***
Talents, skills acquired post-birth, stats, various equipment, and talismans that could engrave special options onto equipment, and so on.
There were many types of abilities that allowed one to find the 'hidden things' in Pangenia.
Literally, finding hidden paths, hidden options of items, or uncovering hidden secrets of seals...
However, I would dare say that the types of abilities that provided such help could not compare to this one hidden trait.
Mutant.
One of the 13 hidden traits I possessed, an ability akin to a divine power that uncovers all 'secrets'!
'I can see.'
Hidden paths. An impasse designed to be invisible to human eyes.
Whooooosh!
There was a long bridge connecting the sanctuary atop the cliff.
A powerful wind, pulling downwards, was also blowing.
The structure was designed so that if one did not concentrate and walk on the narrow bridge, they would fall off the cliff, but.
"Wh-what are you doing...?!"
Isabella let out a startled cry as I leaped from a specific area next to the bridge. She probably thought I was trying to commit suicide.
However, her surprise subsided in an instant.
"Follow me closely."
"......Did the stars tell you about a path like that too?"
"Are you asking something obvious?"
Isabella stared at me with a peculiar look.
Invisible to the naked eye, small blocks of land floated in the air throughout the sanctuary.
At best, they were narrow enough for only one adult to barely stand on. If you didn't step on them properly, you would fall to your death, but they were incredibly clear to my eyes.
'It's incomparable to exploration skills.'
When I entered this place with my previous character, I was equipped with all sorts of tools and skills.
For example, even the 'Insight' skill, an evolved form of 'Exploration' that had reached level 10, did not clearly reveal hidden paths as they unfolded before my eyes now.
It only provided a general description of where land might be, and the gap between reading it in text and seeing it with one's own eyes needed no further explanation.
The downdraft was so strong that flying with wings was useless.
There were 'abyssal fish' at the bottom, so if you were pulled in, you would die regardless of your level.
Only land. You could only survive by stepping on the land and passing through.
'Can I achieve 100% exploration?'
It was a sub-quest, but it was a sanctuary exploration at that.
When I entered before, I had reached the end, but the exploration rate stopped at around 97%.
The special item 'Glory of Horn' I received at 97%... If I could reach 100%, I might receive an epic treasure.
I jumped to the next block and turned my head.
"......? What are you doing?"
Isabella was hesitating, not jumping.
She looked at me with a strange expression.
"I got a cramp in my leg."
......I was speechless for a moment.
When she had been flying like a fish in water while attacking soldiers.
It was utter nonsense.
"You must control your strength when jumping. Be careful, or you'll be swept away by the downdraft."
The intervals weren't wide, but the problem was the downdraft.
The wind was so strong that if you made even a slight mistake, you would be swept away.
No matter how high Isabella's level was or how agile she was, death was certain at that moment.
"There are invisible paths in the sanctuary..."
"Hurry up and jump. We don't have time."
"Can we really receive the 'Blessing of the Stars' by going this way?"
Look at this one.
"Are you scared?"
"Hah, of course not."
Although she tried to scoff, I could see it. In the pitch-black darkness, Isabella's moist eyes were trembling powerfully.
Was she a character like that?
To have risen to the second-in-command of Paisalmer, she should have shed all fear. To be called a princess, one must gain the favor of the Queen and be recognized by the elders.
In essence, she was a woman of iron will. That was the impression Isabella, the Snake Princess, gave.
I chuckled and teased her.
"You're more cowardly than I thought."
"......I don't know the word 'cowardice.' I simply got a cramp in my leg."
She made a show of stretching her leg and then jumped.
Isabella landed on the first block and looked up at me triumphantly.
"See, I'm not scared." It felt like she was saying.
But she never looked down.
Could she possibly have acrophobia?
"Well done."
"How many more are there?"
"Hmm."
After roughly calculating the visible blocks, I told her.
"We'll arrive in about 70 blocks."
"70......"
"No, is it 80?"
"......"
"It might be 90."
Isabella's eyebrows began to tremble slightly.
✺✺✺
'How can she be unaffected?'
Randolph, the Star-Awakened. He was a strange and wondrous person.
The poison and dark energy of the sanctuary consumed life. Therefore, only those who were chosen and blessed, or possessed physical abilities capable of overcoming it, could barely enter.
Yet, Randolph moved freely through the sanctuary without any special equipment or blessings. Even in this place where Isabella herself struggled to breathe.
He navigated through hidden paths unknown even to Isabella, and seemed to effortlessly avoid traps flying from all directions, as if he were leisurely dodging them.
'How can he know paths that even I didn't know...?'
He moved forward fearlessly on paths that even Isabella, the second-in-command of Paisalmer, didn't know, paths that perhaps even the sanctuary's priests didn't know.
Most of them were invisible. And they were all single paths where one wrong step meant death.
It required extreme concentration to follow the path Randolph took, relying solely on memory and senses.
Yet, it felt like a strange sensation.
This situation, where I was chasing after someone.
Had I ever chased after someone so desperately?
'No.'
I had never, not once.
She was the one who led the way. Someone who only looked forward, who occupied a position where no one should be ahead of her – an absolute power.
It was all to break the curse.
I had run madly, believing the Queen's promise that if I took the position of princess, she would break the curse.
But the Queen did not keep her promise.
"Relax. When I count to three, we jump. I'll catch you."
If going down to the cliff's bottom involved invisible paths, this time it was the path upwards.
Similarly, we had to reach the ceiling by following transparent stairs.
As our speed slowed, Randolph spoke.
Isabella shook her head.
"Go ahead. I'll follow slowly."
"I cannot do that."
"......"
Isabella closed her lips tightly.
That attitude, those eyes.
They were unfamiliar.
It felt like a gesture of affection, as if she had known me from before.
"Why...?"
I was about to ask why she looked at me that way, but I closed my lips again.
Instead, I brought up another topic.
"Have we met before?"
"We have not met in the same space."
"......What does that mean?"
"It means I saw you, but you have never seen me."
If anyone else had said such a thing, I would have wanted to split their head open to see what they were thinking. But my interlocutor was a Star-Awakened.
"So, did the stars show you?"
"Let's just say it's similar. Now, let's go. We need to arrive before dawn."
If dawn breaks, the deaths of the warriors will be announced. Isabella's absence will raise suspicion, and soon a pursuit party from the Queen will be formed.
If the sanctuary is sealed, escaping will become even more impossible.
"One, two..."
The moment Randolph said three, Isabella, without realizing it, jumped into his arms.
Barely landing on a narrow tile, I could feel his breath close to me.
"Just ride on my back. It'll be faster."
That was also true. If I had ridden on his back earlier, we would have already reached the ceiling. At this point, I couldn't afford to be stubborn any longer.
The problem was that Isabella had never ridden on a man's back in her life.
In the desert, a woman riding on a man's back signified a special relationship.
She would rather die than be carried on the back of a strange man.
"......"
Biting her lip, Isabella mounted Randolph's back.
Then, she lowered her head deeply.
At length, as we reached the ceiling, the world inverted.
'Domain Barrier!'
A barrier was cast over the entire domain, and another area appeared only for those who followed the designated path.
Who knew there was something like that inside the sanctuary?
A flower garden. And there was a hill.
Rumble! Rumble rumble!
Suddenly, what I thought was a hill began to stir and rise.
'Golems.'
Three golems. Judging by the size of the runes carved on their chests, they were at least high-grade.
Now it was my turn.
Screech.
Isabella dismounted and drew daggers in both hands.
✺✺✺
Watching the golems being dealt with, I nodded.
'Is this what auto-battling feels like?'
When enemies appeared, Isabella dealt with them proactively without me saying anything. Even golems that would be difficult for my current level to fight were like soft tofu before Isabella.
Isabella, having instantly destroyed their cores, sheathed her daggers again.
It was at that moment.
《You can obtain the 'Golem Creator' class.》
《Do you wish to obtain it?》
As expected.
The hidden dungeon of the sanctuary. This was originally a place where one could obtain skills.
If there were classes, I would have likely obtained a skill like 'Golem Destruction Technique.' However, since there was no class, instead of a skill, it offered the 'Golem Creator' class.
Honestly, I didn't know if this was what the creator intended.
In the first place, to overcome the sanctuary's toxicity, one needed to be at least level 7.
There were no cases of level 7 without a class, and even if by some chance you resolved it with a hidden trait like me, you would have to find the hidden path and hunt golems, which was not as easy as it sounded.
'I refuse.'
《You have refused to obtain the 'Golem Creator' class.》
Golem Creator. In terms of rank, it was a high-grade class. In Pangenia, classes that involved summoning or fighting alongside others were rare.
But it wasn't the class I desired.
I couldn't achieve first place on the Hall of Fame with a class of this rank.
'It seems Isabella's kills are being attributed to me.'
However, there was something puzzling.
While Pangenia did have a party system, everything was divided based on 'contribution.'
To obtain skills or classes, one had to hunt with high contribution.
So, I had intended to contribute even a little by delivering the final blow. If I repeated that about a hundred times, I would get it once.
But I succeeded in one go. Even though I contributed nothing.
'Did I suddenly enter a party state?'
There was no change when Isabella dealt with the warriors outside or the minor monsters inside the sanctuary. But suddenly, this change occurred.
I didn't know the reason, but as they say, good things are good.
《You can obtain the 'Demon Hunter' class.》
《You can obtain the 'Rune Warrior' class.》
《You can obtain the 'Spearman of Famine' class.》
......
System voices and texts were heard every time I continued hunting.
'I refuse all of them.'
They were all excellent, but these were not the classes I desired either.
After walking for a long time, we finally arrived at a giant mountain.
《You have arrived at the ‘Mountain Where an Unknown Star Lies Buried’.》
《Warning. Recommended level (10) has not been met.》
《The ‘Old King,’ master of the mountain, is enraged by the intruders.》
✺✺✺
The master of the giant mountain. To kill that colossus, one needed to be at least level 10.
But in the past, I had not killed the Old King.
Because there was no need to kill him.
The Old King, recognizing the difference in our power, did not attack. At that time, I had consumed three stars and transcended, making me a transcendent being who far surpassed the likes of the Old King.
'Now that I'm weakened, he thinks I'm an easy target.'
......Wasn't he supposed to be a helpful NPC?
Honestly, back then, I thought he was a friendly NPC who guided me on the path to the stars.
He was just strong against the weak and weak against the strong.
"Did you truly believe you could escape alive after entering the Old King's ruins?"
A voice echoed throughout the entire mountain.
A giant black obsidian snake! Its body glittered like jewels.
"Ah."
Faced with the colossus, Isabella's body stiffened.
Level 10 was the level right before transcendence. Although Isabella was level 8, the number 10 represented an insurmountable wall and gap.
Furthermore, the howling emanating from the snake made it appear like a dragon.
Tremble!
Isabella's body trembled. She knew she would die if she stayed still, but she couldn't move. Just like prey facing the apex predator of a pyramid.
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue and stepped forward. Then, Isabella's eyes widened.
Humans could never move so casually within the Old King's absolute domain.
But he was clearly moving.
"Get out of the way. You are not qualified to guard this place."
"Human, you speak nonsense. If I do not guard this place, then who is qualified?"
The Old King flicked his tongue. He was approaching as if to swallow me whole.
"Wilhelm."
But before he could reach me, the Old King froze.
"......How do you know that name?"
'How do you know that name?'
"Is the true master of this mountain not you, but Wilhelm?"
Because I am Wilhelm.
Although I had died and my character was deleted, the master of this mountain was not the Old King, but me.
The Old King had abdicated to me, and thus I became the master of the stars.
Therefore, he was the illegal intruder, not me.
"I don't know how you know that name, but he is dead and the stars have fallen. This mountain too!"
The Old King, now free, opened his mouth wide.
Then, as he was about to pounce on me.
"Your master has returned, Old King— Dramuth."
Rumble!
His head was dragged along the ground as he abruptly changed direction.