I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-68

Ch-68

—

**‘That person is…?’**

It was the moment he stepped in to board the private jet.

Someone caught Gracia’s eye—a man.

An elderly English gentleman.

Old, yes, but unmistakable.

*‘Melson! Why is he in Korea?’*

Melson.

A legendary figure who once stood at the absolute pinnacle of his field.

Rumor had it that after retirement, he was appointed to a position connected to the British royal family, but afterward, it was as if all news of him had been erased.

And such a man had come to Korea.

With another man at that.

*‘…A guest of the royal family?’*

But even so—

Would someone of Melson’s stature personally come to Korea *to pick up that man*?

It made no sense.

Just who *was* he?

Melson was someone who wouldn’t even personally accompany the President of Korea.

Yet he wasn’t sparing so much as a glance for Gracia—*Gracia*, the man known worldwide as Earth’s strongest star.

He certainly knew who Gracia was.

But toward that unknown man, he wore an endlessly gentle smile.

*‘…Who is he?’*

he had no idea.

—

—

 

**“Young Master Oliver. Going to meet your girlfriend today? You’ve dressed yourself up like a blooming flower~”**

In front of the vanity, the old woman teased.

Oliver stiffened and shook his head.

Then, staring into the full-length mirror before him, he spoke.

“It’s nothing like that. More importantly… do I look healthy?”

“Of course~! You look very healthy. No one would think you’re unwell if you went outside.”

A well-tailored suit.

The old woman tied his necktie and checked his face once more.

His pallor was covered with makeup—giving the illusion of color, making him seem healthier.

*‘I’m such an old fool… why am I tearing up?’*

The old woman carefully wiped the moisture from her eyes.

It had been nearly five years since Oliver had agreed to meet anyone.

For five whole years, Oliver had not taken a single step out of this castle.

He had shown interest in nothing, cared for no one—but now, he was dressing up to meet someone.

Having cared for Oliver since childhood, she saw him as her own child, and worried endlessly.

But with his congenital weak heart, Oliver looked like he could die at any moment.

He had no will to live.

He had completely shut himself away from reality.

Yet now he was preparing—earnestly, energetically.

And for half a day straight without resting.

Even if he *were* meeting a girlfriend, he wouldn’t prepare this much.

“Do I really look healthy?”

This question was already the dozenth time.

Each time, the old woman smiled brightly and nodded.

“Certainly! Even though I did it, the disguise is flawless.”

“Then… it’s fine. Let’s go up.”

Tense, Oliver climbed the stairs.

As they approached the rooftop, the rough sea surrounding them came into view.

“There’s still plenty of time before the expected arrival… will you be alright?”

“Yes. I’m fine. The air outside feels good.”

“Should I bring something for you to put on? It’s cold.”

“No, truly, I’m fine.”

Oliver continued to stare only at the sky.

The entire itinerary involved crossing the sea by plane and taking a helicopter to reach this place.

Oliver looked—how should one put it—almost reverent.

Facing the sun, he was silently readying himself.

The old woman, who had watched over Oliver for so long, trembled.

*‘He’s preparing to face the world.’*

At long last, Oliver was ready to break out of his shell.

To finally confront the world.

For two long hours,

Oliver, in his frail body, did not move an inch as he waited for the helicopter.

And when the helicopter finally appeared on the reddening horizon—

“……”

Oliver clenched his trembling fist with all his strength.

What should he say?

How should he greet him…

Hello, I’m Hudson.

No, I’m Oliver.

Which name should he use?

Phantom? Randolph? Or Mr. Park Hyun-myung?

“Arrival confirmed, Young Master.”

—

—

 

I quietly looked out the helicopter window.

An endlessly stretching ocean. And a small island in the distance.

*‘This is like a comic.’*

A lone castle jutting out at the island’s center.

It looked like something straight out of a manga or a movie.

It was my first time in England, but also my first time seeing a castle like this.

Ah. Also my first time floating in the air for 25 hours.

A day full of firsts.

*‘Hudson is here?’*

An island, a castle, a helicopter, a private jet—

No matter how I thought about it, this was no ordinary person.

I had thought he was just a resourceful gambler from the Golden City Arcana, but…

“We have arrived.”

Melson, piloting the helicopter, spoke.

The helicopter landed quietly at the top of the castle.

When the door opened, I slowly stepped onto the ground.

“Welcome.”

A sturdy man stood before me to greet me.

I carefully observed him.

He looked around 185 cm tall.

Wavy golden hair and blue eyes.

Slender, but with a striking impression.

This was Oliver—Hudson’s true appearance.

“I am Hud… Oliver.”

“Park Hyun-myung.”

We shook hands.

His palm was drenched with sweat.

And his smile was painfully awkward.

Completely different from the confident Hudson of Pangaenia.

He was trying his best to appear composed… but honestly?

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Suddenly, Oliver raised a hand.

At his fingertips, a faint golden light gathered.

A shard of the shattered Golden Scale.

The moment the golden light touched my head, my mind felt slightly clearer.

“Can you understand what I’m saying?”

“…There’s a translation feature?”

I was slightly shocked.

I had never imagined such a function existed in the Golden Scale shard.

It would’ve been nice to know earlier, but oh well.

It was that kind of game to begin with.

Oliver smiled faintly.

“Yes. The shard of the Golden Scale includes an auto-translation function.”

Auto-translation, huh.

Maybe there were other functions too.

When I glanced at the old woman, Oliver spoke quickly.

“Ah, these people are all trustworthy. They’re like my heart.”

“That’s what it seems like.”

“There’s no one else in this castle besides the four of us. Security is airtight, and this island isn’t on any map nor visible by satellite, so you can rest assured.”

An island not on maps?

Not visible even by satellite?

A question came to mind.

“How do you get food supplies?”

“Melson brings them once a week by helicopter. Anyway… you must be tired from the long trip, so please allow me to guide you to your quarters.”

So he resupplies by helicopter.

Oliver led the way.

The old woman and Melson watched him with a strange gaze.

Like adults watching a child leave its cage for the first time.

*‘He must have a story.’*

I shrugged.

He clearly had circumstances, but prying would be rude.

And one should never dig into someone’s family issues unless they bring it up first.

—

—

After unpacking, we sat for a meal.

Turkey, grilled vegetables, steak, lasagna, and wine.

Watching Oliver sit perfectly straight and eat with impeccable manners made me feel like I alone belonged to another world.

*‘Is he a real noble?’*

Not just his behavior.

Every painting, photo, and item displayed throughout the castle was extraordinary.

“If I may ask, where did the two of you meet?”

Melson, now in a butler’s uniform, asked.

I’d suspected from the beginning—he seemed to know nothing about my relationship with Oliver.

Oliver’s eyes widened in panic.

It was hard to define exactly *where* we met.

…Should we say we met at a casino?

It’d be funny to admit we cut a deal over the Fairy Queen’s Tear.

I answered casually.

“In a game.”

“Ah! So you’re gaming friends!”

Hearing it phrased like that made it feel… trivial.

But it wasn’t wrong.

Melson laughed.

“These days, I hear it’s not strange to make friends through games.”

“…Melson. I’d like to focus on my meal.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

He bowed cheerfully.

Judging by his earlier reactions, he did know Oliver was a *Dimension Warrior*, but not the details.

I cut my steak and glanced at Oliver.

*‘Just as I thought.’*

Just like with Hudson, I could see Oliver’s status window.

<< Oliver (Hudson) / Male / 29 / Neutral Good >>

Special Notes: Illegitimate child

Special Notes: Heart disease (worsening), liver and pancreas abnormalities, diabetes, 18 other complications.

He had no stats, but the special notes were crystal clear.

An illegitimate child.

Britain still retained a form of class system—but was he truly of noble blood?

And his body… it wouldn’t be strange if he dropped dead right now.

And the disparity between Hudson and Oliver…

*‘So his obsession with Pangaenia was because of his real body.’*

It wasn’t simply because he fell in love with Serengeti.

With a body like this, of course he’d cling to an alternate life.

Pangaenia must have been the ideal escape.

An ideal world where he could live a different life as Hudson.

*‘At this level, even Elixirs wouldn’t help.’*

Even top-tier elixirs couldn’t regenerate internal organs. They weren’t useless, but in this condition, meaningless.

Of course, there *was* a way to fix it.

*‘If it were a Saintess…’*

If a true Saintess blessed him, he might survive.

But you couldn’t bring one to Earth.

And the only Saintess with power like that had already died during the Great Expedition.

…Saintess Seia.

She could have healed him.

“Does the food not suit your taste?”

“No. It’s good.”

I shook my head.

Oliver was doing everything he could to hide his pain, but I had already seen every detail.

Even if I didn’t want to see it—his status was there.

But there was nothing I could do now.

I did have a blessing-related skill, but *Blessing of the Star* only removed curses—it didn’t heal bodies.

So the best thing I could do for Oliver was—

*‘Don’t show it.’*

Treat him normally.

—

—

After dinner, Oliver led me to the castle’s underground level.

A massive round door awaited, and after several layers of authentication, a sterile lab-like facility appeared.

At its center stood a huge cylindrical pod.

“What’s that?”

“A cutting-edge life-support chamber. It has auxiliary power—so even if the castle loses power, it can run for half a year.”

There was a reason Oliver said he could help.

This wasn’t just a castle—it was a fortress.

A state-of-the-art bunker-fortress.

And everything was built for one purpose: to keep Oliver alive.

“Impressive. But why are there two?”

“One is mine. The other is for you, Mr. Park Hyun-myung.”

I see. If there had been only one, it would’ve been awkward.

This chamber existed for Oliver’s survival, after all.

But the preparations were flawless.

With this facility, we could probably survive until the labyrinth was fully conquered.

Honestly… it exceeded expectations.

How many people prepared like this before entering a labyrinth?

“Then I’ll be in your care while the labyrinth progresses.”

“Yes! Please trust me.”

Oliver, finally relaxing a bit, smiled brightly.

—

—

Oliver could barely contain his trembling heart.

Phantom—he had appeared before him.

Though completely different from his presence in Pangaenia, the atmosphere felt unmistakably similar.

*‘So the rumors were true.’*

The rumor that Phantom was likely Korean.

It was true.

But aside from rumors, *no one* had ever actually met Phantom.

Plenty had *claimed* to, but all were lies.

*‘I’m the first.’*

The first person ever to stand before Phantom.

How could his heart not race?

Phantom was a legend—no, a myth.

—

 

 

 

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