Trait Hoarder

Olympus – Part 1

It was a strange sight.

Clearly, I was climbing upward, but it felt like I was descending.

An inverted world was settling over my head.

Just a little further up, and the world would rotate 180 degrees, plunging me into an upside-down land.

Only then did I feel solid ground beneath my feet.

This was the Underworld Olympus.

“How peculiar.”

“It’s because Olympus once sank after the Gigantomachy.”

“All twelve of the Heavenly Gods perished. Originally, Olympus was sustained by the Throne of Heaven, but it was destroyed during the battle with the King of the Giants. Afterward, the Heaviest Mother raised the sunken Olympus and fixed it in place.”

Golden forests appeared everywhere.

I infused mana into my eyes to see their true nature.

A forest of golden apple trees.

The light emanating from them illuminated the Underworld Olympus.

And the azure crystal lake.

Blue, pale flowers were blooming in full splendor.

Underworld Flowers.

Each one emitted a glow, and the mana they released slithered across the ground like snakes.

La la la la la.

Somewhere in the distance, faint music could be heard.

As I focused my ears, cherubic angels playing harps burst out, giggling.

The music relaxed the mind and body.

One of the baby angels kissed my cheek and darted away.

“Hey! You little rascal! Stop fooling around!”

The priest panicked and chased the baby angels away.

“Be careful. They’re descendants of Eros. One mistake, and you could end up falling in love with the wrong person.”

I knew that.

In the game, this was implemented as a [Charm] debuff.

But even if I got charmed, a single Purification from [Indomitable] would end it.

They were called the descendants of Eros, but in reality, they were just spiritual entities with mind control abilities.

I looked at the massive temple at the center of Underworld Olympus and asked.

“Is that the Grand Palace?”

“Yes. It is where the Heaviest Mother resides. The only way for a mortal to enter is to be invited to the Banquet of the Gods.”

Thor could be encountered when inheriting the Thor Cultivation Technique or other traits.

Gaia was different.

To meet her, you had to be invited to the Banquet of the Gods.

The difference was that it was possible even if you were below Level 7, even at Level 0.

The unique power generated during the Banquet allowed mortals to look directly upon the gods.

“And to do that, you have to complete a task.”

“Yes. The Heaviest Mother grants a wish to every mortal who attends the banquet. Of course, you have to prove your worth.”

“I’ll start right away.”

“Right now? Aren’t you going to rest a little? Just staying in Olympus for a few days would be beneficial.”

True enough.

This was a place where you could gain experience just by resting.

Every day, they served heavenly delicacies and rare wines.

Nectar and Ambrosia aside, the food and drinks here were powerful enough to rival Diamonds.

It was a trap.

Just like Persephone had to spend part of the year in the Underworld after eating a few pomegranate seeds, consuming the food here would tie me to the Olympus faction.

You could leave after completing a few tasks, but why bother?

What a waste of time.

“I have a lot to do. I plan to attend the banquet and head to the Great Rift afterward.”

“Ah… the Great Rift…”

The priest nodded with a peculiar expression.

“Then it can’t be helped. Would you like to follow me? You can challenge the tasks at any time throughout the year. The banquet… it’s tonight. The next one is in two weeks. Completing all three tasks will be difficult, but the first one should be doable. After all, you’re the one who caught the Golden Dragon.”

The priest led me to the outskirts of Olympus, to a vast orchard.

Golden apple trees were densely planted.

But they were different from the golden apple trees I had seen before.

They were yellow, but they didn’t shine like other golden apples.

Each tree had a pilgrim clinging to it.

“Oh great Gaia, have mercy on your child…”

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

“Eat well and grow big, alright?”

“How many more years do I have to keep doing this…”

Pilgrims praying to Gaia.

Pilgrims gasping for breath as they infused mana into the apple trees.

Pilgrims scattering mana fertilizers and mana nutrient solutions brought from the surface.

Pilgrims sitting idly, staring into the distance.

Everyone looked exhausted.

“The first task is to grow a golden apple. Once the apple tree matures, the apple will emit a golden glow and drop. Eating it completes the task. You’ll then earn the right to participate in the banquet as a servant.”

“I understand.”

“In my humble opinion, using dragon’s blood and flesh as fertilizer, along with carefully injecting mana, would be the best approach. Praying to the Heaviest Mother would help as well. No matter how much of an Honorary Paladin you are, you’re still a paladin.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

“Ahem! Ahem! It’s the same advice I give to all pilgrims. Please hurry. At least you should attend the next banquet to have enough time to reach the Great Rift.”

I simply smiled.

The next banquet?

The one scheduled two weeks from now?

I had no intention of waiting that long.

I planned to finish all the tasks today.

Boom!

I dropped my golf bag.

It was so heavy that the ground trembled.

I could feel the eyes of the pilgrims, who had been focusing on the golden apple trees, turning toward me.

Ignoring them, I approached a suitable apple tree.

‘Golden apples grow by consuming mana and earnest devotion.’

That was why the pilgrims infused mana and prayed.

But that wasn’t the correct answer.

There was a real answer.

[Divine Power] [Radiance] [Holy Light]

[Divine Artifact] [Healing] [Purification]

The answer was Divine Power.

An overwhelming amount of Divine Power was the key to growing the golden apple trees.

Kwaaaaa!

I began pouring out Divine Power.

A tremendous surge of it.

On top of that, the Aegis wrapped around my left forearm burned as if it were glowing white-hot.

Through the Aegis, the Divine Power was imbued with earth attributes, cascading down like a waterfall.

Wrapped in Radiance and Holy Light.

Healing and purifying as it flowed.

So intense that even an archbishop couldn’t compare.

“Oh, Gaia…”

The priest who had been guiding me, about to leave, unconsciously made the sign of the cross.

It was, quite literally, a Divine Power bomb.

Divine Power flowed from me like the Han River.

I spewed it forth, emptying my mana heart completely.

And in just ten seconds—

A feat impossible for mages or priests, achievable only by warriors through sheer mana concentration.

Boom!

Stopping here would be meaningless.

I pulled out a mana potion from my golf bag and drank it.

Just like when I gave the Golden Dragon a hellfire sauna treatment.

Using my recovery-related traits and potion-related traits, I replenished my mana and unleashed another burst of Divine Power.

“Is he insane?”

“What the hell? Is he some kind of high priest?”

“Why is someone like that even taking on a task?”

“Seriously. Judging by the insignia, he’s a paladin of the Gaia Order. He could’ve just used his contribution points to request an audience.”

Why waste contribution points when I can get in for free by completing tasks?

You never know when you’ll need them later.

Pop!

A clear sound rang out.

The golden apple at the lowest branch—

Previously just a dull yellow, it started to glow.

Soon, it radiated a mesmerizing light in all directions.

“A-already?”

“It hasn’t even been a few minutes!”

“It took less than ten minutes!”

“Damn, this rookie is attending the banquet tonight!”

I pushed even harder.

Determined to use every last mana potion in my golf bag, I kept blasting Divine Power.

Pop! Pop pop pop!

The golden apples shimmered, lighting up one by one from bottom to top.

It looked like a town regaining electricity after a blackout.

I braced myself, pushing even further.

Just a little more, just a little more…

Flaaash!

And finally—

The golden apple perched at the very top, like a Christmas tree star, burst into radiant light.

Then, as if guided by fate, it detached and began to fall.

I caught it before it could hit the ground.

The entire golden apple tree radiated light, then released a long, brilliant beam.

Fwoosh!

A golden pillar of light shot into the sky like fireworks.

Baby angels burst into existence from every direction, opening spatial rifts as they appeared.

“Waaah!”

“Waaah!”

“A golden apple has ripened!”

“It has ripened!”

“Let’s transplant the tree!”

“Transplant the tree!”

“Let’s create a new forest!”

“Create a new forest!”

The angels grabbed shovels and lifted the glowing apple tree.

Singing in unison, they carried it away, flying to some unknown location.

It would likely become the seed of a new forest.

All that remained with me was a single golden apple.

I took a big bite.

The crisp texture and overwhelming sweetness sent shivers down my spine.

I instinctively closed my eyes, savoring the juicy, vibrant flesh.

‘Damn, this is delicious.’

It didn’t taste like a regular apple.

It was like watermelon, melon, and oriental melon all combined.

At the same time, my mana surged back to full capacity.

Even my body, weakened by potion dependency and addiction, was completely restored.

But I couldn’t afford to get lost in the taste.

While taking another bite, I deliberately smeared the juice onto my hands.

I could have eaten neatly, but I did it on purpose.

As expected, my hands turned golden and began to shimmer.

The light converted into mana circuits, etching itself onto my skin like a tattoo.

Acquired the trait: [Healing Hands].

It wasn’t a Tier 1 trait.

The healing power was considerable, but since it required direct touch to activate, it was considered a basic trait.

It was the starting trait of the N-rank character, Kim Saje—need I say more?

However, considering it was an essential material for a higher-tier paladin trait, it was a must-have.

‘Now, do I develop it into the Holy Sword, Holy Radiance, or Holy Crown?’

I dusted off my hands.

After finishing the entire apple, including the core.

I felt a slight pang of regret.

One more would have been perfect.

“Haha. Truly impressive.”

The priest, who had been watching, approached once again.

He checked his wristwatch and let out a short sigh.

“You finished the first task in less than thirty minutes… If my colleagues heard, they’d accuse me of lying.”

“Haha, is that so?”

“Yes. Even the archbishops of the Central Great Temple couldn’t compare to what you just did. You’ve never even been ordained as a paladin, yet you wield Divine Power, and even surpass the archbishops…”

He still looked like he couldn’t believe it.

Checking his watch again, he hesitated before asking, just in case.

“Would you like to begin the second task immediately? Since you’ve eaten the golden apple, you can now attend the banquet. You won’t be treated as a guest, though—you’ll have to take up a broom as a servant.”

“Let’s start right away.”

“Hahaha. I figured as much. Follow me.”

The second task took place in an open clearing.

There were noticeably fewer pilgrims.

While the orchard had at least several hundred, here, there were only about a dozen.

Each was playing a violin, a piano, or singing.

At the center of the clearing sat a handsome blond man, holding a lyre.

“Play it properly, properly!”

The man shouted.

“So you think that performance is worthy of the gods? If you can’t do it, give up! Attend the banquet as a servant instead!”

But the pilgrims were desperate.

Clearing their throats, they resumed their singing and playing, undeterred by the handsome man’s curses and gestures.

The priest lowered his voice and whispered to me.

“The second task is music. Do you see that man over there? He is Orpheus. You may have heard of him.”

“I have. The musician who descended into the Underworld in search of his wife.”

“Correct. He couldn’t bring his wife back to the surface, but when the Heaviest Mother rebuilt Olympus, she made Eurydice the goddess of music and revived Orpheus, appointing him as the court musician of the Grand Palace. He is collecting music for the banquet. To pass the second task, you must impress him.”

Not an easy feat.

To succeed through sheer skill, one would need high-level traits related to singing or playing an instrument.

Otherwise, the only option was to present a piece of music Orpheus had never heard before.

After all, he was the court musician of the Grand Palace of Olympus.

And as a demi-god, the difficulty was absurdly high.

The priest looked at me, half-expectant, half-concerned.

“What will you do? Even if you give up here, you can still make a wish to the Heaviest Mother.”

But there were limitations.

Those who completed only the first task attended the banquet as servants.

Those who passed the second task became attendants.

Only those who completed all three tasks were invited as guests.

If all I wanted was the blueprint, being a servant was enough.

But if I aimed for more, I had to complete the third task as well.

“I’ll take on the challenge.”

“As expected of a hero! You must have a talent for the arts as well!”

The priest, delighted, guided me to an empty seat.

Orpheus narrowed his eyes as he examined me.

“What’s this pile of bones? I don’t feel even the slightest artistic spirit.”

“Master Orpheus, he completed the first task in record time—less than thirty minutes.”

“Hmph. And? So what if he finished the first task quickly? Does that mean anything? I don’t sense any artistic soul in him. Do you really think you can impress me? Hey! Save yourself the embarrassment and give up! One without an artistic soul isn’t worthy to serve the Heaviest Mother, let alone my wife!”

My current traits were as follows:

[Deep Breath] [Mana Soul] [Mana Stabilization]

[Keen Ears] [Focus] [Training]

No surprise he said I lacked an artistic soul.

If I had even a dance-related trait, he might have said something slightly different—but it wouldn’t have changed anything.

I faced Orpheus and spoke politely.

“Please play for me.”

“Oh? Play? And what will you do with that? Sing?”

“Yes.”

“You look like someone who can’t carry a tune to save his life… but fine. I’ll play. A thousand times, if need be.”

Diririiing.

Orpheus ran his fingers across the lyre, producing a long, flowing melody that tingled in my ears.

A tune played by a demi-god.

An improvised piece without sheet music, but the perfect setting for unlocking a certain trait.

I sang at the top of my lungs.

“Flutter, butterfly, come fly to me♪”

Completely out of sync with Orpheus’s melody.

Dissonance.

Orpheus’s fingers slipped, producing a jarring screech.

“…Are you serious? That was your best effort?”

Orpheus stared at me in disbelief.

“Are you mocking me?”

His face turned red with anger, but I remained sincere.

“Please play again. I insist.”

“You’re not insulting me, are you?”

“Absolutely not. Give me one hour, and I will show you results.”

“I am a demi-god. You are not making empty promises, are you?”

“I would never. I know better than to lie to the husband of a goddess.”

“One hour. Just one hour.”

Grit.

Orpheus ground his teeth.

Then, he began playing the lyre again.

A heavenly melody unfurled, and I sang along.

“Flutter, butterfly, come fly to me♪”

Nothing matched.

Not the pitch, not the rhythm.

At this point, it was nothing but unbearable noise.

Orpheus’s face darkened with each passing second.

He was forcing himself to continue, barely resisting the urge to stop.

“Sir Paladin…”

The priest trembled as he looked at me.

“Tsk tsk.”

“What a foolish display.”

“He should be kneeling and begging for forgiveness by now.”

The pilgrims clicked their tongues.

I ignored them all.

I sang at the top of my lungs.

A voice so terrible that anyone with even a passing interest in music would call it torture rather than a song.

Ziiiiiing!

Orpheus abruptly stopped playing, letting out a sharp, piercing note.

A sound like the tip of a spear stabbing into my heart.

“One hour is up.”

Orpheus lifted his head.

His eyes gleamed with intensity.

“Now, show me. Satisfy me. Otherwise…”

Ziiiiiing!

He plucked the lyre strings again.

The sky rippled.

For just a moment, a glimpse of a demi-god’s true presence was revealed.

Even with my absurd abilities like the Blank Slate Physique and Trait Swap, I couldn’t afford to take him lightly.

Orpheus was Level 9.

He had surpassed human limits thousands of years ago.

“Yes. I’ll begin now.”

I had an ace up my sleeve.

Acquired the trait: [Sing].

A newly obtained trait.

On its own, it wasn’t much.

Far from enough to meet Orpheus’s standards.

But if I combined it with a certain trait I had acquired in the past?

[Dragon’s Roar].

A completely new kind of music would be born.

Music unheard of in the mortal realm, the heavens, or even the depths below.

The song of dragons.

–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!