Trait Hoarder – Chapter 170

Great Labyrinth – Part 2

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

I didn’t do anything special.

We had just flown here casually while training.

But from what he said next, I realized why he was reacting this way.

“Did you stumble upon some great fortune? Your entire presence has changed. Back then, you were clearly just a warrior. But now…”

His sharp eyes scrutinized me from head to toe.

It was as if he could see through my very soul.

The Blood King was also an 8th-level transcendent.

He was probably examining the mana circuits inside my body.

“You don’t look like a warrior anymore. You look like a seasoned fighter. No, more like a battle-hardened veteran. How did this happen?”

I understood what he meant.

The last time we met, I had Tiger King Sword Technique traits equipped.

Thanks to that, and the Black Tiger Sword at my waist, I had managed to decline his offer to become his disciple.

But now?

[Giant’s Strength] [Vajra Body] [Undying]
[Mars Swordsmanship] [Thor’s Cultivation Technique] [Close-Combat Mastery]

A full Mars Build.

If anything, it was closer to a traditional warrior setup.

Once my mana was strong enough to sustain Mars Swordsmanship without Thor’s Cultivation Technique, I planned to swap it out for Grand Assault.

I could also add Sword Expert, Shield Expert, or even Weapon Master.

“I had a fortunate encounter.”

“Oh? A fortunate encounter? But to my eyes, it looks like you’ve strayed far from tradition. You’ve gone completely down the demonic path.”

Nonsense.

There were many warriors in Arcane Seoul, but the most common were traditional warriors.

There was a reason they were called traditional.

I couldn’t help but laugh, and the Blood King’s eyebrow twitched.

“You dare laugh?”

Then, slowly, he clenched his fist.

Krrrnnng.

A strange resonating sound.

His fist was howling.

Fiery red Sword Qi surged like boiling blood.

It felt as if the entire area was being submerged in a river of blood.

I quickly called out to my disciples.

“Get as far back as possible! Prepare to defend yourselves!”

We were standing on the deck of my skyship.

I had docked it, reducing its size to that of a destroyer, when the Blood King had shown up.

Shiiing!

I drew the Black Tiger Sword.

The clear ring of the blade steadied my mind.

I had expected this from the start.

All three of the Heavenly Demon’s disciples were the same.

If they met warriors below Level 5, they tried to recruit them as disciples.

If they met Level 6 or 7 warriors, they boasted and showed off their skills.

And if they met an 8th-level warrior? They challenged them to a duel.

I pointed the Black Tiger Sword at the Blood King.

The grin on his lips deepened.

“Excellent!”

Without hesitation, he swung his fist downward.

A fist imbued with Sword Qi came crashing from above.

It felt like the sky itself was collapsing.

As if a massive mountain was tumbling down to crush me.

The air evaporated, making it hard to breathe.

My knees were about to buckle under the pressure—but I resisted.

Gritting my teeth, I instinctively swung my sword.

Slaaash!

Blazing Sword Qi!

A naturally flowing heavy strike, followed by a chained attack!

I wasn’t using Bright Eyes.

I didn’t even have Sixth Sense equipped.

But Mars Swordsmanship, the Sword of the God of War, told me exactly where and how to strike.

I followed that intuition and stabbed forward.

Dozens, no, hundreds of thrusts unfolded in a single breath.

A barrage of radiant strikes overlapped like a sculpture of light.

This wasn’t just repetitive stabbing.

It was a single cohesive form—

A monstrous entity forged from overlapping Sword Qi.

Kzztzzzt!

There was no way to counter it head-on.

This was an 8th-level transcendent’s strike.

I had defeated an old and weak Level 7 master, and even Massacre Empress, a perfected Level 7, but the gap between an 8th-level transcendent and a 7th-level master was enormous.

Like heaven and earth.

Even with my full-strength counterattack, all I could do was slightly push back the crimson destruction.

Boooom!

The Sword Qi struck just beside me.

The once-indestructible deck, the ship’s hull that had withstood even the Memory Giants, shattered, sending fragments flying.

I could feel wooden splinters embedding into my skin as I gasped for breath.

My whole body felt like it was breaking apart, but the Blood King seemed even more excited.

“Excellent!”

He clapped his hands, then brought his index and middle fingers together, extending them forward.

Was he serious?

“Take this as well!”

A crimson beam shot out.

A precise, lightning-fast attack.

The moment I registered it, it was already aiming straight for my forehead.

Was he insane?!

I couldn’t block this with my current traits.

I needed traits meant for warriors—specifically for combat!

[Giant’s Strength] [Mana Soul] [Sword Qi]
[Mars Swordsmanship] [Thor’s Cultivation Technique] [Sword Expert]

I instantly swapped out three traits.

Then, I swung my sword.

The Black Tiger Sword spun in a perfect arc.

A razor-sharp Sword Qi slashed at the crimson beam.

Just before it could pierce my forehead—

I barely managed to redirect its trajectory.

“Ahhh!”

“Mother of—!”

Unfortunately, the attack was now heading straight for my disciples.

They screamed.

Thankfully, no one was hurt.

I retrieved my sword and caught my breath.

The Blood King was staring at me as if he had just seen a ghost.

“You… You’re…”

I had done that on purpose.

Because the Pontiff of the Thor Cult had once described the Heavenly Demon as a Transcendent God.

“Heh… Hahaha. So that’s it. That’s what’s going on.”

The Blood King let out a hollow laugh.

Then, suddenly, his expression turned predatory.

Striding forward, he grabbed my hand and shouted.

“You’re a Heavenly Demon’s Body!”

The hell was that?

“What do you mean by Heavenly Demon’s Body?”

“What do I mean?! It’s the ultimate physique! A body that can master any martial art, wield any supernatural power—a body as vast as an ocean!”

“Isn’t that Heavenly Martial Body?”

“Completely different. Heavenly Martial Body is limited to martial arts. It lets you learn martial arts ten times faster than normal, but it can’t absorb supernatural abilities.”

The Blood King looked at me with greedy eyes.

The eyes of a predator eyeing its prey.

Instinctively, I tried to shake off his grip, but I couldn’t.

His steel-like hand was clamped tightly around mine.

“This isn’t the time for this! We must go to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains at once! We need to meet Master!”

“The Heavenly Demon?”

“Yes! Now I see it—you’re not someone I can take under my wing. You were meant to be my junior disciple! Hah! A Heavenly Demon’s Body! After the First Heavenly Demon and my master, you’d be the third! We must go immediately, so you can pay your respects and officially become my junior! My master will accept you as a disciple the moment he lays eyes on you!”

It was an enticing offer.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

An attack technique, a defense technique, a movement technique, and a mana cultivation method all in one.

A truly unparalleled and supreme trait.

Everyone who had been listening was completely stunned.

They blinked at me in disbelief.

Baek Sorin gave me an urgent nod, and my other disciples, while shocked, were looking at me with eyes practically begging me to accept.

But I slowly shook my head.

“I’m deeply honored, and I sincerely appreciate it. But if I go to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, will I actually be able to meet the Heavenly Demon?”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?”

“You mentioned before that the Heavenly Demon may have ascended to immortality.”

“Well, that’s…”

Checkmate.

In the game, once you completed the personal quests of the three disciples of the Heavenly Demon, an event would trigger where you traveled to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

A complete trap.

The three disciples would spend an entire in-game year waiting to meet their master, only to return to the squad empty-handed.

They never got to meet the Heavenly Demon and wasted their time in vain.

It would be the same here.

In the game, you could fast-forward time, but in this world, that wasn’t possible.

If I wasted a year waiting, Episode 2 would pass, and the moment I returned, Episode 3 would begin.

That would be the end of me.

“I have my own responsibilities and people I need to take care of.”

“Hah, so you’re refusing?”

“Of course not. If the Heavenly Demon himself calls for me, I’ll drop everything and go. But I can’t go to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains just to wait indefinitely, can I? You yourself said it’s been a long time since you last saw him.”

“Hrmm.”

The Blood King didn’t seem pleased.

He made a noise like he was clearing his throat, but it was more like a growl.

But what could he do?

The one who’s desperate has to make the move.

For me, Heavenly Demon Divine Art had alternative replacements in the Big Three Sword Arts.

But for the Blood King, unless he himself became the Heavenly Demon, I was his only option.

If he wanted to reach greater heights, if he wanted even a taste of Heavenly Demon Divine Art, he had no choice but to introduce me as the youngest disciple.

Eventually, the Blood King nodded.

“Fine. But remember this. If you ever disrespect my master, I will never let you live.”

“If I even get to see the Heavenly Demon’s shadow, it would be the honor of three lifetimes. If he calls for me, I will drop everything and go. That, I swear.”

“As you should.”

Hearing my firm response, the Blood King, while still dissatisfied, accepted it.

“Now then, what was this request of yours?”

It seemed he had finally remembered the original reason for coming.

Impatient as always.

If this were under normal circumstances, we would have met in his office.

But he had gone out of his way to track me down on my skyship.

“I want to use the Dimensional Railroad.”

“The Dimensional Railroad? Hm, for you, I suppose that’s fine.”

The Dimensional Railroad.

A passage that connected the depths of the Great Labyrinth to the labyrinth city of Aachen.

The Great Labyrinth was essentially a massive restricted zone—an alternate dimension.

The inside and outside were completely cut off from each other.

Even radio waves didn’t work, so if you wanted to communicate with the Fortress of Beginnings on the 10th floor or any of the lower fortresses or forward bases, you had to wait for couriers to deliver messages.

But necessity breeds invention.

The Protector Alliance had a special passage they only used in emergencies.

That was the Dimensional Railroad.

A makeshift path, patched together from alternate dimensions and subspaces, allowing for rapid travel to locations like the Fortress of Beginnings on the 10th floor, the Guardian Citadel on the 20th, or even the Cannon Fortress on the 50th.

It was just incredibly dangerous.

“Use it as you wish. Any official Protector has the right to use the Dimensional Railroad. But you do know what lurks inside, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then handle it yourself. If you get devoured by dimension beasts, that just means I misjudged you. Remember—your fate lies in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I neatly folded my skyship and stored it in my pocket.

As we made our way toward the Dimensional Railroad, my disciples all looked like they had a million things they wanted to say.

Baek Sorin, in particular, could never hold back in situations like this.

Once we were far enough from the Blood King, she immediately leaned in.

“Teacher! What was that about? Heavenly Demon’s Body? Are you a Heavenly Demon?”

How the hell did she jump to that conclusion?

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I guess my body type is similar to the Heavenly Demon’s. Even the Thor Cult mentioned it.”

“Huh? The Thor Cult?”

“Yeah. Their Pontiff apparently saw the Heavenly Demon once. He said I was the same.”

Divine Annihilation Star. Omnipotent One. Heavenly Demon’s Body.

Different places and groups seemed to have different names for it.

Though, there was something bothering me.

‘The Thor Cult described it as a soul phenomenon. Why is it a body here?’

Was it because this was a warrior-based organization?

No, that didn’t make sense.

The Heavenly Demon Cult was primarily made up of warriors, but it was still fundamentally a religious sect.

“It makes sense now why you’ve been getting stronger so fast.”

“Are you going to become the Heavenly Demon one day, Teacher?”

“If you do, you can’t forget about us!”

“Stop getting ahead of yourselves.”

“But Teacher, shouldn’t you at least visit the Ten Thousand Great Mountains?”

“No. If I don’t intend to become a real disciple, there’s no reason to go there. The Blood King may want to take me in as his junior disciple, but Divine Lord and Demon Marquis won’t.”

Especially Divine Lord.

If I were officially recognized as possessing the Heavenly Demon’s Body and inherited the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, it would only be a matter of time before I was named the next Young Cult Master.

That would make Divine Lord nothing more than a dog chasing chickens.

Of course, he’d try to eliminate me.

Erase me from existence.

‘I need to be careful.’

Today’s events would soon reach Divine Lord’s ears.

I had to get stronger before he moved to suppress me.

Would it have been better to keep this quiet?

No.

By making an enemy of Divine Lord, I had also gained the potential to become the Heavenly Demon’s disciple.

That meant my reputation and status were growing.

Right now, I needed to expand my influence as much as possible.

I already had an enemy in the Old Father’s Cult, so Divine Lord was an acceptable risk.

As we talked, we arrived at the Dimensional Railroad.

It was a three-dimensional railway.

Ordinary railroads lay flat on the ground in a straight line, but the Dimensional Railroad had tracks laid at the vertices of a square.

The train itself spun as it moved, operating in a capsule-like form.

No, calling it a capsule wasn’t quite right.

It was more like an amusement park ride.

There were only safety belts—no roof, no enclosure.

Completely exposed.

The station master gave us a warning.

“Be careful. It takes three hours to reach the Cannon Fortress on the 50th floor. During that time, you must fend off dimensional creatures.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

“Well, considering you might become the Cult Leader’s disciple… I suppose you’ll be fine. We’re departing now.”

Clunk.

The dimensional train started moving.

Soon, we passed through a blue dimensional gate and entered the Dimensional Corridor.

“Oh my!”

“Wow!”

It was a truly bizarre world.

Giant gears spun in every direction.

Scenes of the Industrial Age flickered past, followed by visions of feudal lords waging war.

Strange monsters, supreme dragons, gods and demons, beautiful fairies, and nightmarish hellscapes drifted by like bubbles.

This was why it was called the Dimensional Corridor and the Dimensional Railroad.

A thin, unstable seam that stitched together different worlds and eras at random.

“Stay alert. They’ll show up soon.”

“Yes!”

Everyone drew their swords.

Almost simultaneously, a bubble of light shot toward us from the front.

Zzzuuuaang!

A beam of energy.

I expanded Aegis to its maximum, deflecting it.

Claaang!

A soft vibration spread through my body.

That was a powerful strike.

I could block it, but even someone as strong as Baek Sorin would struggle against it.

“Ugh!”

As expected, I heard a suppressed groan from behind me.

I had no choice.

I slashed through my safety belt with the Black Tiger Sword and leaped out.

“Teacher!”

“I’m fine!”

I had Bright Eyes, Sixth Sense, and Grand Assault.

In an emergency, I could even use my skills for triple jumps.

I practically flew across the train, ignoring the mind-bending scenery while parrying one attack after another.

[Keekkk!]

[Guaaagh!]

The dimensional creatures shrieked.

Their bodies were like larvae, with root-like tendrils and bat wings.

They opened their mouths and fired energy beams.

The attacks struck the mind, body, and mana circuits simultaneously, but it didn’t matter.

With Vajra Body and Star Spawn, the damage was halved, and Undying restored the rest.

I didn’t use my sword.

I deliberately relied only on my shield.

Instead of simply deflecting or redirecting attacks, I blocked them head-on.

I could have used my sword to parry or absorb the impact, but that would have been a waste.

I knew exactly what trait I could easily obtain in this section.

“They’re increasing in number!”

“They’re chasing us!”

More and more dimensional creatures swarmed in.

I waited for the right moment.

Then, the signal came.

Wuuuuung.

Aegis vibrated, letting out a clear chime.

I immediately raised Aegis and aimed at one of the creatures.

As an energy beam struck the shield, I infused it with mana.

Instead of absorbing it—

I reflected it.

Zzzzuuunng!

The energy beam rebounded, shooting back at the dimensional creature.

A rainbow-colored flame erupted, and the creature disintegrated into dust.

[Kiieeekk!]

Acquired the trait: [Magic Reflection]

Now, only one thing remained before I could get Shield Expert—Shockwave.

“Whoa!”

“That was awesome!”

“Teacher! How many should I take down?”

“Huh? Absolutely not! If you leave the train, you’ll fall into the dimensional rift. Do NOT step outside!”

Kali nearly blurted out something dangerous.

No matter how broken Shadow Step was, that wasn’t happening.

I continued moving between the train cars, wielding Aegis.

One Magic Reflection, one dead dimensional creature.

In the game, this had practically been a mini-game.

A warrior with Magic Reflection could clear it effortlessly, while mages and priests had an incredibly difficult time.

Either way, we had no trouble.

Three hours later, we arrived at the Cannon Fortress.

After a night of rest, we departed.

About an hour into our descent into the Great Labyrinth, we found it.

A giant, 10 meters tall.

A fallen angel with shriveled wings and a grotesque face.

The one who possessed the Nephilim’s Sword.

A Level 7 Raid Boss.

Anak.

–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!

If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame

Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt