Chapter: 15
The Lucky Man.
“Starting bid, 100,000 won! Anyone?”
The auctioneer’s voice echoed hollowly.
The audience was cold.
They acted as if they had just come to enjoy the air conditioning, making it clear they had no intention of paying for a rock like that.
I slowly raised my hand.
“100,000 won.”
Eyes turned toward me.
A murmur mixed with mockery drifted over.
“That guy must have money to burn.”
I didn’t care.
The operating principle of the Pandora Cube was simple.
When you infuse it with magical power, a die rolls inside.
A number from 1 to 1,000.
The grade of the item is determined by that number.
I was certain.
Whether when summoning Angra-Gon or receiving the sanctuary rewards.
My die always landed on the highest value the system allowed.
This time would be no exception.
“100,000 won! Sold!”
Bang!
A staff member brought the stone over with the sound of the hammer.
I paid the price and held the cold stone in my hand.
It was heavy.
I bought a few more things after that.
An old scroll that had been shoved in the corner.
A dagger whose hilt had rotted away.
To others, they probably looked like junk being thrown out.
‘But it was a great bargain hunt.’
I was pleased.
The auction ended.
I gathered my items and left the gallery.
* * *
I entered the motel I had reserved.
I locked the door and spilled my loot onto the bed.
About thirty artifacts I had scooped up while browsing the antique district.
I checked each one with the ‘Appraisal’ skill.
The results were satisfying.
If I estimated the value of each piece, they were easily worth at least 10 billion won.
‘Not bad.’
There was still time before the modern monetary system completely collapsed.
Exactly one year.
The moment the gates of that tower floating in the sky like a mirage open, paper money becomes scraps of paper.
But on the flip side.
It meant that for the next year, money was power.
The plan was clear.
This money was an investment.
Just as I had sponsored Park Ha-yan, I would discover future heroes with talent but who were in unfortunate circumstances.
‘Because I can’t cover the sky alone.’
I am the one who will conquer the tower and kill the god.
But I also needed shields to block the minor calamities that would strike Earth in the meantime.
Destroying the tower was difficult.
Even if it were possible, the damage Earth would suffer in the meantime would be astronomical.
I needed heroes to protect Earth.
There was still much that could be done with money.
If there was an unresolved problem, it was only because there wasn’t enough money.
The sorting was done.
Now it was time to enjoy the main dish.
I picked up the moss-covered blue stone placed in the center of the bed, the Pandora Cube.
A heavy weight was transmitted to my palm.
Tension filled the air.
‘Open.’
I infused it with magical power.
Woooooong!
The stone vibrated minutely.
Cracks formed on the rough surface, and dazzling light leaked through the gaps.
Ding!
[Opening the Pandora Cube.]
[Rolling the die (1–1,000).]
A giant holographic die appeared in the air.
Numbers spinning rapidly.
Naturally, I expected the highest value.
Clatter.
The die stopped.
The number was revealed.
[1,001]
“……?”
I doubted my eyes.
The range was clearly 1 to 1,000.
Was it an error?
The system message continued.
[Warning! System limit exceeded!]
[The God of Luck is shocked!]
[Hidden condition, ‘One Who Surpasses the God’s Luck’, achieved.]
Just as it said, it was out of spec.
I never imagined my luck would be higher than even the God of Luck’s.
Enough to break through the probability set by the system.
‘Just how high is my luck stat?’
Whoooosh!
The light that had filled the room subsided.
In the place where the stone fragments had vanished, one object floated.
It was armor.
A full-body suit of armor, pitch-black like darkness, with patterns like red blood vessels writhing across it.
An overwhelming pressure weighed down on the small motel room.
[Item: Celestial Demon Armor]
[Grade: Mythic]
“……!!!”
Mythic.
The weight of that word was extraordinary.
Authority, The Land of Seething Hellfire.
That too was of ‘Mythic Grade’.
Of course, the grade distinction between equipment and authority was bound to be different.
Even if they were the same Mythic grade, it couldn’t compare to an Authority.
But what caught my eye more than the grade was the name.
‘Celestial Demon.’
During my days climbing the tower, the strongest equipment spoken of only as a legend among the veterans.
The very item that could cause wars between guilds—no, conflicts between nations—with just a single piece.
The most important fact was one thing.
‘It’s a set item.’
This wasn’t a single piece of equipment.
It was one of the parts of a set item that only revealed its true power when all pieces—helmet, armor, gauntlets, boots, and weapon—were gathered.
I checked the detailed information with trembling hands.
[Item: Celestial Demon Armor]
[Grade: Mythic]
[Durability: Infinite (Indestructible)]
[Equip Condition: Unwavering mental strength]
[Basic Effect: All stats +150]
[Special Effect (1): Celestial Demon Qi. Increases the pressure emanating from the wearer’s body. Weaker beings than the wearer are paralyzed with fear and unable to move.]
[Special Effect (2): Absolute Defense. Reduces physical and magical damage by 50%.]
[Set Effect (1/5): Not activated.]
“……Heh.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
It was insane.
All I could say was that it was simply insane.
‘All stats 150.’
The stat points gained from leveling up range from a minimum of 20 to a maximum of about 50.
And that’s only if all five stat categories increase by 10 each.
Naturally, raising all stats to the maximum was nearly impossible.
Because the stats gained when leveling up are heavily influenced by ‘talent’.
Unless you were born with a balanced talent in all areas, it was obviously difficult.
It wasn’t entirely impossible, but it required what they call ‘grinding’.
Anyway.
‘Wearing just this one piece of armor means jumping over 15 levels or more in an instant.’
Of course, in Rag’s case, it was equivalent to gaining 3 levels.
Furthermore, the durability is ‘Infinite’.
Indestructible.
It meant that no physical attack, be it a divine authority or a nuclear bomb, could destroy this armor.
This was practically graduation-level equipment.
‘Come to think of it.’
I stroked my chin.
‘It says the equip condition is unwavering mental strength?’
Normally, such equipment has level or stat restrictions.
But this only required mental strength.
It was a field I was very confident in.
I placed my hand on the black armor.
“Equip.”
Clank.
With the sound of metal, the armor enveloped my body.
At the same time.
【Who dares covet this lord’s shell.】
My mind rang.
A heavy, arrogant voice that seemed to stir the very core of my brain.
My vision turned red.
Black haze crept up my optic nerves, trying to crush my ego.
Mental contamination.
This was why the equip condition was ‘unwavering mental strength’.
Because it wasn’t something mere stats could handle; the remnant of the Celestial Demon was embedded within it.
【Feeble soul. Surrender your flesh to me. I shall guide you.】
A sweet temptation.
At the same time, an irresistible pressure crushed my entire body.
An ordinary human would have had their ego devoured in an instant and become a puppet of the Celestial Demon.
But I just chuckled.
“How dare a mere remnant speak of my soul’s weakness?”
【……?】
“Instead of thanking me for deigning to wear you, you dare lecture me?”
I glared.
Mental strength?
I was the one who resolved to self-destruct along with Earth.
I devoured gods and prepared for tens of thousands of deaths.
There was no way I’d yield to a mere thought lodged in an armor.
“Kneel, you wretched being.”
【You wretch! How dare you speak to this lord like……!】
The Celestial Demon’s will resisted.
At that moment, an even stronger killing intent tried to pierce my soul.
【……?!】
That was when it happened.
The black energy rummaging through my head was suddenly sucked somewhere in an instant.
【Kyaaah! Wh-what kind of monster is this?!】
The Celestial Demon screamed.
At this point, I could infer what had happened.
When the Celestial Demon caused mental contamination, the ‘Angra-Gon’ I had contracted with devoured it.
Or more precisely, the ability of the Great Calamity’s dragon resided within me.
Before the primordial predator, the Celestial Demon’s remnant was merely a snack.
【S-save……!】
It fled.
The once arrogant voice cowered in fear.
The armor trembled, then fell silent as if dead.
Perfect submission.
At the same time, the blocked flow of power opened.
Kugugugugu!
“Hoo…….”
I exhaled deeply.
Power surged so intensely that every cell in my body screamed.
Muscles hardened like steel, thoughts raced like lightning.
‘All this from just one piece.’
A thrill ran through me.
The majesty of the Mythic grade.
I checked the bottom of the information window again.
[Set Effect (2/5): Celestial Demon Divine Art unlocked.]
[Set Effect (5/5): Celestial Demon Descent.]
Celestial Demon Divine Art. And Celestial Demon Descent.
Even just hearing the names made my heart race.
The moment I gathered all the remaining four pieces, I would reach the realm of a demon god in a human body.
* * *
Two days later.
Even though it was 10 AM, the sky was as dark as night.
Dark clouds covered the entire city.
People looked up at the sky with anxiety.
Until yesterday, it had been a scorching heatwave fluctuating around 35 degrees.
But in just a few hours, the temperature plummeted below zero.
Abnormal climate.
No, a precursor to disaster.
“……I’m cold.”
“Look, you can see your breath. This doesn’t make sense.”
People out on the streets hunched their bodies.
Citizens in short sleeves hurriedly took shelter inside buildings.
And.
Whoosh…….
Something fell from the sky.
White crystals.
“Snow?”
In the middle of summer, snow began to fall in Daegu.
It wasn’t a romantic first snow.
A blinding blizzard poured down with bone-chilling winds, obscuring vision.
Wheeeeeee!
Sirens blared.
Roads froze over, cars slid and collided.
The city was turning white.
I sat on the railing of the motel rooftop, looking down at the scene.
I reached out and caught a single snowflake.
It wasn’t cold.
The magical power within me was repelling the cold.
Woooooong.
My right hand vibrated.
Golden runic letters began to spin fiercely in my palm.
Like the needle of a compass.
Pointing precisely in one direction.
‘It’s confirmed.’
The hypothesis was verified.
It remained dormant normally, but reacted the moment they unleashed their Authority and caused a disaster.
In other words, this signal was an alarm signaling the start of the hunt.
Distance: 3 km.
Direction: Northwest.
Right in the middle of downtown Daegu.
The snowfall intensified.
It was thick enough to white out the view.
In an instant, snow piled up to the ankles on the asphalt.
Traffic was paralyzed, and people were isolated.
But the real problem wasn’t the cold.
“Wh-what’s that!”
“It’s a monster! The snowman is moving!”
Screams were heard.
Piles of snow writhed.
Whoosh.
Snow compacted and ice formed skeletons.
Ice soldiers with spears and shields.
Snowfield wolves baring sharp fangs.
Monsters were being summoned alongside the disaster.
They attacked people indiscriminately.
A hellscape.
I stood up from my spot.
I stood at the edge of the railing.
Below was five stories high.
It was a height that would be instantly fatal for an ordinary person, but I didn’t hesitate.
Rather, my blood boiled.
I took out the ‘Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule’ from my inventory.
The key to breaking reality’s constraints and bringing forth the power of Asgard.
“Descent.”
I crushed the fragment and threw my body into the air.
Kwaaaang!
A golden aura enveloped my entire body.
My body was reconstructed.
Muscles expanded, and magical power overflowed as if running rampant.
Thud!
I landed on the ground.
The asphalt floor cracked like a spiderweb and caved in.
With the shockwave, the snowdrifts nearby scattered in all directions.
“Grrrr…….”
A snowfield wolf in front of me growled and stared at me.
It charged.
I didn’t dodge.
I lightly thrust my fist.
Thwack!
The wolf’s head scattered into snow powder.
I dusted off my hand.
I had no intention of wasting time on small fry.
My gaze was fixed on only one place.
3 km ahead where the golden runes pointed.
But.
‘Annoying.’
There were too many things blocking my way.
Ice soldiers poured out of every alley.
The blizzard obscured the sky.
Snowdrifts grabbed at my ankles. The cold pierced my flesh.
Smashing each one with physical punches would delay me too much.
3 km.
It was a short distance, but at this rate, it would easily take 30 minutes.
I needed to clear a path.
And in a spectacular way.
I needed overwhelming heat that could instantly offset this cold blizzard.
I stopped walking.
I drew up a heavy energy boiling from deep within my dantian.
A newly created Authority.
The power of destruction fusing Kartal’s earthquake and Tul’kacha’s volcano!
As the Authority began to gather in my left hand,
Ding!
[Using Authority, ‘The Land of Seething Hellfire’!]
The gates of hell opened.
