Chapter 5: The dragon egg

A dragon egg.

15 fragments of the broken Golden Law.

An absurd reward.

Each fragment equals 1 hour, so I can use the power of ‘Rag’ for a total of 15 hours.

With this, I have more than enough starting capital.

But there was something else that caught my attention.

‘Kartal, the lesser god of earthquakes.’

I remember that name perfectly.

In the past, when we were climbing the tower.

He was the terrifying monster we encountered on the 34th floor.

The same one that crushed and devoured countless companions.

“…Now I’m certain.”

The suspicion turned into certainty.

The monsters of the tower.

Those damned gods created ‘characters’ on the board called Earth.

And disguised as humans, they amuse themselves by trampling humanity.

The corners of my lips twisted.

They believe themselves to be hunters.

But the reality is different.

I am the true hunter.

Because I became a ‘predator’ that devours gods.

I just proved it.

If I kill an avatar on Earth, the real body in Asgard also disappears.

I can even steal their unique powers.

‘Devourer of Disasters.’

This power exists to exterminate them.

My thoughts continued chaining together.

Memories of the past.

Those called ‘heroes’ in the ruined world.

‘They always seemed suspicious to me.’

There were those who suddenly appeared displaying overwhelming power.

Trash that pretended to be humanity’s saviors, only to drag everyone to their deaths at the decisive moment.

How many of them must have been avatars of those ‘gods’?

They caused disasters and spread terror.

Then they pretended to resolve them in order to be worshiped.

And in the end, they watched humanity’s despair while mocking them.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

‘What if…’

The final assault force that reached the end of the tower with me.

The Sword Emperor, Aritolt.

The Great Sage, Plunium.

The Martial Emperor, Yamamoto.

And the Lord of Spirits, Park Hayan.

What if among them there were also avatars of gods?

I don’t know.

But I can’t rule out the possibility.

And if it were true, how much must they have mocked me while I fought desperately?

“…It doesn’t matter.”

I clenched my fist.

It’s not worth wasting time feeling betrayed.

What matters begins now.

Humm.

I opened the palm of my right hand.

The golden rune pulsed softly.

This hand does not lie.

It perfectly detects the source of disasters.

It can find the rotten stench of the gods.

Whether they play at being heroes or hide silently.

‘I just have to find them all and devour them.’

I decided to become the true hunter.

In Asgard, I will devour the gods of the tower.

On Earth, I will devour the avatars they created.

Finding avatars is simple.

I remember when and where the great disasters will occur.

And there, without fail, their avatars will be present.

That means both worlds complement each other for me.

Not only can I hunt.

I can also use both sides to grow infinitely.

That’s why.

‘…I will conquer the tower.’

This time for real.

No matter what happens, I will conquer the tower completely.

***

March 14, 2026.

The world called that day “The Great Catastrophe.”

There were no signs.

There were no warnings.

Everything began with a fragment of everyday life collapsing.

— Breaking news! A magnitude 7 earthquake has struck central Gangnam, Seoul!

— A massive hole has opened above Times Square in New York! Unknown creatures are coming out of it!

— Tokyo is sinking! A tsunami has covered the city!

— Paris, London, Beijing… simultaneous disasters are occurring all over the world!

The voices of the announcers trembled.

The images shown on screen were a true hell.

Collapsed skyscrapers.

The earth split apart.

And aberrant beings crawling out of the cracks.

“Aaaagh!”

“S-save me! It’s a monster!”

“Mom! Mom!”

The screams and cries covered the entire planet.

The military mobilized.

They launched missiles.

It was useless.

Modern weapons could not even pierce the skin of those creatures.

Humanity was powerless.

Despair spread like an epidemic.

It was then.

Ding!

A crystalline sound resonated in the ears of all humanity.

[The ‘System’ has been activated.]

[Mana has been released.]

[Humans with latent ‘talents’ will awaken.]

Blue windows appeared in the air.

Fire emerged from someone’s hands.

Another person’s body became as hard as steel.

Some began flying propelled by the wind.

‘Awakened.’

It was the birth of superhumans.

Kwooooom!

Inside a shelter in Seoul.

A monstrous wolf, the size of a house, was about to devour a child.

Then.

A young man wrapped his fist in flames and smashed the monster’s head apart.

“…He killed it?”

“A person killed a monster with their bare hands?”

The cameras broadcast the scene live.

The entire world witnessed the miracle.

Fear turned into astonishment.

People shouted excitedly.

They praised them.

“He’s a hero!”

“God hasn’t abandoned us!”

“The heroes have appeared!”

The media began glorifying the awakened.

The beginning of a new era.

The era of superhumans who would save humanity.

But nobody knew.

What kind of truth was hidden behind those glorious heroes.

Among them, there really were genuine human awakened.

But many of the brightest, strongest, and most famous were actually the ‘seeds of disaster’ that would lead humanity to ruin.

They laughed.

Amid the cheers of the people.

Hidden behind the sweet title of saviors.

Watching from above the toys dancing on the board they themselves had prepared.

And so, the world changed.

***

But the change did not only blow across Earth.

Asgard.

The land of the gods.

And at its center, the ‘Tower of the Gods’.

Even that absolute place, which seemed eternal and immutable, began to crack.

Hummmm—

The entire tower trembled slightly.

Waves spread across the tranquil garden of the gods.

The gods, who were conversing or enjoying the destruction of the lower world, raised their heads.

Because before them appeared a red message that should never have appeared.

Ding!

[Broadcasting tragic news.]

[The owner of Floor 34, ‘Kartal, Lesser God of Earthquakes,’ has been murdered.]

[His existence has been completely erased from Asgard.]

Silence.

The gods doubted their eyes.

“…Kartal died.”

“Who the hell killed Kartal?”

The murmurs spread like waves.

Gods do not die.

They can weaken over time, but being killed by someone is extremely rare.

Even more so for a god who controlled Floor 34.

But the system gave them no time to process it.

[The hierarchy will be readjusted to fill the vacancy on Floor 34.]

[The owner of Floor 33 ascends to Floor 34.]

[The owner of Floor 32 ascends to Floor 33.]

……

[The owner of Floor 1 ascends to Floor 2.]

Chain promotions.

Like domino pieces.

The gods of lower levels were forced to ascend.

And finally.

[Floor 1 has become vacant.]

[Preparing to accept a new god.]

A vacancy had opened on the lowest floor.

That meant an opportunity for a new ‘seed’ to become a god.

Normally, this would have been a cause for celebration.

But the expressions of the gods were rigid.

Because doubt awakened fear.

“It makes no sense.”

Someone broke the silence.

“Kartal was participating in the ‘Earth game,’ wasn’t he?”

“Yes. He had created an avatar.”

“Then why did his real body disappear?”

That was the key question.

An avatar is only a shell.

A terminal used to connect to the board called Earth.

Even if the avatar were destroyed, the real body in Asgard should only suffer a minor loss of mana.

That was the secure system they themselves had designed.

But a god disappeared during the game.

Without signs.

Without warning.

“We must investigate.”

“We have to discover the cause.”

The committee organized an investigation team.

While some began to feel unease.

Others celebrated euphorically.

***

In the underground of the tower.

A damp and dark place called the “Waiting Room.”

But in reality, it was a concentration camp.

Thousands upon thousands of ‘seeds’ crowded the place.

They called themselves children of god.

But reality was cruel.

They were only hyenas waiting for a vacancy.

“Wooooo!”

“Finally! Finally there’s an opening!”

“At last!”

The hall exploded in cheers.

Some embraced each other.

Others cried while pounding the ground.

All for one single reason.

They too had received the message.

[Floor 1 has become vacant.]

[Preparing to accept a new god.]

Those words carried an absolute meaning.

The tower functions like a pyramid.

The higher you go, the fewer places there are.

And below, everything is completely blocked.

Only when someone ascends or dies can a seed occupy the vacant place.

“How long has it been since the last time?”

“I don’t remember. 300 years? 500?”

Gods are practically immortal.

A vacancy was a miracle.

And that miracle had just occurred.

The seeds’ eyes burned.

“This time it will be mine.”

“Don’t joke around. By order, it’s my turn first.”

“Then prove it with strength.”

Killing intent began to spread.

The competition had already begun.

Then someone spoke.

“But did you hear that rumor?”

“What rumor?”

“The guy Heimdall personally brought.”

All eyes turned toward him.

It was the hottest topic in the underground.

Heimdall.

The god of the typhoon.

The famous eccentric god who had personally brought a seed from outside Asgard.

“Ah, that lunatic?”

“Yeah. He brought him, but he still hasn’t entered the tower.”

“You sure he didn’t run away out of fear?”

The seeds laughed.

“I thought he’d be someone incredible.”

“He was probably a coward.”

They were relieved.

They believed they had one less competitor.

And they were also jealous of the privilege he had received.

“Forget it. If he doesn’t show up, even better for us.”

“Exactly. The new god will be one of us.”

Just as the atmosphere was heating up again.

Kwoooooom!

A tremendous roar shook the entire underground.

All eyes turned toward the same place.

The tower entrance.

The gigantic bronze gate, which seemed impossible to open, slowly began to move.

Creeeeeak—

The metallic sound froze their blood.

The seeds stopped talking.

Silence.

A blinding light entered through the opening.

And then.

Tap. Tap.

A man walked inside.

Golden hair.

An incredibly arrogant way of walking.

As if he did not care about the gazes around him.

He stopped.

Raised his head.

And slowly observed all the seeds.

An indifferent gaze.

As if he were looking at insects.

“…Who are you?”

Someone asked in a trembling voice.

The man did not answer.

He only raised his hand.

Everyone understood instantly.

The protagonist of the rumor.

The seed personally brought by Heimdall!

He smiled broadly.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Rag.”

That bastard was him.