The Mage Who Devours Disasters - Chapter 1

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

Chapter 1.
“What is the definition of magic?”
I asked, and Sword Emperor Aritolte answered.
“Magic is the Technique Arts that creates miracles through mana?”
“Five points.”
A textbook answer, truly.
I shrugged, and this time Grand Sage Plutonium answered.
“Magic is the ability to twist the ‘principles’ of the world.”
“That’s far too vague.”
“One could say it’s the most advanced form of science.”
“Ah, science.”
“Wouldn’t a gun have appeared as magic to a primitive man?”
“Not a bad perspective. Seven points.”
Spirit Lord Park Ha-yan, who had been hesitating, spoke.
“Conversation with the world… could it not be that?”
“A rather refreshing approach.”
“Sensing mana and speaking to its flow to achieve what we desire—that is magic, is it not?”
“Eight points.”
Toje Yamamoto frowned.
“Listen, Kim Jung-seok. Why do we even need a definition of magic in this situation?”
The landscape he pointed to was utterly alien.
We stood at the very summit of the Tower.
The Upper Atmosphere of Universe.
From the outer edges, the center of Earth below spewed endless volcanic ash from a colossal crater.
Countless typhoons ravaged the entire globe.
Relentless earthquakes had fractured the land into innumerable fragments.
On one side, floods raged.
On another, severe drought withered all.
In yet another region, plague swept through, annihilating humanity.
Gazing upon all these phenomena, I arrived at my definition of magic.
“Calamity.”
Ultimately, the supreme purpose of magic is—
like those things existing before my eyes—
“Magic is the power to create calamity.”
To bring forth calamity into being.
Sword Emperor Aritolte asked.
“Then all those catastrophes that befell Earth are the work of sorcerers?”
“Correct.”
I nodded slowly.
Grand Sage Plutonium murmured as if realizing something.
“Wait. If that’s the case… then the dragons and demonic beasts we’ve defeated, all the mysteries and aberrations we’ve slain… they didn’t appear and cause disasters. Rather…”
I fixed my gaze upon them with intense focus.
“You’re saying that disasters occurred first, which allowed them to manifest in this world?”
“As expected of the Grand Sage Plutonium. You see it clearly.”
“…So barren lands summoned demonic beasts, polluted seas spawned aberrations, and the screams of despairing humanity created mysteries?”
“That’s how it must be understood.”
I clicked my tongue and continued.
“Our entire approach was flawed from the beginning. We fought while mistaking the consequences for the cause, so there was no way to arrive at the correct answer.”
That was when it happened.
Rummmble!
The entire Tower trembled faintly.
Dust particles suspended in the void danced to the undulation of an unfamiliar force.
An overwhelming presence of a completely different magnitude than before.
The density of the air itself changed.
Even the flow of time seemed to slow.
From the highest level of the Tower, behind our backs.
Darkness rippled, and space itself tore open as a figure slowly revealed itself.
“…So that’s the sorcerer everyone speaks of.”
“Calling them a sorcerer makes them seem a bit too ordinary, doesn’t it?”
I couldn’t help but interject.
“You fools, do you find sorcery amusing?”
I chuckled softly and steadied my stance.
The master of the Tower, the one who caused all these phenomena.
The Absolute Deity had arrived.
* * *
Kim Jung-seok.
A name my parents gave me, urging me to live righteously.
I had strived earnestly to live up to that expectation, following the righteous path.
I studied diligently, secured a respectable job.
And then the world ended.
Though the intermediate steps were somewhat omitted.
In the end, there was nothing we could do.
Too many catastrophes erupted simultaneously for humanity to respond.
Of course, as a sorcerer, I had reached a considerable level of mastery.
I had achieved numerous accomplishments and was praised as the strongest sorcerer.
…But what did it matter.
I couldn’t protect anything.
The sorcery I had learned through righteous discipline could not create variables.
There were so many classifications of sorcery, and I lacked the ability to master them all.
For instance, the technique arts known as ‘Technique Arts’ are broadly divided into five categories.
Sorcery, witchcraft, shamanism, illusion, spirit magic.
And what of magic itself?
Its classifications alone exceed one hundred.
By attribute, by rank, and even alchemy, divination, necromancy, spirit summoning, and the very domains of summoning and creation—all were lumped together under the single umbrella of ‘magic’.
To master even a single desired spell, one had to thoroughly understand at least ten subordinate magics related to it.
In short.
‘There are far too many useless things to learn.’
Following the orthodox path, magic was simply too vast.
Thus, a ‘classification’ was necessary.
The most universally adopted distinction was the ‘Four Primordial Elements’—fire, water, wind, and earth.
Each attribute possessed clear strengths and weaknesses.
Yet naturally, one could never reach the ultimate pinnacle.
I was no exception.
I mastered the Four Elemental magics and earned the title ‘Archmage’.
‘Truly, how shallow.’
It was akin to scooping a handful of sand from an endless beach.
Insufficient.
Yet that realm was so vast I could never reach its end.
A different approach was needed.
A turning point.
A more definitive ‘method of classification’!
‘Calamity.’
I gazed upon the ‘Deity’ standing before me.
The one who summons calamity.
Or calamity incarnate itself.
That was it.
That was the answer.
But it was too late.
Sword Emperor Aritolte, Grand Sage Plutonium, Spirit Lord Park Ha-yan, Toje Yamamoto….
All were dead, and I alone had survived.
I had only just discovered it.
I had only just awakened to it.
Then it spoke.
“You are mistaken.”
“….”
“This is not the end of the Tower. I merely descended out of curiosity to witness your final despair.”
“…I know.”
I knew.
Only I, who had wandered the world in pursuit of truth, understood.
‘…I’m truly going to die.’
At most, I had five minutes left.
I clenched my teeth.
That thing called a Deity.
The creature at the Tower’s highest level was one of countless calamity gods.
Moreover, it was likely the apex among them.
It had merely descended for a moment to watch humanity and Earth succumb to despair and defeat.
Tragic. Agonizing.
Humanity, Earth—our extinction was an inescapable fate.
But.
“I’ve been waiting for this.”
I smiled.
“…?”
“I knew you’d descend once our destruction was assured.”
That’s why.
“…At the very least, I’m taking you with me, no matter what.”
“Do you still have moves left?”
I had them. Absolutely.
And it was a decisive ‘move’ at that.
Squelch!
I tore out my dying heart.
Cough!
I spat out dead blood and raised the heart aloft.
“From the start, we never intended to win.”
What was the point of victory when Earth was already doomed?
From the beginning, our objective was singular.
The Tower’s collapse.
We climbed this far with the resolve to die together.
“With merely a heart….”
“Does this still look like a heart to you?”
“…?”
Magic has many classifications.
Alchemy, divination, necromancy, spirit arts, summoning, creation—all are called magic in the broader sense.
If you count every subcategory, hundreds or thousands would emerge.
My heart was the culmination of all magic, the ultimate hope that concentrated the very essence of sorcery itself.
What do I mean?
“Fool. It’s the Philosopher’s Stone.”
In that instant.
Whoooooosh!
Magical circles inscribed themselves across the entire Earth.
Blood vessels erupted from the corpses of my fallen comrades, connecting to the Philosopher’s Stone.
The mana of all life that crumbled from the earth converges.
Gathering the mana of the entire world into my heart to forge the ‘Sage’s Stone’—the ‘Ultimate Magic’!
I traversed the world drawing magical circles for this singular moment alone.
In that process, I mobilized the strongest alchemists, diviners, necromancers, spirit summoners, conjurers, and countless others.
The final strike born from everyone’s sweat and blood.
I release all the gathered mana at once.
From the beginning, we never intended to win.
We ran toward this moment alone from the start.
I extended my middle finger toward The Deity and smiled.
“Explosions are art, you bastard.”
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
* * *
Ding!
Darkness so absolute it swallows all light.
A familiar sound echoed from somewhere.
[You have slain the Absolute Deity, the Irresistible Force.]
[You have become the first to annihilate an existence beyond human resistance.]
[You absorb the Irresistible Force’s Causality.]
[You have annihilated Earth.]
[You are named the Greatest Calamity.]
[Along with the title ‘Deicide’, you awaken the authority ‘Calamity Devourer’!]

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