Chapter 228

Chapter 228
## Chapter 228: The Unborn Existence

The Door of Truth, and its connection to the Heavenly?

That designation was utterly baffling.

For a split second, I wondered if my ears had deceived me, but I knew my senses were too sharp for such a mistake.

“What, do you happen to have the key on you or something?”

The Sunken Emperor fixed me with a piercing, analytical gaze.

He looked at me with deep skepticism, clearly finding it strange that I would ask about something that should be common knowledge. To any inhabitant of the Abyss, this was basic reality; my ignorance was an anomaly. Furthermore, if he discovered that I actually possessed the “key,” he would likely stop at nothing to consume me.

“Hardly,” I replied with a short, dismissive chuckle.

The Sunken Emperor followed suit, letting out a deep, booming laugh of his own.

“That’s what I figured. Unless one is the Apocalypse itself, there is no way a single entity could gather all the stars and their respective keys.”

······ Unless it’s the Apocalypse.

That specific phrase hung in the air, echoing in my mind.

Supposedly, only the Apocalypse was capable of holding all thirteen Hidden Traits simultaneously. But I was no such thing. I was a human being. I was nothing like a cosmic entity dedicated to the mindless slaughter of worlds.

My situation was mechanical: Knight King Wilhelm’s data had been wiped, turning his essence into 1.6 million Soul Points (SP). I had simply funneled those points into my Talents until they were completely maxed out. That numerical investment was the sole reason the thirteen Hidden Traits had surfaced.

‘Soul Points and Talents—are they the bridge to the Hidden Traits?’

I knew that specific Talent milestones triggered certain traits. For instance, putting 3,000 points into each of the five elemental Talents unlocks the Void attribute. Following that, an additional 5,000 points into Void itself manifests the Hidden Trait: Void. It was a chain reaction—Talents giving birth to more Talents.

But knowing the path didn’t make it accessible. Gathering Soul Points was a grueling, nearly impossible task for most.

‘Even the death of someone wielding a Unique-grade divine weapon only nets about 70,000 to 80,000 Soul Points.’

Sacrificing such powerful gear might only unlock one or two traits. Even then, Void was considered one of the “affordable” ones. The others demanded a much steeper price in SP.

‘However, with 1.6 million, I could effectively top off every Talent in existence. And SP can be slowly farmed through specific quests or the Rift Tower.’

The yields were measly, of course. Beating the first floor of the Rift Tower provided a mere 70,000. But if one were persistent enough to scrape together 1.6 million, they could, in theory, trigger all thirteen.

‘It isn’t an absolute impossibility.’

The probability was microscopic, but it wasn’t zero. Therefore, it was theoretically possible to house thirteen Hidden Traits without being the Harbinger of the Apocalypse. That was the logic I held onto. I wasn’t the Apocalypse; I was just an outlier of the system.

Yet, there was a nagging inconsistency.

‘······ Heavenly.’

Of the thirteen, there were a few I hadn’t fully grasped. Glutton, Great Sage, and Heavenly. Glutton had evolved into “Gluttony,” and Great Sage had transformed into the “Eyes of Truth.” Only one remained in its original form.

Heavenly.

And if Heavenly was synonymous with the Door of Truth······.

‘I’ve encountered the Door of Truth before.’

It happened during the moment Blade Queen Hana was manifesting the Dragon God’s karma. Through our connection, I had stood before that “Door.” It had existed within me, taking the form of a colossal eye and a gaping maw. Those were the entities that had granted me the evolution of Great Sage into the Eyes of Truth.

It was unlikely there were two such things. The sheer weight of their presence was incomparable to any divinity I had met. And those beings were “Heavenly”?

‘And what of the Players?’

The Player element was even more confusing. Players were summoned by the goddess for the singular purpose of defending the Pangeniar continent. They weren’t supposed to have deep roots in the Abyss. Yet, the fact that they could use Soul Points to obtain these traits and stars—didn’t that make them indistinguishable from the denizens of the Abyss?

“You have a remarkably heavy ‘Abyss Force’ for a recluse, similar to a high lord with multiple territories. Why have you abandoned your solitude to come here?”

I shoved my wandering thoughts aside. I needed to focus on the present. My current manifestation was draped in darkness, an appearance that mirrored a looming catastrophe.

“I haven’t been away from my lands for very long.”

“And yet you venture to the ‘Isle of Gods’? You are either brave or foolish. You should count yourself lucky you ran into this projection rather than my physical self.”

“Is there a significant difference?”

The Sunken Emperor gave a slow nod.

“A massive one. This form is merely a shadow of who I was in the distant past.”

“Were you once a man?”

“Most likely. The memories are faint.”

He knit his brows, trying to grasp at shadows. The time was so ancient that it felt like trying to recall a dream from a lifetime ago.

“But······ there is one detail that remains.”

“Which is?”

“I was the first emperor to bring the entire continent under one rule.”

The Sunken Emperor. Long ago, he had been the unifier of the land. This aligned perfectly with the clues the Primordial Dragon God had given me. It meant he was another traveler who had breached the “Primordial Dragon God’s Treasure Vault.” He was a relic of the beginning.

I offered a blunt observation.

“You’re being sentimental.”

“Perhaps. Maybe it’s because my true body is immobile? It feels as though some of my old human sentiment has bubbled to the surface.”

He sounded almost surprised by his own words. These were feelings he should have discarded upon becoming a lord of the Abyss. Regardless, I had what I needed.

‘The sun is down.’

The light was fading fast. Night was creeping across the horizon. It brought with it the darkness—or rather, the Abyss. It was a pity I hadn’t encountered more rival teams or participants, but their absence suggested they were growing wary and going to ground.

“Time to get moving.”

I didn’t want to attract any more unnecessary eyes. My priority now was finding a secure location to survive the night.

【The ‘Night’s Evil Spirit’ has descended upon the ‘Isle of Gods.’】

【The ‘Night’s Evil Spirit’ is a predatory phantom hunting for participants.】

【The ‘Night’s Evil Spirit’ possesses 500 Attack and 500 Health. Anything stolen by this spirit upon defeat is lost eternally.】

【Avoiding ‘Expedition Duels’ for more than 72 hours will trigger a 100% chance of an encounter with the ‘Night’s Evil Spirit.’】

【Furthermore, ‘Expedition Duels’ are strictly prohibited during the hours of ‘night.’】

【Any attempt to initiate combat between participants will summon the ‘Night’s Evil Spirit’ immediately.】

The alerts flashed as the island was swallowed by the dark. The rules of the game had shifted.

‘Relentless.’

With 500 in both stats, encountering it was a death sentence. But the most intriguing part was the prohibition of duels. Combat was effectively turned off.

‘Is the goal to force alliances during the night?’

It suggested that these hours were meant for diplomacy. Fighting would only bring ruin via the Evil Spirit. Therefore, one was encouraged to talk, trade, and build a network.

“Shouldn’t we be looking for shelter? Trudging around like this is just asking to be caught by the Night’s Evil Spirit. What’s the plan if that happens?”

I ignored the suggestion to hide. I stayed on the move, roaming even more aggressively after reading the new rules.

“It won’t attack on the opening night.”

“······? How can you be so certain?”

I didn’t bother explaining; I just shrugged.

‘It follows the logic of a horror game.’

In most horror titles, the first night is a tutorial. The ghosts don’t hunt you while you’re still learning the mechanics. Even if they show up, it’s a scripted scare rather than a kill. They make the avoidance path obvious.

‘There were star indicators on the map that weren’t there earlier.’

New markers had appeared. Yet, when I checked those coordinates during the day, there was nothing. There had to be a hidden trigger for their visibility. And that trigger was clearly the “night.” After all, stars only show themselves when the sun is gone.

‘Got it.’

Exactly as I suspected. A point of starlight was buried in the dirt, pulsing with a deep red glow. It was something that had been invisible during the daylight hours.

*Swish. Swwwish.*

Suddenly, a sound like dragging metal came from behind me. It began without warning.

“······ Shut your eyes and do not, under any circumstances, look back.”

The Sunken Emperor’s voice was a sharp whisper of warning.

I didn’t know what had manifested behind me, but the aura was suffocating. I had fought terrifying enemies before, but this was a different breed of cold. I obeyed and closed my eyes.

*Swish. Swwwish. Swwwiiiish.*

After thirty agonizing seconds, the dragging sound faded into nothingness.

“It’s gone. It has moved on.”

The Sunken Emperor let out a breath of relief. To see a being of his power react with such caution was telling.

“What was that thing?”

“······ An ‘Unborn Existence.’”

So one of those had just brushed past my back. It was confusing, though.

“If combat is impossible right now, why the need to hide my eyes?”

“That thing doesn’t play by the rules. It has no ‘precious thing’ to lose, so it doesn’t fear the consequences.”

“······ Isn’t that a violation of the game?”

“In this specific arena, it is the undisputed apex. It simply consumes, obliterates, and moves toward its own version of victory.”

He spoke with an intimate familiarity of the Unborn Existence. It had been the cause of my first loss in an expedition duel, and he clearly knew more than he was letting on.

He added, “Just make sure you never cross paths with that horror.”

A confrontation meant certain death. There was no way out. It was better to lose a sanctioned duel and rot in the Star Prison than to face that.

“Why are you looking out for me?”

This was a perfect opportunity to let a competitor die. I had helped him previously, but he was an inhabitant of the Abyss. Our alliance was built on utility, not gratitude.

The Sunken Emperor tilted his head slightly.

“I’m not sure. Perhaps this human form is affecting my judgment. But don’t expect such mercy if you ever encounter my ‘true self.’”

“How touching.”

“Regardless······ what did you find?”

“A starlight.”

A very unique one. Interestingly, it seemed the Sunken Emperor couldn’t even see the one I was looking at. Perhaps he hadn’t met the requirements. I finally voiced the question that had been brewing.

“Sunken Emperor. Are these ‘starlights’ named after the original twelve ‘stars’ that fell into the Abyss?”

“No. The rule here is that they manifest based on one’s own ‘memories of the stars.’”

“Memories of the stars each person holds?”

“Only the starlight corresponding to the name of a star you already possess will become visible to you.”

Since I held every Hidden Trait, I was the only one who could potentially see every starlight. But simply finding them wasn’t enough. They had to be organized according to the sequence of their origin.

‘So, I have to collect them in the order I first awakened and evolved the Hidden Traits.’

What came after the initial ones?

‘It was on the road to Cramdel. I consumed the core of the corpse crow, which evolved Glutton.’

But that was a minor shift, more of a functional use of the trait than a true evolution.

‘If not that, then it has to be when the Iron-Blooded Lord’s Heart became the Eternal Lord’s Heart. That was the first major transformation.’

That happened when I ended Maxim. When that man from the Wyzer Marquisate defiled the “Knight’s Garden” and insulted the memory of the knights I had bled with, my fury triggered the change. That was the “Hidden Trait Quest: Iron-Blooded Lord.”

‘I need to locate the Eternal Lord’s starlight.’

However, the light pulsing before me wasn’t the Eternal Lord’s. Nor did it correspond to any of the other evolved traits I had earned through my journey.

‘This is······!’

As I inspected the properties of the starlight, I struggled to keep my expression neutral.

【Sole Emperor’s Starlight ★★★★★】

【Attack 30, Health 30】

【A starlight infused with the ‘memories of the Sole Emperor.’ When held by the ‘Sole Emperor,’ it grants a +5 bonus to the Attack and Health of all other starlights.】

【Only one starlight of this exceptional grade can be carried.】

············ Why on earth is this here?