The Mage Who Devours Disasters - Chapter 12

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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 12.
In one corner of my inventory, an icon gleamed with luminous brilliance.
It bore no resemblance to weapons or armor.
It was too ambiguous to classify as a standard tool.
I widened my eyes and began reading through the relevant information.
[Catastrophic Reward (1): Authority Combiner]
[Description: Mix two different authorities together to create an entirely new authority.]
“…!”
A thrill coursed through me.
My hair stood on end with electric excitement.
I had been troubled by this for some time.
‘Calamity Devourer.’
This ability was broken, but it harbored a fatal weakness.
The risk of exposure.
Suppose I wielded Kartal’s Earthquake or Mad Deity Tulkacha’s Volcano.
What would the other Deities think upon witnessing it?
‘Wait… isn’t that Kartal’s power?’
‘The wavelength is identical to Mad Deity Tulkacha’s Volcano?’
Suspicion becomes certainty, and certainty becomes public knowledge.
If word spread that I had slain a Deity and stolen their power, every Deity in Asgard would hunt me down.
No matter how strong I became, I had no desire to become the enemy of all Deities.
But.
‘If I combine them into something entirely different?’
Everything changes.
The original scent is erased.
The lineage is laundered.
This is a kind of ‘authority washing machine.’
‘Perfect.’
Without hesitation, I activated the combiner.
Uuuuuung!
A massive cauldron-shaped hologram materialized before my eyes.
I grinned wickedly and fed the materials into it.
First ingredient.
[Lesser Earthquake] stolen from Kartal, the inferior Earthquake Deity.
Second ingredient.
[Raging Volcano] devoured from Mad Deity Tulkacha.
Both were formidable, yet each bore inherent limitations or were far too conspicuous.
[Will you combine ‘Lesser Earthquake’ and ‘Raging Volcano’?]
Without hesitation, I nodded.
The cauldron trembled.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The dull tremor of an earthquake collided with the scorching heat of a volcano.
Golden sparks erupted.
System Messages scrolled rapidly across my vision.
[Decomposing Authority: ‘Lesser Earthquake’.]
[Fusing Authority: ‘Rampaging Volcano’.]
[Analyzing compatibility between the two calamities.]
[Force that shakes the earth + Force that sends the earth into frenzy.]
[Synergy erupts!]
The authorities merged together.
Messages continued to materialize.
[A new Authority has been born!]
[Authority rank is being recalibrated.]
[Mythic grade achieved.]
[Authority Name: Land Where Hellfire Seethes.]
The cauldron vanished.
Crimson letters blazed in the empty air.
Land Where Hellfire Seethes.
The name was intuitive.
At the same moment, a new sensation awakened within my body.
My chest burned with intense heat.
As if I had swallowed molten lava itself.
Yet it was not unpleasant.
Rather, the power coursing through every vein of my body tingled with exhilaration.
I raised my right hand.
A low hum resonated.
Dark crimson flames bloomed above my palm.
These were no ordinary scarlet flames.
Black and red twisted together in grotesque fusion—a murky, viscous inferno.
The surrounding air desiccated in an instant.
Moisture evaporated and space warped.
This was a calamity bearing the nature of both ‘corruption’ and ‘destruction’ simultaneously.
‘Success.’
My lips curved upward.
A perfect synthesis.
The dull tremor of the lesser earthquake had vanished.
The crude eruption of the rampaging volcano was no longer felt.
The weaknesses of both calamities disappeared, their strengths amplified and merged into one.
The earthquake became the key that split the earth and opened the gateway to hell.
The volcano became the annihilating inferno that filled that chasm.
Now, no one who witnesses this power will think of Kartal or Tulkacha.
This is purely my power—Rag’s power.
‘I like it.’
I clenched my fist tightly.
The flames crumbled within my palm.
What I must face are the Deities.
They possess bodies that border on immortality.
Ordinary flames can barely singe a single hair on their bodies.
Physical strikes and conventional magic have clear limitations.
But this is different.
Hellfire.
A blaze that consumes even the soul.
Even the Deities will scream before this inferno.
The caliber of calamity has ascended to the next level.
“Master?”
Seria called out cautiously.
Her eyes were wary of my right hand.
Like a beast instinctively sensing danger, she bristled and took a step back.
Even Angargon on my shoulder had tucked his tail.
A power that threatened even my allies.
That reaction was not unwelcome.
“Go.”
I shook my hand and extinguished the flames.
I began walking.
My destination: the Center of First Floor.
I walked across the barren white expanse.
A world devoid of anything.
The landscape stretched on, monotonously white.
The previous owner had indeed stripped it clean, just as GuGu had said.
A silent space where even the wind refused to blow.
Thud. Thud.
My footsteps were the only sound.
How long had I been walking?
A faint light appeared beyond the horizon.
“There it is.”
I quickened my pace.
The distance closed rapidly.
As I drew nearer, the light grew clearer.
Soon, a massive form revealed itself.
An enormous crystal, easily ten meters in height.
A transparent crystal tinged with azure light hung suspended in the void, rotating slowly.
The core of the First Floor.
I stood before the crystal.
Uuuuung.
The crystal responded.
A gentle wave of energy enveloped my entire body.
[You have entered the Safe Zone.]
[Mana recovers rapidly.]
[Physical fatigue decreases.]
[Corrupted status abnormalities are purified.]
It was warm.
The battle in the Sacred Realm.
And the combination of divine powers.
The exhaustion accumulated from relentless forced marches melted away like snow.
As tension released, drowsiness washed over me.
I collapsed onto the base of the crystal.
When I leaned my back against it, warmth flowed through me instead of cold.
“…Ah.”
I exhaled deeply.
Now I finally felt alive.
Seria stood beside me.
She remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings.
Even in this barren wasteland with nothing around, she refused to lower her bow.
A terrible occupational habit.
“Seria.”
“Yes?”
“Lower your guard. There’s no one here.”
“…It is impossible to be certain. There may be enemies specialized in concealment.”
A rigid response.
I chuckled and shook my head.
Well, there’s nothing wrong with that.
A diligent subordinate makes life easier for a superior.
I closed my eyes.
I wondered about the time on Earth.
As much time as I had spent here, the same must have passed in reality.
I had killed one avatar.
Kim Yu-hwan, the lesser deity Kartal.
I needed to verify what ripples his death had caused on Earth.
And the others remaining.
I had to hunt down the divine avatars still hiding across Earth.
The hunt is only beginning.
“I’ll rest for a moment.”
I told Seria.
“Don’t let anyone approach.”
“Understood.”
She answered curtly and lowered her stance.
Angargon crawled up onto my lap.
I stroked its head once.
The Holy Sword Abriel hovered above my head, taking up a protective stance.
Reliable forces indeed.
This place was safe.
I opened the System window without hesitation.
The button at the very bottom.
[Logout]
I pressed it without hesitation.
My vision flickered.
The white world dissolved into darkness.
A floating sensation as consciousness was pulled away.
Simultaneously, the landscape of Asgard receded into the distance.
* * *
Ding!
[You have logged out.]
[Returning to reality.]
I opened my eyes.
Outside the window was chaotic.
Sirens wailed without end.
I turned on my smartphone.
The internet was absolute pandemonium.
-The monsters disappeared! Did the military catch them all?
-What’s that in the sky? A mirage?
The world was pure confusion.
After the Great Upheaval, countless people had awakened.
But they could not control their power.
The System’s guidance was still inadequate.
Above all, what captured people’s attention was the sky.
I opened the window and leaned my head out.
Far in the distance, the massive form of a tower shimmered between the clouds.
‘The Tower of Gods.’
For now, it appeared only as a mirage.
The place where Rag had become the master of the First Floor.
I cannot touch it, nor can I enter it.
The Tower’s gates will open exactly one year from now.
That’s when the real hell begins.
For now, it’s a kind of “beginner’s protection period.”
A grace period given so humanity can adapt to the System, and Awakeners can cultivate their strength.
Of course, there are those who intend to fill that time with “hunting” rather than grace.
I raised my right hand.
Nothing stirred.
There was no response whatsoever.
‘Does it only react when there’s someone nearby wielding calamity?’
The detection range didn’t seem particularly wide.
Or perhaps they hadn’t begun their full-scale activities yet.
I clenched and unclenched my fist, reacquainting myself with the sensation of power.
I needed to organize my thoughts.
The authority of the “Calamity Devourer.”
It divides into two broad categories.
First, disposable.
The “Annihilation Typhoon” that Heimdall unleashed.
If I simply consume incoming magic or phenomena, it fires like a bullet and vanishes.
I can store it, but once used, it’s gone.
Second, permanent.
Like Kartal or Tulkacha—when I devour the source of calamity itself, the “Deity” or “Avatar” in their entirety.
Because I’ve absorbed their divine essence, their authority becomes wholly mine.
I can wield it permanently, like an inexhaustible spring.
‘The latter is obviously more efficient.’
Disposable power is emergency rations for desperate moments.
To grow stronger, I must devour them whole.
The problem is difficulty.
Facing a true form like Tulkacha would be madness.
Without Abriel as an ally, I might have died in the Sacred Realm.
So the answer is clear.
‘Avatar hunting.’
The fragments of those descended to Earth.
Weaker than their true forms, but sharing divine essence—prey nonetheless.
Like Kim Yu-hwan.
‘Finding them won’t be difficult.’
They crave attention.
Intoxicated by their superiority as Deities, they indulge in playing hero.
They slaughter monsters with overwhelming power, pose as saviors, and crave reverence.
Absurdly strong from the very beginning.
Those who stand out during the tutorial period.
They are my targets.
Several names came to mind.
‘Choi Tae-min, the Lord of Flames.’
‘Seo Ji-su, the Witch of Frozen Bonds.’
‘Lee Do-hyung, the Berserker.’
Korea’s top ten, along with the world’s most formidable warriors.
One of them would be mixed among them.
The avatar of the Deity who deceived me and all of humanity.
And yet, I hoped it would not be so.
…Perhaps the avatar even lurked within the Final Party itself.
‘I’ll verify them one by one.’
Just as I was about to establish my priorities.
Ding dong!
The doorbell shattered the silence.
‘Who could that be at this hour?’
I tensed and checked the intercom screen.
A gleaming forehead.
Eyes brimming with avarice.
A middle-aged man pounding on the front door with a flushed, excited face.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Jung-seok! I know you’re in there!”
A familiar voice.
Simultaneously, an unpleasant memory flashed through my mind.
“It’s your Uncle! Open the door! Are you alive!”
A face I recognized all too well.
‘Ah.’
Uncle, Park Gwang-chul.
The man who appeared after my parents died in an accident, claiming to be my only blood relative.
But his true target was never me.
‘The inheritance.’
The life insurance payout my parents left behind.
The scoundrel who deceived me with honeyed words to seize it, and ultimately cast me onto the streets.
The memories of my previous life surfaced with crystalline clarity.
Right after the Cataclysm, he forged documents in the chaos and stole my seal.
Because of him, I lost my home.
Without money for food, I had to endure unspeakable hardship.
“Jung-seok! I was worried about you! Did you see the news? The world’s gone mad!”
Worried, my foot.
He came to confirm whether I was dead or alive.
If I were dead, he would have searched for the house documents first.
Thump, thump, thump!
“Open the door! It’s your Uncle!”
Frantic knocking.
I let out a quiet laugh.
Before I set out to hunt The Deity.
…The rat I needed to catch had walked right to my doorstep.

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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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