Chapter 7: Aptitude Test

A small disturbance spread through the garden of the gods.

Rumble.

The nectar inside the cups trembled.

The gods stopped bringing fruit to their mouths.

The muses stopped playing their instruments.

Silence.

Hundreds of gazes turned downward at the same time.

More precisely, they pierced through the ground toward Underground Floor 1.

“…What was that?”

Someone broke the silence.

Because an energy of a completely different level had just emerged from below.

“The Hall of Selection?”

“The summoning ceremony should be underway.”

“A wave of this level don’t tell me someone hit a jackpot?”

Jackpot.

The gods began to murmur.

In the system, the dice has values from 1 to 100.

But that is only the surface.

The probability of obtaining 100 was exactly 1 in 1,373,248.

Not even a one-in-a-million chance.

In the entire history of the tower, only five seeds had obtained a jackpot at that stage.

And out of those five, three had become the supreme gods currently ruling the final floor.

“That means he was born with the qualities of a king.”

“Who was it? Was there someone like that among the seeds of this generation?”

The doubt did not last long.

A messenger spirit appeared, cutting through the air.

Its urgent voice echoed throughout the garden.

[Urgent report! A ‘Named’ has been summoned in the Hall of Selection of Floor 1!]

Named.

A Familiar with a name.

A mythical existence possessing a true proper name.

[The summoner is ‘Rag’! The summoned creature is the dragon of the great catastrophe, ‘Angragon’!]

At that instant.

The gods’ expressions hardened.

“…The dragon of the great catastrophe?”

“Are they talking about the same dragon I know?”

“Isn’t it one of the primordial dragons?”

The dragon of the great catastrophe.

One of the most violent and powerful among the primordial dragons.

But there was something even more important.

‘It does not exist in this tower.’

The monster is not registered in the tower’s database.

That means it was forcibly dragged from another dimension.

And that cannot be accomplished through luck alone.

The summoner’s talent must be capable of enduring the existence of such a monster.

Slowly.

The gods’ gazes concentrated on a single place.

In one corner of the garden, a man sat arrogantly with his legs crossed.

The God of the Typhoon, Heimdall.

“Heimdall.”

“Is that ‘Rag’ the guy you brought?”

Instead of answering, Heimdall raised his cup.

The smile on his lips was arrogant.

“Luck is also a skill.”

The gods clicked their tongues.

Gazes filled with jealousy and envy.

While they waited centuries without obtaining an exceptional seed.

Heimdall picked one up from outside.

And from the very beginning obtained a monster capable of triggering a jackpot.

“Hmph. We’ll see.”

A god crossed his arms.

“Just because he obtained a jackpot doesn’t mean he’ll make it all the way here.”

It was true.

Out of the five historical jackpot winners, three became gods.

But the other two died miserably.

They trusted their talent too much and ended up being devoured.

“The dragon of the great catastrophe is certainly a powerful card.”

“But a dragon bites its master if he cannot control it.”

“It will never recognize him as its owner.”

“Perhaps we’ll watch him self-destruct in the Hall of Selection itself.”

The gods tried to downplay the achievement.

But they could not hide their interest.

An expectation impossible to deny.

The guy who broke a one-in-a-million probability.

The guy who obtained a primordial calamity.

How far would that seed grow?

Or would it be crushed before even sprouting?

The second option was far more likely.

Especially because the seeds of this generation were hungrier than ever.

And moreover, they were exceptionally talented.

It was impossible for them to leave someone like ‘Rag,’ who stood out so shamelessly, alone.

Because the nail that sticks out always gets hammered down.

***

The dust settled.

Everyone held their breath.

Me too.

When the altar exploded and the black pillar rose, I imagined something enormous.

A gigantic dragon covering the sky.

A beast capable of destroying the entire temple with a single breath.

But.

— …Yaaawn.

On top of the rubble.

A tiny creature, barely the size of a fist, yawned.

Black scales.

Tiny adorable wings.

Round eyes.

It looked like a newborn lizard.

Or rather, a baby dragon.

“…….”

Silence.

The seeds’ eyes widened.

I narrowed my eyes as well.

‘That is the dragon of the great catastrophe?’

What an exaggerated name.

But I could not lower my guard.

Because the small smoke that came out of its mouth when it yawned was corroding the stones on the floor until they turned black.

‘Definitely.’

I slowly lowered my stance until I was at the creature’s height.

The knowledge I possessed as a mage was sounding alarms in my head.

Magic and dragons are inseparable.

That’s why I knew quite a lot about them.

Although, of course, my knowledge of primordial dragons was superficial.

But there was one thing I did know clearly.

The most violent and powerful dragon.

A living calamity capable of ravaging an entire continent the moment it appeared.

That existence beyond all logic was precisely the “dragon of the great catastrophe.”

Gugu shouted almost as if screeching.

“A-a dragon of the great catastrophe?!”

The penguin’s eyes looked as though they were about to pop out.

“It’s the first time! It’s the first creature of this type summoned since the tower’s creation! I-I don’t even know how many points I should give it…!”

The Abyssal Dragon had obtained 95 points.

But the dragon of the great catastrophe was the first of its kind.

There was not even data to evaluate it.

Literally impossible to measure.

“…The summoning was successful, but even so…”

“…Exactly. Having it recognize him as its master is another matter.”

Someone murmured.

The other seeds nodded.

That’s right.

Summoning is not the end.

True summoning consists of making the summoned creature obey.

And this was a Named.

Monsters with proper names possess monstrous pride.

They would never recognize as their master a mere seed that is not even a god.

“He’s going to be devoured.”

“There’s no way to control a monster like that.”

The pessimistic predictions began to arise.

In reality, Angragon was staring directly at me.

Its red eyes.

Was what they contained curiosity?

Or hunger?

I smiled slightly.

Fear?

To hell with it.

If I showed even the slightest bit of fear, he would notice it instantly.

And he would never follow me.

I immediately extended my hand.

Right in front of his face.

“He’s crazy! He reached his hand out to it!”

“It’ll rip his arm off!”

Ignoring the screams around me.

I extended my index finger and lightly tapped its forehead.

“Angragon.”

The creature tilted its head.

Smiling faintly, I spoke.

“You… were kidnapped.”

“……?”

Its eyes widened into circles.

Kidnapped?

It was probably the first time it had ever heard such a word.

But I spoke with complete confidence.

“I kidnapped you. So behave.”

There was a brief silence.

Sniff, sniff.

Then Angragon sniffed my finger.

And then.

Slowly rubbed its head against my palm.

Grrr…

Like a satisfied cat.

A deep purring sound came from its throat.

“…Huh?!”

“I-impossible!”

Absolute shock.

Something impossible had just happened.

It was a Named.

A completely different kind of existence.

And yet, that monster was acting adorably in front of a mere seed.

‘…Thank goodness.’

I sighed in relief as I stroked its head.

I more or less understood the reason.

Maximum affinity with all attributes.

And above all, the class “Devourer of Disasters.”

For a dragon of the great catastrophe like him, there was probably no one more familiar than me.

“Good, good boy.”

When I scratched under his chin, the little one rolled over and exposed his belly.

A sign of absolute obedience.

Gugu stared at the scene in complete astonishment and then suddenly raised his wings.

“200 points!”

The voice echoed throughout the entire temple.

“200 points! It has surpassed the limit! The highest score in history!”

***

The commotion finally calmed down.

But the gazes directed at me were still intense.

Admiration, jealousy, and fear.

It was normal.

The other seeds barely hovered around 80 or 90 points.

Not a single one had surpassed 100.

And I had just achieved 200.

An overwhelming first place.

The gap was far too absurd from the very beginning.

“Alright, calm down!”

Gugu flapped his wings, drawing attention.

“This still isn’t over. Summoning is only a support resource. The true power of a god lies elsewhere.”

Gugu pointed at the air.

Swoosh.

A transparent crystal sphere slowly floated up.

“The second test will be the calamity affinity evaluation.”

Calamity affinity.

The stage where it is determined what kind of divine authority each person can handle.

I listened with my arms crossed.

“Divine authorities are mainly divided into three categories.”

Gugu spread his wings one by one as he explained.

“First, the ‘natural’ type. Typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions powers that control the forces of nature. They possess the greatest destructive capability and the widest range.”

Types like Heimdall or Kartal belonged there.

The most classic and powerful calamities.

“Second, the ‘biological’ type. Plagues, curses, poisons sinister forces that devour life.”

Gods such as the god of the black plague or lords of epidemics.

Their direct destruction was low, but they were experts at wiping out entire civilizations.

“Third, the ‘material’ type. Explosions, collapses, suffocation powers that manipulate physical phenomena.”

The most troublesome category in individual combat.

Gugu tapped the sphere.

“If you place your hand here, your latent affinity will appear reflected as a color. The more intense the color, the greater the talent. Alright, let’s begin.”

The seeds lined up with tense faces.

The first was the oni who had summoned the Infernal Wolf.

“Haaaa!”

The guy placed his hand on the sphere.

Fwoooosh!

The sphere burned red.

A fairly intense red.

“Ohhh! Affinity for ‘volcano’ and ‘explosion.’ Excellent. 85 points!”

The oni clenched his fist excitedly.

The other seeds began stepping forward one after another.

“And me?”

Flash.

This time, a blue light appeared.

“Affinity for torrential rain and flood! Natural type. 88 points!”

“Please…”

Sizzle.

A sticky green light slowly emerged.

“Mmm… rot and poison. Biological type. Not bad. 75 points!”

The evaluation continued.

Most obtained weak or common colors.

Whenever an intense color appeared, the place exploded in cheers.

But no one managed to surpass 90 points.

And finally.

“Next, Mr. Rag.”

My turn arrived.

The entire hall fell silent.

All eyes focused on my hand.

‘What kind of affinity will that monster have?’

‘He got 200 points in summoning. It must be incredible.’

The expectation made the air heavy.

I smiled slightly and walked toward the platform.

‘Affinity…’

Truthfully, I was curious too.

I had spent 100 million SP to maximize all affinities and talents.

In theory, all colors should appear.

Or perhaps even a rainbow.

“This will be interesting.”

Gugu’s eyes shone.

Without hesitation, I placed my hand on the sphere.

Thunk.

A cold sensation.

I didn’t even need to inject mana.

The sphere reacted the moment I touched it.

But then.

“…Huh?”

Someone voiced their confusion.

No light appeared.

Neither red, nor blue, nor green.

Sssssss.

A black mist began emerging inside the sphere.

It emitted no light.

It absorbed it.

In an instant, the entire sphere became completely black.

No, more than black, it looked like a void piercing space itself.

“…….”

Silence.

But different from before with Angragon.

That had been shock.

This was bewilderment and confusion.

“What is that?”

“Black? Did a color like that exist?”

“Is it broken?”

The murmurs grew louder.

Natural, biological, material.

None of the categories included black.

It did not even resemble darkness.

It was more like a black hole devouring everything.

“Mmmm…”

Gugu scratched his head awkwardly.

Even he seemed unable to understand what he was seeing.

“Normally, when someone has no talent, it appears transparent or white…”

Gugu tilted his head.

And then spoke carefully.

“This is closer to nothingness.”

“Nothingness?”

“Yes. It possesses no calamity property whatsoever. I feel no destruction, contamination, or physical interference. It is simply empty.”

Empty.

The moment they heard that, the seeds’ expressions changed.

“What? Then he’s trash?”

“I guess he invested everything into summoning.”

“Of course, no god can be good at everything.”

“So he really did get lucky with the jackpot.”

Sighs of relief.

And mockery.

The gazes that had previously regarded me as a monster quickly transformed into gazes toward a merely lucky guy.

Even Gugu seemed to arrive at an uncomfortable conclusion.

“According to the rules, I cannot award points to an affinity that cannot be classified. Furthermore, I sense no power capable of causing calamities…”

Gugu raised a sign.

“0 points.”

0 points.

At that instant, the madman who simultaneously obtained both 200 and 0 points in the history of the Hall of Selection was born.

“Kuhahahahaha!”

“0 points?! 0 points!”

The dark elf was the first to burst into laughter.

The others began laughing as well.

All the fear they had felt toward Angragon vanished instantly.

They started saying that the gods were fair, that the balance was maintained, and other nonsense.

But my expression did not change in the slightest.

Because I more or less understood why black had appeared.

‘Because I do not create calamities I devour them.’

Black.

Void.

It was obvious.

My authority does not consist of creating calamities.

But of devouring them.

Fire, water, poison, explosions.

The power to absorb all calamities and make them mine.

Black was the color of predation.

Just as mixing all colors produces black, my affinity had to be black because it devours all calamities.

‘…0 points.’

Strategically, it’s not bad.

It’s perfect for lowering everyone else’s guard.

A mediocre seed that only depends on his Familiar.

That was what they now thought of me.

Although.

‘The problem is my bet with Heimdall.’

I must ascend to Floor 1 as the absolute first place.

Otherwise, even if I manage to ascend, Heimdall will kill me.

***

“Hahahahaha!”

Laughter echoed throughout the garden of the gods.

The solemn atmosphere of Valhalla became light in an instant.

“0 points?! He really got 0 points?!”

“The highest score and the lowest score at the same time! That’s historic too!”

The gods laughed nonstop.

The tension they had felt after hearing about Angragon disappeared completely.

Now Rag no longer seemed like a threat to them.

Just a lucky guy.

A mere “clown” without abilities of his own.

“As expected, the tower is fair.”

“It seems he spent all his luck on summoning.”

“He’ll end up being sacrificed while relying too much on his Familiar.”

Mockery and contempt.

The gods were obsessed with numbers.

They did not even care what color had appeared.

The miracle of the 200 points was overshadowed by the ridiculous 0.

They only saw what they wanted to see.

They wanted to convince themselves that Rag was incompetent.

But.

Only one.

The god of the typhoon, Heimdall, was not laughing.

‘…0 points?’

He slowly lowered his cup.

He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

That guy knew the name of the absolute being “Irresistible.”

And he took a typhoon head-on without trembling.

And now it turns out he has no calamity affinity?

‘Impossible.’

It makes no sense.

Whoooosh.

At that moment, a current of wind passed beside Heimdall’s ear.

A subordinate spirit transmitted an urgent report to him.

— My lord. We confirmed Rag’s affinity color.

‘Speak.’

— Black.

‘Black?’

Heimdall’s eyebrows twitched.

The spirit continued.

— Yes. It was not the typical purple or dark blue of darkness. It was an absolute darkness that absorbed even light. Pure black.

— Administrator Gugu classified it as “nothingness” and awarded it 0 points.

Nothingness?

He did not know whether Rag truly had no talent or whether his talent was so profound that it could not be comprehended.

‘A promise is a promise, Rag.’

Heimdall drank the nectar in a single gulp.

Now only one test remained.

Ascend as the absolute first place.

He would see whether Rag could accomplish it or not.

***

And then.

Above even the level where Heimdall was located.

In “Heaven,” the highest zone of the tower, where ordinary gods could never enter.

There existed a space of eternal darkness where not even light could remain.

In the middle of that deep darkness, a figure sat upon a throne.

The God of Darkness, Hord.

One of the twelve principal gods of Asgard and the absolute sovereign of darkness.

“…….”

He slowly opened his eyes.

A gleam appeared within the blackness.

“Absolutely perfect black…”

Hord’s heavy voice echoed.

He extended his hand and stirred the void.

Then the darkness split open, revealing like a mirror the scene of the Hall of Selection on Floor 1.

And there he was.

The blond man with the shameless expression.

Rag.

Hord stared at him intently.

And finally.

“At last, I have found you.”

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“My successor.”