The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - M.L.U.B.D Chapter 10 (Part 2):

My shadow, huh.

Before I could even question it, red slime enveloped the head of a wooden dummy.

The liquid writhed a few times before taking on a humanoid form.

“That’s… me.”

The shape the dummy assumed was my own.

So this is what the quest meant by “shadow.”

The moment it copied my face, the dummy lunged, kicking off the ground.

Its nails extended 20 centimeters.

Looks like it copied [Sharp Claws].

“Unbelievable.”

Judging by its speed, it had replicated my stats, too.

Think I’ll lose just because our stats match?

*Whoosh! Swoosh!* The dummy’s claws sliced through the air.

Linear and predictable.

Its speed was decent, thanks to copying my stats, but it couldn’t do anything about those stiff joints. Its attacks were telegraphed clear as day.

[Sharp Claws activated.]

I severed the dummy’s elbow as it thrust forward.

Slipping into its staggering guard, I slashed its throat.

*Slash!* The head of the dummy wearing my face soared into the air before rolling across the floor.

Fake or not, it wasn’t a pleasant sight.

Thankfully, it reverted to a wooden dummy after a few seconds.

“That’s it?”

[The next battle will begin in 1 minute.]
[Number of shadows – 2]

Good, good.

If you’re going to call it [Inferno difficulty] and scare me, the test better live up to the name.

Just in case, I placed a hand on the dummy’s body.

[Devour activated.]
[Essence collection for this target is already 100% complete.]
[The target is not a living creature. Devour cannot restore health or mana.]

No recovering health or mana mid-battle with [Devour].

Well, I’ve got more than just Devour up my sleeve.

Thanks to the [Blessing of the Earth Mother], my health and mana recovery speed is boosted by 50% just by standing still.

Wait.

‘Already completed essence collection…?’

I mulled over the system message.

The skill the dummy copied was [Sharp Claws], the essence of a Silver Fang.

But what if…

What if it copied an incomplete essence, like [Primordial Species’ essence]…

‘Could I devour it?’

A sudden hypothesis.

Worth testing.

I crossed my arms and waited for time to pass.

One minute later, two wooden dummies in the training ground turned to face me.

Red slime coated their heads.

Now there were two of me.

“HAAAAA—!!!”

A mana-charged shout echoed through the Basic Training Ground.

The two dummies flinched.

[Roar activated.]
[All entities within a 20-meter radius have their Strength and Agility reduced by 10%.]
[Duration: 20 seconds.]

A debuff skill that doesn’t discriminate between friend and foe.

But since I’m alone, I don’t need to worry about friendly fire.

10% doesn’t sound like much.

But in a real battle, small differences can tip the scales.

Like now.

*Crack!*

Both of my “shadows” hit the ground without even landing a single skill.

[The next battle will begin in 1 minute.]

[Number of shadows – 3]

I used Devour on the two fallen dummies.

[Devouring the essence of Primordial Species – Tyrannosaurus.]

[Essence Grade: Legendary]

[Essence Devoured: 1.2%]

It worked?!

“Insane.”

I let out a gasp of awe.

* * *

*Crash!*

Another wooden dummy shattered with a loud bang.

“Another one meets its maker.”

Grinning ear to ear, I smashed the dummy to pieces.

I’d stumbled upon [Primordial Species] essence in the unlikeliest of places.

Primordial Species essences are only obtainable on Earth, and with intact fossils being so costly, getting one at this stage was impossible.

‘This the best stroke of luck.’

As I kept fighting, only 11 dummies remained standing.

It seemed Inferno difficulty required destroying every wooden dummy in the Basic Training Ground to clear it.

[The next battle will begin in 1 minute.]

[Number of shadows – 11]

For a normal player, five dummies would’ve been their breaking point.

I’m only standing because it’s me.

‘The skill copying actually helped.’

Players invited to the Tower typically receive a trait and one skill.

For me, it’s just [Devour] and that’s it.

Even through the tutorial, most players acquire maybe five skills at most.

But I’ve been racking up skills like crazy with [Devour].

‘If they copy a non-core or passive skill, it’s useless.’

Take [Dragon’s Heart] or [Dissolution], for example.

Plenty of dummies went down without using a single skill, relying only on their base stats before getting smashed.

As the cooldown ended, the last group of wooden dummies in the training ground glared at me.

One dummy suddenly opened its mouth wide.

Wait a second.

*-HAAA!*

Damn it.

For a moment, my balance wavered.

Looks like one dummy copied [Roar].

But the other dummies flinched from the shout, too.

“Oh, didn’t know it doesn’t distinguish friend from foe?”

Everyone except the shouting dummy got nerfed.

Copying my stats and one random skill is fine and all.

“But idiots like you are no match for me.”

Using [Agile Hind Legs], I darted through the dummy swarm.

One dummy raised its guard.

A gray armor covered its forearm.

Clenching my fist, I smashed the armored arm with [Mighty Strike].

*BOOM—!* With a deafening crash, the dummy’s arm exploded.

“Ow, that stings like hell.”

Frowning, I snapped the neck of the now-armless dummy.

Armor’s not invincible.

With enough force, you can shatter it like this.

It’s strong against piercing and slashing but weak to heavy blows.

Well, essence synergies can cover those weaknesses.

“I’ll worry about that later.”

I kicked the ground with [Agile Hind Legs].

My right arm trembled from [Mighty Strike]’s recoil.

Dummies charged where I’d just been standing.

One crouched slightly, like a sprinter, then chased me with [Agile Hind Legs].

So what? You don’t have any other skills.

I tore into the charging dummy with [Sharp Claws].

It didn’t take long to smash all 11 dummies.

“Let’s end this.”

*Crunch!* I shattered the final wooden dummy into pieces.

▶ Sub-Quest

*Basic Training Ground – Inferno Difficulty Cleared!*

▶ You are the first to clear Inferno Difficulty. As a reward…

Come on, what’s the reward?

I swallowed hard in anticipation.

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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