The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - M.L.U.B.D Chapter 10 (Part 1):

I glanced at the corpse of the Wolf King Seorin, its head buried in the dirt.

“Simple-minded beast. Made it an easy win.”

The Wolf King Seorin’s combat prowess was a step above the Dragonfang Soldier from the [Forgotten Temple].

Stats… Skills sealed on that Dragonfang Soldier.

As a being from the upper floors of the Tower, it had exceptional combat instincts even with penalties plastered all over it.

In contrast, the Wolf King, driven purely by instinct, got caught in my pace during the fight despite its superior stats.

I’d even considered giving up an arm to melt its throat with [Acidic Blood] if it gained the upper hand.

But it went down easier than expected.

*Time to claim the victor’s rights, then.*

[Devouring Wolf King Seorin’s essence.]
[Essence Devoured: 100%]
[Essence Grade: Common]
[You have completely absorbed one species’ essence.]
[Strength +5]
[Agility +3]
[Skill – Roar has been added.]

[Roar]
– Rank: ★★
– Type: Active
– Effect: Infuses the voice with a menacing aura and unleashes a powerful shout.

– Range: 20 meters
– Reduces Strength by 10%
– Reduces Agility by 10%
– Duration: 20 seconds
– Cooldown: 60 seconds

Well, well.

This was my first time devouring the Wolf King’s essence.

In my previous life, I was too busy just surviving the tutorial.

Raiding a high-difficulty boss like the Wolf King? Not even a thought.

‘It was worth giving up the Wolf King’s Fang.’

A smile crept onto my face.

Why do players hunt the Wolf King?

It’s all about those fangs.

The [Wolf King’s Fang] is a crafting material for bladed weapons. Grind it into powder, and it boosts an item’s grade and attack power.

If sold outside the Tower, it’d fetch at least 700 million won.

I basically burned that kind of money for a skill!

‘No wonder they called my ability turning gold into dung.’

Words from my past life echoed in my mind.

Don’t worry. In this life, I won’t earn that kind of reputation.

A 20-meter crowd-control skill.

Perfect for someone like me, determined to climb the Tower alone.

With the Wolf King down, I’d devoured every essence I could find on the plains, not missing a single one.

But.

There’s no rule saying you *only* have to collect essences in the tutorial.

*- Head south from the plains, and you’ll find the Basic Training Ground. Pass its trial, and you can acquire the Endurance skill.*
*- A highly recommended skill—it helps in any build when climbing the Tower.*

A snippet from a tutorial stage guide.

What’s the [Endurance] skill, you ask?

It’s a skill that reduces knockback when you take damage.

Not only that, for skills requiring focus, it prevents cancellation even when hit and speeds up concentration by 5%.

Even the tutorial guide stresses, ‘Get it if you can!’ It’s that useful!

But why the vague phrasing?

‘Because the place to get Endurance lies deep in Silver Fang territory.’

For ordinary players, facing a pack of Silver Fangs takes some serious guts.

Silver Fangs boast high attack and agility.

Sure, their defenses are weak, but they move in packs, which negates the advantage of team play.

And that’s not all—if the Wolf King is still alive, you’d have to deal with a boss raid, too.

Even I, in my past life, couldn’t get the [Endurance] skill during the tutorial stage.

‘This time’s different.’

Day one of the tutorial, and I took down the Wolf King solo.

Keep heading south from here, and the Basic Training Ground is right there.

No need to come back to the plains later—I’ll snag the [Endurance] skill this time around.

With light steps, I ventured deep into Silver Fang territory.

* * *

Finding the Basic Training Ground wasn’t hard.

A structure stood tall in the middle of the flat terrain.

You’d have to be blind to miss it.

I pushed the wooden door, and it creaked open with a groan.

“They should have oiled this thing.”

Frowning, I stepped into the Basic Training Ground.

The interior was spartan.

A polished wooden floor gleamed underfoot.

Dozens of wooden dummies stood frozen in eerie poses.

[Your current location: Basic Training Ground.]
[The Basic Training Ground will test your skills.]
[Please select a difficulty.]
[Easy / Normal / Hard]

As expected.

The options were exactly as I remembered from my past life.

The difference between difficulties? Rewards.

Even [Easy] grants the Endurance skill, but clearing higher difficulties offers extra rewards.

At my level, Hard should be a breeze.

“Har—”

I was about to pick a difficulty without hesitation.

If not for the system’s additional message.

[The player’s total stats exceed 250.]
[Players who exceed a total of 250 stats in the first week of the tutorial stage may challenge Inferno difficulty.]

What’s that?

“Inferno?”

An Inferno difficulty at the Basic Training Ground? News to me.

Even as a regressor, I’d never heard of this hidden element!

When you think about it, who could meet the insane condition of reaching 250 total stats in week one?

I only managed it by aggressively using [Devour] before even entering the Tower of Babel.

Even with a top guild’s support, hitting that number would be impossible.

‘This wasn’t in the plan, but it’s a welcome surprise.’

Without hesitation, I selected the new difficulty.

[You have selected Inferno difficulty.]
[Failure will permanently lock you out of the Basic Training Ground’s trials.]
[Do you still wish to proceed?]

Normally, you can retry the Basic Training Ground’s test as many times as you want.

But [Inferno difficulty]? One slip, and you lose the chance entirely.

“Yeah. I’ll take the challenge.”

A massive penalty means massive rewards!

As I confirmed the difficulty, a strange glint flickered in the eyes of the wooden dummies.

▶ Sub-Quest

*Basic Training Ground – Inferno Difficulty*

▶ Objective: Face your shadow and emerge victorious.

The shadow possesses the same stats as the player and randomly copies one of their skills.

Dangun

I'm currently Translating the following novels: "Labyrinth Exploration 101" & "The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring " If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

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