Level -99 Archmage - Chapter 136

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 136. Hidden Trait
…In the Tower of Arrogance.
Park Chan-woo had acquired two Hidden Traits through the heart and life of the great warrior Kankun and the “Wish” possessed by Adora, the witch of death and life.
One was the Eternal Sword.
It was an ability that allowed him to ignore the properties of the Abyss—normally untransferable—but only as they pertained to blades.
That was how he’d been able to borrow the Immortal King’s Great Sword from Yi Hyeok-soo.
The Immortal King’s Great Sword, which should have vanished and been destroyed as a matter of course, was wielded at Park Chan-woo’s fingertips solely because of the Hidden Trait Eternal Sword.
And what of the Annihilation Magic?
‘It destroyed Fundamental Magic.’
Magic falls into several categories.
The broadest division breaks into three.
Magic, Wish, Absolute Magic.
‘Fundamental Magic isn’t magic, strictly speaking.’
But the Fundamental Magic commonly called ‘tribal magic’—the unique province of each race—was less a form of magic and more a characteristic inherent to that race itself.
‘Inherent traits are supposed to be indestructible.’
Annihilation Magic shattered even that axiom.
For instance, if a Doppelgänger’s replication, a fox-tribe’s enchantment, a vampire’s blood-drain, or a werewolf’s transformation—the unique talents possessed only by each race—attempted to harm him, he would destroy them.
To races born with magic flowing through their very essence, Annihilation Magic was the worst conceivable opponent.
Likewise, Park Chan-woo was their natural predator.
‘…A power that transcends common sense, that breaks through conventional understanding.’
That was how he defined the Hidden Trait.
In short, an ability that flips the board entirely!
At least the Eternal Sword and Annihilation Magic he’d experienced were more than sufficient to be called game-changing forces.
‘I’ve never heard of anyone else obtaining a Hidden Trait in the past.’
Of course, even if someone had stumbled upon one by chance, they probably wouldn’t have gone around broadcasting it.
He certainly would have kept it strictly secret and hidden.
Revealing a hidden trump card, a last line of defense, to the whole world would be idiotic.
Because once it’s known, countermeasures can be devised.
And so, the question lingered.
‘Sanctuary. A Hidden Trait bearing the name of the Crack King himself.’
The third Hidden Trait.
Absolute Sanctuary.
To be precise, it existed as a ‘Class Hidden Trait.’
Whether it was an ability related to the Blade Mage class remained unclear, but….
Ding!
《The ability of ‘Absolute Sanctuary’ is revealed.》
《’Absolute Sanctuary’ is a Hidden Trait shared with Signus.》
《Since Signus knows its usage, it is shared with you.》
…Of course.
Because it was a shared trait, it seemed as long as one side possessed the relevant knowledge, that was sufficient.
‘I nearly wasted effort.’
The previous two Hidden Traits had both required him to discover their functions through direct experimentation.
Being able to understand without trial and error was an enormous privilege.
It saved him needless time.
Park Chan-woo quickly checked his Status Window.
Class-related Hidden Traits:
(1) 「Eternal Sword」 – Can temporarily possess weapons recognized as a ‘blade’ belonging to another
(2) 「Annihilation Magic」 – Destroys the ‘Fundamental Magic’ possessed by a race
(3) 「Absolute Sanctuary」 – Gain succession rights to all Thrones
What on earth did this one mean?
Throne.
Did it mean he could forcibly claim the seat of a king, a position held by one with authority?
‘Succession rights. The qualification to ascend to that seat. An ability to forcibly usurp a Throne.’
In a word, he had become a ‘usurper.’
To gain a clearer understanding, he asked Signus.
“What does ‘succession to all Thrones’ mean in the context of Absolute Sanctuary?”
「It means you can stand at the apex of any race, Father.」
The apex of a race?
In other words, he could become master of any given species?
“Regardless of what race it is?”
「According to my mother’s will… yes, it does seem to be the case. However, since it is an ability that can only be used once, I must absolutely become the King of Divine Beasts.」
Enter the Crack, step into the Sanctum, and seize the Throne of Absolute Sanctuary.
Signus stated it with unmistakable clarity.
Yet it was only ever a matter of acquiring authority.
In other words.
“So there are rivals, then.”
「Father is correct. I can feel it. My siblings were all born simultaneously within countless Abysses at this very moment. In one hundred days, we must enter the Crack and test our growth against one another.」
This was a story he’d never heard before.
It seemed Absolute Sanctuary had not borne only Signus as offspring.
Yet what truly startled him lay elsewhere.
“…Sanctuary’s children were all born at the same time?”
「Yes. The exact number is unknown to me. However, only one among my siblings and myself can seize the Throne.」
Wait.
His head spun at this entirely unforeseen development.
According to Signus, in one hundred days, he would have to cross into the Crack.
He could send him alone, but there was no telling what might happen.
“Do I have to enter the Crack with you in one hundred days as well?”
He asked the question just to be certain.
Signus answered as though the question itself were obvious.
「Yes! As my guardian and father, you must absolutely bear witness. There we shall display and test our growth against one another, and ranks shall be determined. A sibling without a guardian or parent has no right to participate.」
…It was settled, then.
This was no mere confirmation of growth—if ranks were being assigned, it was an enormously consequential matter.
It seemed to be the will that any Divine Beast who lost their parent at merely one hundred days would have no future growth, and thus would not be permitted to participate at all.
Unless, at the very least, some guardian existed in their stead.
When he connected all these circumstances, a single conclusion crystallized.
‘Absolute Sanctuary is weakening. It desires a powerful successor to inherit its mantle.’
The reason the Devourer Signus had fought so desperately to protect the egg.
It was Sanctuary’s offspring—and simultaneously, its heir.
He had judged that inheriting the will of the Crack King mattered far more than his own life, or even his own annihilation.
……Now that he thought about it.
How readily he had accepted becoming a sacrifice.
「And Father may likewise select and seize one of the ‘Thrones’ of a specific race.」
“……!”
Traits didn’t overlap?
Park Chan-woo fell silent for a moment.
‘So it seems the Hidden Trait ability is shared, but its manifestation applies individually.’
His mind raced.
If it were possible, couldn’t he become the master of the dragon race itself?
That insane transcendent dragon would never relinquish its place, but the mere acquisition of possibility set endorphins flooding through his entire body.
Excitement was surging.
If Signus became the King of Divine Beasts, and he himself became the master of one of the Twelve Races…?
“Hm…….”
It was at that moment.
Han Min-o regained consciousness.
“W-where am I… ah!”
As Han Min-o came to his senses and looked around, his eyes went wide with alarm.
He caught sight of Park Chan-woo and quickly bowed his head.
“T-thank you. You’ve saved me again!”
“Think nothing of it.”
Park Chan-woo examined Han Min-o once more.
Pat.
Then he placed a hand on his shoulder.
Though Signus had been chosen as the nest to be held, since he had brought all of it with him, there was no reason for the boy to die.
Yet……
‘It seems there was some influence after all.’
The Mana resonance had changed.
It radiated more intensely now.
His presence blazed more brilliantly than before.
It seemed he had been affected by the brief connection when Signus had awakened.
Or, if not that, then perhaps the Soul Synchronization with Park Chan-woo itself had wrought this change.
Whatever the outcome, it brought no negative consequences.
If anything, his ‘potential’ seemed to surge all the more violently.
Both his eyes and his bearing had shifted so starkly.
‘Even if potential has risen, his fundamental nature shouldn’t have changed.’
Was it because he’d died and come back to life?
He’d undergone a clear transformation, both outward and inward.
Yet this was only natural.
‘……He’s saved me three times now. Why does he feel so familiar?’
Han Min-o stared blankly at Park Chan-woo.
The more he looked, the more an inexplicable intimacy washed over him.
It was the Soul Synchronization that had exceeded 100%, shaking his worldview in one great tremor.
Park Chan-woo’s spirit—charging forward with neither fear nor hesitation—had exerted a powerful influence on Han Min-o.
By nature, Han Min-o was a coward.
Since childhood, resentment and jealousy toward the brother who’d always overshadowed him, coupled with relentless pressure from those around him, had driven him to hide rather than stand.
Yet now, Han Min-o had overcome all such ‘trauma.’
‘It feels like I can do anything.’
Confidence flooded through him.
He no longer cowered.
Nor did regret touch him.
He’d dwelt on memories of the past and despaired, but even that despair had become ‘sustenance for the soul.’
‘The only thing that can stop me is myself.’
It was something Han Shin had said often.
Now, at last, he understood those words.
All this time, Han Min-o had been sabotaging his own potential.
Despite being able to leap high and soar.
He’d always crawled along the ground.
“They say the first encounter is chance, the second is fate, and the third is destiny.”
“……?”
Park Chan-woo’s expression betrayed quiet bewilderment at this sudden declaration.
Then Han Min-o spoke, his eyes alight with fervor.
“Moreover, it is said that any brush of sleeves binds us, and such bonds are woven by heaven itself. My three resurrections are the karma of three lives, and I cannot simply let this connection slip away.”
“……You can let it slip away.”
The words were making his ears itch with discomfort.
Han Min-o’s reaction was far more burdensome than he’d anticipated.
What was he angling at with all this setup?
“Death is Life, Life is Death! My existence has always followed this law. I kept trying to live, only to die, again and again. This time, I resolved to die. But I lived. It is all thanks to you, Park Chan-woo.”
Honestly, he was satisfied.
It felt like he’d won his first true victory against cursed fate itself.
The moment he’d accepted death, embraced it, Park Chan-woo appeared and brought him back to life.
If this wasn’t the destiny heaven had appointed, the karma woven by the threads of connection, then what was it?
No, no—that wasn’t right.
Park Chan-woo is heaven.
Since Park Chan-woo saved him and commanded him to live, he could never squander this opportunity.
“……What are you trying to say?”
His brow furrowed of its own accord.
He felt hives breaking out from the sheer excess of it all.
And the instant Park Chan-woo finished speaking.
Thump!
Han Min-o threw himself to the ground, prostrate.
“Please accept me as your disciple! I will face it with resolve unto death!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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