I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-80

Ch-80

—

But the silver fox mask had said that, by its “mission,” it must eliminate the dead within the labyrinth. If the abyss engulfing Riley is to be called “the dead,” then was removing it the mission?

I shook my head.

That wasn’t what was important right now.

“Riley, O great Sword Saint.”

Just in case, I spoke to Riley.

Among the phrases that appeared as I passed through the Gate of the Golden Ratio, there was one: “the soul has returned.”

Depending on that message, the Riley who had once been called the great Sword Saint might have regained his mind.

Given that he wasn’t attacking me immediately, it was entirely possible.

Peace.

What a wonderful word.

Peaceful resolution was the core theme of the 21st century.

Kyaaaaaah—!

The Supreme Dragon spread its wings.

With an overwhelming presence, it unfurled its wings, and an enormous number of mana spheres began to form.

The peace negotiations were rejected.

“…So we’re doing this, then.”

Boom!

Kwa-kwa-kwa-BOOM!

Kwarururung!

*

Something was wrong.

Kim Hana couldn’t help but tilt her head.

She checked just in case—searched through SNS and YouTube and everything—and the results were even stranger.

“All the Warriors have stopped all activity…?”

“What are you talking about, Kim-won?”

At the question of Seo Jeong-ah, who sat beside her, Kim Hana bit her thumb and opened her mouth.

“There’s not a single Warrior currently active.”

“Agh, you must be mistaken. Just a moment ago on KakaoTalk… nobody’s replying?”

Seo Jeong-ah opened her phone to check and frowned.

Until moments ago, her friends—who had been chatting with her endlessly—had suddenly stopped responding.

Seo Jeong-ah had maintained close relationships with Korean male Warriors under the condition of “having a cup of coffee with Kim Hana.”

But now, every single one of those desperately responsive men had stopped talking at the exact same moment.

‘Have they gone insane?’

Of course, Kim Hana didn’t know about this condition—but Seo Jeong-ah, who did, found the situation truly baffling.

Those who’d been replying in real time had all vanished.

An impossible situation.

“It feels like they’re extremely focused on something.”

“Focused? On what?”

“Warriors know about special situations in advance. As if someone gives them notices beforehand.”

“There *were* rumors like that.”

“What if something so huge happened somewhere that every Warrior had to concentrate at the same time?”

“Like the previous invasion?”

Kim Hana nodded.

Every Warrior she knew had stopped activity, as if arranged beforehand.

Something like this had happened only once before.

At the moment of the invasion.

But back then, quite a few Warriors had even turned on livestreams.

Though the invasion never actually happened, the consensus had been that all Warriors had somehow been aware of it in advance.

Kim Hana voiced another doubt.

“Why did Gracia leave Korea?”

“Because the invasion ended, so he went back to his homeland?”

“Gracia drew attention, but a significant number of Warriors left Korea simultaneously. Don’t you find that strange?”

“Hm…”

“It’d be fine if they only left—but every single one of them disappeared.”

Those who left.

Gracia included—heroes, all of them.

And all of them disappeared without a trace.

Kim Hana wasn’t the only one sensing something strange.

Just searching on Google brought up a flood of related articles.

—Where did they go?

—Heroes who suddenly vanished.

—Something is happening that we do not know about.

Though not featured in major outlets, many journalists overseas had written articles openly expressing suspicion.

And that wasn’t all.

‘I definitely saw Park Hyun-myung at the airport.’

There was no way she saw wrong.

Park Hyun-myung. She definitely saw him exiting the airport.

He even entered SGBAC together with Gracia.

SGBAC—the departure area for VIPs boarding private jets.

Unless Park Hyun-myung was the hidden son of some secret conglomerate family, it made no sense.

‘Just who is *Park Hyun-myung*?’

She couldn’t make sense of it.

Wasn’t he just an ordinary man who’d quit his job?

And now he suddenly boards a private jet?

Maybe… he was a far bigger deal than she originally thought.

Gracia, Park Hyun-myung, countless Warriors—all headed overseas.

Simultaneously, as if prearranged.

Why?

Tuk!

Kim Hana stood and grabbed her bag.

“Let’s go find out.”

“Find what?”

“A Warrior. We have to ask directly.”

“Is there even a Warrior who’ll give us a proper answer?”

“There is. Definitely. But not one who belongs to a group. An individual. We need someone who’s purely alone.”

“Such a person exists…?”

They did.

Someone like the one who secretly wrote on a memo and told her the heroes were fake.

There must be people who *want* to talk, but *cannot* talk.

They were the ones she needed to find.

Recluses.

Those who belonged nowhere, hidden somewhere.

*

The Master entered the labyrinth again.

“Randolph. That bastard challenged Riley?”

He couldn’t stand it.

Though it was possible this was another Randolph entirely, if someone challenged the Sword Saint Riley, then it was definitely Phantom.

It was Phantom who took his sword.

All the blades he had honed, all the hidden preparations, had been buried and annihilated in the abyss because of that man.

But this was Pangaenia.

“Go to the Labyrinth Merchant and sweep up everything we need.”

“Yes.”

“We obey, Master.”

The knights moved.

They roamed the labyrinth, purchasing special items from the Labyrinth Merchant.

Specifically, the “Mirror of Added Conditions.”

“If you know the target’s name, and if they are inside the labyrinth, the mirror can be used.”

Most challengers who had attempted the labyrinth had already logged out.

Labyrinth Merchants were overflowing everywhere.

The knights found them and bought every Mirror of Added Conditions they could find.

When ten were gathered—

Ten mirrors.
Ten conditions added.

If all those conditions struck at once, the bastard would be guaranteed to fail.

It was Phantom’s mistake to write his real name.

Arrogant fool.

The Master smiled.

“Randolph.”

<‘Randolph’ exists within the labyrinth.>

Ah!

Of course. He’s there.

If he’s still inside, he can only be Phantom, challenging the Sword Saint Riley!

The Master’s smile grew deeper.

“……”

The smile vanished instantly.

*

The surroundings were exploding apart.

Continuous detonations tore up the ground.

But the Supreme Dragon’s attacks could not directly harm me.

<‘Throne of Radiant Light’ activates.>

The Throne of Radiant Light!

Brilliant light flashed from the ring on my finger, forming the shape of a throne.

Sitting there, I calmly watched the Supreme Dragon.

This radiant unique-grade equipment—the ring—was the product of pouring everything I had.

The ring’s ability changed according to the prefix it carried.

【Throne of Radiant Light (Radiant Unique-Grade)】

—A throne of light said to have once seated the god who upheld the sun.

—Offer tribute to unlock the throne’s abilities.

—Abilities differ depending on the attached prefix.

—Current prefix: Radiant.

—While seated upon the Radiant Throne of Light, all attacks in spaces where the light flickers are nullified.

—Able to use “Radiant Brilliance (Lv. 20).”

—Using “Radiant Brilliance” removes the prefix.

All attacks nullified!

As long as I sat on the throne—even the Supreme Dragon couldn’t touch me.

The diameter was only about two meters, but it was a fixed-position invincibility skill.

But I couldn’t sit here forever.

Even now, the erosion was steadily progressing.

Gwooooooh—!

The Supreme Dragon condensed mana in its mouth.

It unleashed a breath attack, but still, it didn’t reach me.

“Is that all? You think something like that can touch me?”

I taunted the dragon.

To drain its strength.

But when even its breath attack failed, the Supreme Dragon stopped.

Then it rose into the air.

Saaaaaa…

SAAAAAAA—!

Suddenly, “hands” appeared from every patch of ground.

Hands of the abyss.

Wraiths of the deep that consumed everything!

Countless hands rushed toward the throne.

But they didn’t touch it.

Blocked by the barrier of light, they could not approach.

‘I can’t see anything.’

The problem was my vision.

Surrounded by the abyssal hands, my view was completely obstructed.

I had no idea what the Supreme Dragon was doing up in the air.

‘So much for reading its patterns.’

I clicked my tongue lightly.

My plan had been to use the Throne of Light to observe all of its patterns, then return for another attempt.

I wanted to use my bow, but I had offered even the Satyrus’s Bow as material.

All to secure the best possible prefix.

‘Radiant Brilliance.’

The result was Radiant Brilliance.

A level 20 skill—other than that, I knew nothing.

I knew what the Throne of Light was, but not the abilities granted by each prefix.

It was a one-time skill; using it would erase the Radiant prefix.

Should I use it?

Just sitting here was inefficient.

The Supreme Dragon had no intention of showing me its patterns.

In that case—

Of course. Only after using it did I understand what kind of skill it was.

A skill summoning the soul of a once-radiant hero.

How it manifested, I wasn’t sure—but if it said “to the throne,” then it likely meant the soul would descend upon me as I sat.

Radiant—glorious—those who had once shone brightest.

Countless names flashed in my mind.

Supreme and mighty beings who had forged myths and legends!

Among them, whose name should I call?

Whose presence could break this situation?

A different league entirely—

The first to come to mind were the ancient heroes related to Riley.

Those who had roamed the world with the Sword Saint Riley, known collectively as the “Hexagon.”

One of them *might* work.

But it was only a possibility.

Their tales had only been passed down orally—there was no precise combat data. Summoning them would be nothing more than gambling.

‘If there’s someone whose data is absolutely certain…’

There was.

Someone who could predict victory more reliably than anyone else.

Me.

······Knight King Wilhelm.

If it was Knight King Wilhelm, it was possible.

He could fight the Supreme Dragon—and even what lay beyond it.

‘Wilhelm’s soul, huh.’

But did Knight King Wilhelm even *have* a soul?

Just as I had wondered about Isaac and Isabella, I always had this question.

Do the characters we players controlled—did they actually possess souls?

Weren’t they just like an AI?

If they *did*, then where was the soul of this body—“Randolph”?

‘Only one way to find out.’

I would know once I tried.

If the Throne of Radiant Light truly had the mechanism to summon the soul of the dead, then whether or not the summon succeeded would prove the existence of souls.

‘If you hoard it, it becomes useless.’

Pangaenia was a game where you must use things when you can.

If you hoard them, then die, everything resets and disappears.

Truly, there was no game more fitting for the phrase *hoarded until it turned to crap*…

Moreover, if the summoning is successful, you can clear it.

Abyss Labyrinth.

Conquer this labyrinth that Gracia, Mint Choco, and the Empire failed to conquer!

“Wilhelm.”

Sitting on the throne of light, he slowly opened his mouth.

Okay then.

A short sentence that popped out right after made me frown.

Prev Next