The Mage Who Devours Disasters - Chapter 106
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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 106.
Akan, Skadi’s Apostle and the deity of upper-tier Chaos Snow.
He sat reclined upon his jade throne, chin resting in his palm, lost in deep contemplation.
“Rag….”
His voice dripped with murderous intent as he spoke the name.
I cannot forget it.
That humiliation at the Divine Banquet.
At the hands of a mere lower-tier deity.
That shameful day when I was utterly crushed in pure combat while bound in shackles, crawling upon the ground in defeat.
“That insolent rat dares to insult me?”
The ice fragment clutched in Akan’s grip shattered with a crackling sound.
I wanted nothing more than to storm the 61st Floor immediately and wring his neck.
But I could not.
Heimdall stands behind him.
Now that the Master of All has made his declaration openly, for an upper-tier deity like myself to touch Rag directly would be dangerous.
Yet I could not simply endure this affront.
I must have my revenge, no matter what.
Only by breaking his arrogance and trampling his meager pride into the mud would my rage be satisfied.
It was then.
“Lord Akan.”
A Soldier emerged from the shadows and knelt before me.
“I have a report.”
“Speak.”
“Rag has left the Tower and is heading toward the Orga Kingdom.”
Akan’s eyebrows twitched.
“The Orga Kingdom?”
It was a name I had never heard before.
“A very small, weak nation on the frontier, my lord. A place that barely survives, plagued by beast attacks—little more than a slum.”
The Soldier added with a scornful tone.
“It appears he intends to become its guardian deity.”
“…A guardian deity?”
Akan let out a hollow laugh.
“Hahaha! A guardian deity of such a garbage frontier kingdom!”
I mocked him for matching his station.
So he boasts as some grand Apostle, yet in the end, all he claims is an abandoned kingdom that no one else would even glance at.
But my laughter soon ceased.
Akan’s eyes gleamed with cold calculation.
‘An opportunity.’
I cannot touch Rag directly—Heimdall would notice.
But.
‘What if it were a war between mortals alone?’
A territorial dispute between nations without direct intervention from the Deities.
In Asgard, such occurrences were commonplace.
Whether mortals tore each other apart or not, the Deities merely stood with folded arms, watching, or bestowed only minor blessings—they never wielded their power directly.
But what if the Orga Kingdom were utterly crushed and destroyed in war?
Then Rag, their patron deity, would be branded as an incompetent god.
A powerless figurehead unable to protect even a single one of his subjects.
That would be the cruelest vengeance to tear at Rag’s pride.
‘Moreover.’
Akan stroked his chin.
“What grand blessing could a mere lower-tier deity bestow as a patron god?”
At best, he could merely clear the skies.
But what of himself?
Akan, a deity of the upper echelon.
The Palam Kingdom, which he ruled as its patron deity, was incomparably superior to the Orga Kingdom.
‘The Palam Kingdom.’
It possessed not only formidable knights and mages.
It was a warlike nation that expanded its territory through force across the barren northern lands.
A realm with the power to sweep away the Orga Kingdom in a single stroke.
“Summon the King of Palam.”
Akan spoke in a desolate voice.
“At once.”
* * *
A week had passed since Rag ascended as the patron deity.
The King of Orga still could not regain his senses.
Every morning upon opening his eyes, he had to pinch his cheek to confirm whether this was reality or a dream.
It was a succession of miracles.
The first thing that astounded him was that the chests he had offered to the Tower had returned intact to the kingdom’s warehouses.
-Take them.
-Don’t concern yourself with trivialities. Feed your people.
Rag’s matter-of-fact words.
The vast treasures of gold and silver that had been offered up by stripping the kingdom bare during the pilgrimage.
Thanks to every last piece returning without exception, the kingdom’s finances, teetering on the brink of ruin, swiftly regained stability.
But the true miracle that stopped the king’s breath lay elsewhere.
“…Melia.”
The king’s voice trembled.
The girl standing before him.
His only daughter, whom he believed dead, who had been offered alive to Kartal, the previous patron deity—dearer to him than life itself.
Princess Melia had returned alive.
“Father…!”
Princess Melia burst into tears and threw herself into the King’s arms.
The King embraced his daughter and wept like a child, his voice breaking.
“You’re alive… *sob*, you’re alive…!”
It was unbelievable.
A miracle.
No—even the word “miracle” fell woefully short.
In all of Asgard’s history, there had never been a single instance of a sacrifice offered to The Deity returning alive and whole.
The two held each other for a long time, tears streaming down their faces.
The Queen and the guard knights at her side all wiped away their tears with their sleeves.
At last.
The King, having barely composed himself, grasped Melia’s shoulders and asked.
“What in the world happened? How did you survive?”
Princess Melia wiped her eyes with her sleeve and answered calmly.
“After Kartal suddenly vanished… I was trapped somewhere within the Tower.”
“Trapped?”
“Yes. Bound by The Deity’s legacy, I thought I would never see light again.”
Deep reverence gleamed in the princess’s eyes.
“But a few days ago, Rag appeared.”
“…Rag appeared?”
“Without a word, he severed the chains that bound me and opened the door, sending me back here to the Royal Palace.”
The King’s mouth fell open.
He was at a loss for words.
“Ah…”
How could they ever repay such a debt?
He had slain the Demon Beast and destroyed the Dungeon without asking for anything in return.
He had become the kingdom’s guardian deity, bestowing the absolute miracle of suppressing all Dungeon generation and calamities.
And he had even found Melia, whom they thought dead, and returned her to their arms.
Moreover, he had refused even tribute.
Truly, Rag asked them for nothing.
“How can we ever repay such boundless grace?” the King murmured in anguish.
They were a weak, impoverished kingdom.
All they had to offer The Deity was gold and jewels wrung from their coffers, yet even that had been refused.
It was then.
“Father.”
Princess Melia spoke with unwavering resolve.
Her youthful face now bore a strength and determination unlike before.
“We need only become a kingdom worthy of Rag.”
The King looked up.
“Rag is unlike any of the other Deities in Asgard. He is not one whose eyes are clouded by sacrifices and gold, exploiting mortals for his own gain.”
“Rag is different from any of The Deities in this Asgard. He is not one who exploits mortals, blinded by sacrifices or gold coins.”
Melia clenched both fists tightly.
“We must not tarnish the name of our Patron Deity. We need only build a kingdom strong and prosperous, worthy of his stature.”
Simple, yet unmistakably clear.
At her words, the eyes of the ministers and knights surrounding her began to shift.
That was it.
Now that the kingdom had received Rag’s blessing, all calamities were suppressed.
The land grew fertile, and the people’s illnesses vanished as if by miracle.
There was no longer any need to cower behind the city walls in fear of beast attacks.
“Your Highness speaks with perfect wisdom!”
The Knight Commander fell to one knee and cried out.
“This is the golden moment for our Orga Kingdom to flourish! We must sharpen our blades, cultivate new lands, and stand on our own feet!”
The nobles all bowed their heads in unison, their agreement absolute.
“Indeed! To repay the mercy of Lord Rag, we shall spare no effort, even if it demands we carve away at our very bones!”
The people watching from outside the windows erupted in cheers.
They called out Rag’s name again and again, their voices soaring.
The King steadied his swelling heart and nodded slowly.
“Yes….”
Life returned to his eyes for the first time in ages.
The aged monarch’s face, once stained with despair and resignation, now blazed with the will of a true sovereign.
“You speak truly. Under Lord Rag’s protection, our Orga Kingdom shall prosper ever greater.”
Like awakening from a long slumber.
The King of Orga instinctively understood that now was the moment to cast off the stigma of a weak, incompetent nation and be reborn as a strong kingdom united under Rag’s name.
And so, without fail.
He would transform into a kingdom worthy of his stature and repay that debt.
Thus did the King of Orga proclaim:
The day Rag became the kingdom’s Patron Deity would be established as its most sacred commemoration.
And once each day, they would set aside time to pray to Rag, their Patron Deity.
* * *
Kartal, the Deity of Earthquakes.
Princess Melia was confined in the place where the legacy he left behind upon his death was kept.
After allowing her to remain on the 61st Floor for roughly two days, I sent her back to the kingdom, so by now she should have arrived safely.
I sat upon the throne and manipulated the interface of the crystal suspended in empty space before me.
Ting.
[Orga Kingdom Information]
[Total Population: 225,430]
[Faith Level: Blind Faith – 89%]
“…Higher than I expected.”
Faith had reached a staggering 89%.
It meant that nearly every citizen of the kingdom had begun to genuinely believe in and follow me.
When I checked the faith data from the Kartal era, it had barely reached 15%.
Even that would have been forced faith born of terror and exploitation, so genuine belief had converged toward zero.
I skimmed through the Crystal’s tutorial section.
-As faith increases, the authority of The Deity within the kingdom is elevated.
-The higher the authority, the greater the likelihood of superior believers imbued with Holy Power emerging.
-As believers multiply and their quality improves, Holy Knights or Holy Maidens may appear.
-They will follow only The Deity they believe in and revere.
“Holy Knights and Holy Maidens.”
I found it genuinely intriguing.
Now that I thought about it, I’d never seen high-ranking believers like Holy Knights or Holy Maidens in the Orga Kingdom.
Mostly just mages and knights who wielded mana.
It was proof that so few had faith in Kartal.
But those who wielded Holy Power would possess strength on an entirely different level from ordinary soldiers.
Moreover.
[The Deity’s Patronage function has been unlocked.]
-You can directly sponsor talented believers with Nectar, dramatically accelerating their growth.
“Patronage?”
I let out a quiet laugh.
The System was remarkably intuitive.
It meant I could pour Nectar into worthy individuals and cultivate them as I pleased.
A list of outstanding believers within the Orga Kingdom appeared on the Crystal screen.
The name displayed at the very top.
[Believer 1: Baek-un (Potential: SSS)]
-Faith: Absolute (100%)
A boy bearing the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline, who endured and survived receiving the Heavenly Demon’s terrible vengeful spirit without losing his mind.
His potential was overwhelmingly immeasurable.
I didn’t hesitate.
‘Sponsor Baek-un with 10,000 Nectar.’
Ding!
10,000 Nectar vanished from my inventory in an instant.
Then I scanned through the rest of the list.
I saw five or six names of knights and young mages with potential grades of A or higher.
I generously sponsored each of them with 500 Nectar.
In that moment.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[These are believers with high faith.]
[The Deity’s blessing, ‘Fortune,’ intervenes!]
[Holy Power has manifested in believer ‘Baek-un’!]
[Believer ‘Baek-un’ awakens as the first Holy Knight of Rag!]
[Holy Power has manifested in 5 other believers!]
“…Oh.”
Was it truly this effortless?
Perhaps my blessing—’fortune’ itself—had permeated the very fabric of the Orga Kingdom.
Immediately, a holographic image materialized before my eyes.
A screen displaying the current state of the Orga Kingdom in real time.
-Ahhhhh…!
-Great Rag! Magnificent Rag!
Within the screen, Baek-un and the Knights lay prostrate on the ground, engulfed in pillars of radiant light.
Dazzling holy power surged from their bodies.
The surrounding citizens and even the King of Orga himself wept openly, offering prayers at the sight of this sacred miracle.
-I dedicate this life entirely—I shall become your blade, Rag!
Baek-un cried out my name through tears, his voice trembling with fervent devotion.
The blind faith radiating from them was so visceral it seeped through the screen itself, clinging to me.
I smiled with satisfaction, resting my chin in my palm.
“Good. Grow strong and mighty.”
It was precisely as I was basking in this warm sentiment.
Ding!
[Invitation]
[Recipient: The Great Magnate, Rag.]
[You are cordially invited to the ‘Secret Auction’.]
[This ‘Secret Auction’ shall showcase legendary souls and treasures of unparalleled caliber.]
[We humbly request your esteemed presence.]
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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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