The Mage Who Devours Disasters - Chapter 15

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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 15.
“Starting bid: 100,000 won! Do I hear any bids?”
The auctioneer’s voice echoed hollowly through the gallery.
The audience remained unmoved.
The atmosphere suggested they’d only come to enjoy the air conditioning—no one would actually pay money for such a worthless stone.
I slowly raised my hand.
“100,000 won.”
All eyes turned toward me.
Snickers and murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“That guy must be rolling in money.”
It didn’t matter.
The Pandora Cube’s mechanism was simple.
When I infused mana into it, a die would roll inside.
Numbers from 1 to 1000.
The item’s grade was determined by that number.
I was certain of it.
When I summoned Angargon, when I received rewards from the Sacred Realm.
My die always pointed to the highest value the System permitted.
This time would be no exception.
“100,000 won! Sold!”
Bang!
With the sound of the gavel, a staff member brought the stone over.
I paid and grasped the cold stone in my hand.
It was heavy.
I purchased several more items after that.
An old scroll tucked away in a corner.
A short sword with a corroded handle.
To everyone else, it looked like I was buying garbage.
‘But it was a bargain hunt.’
I felt satisfied.
The auction ended.
I gathered my purchases and left the Gallery.
* * *
I entered the Motel I had reserved.
I locked the door and dumped my spoils onto the bed.
Roughly thirty artifacts I’d collected while browsing Antique Street.
I verified each one using my Appraisal skill.
The results were satisfying.
By individual value, they were easily worth at least 100 billion won combined.
‘Not bad at all.’
There remained time before the modern monetary system completely collapsed.
Exactly one year.
The moment the Tower—that mirage suspended in the sky—opened its gates, currency would become worthless scraps of paper.
But conversely speaking.
For the next year, money was power itself.
My plan was clear.
This money was an investment.
Just as I had sponsored Park Ha-yan, I would seek out future heroes—those with talent but trapped in unfortunate circumstances.
‘I cannot shield the sky alone.’
I would be the one to conquer the Tower and slay the Deity.
But I also needed shields to defend Earth against the countless calamities that would descend in the interim.
Toppling the Tower was difficult.
Even if it were possible, the damage Earth would sustain in the process would be astronomical.
I needed heroes to protect Earth.
There was still much I could accomplish with money.
If a problem remained unsolved, it was only because funds were insufficient.
The appetizers were finished.
Now it was time to savor the main course.
I lifted the moss-covered azure stone resting at the center of the bed—the Pandora Cube.
Its substantial weight settled into my palm.
Anticipation thrummed through me.
‘Open.’
I poured mana into it.
Vwoooooom!
The stone vibrated faintly.
Cracks spiderwebbed across its rough surface, and dazzling radiance seeped through the fissures.
Ding!
[Opening the Pandora Cube.]
[Rolling the dice (1~1000).]
A colossal holographic die materialized in the air.
Numbers spun rapidly across its faces.
Naturally, I expected the highest value to appear.
Clatter.
The die came to rest.
The number revealed itself.
[1,001]
“…?”
I doubted my eyes.
The range was clearly one to one thousand.
A system error?
A System Message followed.
[Warning! You have exceeded the System’s threshold!]
[The Deity of Fortune cannot hide their astonishment!]
[Hidden Condition achieved: ‘One Who Surpasses the Deity’s Fortune’.]
Truly beyond specification.
Who would have thought my fortune could exceed the Deity of Fortune itself?
To pierce through even the probabilities set by the System itself.
‘Just what is my luck stat?’
A brilliant flash erupted.
The radiant light that had filled the room faded away.
Where the stone fragments had vanished, a single object floated suspended in the air.
It was armor.
A full suit of plate armor with a pitch-black foundation, its surface adorned with crimson vein-like patterns that seemed to pulse with living malevolence.
An overwhelming aura of oppression pressed down upon the cramped Motel Room.
[Item: Celestial Demon Armor]
[Grade: Mythic]
“…!!!”
Mythic.
The weight that single word carried was incomparable.
Authority, the land where hellfire churned and boiled.
That too had been ‘Mythic Grade’.
Of course, the grade distinction between equipment and authorities could not help but differ.
Even if both were Mythic Grade, equipment could not compare to an authority.
But what captured my gaze was not the grade—it was the name.
‘Celestial Demon.’
During my days climbing the Tower, it was spoken of only as legend among the veterans.
A single component alone had sparked wars between Guilds, or even conflicts between nations—that very item.
But one fact mattered most of all.
‘It is a set item.’
This was not a standalone piece of equipment.
A helmet, armor, gauntlets, boots, and a weapon.
It was one component of a set item that revealed its true power only when all pieces were assembled.
With trembling hands, I examined the detailed information.
[Item: Celestial Demon Armor]
[Grade: Mythic]
[Durability: Infinite (Indestructible)]
[Equip Requirement: Unwavering Mental Fortitude]
[Basic Effect: All Stats +150]
[Special Effect (1): Celestial Demon Aura. The oppressive presence emanating from the wearer’s body intensifies. Any being weaker than the wearer becomes paralyzed by terror and cannot move.]
[Special Effect (2): Absolute Defense. Reduces physical and magical damage by 50%.]
[Set Effect (1/5): Inactive.]
“…Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Insane.
There was simply no other word for it.
‘All stats at 150.’
The stat points gained from leveling up ranged from a minimum of 20 to around 50 at most.
And that was only if all five stat categories increased by 10 each to reach that maximum of 50.
Naturally, maxing out every single stat was nearly impossible.
Because the stat gains from leveling were heavily influenced by one’s ‘talents’.
Unless someone was born with every talent in abundance, it was obviously difficult.
There wasn’t a complete absence of methods, but it required what people called ‘grinding’.
In any case.
‘Simply by wearing this armor alone, I’d leap beyond 15 levels in a single bound.’
Of course, for Rag, it was equivalent to gaining 3 levels.
And the durability was ‘infinite’.
Indestructible.
Whether it be divine authority or nuclear weapons.
No physical impact in existence could shatter this armor.
This was graduation-tier equipment.
‘Now then.’
I stroked my chin.
‘The equip condition is a steadfast mind?’
Usually, equipment like this had restrictions based on level or stats.
But it only demanded mental fortitude.
That was a field I was very confident in.
I placed my hand on the black armor.
“Equip.”
Clang.
With a metallic ring, the armor enveloped my body.
At the same moment.
【How dare anyone covet this sovereign’s vessel.】
My mind screamed.
A voice heavy and arrogant, as if stirring the very marrow of my brain.
My vision flooded red.
Black mirage crawled up my optic nerve, attempting to overwhelm my consciousness.
Mental corruption.
This was why the equip condition was ‘steadfast mind’.
The remnants of a Heavenly Demon dwelled within—something no mere stat could withstand.
【Feeble soul. Surrender your flesh to me. I shall guide you.】
A sweet temptation.
Simultaneously, an irresistible oppressive force bore down upon my entire body.
An ordinary human would have lost their sense of self in an instant, becoming nothing more than a puppet of the Celestial Demon.
But I laughed softly.
“How dare a mere remnant question the weakness of my soul.”
【…?】
“If I deign to wear you, you should be bowing in gratitude—not lecturing me from that position.”
I opened my eyes wide.
Mental fortitude?
I am the one who resolved to self-destruct alongside Earth.
I am the one who devoured The Deity and steeled myself for ten thousand deaths.
I would never succumb to mere lingering thoughts trapped within armor.
“Kneel, you wretched thing.”
【You insolent fool! How dare you defy me…!】
The Celestial Demon’s will rebelled.
An even more potent killing intent was boring into my soul when—
【…?!】
That was the moment.
The black energy that had been ravaging my mind was instantly sucked away somewhere.
【Kwaaaaagh! W-what manner of monster is this!】
The Celestial Demon shrieked.
At this point, I could deduce what had happened.
When the Celestial Demon unleashed its mental corruption, Angargon—bound by contract to me—devoured it.
Or more precisely, the ability of the Calamity Dragon dwells within me.
Before the Primordial Devourer, the lingering thoughts of a Celestial Demon were nothing but a single meal.
【P-please… spare me…!】
It fled.
The once arrogant voice now trembled with terror, its tail tucked between its legs.
The armor shuddered violently, then fell deathly silent.
Complete submission.
Simultaneously, the blocked meridian of power within me burst open.
Gugugugugu!
“Haaah….”
I exhaled deeply.
Every cell in my body screamed as power surged through me.
My muscles hardened like steel, and my thoughts accelerated like lightning.
‘All this from just a single component.’
A thrill ran through me.
The majesty of Mythic grade.
I checked the bottom of the information window once more.
[Set Effect (2/5): Celestial Demon Divine Art unlocked.]
[Set Effect (5/5): Celestial Demon Descent.]
Celestial Demon Divine Art. And Celestial Demon Descent.
My heart raced at the mere mention of these names.
The moment I collected all four remaining pieces, I would transcend the limitations of human flesh and touch the realm of a Demon God.
* * *
Two days later.
Despite the morning hour of ten, the sky hung dark as midnight.
Roiling clouds blanketed the entire city.
People trembled with anxiety, their eyes fixed upward.
Just yesterday, temperatures had hovered around thirty-five degrees in a brutal heatwave.
Yet within mere hours, the mercury had plummeted below freezing.
Abnormal weather.
No—an omen of catastrophe.
“…It’s freezing.”
“Look at the breath coming from our mouths. Does this make any sense?”
People on the streets huddled inward, their bodies contracted against the cold.
Citizens in short sleeves hastily retreated into the shelter of buildings.
And then.
Whiiiissh….
Something fell from the sky.
White crystalline fragments.
“Snow?”
Snow began to fall on Daegu in the height of summer.
This was no romantic first snowfall.
A biting wind that cut through flesh accompanied a torrential blizzard that obscured all vision.
Wheeeeee!
Sirens wailed.
Roads froze solid and vehicles skidded into collisions.
The city was turning white before my eyes.
I sat perched on the railing of the Motel Rooftop, gazing down at the scene below.
I extended my hand and caught a single snowflake.
It was not cold.
The magical energy within me repelled the chill.
Uuuuuung.
My right hand resonated.
Golden runes began rotating fiercely across my palm.
Like the needle of a compass.
It pointed with absolute certainty in one direction.
‘It’s confirmed now.’
My hypothesis had been verified.
Ordinarily dormant, the signal flared to life the moment those creatures unleashed their authorities and triggered catastrophe.
In other words, this signal was an alarm announcing the hunt’s commencement.
Distance: three kilometers.
Direction: northwest.
The heart of Daegu Downtown.
The snowfall intensified ferociously.
Visibility dissolved into a white haze.
Snow accumulated across the Asphalt Street in moments, piling up to ankle height.
Traffic ground to a halt; people found themselves isolated.
But the true threat was not the cold.
“W-what is that?!”
“A monster! The snowman is moving!”
Screams pierced the air.
Accumulated snowdrifts writhed and convulsed.
Shhhhh.
Snow compacted and ice formed skeletal frameworks.
Ice soldiers wielding spears and shields.
Snowy Wilderness wolves with fangs bared in savage hunger.
Monsters materialized alongside the calamity itself.
They descended upon the people indiscriminately, savaging everything in their path.
A hellscape.
I rose from my position.
I stood at the edge of the railing.
Below stretched a five-story drop.
For an ordinary person, it would mean instant death—but I felt no hesitation.
Instead, my blood burned with fervor.
I retrieved the Shard of the Broken Golden Ratio from my inventory.
The key to shatter reality’s constraints and channel the power of Asgard.
“Descent.”
I crushed the shard and hurled myself into the void.
BOOM!
Golden radiance enveloped my entire body.
My flesh underwent reconstruction.
Muscles expanded and magical energy surged forth in torrential waves.
Crash!
I landed upon the ground.
The Asphalt Street fractured beneath me in a spiderweb pattern, cratering inward.
The shockwave scattered snowdrifts in all directions.
“Grrrrr….”
A Snowy Wilderness wolf before me caught sight of me and snarled.
The beast lunged forward.
I did not evade.
I threw a light punch.
Crack!
The wolf’s head scattered into powder and snow.
I brushed off my hand.
I had no intention of wasting time on mere trash mobs.
My gaze fixed upon a single destination.
Three kilometers ahead, where the golden rune pointed.
But then.
‘How tedious.’
Too many obstacles blocked my path.
Ice soldiers poured forth from every alley.
From above, a blizzard obscured my vision.
Snowdrifts seized at my ankles. Bitter cold gnawed at my flesh.
Shattering them one by one with physical force would consume precious time.
Three kilometers.
A short distance in principle, but at this pace, it would take a full thirty minutes.
I needed to carve a path.
And do it spectacularly.
I required overwhelming heat to neutralize this frigid blizzard in a single stroke.
I stopped moving.
From deep within my core, I drew forth a weighty force that surged upward.
A newly forged authority.
The power of destruction born from fusing Kartal’s earthquakes with Tulkacha’s volcanoes!
As this authority began to gather in my left hand.
Ding!
[You activate the authority: ‘Land Where Hellfire Rages’!]
The gates of hell swung open.

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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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