A Calamity's Hospitality
In the annals of history, long before records began, there existed ancient monsters known as the Four Calamities.
East Sea Dragon. West Ice Emperor.
South Wind Demon. North Flame Lord.
They had lived for unimaginable eons, amassing countless tales in their wake.
Their temperaments varied wildly from one to the next.
The East Sea Dragon, for instance, endlessly swam the eastern seas of Lunderia, surfacing only occasionally to bask in the sun or shake off its scales—harmless to humanity.
The West Ice Emperor, by contrast, was savage, while the South Wind Demon regarded humans as little more than insects.
Those two had wrought devastation and downfall upon human history time and again, living up to their name as calamities.
And finally, the North Flame Lord.
Among the Four Calamities, he was the most enigmatic. His activities were so rare that his name seldom came up.
But rare didn't mean nonexistent.
Even setting aside the incident from the War of the Gods, the North Flame Lord had sparked several major events in the past.
...You said the North Flame Lord and West Ice Emperor have a seriously bad relationship, right?
-Yeah. They're set up to have fought to the death. The North Flame Lord's probably dying to eat him.
In the distant past, the northwestern reaches of the Arcrux Continent featured a vast plain called Green Land.
True to its name, it was a sprawling field carpeted in lush greenery, a paradise on earth where all manner of flora and fauna lived in peace.
...And it was there that the West Ice Emperor and North Flame Lord clashed.
No one knew why two of the Four Calamities would fight.
One tale claimed the West Ice Emperor tried to devour the North Flame Lord to ascend to true godhood; another said the North Flame Lord struck first.
-Only they know the reason... What matters is the outcome.
Their battle yielded horrific results.
After three grueling years of bloodshed, the earthly paradise of Green Land became a barren wasteland unfit for any life.
Wings torn off by the West Ice Emperor plummeted to earth as lava flows; legs ripped away by the North Flame Lord froze the ground in eternal ice.
Exhausted to the brink of death, the two finally parted when the West Ice Emperor retreated first, ending the interminable war.
...Brutal.
In a word, the North Flame Lord and West Ice Emperor were blood enemies.
And that fact spelled disaster for Carpe.
He currently wore a ring called the Servant Lord's Token.
As its description made clear, it was an epic-grade ring wearable only by those acknowledged by the Servant Lord—the West Ice Emperor.
That's right. Carpe had earned the West Ice Emperor's acknowledgment!
And the being before him was that emperor's mortal foe.
In other words...
Problem incoming. The North Flame Lord spots someone bearing his enemy's token near his home by chance. Calculate the odds he'll let them live. 3 points.
-Teacher, the problem's too easy. Bonus question? Answer's 0%.
Sigh. We're screwed.
Carpe sighed at Cheonma's instant reply. Even he agreed it was the right answer.
You cannot log out during a sudden event.
Dimension Gate cannot be activated.
You cannot move to Room.
He'd been trying everything to escape this mess, but nothing worked.
Ah, forgot to do my daily draws.
-You've got insane luck everywhere else, but your mob luck is trash. How do you keep running into these one-in-a-million encounters?
Hyung, don't talk like it's someone else's problem. No way out of this?
-Hmm...
Cheonma pretended to ponder for a split second.
-Nope. Hey, the Four Calamities are natural disasters by name. What can a human do when one hits out of nowhere?
Argh, what a shitty game.
If there'd been a warning, maybe—but this blindsiding bullshit left no room to dodge.
-Think of it as the dead event you dodged last time exploding now. Just die and respawn. Hmm... Guess the Spirit Realm trip needs another route?
I wanna live! Don't give up on me!
-Well, who knows. North Flame Lord's fickle—might let you go. Though I still say 0%, teacher.
And that's when it happened.
The North Flame Lord, eyeing Carpe with evident amusement, slowly raised his right hand.
"Ah."
Death time.
One swing of that hand, and his head was gone.
But...
"Pardon the interruption."
As the North Flame Lord flicked his hand through the air, something unbelievable occurred.
The Servant Lord's Token on Carpe's finger slipped off and flew straight to him.
Woooong! Woooooong!!!
Once in the North Flame Lord's grasp, the ring vibrated even more violently, as if protesting fiercely.
"Filthy temper confirms it's that worm's toy. Quiet down. Wanna shatter like that?"
The North Flame Lord growled low, and astonishingly, the vibrations subsided.
Only then did he grin in satisfaction, inspecting the ring from every angle.
Carpe watched, dumbfounded, and messaged Cheonma.
Wait, items can just get yoinked like that? Not even a death drop?
-...First I've seen. Guess at Four Calamity level, they can pull that off?
Crazy. What is he, a GM? Stealing player gear on a whim.
The North Flame Lord twirled the ring, then chuckled with intrigue.
"Hmm. Infused with his power, eh? Interesting. Here, back."
He tossed it casually. The ring flew true, sliding perfectly onto Carpe's finger.
The crushing pressure vanished instantly.
"Haha. Live long enough, you see everything. Wasn't expecting this. Hilarious. So, what now..."
The North Flame Lord muttered at Carpe, who instinctively dropped into combat stance.
That reaction only deepened his intrigued smile.
"Oh? Gonna fight? You'll die."
"...Better than dying without a fight."
"Why die if you're not attacking? Think I'll kill you just for ties to that worm?"
Carpe was the flustered one now at the North Flame Lord's exasperation.
Wasn't that it?
Killing seemed way more plausible than sparing.
"Heh, you really thought that? Name?"
"...Carpe."
-Whoa, polite mode as soon as survival's on the table.
What? He's an ancient from time immemorial. Of course I'm polite.
As a proud K-Confucian, rudeness was off-limits—definitely not fear.
"Right. Carpe. Me... well..."
He scratched his head awkwardly mid-introduction.
"Humans used to call me North Flame Lord. Not sure now. Call me whatever. Names don't matter."
"That's still your name."
"Is it? Humans don't change much. Anyway, not killing you—relax. I'm a pacifist, see."
"..."
A pacifist Four Calamity?
Carpe stared in disbelief, but the North Flame Lord just shrugged.
"True. I don't start fights, though I finish ones that come to me. That mantis bastard went mad, picking fights with me, East Sea Dragon, and South Wind Demon. Don't lump me in with him just 'cause we're both Calamities."
"...Really?"
"Swear. See? Polymorphed human for peaceful chat."
He thumped his chest in frustration.
As expected, his current form was a human polymorph.
Things were veering into unexpected territory.
...Think we're gonna live?
-Looks like. Damn, Four Calamities. Gave it 0%.
Not all are rampaging types, huh.
Prejudice.
Born from the name Calamity and Carpe's firsthand brush with the Servant Lord's Shard's ferocity.
-His red hair probably fueled it too. Red-haired overlord—novel trope for a red dragon. And red dragons are foul-tempered by rule.
...Kinda convincing.
"What're you muttering? Misunderstanding cleared—let's chat."
"Chat? About what?"
"Anything. Been holed up forever—curious about everything. Especially from someone acknowledged by him. Thrilling."
Far from mere pacifism, the North Flame Lord showed keen interest in Carpe.
Carpe nodded. After dodging death, what was a chat?
"Haha, perfect. I'll guide you to my lair... Wait, nothing there fit for human guests."
"No need."
"Nah, can't have that for a rare visitor. Hmm... Got it. Like meat?"
"Meat?"
Random, but Carpe nodded.
"Love it. Not raw."
"Good. Wait here."
Boom!
He kicked off and vanished in a flash.
"...What even is this now."
"Kyuwoong..."
"Ah, Hyang-ah. You okay?"
Mukhyang had been trembling in Carpe's robe but emerged once he was gone.
Overwhelmed by the vast gap in presence. Tears welled in her big eyes.
"Kyuung! Kyuwooung!"
"Yeah, yeah. Scary, huh."
Carpe stroked her gently. She was still shaking hard.
-Can't handle it. Better unsummon to Room. Heart attack if he shows again.
"Good idea. Hyang-ah, rest up. Call when done."
The instant Carpe unsummoned her...
The North Flame Lord returned—not alone. A massive red dinosaur-like beast slung over his shoulder.
"Sorry for the wait. Hid deeper than thought."
"...Less than a minute. That's the meat?"
"Yep! Delicious one. Why I stick around—prime grub."
He laughed, swinging the dinosaur one-handed.
...A 2m human casually wielding what looked like a 5m dino? Cognitive dissonance city.
Felt weightless.
-Insane.
Why again?
-That 'dino'? Final boss of this volcano zone. Not a snack!
Ignioron, the rare hidden boss in Hoilron Volcano's depths.
Level 300s—players couldn't touch it.
That was the red dino.
-Took me ten years in RaSe to hunt five. Tricky bastard. Super rare, tanky, vicious, and...
...Super tasty?
-Hah. Reality check. Everyone goes nuts to kill it; for him, it's lunch.
Hmm. Best keep distance from Calamities.
Watching him gleefully swing it drove the point home.
Fun now, but one wrong word...
Forget chat—smart move is bail.
"Gotta gut it first."
Shwick!
A light swing split Ignioron's belly wide.
Clang.
A massive halberd and shield tumbled out.
"Tch. Great otherwise, but hoards junk. Annoying to clean."
The halberd glowed orange, shield crimson—legendary and unique.
-Oh, right—that dino drops killer loot. Legendaries sometimes.
"..."
Carpe swallowed hard, staring. The North Flame Lord tilted his head.
"What? Want 'em?"
"Y-yes?"
"Take. Don't need."
"...Thank you."
Scratch that.
Befriend Calamities at all costs.
Carpe meant it.