes?!”

They could only gasp in disbelief.

A small **X-shaped mark** engraved beside his cheek.

…The proof that the God of Wishes had acknowledged him.

Passing the trial in five minutes—he was the first in history.

And then—

“T-The mark… it’s not just one…?”