I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-86

Ch-86

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‘Or perhaps something entirely different crossed over.’

It might not have been the Saint at all, but *something else* genuinely causing the erosion.

A dangerous situation in many ways.

This message would have been delivered to every player.

I got up quickly.

Either way, it was a problem I caused, so shouldn’t I be the one to resolve it?

《‘???’ has returned to its original location.》

《‘Erosion’ has ended.》

Just as I was about to leave the castle, another line surfaced.

That the entity causing the erosion returned, and thus the erosion had ended.

‘…So it *was* Saint Seia.’

I let out a small sigh.

There would be a bit of commotion, but at least one thing was now certain.

‘Non-player Pangaenian natives *can* cross over to Earth.’

Just like how monsters invaded Earth.

However, it seemed that Pangaenian natives were also classified as “enemies.”

To think the system message itself would urge their elimination.

Unless it was because she crossed over through a warp related to erosion.

But as with Ahram’s first invasion, any warp that allowed passage to Earth was always tied to an invasion.

‘Then what happens if the erosion rate rises?’

As the erosion rate rises, the boundary between Earth and Pangaenia collapses.

But how it collapses—what exactly happens once it does—was unknown.

Would a war break out between Pangaenia and Earth?

“Hm.”

I rubbed my chin in thought, but this wasn’t a problem that would yield an answer immediately.

With no other choice, I returned to where I had been.

First, I needed to confirm the Saint’s condition.

*

*

 

Oliver felt as if he were dreaming.

The person who appeared through the warp.

He recognized her at a glance.

‘The Saint… Lady Seia…’

There was no way he wouldn’t know.

Saint Seia was the face of the Goddess Church.

He had been told that if they waited here, someone might cross over, but he was never told it would be *Saint Seia*, so even now his heart felt like it might burst.

Yes. His heart was beating.

Strongly.

Vigorously.

From the very moment she placed her hand on his chest.

“Melson. My heart… no longer hurts.”

“W-what are you saying?”

“My heart has been healed.”

“Surely, just now—was it that person?”

“Yes.”

Tears welled up and streamed down on their own.

The heart that had tormented him since birth—like a candle that might flicker out at any moment—had finally begun to function normally.

Though Saint Seia left immediately afterward, all of this had been possible thanks to one man.

Randolph.

The man who cleared the Abyssal Labyrinth had given him this gift.

But for a gift, it was far too tremendous.

He no longer had to fight death every day.

He no longer had to lie to Serenghetti.

How could he ever repay such grace?

“Is anyone aware that we came here?”

“No one. We used an independent route unrelated to the royal family, so no one will be able to discover it.”

“Then we must leave now. Quietly and as quickly as possible.”

“That’s my specialty. Don’t worry, young master.”

“We have a lot to discuss once we return, Melson.”

“Yes, sir.”

Melson held no doubts—

Not about anything that had happened.

He believed that when the time came, the young master would explain everything.

Retracing their steps, the two left the place.

Only after circling around for some time and completely erasing all traces were they finally able to reach the castle.

And the moment he arrived, Oliver headed straight underground, knelt on one knee before the bedridden king.

“Young master…?!”

Melson jolted in alarm at the sudden action, but Oliver didn’t so much as flinch.

“Melson. This man is not merely a game friend. He is my heart—and my Lord, whom I shall follow for eternity.”

“…!”

*His heart.*

In other words, the Korean man had been involved in everything that happened today.

And he called him “Lord.”

Was he becoming something like a knight pledging allegiance to a king?

Color had returned to Oliver’s once-pale face.

A healthy complexion anyone could see.

Even Melson, who had served him for years, had never seen Oliver look like this.

Oliver continued, his voice firm with resolve.

“From now on, you will serve him with me—no, you must serve him even more than you serve me. Without fail.”

*

*

I confirmed that Oliver’s heart had been healed.

Now the remaining task was to find warps to connect to the labyrinth city.

At least three lands had to be linked to prevent it from sinking again.

Fortunately, there was an ideal candidate.

“Oh! Friend! It has been too long!”

The Rustle Forest.

The High Dryad welcomed me the moment she saw me.

“Our friend has arrived! Today, we must hold a festival!”

“Hold on, friend. Before that, I’d like you to look at this.”

“What is this?”

The High Dryad’s eyes widened as she saw the seed I held out.

“T-this is the Verdant Seed!”

“I intend to gift it to your forest.”

“You mean… the Verdant Seed, as a gift?”

I nodded.

Dryads grow stronger as their forest grows.

If Verdancy took root in the Rustle Forest, both their level and scale would increase at once.

Among the things I purchased from the golden vending machine in the labyrinth was precisely this—Verdant Seed.

The High Dryad looked troubled.

“It was already generous of you to gift us a spirit. But we cannot accept Verdancy on top of that, friend.”

“Of course it’s not free.”

“Then?”

“I want the Rustle Forest and my city to be connected by warp.”

“That much I would do even without receiving the seed.”

As expected of a Dryad.

Once they trust someone, they trust them completely.

Even if it meant connecting to a city they disliked—humans’ city—they were agreeing without hesitation.

Not even asking a single question.

I smiled faintly.

“Consider it a bribe to further solidify our relationship.”

“No matter what, I still…”

“Refusing more would be discourteous between friends, wouldn’t it, friend?”

“Ugh… very well. But for the Verdant Seed to sprout, the land must have sufficient natural power…”

“Don’t worry about that. Is there a suitable place?”

“There is, but…”

“Let’s go there first.”

“Mmm. Follow me.”

Wearing an uneasy expression, the High Dryad guided me.

Soon a wide clearing appeared, and I planted the Verdant Seed at its center.

Watching this, the High Dryad spoke.

“This land lacks the necessary energy. Forests that bore Verdancy all held natural power akin to dragon veins. My friend… I am sorry to disappoint you, but this land contains no such power.”

There were several lands where Verdancy had taken root.

Most famously, the land of the elves.

Strengthened around Verdancy, they possessed power no human could ever rival.

But the reason Verdancy could sprout there was simple: countless dragons had died on that land.

The dragons’ corpses accumulated and formed “dragon veins,” allowing Verdancy to bloom.

But this place held no such energy.

Even the Rustle Forest itself wasn’t particularly large.

‘Rapid Growth.’

But to me, that problem did not matter.

I only needed the sprout.

《‘Verdant Seed’ undergoes Rapid Growth.》

《‘Verdant Seed’ has begun to germinate!》

Sssssss—

In an instant, the seed sprouted and its roots spread deep into the earth.

“Gasp…!”

The High Dryad’s eyes bulged as if they might pop out.

“W-what in the world…!!”

A sight beyond belief even as she watched.

Verdancy grew in an instant.

《‘Great Nature of the High Druid’ manifests.》

《‘Verdancy’ has completed its first growth!》

《‘Rapid Growth’ skill level has increased!》

《‘Rapid Growth’ skill level has increased!》

《‘Rapid Growth’ skill level has increased!》

《‘Rapid Growth’ skill level has reached 5. Safer growth is now possible.》

《‘Rapid Growth’ skill level will allow second growth of Verdancy at level 7.》

《By Verdancy’s blessing, nearby ‘Forest Races’ gain +1 maximum level.》

《By Verdancy’s blessing, ‘Forest Growth Rate’ increases by 200%.》

Oh.

The effects of Verdancy were formidable.

Dryads’ maximum level increased, forest growth doubled.

Proof that Rustle Forest would flourish further.

‘Incredible.’

Moreover, thanks to the Baal Helm and Dexterity, the seed’s sprouting boosted my skill by three levels.

I expected one, maybe two at most…

“F-friend, what on earth has just happened?!”

Leaving the astonished High Dryad behind, I answered lightly, as if I’d just picked something up along the way.

“A gift, my friend.”

*

*

 

《Warp between ‘Rustle Forest’ and ‘Labyrinth City’ has been connected.》

That made one.

Two locations remained.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

Right after returning from the Rustle Forest—

Kaaak! Kaaak!

Corpse crows flying overhead.

…Right now, I was in Cramdel.

I had once again become the King of Corpse Crows and visited Cramdel.

Because of an *emergency summons*.

It was none other than the White King’s urgent call.

The “insignia” I received upon becoming an Arch-Power wielder had gone wild, leaving me no choice.

An emergency summons was only issued when there was a matter requiring the gathering of all powerholders, and barring exceptional circumstances, attendance was mandatory.

“Randolph!”

As soon as I arrived at Cramdel, the first to greet me was the Death King.

I paused for a moment.

Why was he calling me by name in such a goosebump-inducing way?

And it wasn’t as if someone like the Death King had free time to stand here waiting for me.

…No way.

Had he been *waiting at the entrance* this whole time?

Was he trying to pick a fight?

I had already revealed my name before the White King.

The Death King and other Arch-Powers had heard it too, so calling my name wasn’t strange.

And the Death King was the one who had been most openly friendly toward me among them.

Even if I gave him the benefit of the doubt—this was still a problem.

The ruler of Cramdel, one of the Arch-Powers, waiting at the entrance for me?

In front of countless watching monsters.

In a situation where calling each other by name was not appropriate.

In fact, the monsters alternated glances between me and the Death King, whispering.

“Who is that crow?”

“Shh. That’s the one who ascended as Arch-Power recently.”

“Even so… is he really so great that the Death King himself would wait for him?”

“I heard he accomplished something beyond even the White King in the Coffin of Mysteries.”

“Beyond the White King…!”

“Then how strong must he be?”

“I heard he killed Ahram alone.”

“The Wraith King Ahram?”

“Even the Star Guardians fought over recruiting this Arch-Power.”

“Unbelievable.”

“So he’s not what he appears.”

I hear everything, you punks.

I hadn’t realized when I first became an Arch-Power, but while I was away, rumors about me had spread across all of Cramdel.

Some were false, but I didn’t care.

Rumors always grow exaggerated.

I simply walked forward with composure.

The Death King, too, approached without a hint of concern.

He had no awareness at all of how his behavior looked.

In that case, I also could not show that I cared.

“Randolph! Seeing you up close is even more delightful.”

“It has been some time. Caw.”

“I heard you were coming, but I simply couldn’t contain my curiosity.”

The Death King was clearly excited.

What in the world was he excited about?

Was it related to the matter for which the White King had issued the emergency summons?

“What exactly are you curious about, caw?”

“The Abyssal Labyrinth! Was it truly you who killed Sword Saint Riley?”

Ah. So this was about the labyrinth.

Come to think of it, the Desert Queen had mentioned the Death King at some point.

If the Death King had challenged the Abyssal Labyrinth, then naturally he would have seen my name.

What should I say?

‘Should I answer that it wasn’t me, but a human with the same name?’

If I told him it was merely a human who happened to share my name, the Death King would surely be disappointed.

But if I said that *I* cleared it, then the labyrinth city would end up unmistakably becoming a city under the power of the Five Arch-Powers.

Under the White King— a city of monsters.

“That’s right, caw.”

On second thought, that might not be such a bad thing.

Hadn’t I already designated the Rustle Forest as a warp connection point?

There was no rule that said the city’s master had to be human.

For now, staying under the White King’s protection would be the safest choice.

And if I managed to connect Cramdel as well, who would dare attack the labyrinth?

No one in their right mind would provoke the White King and attempt such recklessness.

Just being connected to Cramdel would exert overwhelming deterrent force.

 

 

 

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