Trait Hoarder

Great Labyrinth – Part 1

A flash of light split the space.

Blazing Qi crushed human bodies.

“Heuuhhk!”

“S-Spare me!”

“No!”

Screams filled the air.

But the eyes of the one who had ignited the flames remained merciless.

Gripping a holy sword, its pure white Qi burning brightly, they slaughtered one after another.

“Kill that wench! Kill her!”

“Wrath of Fire!”

Flames shot forward.

A chain of fireballs was launched in succession.

Yet, none of them inflicted any real damage.

A shield was raised.

A magic shield imbued with fire resistance blocked everything.

“Guek!”

“Keuhhk!”

At last, the final one.

An old man clad in a robe, marking him as a mage, stood trembling.

The one who had been cutting down mages grimaced.

“Warrior Kim, Tower Master.”

The mage wept as the name was spoken coldly.

“W-Why are you doing this? What crime have we committed?”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t! How would I even know you?”

The warrior who had been radiating Qi removed their helmet.

A face was revealed.

Youthful—too youthful.

At most, they looked like a middle schooler.

Their features were unmistakably Western European.

Golden hair shimmered, deep-set eyes were shadowed, and irises shone blue.

Not a man. A woman.

The mage’s pupils trembled violently as he finally recognized her.

“S-Surely not… Janet?”

“Hmph.”

Janet swung her sword in a long arc.

As if even speaking to him was disgusting.

His neck was severed, his head soaring through the air in a spray of blood.

Janet and I stepped back several paces.

Neither of us wanted the blood to touch us.

“Janet…”

“Are you okay?”

Baek Sorin and Kali embraced Janet.

“Huuuhk!”

At last, Janet broke into sobs.

Seo Woojin was the only one who awkwardly looked at her.

He didn’t know.

What had happened between Janet and this mage tower, the Illyang Mage Tower.

How she had been kidnapped, subjected to human experimentation, and lost her parents while escaping.

“Let’s go down.”

Every mage in the tower had been massacred.

This was a mercy.

Mage towers typically employed many people beyond just mages, and in the game, Janet had ruthlessly slaughtered them all, spewing curses as she did.

“The Black Tiger Swordmaster vouched for you, so we have refrained from interfering. However, if any innocent lives were taken, there will be an official trial.”

A few superhumans approached me, issuing a warning.

The privilege of authority—naturally, even Janet wasn’t exempt from it.

We could submit evidence later.

But I wanted Janet’s revenge to be properly recognized, so I had brought along investigators from the police department for a simultaneous report, not just an after-action one.

“That won’t be necessary.”

I activated the elevator.

Using the tower master’s eyes and fingers.

Most mage towers employed the highest level of security—mana pattern recognition.

But Illyang Mage Tower was so low-tier that they relied solely on biometric security.

Ding!

The elevator reached the 9th basement floor.

The doors opened, revealing a hellscape on Earth.

“Ugh!”

“Uuugh!”

Seo Woojin gagged.

Kali was no better.

Only the hardened investigators, Baek Sorin—Heavenly Killing Star—and Janet, who had already experienced this nightmare, remained unfazed, their eyes cold and piercing.

Glass chambers sprouted like trees, filling the room.

Inside them were people.

Grotesquely mutated.

A woman without skin.

A child whose brain was larger than their body.

A man with ten octopus tentacles instead of arms and legs.

An old man covered in reptilian scales with the beak of a bird.

A figure whose stomach had been split wide open, exposing their organs.

A person who regularly exhaled and reabsorbed their own blood.

It was a scene where human malice and greed were laid bare.

The grim spectacle of magical science’s human experimentation mocked us.

“These bastards…”

One of the investigators gritted his teeth.

“Janet was a natural-born psychic who was once experimented on here.”

“She told you that herself?”

“Yes. Let’s find the research logs. There should be records.”

In the game, this was a classic fetch quest item.

Would it be the same here?

The investigators spread out, rummaging through computers.

A few pulled out their smartphones to request backup.

After briefly observing them, I turned my attention to a cabinet tucked away in the corner of the lab.

In the game, there had been a cabinet placed there.

‘That’s it.’

I opened the cabinet.

Crash.

No, I destroyed it.

It was magically sealed.

A low-tier seal, weak enough to be shattered by a shotgun blast, which reduced it to rubble, revealing its contents.

Inside were several thick notebooks.

[Dragonblood Experiment Log]

[Demonic Hybrid Observation Log]

And…

[Nephilim]

Found it.

Nephilim—hybrids of humans and angels.

Did that mean Janet had angelic lineage? No, that wasn’t the case.

Her Innate Qi was merely a natural occurrence.

But mastering the Nephilim’s Sword required Innate Qi.

I flipped open the log and skimmed through it.

[Human Bloodline: 100%]

That line stood out.

[Great Labyrinth, 50th Floor. A colossal gatekeeper resides here. A fallen angel with the body of a giant, a grotesque face, and angelic wings—he is called the Last Descendant of the Nephilim. He forges a strange sword of light, shattering all who oppose him. His true name is Anak. No matter how many times he is killed, he resurrects endlessly…]

I stopped reading and closed the log.

The true name was crucial.

To extract the Nephilim’s Sword from the corpse of a fallen angel, one needed to know its true name.

That was why I had to complete the personal quest in the correct order.

If the true name had been randomly generated, I could have just gone to the Great Labyrinth and slaughtered the fallen angel outright.

“What’s that?”

“A human experimentation log. Looks like they kept only the most important records here.”

“Hah…”

“What kind of idiots still use paper logs in the 21st century?”

“Mages have always been a bit insane.”

“That’s true.”

“Take it. We’ll submit it as evidence.”

“The Black Tiger Swordmaster went through all this trouble. Shouldn’t you take something as compensation?”

“Well, this place is so pathetic, there’s nothing worth taking.”

“Haha, it certainly seems that way.”

Illyang Mage Tower was truly destitute.

Even using my Mystic Eyes to scan the place, I couldn’t find a single treasure vault.

Compared to the secret vaults of the Terror Alliance, which had held over 100 billion won in gold and jewels, this place was nothing but a den of beggars.

“Ptooey!”

I saw Janet spit phlegm into a corner.

“Is that all? Try this—Kaaahk, ptooey!”

“Kaaaahk, ptooey!”

“Not bad.”

Baek Sorin was now teaching Janet—who had grown taller than her—how to spit properly.

She really teaches the weirdest things.

I pretended not to see and turned away, just as Seo Woojin approached, his face pale.

“Teacher… What is all this?”

“What do you think? It’s trash.”@@novelbin@@

“I never imagined something like this existed in Seoul…”

“It’s not Seoul, it’s Gwacheon. Right next door, though. And the Terror Alliance had a hideout in Daerim-dong, so it’s not surprising that a criminal organization like this exists in Gwacheon too.”

“What is Gwacheon doing about it?”

“What do you think? Taking bribes, of course.”

And it wasn’t just Gwacheon.

This world was full of these kinds of scumbags.

Mercenary groups pretending to be legal security firms while trafficking humans.

Companies grinding up bodies to make cybernetic implants and drugs.

Dark mage towers conducting human experiments.

Cultists secretly offering human sacrifices.

If I were some kind of justice warrior, I’d be too busy hunting these guys down to level up.

If you look for them, you’ll find them everywhere.

Even Jaelboan was probably committing illegal acts behind the scenes.

They had history and tradition, so they weren’t involved in the worst human rights violations, but still.

“This is too much…”

Seo Woojin looked around, his face even paler.

Then, as if unable to bear it any longer, he shut his eyes tightly.

Maybe it was too much for a rich kid to handle.

I led the others out of the mage tower.

Police cars and riot squads had arrived in force.

Brrrr.

Janet clenched her fists, glaring at the mage tower.

Her expression made it clear—killing the mages hadn’t been enough. She wanted to destroy the tower itself.

I stopped her before she could act.

“Illyang Mage Tower will be remembered forever.”

“I want to wipe them all out.”

“It’ll serve as a warning. To the other mage towers, too. They’ll hesitate before doing human experiments.”

“But they won’t stop completely.”

“Yeah, you’re right. To stop human experimentation completely, you’d need the power to take on all the mage towers alone.”

Janet clenched her fists tighter.

“I want to get stronger.”

“You have to.”

“Do you think I can get strong enough to stop all human experimentation in this world?”

“It’s possible.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You just need to reach Level 9.”

Level 9!

Seo Woojin’s face went pale as he looked between me and Janet.

But Janet remained unnervingly calm.

“If that’s what it takes, I’ll do it.”

“I’ll help you.”

It wouldn’t be easy.

Up to Level 8, you could grind, use Nectar, Ambrosia, and Diamonds to level up.

But Level 9 was different.

You needed a Fragment of Divinity.

They’d become abundant later, but early on, they were incredibly scarce. Even I couldn’t guarantee I’d get them on time.

‘I have to hit Level 9 before Episode 3.’

Since the Seoul Terror incident had happened years ahead of schedule, Episode 2 and Episode 3 would likely arrive just as fast.

They’d come crashing down at an unimaginable speed.

I had to prepare before then.

I wouldn’t get blindsided like on December 24th, the night before the Divine Annihilation Festival.

“First, we’re heading to Germany.”

“Germany?”

“Yes. There’s a way for you to get stronger in the Great Labyrinth.”

The Great Labyrinth…

It was sudden, but Janet didn’t waver.

She simply nodded.

“I’ll go.”

“Oh, Teacher! Me too!”

“I’m coming too!”

“Mm. I’ll go as well.”

All three of them wanted to come?

That was a bit troublesome.

“There’s no room… If we take the Red Cougar, I can only bring one person.”

“That’s unfair! I want to see the Great Labyrinth too!”

“You have to go at least once in your life!”

“Woojin, aren’t you busy?”

“I’ll take a leave of absence. My parents will approve.”

They were all determined to come along.

Maybe I should just buy plane tickets?

There was no rule saying we had to take the Red Cougar.

‘No…’

We could just travel more slowly.

The Red Cougar or a plane would get us there in under twelve hours, but if we took our time, we could train on the way.

I reached into my pocket.

My fingers closed around a wooden carving.

I pulled it out and unfolded it.

Snap, crack.

The wooden piece expanded, transforming into a small boat.

Then, from a small boat into a medium-sized sailing ship.

Then into a massive sailing ship.

And finally, it grew to the size of an aircraft carrier, hovering in the sky.

“Whoa!”

“W-What is this?”

“It’s enormous!”

“S-Skidbladnir!”

Seo Woojin really was well-read.

He pulled out his smartphone and tapped away.

Without needing a voice command, the Red Cougar took off, soaring into the distance.

Meanwhile, the ship’s gangway extended.

No, calling it a gangway didn’t do it justice—it was a small Bifrost, a bridge of light.

“Let’s go.”

“Woooow!”

“This is incredible…”

Everyone stepped onto the light bridge and entered the skyship.

The interior hadn’t changed.

If I had time, I could furnish it and modify it with magical engineering to turn it into a fully functional mobile base.

But that would have to wait.

The bridge of a mythical ship was certainly impressive.

All four of them wandered around like excited children, eagerly exploring the bridge.

“We’ll be traveling on this. It’s slow. It’ll take about a week to reach Aachen, so keep that in mind.”

“That’s fine!”

“Actually, that’s better!”

“This is exciting!”

“We’ll have plenty of time to train.”

The deck was vast, like an enormous sports field.

Kali took off running, flickering with Shadow Step as she zipped to the edge and back in an instant.

Janet, on the other hand, tested her Innate Qi against the bridge’s walls for no reason.

Chiiiizzz! Sssss!

Surprisingly, the bridge held up well.

As I had experienced before, the ship’s durability was impressive.

Of course, if she actually attacked properly, it would split apart in an instant.

Baek Sorin and Seo Woojin also returned after thoroughly exploring the ship’s interior.

“This really feels like an aircraft carrier. With a bit of modification, it could be very useful.”

“Right? Do you want to try?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. If you need materials or equipment, just ask Manager Choi. He’ll get them for you—he’s quite capable.”

In the game, Seo Woojin had led a personal guard unit called the Jael Corps.

Naturally, the Jael Corps had a base.

A mobile fortress on land.

A massive land battleship that crushed forests, rivers, and cities as it advanced—it was truly terrifying.

If Seo Woojin handled it, my skyship would surely be modernized into something spectacular.

“Absolutely! I’ll do it!”

Seo Woojin’s eyes sparkled.

Like a kid who had just been given a new toy.

Gwoooong.

The skyship slowly began its journey westward.

Down below, I could see the police pointing up at us.

Not just them.

Pedestrians had stopped in their tracks, staring slack-jawed at the skyship.

The traffic lights were green, but cars slowed down.

Some people even stuck their heads out of their windows to watch us.

Occasionally, flying cars hovered near the ship, hesitating before veering away.

Traffic was practically grinding to a halt.

“Let’s ascend.”

[Yes, Master.]

Above the clouds.

Past the stratosphere.

Only then did we escape prying eyes.

But now the air defense network was in chaos.

A flood of transmissions came in, trying to communicate with my magic spirit.

Not my problem.

The magic spirit would handle it.

“Wowww. This is incredible.”

Before we knew it, the sun was setting over the horizon.

The sight of the sun sinking between the clouds created a breathtaking, almost dreamlike scene.

But I hadn’t brought them up here for sightseeing.

I called my disciples to the deck.

An altitude of 10,000 meters.

A freezing temperature of -40 degrees Celsius.

But even Kali, the lowest-level among them, was Level 4.

She could handle it.

Clang! Clang!

There was much to teach.

And much to learn in return.

My main focus was Sword and Spirit as One.

Seo Woojin’s starting trait had been Sword and Spirit as One, and passing it down had become my new goal.

Sword Expert, Sword Qi, Flash, Severing Moon.

To that, I would add Sword Barrier and Sword and Spirit as One.

With those six traits, I could create Master of the Sword.

Technically, I could include Heavenly Thunder Sword, but that was part of the Ultimate Martial Sword Art, not the Black Tiger Invincible Sword Art.

‘Let’s do it before finishing Level 6.’

A Level 6 Swordmaster!

I needed it for the Nephilim’s Sword.

Once I became a Swordmaster and obtained the Nephilim’s Sword, reaching Level 7 would be easy.

“Teacher! Look over there!”

“It’s so beautiful!”

The journey was pleasant.

It felt like we were on a sky cruise.

We sparred and trained, then lowered our altitude to admire scenic landscapes.

Whenever we passed famous tourist spots, we stopped to explore and find good restaurants.

It extended our flight time, but I had made solid progress in uncovering the secrets of Sword and Spirit as One.

I was just a step away from being able to copy it with a Diamond.

“Teacher, you’re incredibly fast.”

“Thanks. You’re doing well too.”

Seo Woojin had also made great strides.

His original four traits were:

[First Sword] [Sword and Spirit as One] [Sword Expert] [Mana Core]

Now, two new mana circuits had awakened.

[Onslaught] and [Mobility].

If I evolved Mana Core into Mana Soul, Onslaught into One-Man Army, and Mobility into Phantom Step, then upgraded Sword Expert and Sword and Spirit as One into Master of the Sword—

I’d have a perfectly optimized high-damage swordsman build.

For the last slot, I could add Aura Armor to complete the balance.

‘This guy really is a genius.’

While we passed the time, we traversed the Eurasian continent and finally arrived in Aachen.

The labyrinth city of Aachen—back here after months.

The youngest disciple of the Heavenly Demon, the Blood King, looked at me in shock.

“You… What the hell have you been up to?”

–TL Notes–

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