Chapter: 05
The Terminator
A Dragon Egg.
Fifteen Fragments of the Broken Golden Rule.
An incredible reward.
Each fragment granted one hour, meaning I could wield Rag’s power at full capacity for a total of fifteen hours.
As starting capital, it was more than enough.
But something else caught my attention.
‘The Lesser God of Earthquakes, Kartal.’
I remembered that name perfectly.
Back when I was climbing the Tower…
The horrifying monster I encountered on the thirty-fourth floor.
The creature that trampled and devoured countless comrades.
That was its name.
“…It’s confirmed now.”
My suspicion had become certainty.
The monsters of the Tower.
Those damned gods had created “characters” on the game board called Earth.
Disguised as humans, they ravaged humanity for their own amusement.
The corner of my lips twisted into a grin.
They pretended to be hunters.
But the truth was different.
The real hunter…
Was me.
Because I had become a predator that devoured them.
I had just proven it.
Kill the avatar on Earth…
And even the true body in Asgard would be erased.
Better yet…
I could even claim their unique divine authority as my own.
“The One Who Devours Calamities.”
This power existed for one purpose.
To drive those gods to extinction.
One thought led to another.
Memories from the past.
Those who had been hailed as “heroes” in the dying world.
‘Something always felt wrong.’
There had been people who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, displaying overwhelming power.
Trash who posed as humanity’s saviors, led people with inspiring words…
Only to throw everyone into certain death at the decisive moment.
What if…
Many of them had actually been avatars of those “gods”?
They caused disasters to spread fear.
Then pretended to solve them and received worship.
Only to plunge everyone into despair while laughing behind the scenes.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.
‘What if…’
The final expedition that had climbed to the very top of the Tower alongside me.
Sword Emperor Aritolt.
Great Sage Plunium.
Martial Emperor Yamamoto.
And Spirit Lord Park Hayan.
Could one of them…
Have been a god’s avatar as well?
I didn’t know.
But I couldn’t dismiss the possibility.
If that were true…
How hard had they laughed while watching me struggle?
“…It doesn’t matter.”
I clenched my fist.
What mattered…
Was what came next.
Hummm.
I opened my right palm.
A golden rune pulsed softly upon it.
This hand never lied.
It could perfectly detect the source of calamities.
The rotten scent of the gods.
Whether they were pretending to be heroes…
Or hiding in the shadows…
‘I’ll find every last one of them… and devour them all.’
I decided to become the true hunter.
In Asgard…
I would hunt the gods of the Tower.
On Earth…
I would hunt the avatars they created.
Finding an avatar was simple.
I remembered when and where every major catastrophe would occur.
Their avatars would always be there.
That meant both worlds complemented each other perfectly.
I could reap maximum benefits from both sides…
And grow without limit.
So…
‘…I will conquer the Tower.’
This time…
No matter what happened…
I would conquer it completely.
March 14, 2026.
The world would later name this day…
The Great Cataclysm.
There had been no warning.
No omen.
It began with an ordinary day collapsing into ruin.
“Breaking news! A magnitude-seven earthquake has struck the heart of Gangnam, Seoul!”
“A massive hole has opened in the sky above Times Square in New York! Unknown monsters are pouring out!”
“Tokyo is sinking! A tsunami has engulfed the city!”
“Paris, London, Beijing… simultaneous disasters are occurring across the globe!”
The news anchors’ voices trembled.
The scenes shown on screen…
Were hell itself.
Collapsed skyscrapers.
The earth split apart.
And grotesque creatures crawling out from the cracks.
“Aaaagh!”
“S-Somebody save me! It’s a monster!”
“Mom! Mom!”
Screams and cries spread across the entire world.
The military mobilized.
Missiles rained down.
It didn’t matter.
Modern weapons couldn’t even pierce their hides.
Humanity was powerless.
Despair spread like a plague.
Then…
Ding!
A clear notification echoed in the ears of every human being on Earth.
[The System has been activated.]
[Mana has been unlocked.]
[Humans possessing dormant talents are awakening.]
Blue message windows appeared in the air.
Flames ignited from someone’s hands.
Someone else’s body hardened like steel.
Others rode the wind and flew through the sky.
The Awakened.
The birth of superhumans.
BOOM!!
Inside a shelter in Seoul…
Just as a gigantic wolf-shaped demonic beast lunged toward a child…
A young man wrapped his fist in flames…
And blew the wolf’s head apart with a single punch.
“…H-He killed it?”
“A person defeated a monster with his bare hands?”
The cameras broadcast the moment live.
The entire world witnessed the miracle.
Fear quickly turned into awe.
People cheered.
They praised them.
“He’s a hero!”
“God hasn’t abandoned us!”
“The heroes have appeared!”
The media rushed to spotlight the Awakened.
They declared the dawn of a new era.
The age of superhumans who would save mankind.
But no one knew.
No one understood the truth hidden behind those dazzling heroes.
Some of them were indeed ordinary human Awakened.
But among those who shone the brightest…
Those who became the strongest…
Those who gained fame the fastest…
Many were actually…
The seeds of calamity that would lead humanity to extinction.
They smiled.
Amid humanity’s cheers.
Hidden behind the sweet title of “Savior.”
And so…
The world changed.
The winds of change did not blow only across Earth.
The land of the gods.
Asgard.
And at its center stood…
The Tower of God.
Even that seemingly eternal and absolute place…
Developed cracks.
Rumble…
The entire Tower vibrated.
Ripples spread through the peaceful garden of the gods.
The gods who had been chatting…
Or leisurely watching the destruction of the lower world…
All looked toward the sky.
Because a crimson message—
One that should never have appeared—
Materialized before them.
Ding!
[We regret to inform you.]
[The master of the 34th Floor, the Lesser God of Earthquakes, Kartal, has been slain.]
[His existence has been completely erased from Asgard.]
The gods doubted their own eyes.
“…Kartal is dead.”
“Who could possibly have killed Kartal?”
Whispers spread like waves.
Gods did not die.
Time might wear them down…
But being slain by another was extraordinarily rare.
And yet…
A mid-ranking god who ruled the thirty-fourth floor…
Had been killed.
The system gave them no time to recover.
[The hierarchy will now be adjusted to fill the vacant 34th Floor.]
[The master of the 33rd Floor has been promoted to the 34th Floor.]
[The master of the 32nd Floor has been promoted to the 33rd Floor.]
…
[The master of the 1st Floor has been promoted to the 2nd Floor.]
Like falling dominoes…
Promotions cascaded through the Tower.
The gods below were forcibly pushed up one floor.
And finally…
[The 1st Floor is now vacant.]
[Preparations have been completed to accept a new god.]
The very bottom…
The first floor…
Now had an empty seat.
Which meant…
A new Seed had the opportunity to ascend as a god.
Normally…
This would have been cause for celebration.
Instead…
Every god’s face stiffened.
Because confusion had become fear.
“I don’t understand.”
Someone finally broke the silence.
“Wasn’t Kartal participating in this round of the Earth Game?”
“That’s right. He definitely created an avatar and descended.”
“Then why was his true body destroyed?”
An avatar was merely a shell.
Nothing more than a terminal for entering the game board called Earth.
Even if an avatar was destroyed…
The true body in Asgard should only lose a small amount of mana.
That was the rule.
The rule of the “safe game” they had designed.
Yet a god participating in the game…
Had been annihilated.
Without warning.
“We need an investigation.”
“We must discover the cause.”
The committee organized an investigation team.
While some debated the mystery and sensed danger…
Someone else…
Was celebrating with overwhelming joy.
Deep beneath the Tower…
There was a damp place known as…
The Waiting Room.
But in reality…
It was little different from a prison camp.
A place crowded with thousands of Seeds.
“Woooooo!!”
“Finally! Finally, there’s an opening!”
Cheers erupted throughout the Waiting Room.
For one reason alone.
The system message had been shared with them as well.
[The 1st Floor is now vacant.]
[Preparations have been completed to accept a new god.]
Those two lines meant everything.
The Tower’s structure resembled a pyramid.
The higher you climbed…
The fewer positions remained.
The bottom was completely blocked.
Only when the ruler of the first floor advanced…
Or disappeared…
Could one of the Seeds beneath take that place.
“How long has it been?”
“I don’t even remember. Three hundred years?”
Gods were nearly immortal.
An opening was nothing short of a miracle.
And today…
That miracle had occurred.
The Seeds’ eyes burned with ambition.
‘This time it’s my turn.’
‘I’ve waited far too long!’
‘I’ll become a god in this selection no matter what!’
The competition had already begun.
Then someone suddenly spoke.
“By the way… have you heard the rumor?”
“Rumor?”
“The one about Lord Heimdall personally bringing in a Seed.”
Everyone turned toward him.
It was the hottest gossip in the underground lately.
Heimdall.
The God of Storms.
The ruler of all phenomena.
Rumor claimed he had personally brought a single Seed into the Tower.
“Oh… that nepotism case?”
“Yeah. They said he brought him here, but he still hasn’t entered the Tower.”
“Maybe he ran away. Got scared.”
The Seeds burst into laughter.
“They made it sound like he was someone incredible.”
“Turns out he’s just a coward. Pathetic.”
They relaxed.
Thinking one powerful rival had eliminated himself.
“Forget about him. Isn’t it better for us if he never shows up?”
“The fewer competitors, the better.”
Just as the excitement began to rise again…
RUMBLE!!
A deafening roar shook the entire underground.
Every Seed looked toward the same place.
The Tower’s entrance.
A massive bronze gate…
Was slowly opening.
Creeeak—
The chilling scrape of ancient metal echoed through the chamber.
The cheering stopped.
Brilliant light poured through the opening.
Then…
Step.
Step.
A man walked in with the light behind him.
Golden hair.
A stride overflowing with confidence.
An attitude that made it clear he couldn’t care less about anyone’s gaze.
He stopped walking…
Raised his head…
And slowly looked around at all the Seeds gathered underground.
“…Who are you?”
Someone asked with a trembling voice.
Everyone instinctively knew.
The man from the rumor.
The Seed personally brought by Heimdall.
Grin.
“Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Rag.”
So that was him.
I greeted them with a smile.
This time…
I will become a god of the Tower.
I would climb the Tower as a god myself.
Just as they had masqueraded as human heroes to destroy Earth…
I would masquerade as a god…
And tear the Tower apart from within.
The first step toward that goal.
I slowly looked around.
“……”
“……”
Hostile stares.
Cold, unfriendly gazes.
I shrugged.
“What? Is everyone here mute? Or are you all too intimidated by my magnificence to speak?”
The moment I threw out the taunt—
“What the hell is this bastard saying…?”
“You’ve got a death wish?”
Killing intent surged toward me from every direction.
