Trait Hoarder

Great Rift — Part 1

I’m being devoured!

By whom?

Most likely by the Old Father.

I flailed my arms, but I couldn’t reach anything.

Olympus had already vanished into the distance.

When I came to my senses, I found myself on the plains below Mount Olympus.

From here, I could barely make out the peak of Mytikas in the distance.

As I stirred, I suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The same thing had happened when I met Thor.

I quickly took a high-grade healing potion, holy water, and a mana potion in succession.

Back then, I didn’t have high-grade potions, so I had to rely on elixirs.

As my body settled, a strong sense of unease gripped me.

‘The second wave?’

It was obvious what that referred to.

Episode 2: The Zombie Crisis.

The assassination of the conglomerate leader, a precursor to the crisis, had already been carried out.

The second omen, the ghost incident, wouldn’t happen since the Seoul branch—the main orchestrator—had been destroyed.

But the third omen, the hospital attack, would definitely take place.

After all, the hospital attack had nothing to do with the Seoul branch.

‘Reverse the tide and overturn fate.’

Avoiding it wasn’t an option.

That’s how I interpreted it.

It meant I had to face it head-on.

I clenched my fist, recalling December 24th of last year.

I couldn’t let the same thing happen again.

If I did, the Saintess would just drag me off again.

Lately, an ominous feeling had been gnawing at me, telling me that if I let the Zombie Crisis unfold unchecked, it would be the end.

Not just because of Gaia’s warning.

‘I will destroy the Zombie Crisis.’

The moment I had that thought.

The instant I made that resolution.

I felt warmth spread through my stomach, bringing a sense of relief.

I didn’t know what Gaia had seen in me.

Nor could I predict the butterfly effect my actions would cause.

But I instinctively knew that this was the right path—thanks to the [Sixth Sense] trait I possessed and the Prophet’s Ring on my finger.

I calmly counted on my fingers.

‘The four pillars of the Zombie Crisis.’

The first—disease prevention—was already taken care of.

The second—the Dark Jaguar Cult—had been crushed.

That left two.

The Corpse Dragon and the zombie horde.

‘I will kill the Corpse Dragon in the Great Rift.’

At this stage, the Dark Jaguar Cult was likely in the midst of subduing the Corpse Dragon.

I could take down both the Corpse Dragon and the Great Rift branch in one strike.

‘I will cleanse every zombie spawn point in Seoul.’

If I accomplished that, all four pillars would essentially be destroyed.

Then how would the Dark Jaguar Cult respond?

Would they just give up and say, “Oh well, we failed”?

Of course not.

Because of the Saintess’s manipulations, the Dark Jaguar Cult believed that triggering the Zombie Crisis was the only way to resurrect the Dark Jaguar.

They would throw everything they had into making the crisis happen.

Even if it meant crossing the sea.

Even if it meant relocating their entire headquarters.

Even if it meant the High Priest boarding a plane himself.

‘The Dark Jaguar Cult’s headquarters. The High Priest. The Avatar… or the Wraith King.’

Forces that hadn’t been included in Episode 2 of the game.

They had only appeared later as remnants in a side quest before eventually being added to an episode update.

Compared to the game, the crisis had shrunk dramatically.

To the point where it should be called the Zombie Incident rather than the Zombie Crisis.

But that didn’t mean I could let my guard down.

Their average level was much higher.

‘Good.’

I soared into the sky on Red Cougar.

My destination was the Great Rift.

Where my disciples were waiting.

“Teacher!”

“It’s been so long!”

“How have you been?”

I hadn’t seen my disciples in months.

They all looked thinner.

But their eyes gleamed with determination.

I smiled proudly as I looked at them.

“You’ve all been working hard. You’ve grown much stronger.”

“Hehehe. You noticed!”

“Congratulations on reaching Level 6, Sorin.”

“Thank you!”

“Teacher! What about me?”

“You’re almost at Level 6, too. Well done. And Kali, you…”

Kali was still young.

At most, a middle schooler.

But the mana circuits within her body were nothing to scoff at.

[Blood of the Goddess] [Shadow Step] [Blood Dance]

[Time Manipulation] [Psychic Power]

She had started with four traits, and now she had gained Psychic Power.

For Kali, this was ideal.

Her soon-to-be-acquired [Kalaratri], along with her other traits, would all benefit from Psychic Power.

And it was also the very trait I needed to obtain in the Great Rift.

Without it, I wouldn’t be able to get [Kalaratri] at all.

“With just nectar, you could level up.”

She wouldn’t even need a trait elixir.

A simple alchemical refinement would suffice.

In fact, an elixir would be unnecessary—a vein injection would be better.

Nectar absorption was more efficient via injection.

“Really?”

“Yes. Let’s give you an injection on the way. Twelve hours should be enough.”

“An injection…? Uh…”

Kali’s eyes darted around nervously.

I let out a small chuckle.

“It’s better than drinking an elixir. Elixirs make you cough up blood and even… well, you get the idea. But an injection? You just take it, and that’s it. No side effects.”

“Are you sure? It won’t hurt? You’re not tricking me, right?”

“I promise. Trust me.”

Thanks to Seo Woojin’s modifications, the Sky Ship had undergone a complete transformation.

Before, it had been an empty shell with nothing but a deck. Even preparing a meal required me to pull out camping gear from my golf bag.

Now, it was practically a flying hotel.

As my disciples explored the Sky Ship, they each let out exclamations of amazement.

“Wow, it’s changed so much!”

“Woojin oppa really has great taste.”

“Now traveling will be fun! But… where are we going? Aren’t we heading to Seoul?”

“Huh, you’re right. We’re flying west.”

The sun was setting.

Thanks to the magical glass windows installed in the cabins, the crimson light bathed the entire interior.

I sat them down and spoke.

“We’re heading to the Grand Canyon.”

“The Grand Canyon… The Great Rift?”

“That’s right.”

One of the two locations guarded by the Protector Alliance.

The Grand Maze and the Great Rift.

The Grand Maze was home to demons and evil gods, while the Great Rift harbored alien species and extradimensional deities, all constantly eyeing Earth with malicious intent.

Kali clenched her fists instinctively.

Watching her closely, I spoke.

“Kali, once you reach Level 5, I can engrave [Kalaratri] onto you. If you’re not ready, tell me now. We can turn back to Seoul. You can get stronger, make up your mind, and then head to the U.S. when you’re ready.”

Words I didn’t mean.

In truth, I already knew how Kali would react.

Sure enough, after a brief moment of hesitation, she lifted her head.

Her eyes shone with quiet determination.

“I made up my mind when I asked you to take me as your disciple. I’m fine. Let’s go.”

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“It’s okay, unni. You said those who become alien hybrids suffer unbearable pain until they die. I’ll put my grandmother to rest.”

Kali’s personal quest.

She had to kill her grandmother, who had turned into an alien hybrid, obtain [Kalaratri], and bring back a keepsake to reconcile with the Indian ambassador.

Of course, killing her grandmother wasn’t the only option.

If the right choices were made, her grandmother would commit suicide and willingly pass on [Kalaratri].

‘That would actually be the easiest path.’

But here, I had to take the hardest route.

The alien hybrid that had mutated Kali’s grandmother.

A Level 7 Star Spawn.

I needed to lure and kill it, temporarily restore her grandmother’s sanity, and have her hand over [Kalaratri] to Kali.

I also needed her as an ingredient for my reconstruction elixir.

“It’ll take about a week to reach the Great Rift, so let’s train in the meantime.”

“Teacher! I challenge you! Let’s spar!”

“You’ve become quite confident since reaching Level 6.”

“Ahaha, I’m not the same person I was before.”

Baek Sorin had definitely gotten stronger.

She was now at the same level as me.

She lunged at me like a rabid tiger, her sword strikes relentless and chilling.

The force behind each strike, the angles she used to close in, the sheer ferocity—all of it was overwhelming.

But she couldn’t land a hit on me.

Because of my traits.

[Master of the Blade]

And—

[Invincible Gun]

Baek Sorin attacked ten times in a row, only to stomp the deck in frustration.

“This is cheating! Cheating! How can you beat me with just a gun?!”

“Use Mars Swordsmanship better. It still feels lacking.”

“Ugh…”

Baek Sorin clutched her head.

Then, she pulled Janet and Kali into a 2-on-1 sparring match.

Kali had already received her Nectar Vein Injection and reached Level 5, so she was able to hold her own to some extent.

Meanwhile, I focused on my own training.

BOOM! BOOM!

[Shieldsmanship] [Mana Shield] [Mana Explosion]

[Mana Soul] [Mana Focus] [Training]

I was practicing one thing.

Creating a mana shield, infusing it with as much mana as possible, and then detonating it.

But I couldn’t just make it explode.

The goal was to generate a special shockwave that traveled through the ground, disrupting the mana of anything standing on it.

It had to paralyze them, even if just for a brief moment.

A shockwave.

The final missing piece of my Shield Master trait.

‘It’s not easy.’

That was because my level was too high.

Still, after a week of relentless effort, I had nearly mastered it.

All I needed now was a trigger to acquire the trait.

“That must be the Great Rift!”

The Grand Canyon.

A massive canyon with exposed rock layers stacked over countless eons.

Atop the red cliffs lay the Great Rift.

A dimensional fissure stretching from the sky down to the earth.

It was sealed behind thousands of layers of barriers, but complete closure was impossible.

As a countermeasure, an array of interception bases had been built on the ground.

The Protector Alliance was here as well.

The difference from Aachen was that it was primarily managed by Americans—and the Mamaquilla Cult.

After a quick security check, we entered the Great Rift.

And then—

A bizarre space welcomed us. Neither land nor sky.

“Uh…”

Kali looked around.

“This place is weird.”

There was no sky, no ground.

An endless, foggy gray expanse stretched in every direction.

Yet, it didn’t feel like we were floating in water.

There was no ground, but we could stand just fine.

We could walk in any direction.

Upward, downward, as if climbing a ladder or descending a slope.

But that wasn’t why Kali found it strange.

I removed my Star Spawn Protective Suit.

The moment I did, its writhing surface reacted as if it had been waiting for this moment.

Kali recoiled in horror.

“Ugh! Why is it moving like that?!”

“It’s made from the corpse of a Star Spawn. Star Spawns communicate telepathically. It’s reacting to their signals.”

“That’s disgusting…”

“Right? Here, you wear it. Just return it when we leave.”

“W-What?! Me?! No way! That’s yours, Teacher! You got it from the President! I can’t wear something that valuable!”

“You’ll understand once you put it on.”

I shoved it toward her.

Kali looked like she was about to cry as she reluctantly took the suit.

It squirmed even more as she held it.

Like an octopus, a squid, and a hundred tentacles writhing all at once.

“Ahhhhh…”

I stepped aside to give her some privacy.

Baek Sorin and Janet helped her change.

After a few screams and some sobbing, she was finally done.

Kali blinked awkwardly.

“Uh… what is this?”

“You hear the voices now, don’t you?”

“Uhh, yeah! I can hear them! Uh, wait, what? Uh, uh, ah, urgh…”

Kali’s eyes rolled back.

Foam bubbled from her mouth.

Just her [Blood of the Goddess] trait wasn’t enough to handle it.

I extended my hand and activated a trait on her.

[Damage Absorption]

A trait I hadn’t used in a long time.

Kali, who had been convulsing moments ago, finally started to calm down.

But now, a strange noise filled my ears—or rather, my mind.

[Whisper whisper whisper whisper.]

[Murmur murmur murmur murmur.]

[Hiss hiss hiss hiss.]

Incomprehensible whispers.

It was fine.

I could endure it.

I had [Vajra Body] and [Indomitable], after all.

“Huff…!”

Kali gasped as she barely regained her senses.

“W-What was that?”

“It’s the telepathy of the alien hybrids. It stimulates the human brain. An ordinary person would go insane almost instantly.”

“Ugh… I thought I was going to die…”

“You won’t die. We have plenty of holy water. If you can’t handle it, just drink some.”

“Seriously, our teacher is such a Spartan.”

Baek Sorin muttered in frustration as she listened.

“Which direction is it? You might not understand the messages, but you should be able to sense where they’re coming from.”

“Uh… over there. That way. But why?”

“That’s our destination.”

“Our destination? Ah.”

Who was sending telepathic signals to Kali?

It was obvious.

Her grandmother.

A blood relative, sharing the same lineage and the [Blood of the Goddess] trait, unconsciously calling out to her.

Trying to turn her into the same kind of being.

“Hoo…”

Kali took a deep breath.

“Let’s go.”

Then, with determined steps, she took the lead.

Baek Sorin and Janet quickly followed, as if they were guarding her.

Click.

I made my own preparations.

I pulled out and loaded the Dasan Sniper Rifle.

Using the Star Spawn Protective Suit for a direct route…

I had seen a streamer attempt it before.

There were advantages, but also serious drawbacks.

It drastically reduced travel time but also increased the chances of running into powerful alien hybrids along the way.

That was why the streamer had advised against it.

Low-level parties would be annihilated before they even got close.

“Stay alert.”

Bang!

I swiftly drew my pistol and fired.

The mana-infused bullet ripped through the air, and something grotesque sprang forth from the void.

“Keeeeek!”

“Holy crap!”

A vine-like monstrosity, stitched together with human flesh and skin.

Even the battle-hardened trio let out yelps of shock.

This was just one of countless traps lying in wait.

Creatures hidden in subspace, ambushing their prey.

If not for my [Keen Eyes] and [Sixth Sense], we would’ve been caught off guard.

No one would have died, but it would have been an annoying setback.

We pressed forward.

Slashing through monsters, dismantling traps.

Navigating this bizarre realm, which was not a labyrinth, yet far deadlier than one.

After some time—

Kali, leading the way, suddenly froze.

“T-Teacher, what is that?”

In front of us stood a grotesque structure.

No—it floated in the gray void.

A fortress built from the bones of colossal beasts.

Rather than a building, it resembled a space station draped in the aesthetics of a savage world.

“Guoooooooh!”

A deafening roar echoed periodically.

Each sonic wave carried mana, shaking the gray dimension itself.

Baek Sorin, Janet, and Kali wavered like ripples on water.

“The Dark Jaguar Cult’s Great Rift branch.”

“The Dark Jaguar Cult?”

“That’s right.”

Inside that structure—

The final boss of Episode 2.

The Corpse Dragon was waiting.

–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

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!