I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-60

Ch-60

—

As soon as I finished speaking, the other party members came into view.

Serengeti was the first to let out a short snort of laughter.

“A demigod bastard really went through the trouble of making something like this. We might be able to clear it even faster than we thought.”

She scoffed as if it were nothing special.

After all, this floor wouldn’t take even five minutes if we just answered the questions.

“Compared to its reputation, it’s definitely…”

“…”

Isaac and Isabella also wore calm expressions.

After all, it was nothing more than each of us being asked one question.

There was no way they’d put in something too uncomfortable to answer.

Soon, the voice of a slender woman echoed in my ears.

《This is the first question assigned to Serengeti.》

《‘Do you truly love Hudson?’》

Serengeti turned to look at me.

Did she think I submitted that question?

“Of course I truly love him.”

Serengeti answered with a faintly embarrassed expression.

Both her attitude and answer left no room for doubt.

《Judgement according to the Oath: Truth.》

《Next is the first question assigned to Isaac.》

《‘Why were you crying in the city square?’》

Isaac’s eyes wavered.

As if he had never imagined anyone would have seen him crying so pitifully.

It was a little awkward, but not something he couldn’t answer.

“…Sir Randolph erased my karma. My karma score was high, so the children refused to come near me. But that day, a child approached and asked me why I was crying… and I ended up crying even harder.”

He answered even more thoroughly than necessary.

After all, this was a party dungeon. Isaac knew well that trust between party members was important.

Especially because this place was infamous, and Isaac—who had traveled across the continent—had heard countless stories about it.

《Judgement according to the Oath: Truth.》

《Next is the first question assigned to Isabella.》

《‘Your accent is unusual. Which city are you from?’》

Which city she was from?

Isabella looked back and forth between Isaac and Serengeti.

At the very least, she was certain it wasn’t from me.

Since I was the one who first met her and brought her along, if someone were to ask about her background, it could only be Isaac or Serengeti.

“…The desert city, Faisalmer.”

The worst starting point.

The infamous desert city of Faisalmer.

Ruled by a queen, it was a place all continent-dwellers avoided.

People often viewed anyone from the desert city with prejudice.

But Isabella answered with confidence.

Besides, Isabella’s skin color was different from typical people of the desert city.

And she had no idea how people from other cities viewed Faisalmer.

《Judgement according to the Oath: Truth.》

Thus the questions for the first three were finished.

Now it was my turn.

The earlier questions had been fairly ordinary.

Things anyone could be curious about.

Even though we couldn’t know who asked which question, it seemed everyone had chosen reasonable ones considering each other’s positions.

That meant the question assigned to me was likely nothing special as well.

《Next is the first question assigned to Randolph.》

《‘Are you truly a Star-bearer?’》

Game changer.

…Was I a Star-bearer?

Seeing the question, I felt a jolt of panic.

Who would ask something like this?

Because someone didn’t believe I was one?

Or because someone believed it so naturally that they asked without hesitation?

‘A Star-bearer.’

What was a Star-bearer?

One who guided those worthy of receiving a star.

A gamer who reached level 10 with all stats at 100 needed a Star-bearer to learn the star’s location.

In that sense, I was not a Star-bearer.

I had never been one, not even once.

It had been nothing more than a lie I spat out for my own safety and to escape my situation.

But if I said “no,” I would be admitting that it was a lie.

It would be the same as saying I had deceived them from the start.

Isabella and Isaac would suffer the biggest blow.

‘I approached both of them by claiming to be a Star-bearer.’

A seeker of stars.

One who believed in the stars. One who revered them.

Mystery always appeared greater the less you knew.

That sacred mystique became a perfect mask for me.

With a single word—“Star-bearer”—Isabella saved my life, and Isaac was forced to treat me like some extraordinary being.

Had I not lied, I would already be dead.

I would have died by Isabella’s hand right at the start.

‘Even if it was a lie told to survive…’

I was the one who kept up that lie.

I recalled stepping into the Chamber of Truth.

…Answer only the truth according to the Oath.

I signed that ‘Oath of Truth,’ engraved upon my heart and soul, of my own accord.

“I am—”

No matter what answer I gave, the truth would reveal itself.

In that case, I might as well say the truth.

If I lied, the challenge would fail and I’d be expelled.

And reattempts were impossible. It was better to speak the truth and calm them afterward.

That way, I could continue the “challenge.”

“I am a Star-bearer—”

If I were to say I wasn’t, trust once broken would not be easy to restore.

They might forever hold onto the fact that I had lied to them.

Once doubt takes root, it multiplies hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times and eats away at the bond.

So I spoke the truth aloud.

“Yes. I am.”

…That I was a Star-bearer.

In the literal sense—one who had attained the star.

One who knew what the star was.

One who had delved deeper into the star than anyone else and thus was chosen by it.

If the one reborn as a “Star Guardian” by the goddess was not a Star-bearer, then who was?

《Judgement according to the Oath: Truth.》

Internally, I let out a breath of relief.

And then I realized something.

‘The demigod distorted the questions.’

Throughout the process, I had been closely watching everyone’s expressions.

Thanks to my observation talent, when I focused, I could see even the faint movement of tiny hairs. I judged emotions through their subtle expressions and reactions.

With each question, there were tiny shifts.

‘The question is correct, but the nuance is different.’

The first question to Serengeti—“Do you truly love Hudson?”—was indeed what I wrote.

But not exactly.

‘I never wrote the word ‘truly.’’

Do you love Hudson?

Do you truly love Hudson?

The nuance, the weight—completely different.

The demigod was slightly twisting the questions to make them harder to answer.

But there was no need to give the “correct” answer to the distorted question.

Whether the definition was literal or based on the intent of the one who asked—it was for each person to interpret.

‘Distortion is met with distortion.’

If this were the old me, I would have chosen to answer “I’m not a Star-bearer.”

Back then, this world was literally just a game to me.

A world made of data and numbers.

But this place was reality.

A true world where emotions lived and breathed, where people reacted to each other.

And truth was something that existed in interaction.

If both sides believed it to be true, then it was truth.

Besides, was it even a lie?

A distorted question deserved a distorted answer.

‘So that’s why the Oath forbids any discussion about the questions.’

Discussion was forbidden.

Not only verbally—but even sharing expressions was taboo.

But there had been no “discussion.”

I had simply read their expressions on my own.

Isaac, Isabella, Serengeti—

None hid their expressions in front of me.

“Hm.”

Hearing my answer, everyone nodded as if it were obvious.

They had believed it from the beginning.

They had never doubted me, so my answer was truth.

Completely different from past attempts, when we had entered while hiding our intentions.

Trust.

That alone wasn’t something a demigod’s petty tricks could break.

*

*

 

Once I understood the demigod’s intention in distorting the questions, everything afterward became easy.

There was no need for panic. No need for doubt.

We cleared quickly and stepped into the next floor, where darkness swallowed the world again.

Soon, a signboard appeared before me.

《The next trial is ‘Gate Blocking.’》

《To block the entrance and succeed, you will need: one ranged attacker, two shield-bearers, and one healer.》

《Choose one of the three roles.》

《When all party members are ready, the trial begins.》

The three required roles:

Ranged attacker, shield-bearer, healer.

Three symbols appeared before me.

A bow-shaped symbol, a shield symbol, and a symbol radiating green energy.

‘So they won’t give us any time to coordinate.’

It was a floor where knowing each other’s role was essential.

If even one role was missing—or doubled—the attempt would fail.

‘Serengeti will choose shield-bearer, for sure.’

She had already done it once in the first floor. With fixed stats, she would know her place.

‘The rest is difficult.’

I stroked my chin.

If I chose ranged attacker like before, who would handle healing?

Isaac and Isabella.

Would they choose shield-bearer and healer?

Then should I choose healer instead?

Isaac was especially attack-oriented. He might choose ranged attacker.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never shown them that I can use ranged weapons.’

I frowned.

Everyone needed to understand each other’s strengths to avoid overlapping roles.

《All party members have completed their selections.》

*

*

 

When the darkness cleared, we were standing atop a hill.

Gate Blocking.

Below, the ground was filled with what looked like thousands of “Bomb Beetles.”

Bomb Beetles were small monsters resembling pill bugs that exploded upon contact.

Their explosive power wasn’t great, but their acid melted anything it touched.

Hence the need for two shield-bearers—to block the explosions.

“Shield-bearers, raise your shields and block the entrance.”

Fortunately, two people had chosen shield-bearer.

“Yes!”

Nod.

Serengeti and Isabella.

The two synchronized perfectly and lifted their shields to block the hill entrance.

“Ranged attacker, eliminate any Bomb Beetles that try to leap over the shields.”

“Yes.”

Isaac was the ranged attacker.

《You have chosen ‘Healer.’》

《The Healer can restore the designated target.》

《Remaining healing uses: 5.》

I was the healer, of course.

And the reason I chose healer was simple.

Only the ranged attacker or the healer could stand behind and observe the situation to issue orders. And I assumed Isaac would choose ranged attacker.

After all, he had never seen me use a ranged weapon.

Isabella was a slight concern, but she wasn’t the “commander” type.

It made more sense for her to take shield-bearer.

And I was right.

“They’re coming!”

Down the narrow path, the Bomb Beetles began bouncing and rolling upward.

Their size was barely that of an adult fist, yet the sight was overwhelmingly dense.

‘Up to this point, this is standard.’

Everything was proceeding exactly by the book.

Role assignment, fixed positions, preparation—perfect.

‘But I have no intention of playing by the demigod’s rules.’

I wracked my brain.

A way to turn the situation around.

A way to break the stage the demigod had set.

“Serengeti, give me your shield.”

“Huh?”

She stared as if she had misheard.

“When I signal, switch positions with me.”

“Will you be all right?”

“I’ll be better at this than you, who hasn’t learned shield techniques. When I raise my right hand, switch immediately. After that, follow my instructions.”

“But this shield has usage requirements.”

“It’s fine.”

The shield’s requirements—

I already understood them.

As I reached out, Serengeti obediently handed me the shield.

<You lack proficiency in ‘Bomb Beetle Shield,’ so you cannot equip it.>

Meaning she could not hold it.

But when *I* grabbed the shield, everything changed.

<Due to the hidden trait ‘Weapon Master,’ proficiency for ‘Bomb Beetle Shield’ has been created.>

<Requirement for equipping ‘Bomb Beetle Shield’ has been removed.>

<Weapon Master raises ‘Bomb Beetle Shield’ proficiency to Level 5.>

<Dexterity raises ‘Bomb Beetle Shield’ proficiency to Level 6.>

Choosing shield-bearer grants the “Bomb Beetle Shield Proficiency” skill.

Normally, only those with that proficiency could equip it, but the hidden trait Weapon Master raised all weapon proficiencies to Level 5.

Any weapon I touched instantly became that of an “expert.”

Plus the +1 from Dexterity trait.

A total of six levels. The moment the proficiency increased, strength naturally filled my grip on the shield.

 

 

 

 

 

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