Trait Hoarder

Above the Sky – Part 3

What a beautiful sight.

Watching them scheme to betray each other.

I pretended not to notice and accepted the High Priest’s proposal.

“Alright. I swear. Should we make it a magical contract?”

“That won’t be necessary. Swear using Dragon Speech.”

“Dragon Speech?”

“Yes.”

The High Priest looked at me—or rather, at the Dragon Monarch’s Crown I was wearing.

I swapped out a trait and declared firmly,

[I, Warrior Kim, swear that I will not attack the High Priest of the Dark Jaguar Cult first unless he attacks me first. Furthermore, if he sincerely explains the secret alliance between the Dark Jaguar Cult and the Old Father’s Cult and hands over evidence, I swear to release him immediately. This oath is valid only between me and the High Priest of the Dark Jaguar Cult and does not apply to any other entity. Lastly, this oath will remain in effect for exactly 24 hours from now.]

“Hmph… stacking up conditions, aren’t you?”

What, did you expect me to leave myself wide open?

I’m not that careless.

The High Priest sneered once before his expression turned solemn.

[In the name of the Dark Jaguar God, I, the High Priest of the Dark Jaguar, take after the oath of Superhuman Warrior Kim. I swear that I will not attack Superhuman Warrior Kim first and that I will sincerely explain the secret alliance between my cult and the Old Father’s Cult and hand over the evidence. This oath applies only between me and Superhuman Warrior Kim and is also valid for 24 hours.]

On the surface, it seemed fine.

But inwardly, I scoffed.

This is way too similar to the game.

Even if the wording is slightly different, the key part is a perfect copy.

He specifically said “I” will not attack.

What does that mean?

The High Priest possesses a trait called [Avatar], which allows the god’s will to control him like a puppet.

In other words, the Dark Jaguar can attack me through his avatar.

And me?

I can attack anyone except the High Priest.

Even if the Dark Jaguar possesses him as an avatar, it still doesn’t count as the High Priest himself.

Shouldn’t he still be considered the same person since his body is being used?

The soul and its will matter more than the body.

There will probably be some backlash.

His body might even be completely wrecked.

In the game, using this ability often left the user in a near-death state with serious debuffs.

But it’s a risk worth taking.

Better than getting caught up in the High Priest’s scheme and devoured by the avatar.

“Can you remove this now?”

“Fine. Just don’t try anything funny.”

“I don’t even have the mana to do that.”

The High Priest sat down comfortably, curling up like a bear and looking up at me.

“So, what do you want to ask?”

A lot.

Questions were popping into my head like bamboo shoots after the rain.

After sorting my thoughts for a moment, I asked the first question.

“Why exactly did you form a secret alliance with the Old Father’s Cult? Aren’t they your cult’s mortal enemies?”

Originally, three cults—three gods—ruled over the American continent.

Tezcatlipoca of the Aztecs.

Kukulkan of the Maya.

Inti of the Inca.

Among them, Kukulkan was the most powerful.

He was the main god of the Maya and was also revered by the Aztecs under the name Quetzalcoatl.

But then, when the Old Father’s Cult was driven out of Europe and migrated en masse to the New World, the balance was broken.

“The Old Father’s Cult annihilated the Aztecs and the Maya.”

And along the way, the Mama Quilla Cult rose to prominence.

Mama Quilla, the goddess of the moon and the wife of Inti.

She couldn’t stand Inti’s tyranny any longer and led a rebellion, becoming the dominant religion in the Americas.

“Yeah, that’s true. The Old Father’s Cult has been our archenemy for a thousand years. We must destroy them eventually. But before that, there’s something we need to do first.”

Here we go again.

The High Priest gritted his teeth and spoke.

“Poca. If we don’t reclaim that name, the Dark Jaguar will never escape his beastly form.”

For a time, the Old Father’s Cult and the Mama Quilla Cult coexisted.

Their relationship was even considered fairly good.

However, while the Old Father’s followers merely tolerated human sacrifice, the Mama Quilla Cult outright despised it. The two were never going to last together.

Eventually, during the War of Divine Annihilation, the Mama Quilla Cult opposed the Old Father’s Cult and achieved massive victories.

‘The contributions of the Enlightened Gods were significant.’

The Mama Quilla Cult had an unusual system of minor deities.

They were known as Enlightened Gods or Reincarnated Gods.

Minor deities who reincarnated continuously into human bodies.

Though they ranked lower than other demigods or minor gods, their influence on reality was immense.

The Star God, Tepeu.

The Wind God, Ehecatl.

The Smoke God, Poca.

The Rain God, Chaac.

To solidify its dominance over the absorbed Incan, Aztec, and Mayan deities, the Mama Quilla Cult established this structure.

Many Enlightened Gods perished during the war, and only four survived. But in the end, Mama Quilla won.

The Old Father’s Cult had to wander the world aimlessly until it finally settled in Seoul, South Korea.

“Did the Saintess promise you? That she’d retrieve the name?”

“She did.”

“And you believed her?”

Why would they?

The Saintess isn’t exactly the most trustworthy person.

“We don’t trust the Saintess. In fact, I can confidently say that no one knows her better than we do. The Saintess is a snake, a scorpion, a venomous wasp, and a pit of ants. She must never be trusted.”

“Then?”

“It’s not the Saintess we trust. It’s the oath. The Dark Jaguar himself agreed. He decided that enduring a brief humiliation was worth it for resurrection.”

What the hell is this?

Even in the game, this never came up.

After clearing Episode 3, all I got was a brief message stating that the Old Father’s Cult had been pulling the strings behind the Terror Alliance and the Dark Jaguar Cult.

I carefully analyzed the situation.

A brief humiliation, resurrection, an oath…

“Wait. Don’t tell me—the Dark Jaguar agreed to become a minor deity under the Old Father’s Cult?”

“Hmph. Not the Dark Jaguar—it’s Lord Tezcatlipoca. The world to come won’t allow gods to carve out and claim their own domains as they did in the past. Instead of biting and tearing at each other in a cramped ark, it’s better to acknowledge a superior and secure a portion of the stake.”

A cryptic statement.

A cramped ark?

It was an oddly out-of-place term, but something about it struck a chord.

I knew the future. I knew the direction this world was heading.

“Ark? What do you mean?”

“Heh, you really don’t know, do you?”

The High Priest openly sneered.

“Then stay ignorant. All that awaits is despair and misery. Just remember this—the world is an ocean of suffering, and the Earth will become hell. That’s what the Saintess always says, isn’t it?”

“Pretending to be all-knowing, huh? Do your followers even realize that your cult has become nothing more than the Old Father’s lapdog?”

“The young and weak have no need to think or know. They only need to follow the path we set before them.”

“That’s a garbage thing to say.”

“Hu hu hu.”

The High Priest chuckled darkly.

Ignoring him, I moved on to my second question.

“Why Seoul, of all places? Not Brazil, where your cult is based? Not São Paulo, where Poca is?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

The High Priest looked at me like I was an idiot.

“The Old Father’s Cult’s Grand Temple is in Seoul. It may not bear the name of the Saintess’ Sanctuary or the Papal Office, but the Grand Temple in Seoul serves as the true headquarters. To fulfill their grand ambition, chaos at their own stronghold was necessary. And, of course, they needed us to make it happen.”

“And in the process, your entire cult got wiped out?”

“That was part of the deal. Our deaths in exchange for the arrival of the Wraith King. In return, they promised to capture Poca within two years and deliver him to our cult.”

But in the end, they were betrayed.

In Episode 3: Resurrection of the Ancient God, the Old Father’s Cult was completely annihilated.

For the Saintess, it was a win-win situation.

If the plan succeeded, it was good. If it failed, there was no one left to demand payback.

‘Idiots… no, that’s not it.’

Thinking about it, they had no other choice.

I hardened my expression and asked,

“This ‘ark’—does it have something to do with the Great Cataclysm?”

The Great Cataclysm.

An update that was supposed to be made up of ten episodes.

The High Priest looked at me in surprise.

“Incredible. You know about that? Yes. This world is approaching its end. Countless disasters will leave the land barren, the world will be torn apart, and it will drift through the dimensional void. The only place left habitable for humans will be the ark—Seoul.”

That’s how it was in the game.

Even as nuclear war destroyed city after city, even as dimensional rifts shredded reality, Seoul endured.

The setting became darker, more grim.

The impoverished were reduced to a fate worse than death.

But from a gameplay perspective—whether due to game mechanics or the privileges granted to Level 9 Superhumans—the characters players interacted with weren’t in such dire straits.

“The gods don’t seem to care, though.”

“Hmph. Those foolish, arrogant beings.”

I recalled Thor, drunk out of his mind.

Gaia, only mildly concerned.

When I mentioned them, the High Priest twisted his lips into a sneer.

“The coming age of darkness… The bloated, gluttonous gods will not survive. They will perish, fueling the birth of new gods—gods of smoke, of volcanoes, of mirrors, of truth, of light, and of darkness. Only when they find themselves hunted by devout Level 9 Superhumans will they finally realize—ah, it’s already too late!”

Now that I thought about it, in Episode 9: Dimensional Rift, the Divine Raid event took place.

You could hunt gods like Thor and Gaia.

And story-wise, they were considered dead.

Wow. So this is how they interpret it?

No, this isn’t canon.

It must be an IF route.

A future where the Old Father’s Cult won.

A future where they devoured Seoul whole, resurrected the Old Father, and ruled over it.

Only a handful of gods, reduced to minor deities, would survive, while the rest were completely consumed.

“But what are you going to do now?”

I spoke mockingly.

“It’s all over. The contract is broken. Do you really think the Saintess will resurrect your god?”

“What are you talking about? The contract was already fulfilled.”

“What?”

“Not of our own will, perhaps, but everyone here has already been offered as a sacrifice. The ritual is complete. Only one thing remains.”

What the hell is he talking about?

I frantically searched my memory.

The Dark Jaguar Headquarters Dungeon—added in a later update.

In that dungeon, the Wraith King was the final boss.

But he only appeared under specific conditions.

If those conditions weren’t met, the High Priest’s [Living Sacrifice] infinite battle and his [Avatar] state would serve as the final encounter.

And that condition was…

‘Eliminate all enemies within the dungeon!’

A similar scenario was unfolding here.

Everyone who was supposed to be transferred to headquarters was now dead.

Except for one—the High Priest.

If he died, the condition would be fulfilled.

Which meant—

Was the Wraith King about to descend here?

But for that to happen, an immense amount of mana was needed, along with a mountain of corpses, magical artifacts, and rare materials.

“You’re saying the Wraith King is about to be summoned? Here? That’s impossible!”

“You… For a mere unbeliever, you know far too much.”

The High Priest narrowed his eyes and glared at me.

“It’s already prepared. All that was left was to perform the ritual. If the priests and the clergy had survived, we could have raised an even larger army of wraiths… but it doesn’t matter. The Wraith King is a semi-divine undead lord. Though he’ll descend in a weakened state, he’ll assess the situation and remain hidden while building his army first.”

Given time, a full-scale zombie outbreak would unfold.

In other words, I had a little time to work with.

“Now then.”

The High Priest rose from his seat.

“This conversation is over.”

“Are you ready?”

“Hm?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice you stalling for time to recover your mana?”

“Huhu. You’re sharper than I thought. I’ll ask you sincerely—have you considered devoting yourself to the Dark Jaguar? Even he would be pleased with you.”

“And then he’d chew me up and swallow me whole.”

“Tsk… Typical, crude unbeliever. Offering oneself as a sacrifice is the highest virtue.”

The High Priest straightened his posture.

His body had grown larger.

He was already massive, but now he looked about 2.5 meters tall.

His eyes glowed blood-red, and a dark halo shimmered behind his head.

Neither of us could attack each other.

Even with his mana restored, escape was impossible.

He had sworn to cooperate sincerely and hand over evidence.

Rip!

The High Priest tore his own robes.

He plunged his hand into his own chest, tore out a piece of his heart—along with an embedded magic chip—and tossed it to me before looking skyward.

“Oh, great Dark Jaguar! Devour your servant!”

[Avatar] activated.

Rumble!

As if in response, thunder roared across the sky.

The clouds outside the plane’s window turned pitch black.

Like volcanic ash spreading, darkness covered the world.

At the same time, the High Priest’s form began to change.

His face twisted, black fur sprouted from his body, and his jaws protruded outward.

He was transforming through [Avatar].

Boom! Boom!

Mana surged violently.

A massive power descended, pressing down on the plane.

The engines and magical spirits struggled under the pressure, making the aircraft tremble dangerously.

It wouldn’t be surprising if it crashed at any moment.

I had been waiting for this.

[Divine Power] [Holy Radiance] [Light’s Glory]

[Divine Artifact] [Healing Hands] [Halo]

Six traits I had been saving for this exact moment.

I had even obtained Holy Sword and Sacrifice, but I deliberately held off on combining them.

Now, I merged them all.

As the six traits fused, light burst forth.

A radiant glow emerged from me, stretching toward the sky like a crown.

The holy light split apart the mana.

The ominous energy descending from the heavens, the dark power about to engulf the High Priest—

It was severed.

“W-what is this?!”

The High Priest’s eyes widened in horror.

I gently placed my hand on his chest.

On the wound where his heart had been torn out, where crimson blood gushed freely.

“You need to be healthy.”

I meant it.

I truly wanted him to live a long life.

I poured every bit of divine power into him—[Divine Power], [Healing Hands], and all the other good traits I had.

I healed the High Priest.

I flooded him with divine energy.

Would this be considered an attack or a healing act?

I had no shame in my heart as I looked to the sky.

I was truly trying to heal him.

Yes, really.

Whether it clashed with his mana, whether it caused an adverse reaction—well, that wasn’t my problem.

Boom!

Mana went berserk.

Blood burst forth, his organs ruptured.

The High Priest choked down a few words.

“T-the oath… k-keep the oath…”

“I’m trying to help you. Really, I am.”

“Filho da puta!” (TL Note: Funny seeing Portuguese spoken here, it means Son of a Bitch)

…What did he just say?

Judging by his expression, it was definitely a curse.

A particularly nasty one, at that.

I leaned in and whispered into his ear.

“Oh? Thanks for the compliment.”

There’s nothing better than having your opponent curse at you.

It meant I was playing the game well.

I bowed my head in sincere gratitude.

That only worsened the High Priest’s internal injuries, causing him to cough up even more blood.

“Khack! Keheuk!”

“Oh dear. Let me heal you more. You need to recover quickly.”

“Stop. Stop. Please, stop. I beg you…”

He pleaded, but I didn’t stop.

After more than an hour of continuous “treatment”—

The High Priest, shriveled and dried up, finally breathed his last.

For a moment, a lingering energy swirled around his corpse like a ghost.

It hesitated as if reluctant to leave, brushing against the plane, before dissipating into nothingness.

“Kh…!”

I wasn’t unscathed either.

Even if I had technically circumvented the oath, I had still taken some damage.

And after injecting divine power and mana non-stop for over an hour, I was utterly drained.

[Emergency! Emergency!]

The plane had been descending gradually for some time now.

The ocean, which should have been far below, was now dangerously close.

The autopilot system had malfunctioned.

I regretted leaving behind all the loot scattered around, but I wasn’t about to risk my life over a few trinkets.

I grabbed only a few of the most famous artifacts from the game.

I wouldn’t use them myself, but I could always sell them.

‘The most important thing is secured.’

I rubbed my fingers over the stoBerserk pouch.

I slipped the Ring of Grand Escape onto my finger, activated it, and looked down at the ocean.

In my other hand, I clutched a small, hard object.

The magic chip.

The one the High Priest had thrown at me as proof of his oath.

Evidence of the secret alliance between the Old Father’s Cult and the Dark Jaguar Cult.

With this, I had something that could rally an entire coalition if I played it right.

–TL Notes–

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