I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-71

Ch-71

—

I had prepared in advance to take full control of this war.

“Isaac, once the spores burst and the smoke thickens, you’re going to act.”

“Act… what kind of act, sir?”

“Scream in agony. As painfully as you can.”

“Ah.”

Isaac realized what he needed to do and nodded.

Isabella asked,

“What should I do?”

“Add to the confusion. Before the smoke clears, hit fast and pull out even faster.”

I had no intention of staying long.

I planned to earn only the points I needed, buy what I came for, and get out.

The longer I remained here, the higher the chance that an unbeatable opponent would appear.

Before long, people began to emerge.

《You have slaughtered more than ten challengers!》

《Achievement ‘Butcher of the Battlefield’ has been accomplished.》

《You have acquired 40 points.》

《You have gained 40h 17m of Broken Golden Scale Fragments.》

《Your Broken Golden Rule Fragments have surpassed 1,000h!》

I had secured enough points.

A total of 50.

Then I purchased what I needed from the vending machine.

《You have purchased ‘Detector (10)’.》

《Duplicate purchase not allowed.》

《You have purchased ‘Labyrinth Ticket (1)’.》

《All ‘Labyrinth Tickets’ have been sold out.》

《You have purchased ‘Mirror of Added Conditions (1)’.》

《All ‘Mirrors of Added Conditions’ have been sold out.》

The numbers in parentheses were the remaining stock.

Aside from the detector, I bought everything that was being sold in single limited quantities.

There were other items on the list, but nothing particularly special.

‘The Labyrinth Merchant keeps appearing.’

I understood now.

Most likely, the available items change depending on which merchant appears.

This merchant seemed to be offering things that were useful only in the early stages.

After quickly leaving the area, I reviewed what I had bought.

【Detector】

* Detects challengers within a 10km radius.

* The higher their points, the larger they appear on the display.

* Usable 5 times.

【Labyrinth Ticket】

* Using the ticket lets you pass through a wall once.

* Single-use.

【Mirror of Added Conditions】

* Adds an “action condition” to one challenger in the ‘Abyssal Labyrinth’.
* Single-use.

* To use it, you must reflect the target in the mirror or call their name. If the name does not belong to a challenger inside the Labyrinth, the mirror disappears.

All were limited-use items, but their effects were absolutely decisive.

Essential tools for passing through this Labyrinth.

‘Shame they didn’t sell a map.’

They did sell one.

For 1,000 points.

No one could afford that yet.

Everyone knew how pitiful the Broken Golden Scale Fragments were for most players.

A player like me with more than a thousand hours saved up?

Probably countable on one hand.

But anyone with a thousand points would inevitably be detected by the detector.

People with high scores become targets.

‘Escaping safely comes first.’

Undoubtedly, more would be converging here.

I needed to leave this place for good.

<Using ‘Detector’.>

<Remaining uses: 4.>

On the fist-sized detector, clusters of dots sprang to life.

A 10km radius map centered on me.

“They’re really swarming in.”

Just as Isaac said, there were at least 400 dots.

Around 50 were gathered at the Labyrinth Merchant.

I had no idea how big this Labyrinth was, but 400 people within a 10km radius…

I couldn’t even guess how many entrants there were total.

“······There’s one big dot right in front of us.”

Isabella spoke nervously.

I frowned.

Among the roughly 400 dots, there were two large ones.

And one of them was right in front of us.

I didn’t know who it was.

But it was clearly a strong one who had overwhelmingly slaughtered many challengers.

And the speed at which it was closing in was absurd.

Behind us were swarms of people trying to reach the Labyrinth Merchant.

Caught front and back.

Should I use the ticket to pass through the wall and escape?

*Riiing!*

A bell chimed.

*Riiing-riing!*

The rough, violent ringing drew rapidly closer.

“They’re not planning to just pass by.”

Isaac and Isabella readied their weapons.

I drew the bowstring of Satyrus’s’ Terror.

At that moment, the opponent appeared.

‘······A silver fox mask?’

The newcomer wore a fox-mask of pure silver.

But that wasn’t the problem.

Above their head, the level floated.

【★★】

…What.

I barely held back a curse.

A 2-Star Transcendent stood before us.

Among every human I had ever encountered, this was the strongest existence.

‘The Black Bell.’

And at their waist hung a black bell.

Serengeti’s warning echoed in my mind.

—I don’t know the details either. But be careful. Their obsession and persistence in hunting down “sinners” are said to be beyond imagination. Rumor has it they carry the “Black Bell” that never rings.

The black bell was the emblem of the Reaper Cult.

But wasn’t it supposed to be silent?

*RIIING! RIIIIING! RINGRINGRINGRING—!*

…It was ringing like hell.

As soon as I caught sight of the silver-fox mask, the figure was already before me.

Speed beyond merely “fast.”

I lowered my bow.

Isaac and Isabella also put away their weapons.

The moment we saw the level, we knew we stood no chance face-to-face.

The silver-fox mask was like a natural disaster in human form.

The best we could do was signal we meant no hostility.

“······.”

But the figure simply stayed before me.

Head slightly tilted.

‘What is he doing?’

The black bell kept ringing wildly.

Was it because I was a player?

Or was it something else?

This one had earned the most points within a 10km radius. That meant they cut down everyone who got in their way to reach this spot.

Meaning, if they considered me an enemy, there’d be no need for hesitation.

They’d just cut me down.

Yet they were wasting time standing before me.

Even though their destination was clearly the Labyrinth Merchant.

In a situation where even a single second mattered.

‘He isn’t looking at me.’

Only then did I realize that the silver-fox mask’s interest wasn’t aimed at me.

Those pure white eyes made it impossible to tell where they were focused.

‘He’s looking at Hel.’

*Kya-kya?*

Hel, too, sensed the gaze and tilted his head along with his scythe.

“······?”

*Kya-kya-kya?*

“······.”

*Kyakya-kekekeh!*

“······!!”

…Were they seriously communicating?

At Hel’s sharp reaction, the silver-fox mask’s shoulders briefly shook.

“Greetings to the rightful heir’s patron.”

And then he knelt on one knee before me.

…It was one surprise after another.

For a moment I couldn’t grasp what was happening, but my mind quickly sharpened, clutching at scraps of related knowledge.

‘Rightful Heir.’

A title referring to Hel.

A phrase written alongside the Celestial Spirit.

It meant he was the heir to something—but I had never learned what.

And now, this masked swordsman had addressed *me* as the heir’s patron and called Hel the *rightful heir*.

The silver-fox mask knew Hel’s identity.

Then who was *he*?

“By my mandate, I am to eliminate the Labyrinth’s fallen ones. I apologize for not being able to accompany you personally.”

“······.”

Mandate.

The Labyrinth’s fallen.

Only one thought surfaced.

Was he here to kill Sword Saint Riley?

Either way, when nothing was certain, silence was the best answer.

There’s a reason for the saying “If you stay quiet, you’ll at least be average.”

“Please accept this first.”

The silver-fox masked man then took out a golden emblem from inside his coat.

A round token—almost like a badge.

‘This is…’

The moment I saw the design, I was startled.

A large pentagram with a smaller pentagram nestled at its center.

I knew what it was immediately.

‘The Golden Pentagram. Symbol of the Arhon Empire.’

The Arhon Empire!

The continent’s strongest nation, with more than fifty metropolitan cities.

And the one place most inaccessible to players.

The imperial family remained shrouded in mystery.

Even during my time as Wilhelm, I had virtually no direct interactions with them.

‘A swordsman carrying a token with the emperor’s seal…’

What shocked me even more was the imperial seal stamped upon it.

With this token, I could freely enter any city in the Empire—
even the most secretive palaces where the royal family lived.

Not only that.

…Players would line up to buy it.

No joke, it would sell for the price of a small city.

And he handed it to me.

“Eighty-seven days from now, the ‘Banquet of the Reaper’ will be held at the main temple of the Reaper Cult. Come wearing a golden goat mask, carrying this token.”

Then the silver-fox mask rose and bowed once before leaving.

He truly seemed in a hurry.

He vanished in the blink of an eye.

Checking with the detector, I saw that after he arrived near the merchant, more than fifty dots disappeared at once.

He had massacred everyone targeting the merchant.

A thought I hadn’t dared voice surfaced in my mind.

…So where exactly is the *Reaper Cult* located?

*

*

Isaac and Isabella’s expressions had subtly changed.

The moment they faced the silver-fox mask, they understood they could not compare.

A pure difference in tier.

The gap in martial attainment was overwhelming.

“You can reach that level.”

Isaac and Isabella.

Both were characters I raised.

They had more than enough foundation to transcend.

Especially Isabella—upon reaching level 10, she would naturally gain awareness of the position of the “Stars.”

One of the exceedingly few undiscovered Stars: the Transcendent Star Jörmungandr.

Isaac, too—once more of his stats were increased—had a high chance of receiving a Star’s guidance. Either a Star-bearer would emerge or he would realize it naturally.

So—

“I’ll make sure you get there.”

Don’t worry.

You’ll reach that height whether you want to or not.

Only after I declared this confidently did their expressions ease.

They still seemed to have questions—probably itching to ask about my relationship with the Reaper Cult.

It was natural; even in Pangaenia, the name “Reaper Cult” was only recently spreading.

The rumor that Maxim of the Eight Heroes was a “sinner,” and that was why he assassinated the duke he once followed, had circulated.

So the Reaper Cult’s name was rising rapidly.

The Eight Heroes had officially expelled Maxim. They were now the Seven Heroes.

Someone among them clearly knew how to manipulate major information channels.

‘Most likely the Master.’

The Master ran the “Interdimensional Community” on Earth as well.

He was the one who understood better than anyone how to control and exploit information channels.

He was probably the one who mythologized Wilhelm and the others.

At any rate—

‘This Labyrinth is too big.’

I was troubled.

No matter how much I thought about it, the Labyrinth was too vast.

I had no idea where the ruler of the Abyss was located.

Walking the entire Labyrinth would take a year.

If I lost my way and had to log out halfway, I’d be reset entirely.

Yet the entry condition was Broken Golden Scale Fragments.

From what I’d seen, no one could possibly have a year’s worth of fragments.

Either this Labyrinth was designed to be impossible to clear…

‘Or there is definitely a shortcut.’

A shortcut.

A hidden area.

Or another warp.

There had to be something.

This Labyrinth was not meant to be cleared simply by walking.

Then where would it be?

Somewhere unseen—or somewhere no one would ever think to look.

—

 

 

 

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