A Talentless Mage Devours a Disaster-Class Future - Chapter 69

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 69

Creak—

The black door swung open, and the interior lay bare.

Beyond the threshold stretched a corridor, straight and unbroken.

At the corridor’s end stood a small isolation chamber whose walls, floor, and ceiling were densely inscribed with Sealing Formulas. In its center sat a single black pedestal.

Thud.

Hovering above it was a wedge-shaped object, peg-like in form.

Slightly longer than a palm.

It was not metal.
Nor was it ordinary stone—some strange, unidentifiable material instead.

Across its black surface, as if carved from ancient bedrock, fine hairline fractures crisscrossed like dried lightning.

Thud.

Yet somehow, it looked as though it had been crafted to pierce something—

Not an enemy’s armor or flesh.
Something that lay far deeper than that.

Thud.

The dull resonance that had repeated since before.

With each reverberation, vibrations radiated outward in all directions.

‘…Strange sensation.’

Aion realized that the sound traveled not through his ears but along the soles of his feet, penetrating to the marrow of his bones.

Aion’s hand trembled faintly.

“Ragna’s Wedge.”

Theoban spoke.
Whether it was mere impression or not, his voice seemed lower than before.

“Among the things that slumber in this place, it ranks among the most dangerous.”

Aion could not tear his gaze from the black wedge.

“I’ve never heard that name before.”
“Of course not. It is a name that deserves to be forgotten rather than remembered by the world.”

Footstep.

Theoban advanced slowly into the isolation chamber.

A low whistle cut through the air.

As he stepped forward, the Sealing Formulas etched into the floor began to glow one by one.

The faint vibration flowing from the Wedge traveled across the formulas, then was absorbed into the walls of the containment chamber.

“Do you know of Carden Fortress?”

Aion shook his head.

“A stronghold built long ago on the eastern frontier of the Labathia Empire. It was famous for its seven concentric walls and overwhelming defensive enchantments. In those days, they called it impregnable.”

Theoban gazed down at the black Wedge.

“That fortress vanished in a single day.”

Leonhardt’s expression tightened slightly.
He already knew this story.

“The walls were not breached. The defensive enchantments did not fail, and the garrison did not surrender.”

Theoban’s fingertip came to rest near a fracture carved into the Wedge’s surface.

“The entire fortress collapsed in an instant.”

Silence.

Aion turned his gaze back to the black Wedge.

So small.

‘Something this tiny….’

It was almost impossible to grasp that such a small object had wrought such devastation.

“The one who wielded Ragna’s Wedge had once been a member of the Magical Council. A Grand Sorcerer who reached the Eighth Tier.”

Theoban’s voice was calm.

“Given such a background, it’s difficult to attribute that catastrophe solely to this artifact’s power. Yet make no mistake—it is extraordinarily dangerous.”
“And yet you entrust it to me?”

Theoban nodded without hesitation at Aion’s question.

“Yes.”
“…….”
“Have no fear. At your current level, you cannot recreate the catastrophe that occurred then.”

【Hwayeom: That’s an oddly reassuring way to put it.】
【Daeji: Of course he can’t. If that whelp actually managed to sound this thing properly, his own bones would turn to dust before the world does.】
【Suryu: Theoban is clearly insane. Leave it at that.】

Aion’s brow furrowed slightly at these words.

Theoban continued as if he had anticipated that reaction.

“Ragna’s Wedge is an artifact that channels vibrations through whatever surface it contacts. However, if the wielder is inexperienced, the user’s flesh and bone tear first.”

A warning delivered as he looked at Aion.

“So ordinarily, preprocessing would be necessary. You’d have to dampen the relic’s resonance and calibrate the Sealing Formula to match the user’s Mana. It could take weeks at minimum, months at the longest.”
“Then right now….”

It was the moment Aion’s words trailed off.

Slither—

Something stirred above his wrist.
Precisely: the Dust.

‘……!?’

Before Aion could even react.

Whoosh—!

Black sand unwound from its bracelet form and spilled through the air.

Rather than falling to the floor, it crawled like a living serpent through empty space toward the black pedestal.

“……?”

Leonhardt’s eyes narrowed.
Theoban, for the first time, fell silent.

【Daeji: …Hey, that thing.】

Hiss—

The black sand circled slowly around Ragna’s Wedge.

【Daeji: Hey, hey. That thing? That’s not supposed to happen, is it? You crazy sand?】

Thump.

Ragna’s Wedge resonated with a deep tone.

The moment that resonance began spreading across the isolation chamber’s floor.

Crack—!

Ragna’s Wedge suddenly shot toward Aion.

“What—!”

Just as Theoban moved to respond, it was the black sand Dust that acted first.

Hiss—

The black sand coiled around the Wedge like a serpent.

【Daeji: Hey, you insane sand bastard!!】
【Hwayeom: Told you? Autonomy is an illusion.】
【Mado: You said no such thing.】
【Hwayeom: ……Did I not?】

Daeji’s Ultimate Essence Terminal shrieked.

【Daeji: Spit it out! Spit it out! That’s not food!】
【Hwayeom: Hahahaha! Isn’t that your magic? Daeji’s proud magic! Indeed!!】
【Suryu: That magic bears a striking resemblance to its master.】
【Saengmyeong: Something must have gone wrong with what she picked up.】
【Daeji: Don’t laugh! This is serious!!】

The black sand paid no heed to the commotion of the Ultimate Essence Terminals.

Whissssh…

The Dust seemed to wrap itself layer upon layer around Ragna’s Wedge, containing the vibration that emanated from within it.

Thud.

Thud.

Two weighty reverberations followed in succession.
The Sealing Formulas throughout the containment chamber blazed simultaneously.

And the wedge vanished.
More precisely, it was drawn swiftly into the black sand.

“…….”

After a brief silence, Aion looked down at his own wrist.

The black sand was flowing back to his wrist.

Sliiide—

It was no longer a simple sand bracelet like before.

It had solidified into a denser, more intricate form. A strange substance—neither black metal nor obsidian. Its surface gleamed with a dark luster as if the sand had been compressed and molded.

At the center of the bracelet sat a small jewel that resembled black onyx, and within it, hairline fractures like desiccated lightning flickered faintly with light.

It looked like some ancient decorative bracelet.

Yet Aion knew the truth.
Ragna’s Wedge was contained within it.

【Mado: The Dust is absorbing the wedge’s vibrations on its own. Fascinating.】
【Daeji: …Well, it was predictable. My magic, the Dust—there’s nothing impossible for it.】
【Saengmyeong: Weren’t you extremely anxious just moments ago?】
【Daeji: …Skip the trivial details. And you—I don’t like your tone.】

Aion gazed at the bracelet, then carefully extended his consciousness toward it.

Immediately, a trace of black sand loosened from the bracelet’s surface.

Swoosh—

The sand dispersed into the air, raising a small vortex.

And from within it, the tip of the black wedge slowly came into view.

It did not make direct contact with his hand.

The Dust kept the wedge suspended in the air, holding it within its grasp.

Aion instinctively withdrew his hand.

Whoosh—!

The wedge vanished back into the sand, and the bracelet fell silent as though nothing had happened.

Theoban watched the entire sequence unfold, then smiled slowly.

“Impressive. Is that your own magic?”

Aion did not answer immediately.

The Ultimate Form, Dust.

The black sand wound around his wrist.
He couldn’t determine how to explain it.

“That is….”

Just as Aion was searching for words, Theoban raised a hand first.

“No, don’t answer.”

His voice was leisurely.

He simply gazed at the black bracelet once, then smiled faintly, as though his own question had been somewhat foolish.

“Just now, my curiosity got the better of me. Probing into where another’s magic originates is not considered particularly courteous, even among mages.”
……

At those words, Aion closed his mouth.
Permission not to answer.

Theoban’s hand came to rest on Aion’s shoulder.

“I entrust Ragna’s Wedge to you.”

His voice had grown quieter than before.

“I’ve already told you what it once brought down.”

Thump.

A very faint resonance stirred from deep within the bracelet.

“A rare outing will hold considerable meaning for that child as well.”

Theoban spoke.

“Give that child the chance to set right what was twisted.”

A nod.

“Understood.”

After Aion departed the Erebos Archive,

only Theoban and Leonhardt remained within it.

Leonhardt gazed at the closed door and asked,

“Will it truly be all right?”
“Ragna’s Wedge, you mean?”
“Yes. Entrusting such a dangerous relic to a first-year student.”

Theoban laughed briefly.

“A first-year student.”

It wasn’t an unfair assessment.

And yet—

“Whatever anyone says, that child was the one most determined to protect Excion last night. I trust in that goodwill.”

Leonhardt did not contradict him.

“Moreover…”

Theoban’s gaze lingered on the corridor’s end, where Aion had disappeared.

“That child walks as though treading the very center of destiny itself.”

A weighty observation.
Theoban continued:

“Watch him carefully, Leon.”

Leonhardt smiled faintly.

“You needn’t urge me to do so.”

His gaze, too, turned toward the corridor’s end.

“It has become one of the small pleasures of my daily routine.”

***

The bitter cold of the Erebos Archive seemed to linger yet on his wrist.

All the way back to the Mountain Lodge, Aion found himself glancing down at the black bracelet again and again.

Ragna’s Wedge.

The relic that had once brought down an entire fortress thought impregnable now lay dormant at his wrist, silent as though nothing at all had transpired.

【Daeji: Tch. Something doesn’t sit right.】
【Hwayeom: What is it?】
【Daeji: That wretch simply swallowed up Ragna’s Wedge like that.】
【Hwayeom: Didn’t some sort of automatic defense mechanism kick in?】
【Daeji: I glossed over it before, but let me be clear—Dust operates on an entirely different principle than such crude magics. It functions through far more complex mechanisms.】
【Hwayeom: Can’t we just move past it if there’s no real problem? Seems like we’re borrowing trouble for no reason.】
【Daeji: …You’ve got a point there. Fine, you stubborn old fool.】

Aion swallowed a sigh as he arrived at the Mountain Lodge.

But before he could open the door, his footsteps faltered.

A faint presence stirred within the lodge.

‘…Someone’s here.’

He pushed the door open carefully.

Creak—

Layla was inside the Mountain Lodge.

She gripped a mop in both hands, pushing it across the wooden floor.

Swish, swish.

Swish, swish, swish—

Her face wore its usual composure, yet her movements bore an almost unsettling intensity.

As if she were locked in combat with the very stains clinging to the floor.

The problem wasn’t strength—it was technique.

Slick—

Each time Layla pushed the mop, the bloodstain didn’t fade so much as smear sideways in a wet streak.

She paused, staring down at it for a moment.
Then, as though nothing had happened, she pushed against the same spot again.

Swish, swish, swish.

That’s when she noticed Aion standing in the doorway.

His hair was tousled.
His face bore the same blank expression as always.

She looked at him for a moment, then spoke.

“The blood won’t come out.”

Aion glanced down at the floor for a moment, then reached toward the mop in Layla’s hands.

Whoosh—

“I’ll do it.”

Layla released the mop without resistance. Aion immediately gripped it and pushed it across the floor.

“Yeah?”
“I haven’t seen Luana.”

Swish.

A long streak of water traced the path of the mop.

“…….”

Perhaps it isn’t only bloodstains that refuse to be wiped away so easily.

“Luana, where did you go?”

The Talentless Mage Swallows a Catastrophic Future 69

Author
Wang Mozhi
Publisher
Daon Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Yeon
Cover Design
Dalli

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260706063.0069

ⓒ2026, Wang Mozhi

※ This e-book is a work protected under the copyright law of the Republic of Korea.
No part or whole of this work may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the author and publisher.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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