Chapter 12: The Rat

In one corner of the inventory, an icon emitted a radiant glow.

It did not look like a weapon or armor.

Nor did it quite fit as a common tool.

My eyes widened as I read the related information.

[Catastrophic Reward (1): Authority Combiner]

[Description: Combines two different Authorities to create an entirely new Authority.]

“……!”

A chill ran through my body.

It was so intense that even the hairs on my skin stood up.

I had already been worried before.

‘Disaster Devourer.’

This ability was absurd, but it had one fatal weakness.

‘The risk of being discovered.’

Suppose I use Kartal’s [Minor Earthquake] or Tulkacha’s [Volcano Out of Control].

What would the other gods think when they saw it?

‘Huh? That’s Kartal’s power.’

‘That wave is identical to Tulkacha’s volcano.’

Suspicion would become certainty, and certainty would turn into a public hunt.

If they discovered that I killed gods and stole their powers, every god in Asgard would try to kill me.

No matter how strong I was, I had no intention of becoming the public enemy of the gods.

But.

‘What if I combine them to create something completely different?’

Then the story changes.

The traces of the originals disappear.

The lineage is cleaned.

This was basically an “Authority washing machine.”

‘Perfect.’

I activated the combiner without hesitation.

Woooooong!

A massive hologram shaped like a cauldron appeared before me.

I smiled as I placed in the materials.

First material.

[Minor Earthquake], stolen from the minor god of earthquakes, Kartal.

Second material.

[Volcano Out of Control], devoured from the mad god Tulkacha.

Both were powerful, but they had innate limitations or attracted too much attention.

[Do you wish to combine ‘Minor Earthquake’ and ‘Volcano Out of Control’?]

I nodded without hesitation.

The cauldron began to tremble.

Rumbleeeeee!

The heavy vibrations of the earthquake and the scorching heat of the volcano collided with one another.

Golden sparks burst outward.

System messages began appearing rapidly.

[Deconstructing the Authority ‘Minor Earthquake’.]

[Fusing the Authority ‘Volcano Out of Control’.]

[Analyzing compatibility between both disasters.]

[Power that shakes the earth + power that drives the earth insane.]

[Synergy explodes!]

The Authorities began to merge.

The messages continued to appear.

[A new Authority has been born!]

[Reconfiguring the Authority’s rank.]

[It has reached the Mythological rank.]

[Authority Name: Land Where Hellfire Boils]

The cauldron disappeared.

Burning red letters floated in the air.

Land Where Hellfire Boils.

A rather intuitive name.

At the same time, a new sensation awakened within my body.

The area near my heart burned.

As if I had swallowed lava.

But it was not unpleasant.

On the contrary, the power coursing through my veins was electrifying.

I raised my right hand.

Wooooong.

A dark red flame appeared above my palm.

It was not an ordinary red fire.

It was a murky, viscous flame where black and red mixed grotesquely.

The surrounding air instantly dried out.

Moisture evaporated, and space itself distorted.

This was a disaster that simultaneously possessed the properties of “corruption” and “destruction.”

‘It was a success.’

The corners of my lips rose.

A perfect wash.

The heavy vibrations of Minor Earthquake had disappeared.

And there was no trace left of Volcano Out of Control’s brutal eruptions either.

The disadvantages of both disasters vanished, while their advantages fused together and magnified.

The earthquake became the key that opened the gates of hell by splitting the earth apart.

And the volcano transformed into the flames of destruction that filled those cracks.

Now no one would associate this power with Kartal or Tulkacha.

This power belonged solely to me, Rag.

‘I like it.’

I clenched my fist tightly.

The flames crumbled apart inside my hand.

The beings I had to face were gods.

Those monsters possessed practically immortal bodies.

Ordinary fire would barely be able to singe a single hair on them.

Physical attacks and normal magic had far too many limitations.

But this was different.

Hellfire.

Flames that burned even the soul.

Even a god would scream before these flames.

The level of my disaster had evolved onto another plane.

“Master?”

Seria called out cautiously.

Her eyes were watching my right hand warily.

Like a beast instinctively sensing danger, she stepped back with her body tense.

Even Angragon on my shoulder had tucked away his tail.

A threatening power even to allies.

I did not dislike that reaction.

“Let’s go.”

I flicked my hand and extinguished the flames.

I began walking.

Our destination was the center of the first floor.

We advanced across the empty white land.

A world where absolutely nothing existed.

The white scenery stretched on endlessly, to the point of becoming boring.

Just as Gugu had said, the former owner had truly taken everything meticulously.

A silent space where not even the wind blew.

Tap. Tap.

Our footsteps were the only sound.

How long did we walk?

Beyond the horizon, a faint light appeared.

“There it is.”

I quickened my pace.

The distance began shrinking rapidly.

The closer we got, the clearer the light became.

And finally, a massive figure appeared.

A gigantic crystal over ten meters tall.

A transparent blue crystal floated in the air while slowly rotating.

The core of the first floor.

I stopped in front of the crystal.

Woooooong.

The crystal reacted.

A soft wave enveloped my entire body.

[You have entered a safe zone.]

[Magic recovers rapidly.]

[Physical fatigue decreases.]

[Corruption-related status effects have been purified.]

It was warm.

The battle in the Sanctuary.

And the combination of Authorities.

All the fatigue accumulated after those consecutive actions vanished like melting snow.

When my tension relaxed, a wave of drowsiness washed over me.

I heavily dropped down beside the base of the crystal.

When I leaned my back against it, I did not feel cold, but warmth.

“……Hah.”

I let out a deep sigh.

Only now did I feel like I could finally live a little more peacefully.

Seria positioned herself beside me.

She was still watching the surroundings.

Even though it was a completely empty plain, she did not let go of her bow.

A pretty severe occupational disease.

“Seria.”

“Yes.”

“Relax. There’s nobody here.”

“……You never know. There could be enemies specialized in stealth.”

A stiff response.

I let out a small laugh and shook my head.

Well, it was not exactly a bad thing either.

When subordinates are efficient, the boss lives comfortably.

I closed my eyes.

I was curious about the time on Earth.

The amount of time I spent here must have also passed in the real world.

I killed an avatar.

Kim Yuhwan, the minor god Kartal.

I needed to confirm what kind of impact his death had caused on Earth.

And the others.

There were still divine avatars hidden all over the planet.

The hunt had only just begun.

“I’m going to rest for a moment.”

I spoke to Seria.

“Do not let anyone approach.”

“Understood.”

She answered briefly while lowering her stance.

Angragon climbed onto my legs.

I stroked his head once.

The holy sword Abriel floated beside my head and assumed a defensive posture.

Quite reliable forces.

This place was safe.

I calmly opened the system window.

The button located all the way at the bottom.

[Logout]

I pressed it without hesitation.

My vision flickered.

The white world was dyed in darkness.

The sensation of floating as my consciousness was absorbed.

At the same time, the scenery of Asgard began to drift away.

***

Ding!

[You have logged out.]

[Returning to reality.]

I opened my eyes.

Outside the window, there was a huge commotion.

Sirens would not stop blaring.

I turned on my smartphone.

The internet was literally in absolute chaos.

— The monsters disappeared. Did the military eliminate them?

— What is that in the sky? A mirage?

The entire world was pure confusion.

After the Great Catastrophe, countless people awakened.

But they still could not control their powers.

The system was still far too unfriendly with its explanations.

And above all, the thing drawing the most attention was the sky.

I also opened the window and raised my head.

Far away among the clouds, the blurry silhouette of a gigantic tower could be seen.

‘The Tower of Gods.’

For now, it only looked like a mirage.

The place where Rag became the owner of the first floor.

It could not be touched or entered.

The gates of that tower would open exactly one year from now.

And that would be when the real hell began.

Right now, this was a kind of “beginner protection period.”

A grace period granted so humanity could adapt to the system and the Awakened could strengthen their powers.

Although, of course.

There were also those who intended to use that time not as rest, but as a “hunting ground.”

I raised my right hand.

It was completely silent.

There was no reaction at all.

‘Does it only react when someone nearby is using a disaster?’

It seemed the detection range was not very wide.

Or perhaps those bastards still had not started acting seriously yet.

I opened and closed my fist while recalling the sensation of my power.

I needed to organize my thoughts.

The authority of ‘Disaster Devourer.’

It could be divided into two major categories.

The first, disposable.

Like the ‘Hurricane of Extermination’ that Heimdal launched.

If I simply devour a spell or phenomenon coming toward me, it disappears after being used once, like a bullet.

I can store it, but once it is used, that is the end of it.

The second, permanent.

When I completely devour a ‘god’ or ‘avatar,’ the source of the disaster, like Kartal or Tulkacha.

By absorbing their divinity, that authority completely becomes mine.

I can use it permanently, like an inexhaustible spring.

‘The second option is far more efficient.’

The first is only useful as an emergency ration.

If I want to become stronger, I need to devour those bastards whole.

The problem was the difficulty.

Directly confronting a main body like Tulkacha was madness.

If I had not received Abriel’s help, perhaps I would have been the one who died in the Sanctuary.

Then the answer was obvious.

‘Hunt avatars.’

The copies of those bastards who descended to Earth.

Weaker than the main body, but sharing the same divinity.

Perfect prey.

Like Kim Yuhwan.

‘Finding them will not be difficult.’

Those bastards are show-offs.

They are drunk on superiority from being gods and enjoy playing heroes.

They massacre monsters with absurdly overwhelming power, pretending to be saviors while receiving worship.

The ones who are ridiculously strong from the very beginning.

The ones who stand out absurdly during the tutorial period.

Those are the targets.

Several names surfaced in my mind.

‘The Lord of Fire, Choi Taemin.’

‘The Ice Witch, Seo Jisoo.’

‘The Berserker, Lee Dohyung.’

Among Korea’s top ten strongest and other monsters recognized worldwide.

They would be hidden among them.

The avatars of the gods who deceived humanity and deceived me.

Though I hoped I was wrong.

……Maybe there was even one among the Final Expeditionary Force.

‘I’ll verify them one by one.’

Just as I was organizing priorities.

Ding dong!

The doorbell shattered the silence.

‘Who could it be at this hour?’

I adopted a cautious posture and looked at the intercom screen.

A shiny forehead.

Eyes filled with greed.

A middle-aged man pounding on the front door with a completely excited expression.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Jeongseok! I know perfectly well you’re in there!”

A familiar voice.

And at the same time, unpleasant memories crossed my mind.

“I’m your uncle-in-law! Open the door! Are you still alive?!”

It was a familiar face.

‘Ah.’

My uncle-in-law, Park Gwangcheol.

The man who appeared claiming to be my only family member after my parents died in an accident.

But his target was never me.

‘The inheritance.’

The life insurance money my parents left behind.

That bastard deceived me with all kinds of fake sweet words to take it for himself and eventually threw me out onto the streets.

The memories of my past life resurfaced clearly.

Right after the Great Catastrophe, he took advantage of the chaos to forge documents and steal my personal seal.

Thanks to that, I lost my house.

And I ended up suffering like a dog because I did not even have money to eat.

“Jeongseok! I came because I was worried! You saw the news, right?! The world has gone crazy!”

Worried?

What he came to check was whether I was alive or dead.

If I had died, he probably would have started by searching directly for the property deed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Open the door! I’m your uncle-in-law!”

Desperate knocking.

I let out a small laugh.

Before going out to hunt gods.

……It seems a rat came crawling right to my doorstep on its own.