The Mage Who Devours Disasters - Chapter 11

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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 11.
The Garden of Gods fell into silence.
The Muses who had been playing music, the spirits who had been attending—all froze in place.
A crimson System Message hung suspended in the air, the cause of it all.
[A new master of Floor 2 has been born.]
[Name: Rag]
[Overall Evaluation: Overwhelming]
[Historical Seeds Ranking: 1st Place]
[The name ‘Rag’ has been recorded in the Hall of Gods.]
Overwhelming.
That single word explained everything.
Second place Darakan’s score was merely 2 points.
Rag’s score was 300 points.
This was a massacre.
A result that trampled the pride of competitors and shattered even the judges’ standards.
“…Ha.”
Someone let out a hollow laugh.
That sound became the signal.
“Does this even make sense?”
“300 points? Unless it’s a system error.”
“He obliterated the entire Sacred Realm?”
Murmurs spread like waves.
Shock. And envy.
But what truly twisted the expressions of the Deities was something else entirely.
Beside Rag in the display.
A radiant holy blade hovering as if to guard him—that was the cause.
“Abriel….”
“That noble Archangel Abriel, kneeling before a mere Seed?”
Abriel was a coveted talent.
Many Deities salivated at the thought of making her their subordinate.
But she was proud.
She who had not even glanced at most Deities now pledged her loyalty to a newcomer who had just ascended to Floor 2.
Jealousy gnawed at them.
Their insides twisted unbearably.
The flames of envy burned the Garden white-hot.
In the midst of it all.
“Krkrkr….”
An unpleasant laugh echoed forth.
It was Heimdall, the God of Tempests.
He swirled a goblet filled with nectar, surveying those around him.
“Well then.”
His voice dripped with arrogance.
“Has it been proven now?”
The gazes of The Deities fixed upon him.
Heimdall continued without hesitation.
“You all prattled on about favoritism and nepotism. But the results speak for themselves, don’t they? My judgment was not mistaken.”
At his words, several Deities bit their lips.
They could not refute him.
The results were far too clear.
Yet they refused to acknowledge it.
Especially the cluster of beings gathered in the corner of the Garden.
They exchanged glances with one another.
Figures emanating a damp, viscous aura.
Deities of the Biological Faction and the Material Faction.
The power structure of this Tower divided into three great factions.
The Natural Faction, commanding typhoons, earthquakes, and tidal waves.
The Biological Faction, wielding plague, curse, and poison.
And the Material Faction, governing explosion, collapse, and manipulation.
Heimdall was the paramount leader of the Natural Faction.
Naturally, the Natural Faction possessed the greatest destructive power.
The remaining two factions had ceaselessly checked and cooperated with one another to maintain balance.
This Third Gateway trial, the Sacred Realm purification, was surely their collaborative scheme.
‘They must have made a deal with GuGu, coveting Tulkacha’s talent.’
It was transparent as glass.
Using the Seeds as bait to eliminate Abriel, and securing the sealed Mad Deity Tulkacha.
That would have been their objective.
Tulkacha’s divine authority—’Raging Volcano’.
A power that shook the earth’s veins and forcibly twisted the flow of nature.
One of the finest authorities to suppress the strength of lesser Natural Faction Deities.
Combined with another formidable authority, its destructive potential would transcend imagination.
However.
‘…Rag annihilated Tulkacha.’
Their scheme lay in ruins.
Perhaps that was why.
A subtle killing intent rose into the air.
The eyes of the Plague Lord, a Deity of the Biological Faction, narrowed.
‘That one is dangerous.’
Not merely because of strength.
He knows how to overturn the board.
Above all, he stands under Heimdall’s protection.
I couldn’t stand idly by while the Natural Faction’s influence continued to swell.
“Heimdall.”
The Plague Lord stepped forward.
“Certainly an impressive Seed, I’ll grant you that.”
He laughed with a bitter edge.
“But a nail that sticks out too far gets hammered down. The First Floor is merely the beginning, after all.”
A veiled threat.
A warning that his path ahead would be far from smooth.
There was no telling what might unfold as he ascended the Tower.
Assassination masquerading as accident.
Unreasonable trials.
The Deities had countless opportunities to interfere.
Heimdall’s expression froze at those words.
Clang!
He hurled the goblet in his hand to the ground.
The shattering glass cut through the silence like a blade.
Whiiiiing!
Wind erupted.
Not a gentle breeze.
The harbinger of a razor-sharp tempest that would tear space itself asunder.
“…Are you threatening me right now?”
Heimdall rose from his seat.
Divine majesty poured from his form, engulfing the Garden.
The Plague Lord flinched and retreated a step.
“Listen well.”
Heimdall’s eyes blazed with fury.
He glared menacingly at the Deities of the Biological and Material Factions one by one.
“That one is mine.”
A declaration.
“If any of you lay so much as a finger on him without my permission.”
Boom!
A colossal vortex erupted in the center of the Garden.
The sky darkened to black, and lightning struck down.
The wrath of the Natural Faction’s apex predator.
“War.”
Heimdall twisted his lips into a grin.
* * *
My head felt like it would split open.
A throbbing ache.
Like a hangover so severe it felt as though my brain had been liquefied in a blender.
But then.
‘…What is this?’
Strangely comfortable.
My back wasn’t aching.
As if I were lying upon a cloud, the sensation was utterly serene, and a delicate floral fragrance drifted through the air.
I slowly opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw was not a blue sky.
Empty air.
My body was suspended in midair.
More precisely, I was cradled in someone’s two arms.
Held as though I were some precious treasure, in what one might call a “princess carry” position.
“….”
I slowly lifted my gaze.
A brilliantly pale jawline.
Eyes gleaming with golden light.
Our eyes met—Abriel, she who had transformed into a holy sword.
She smiled with tender affection and asked.
[Did you sleep well, my master?]
“….”
I needed to assess the situation.
So I had lost consciousness.
The trial had ended.
And this woman was carrying me as we ascended into the heavens.
…But why was she still holding me?
“Put me down.”
[Your body has not yet fully recovered. It would be better if you rested a while longer….]
“I’m embarrassed. Put me down.”
I spoke firmly.
Abriel lowered me to the ground with a reluctant expression, moving with utmost care.
The moment my feet touched earth, I surveyed my surroundings.
Still the Sacred Realm.
But the landscape had transformed.
The rotting trees and crimson mist had vanished, replaced entirely by clear, crystalline air.
Perfect purification.
“Congratulations, Rag!”
A familiar voice.
Administrator GuGu waddled toward me.
“I sincerely congratulate you on becoming the master of Floor 1! Your performance was overwhelmingly unprecedented in history!”
GuGu’s wings fluttered excitedly.
I rubbed the back of my neck and nodded.
I remember it now.
Mad Deity Tulkacha.
I devoured that colossal calamity with my own hands.
Deep within my belly, I felt a scorching heat radiating outward.
The digestion seems to be proceeding well.
“So we’re heading up now?”
“Ah, there’s one more procedure before that.”
GuGu raised his wing, pointing toward where the Seeds had gathered.
The survivors who had endured.
They stared at me—or rather, at Abriel standing behind me—with eyes filled with reverence and awe.
“Before ascending to Floor 2, you may select one Seed to take with you.”
“So I can take whoever I want?”
“Yes. It’s a sort of ‘middle manager’ role, if you will.”
Middle manager.
In simpler terms, they were asking me to pick the intermediate boss of Floor 2.
The master of the Tower is the apex predator of their floor.
But one cannot manage an entire floor alone.
The logic was simple: I needed subordinates to serve as my hands and feet.
“Of course, they won’t work for free. The chosen Seed receives tremendous privileges.”
GuGu added further explanation.
“Lower divine status is granted according to the floor level. The benefits that accrue to their entire race are substantial as well. Most importantly….”
GuGu lowered his voice.
“If their performance is exceptional, they might even be promoted to a true Deity. Should you ascend to a higher floor or pass your position to them, that is.”
The moment those words left his mouth.
A sharp intake of breath!
The Seeds’ eyes transformed.
The monstrous gaze they’d directed at me moments before vanished without a trace.
Desperation.
Yearning.
A flood of pitiful eyes pleading for me to notice them.
A lifeline to godhood.
Though they would begin as subordinates, it was infinitely better than failing to even reach Floor 2 and being eliminated.
“Me, me! Please take me with you!”
“I’ll carry your burdens! Command me however you wish!”
Hands shot up from all directions, voices crying out in desperation.
Pride and dignity had evaporated entirely.
I let out a soft chuckle and glanced at GuGu.
“Who do you think I should take?”
“Hmm, statistically speaking….”
GuGu scanned through the charts.
“It’s standard practice to recruit the second-place finisher. Their abilities have been proven.”
GuGu’s gaze fixed on a single point.
Darakan stood there.
He cleared his throat with affected composure, but his shoulders were hunched high with barely concealed anticipation.
“Darakan possesses the Abyssal Dragon and demonstrates respectable aptitude for calamity-class abilities. He would be the optimal candidate to supplement Rag’s shortcomings—or rather, to handle the practical aspects of the operation.”
The assessment wasn’t wrong.
The Abyssal Dragon was formidable.
In terms of raw firepower alone, it was comparable to a mid-tier boss on Floor 2.
Darakan stepped forward cautiously, testing the waters.
“Ahem. Well, if you really insist, I suppose I could lend my assistance…”
Still that insufferable tone.
Yet his eyes screamed, “Please choose me.”
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
It would certainly be the efficient choice.
However.
‘The real deal is right here.’
There was a Seed with superior talent standing before me—why would I settle for Darakan?
Besides, I simply didn’t like him.
The way he relied on his summoned creature and strutted about, the way he lacked self-awareness and acted presumptuous.
“Not necessary.”
“…Pardon?”
Darakan’s expression hardened.
GuGu blinked, equally taken aback.
“Then who will…?”
I extended my finger.
Not toward Darakan, but toward the woman standing alone in the corner behind him.
“Come with me.”
A cold countenance.
Hair as white as frost.
And eyes that glared at me as though they could kill.
It was Seria, the elf of the Frost Tribe.
“…Me?”
Seria’s brow furrowed.
Her expression was one of incomprehension.
Understandably so.
She had earned only one contribution point.
A Seed who had scored even lower than Darakan.
“R-Rag? Are you serious?”
GuGu protested.
“Even combining her scores from the first and second gateways, she is not among the top-tier Seeds. Moreover, her personality… she seems to lack social skills.”
“I don’t care.”
My resolve was unwavering.
Contribution score? That’s merely a number the System assigns.
My eyes see differently.
‘She will grow into the greatest sniper.’
The sniper who had driven our Fellowship into terror across the snowy wastes of Tower Floor 50.
Her potential was incomparable to some abyss dragon.
I walked toward Seria.
She gripped her bow tightly, wariness flashing across her face.
“Why me?”
“Don’t you wish to reclaim your lost territories?”
“…!”
Seria stared at me with startled eyes.
As if asking how I could possibly know such a thing.
The reason she remained a mid-boss on Floor 50 despite being capable of becoming a Deity was singular: for her family’s sake.
‘She said it clearly before death—she must reclaim the Frost Tribe’s territories.’
She had sacrificed herself to restore the Frost Tribe’s stolen lands.
-Mother, Father… I’m sorry. For our tribe… the territories we lost… I must reclaim them…
That aching voice still echoed in my ears.
“I’m offering you a chance.”
I extended my hand.
“Come with me.”
Seria’s pupils trembled.
A moment of silence.
She stared at my outstretched hand, then lifted her gaze with newfound resolve.
“…Don’t regret this.”
She grasped my hand.
Her grip was cold, yet the heat within it burned fiercely.
Her hand was ice, but her spirit was fire.
Ding!
[The Floor 1 mid-manager has been determined.]
[Seria of the Frost Tribe becomes your subordinate.]
[Transferring to Tower Floor 1.]
Darakan’s anguished scream erupted from behind me.
“This… this is absurd! I’m second place! I’m the master of the abyss dragon!!”
* * *
A brilliant flash of light.
My vision brightened.
Before the spatial displacement’s aftereffects could fade.
I blinked.
“….”
Silence.
Seria standing beside me, Angargon perched on my shoulder—both remained utterly still.
Only Abriel, transformed into a holy blade, emanated a soft, ethereal glow.
We stared blankly ahead.
“This is the First Floor?”
Seria muttered in disbelief.
She was right.
It was utterly, absurdly unbelievable.
The Tower was the dwelling place of the Deities and a crucible of trials for those who entered.
One would expect it to be properly prepared for such a purpose.
Yet what lay before my eyes was, quite literally, ‘nothingness’.
An endless expanse of white earth.
The sky was white, the ground was white.
Not a single tree, not a blade of grass.
Forget buildings—there wasn’t even a stray pebble rolling about.
Just a vast, empty void.
As I furrowed my brow, a cough sounded beside me.
“Ahem. Quite the shock, I imagine.”
It was GuGu, the Administrator.
The creature fluttered its wings and laughed sheepishly.
“Allow me to explain. The previous owner of the First Floor was promoted to the Second Floor, and so…they packed up everything and left.”
“Everything?”
“Indeed. The ecosystem they had constructed, the buildings, the monsters, the traps—all of it.”
GuGu gestured with a wing at the barren emptiness.
“Quite the frugal individual, I must say. Thanks to their thoroughness, the First Floor is pristinely vacant. A blank slate, one might say.”
I was at a loss for words.
Frugal? That was wholesale pillaging.
“So what am I supposed to do here?”
“Build it from the ground up, of course!”
GuGu chirped cheerfully.
“Head toward the center of the floor, and you’ll find a massive crystal. You can purchase whatever you desire from it.”
Utterly irresponsible.
“Well then, best of luck to you!”
Poof!
GuGu vanished as if fleeing.
All that remained was the empty white expanse and us.
“…Hah.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Start from zero.
So this is the Tower of Gods? I feel like I’ve been scammed in a real estate deal.
“…Master. What should we do now?”
Seria adjusted her bow as she asked.
Even her tone had changed.
At least she still acknowledged me as her master.
Her eyes, however, remained unwavering.
Truly, a sapling destined to flourish.
“First, let’s assess the situation.”
I calmed my mind.
There’s no rush.
Panicking won’t summon buildings out of thin air.
First, I checked the cards in my hand.
Whoooosh.
The holy sword floating in the void—Archangel Abriel.
-Kyaaang.
The little dragon licking my cheek—Angargon.
And.
The Frost Tribe’s sharpshooter—Seria.
‘Not bad at all.’
In fact, more than enough.
‘…Wait.’
A forgotten memory suddenly surfaced.
There was something I’d overlooked.
When I devoured Mad Deity Tulkacha in the Sacred Realm.
The final system window that appeared alongside the level-up message.
[Rolling the dice (1~66).]
[66! A catastrophic reward is granted!]
A catastrophic reward.
Another extreme probability, different from the jackpot (100) when I summoned Angargon.
I hadn’t checked that reward yet.
I’d completely forgotten in the chaos of ascending to Floor 2.
‘Inventory.’
I reached into the empty air.
A translucent space opened.
The spirit wings and fragments of the golden ratio that were already there.
Beside them, a newly created item slot appeared.
And the moment I confirmed its identity.
“…Insane.”
My eyes widened wildly.
‘An Authority Combiner?’

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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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