Trait Hoarder

Great Rift — Part 2

I took back the Star Spawn Protective Suit from Kali.

Pulling a tracksuit over it, I addressed the three.

“From here on, you’ll have to go on your own. You remember the direction, right?”

“Yes.”

“Take the longest route possible. There aren’t any monsters around this area, so you’ll be fine. But don’t let your guard down.”

I handed them a set of items: a telescope, a detector, a teleportation magic chip, a speed-enhancement magic chip, and an emergency escape magic chip—all things I had bought back in Seoul.

The Dark Jaguar Cult regularly exterminated the monsters in this region.

With just the three of them, they should be able to move unnoticed.

“What about you, Teacher?”

“I’m going to lure out the monsters inside.”

“Wait… then…”

“That’s right. I’m going to make them fight the alien hybrids.”

The Star Spawn that had mutated Kali’s grandmother was Level 7.

Not just any Level 7 monster, but a dungeon boss-tier creature.

And the Corpse Dragon? Even worse.

It wasn’t a mere dungeon boss—it was the final boss of an episode.

A rank above the Nephilim I defeated in the Grand Maze and the Golden Dragon I hunted while retrieving the Golden Fleece.

“Be careful.”

“This is too dangerous.”

“Ugh, just let it go. Our teacher has never been one to take care of himself.”

“He’s got the Heavenly Demon’s Physique. The Heavenly Demon’s Physique.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. Teacher, does that trait level up by overcoming danger? Sometimes it seems even worse than Heavenly Killing Star.”

Their mix of grumbling and concern made me chuckle.

I waved my hand and activated my [Stealth] trait.

“See you later. Move as fast as possible. If you take it easy, you’ll get eaten.”

“Ugh, got it.”

“Go first.”

“Yes!”

Once they left, I counted to 100 before making my move.

Stealth was stealth—it wasn’t invisibility.

Fortunately, visibility in this gray space was poor.

I erased my presence as much as possible and crept forward.

Toward the massive fortress of beast bones floating in the void like a colossal eye.

‘This is the place.’

The fortress, constructed from interwoven bones, had plenty of gaps.

The Dark Jaguar Cult had reinforced it with magical barriers, but the energy of the Great Rift periodically eroded them.

One such opening—

I found a hole near the fortress’s edge.

‘Perfect.’

A gap just big enough for a person to slip through.

They hadn’t patched it up yet.

I cautiously approached and used [Keen Eyes] to observe the inside.

Beyond the laser security grid, a single guard was nodding off.

‘The shift change happens every hour, right?’

To deal with the occasional monster that slipped through the gap, the cult had set up laser detection systems, CCTV, and stationed guards.

But over the decades, only a handful of creatures had ever gotten in.

Their security had grown lax.

“Hey, Mark!”

“Ugh… Is it shift change already?”

“Yeah. Good work.”

“Now it’s your turn to suffer. I can’t wait to get out of here.”

“Tell me about it. This place drives me nuts.”

Thirty minutes later.

The new guard took his seat.

He started dozing off almost immediately.

I made my move exactly three minutes later.

Squeezing my body between the narrow laser security beams like an octopus.

Easy.

My stats were on another level.

After consuming two Reconstruction Elixirs, my body was tougher than steel yet more flexible than a cephalopod.

Next was the CCTV zone.

Luckily, the cameras were fixed in front of the guards, avoiding the Great Rift’s gray space.

Flash!

“Huh?”

I used [Blink] to leap past them.

The guard sensed something was off and stirred, but I was already hidden.

Pressing myself against the hallway wall, I activated [Feign Death].

The guard glanced around a few times before letting out a deep yawn.

“Time moves so damn slow here…”

Then he buried his head in his arms again.

‘Phew.’

My heart pounded.

It was my first time attempting infiltration like this.

Killing my way in wasn’t an option.

The cult’s forces here were formidable.

At least as strong as the faction hiding beneath the Han River.

They were busy subduing the Corpse Dragon, after all.

I advanced down the corridor.

Occasionally, I encountered hidden CCTV cameras and laser security, but they weren’t a problem for me.

With [Keen Eyes], Golden Dragon Inkstone, and the Prophet’s Ring, I saw through everything.

Sometimes, I had to crouch.

Sometimes, I had to cling to the ceiling.

But I passed through every security measure without issue.

“How’s the Corpse Dragon?”

“The same as always.”

“Damn thing won’t die. How many years has it been now?”

“Almost twenty. But the end is in sight. I heard they managed to restrain it for three seconds.”

“Three seconds? That’s considered progress?”

“The key is ten seconds. If we can hold it for ten seconds, we can pour enough mana into it to turn it into a familiar. When that happens, the High Priest will finally cross over.”

“And that’ll be the day our cult ascends.”

“When the Dark Jaguar reclaims its rightful throne, we’ll all enjoy eternal life in the City of the Lake in the Land of the Sun.”

The researchers chatting in the hallway eventually moved away.

I peeked at them from the shadows.

Even those guys were Level 5.

Anyone below Level 5 couldn’t even withstand the energy of the Great Rift.

I silently closed in on them.

Slipping past another set of laser grids and CCTV zones.

Just as they reached a door and pulled out a keycard, I made my move.

I swiftly wrapped my arms around their necks.

“Gurk!”

“Guh!”

I activated a suppression technique from my combat training.

The two researchers convulsed, then slumped over.

Too bad for them.

If they didn’t want to die, they shouldn’t have joined a cult.

Hope you find happiness in the afterlife.

‘Now then…’

I took the researcher’s keycard, along with his eyeball and fingers.

Then, I stuffed the body into my golf bag for disposal.

To reach the Corpse Dragon, I had to pass through three security doors.

The first two could be bypassed with a keycard and biometric authentication.

But the third?

It was reinforced with magical security, making it impossible to pass unnoticed.

From there, I would have to break in by force.

Beep!

[Researcher Edmund Layton confirmed.]

I passed through the first two security doors without issue.

The atmosphere inside was completely different from the outer layers.

It resembled a cutting-edge research facility.

Metal walls and floors.

Bright white fluorescent lights shining down from the ceiling.

The constant hum of machinery.

Everything was pristine—except for one thing.

“Guoooooooh…”

A distant wail echoed through the corridors.

For a brief moment, my mind wavered before I forced myself to focus.

The power imbued in that cry was trying to shatter my brain.

The closer I got, the stronger the effect became.

If it was this powerful even while restrained, it must have been truly monstrous when it was at full strength.

‘I’m almost there.’

The final security door loomed ahead.

Guards patrolled frequently in this area.

Once I passed through this door, there would be no chance to catch my breath.

I waited for the exact moment when two guards crossed paths, creating a brief window where neither was looking.

Then, I swiftly initiated the security check.

Beep! Beep beep!

The sound instantly drew their attention.

“Huh?”

“Who the hell are you?!”

But the door opened before they could react.

The keycard security door and biometric authentication door unlocked.

Only the thickest, magically reinforced security gate remained.

[Giant’s Strength] [Mana Soul] [One-Man Army]

[Shield Bash] [Destruction] [Earth]

Aegis was already deployed.

I infused it with the Earth trait.

Normally, Aegis was transparent, and when imbued with divine power, it turned white.

But today, it looked different.

Like what I had seen in Olympus—a dense cluster of blue and yellow cubic particles formed across its surface, creating a rough texture.

I slammed my shield forward.

BOOOOM!

The steel door crumpled like paper.

Even with its reinforced magical array and a thickness of several dozen centimeters, it couldn’t withstand my strike.

“D-Dammit!”

“Shoot him!”

“Kill him!”

Tat-tat-tat-tat!

The guards fired in a panic.

But they were too late.

I had already stepped through the broken doorway.

A vast, open chamber lay ahead—seemingly open, yet layered with dozens of invisible barriers.

It was the size of a soccer field.

And in the center, bound in restraints, was a colossal entity.

A Corpse Dragon, born from the fused remains of countless alien hybrids.

The beast writhed, and each movement sent waves of grotesque shrieks from the corpses making up its body.

[Gueeeooooong…]

Thick black ropes coiled around the Corpse Dragon.

In the game, those ropes eventually turned into armor.

It hadn’t reached that stage yet.

Instead, I saw Superhumans gripping the restraints.

Priest-type Superhumans, channeling dark divine energy in continuous streams.

Their eyes widened when they saw me.

“W-What the hell?!”

“An intruder! We have an intruder!”

“Where the hell are the guards?!”

“Kill him immediately!”

Had they been relying solely on the outer guards for security?

Inside the chamber, only the priests were present.

From a magical standpoint, it made sense.

With no other types of Superhumans present, the amplification of divine energy was more effective.

But today, they would pay for that decision.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

I charged forward, both pistols blazing.

At some point, my active traits had shifted.

I was now fully optimized for gunfighting.

With the support of [Invincible Gun], my mana-infused bullets pierced through not just the nearby priests but even those hundreds of meters away.

“Guhk!”

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

The priests fought back.

Each of them summoned divine shields and barriers to block my attacks.

But then—

A fatal mistake occurred.

The ropes binding the Corpse Dragon snapped, and it was freed.

“Guooooooh!”

A powerful draconic roar shook the chamber.

Since it was an undead dragon, it was weaker than the Golden Dragon.

However, unlike me, the priests couldn’t withstand the Draconic Tongue.

Mana circuits shattered, priests fainted, and blood sprayed from their mouths.

“D-Damn it!”

“No! This can’t be happening!”

“Run!”

“What the hell are you saying?! We need to rebind it!”

“But, High Priest—”

“We have to—Kugh!”

You think you can?

There were exactly 12 priests in the room.

Four were Level 6.

Eight were Level 5.

That wasn’t enough.

To fight a dragon, they needed a warrior-type Superhuman to hold its attention, a reinforced-type to disrupt its movements, and a mage to provide fire support.

No warriors to tank its attacks?

Only a high-level fighter actively sabotaging them?

Then this was inevitable.

Crunch.

The High Priest was devoured.

By the Corpse Dragon, now rampaging in its fury.

Of course, he had activated his defensive barriers.

The other priests had also cast blessings and protection spells from a distance.

But the problem was me.

I had been sniping from afar, weakening the barriers.

The moment the High Priest’s defenses faltered, the Corpse Dragon’s jaws crushed him instantly.

“That bastard! He’s the cause of this!”

“We have to run!”

“Kill him!”

Alarms blared as guards swarmed the area, escalating the chaos.

Kaaaah!

Then, the Corpse Dragon unleashed its breath attack.

A deadly fusion of pure dark-attribute mana and lethal toxins.

A breath attack aged over twenty years—far stronger than anything fresh.

The panicked priests, along with the rushing guards armed with swords and guns, melted away without resistance.

Even the very walls and ceiling that had once bound the Corpse Dragon.

The reinforcing magic circles.

The dozens of layered barriers.

All of it.

“Phew.”

I wiped the sweat and blood from my face.

[Mana Barrier] [Indomitable] [Domain Shield]

[Mana Shield] [Mana Armor] [Mana Defense]

Magical defense enhanced with dark resistance.

[Indomitable], bolstered with poison resistance.

And finally, Aegis, forming a quadruple-layered barrier.

Even with all that, I had barely survived.

And I hadn’t even taken the breath attack head-on.

Yet my body screamed in pain, my throat filled with blood, and my head spun.

‘The lack of a high-tier attribute makes a huge difference.’

Blocking the Golden Dragon’s flames had actually been easier.

Because of Black Flame.

I shook my head once to clear my mind and sprinted forward.

Thanks to [Undying] and multiple recovery traits, my internal injuries were completely healed.

“Grrrrrk.”

The Corpse Dragon let out a wet, phlegmy growl and locked its gaze onto me.

“Eat this!”

Bang! Bang!

I fired two rounds from my large-caliber pistol.

Then, I turned and ran.

With its breath attack having obliterated most of the fortress, there was no shortage of escape routes.

“Guaaaaaaah!”

As expected, the Corpse Dragon reacted mechanically.

It let out a deep roar, spreading its wings wide.

Then, it took flight—moving sluggishly, almost hovering, as it chased after me at a low altitude.

Good.

Its speed was exactly as I remembered from the game.

Slightly faster than a person running at full speed.

Which meant luring it wouldn’t be difficult.

‘Stay focused.’

According to my calculations, I would face a moment of danger.

Just once.

That was fine.

But if my timing was off and I encountered two moments of crisis, that would be a problem.

That would mean my plan had gone wrong.

Tack, tat-tat!

I pushed all worries aside and ran.

[Air Raid], [Dash], [Acceleration], and other movement-type traits propelled me forward.

Behind me, I heard a loud whoosh as the air was sucked in.

Another breath attack.

A dark miasma engulfed my surroundings, but I ignored it.

I had activated [Phasing] to grant myself temporary invulnerability.

Aerial breath attacks had lower intensity and shorter duration compared to ground-based ones.

As I had predicted, the Corpse Dragon’s breath attack faded before my [Phasing] effect ended.

“Teacher?”

“This way! Over here!”

“Run! Break the magic chips and run!”

“Ughhh!”

I finally caught up with the three I had sent ahead.

They crushed their magic chips, activating [Speed Boost].

Their pace instantly accelerated.

“Kali! Are we going the right way?”

“Yes! I can hear the whispers!”

Kali replied, chugging holy water.

The distance had closed enough that telepathic signals were reaching her even without the Star Spawn Protective Suit.

I felt it too.

The Star Spawn Protective Suit had been twitching for a while now.

Quietly.

Subtly.

Recognizing the presence of its kin and attempting to take action.

Trying to take over my body.

‘Just a little more…’

The eerie gray space stretched out before us.

But if I looked closely, I could distinguish different regions.

By analyzing the chaotic patterns—

The area we were in now had swirling vortex patterns, like the spiral shells of ammonites.

Almost there.

Just a little farther, and we would reach our target.

The Level 7 Star Spawn.

The Level 7 monster that would fight the Corpse Dragon.

Kwooooosh!

A sudden roar of suction behind me.

I clenched my teeth.

Was I too late?

Had I miscalculated?

By now, the Shell Tower should have appeared.

Was reality different from the game?

Then—

A massive tower shimmered into existence before my eyes, like a mirage.

Due to the warped space, my vision had been magically restricted, preventing me from noticing it sooner.

I shouted at my disciples.

“Use Teleport! To the side!”

Then, I leaped forward.

Crashing through the Shell Tower’s entrance like a cannonball.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

No sooner had I taken cover than the Corpse Dragon’s dark breath attack flooded in.

It melted and shattered the Shell Tower as it surged forward.

Rumble… Rumble…

The tower trembled violently, as if it would collapse at any moment.

The defensive barriers activated, and countless magical lights flared to life—

But it was pointless.

Like a sandcastle crumbling against the tide, the Shell Tower slowly began to collapse.

And with that, the reaction I had been waiting for was triggered.

[Who dares oppress the sacred heir of the Star Lords?!]

The Level 7 Star Spawn had appeared.

Its psychic wave crashed into the Corpse Dragon.

–TL Notes–

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