I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-96

Ch-96

—

**With this, that made two already.**

Only the armor remained—once he gathered that, the Baal Set would be complete.

Taking in a deep breath, I checked the talisman’s options.

**【Baal Talisman (Ultimate Myth)】**

* A talisman containing the essence of *Baal*, one of the ancient *Four Calamities* who once drove the world into terror.

* When applied to Baal Helmet or Baal Armor, the performance of the equipment is enhanced.

* Curse Reflection: 25%

* Duration Increase for curses cast on targets: 25%

* Curse Penetration: 10%

* Bound

* Application Limit (1): Must possess a title of “One Who Has Completed Myth” or higher

* Application Limit (2): All stats 90 or above

* Set Gear (2/3)

* When worn together with Baal Armor, performance is enhanced.

* When Baal Talisman is applied, performance is enhanced.

My head nodded on its own.

…This was stacked.

It couldn’t *be* any more stacked.

Not only did it strengthen the helmet’s performance, it also contained absurd options related to curses.

*“That’s insane.”*

These were options that truly made you mutter that exact phrase.

At a glance they seemed simple—but Curse Reflection, Curse Duration Increase, and Curse Penetration were almost impossible to balance together any better than this.

*“So if someone casts a curse on me, 25% of that curse is reflected, and that reflected portion has 25% longer duration, and on top of that it deals damage with curse penetration that bypasses even curse immunity.”*

Any curse magician would tear at the ground in despair over these options.

*“Penetration…”*

Especially that last one—‘Penetration’—was a term you rarely saw even in Unique-grade items.

Penetration pierced through immunity.

You might wonder how something immune could be pierced, but in Pangenia, there’s no such thing as “Absolute Immunity.”

There are always methods to pierce or bypass, and Penetration was the most basic and yet highest-tier method among them.

This Penetration even pierced Hidden Traits.

Which was why, if you could obtain it, you *had* to—yet even wanting it didn’t mean you could actually get it.

Anyway.

*“I’m curious how the helmet’s performance changes once I apply it.”*

I could never resist my curiosity.

I immediately applied the talisman.

《You have applied ‘Baal Talisman’ to ‘Baal Helmet.’》

《The performance of ‘Baal Helmet’ increases.》

—

**【Baal Helmet (Ultimate Myth) ●】**

* The helmet once worn by *Baal*, one of the ancient *Four Calamities* who plunged the world into fear.

* “Baal Talisman” has been applied.

* “Limit Break”: Maximum level of curse-type skills increases by 5.

* “Transcendent Curse”: One curse-type skill is transcendent-enhanced.

* “One Who Has Completed Inheritance”: +10 Mana

* “Master of the Hidden Side”: All skill proficiency increases 100% faster.

* Permanently applied when worn

* Bound

* Wear Limit (1): Must possess the title “One Who Has Completed Myth” or higher

* Wear Limit (2): All stats 90 or above

* Set Gear (1/3)

* Performance is enhanced when worn together with Baal Armor.

* Performance is enhanced when Baal Talisman is applied.

“…Insane.”

My jaw dropped at the updated options.

It wasn’t simply a doubling.

Some of the options had changed into things so incomparable they might as well belong to another dimension.

*“Max level +5.”*

Before, simple enhancement gave just +1 max level.

That was why I could raise High-Grade Corpse Crow Summoning to Level 11.

But after applying the talisman, that limit expanded fivefold.

Meaning even without transcending my curse-type skills, I could now raise them to Level 15.

The rarity of items that raise a skill’s max level needs no explanation.

This alone was astonishing—yet it was just the beginning.

*“Transcendent Enhancement.”*

When I had Ultimate Enhancement, the corpse crow merely copied my skills.

But with Transcendent Enhancement, the skill truly *transcended.*

*“The skill itself evolved into Ancient Corpse Crow Summoning.”*

Apparently, High-Grade Corpse Crow Summoning had not been the end.

*“+10 mana unconditionally. It applies even without transformation.”*

Before, mana only increased by 10 temporarily when casting curse skills, but now it was a permanent passive.

Excellent.

Utterly, overwhelmingly excellent.

But the true highlight was the last part.

*“Proficiency gain rate doubled!”*

Baal Helmet: ×2
Dexterity: ×2
Maximum Restriction Multiplier: ×1.5
Base Proficiency Gain: ×100%

That was a total of **700%**.

The proficiency gain rate, previously 550%, had skyrocketed to 700% in an instant.

Not a single option was wasted.

*Gulp.*

This was just with two pieces.
If all three were combined—who knew what the completed set would become?

Rumors said the full Baal Set could rival even Unique-grade items.

It might even surpass many of them.

And then—

《You have destroyed ‘Cursed Celestial Stone (1),’ revealing the interior of the temple.》

《Destroying ‘Cursed Celestial Stone (2)’ will allow you to proceed to the next gate.》

My proficiency work had only just begun.

—

### *

At the entrance of the mountain, countless monsters were gathering.

A force roughly ten thousand strong.

Monsters of all shapes stood in perfect formation.

And at their center stood the great warrior known as the orc *Raktusha*, gripping a massive greatsword.

“Now the time is ripe!”

Orcs, by racial trait, possessed innate talent in weapon-handling.

Among them, the greatest warrior, Raktusha, took a deep breath.

*“The one with the highest weapon proficiency level becomes the master of the mountain.”*

One of the reasons he had prepared for so long was to conquer this mountain.

To reach the summit of the Mountain of the Trainees.

Only by fully seizing control of the mountain could he force the Trainees and the White King’s daughter to kneel.

*“The only one who can conquer this mountain… is I, Raktusha.”*

He had no worries.

There was no way anyone possessed higher weapon proficiency than him.

A Swordmaster—

One who had fully mastered the sword and broken through the next realm—that was himself.

*“I have taken enlightenment as mine. There is no more hesitation.”*

Recently he had gained insight, and now he was certain: no opponent remained.

Not only that—

*“I must repay the grace of the Black King.”*

He had become impossibly strong.

Empowered by the overwhelming curse bestowed by the Black King, Raktusha now possessed a level that transcended his race entirely.

He had few rivals before—now, even facing Cramdel’s Four Pillars, he felt he would not lose.

The White King’s daughter might be a once-in-a-generation genius, but she was still a fledgling.

The only one who could conquer the Mountain of the Trainees and force her to kneel was himself.

Among those blessed by the Black King, only someone as exceptional as he could accomplish it.

And if he could draw the mountain’s Trainees into the Black King’s faction, he would receive even greater favor.

Raktusha raised his greatsword high.

“Climb the mountain! Conquer it! For the honorable Black King!”

Ziiiiiiing!

A sinister black aura surged skyward from Raktusha’s greatsword.

—

The Trainees of the mountain gathered in the Upper Realm.

“Are you saying Swordmaster Raktusha has invaded the mountain?”

“Isn’t Raktusha one of the Black King’s direct subordinates?”

“Why would a direct subordinate of the Black King come to the Mountain of the Trainees?”

“For Lady Aria, obviously.”

The sudden offensive left the Trainees shaken.

This was neutral ground.

No one had ever launched an attack with malicious intent before.

“Raktusha is climbing the mountain.”

“So are we just going to stand here blankly and let him reach this place?”

“Aren’t there no casualties yet? We Trainees have no justification to intervene.”

Raktusha climbed with confidence.

Binding the mountain.

Blocking anyone from leaving, then steadily conquering it layer by layer.

The problem was his attitude.

If he killed indiscriminately, Trainees would have grounds to stop him—but Raktusha quietly climbed without harming anyone.

And that meant…

“He intends to challenge the summit.”

“He’s trying to become the master of the mountain?”

“But the current master is Lady Aria…”

The one who reached the summit after the final trial became the mountain’s master.

Trainees had the duty to defend that master.

Meaning if Raktusha challenged Aria, they would have to fight.

But—if Raktusha *became* the master?

All eyes turned to Aria.

“…”

He wasn’t trying to kidnap her by force.

Raktusha intended to reach the summit, complete the trial, steal the position of the mountain’s master, and utterly subjugate Aria.

If she ran, she would become a coward who avoided challenge.

*Not that she could run anyway.*

Aria rose from her seat.

There were three trials to become the mountain’s master.

The final trial was a pure duel with the previous master.

Thus, she had no choice but to accept Raktusha’s challenge.

—

**Unsealed.**

Raktusha finally reached the Upper Realm.

“How trivial.”

Bloodless conquest.

He had climbed the entire way without spilling a single drop of blood.

No Trainee had blocked his path.

“I thought at least one bold fool would try to stop me.”

Tsk, tsk.

Raktusha clicked his tongue.

He’d heard many Trainees here had decent skill.

Yet not one dared to confront him.

Well—of course.

Anyone who saw the blazing black aura flowing from his entire body would not dare resist.

You didn’t need to fight to know the difference in class.

Just approaching him would squeeze the breath out of you.

“…Oh?”

But someone did not run.

A human holding a spear was slowly climbing the mountain.

Judging from his stance, his stride, the balance of his movements—he had skill.

Raktusha swung his greatsword once.

Kwaaa-rung!

A thunderous roar echoed as a blade of aura shot toward the spear-wielder.

—

Ancient Corpse Crow.

Transcendently evolved through skill transcendence, they appeared completely different from High-Grade Corpse Crows.

Waddle… waddle…

First: their size.

Their bodies were as big as small children, thick with swollen flesh.

When they unfurled their wings, the mass of flesh split open, revealing over a hundred additional corpse crows nested within.

Caw! Caw!
Caaaaaw!

“…A walking nest?”

Their numbers exceeded a thousand.

Enough to fill the entire temple.

But it wasn’t just numbers.

Caaaw!
Caaaaw!

They were far more orderly.

Where High-Grade Corpse Crows flew around chaotically, Ancient Corpse Crows controlled their nested crows with the discipline of generals.

As if they were waiting for my command, they simply stared at me blankly.

“Efficiently destroy the Cursed Celestial stone, caw!”

Caaaaaaaaaw!

At my order, the Ancient Corpse Crows opened their beaks.

*‘Hm?’*

And then they fired a Wave of Curse—at **me**.

Attacking their master?

For an instant, I wondered if they had gone insane.

《Ancient Corpse Crow uses “Wave of Curse.”》

《“Curse Reflection (25%)” is applied.》

《“Curse Duration Increase (25%)” is applied.》

《Reflected curse gains Penetration Effect (10%).》

《Ancient Corpse Crow uses “Curse Amplification.”》

I understood immediately what they were trying to do.

By firing the Wave of Curse at me, they were having it amplified once through the Baal Helmet, then amplifying that reflected wave again with their own skill.

In short—**infinite amplification.**

And when that infinitely amplified Wave of Curse was poured onto the Cursed Celestial stone—

Crackle—!

Though they didn’t physically strike it, cracks split across the stone.

Something that normally required tens of millions of hits.

Something that would take half a day of smashing together with the crows—
—was now done in just over a minute.

*‘…They’re using the Baal Helmet’s Penetration Effect.’*

Fixed damage caused by Penetration.

By amplifying the curse and maximizing that 10% Penetration, they were exploiting it to the fullest.

The Cursed Celestial stone could defend against all forms of damage nearly to the point of immunity,
but it could not block the fixed damage caused by Penetration.

*‘Smart, aren’t they?’*

These guys—who would’ve thought they’d figure out how to use the Baal Helmet’s effects?

For something they’d done instantly upon hearing “destroy efficiently,” it was flawless.

I’d been slightly taken aback at first, but at this point they were an excellent corpse crow legion.

*‘Receiving an amplified curse wave with my bare body isn’t exactly pleasant, though.’*

Still, at this pace, it seemed possible to destroy every Cursed Celestial stone in the temple within a day or two.

*‘There are over a hundred Celestial stone just in this temple.’*

Why prepare so many Cursed Celestial stone?

This was a temple built by Baal’s own hand.

There must be a reason.

*‘It feels like something is sealed in this temple.’*

He’d embedded over a hundred Cursed Celestial stone that should’ve taken ages to destroy, all inside the temple alone.