The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 55: Whereabout (2) (Part 2)

That’s why people called it the “Dark Merchant Group.”
Not because that was its actual name.

In truth, no one knew the real name of the guild—so people just gave it that label.

To be more precise, the term “dark” was used as a substitute for “unknown” or “hidden form knowledge.”

As if it were wrapped in darkness—unknowable and inaccessible.

The proper term should’ve been “The Unknown Merchant Group.”
But that sounded awkward and was too long, so everyone simply called it the “Dark Merchant Group.”

In any case, the Dark Merchant Group was a secretive group, cloaked in mystery from its very identity to its purpose.

And yet—

I knew.

Back during the Allied Army days, I had investigated the Dark Merchant Group.
And from that, I had uncovered its true name.

Devotees of the Fallen Souls.

That was the guild’s true name.
Rather than a merchant organization, it was closer to a religious sect—and in fact, it was one.

A dangerous cult that worshipped darkness and forbidden knowledge, dealing in the hidden forces of the world.
Their goal was to upend the continent’s order and plunge it into chaos and ruin.

I had also investigated the key members of their organization—
From the few leaders dwelling at the top, to the middle managers and deal brokers. I knew who they were.

And in the end, I even learned the identity of the guild leader—the being the cultists worshipped as their god.

One of the Six Monarchs who served the Emperor.

The Monarch of the Abyss.

He was the deity revered by the Devotees of the Fallen Souls.

The Monarch of the Abyss, one of the Six Monarchs who serve the Emperor.

The Allied Army referred to him as:
[An Unknown Terror That Cannot Be Explained].

As the phrase suggests, it defied description.
And that meant it couldn’t be countered either.

The Saintess’s miracles.
The Archmage’s mental defense spells.
The Spirit Master’s spirits.
The blacksmiths’ finest weapons.

None of it mattered before the [Unknown Terror That Cannot Be Explained] unleashed by the Monarch of the Abyss.

Thus, the Allied Army was unable to gather any information on the Monarch.

What kind of being he was, what abilities he had—
Even his appearance remained entirely unknown.

Unlike the other Monarchs, where bits and pieces of information could be pieced together—

◆ Player’s Will [EX] resists the Void of Memory! ◆

—no such progress could be made with the Monarch of the Abyss.

Whenever anyone tried to approach the truth of who or what he was, overwhelming terror would drive them all mad.

The same happened when they actually faced him.

During the war against the Monarch of the Abyss—
No one in the Allied Army ever confronted him directly.
Not even me. Not even the heroes of the Allied Army.

Only one man.

The Supreme Commander of the Allied Army.
Ian the Hero.

Only Ian had ever faced the Monarch of the Abyss in person.
Only Ian could resist the [Unknown Terror That Cannot Be Explained] that the Monarch emanated.

Player’s Will [EX].
But even that didn’t grant full mental immunity.

It didn’t prevent the mind from collapsing—it merely delayed it.
Ian trembled in fear and dread just like the rest of us.

Even so, he endured.
He alone fought against the Monarch of the Abyss.
And in the end, he succeeded in annihilating him.

Later, when Ian described the Monarch—

“Should I call him the final evil, rising from the center of eternity and whispering the language of chaos?”
“What?”
“Or maybe the last blasphemy born at the edge of the abyss, writhing endlessly through the river of time?”
“What are you even saying?”
“Or perhaps the formless evil born of chaos in the infinite, eternal abyss—ceaselessly heaving at the heart of permanence, forged at the bottom of hell?”

…He spouted so much nonsense that no one could make sense of it.

Every time someone asked about the Monarch of the Abyss, Ian would speak like that.

So, the Allied Army assumed that the trauma Ian suffered from the Monarch had left him mentally unstable.

The Monarch of the Abyss had perished—
But merely remembering or recalling him caused Ian psychological damage.

And back then, we didn’t know yet—

Even Player’s Will [EX] didn’t provide perfect immunity.
Now that the Monarch was gone, no one pressed Ian for more answers.

“If I’d known it would turn out like this, maybe I should’ve asked more…”

But it was too late for regrets.

Regardless, the Dark Merchant Group—
No, the Devotees of the Fallen Souls—worshipped that very Monarch.

They were beings who received strength and authority from the Monarch of the Abyss.

Which meant the Dark Merchant Group was not some mere smuggling ring.
Rather, it was a colossal force pulling the strings of power and wealth from the shadows of the continent.

“There are rumors… that they control kingdoms by using kings like puppets.”

Adelon spoke carefully.
But it wasn’t just a rumor—it was the truth.

The Dark Merchant Group had infiltrated the politics and economies of every kingdom.
That was what made them so terrifying.

In each kingdom, they had political patrons and noble supporters.
They could even mobilize royal armies, making it difficult for any official enforcement agency to intervene.

They weren’t an opponent that a mere merchant guild from a free city could handle.

Later, when the Emperor invaded the continent—
It was this organization that played a decisive role in the continent’s swift downfall.

Just one year.
That’s all it took for every kingdom and city on the map to vanish.

And so, all of this pointed to one conclusion—

“The Dark Merchant Group may have already begun to move…”

In other words, the Emperor had already begun preparing.

Though the guild worshipped the Monarch of the Abyss—
That Monarch was still one of the six who served the Emperor.

In short, the guild moved according to the Emperor’s will.

“And they’ve already completed their experiments on lycanthropy…”

The Emperor’s meticulousness was truly unmatched.

Naturally, we couldn’t leave the Dark Merchant Group alone.

Just like with the werebeasts, they had to be rooted out—completely.

Which meant…

“I might need to head to Baoless in person.”

The lawless city—Baoless.
I would have to pay it a visit.

But I couldn’t do it alone.
The Monarchs were on another level entirely.
Even the Allied Army’s heroes couldn’t stand against them.

Only Ian had been capable of facing one.

And with Ian still missing—

“First, I need to heal Serapia.”

The only being capable of opposing the Monarch of the Abyss—

Was the Monarch of Frost.

Translatin_Otaku

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