Trait Hoarder

Kalaratri — Part 1

Kali reached out her hand.

But she grasped nothing.

All she caught was the empty wind.

“Ah…”

Kali lowered her head.

Baek Sorin and Janet approached, embracing her from both sides.

“Are you okay?”

“Stay strong. Your grandmother must have gone to a good place.”

Then, wiping her face roughly, she forced herself to stand.

“This isn’t the time for this. We need to get to the Floating Island quickly. That way, Grandmother can reach the Goddess.”

“Let’s go.”

I took an empty crystal bottle from my golf bag.

Originally, it had contained top-grade holy water.

Good thing I didn’t throw away the bottle—it was expensive even when empty.

I secured the magic core first, then carefully gathered the remaining ashes into the crystal bottle.

After sealing it, Kali grabbed my arm and pulled.

“Hurry! We have to go now!”

The Floating Island wasn’t far.

Though visibility was limited, as we got closer, its full shape became clear.

A region completely distinct from this gray void.

Islands of various colors floated in the air.

Red islands, blue islands, yellow islands, green islands, white islands, black islands.

Their shapes varied as well.

Some were ordinary spheres, while others were cubes, twisted spirals, or even flat like pancakes. There were countless forms.

And each island had torrents flowing through it.

Fire, water, wind, earth, light, and darkness—each element had condensed into tangible streams, surging like waves.

In one sense, it looked like a massive smelting furnace.

In another, it resembled a cauldron of chaos.

That’s why it was called the Floating Island of Chaos.

There were no monsters, and it was an excellent place for magical growth. However, those who lingered too long could be ensnared by eerie whispers and mutate at any moment.

“Uh…”

Kali stared at the Floating Islands, her expression confused.

“I hear Grandmother’s voice.”

“Huh?”

“No way.”

“Could it be an extradimensional entity? There are plenty of ghostly monsters that do that.”

“No, it’s definitely Grandmother.”

It was both a correct and incorrect statement.

As I walked toward the Floating Island, I spoke.

“It’s probably the Goddess Kali.”

“The Goddess?”

“Yeah. Your grandmother said it herself—she managed to hold on until now thanks to the Goddess Kali’s blessing. Here, you should be able to hear the Goddess’s voice.”

“Ah…”

Which way should we go?

I carefully observed the Floating Islands.

One of them stood out, gleaming more brightly than the others.

A red glow—no, closer to a crimson hue.

A Floating Island that seemed to beckon me.

Swoosh!

I leaped forward.

Riding the torrents of fire, earth, and darkness in succession, I pressed on.

The chaotic flames, chaotic earth, and chaotic darkness clawed at me, but I endured.

Drawing on my [Indomitable] trait, magic resistance, and a series of other minor traits in succession.

“I’m coming too!”

Kali used Shadow Step to follow me.

Baek Sorin and Janet could only watch from behind, anxiously shifting their feet.

For them, diving into the torrents of chaos would be too dangerous.

Finally, I reached the target Floating Island.

It looked like a distorted doll.

Kali knelt as if in prayer and touched the ground.

“This feels… strange. Something is off…”

“It’s because this island is connected to the Goddess Kali.”

“Can we really connect to the Goddess?”

“Here, yes. Before you, your grandmother was the only descendant left. It makes sense that the Goddess took an interest.”

“The Goddess…”

I took out the crystal bottle from my golf bag.

Kali, still kneeling, extended her hands toward me.

“Please, give it to me.”

“Go ahead.”

It was only right for the granddaughter to do this.

I handed over the crystal bottle and stepped back.

Kali uncorked it and began to scatter the ashes.

“Goddess, please take care of my grandmother.”

The ashes fell like dancing petals.

And then—something extraordinary happened.

The Floating Island beneath us began to dissolve into light.

It turned into a crimson radiance, embracing the ashes before sublimating into a brilliant glow.

A dimensional gate opened.

The space distorted, and a massive eye fixed its gaze upon us.

An overwhelming presence.

Neither Kali nor I could move.

I could sense the eye watching us—smiling faintly.

The radiant light carrying the ashes was drawn into the eye, vanishing into the dimensional gate.

And just like that, it was over.

The gate vanished, as if it had never existed.

The divine presence that had just moments ago loomed over us faded into silence.

“Whoa!”

Kali clutched her chest.

“I thought my heart was going to stop. That was really the Goddess Kali, right?”

“Probably. I didn’t expect her to descend in person, though.”

“She actually descended?”

“Yeah.”

She wasn’t a supreme deity like Thor or Gaia, but she was at least on the level of Persephone.

Just a gaze from beyond the dimension had nearly crushed us.

Kali seemed perfectly fine, but I felt a burning pain inside.

In just that brief moment, I had sustained internal injuries.

“Uh, Teacher! Look at your golf bag! The golf bag!”

“What about it? Ah.”

My golf bag was glowing.

I quickly opened it.

A luminous magic circle floated into the air.

Suspended in place, it rotated like a star.

Using my Insight, I identified its nature.

[Psychic Power]

Kali’s grandmother had left behind a magic core.

I had been wondering how to consume it, but the Goddess Kali had conveniently refined it for me.

No need to process it into a trait elixir—just touching it would suffice.

Kali clapped her hands in delight.

“The Goddess gave you a gift, Teacher!”

“Looks like it.”

“Hurry up and take it! It’s a gift from Grandmother and the Goddess!”

“Alright.”

Without hesitation, I reached out to the magic circle.

Just like how the Nephilim Sword required a trait related to sword energy, Kalaratri required Psychic Power or a trait from the same category.

Astral Projection alone wasn’t enough, but this was perfect.

Shwaaah.

The magic circle seeped into me.

A new sensation bloomed within me, an awareness of invisible limbs extending from my body.

The trait: [Psychic Power].

Anything was possible.

I could use weak telekinesis, see through objects, read minds, and communicate telepathically. I could slow time or distort space.

But only at a beginner’s level.

Could I lift a person just because I had equipped [Psychic Power]?

No.

I couldn’t even lift a smartphone.

Maybe something as light as a feather.

And my telepathy? It only worked within ten centimeters.

The true power of [Psychic Power] was unlocked when combined with other traits.

“Whew.”

I had two psychic abilities—Blink and Astral Projection.

I equipped [Psychic Power] and activated them together.

Flickering, my body shimmered as I jumped from one Floating Island to another, then back again.

Astral Projection worked similarly.

I ignored the torrents of chaos, phasing freely between locations.

The cooldown period vanished.

But the mana cost skyrocketed.

After using Blink and Astral Projection a few times, I was already drained of mana.

“Yahoo!”

Kali, exhilarated, dashed forward.

“Teacher! Catch me if you can!”

A sharp, curved dagger gleamed in her right hand.

A blade as keen as a bloodstained razor.

Both a trait and a weapon—Kalaratri.

Watching her grandmother’s soul be embraced by the Goddess Kali had put her in a good mood.

“Damn.”

No mana left—this was bad.

But at the same time, it was the perfect condition to inherit Kalaratri.

I pulled out a top-grade mana potion from my golf bag and downed it in one go.

Thanks to my [Potion Dependency] and [Potion Addiction] traits, my mana surged back instantly.

“Here I come!”

[Acceleration] [Lightning] [Blink]

[Astral Projection] [Psychic Power] [Mana Soul]

I equipped all six traits.

And launched myself forward.

Lightning crackled as I accelerated.

Phasing into astral form, I ignored the laws of physics while folding space.

[Psychic Power] and [Mana Soul] supported my movements.

The world blurred past me.

Elements tainted by chaos flared up with every step.

Mana battered against me.

I ignored it.

I overcame it.

Leaping through space, I caught up to Kali.

“Ha ha ha!”

She was laughing.

Or was she?

I wasn’t sure anymore.

Was Kali laughing, or was it some distant god of destruction?

It was impossible to tell.

But one thing was certain.

Within me, something ignited, blazing through my nervous system like wildfire.

The trait: [Thunderbolt].

Flash!

My body transcended.

I transformed into pure, refined mana, then ignited into lightning itself.

With Blink enhancing my speed, I sliced through the fabric of reality.

“Ahhh!”

I lightly tapped Kali’s back.

She flinched and swung her dagger.

Her movements were fluid, like a dancer’s.

But there was no intent to kill.

Like the fluttering sleeves of a traditional dancer, she merely gestured toward me.

[Swordmaster] [Psychic Power] [Sixth Sense]

[Mana Soul] [Training]

I equipped my pre-planned traits.

And the final touch—

[Dance].

When [Dance] and [Swordmaster] combined, the result was sword-dance.

A technique as breathtaking as it was deadly.

A dance not inferior to Kali’s Blood Dance.

A sword-dance worthy of inheriting Kalaratri.

Swish! Swish!

Blades sliced through the air.

Kali and I clashed and separated repeatedly.

We cut through the chaotic torrents.

We landed atop Floating Islands.

We dove into strange spatial fragments and emerged again.

Kali’s eyes had glazed over.

She danced in a near-trance.

Meanwhile, she kept teleporting with Shadow Step, slowing me with time manipulation while speeding herself up.

She wasn’t making this easy.

I had to respond with the same level of focus.

I countered her Shadow Step with [Thunderbolt].

I met her Blood Dance with [Dance] and [Swordmaster].

I resisted her time manipulation with [Vajra Body] and [Indomitable].

Mana drained from me at an alarming rate.

But I had no time to drink another potion.

If I lost focus for even a second—if I disrupted Kali’s trance—I would have to start over from the beginning.

‘Hah!’

Holding my breath, I threw myself forward.

Luckily, [Thunderbolt] consumed little mana.

If I didn’t have it, and had to rely on [Psychic Power], Blink, and Astral Projection, I would have already collapsed.

Even with my enormous mana reserves.

“Haaahp!”

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

We reached the climax.

Kali no longer ran—she attacked.

She emerged from my shadow, then from a nearby Floating Island, then from the chaotic torrent itself.

She even appeared behind Baek Sorin, slashing at me.

Thus, she achieved a group dance.

Not a solo performance, but a collective rhythm of one being moving as many.

At this moment, Kali had fully awakened.

[Blood of the Goddess] [Kalaratri] [Blood Dance]

[Shadow Step] [Time Manipulation] [Clone]

[Psychic Power] was good, but [Clone] was even better.

Her growth was astonishing.

Meeting her grandmother, drawing the attention of the Goddess Kali—it had accelerated everything.

Even now, the Goddess’s blessing was active.

Just look at her flipped-up eyes.

The divine, destructive energy gleaming in her whites.

I slowly lowered my Black Tiger Sword.

My insides tingled.

Something eerie licked at the back of my neck.

The Goddess Kali’s blessing was touching me too.

Traits that would have taken weeks to manifest were already sprouting.

And I hadn’t even used Diamonds yet, but they were already accessible.

[Thunderbolt] [Swordmaster] [Dance]

[Insight] [Sixth Sense] [Training]

I focused on Kali.

Kali, slashing downward with her dagger.

Kali, stabbing at my back.

Kali, throwing her sword from afar.

Kali, waiting for an opening to unleash a sword flash.

Kali. Kali. Kali. Kali.

I absorbed all 108 of her attacks into my mind.

[Insight] and [Sixth Sense] mapped out each trajectory.

And then—I responded.

Unleashing [Thunderbolt], [Swordmaster], and [Dance].

A sword-dance of my own making.

A newly reimagined Kalaratri.

Not the bloodstained shadow of Kalaratri—

A lightning-illuminated Kalaratri.

Flash!

Thunder roared as lightning flared.

There were no intricate sword paths, no swarming clones.

Only a single streak of dazzling light.

A raw, surging bolt of lightning.

A single line slashed across the void.

The zigzagging thunder erased Kali entirely.

All 108 of her attacking forms—gone in an instant.

“Kali!”

“Teacher! No!”

Baek Sorin and Janet screamed in horror.

They must have thought Kali was dead.

I turned with a smile.

“Ah.”

Kali, regaining her senses, looked up at me.

She was pressed against me, her body practically buried in my chest.

The dagger in her hand was stabbed into my stomach.

“T-Teacher? Are you okay? What do I do?”

“Of course I’m fine. Look closely.”

“Huh?”

“I said, look.”

Only then did Kali lower her gaze.

The dagger she gripped tightly was stopped by my left hand.

Specifically, by the Golden Fleece covering it.

There was no need to use [Undying].

Unless it was a weapon of the gods, nothing could pierce the Golden Fleece.

Realizing I was unharmed, Kali lightly smacked my arm.

“You scared me!”

“You’re the one who stabbed me. Why are you the one freaking out?”

“I don’t know!”

She pouted.

Still, this was good.

My mana circuits were burning with energy.

A new trait seed had formed.

I could focus on inheriting Kalaratri right now, but instead, I chose to buy time with money.

Because Kalaratri wasn’t the only thing I needed to take from here.

I pulled out a Diamond from my golf bag.

I still had plenty left from what I received from Seong Huiyeong and what I looted from the Dark Jaguar Cult.

Seeing the Diamond, Kali extended her dagger.

“It won’t hurt, right?”

“It won’t. Didn’t Sorin and Janet tell you?”

“Still… just in case.”

“It’ll be over in a moment.”

I pressed the Diamond toward Kali.

A trait crystal naturally emerged.

It glowed blood-red, as if infused with the presence of the Goddess Kali herself.

“Hoo…”

That must have hurt.

But my body was used to enduring pain.

Taking a deep breath, I accepted the trait crystal.

Immediately, searing agony tore through my body.

‘Kh…!’

But I grinned.

This was the last of the Big Three Sword Arts.

In my original world, I had only watched streamers inherit them, living vicariously through their achievements.

But in this world, I had succeeded in collecting them all.

After turning Baek Sorin into a superhuman, saving Janet, and training Kali—at last, my collection was complete.

‘Not much left now.’

Heavenly Demon Cultivation?

Ares’ Laws?

I didn’t need them!

I just had to craft the perfect build.

I could switch between the Mars build, the Nephilim build, and the Kali build in real time.

I could win.

Against the Heavenly Demon.

Against the Saintess. Against the Old Father who was soon to descend.

I would surpass them all.

–TL Notes–

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