Chapter: 04
Achieving Catastrophic Contribution
“Kiiieeeek!”
The instant the monstrous rat let out a shriek—
My hand seized its head.
Crunch!
With a sound like a watermelon bursting apart, its skull exploded.
Disgusting bodily fluids splattered everywhere, but the golden aura surrounding my body deflected every drop.
Light.
My body felt as light as a feather.
It wasn’t just that I had become stronger.
My senses had sharpened.
The speed of my muscles’ reactions surpassed even my thoughts.
‘All stats: 100.’
An average Hunter or Awakened at Level 1 normally has stats around 10.
Having every stat at 100 was something that ordinarily required reaching at least Level 10.
‘Starting at Level 10, huh.’
Not a bad start.
No.
To be honest—
It was overwhelming.
‘That’s just how absurd Rag’s growth potential is.’
Smirking, I casually tossed aside the rat’s mangled corpse and stepped outside.
“Ahhh!”
“R-Run!”
“It’s a monster! The rats are eating people!”
Hell.
That was the only way to describe the scene outside.
Dozens…
Hundreds…
Monstrous rats poured out from the cracks splitting open the asphalt.
They bit into anyone they saw and crawled up buildings without hesitation.
Watching the living nightmare unfold before me, I calmly analyzed the situation.
‘Humanity always misunderstood.’
In the past, people believed monsters appeared first, causing buildings to collapse and the earth to split apart.
But that was wrong.
They had the order reversed.
‘The disaster comes first.’
The earthquake occurred first, tearing open dimensional rifts.
The monsters merely crawled out through those cracks.
Which meant—
‘If you eliminate the disaster, the monsters disappear naturally.’
Solve the cause, and the result follows.
Until the very moment humanity perished…
We never realized such a simple truth.
We were too busy killing the monsters right in front of us.
But this time was different.
I already knew the answer.
Bang!
I kicked off the ground.
The asphalt caved beneath my feet as my body shot forward like a cannonball.
“Kik?”
The rat blocking my path let out a stupid squeak.
I threw a punch.
BOOM!
Its entire upper body exploded backward, smashing into the rats charging behind it.
Anything that stood in my way—
I destroyed it.
I swung my fists relentlessly.
I chopped off necks with the edge of my hand.
A single kick crushed three or four rats at once.
“P-Please save us!”
A mother and daughter trapped in a corner screamed.
Five monstrous rats surrounded them.
Without slowing down, I grabbed a loose stone from the ground and threw it.
Whoosh!
Enhanced by my Strength, the rock flew as fast as a bullet.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three rats had holes blasted clean through their heads in an instant.
The remaining two turned toward me in confusion—
But my fists were already buried in their stomachs.
CRACK!
“…Huh?”
Leaving the stunned survivors staring blankly after me, I ran on.
I didn’t need their gratitude.
The only thing that mattered now…
Was finding the source.
Then—
Hummm…
My right palm tingled.
The golden rune engraved upon it emitted a faint glow.
Like a compass.
My hand naturally pointed in one direction.
‘There.’
The center of Seoul.
The largest sinkhole of them all.
Black smoke poured endlessly from its depths.
That place…
Was the source of the earthquake.
The core of this disaster.
I changed direction.
But there was one problem.
“Kiiieeeeeek!”
“Kirik! Kiririk!”
There were too many.
The closer I approached the sinkhole, the number of rats increased exponentially.
It wasn’t just the countless rodents covering the ground.
Buzzzzzz!
An unpleasant buzzing came from above.
Looking up, I saw giant dragonflies the size of humans flying in swarms.
‘Demon Flies.’
The aerial monsters that had slaughtered the most Awakened during the early stages.
A siege from both land and sky.
Breaking through them with brute force alone would waste too much time.
‘Annoying pests.’
My descent time was limited.
I couldn’t afford to waste it on mere trash mobs.
Just as I clenched my fist—
Ding!
A system message appeared before my eyes.
[The conditions for using the Disaster, “Typhoon of Annihilation,” have been fulfilled.]
[It can now be manifested through your current body.]
[Would you like to use it?]
Conditions fulfilled.
Probably because of the overwhelming number of enemies…
And because this environment was perfect for a complete massacre.
Without hesitation, I nodded.
Whoooosh!
A tiny whirlwind formed above my left palm.
‘The right hand devours… and the left hand releases?’
Input and output.
So that was the mechanism.
This had to be the basic operating principle of the Disaster Devourer class.
The wind, which had initially been no larger than a ping-pong ball, instantly expanded until it was the size of a basketball.
Compressed air screamed.
Wheeeeeeeeee!
The surrounding rats instinctively sensed danger and began retreating.
Too late.
I hurled the disaster toward the place where the monsters were packed together the most densely.
“Sweep them all away.”
Whoosh!
The instant the wind left my hand and struck the ground—
ROOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!
The atmosphere twisted apart with an explosive roar.
The incomparably gigantic typhoon I had witnessed in Asgard—
Descended upon the heart of Seoul.
“Kiiiek!”
“Kiiieeeek!”
The monsters didn’t even have time to scream properly.
The sea of rats covering the streets was swept into the sky like fallen leaves.
The giant dragonflies had their wings torn apart before being sucked into the eye of the storm.
Building debris.
Cars.
Thousands of monsters.
Everything mixed together and was ground apart like ingredients inside a colossal blender.
Absolute destructive power.
The very definition of…
Annihilation.
“Nice and clean.”
Pat. Pat.
I dusted off my hands.
The cleaning was finished.
Putting on the Spirit Wings, I dove into the sinkhole.
There seemed to be no end.
The sinkhole’s depth exceeded imagination.
Without the Spirit Wings, I never would have dared descend.
Whoooosh…
I continued falling for what felt like forever, slicing through the wind.
Pitch-black darkness surrounded me.
But it posed no problem.
Hummm…
The golden light radiating from my right palm served as a natural lantern.
‘I’m here.’
After descending for who knew how long—
My feet touched solid ground.
The place looked less like a natural cave and more like an artificially carved underground chamber.
I folded my wings and walked toward where the golden light guided me.
At the end…
“…A person?”
Something completely unexpected awaited me.
It wasn’t a monster egg.
Nor was it a naturally formed mana crystal.
An ordinary-looking man sat cross-legged atop a rock.
Sensing my presence, he snapped his eyes open.
“Who are you?”
His face was full of shock.
“How did you get all the way down here? The entrance should’ve been blocked by the rats.”
“There was a path, so I followed it.”
“…Impossible. No one could fight through that many and make it all the way down here.”
The man narrowed his eyes as he looked me up and down.
Then he glanced toward the ceiling and muttered,
“Wait… this aura I’m sensing from above… a typhoon?”
He looked back at me.
His expression had completely changed.
“Don’t tell me… you’re an Avatar?”
“…”
“Strange. Our territories shouldn’t overlap. Did the administrators mess up the design?”
Avatar.
Territory.
Administrators.
The words he spoke fit together inside my mind like puzzle pieces.
Disasters had territories.
And the beings causing those disasters…
Appeared in human form rather than as monsters.
More importantly—
‘That face looks familiar.’
I knew him.
“Kim Yoo-hwan?”
The man flinched.
“What? How do you know my nickname?”
That confirmed it.
Kim Yoo-hwan of Steel.
The hero who had once appeared like a comet in Korea.
A man celebrated for saving countless lives with his indestructible body.
And yet…
That same hero was now sitting before me as the source of the earthquake.
‘…So that’s how it was.’
A horrifying hypothesis crossed my mind.
The heroes whose growth had always been unnaturally fast.
The reason they had become so overwhelmingly powerful.
‘Collaborators of the gods?’
No.
That wasn’t quite right.
He had called me an Avatar.
Perhaps…
‘The gods’ game?’
The Kim Yoo-hwan before me…
Wasn’t he simply a character—an avatar created on Earth by the gods?
Just as I had created the character Rag in Asgard.
The only difference was…
They summoned disasters.
Called monsters.
Massacred humanity to level up.
Then, when the timing was right…
They appeared pretending to kill monsters, acting as humanity’s “heroes.”
“Hah…”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
So this whole time…
We had worshipped them as our saviors.
We thanked the very people poisoning us…
For handing us the cure.
“Interesting.”
Killing intent boiled within me.
Kim Yoo-hwan tilted his head in confusion.
“What’s so interesting? More importantly, where are you from? Which god do you serve?”
“None of your concern.”
There was no value in talking any further.
I’d learn everything I needed…
By killing him.
I kicked off the ground.
Boom!
The earth collapsed beneath me as I shot forward.
Kim Yoo-hwan’s eyes widened.
“Are you insane?!”
RUMBLE!!
As he slammed his hand downward, the ground shook violently.
Massive stone pillars erupted from the earth, blocking my path.
The authority of earthquakes.
But it was useless.
Flap!
The Spirit Wings unfolded.
Using the rising stone pillars as stepping stones, I flew through the air and closed the distance in an instant.
“W-What?!”
Panicked, Kim Yoo-hwan crossed both arms.
His skin transformed into black steel.
Steelization.
The very ability that had made him a legendary hero in my previous life.
An absolute defense that nullified physical attacks.
But—
‘Only by human standards.’
My Strength was 100.
I had already exceeded the limits from the very beginning.
BOOOOOOM!!
My fist crashed into his crossed arms.
“AAAAAGH!”
With the sound of steel crumpling, Kim Yoo-hwan was blasted backward.
The boulder behind him shattered, and he crashed into a crater of dirt and rubble.
“Cough! Kgh!”
He staggered to his feet, coughing blood.
Both arms hung limply, every bone shattered.
His eyes were wide with disbelief.
“T-That’s… impossible.”
“…”
“How did you raise your character that much already? The tutorial only just started!”
His voice trembled with terror and shock.
“Starting stats can’t possibly be this high! Are you… an upper-ranked god?”
Step.
Step.
Without answering, I continued walking toward him.
Kim Yoo-hwan retreated in panic.
“D-Don’t come any closer! Why are gods attacking each other?! This violates the treaty!”
So they even had rules among themselves.
That settled it.
These bastards…
Were gods from Asgard.
More precisely—
‘The gods of the Tower.’
Now I understood.
From beginning to end…
They had deceived humanity.
“Stop! Even if you kill me, it’s only one avatar!”
Kim Yoo-hwan screamed desperately.
His eyes were filled with fear, but there was still confidence hidden within his voice.
“My real body is in Asgard! Even if you kill me here, I’ll just make another avatar!”
His veins bulged as he roared.
“This is a clear territorial violation! I’ll report this to the Committee! You broke the treaty! You know what the punishment is!”
Treaty.
Committee.
Punishment.
What laughable words.
Smirking, I placed my hand against his chest.
“Do whatever you want.”
“…What?”
“If you can.”
Hummm!
The golden rune engraved on my right palm vibrated violently.
The instinct of a predator staring at its prey.
Golden light burrowed into his heart.
“AAAAAGH! W-What is this?!”
Kim Yoo-hwan’s body convulsed violently.
His face turned deathly pale.
Then he desperately shouted,
“Log out! Log out!”
He screamed at empty air.
Issuing one system command after another.
“Force disconnect! End session! Now!”
But—
“…I-it won’t work? Why?”
His pupils shook as though struck by an earthquake.
Impossible.
The system was absolute.
Even the gods couldn’t defy it.
And yet…
His logout had been blocked merely by another player’s interference?
Only then did Kim Yoo-hwan realize what the golden light piercing his chest truly was.
“N-No way…”
It wasn’t merely draining the avatar’s mana.
Even the power of his true body…
Far away in Asgard.
The very essence of his existence—
His Divinity—
Was being devoured.
“H-How are you absorbing even my Divinity?!”
This couldn’t exist.
A power capable of killing gods!
“W-What are you?! Stop!!”
Kim Yoo-hwan desperately grabbed my arm, trying to pull it away.
But the instant his steel-hardened fingers touched me—
They crumbled into dust.
“AAAAAAAH!!”
His scream didn’t last long.
Ssssshhh…
Beginning with his legs…
Then his torso…
Then finally his head…
Kim Yoo-hwan’s body dissolved into countless golden particles and was absorbed into my right hand.
“Save…”
With that final dying whisper—
Flash!
His existence was completely erased from the world.
At the same time—
Rumble…
Stop.
The endless trembling of the earth ceased.
The sinister energy filling the sinkhole vanished without a trace.
Ding!
Messages appeared before me.
[You have devoured the Disaster, “Kartal, the Lesser God of Earthquakes.”]
[Divinity has been absorbed.]
[Authority acquired: “Lesser Earthquake.”]
[You may now use “Lesser Earthquake” permanently.]
[The intensity of the earthquake scales with the user’s Mana.]
[Episode 1, “Invasion,” has concluded.]
[Catastrophic contribution achieved.]
[Your contribution has far exceeded the projected survival rate.]
[You have ranked #1 in Episode 1, “Invasion.”]
[Please register your name in the Hall of Fame.]
[Rolling a die (1–15) to determine the reward.]
[15! The Lucky Die has landed on the highest possible value.]
[Reward (1): Dragon Egg]
[Reward (2): 15 Fragments of the Broken Golden Law]
[Level Up!]
