Chapter 137

Chapter 137
## Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Fifteenth Hidden Trait

“What is the meaning of this sudden development?”

A wave of bewilderment washed over every player simultaneously.

A barrage of system alerts had manifested without warning.

The data contained within these notifications was entirely foreign to their experience.

“Exploration of Truth, Understanding Dimensions, Obsidian Blood… just how many new abilities were just established?”

“Has an event of this magnitude ever occurred before?”

Certainly not.

While the ascent of spires and the overflow of the void were known phenomena, this marked the inaugural instance where fresh aptitudes were unlocked for the entire player base.

Furthermore, the nature of these newly appeared talents was difficult to grasp at a glance.

“Is this connected to the appearance of the Rift Tower?”

“It seems we are being directed to gather SP from the Rift Tower to invest in these specific traits.”

“And there is mention of acquiring vast quantities of those incredibly scarce Golden Rule shards!”

“But what does the removal of level caps signify?”

“Does it imply that skill mastery is now limitless, or that we can finally surpass the tenth level?”

Even a thorough review of the text provided no immediate clarity.

Certainty would only come once they selected the traits for themselves and began their ascent of the spire.

Yet, there was a detail even more provocative than the rest.

“Why did this trigger at this particular moment?”

“The bulletin claims an individual obliterated a ‘Dimensional Gate,’ which in turn forced the Rift Tower to emerge.”

“What exactly is a Dimensional Gate? And who managed to crush it?”

“How should I know? It clearly wasn’t a standard player, though.”

The general consensus was that a powerful imperial entity or some other transcendent force was causing a disturbance in a realm far beyond their reach.

However, the identity of the perpetrator was secondary.

With the corruption level hitting 20% and rising, this opening was an invaluable stroke of luck.

It was in that precise window that a new alert surfaced.

《The Merit Standings for ‘Primary Mission 8’ have been updated.》

Another notification arriving at this pivotal second.

The Merit Standings. It was obvious that someone had torn through the objective with an astronomical rating.

But why now of all times?

While there can be a delay in processing, the synchronicity was too glaring.

At the exact second the new aptitudes surfaced and the Rift Tower manifested, the leaderboard shifted.

“It can’t be…”

“Did they eradicate the source of the blight and shatter the Dimensional Gate in one fell swoop?”

“By whose hand?”

“…If we’re talking about Primary Mission 8, there’s only one candidate.”

Especially regarding that specific mission segment.

There was a solitary figure capable of such total dominance in that area.

A late arrival who had systematically dismantled every frontrunner.

The individual who consistently secured the top spot with incomprehensible margins.

Phantom!

Yet, when the identification and the new standing finally materialized, the players could only gape in disbelief.

“…This is madness!!”

“How is this even…”

“…For real?”

“No, even taking that into account, this is…”

“It has to be a mistake, right?”

The Constellation of the Radiant Hero.

He shuddered with intense fervor.

“…Exquisite.”

The chronicle he had just witnessed was possessed of such profound grace.

It justified every ounce of the price he had surrendered.

The heroic legacy of Randolph had fanned the embers of a heroism he had long since buried.

“Constellation of the Radiant Hero. Did you truly observe the whole thing?”

“Hah… Even for an entity like you, enduring that alone must have been a burden.”

The other celestial beings turned their attention toward him.

They had disregarded the account of Randolph.

Unwilling to pay the ‘toll,’ they had purposefully looked away.

But the Constellation of the Radiant Hero was of a different sort.

He alone had absorbed the entirety of ‘Randolph’s’ journey.

The complication lay in the starlight required for such a feat. Randolph’s accomplishments were far too immense to be sustained by his own celestial essence.

Stripped of their remaining starlight, a constellation was destined to vanish.

And yet.

“…I am content.”

Even as his very essence bled away into nothingness, the Constellation of the Radiant Hero wore a grin.

He shared the same peace as the other constellations that had faded before him.

The chronicles of Randolph consistently mended their internal voids.

And the fulfillment provided by this specific tale far outweighed anything that had come before.

‘Even with the realization that Isabella had recovered her lost thoughts, he committed himself regardless.’

A path leading straight to disaster.

A bond destined for total collapse.

He had suspected that this time the tether might truly snap, but he had been drastically wrong.

Instead, Randolph displayed a level of martyrdom that was unexpected.

Randolph was significantly more grounded—and more of a champion—than anyone had predicted.

Furthermore.

‘The Sovereign of Demon Blood. To actually incorporate that primordial entity into himself.’

Staggering.

Truly, a narrative that defied all expectations.

Who else could conceive of such a maneuver?

No one but Randolph.

Only Randolph possessed the audacity to execute something so reckless.

“Hahaha!”

Revisiting the thought sent a jolt of awe through him.

How had he even formulated such a plan?

Utilizing his own physical vessel as a trap to drag the Sovereign of Demon Blood inward.

Typically, the logic would be to excise the blight—not to invite the blight to consume you.

His thunderous laughter caused the other celestial entities to look on in confusion.

“What is the source of your mirth?”

“What kind of vision did you actually see?”

“You, who are usually so stoic…”

“Will you not share it with us?”

It was a predictable inquiry.

They were in the dark. They had failed to watch.

They only grasped the final result.

That solitary, brief sentence: Primary Mission 8 successfully resolved.

The pride of possessing the intricate details of a story they lacked—one so untainted—was immense.

They had no concept of the magnitude of what had transpired.

But he would not speak of it, nor did he wish to.

The Constellation of the Radiant Hero felt a profound sense of peace.

‘Unstable achievement of a continuous legend confirmed. And starlight representing the core of a celestial existence. All requirements for the manifestation of a Unique grade have been satisfied.’

The legend of toppling Baal, and the absorption of the Sovereign of Demon Blood.

It was impeccable.

Furthermore, the Constellation of the Radiant Hero had moved to offer up his entire reservoir of starlight.

If it was the essence that defined his very being, it would meet the final criteria.

It was not essence seized through coercion, but surrendered through genuine fulfillment.

The scale and purity of it were beyond comparison.

And even then, the Constellation of the Radiant Hero kept his smile until the very end.

…He found his peace.

He was whole.

The void within him was gone forever.

“I thank you, Randolph.”

Swaaaaa.

His spectral form began to dissolve, piece by piece.

As if discarding a worn-out husk, the shadows fell away.

Aria stood frozen, her breath hitching at the person who was revealed.

“That… that face…!!!”

It was unmistakably the individual she had encountered on the mountain of the seekers.

Her memory was hazy due to her prior state of collapse, but the resonance of his blade technique made it certain.

‘The Fifth Commander is a human?’

Yet, he held the rank of a Fifth Commander.

Cramdel was a domain strictly forbidden to humanity, and the seats of the commanders were set aside for an elite few.

Did this imply he had fooled the citizens of Cramdel, the other Four Commanders, and even the Sovereign of White to infiltrate their ranks as a human?

How could such a thing be possible?

Perhaps it was a different entity merely wearing a human skin.

However, that physical form and the sudden, sharp scent of mortality were undeniably authentic.

Aria was certain.

‘He has played us all for fools!’

Operating as a human while leading them all astray.

Masking his true nature to manipulate everyone around him.

If the truth leaked that a Fifth Commander was actually human, what would the fallout be?

The remaining leadership and the Sovereign of White would be turned into laughingstocks.

The very foundations of Cramdel could be torn apart.

A monumental scandal on the eve of conflict with the Sovereign of Black could utterly shatter the spirit of the army.

‘I must end him here…’

Aria bit down on her lip.

Her kind harbored a deep-seated hatred for humans.

It was a feeling that ran through her very marrow.

Aria was no exception.

Most importantly, for the sake of Cramdel’s survival, she had to execute this human with her own strength right now.

An opportunity like this would never return once he reclaimed his strength.

If she didn’t act while he lay there defenseless, it would be a missed chance for eternity.

However…

“You must perish.”

Slash!

In that fleeting second, her physical form was restricted.

Aria found herself unable to move a muscle.

Shifting her focus, she saw the woman who had previously clashed with Randolph…

Isabella.

‘The look in her eyes…!’

Aria felt a chill from Isabella’s gaze.

Those were the eyes of a person who had already committed to a killing blow.

Gaze as hollow and dark as a bottomless pit.

She intended to silence Aria for having seen Randolph’s true nature.

Aria took a ragged breath.

This restraint had managed to pin down even Fifth Commander Randolph.

There was no hope for her to slip away.

“…I will not speak a word regarding the Fifth Commander.”

“No.”

Isabella gave a slight shake of her head.

The tainted warriors had all fallen into a stupor, but this hybrid had clearly witnessed Randolph’s true appearance.

A creature of both beast and man, but certainly not human.

If it wasn’t human and recognized him as the Fifth Commander, it was undoubtedly from Cramdel.

Isabella spoke.

“Even if you remain silent, the Sovereign of White will discover the truth eventually.”

As long as Aria remained within the borders of Cramdel, the Sovereign of White would detect a discrepancy.

His perception was beyond all things.

The Sovereign of White must never find out that a Fifth Commander was human.

Beyond that, this entire catastrophe had originated from Isabella herself.

Consequently, she decided to finish Aria in this place.

Slash!

A double-layered seal.

There was no requirement to escalate to five layers.

A simple strike to the throat would suffice.

Isabella reached for a discarded sword belonging to one of the warriors.

‘…There is no reasoning with her.’

Aria surrendered to her fate.

She understood that someone with that specific look in their eyes wouldn’t be swayed by words.

Ssssh.

Isabella stepped closer until they were inches apart and lifted the blade.

But as the sword began its descent.

“Cease.”

Freeze!

Isabella stopped dead at the sound of the voice coming from behind her.

She shifted her sight.

“Ah!”

Randolph.

He had regained consciousness.

In that moment, Isabella’s focus snapped back to the present.

“A-are you alright?!”

She dropped the weapon to the dirt and sprinted to Randolph’s side.

…I finally returned to my senses.

I had nearly slipped into a permanent slumber.

Processing the ‘Sovereign of Demon Blood’ had proven to be that exhausting.

But it was acceptable.

I had achieved my goal, and the Sovereign of Demon Blood had been integrated as a hidden trait.

‘My fifteenth hidden trait.’

A collection that began at thirteen had now expanded to fifteen.

With the addition of Eternal Randolph and the Sovereign of Demon Blood.

Truthfully, I was somewhat shocked.

I hadn’t anticipated that the processed Sovereign of Demon Blood would manifest as a hidden trait.

‘What are its properties?’

There was no way to determine that currently.

All hidden traits only demonstrate their utility through practical application and conflict.

One fact was certain: as a ‘hidden trait,’ its value was bound to be immense.

No hidden trait had ever proven to be mediocre.

“Is your physical condition stable? Can you stand? Are there any wounds?”

Isabella was hovering over me with intense concern.

However, my focus wasn’t on her.

I was looking past her at the incoming notifications.

《Integrated with previous calculations.》

《Calculation finalized.》

The Primary Mission rewards had been determined.

I had anticipated a high mark, but the specific figure was startling.

Integrating with previous—did that involve the credit for Baal’s destruction?

《O trailblazer of an unparalleled legend!》

《Your legend shall resonate throughout the land.》

《Total mark: 1,500 points》

《Obtain 1 ‘Pristine Golden Rule’ and ‘Shard of the Ruptured Golden Rule (1,500h)’.》

《‘Constellation of the Radiant Hero’ has fulfilled the ultimate requirement.》

《You are now permitted to finalize a new Unique-grade object.》

《Choose one from the following options.》

《Ancient Light》, 《Mjolnir》, 《The Bow That Pierces Gods》, 《Eventide》, 《Defiance of the Horizon》, 《Mourning》, 《Plate of Valhalla》, 《Greaves of the Sky-Breaker》, 《Crest of the Dragon God》, 《Barrier of the Radiant Protector》……

“…!!!”