Chapter 15: The Man of Luck

“Starting bid, 100 thousand won! Nobody?”

The auctioneer’s voice echoed emptily.

The crowd was indifferent.

It seemed they had only come to enjoy the air conditioning; nobody looked like they wanted to pay for a stone like that.

I slowly raised my hand.

“100 thousand won.”

The gazes turned toward me.

I heard murmurs mixed with mockery.

“That kid must have money to spare.”

I did not care.

The way the Pandora Cube worked was simple.

By injecting mana into it, a die would roll inside it.

A number from 1 to 1000.

Depending on that number, the item’s rank would be decided.

I was certain.

When I summoned Angragon, and also when I received the Sanctuary reward.

My dice had always landed on the maximum value allowed by the system.

This time would not be an exception either.

“100 thousand won! Sold!”

Bang!

With the sound of the hammer, an employee brought over the stone.

I paid and held the cold rock in my hands.

It was heavy.

After that, I bought a few more objects.

An old scroll abandoned in a corner.

A dagger whose handle had already rotted away.

To others, I probably looked like a junk collector.

But.

‘It was an excellent purchase.’

I was satisfied.

The auction ended.

I gathered my things and left the gallery.

***

I entered the hotel I had reserved.

I locked the door and emptied the loot onto the bed.

Roughly thirty relics obtained from wandering through the antique street.

I checked each one using the “Appraisal” skill.

The result was satisfying.

Calculating the value of each one, they easily exceeded 10 billion won in total.

‘Not bad.’

There was still time before the modern monetary system completely collapsed.

Exactly one year.

The moment the gates of that tower floating like a mirage in the sky opened, banknotes would become worthless paper.

But in other words.

For the next year, money would equal power.

My plan was clear.

This money was investment capital.

Just as I supported Park Hayan, I would find future heroes with talent trapped in miserable circumstances.

‘I can’t cover the sky by myself.’

I would be the one to conquer the tower and kill the gods.

But meanwhile, I also needed shields capable of stopping the smaller disasters that would fall upon Earth.

Destroying the tower was difficult.

And even if it were possible, the damage Earth would suffer in the meantime would be astronomical.

I needed heroes capable of protecting this world.

There were still many things that could be solved with money.

If there was an unsolvable problem, it only meant there was not enough money.

The preparation was finished.

Now it was time for the main course.

I picked up the moss-covered blue stone placed in the center of the bed, the Pandora Cube.

The weight in my palm was solid.

The atmosphere became tense.

‘Open.’

I injected mana.

Woooooong!

The stone vibrated slightly.

Cracks appeared on the rough surface, and a dazzling light began leaking through them.

Ding!

[Pandora Cube is being opened.]

[Rolling dice (1~1000).]

A gigantic holographic die appeared in the air.

The numbers spun rapidly.

Of course, I expected the highest value.

Rattle.

The die stopped.

The number was revealed.

[1,001]

“……?”

I doubted my eyes.

The range was clearly from 1 to 1000.

Was it a bug?

The system continued displaying messages.

[Warning! The system limit has been exceeded!]

[The God of Luck is utterly shocked!]

[Hidden condition achieved: One Who Surpasses the Luck of the Gods.]

Just as it said.

Beyond all rules.

I never imagined my luck would surpass even the God of Luck’s.

To the point of breaking through the probabilities established by the system.

‘Just how ridiculously high is my luck stat?’

Fwoosh!

The light filling the room dissipated.

In the place where the stone fragments disappeared, an object floated slowly.

It was armor.

A full suit of jet-black armor, with patterns resembling red veins moving across its surface.

An overwhelming pressure crushed the narrow hotel room.

[Item: Heavenly Demon Armor]

[Rank: Myth]

“……!!!”

Myth.

The weight of that word was different.

Authority, Land Where Hellfire Boils.

That had also been a “Myth” rank.

Of course, equipment rank and authority rank were completely different things.

Even within the same Myth rank, an item could not compare to an authority.

But what caught my attention was not the rank, but the name.

‘Heavenly Demon.’

During the era when we climbed the tower, it was the most legendary equipment among the veterans.

An item capable of causing wars between guilds no, even conflicts between nations over a single piece.

And most importantly.

‘It’s a set.’

It was not a single item.

Helmet, armor, gauntlets, boots, and weapon.

Only by gathering all the pieces would it reveal its true power.

With trembling hands, I checked the detailed information.

[Item: Heavenly Demon Armor]

[Rank: Myth]

[Durability: Infinite (Indestructible)]

[Equip Requirement: Unshakable Mental Strength]

[Basic Effect: All stats +150]

[Special Effect (1): Heavenly Demon Aura. The intimidation emitted from the wearer increases. Beings weaker than the wearer become paralyzed with fear.]

[Special Effect (2): Absolute Defense. Reduces physical and magical damage by 50%.]

[Set Effect (1/5): Not activated.]

“……Hah.”

I let out an empty laugh.

This was insane.

There was no other way to describe it.

‘All stats plus 150.’

The stat points obtained from leveling up normally ranged from a minimum of 20 to a maximum close to 50.

And that was only if all five stat categories increased by 10 points each.

Naturally, it was almost impossible to maximize all stats.

Because the stats gained upon leveling up were heavily influenced by “talent.”

If someone was not born with balanced talent in everything, it was impossible.

Of course, there were alternative methods.

But they required the infamous “grinding.”

In any case.

‘Just by wearing this armor, it’s like instantly jumping more than fifteen levels.’

Although in Rag’s case, it was roughly equivalent to gaining three levels.

Moreover, its durability was “Infinite.”

Indestructible.

Whether it was a divine authority or a nuclear bomb.

No physical attack could destroy this armor.

This was already endgame equipment.

‘Although…’

I stroked my chin.

‘The requirement is Unshakable Mental Strength?’

Normally, this kind of equipment demanded a specific level or stats.

But this one only required mental fortitude.

That was a field where I had plenty of confidence.

I touched the black armor.

“Equip.”

Clank.

With a metallic sound, the armor covered my body.

And then.

【Who dares covet this exalted one’s shell?】

My mind echoed.

A heavy and arrogant voice, as if it were directly shaking my brain.

My vision turned red.

A black haze climbed through my optic nerves, trying to cover my consciousness.

Mental corruption.

That was why the equipment requirement was “Unshakable Mental Strength.”

It was not something that could be endured with mere stats.

The remnants of the Heavenly Demon dwelled inside.

【Weak soul. Offer me your body. I shall guide you.】

A sweet temptation.

And at the same time, an irresistible pressure crushed my entire body.

A normal person would have instantly lost their ego and become the Heavenly Demon’s puppet.

But I let out a small laugh.

“You dare, when you’re only a remnant, to speak about the weakness of my soul?”

【……?】

“You should kneel in gratitude because I allow you to clothe me, not come here lecturing me.”

I opened my eyes forcefully.

Mental fortitude?

I was someone who decided to self-destruct alongside the Earth.

I was someone who devoured gods and prepared to die tens of thousands of times.

I was not going to submit to mere residual thoughts trapped inside armor.

“Kneel, miserable one.”

【Insolent! How dare you before this exalted one?!】

The Heavenly Demon’s will resisted.

An even stronger killing intent tried to pierce my soul.

And then.

【……?!】

At that moment.

The black energy stirring inside my mind was absorbed somewhere in an instant.

【Kyaaaaaaagh! W-what kind of monster is this?!】

The Heavenly Demon screamed.

At that point, I was able to deduce it.

When the Heavenly Demon caused mental corruption, “Angragon,” with whom I had made a contract, devoured it.

Or rather, the ability of the Dragon of Great Catastrophe was residing within me.

Before the primordial predator, the Heavenly Demon’s mental remnants were nothing more than food.

【S-save me……!】

It was running away.

The arrogant voice had tucked its tail between its legs in terror.

The armor began trembling violently before becoming completely silent, as if it had died.

Perfect submission.

At the same time, the blocked channels of power opened.

Rumbleeeee!

“Huu……”

I let out a deep sigh.

Power overflowed to the point where every cell in my body seemed to scream.

My muscles hardened like steel, and my mind accelerated like lightning.

‘And to think this is only one piece.’

A chill ran through my body.

The majesty of a Myth rank.

I looked again at the bottom of the information window.

[Set Effect (2/5): Heavenly Demon Divine Art unlocked.]

[Set Effect (5/5): Descend of the Heavenly Demon.]

Heavenly Demon Divine Art. And Descend of the Heavenly Demon.

Just hearing the names made my heart pound.

Once I gathered the remaining four pieces, I would reach the domain of a Demon God with a human body.

***

Two days later.

Even though it was barely 10 in the morning, the sky was as dark as night.

Black clouds covered the entire city.

People trembled anxiously while looking upward.

Until yesterday, the temperature had been around 35 degrees.

But within hours, it dropped below freezing.

An abnormal climate.

No.

The sign of a disaster.

“……It’s cold.”

“Look at the steam from our breath. Does this make any sense?”

The people on the street shrank their bodies.

Citizens dressed in summer clothes ran to take shelter inside buildings.

And then.

Swooooosh.

Something began falling from the sky.

White crystals.

“Snow?”

Snow began falling in Daegu in the middle of summer.

It was not a romantic first snowfall.

A blizzard descended together with an icy wind sharp enough to cut skin, completely blocking visibility.

Whoooooosh!

Sirens began to sound.

The roads froze, and cars crashed after slipping.

The city was beginning to turn white.

I was sitting on the motel rooftop railing, watching that scenery.

I extended my hand and caught a snowflake.

It was not cold.

The mana inside me repelled the ice.

Woooooong.

My right hand vibrated.

The golden runes spun violently across my palm.

Like the needle of a compass.

They pointed in exactly one direction.

‘It’s confirmed now.’

The hypothesis was correct.

Normally, it remained inactive, but it reacted the moment those bastards released their authorities and caused disasters.

In other words, this signal was an alarm announcing the beginning of the hunt.

Distance: 3 kilometers.

Direction: northwest.

Right in the center of Daegu.

The snowfall intensified.

To the point where the entire landscape turned white.

In an instant, the snow reached ankle height on the asphalt.

Traffic was paralyzed, and people were trapped.

But the real problem was not the cold.

“W-what is that?!”

“It’s a monster! The snowmen are moving!”

Screams rang out.

The piles of snow began twisting.

Swooooosh.

The snow compressed, and the ice formed skeletons.

Ice soldiers carrying spears and shields.

Tundra wolves baring sharp fangs.

Along with the disaster, demonic beasts were also being summoned.

They attacked people indiscriminately.

A true hell.

I stood up.

I moved to the edge of the railing.

Below was a fall equivalent to five stories.

For a normal person, it would have meant instant death, but I did not hesitate.

On the contrary.

My blood was boiling.

I pulled out a “Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule” from my inventory.

The key capable of breaking the limitations of reality and bringing forth the power of Asgard.

“Descend.”

I crushed the fragment and threw my body into the void.

Booooom!

Golden energy enveloped my entire body.

My body began reconstructing itself.

My muscles expanded, and mana overflowed violently.

Boom!

I landed on the ground.

The asphalt cracked like a spiderweb and caved in.

The shockwave sent the piles of snow flying in all directions.

“Grrrrrr…….”

One of the tundra wolves in front of me growled while staring at me.

The monster lunged.

I did not dodge.

I simply threw a light punch.

Bang!

The wolf’s head exploded into snow dust.

I shook my hand.

I had no intention of wasting time on mere mobs.

My gaze was fixed on only one place.

The 3 kilometers toward which the golden runes pointed.

But.

‘How annoying.’

There were too many things blocking the way.

Ice soldiers were appearing from every alley.

The blizzard blocked visibility from the sky.

The snow trapping my feet. The cold piercing my skin.

Destroying everything one by one using only physical blows would take too long.

3 kilometers.

It might seem like a short distance, but at this rate it would take more than 30 minutes.

I needed to carve a path through.

And do it in the most brutal way possible.

I needed overwhelming heat capable of instantly erasing this freezing storm.

I stopped.

I drew out the heavy energy boiling from the depths of my dantian.

The newly created authority.

The destructive power that fused Kartal’s earthquake and Tulkacha’s volcano!

The moment that authority began gathering in my left hand.

Ding!

[Authority, Land Where Hellfire Boils, activated!]

The gates of hell opened.