The Mage Who Devours Disasters - Chapter 36

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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 36.
I couldn’t tell him the truth.
The divine artifact that Heimdall treasured.
If I admitted that I’d devoured every fragment of divinity and power contained within it, I had no idea how he’d react.
No matter how much he favored me, would he forgive someone who’d used his precious treasure as a snack?
He might actually mistake me for the Mad Deity.
“Why do you need it, sir?”
I asked with feigned composure.
Heimdall extended his hand and spoke casually.
“I have a use for it for a moment.”
He was asking to borrow it.
Not to take it back permanently.
But I couldn’t give it to him.
It was physically impossible.
It was already completely digested.
I shook my head.
“I’m afraid not.”
My refusal was firm.
Heimdall’s eyebrows twitched.
“…What?”
“Once an object comes into my possession, I cannot return it.”
I pressed forward shamelessly.
“Even if only temporarily. The divine artifact has already chosen me as its master. A master cannot abandon his charge.”
A desperate gamble.
Heimdall stared at me as if astounded.
…Had he seen through me?
Or would he strike me down with lightning for my insolence?
But then.
“Kahahaha!”
Heimdall burst into raucous laughter.
His mirth shook the Divine Temple itself.
He clutched his belly, laughing and shaking his head.
“Yes, that’s the spirit! You truly are an entertaining one.”
He wiped tears from his eyes as he looked at me.
There was no anger.
Instead, his expression held something close to satisfaction.
“To dare refuse to surrender what I once gave you. That greed… I find it most appealing.”
Heimdall turned away.
“So be it. I’ll simply have to use another weapon.”
He walked away without hesitation.
“Prepare for war. I’m looking forward to it.”
Whoooosh!
He vanished with the wind.
I collapsed onto the ground right there.
“…Sigh.”
All my strength had drained away.
Did he really just come to watch?
Or was he testing me?
Either way, it didn’t matter.
At least I’d survived the crisis.
But my mind was churning with complexity.
The words Abdulla had thrown at me.
‘The Mad Deity.’
A mad god who devours gods.
The common enemy of all Deities.
That term was seared into my consciousness, refusing to fade.
I stared down at my right hand.
The golden Rune.
A power that consumed calamity, devoured divinity, and swallowed authority.
‘…It’s too similar.’
I couldn’t deny it.
The characteristics of the Mad Deity that Abdulla described were far too alike to my own abilities.
Perhaps the source of this power truly was the Mad Deity.
If that were the case, I was carrying a time bomb.
The moment I was exposed, even Heimdall would abandon me.
No—judging by his reaction, he’d try to kill me first.
‘I have to be careful.’
Abdulla wouldn’t give up.
Securing a list of lower Deities’ avatars was a declaration of intent to tighten his investigative net in earnest.
I might have to refrain from activities on Earth for a while.
But I couldn’t stop.
‘Cryos.’
War was upon me.
Twenty days remained.
Within that time, I had to complete the power needed to defeat the master of Tower Floor 50.
I opened my inventory.
‘Let me settle accounts first.’
Episode 3.
The spoils hunted from the prelude to catastrophe.
I had obtained authorities from consuming four lower Deities.
[Minor Earthquake], [Minor Tsunami], [Minor Wildfire], [Minor Collapse].
‘Underwhelming.’
Individually, they weren’t bad.
But compared to my main abilities—’Living Primordial Flame (Origin)’ and ‘Absolute Tempest of Annihilation (Ancient)’—they paled in comparison.
A difference in caliber.
I attempted to combine these with higher-tier abilities, but the System rejected it.
[Warning: Grade difference too vast. Combination impossible.]
The ingredients were too weak to blend into the main dish.
Yet it felt wasteful to discard them.
Many a mickle makes a muckle, as they say.
I activated the ability combiner.
‘If they huddle together, they might become useful.’
I tossed all four minor abilities into the cauldron.
Earthquake, tsunami, fire, collapse.
Disasters of different natures tangled together.
[Combine 4 minor abilities?]
‘Combine them.’
Whooooom!
The cauldron trembled violently.
The earth cracked, water surged upward, and flames erupted.
A hodgepodge.
But it felt like it would become a delicious one.
Ding!
[Combination complete!]
[A new ability has been born!]
[Ability grade has been recalibrated.]
[Reaching ‘Legendary’ tier.]
[Ability name: Calamity from All Directions]
Legendary tier.
Below Mythic and Ancient, but vastly superior to Minor.
Above all, its versatility was exceptional.
Earth, water, fire, physical collapse.
An area-of-effect ability that could be used in combination or selectively across four types of disaster.
‘Perfect for clearing trash mobs.’
I clenched and unclenched my fist, savoring the new power coursing through me.
Preparations were coming together.
‘Living Primordial Flame’—my finishing move.
‘Guardian Barrier of the Ancient Deity’—my absolute defense.
‘Calamity from All Directions’—my area-of-effect ability.
And the reliable Nectar to boot.
This is worth attempting.
I must win, no matter what.
Once I formally become Heimdall’s apostle, he won’t suspect me so easily.
* * *
I immediately began moving toward victory.
‘Money is supreme.’
A trite saying, but no truth rings truer than this.
Especially here in Asgard, the realm of the Deities.
I opened my inventory.
Twenty ‘Shards of the Broken Golden Rule’ received as rewards from Episode 3.
I withdrew two of them.
There was no hesitation.
Hoarding them would only turn them to waste anyway.
War was imminent, and my territory needed to become more fortified.
Ding!
[Converting 2 Shards of the Broken Golden Rule into ‘2,000,000’ Nectar.]
Two million Nectar.
A sum that even a common low-tier Deity couldn’t accumulate over centuries.
I poured this vast fortune into the Layer.
Whoooosh!
The entire 7th Floor resonated with golden light.
It wasn’t merely superficial ornamentation becoming more elaborate.
The ley lines of the earth twisted, and magical concentration exploded exponentially.
The pillars of the Golden Temple grew thicker, and powerful defensive barriers were inscribed layer upon layer across the outer walls.
The hot spring water was no longer mere holy water—it approached the legendary ‘Water of Life’ that could resurrect even the dying.
Two days.
A full two days it took.
And the result.
Ding!
[Congratulations!]
[The Crystal rank of Tower Floor 7 has been elevated.]
[Rank: A → S]
[An unprecedented record!]
[The name ‘Rag’ is inscribed in the ‘Hall of Deities’.]
The System Message resonated across all of Asgard.
I curled the corners of my mouth upward.
‘Behold.’
There was no need to hide.
NONAME on Earth must remain concealed, but Rag here must be revealed.
The greater I became, the higher Heimdall’s standing would rise for having marked me as his apostle.
Conversely, Cryos, standing on the brink of war with me, would find his breath growing shallow.
‘He’ll be terrified.’
Even as the master of Tower Floor 50, he’d never possessed an S-rank Territory.
An overwhelming disparity in capital.
The fear it inspired was as certain as any weapon.
That was when it happened.
Ding!
A new message window materialized before my eyes.
Not the usual blue or gold.
A darker indigo window instead.
[Invitation]
[Recipient: The Great Magnate, Rag.]
[You have met the conditions.]
[Only owners of S-rank or higher Floors may enter this place.]
[We invite you to the Secret Auction.]
‘…Secret Auction?’
My eyebrows rose.
Secret meant it didn’t officially exist.
The hidden underbelly of the Tower.
A place where items never seen in shops or exchanges changed hands.
[Time: Midnight today.]
[Location: Dimensional Gap Colosseum.]
[Privilege: Complete anonymity guaranteed. All participants’ identities are concealed by the System.]
My interest was piqued.
Complete anonymity.
The most appealing condition of all.
A place where I could compete with nothing but my wealth, without fear of my identity being exposed.
‘I should attend.’
I still had reserves of Golden Fragments.
It was a golden opportunity to strengthen my forces before the coming war.
‘I accept.’
I pressed the acceptance button.
In that instant.
Whoooosh!
Indigo mist enveloped my body.
My vision warped.
Spatial transfer.
Moments later, my feet touched solid ground.
“…Magnificent.”
The moment my eyes opened, an exclamation escaped me unbidden.
It was massive.
A ceiling so high the sky itself was invisible.
A colossal circular arena capable of accommodating tens of thousands.
The Colosseum.
Yet the spectator stands were completely empty.
Instead, hundreds of floating “private rooms” came into view.
VIP chambers embedded in the void like honeycomb cells.
I stood in one of them.
Beyond the glass window, I could see down below.
All participants were isolated in rooms identical to mine.
A structure where we could neither see each other’s faces nor hear our voices.
Complete anonymity.
-The auction will begin shortly.
An announcement echoed through the chamber.
I sank deep into the sofa.
Lights illuminated the platform below.
A masked auctioneer took the stage.
“Welcome, esteemed bidders.”
The auctioneer’s voice resonated throughout the Colosseum.
“Today we have prepared items to satisfy your every desire!”
A light jest.
Yet the atmosphere was heavy.
I could sense an invisible tension—competitors sizing each other up from the shadows.
Everyone gathered here had to be a formidable Deity in their own right.
One hundred.
That was my rough estimate.
The number of private rooms floating in the void.
Those seated within were all masters who owned S-rank Floors or higher.
‘Quite the gathering.’
I clicked my tongue.
Silence hung heavy in the air.
Though the structure prevented us from seeing one another, the ravenous aura emanating from beyond those walls pierced through like nothing could stop it.
“Well then, thank you for your patience.”
The auctioneer raised his hand dramatically.
The lights converged.
“Our first item of the day—something quite extraordinary to begin with.”
The floor split open.
A lift rose from the Underground.
A glass chamber the height of a man, draped in black cloth.
I narrowed my eyes.
‘What on earth could this be?’
A secret auction.
Anonymity guaranteed.
And security so thorough that even the identities of the Deities themselves were kept confidential.
If it were merely a rare item or skill book, there would be no need for such elaborate precautions.
This meant something was fundamentally wrong about it.
The auctioneer pulled back the cloth.
Whoosh!
A faint blue light seeped from within the glass chamber.
The moment I confirmed its identity.
“…!”
I stopped breathing.
It was not an object.
It was a person.
Or rather, it was ‘something’ in the shape of a person.
A translucent spirit form.
A man bound entirely in chains, his face twisted in agony as his mouth gaped open.
No sound reached my ears.
Yet I felt his anguished cry, his bitter resentment, in their entirety.
Ding!
An information window materialized before my eyes.
[Auction Item No. 1]
[Item Name: Sword Saint of the Ruined World ‘Garcia’]
[Type: Soul]
[Description: World 394, destroyed by the whims of the Deities. The soul of the final hero who resisted to the very end in that place. Within his spirit dwells an unbreakable fighting spirit and noble swordsmanship.]
[Uses: Servant creation, artifact enhancement, soul absorption, collectibles, etc.]
It was a world that had been destroyed by the Deities far earlier than Earth.
The soul of the Sword Saint who had protected Garcia.

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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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