The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - M.L.U.B.D Chapter 21 (Part 1):

“Damn it.”

Tilting my head back, I spat out a curse.

Crossing that darkness-cloaked passage had nearly killed me multiple times. If not for my Sixth Sense, I would’ve crossed death’s threshold at least three times by now.

‘Antonio. That lucky bastard.’

I recalled Antonio, the guy who’d gotten his hands on the Shadow Orb before my regression.

Didn’t he say his unique ability let him avoid the traps’ attacks?

If even one of those traps had triggered, he’d have been dead.

He should’ve suffered like I did!

“Hoo, whatever.”

With a short sigh, I let my anger dissipate.

The struggle was worth it.

I lifted the orb at the end of the passage.

[Shadow Orb]

– Rank: Legendary
– Type: Orb
– An orb imbued with darkness close to the primal source.
– When used, it allows the wielder to infuse mana into shadows, manipulating them freely.
– Mana +50
– Growth-type artifact
[Shadow Control] skill embedded

[Shadow Control]

– Rank: ★★★★★
– Type: Active
– Infuses mana into one’s own or another’s shadow, shaping it as desired.
– Can be used for both attack and defense.
– When using another’s shadow, the power is reduced to 1/5.

Whoa.

Mouth agape, I repeatedly checked the Shadow Orb’s information.

“This is insane.”

The effort of breaking through that passage was worth it.

No, “worth it” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

The Shadow Orb was a reward beyond what words could express.

Legendary rank!

A high-grade artifact nearly impossible to obtain in the lower floors of the Tower of Babel.

The stat boost was tremendous, but what was even more astonishing was that the Shadow Orb was a growth-type artifact.

An artifact that grows stronger upon meeting specific conditions.

Antonio’s development of his shadow abilities wasn’t due to his own power but the result of enhancing this orb.

‘So that’s why he embedded the orb in his forehead.’

I thought it was some bizarre fashion statement.

Now I see it was a calculated move to keep both hands free while deploying his “shadow” abilities.

‘Well, that’s a story from before my regression.’

No worries. Now that this artifact is in my hands, Antonio, the tyrant who ruled Brazil, won’t appear, nor will he embed an orb in his forehead.

But then—

A sweet, sugary fragrance wafted from the Shadow Orb.

“This scent…”

I trailed off.

It felt similar to when I discovered the rock imbued with Mighty Baby Uturi’s essence.

With a glimmer of hope, I scanned the Shadow Orb with my Devour ability.

[Essence of ??? has been discovered.]

[Essence Rank: Mythic]

Hah.

I let out a hollow laugh.

The Shadow Orb’s rank was Legendary.

Yet the essence within touched the hem of Mythic.

That meant one thing.

‘This item is a Divine Relic.’

A Divine Relic.

An artifact imbued with the traces or power of a specific god.

Mythic grade.

Even before my regression, I rarely consumed essences of this caliber!

The few I did devour were mostly to activate the gamble that was [Regression].

‘Not even past the tutorial, and I’ve got my second Mythic-grade essence.’

Talk about luck.

I grinned.

*Shwaaa!* The darkness filling the orb began to fade slightly.

It was a smaller amount compared to Gaia’s essence, but hey, if luck’s on my side, I might gain another blessing.

A player with two blessings without even contracting a Patron Constellation?

If this got out to the world, it’d cause an uproar.

Talented people are always exhausted, aren’t they?

‘Alright, I don’t know what essence is in this orb, but I’ll devour it all.’

*Twitch.*

The darkness within the Shadow Orb resisted fiercely.

Listen here. I’ve absorbed the essence of the Earth Mother Goddess herself.

Back then, I was only Level 1, but now I’ve grown so much stronger.

No matter what god’s divine relic this is, it won’t escape my Devour ability!

*Clang!* A long crack etched itself onto the orb’s surface.

As Devour activated, its durability began to erode.

Nice.

It’s biting, oh yeah.

Savoring the essence seeping through the contact, I licked my lips.

Then.

-Who… are you?

A beautiful voice echoed in my ears.

I halted Devour and looked around.

No one was there?

I scanned the surroundings with Ultrasound, but nothing registered beyond the corridor.

“Did I hear wrong?”

-I asked what you’re doing, holding my divine relic.

*Wooong!*

The darkness within the Shadow Orb surged violently.

Oh, the one speaking to me… was the divine relic itself?

* * *

The “essence” within the Shadow Orb writhed.

Divine power.

Likely the energy of the being called [???], the relic’s master.

I rubbed my chin.

‘That guy Antonio never mentioned anything like this.’

An unexpected variable.

But.

‘This is actually better.’

A thick smile curled my lips.

The chance to devour a Patron Constellation’s energy doesn’t come often.

“Nameless Constellation, nice to meet you, and farewell.”

I activated Devour once more.

*Crack! Craaack!*

The cracks on the Shadow Orb widened.

-W-What are you doing, mortal!

“Just putting the energy in this orb to good use.”

-How utterly rude.

“Rude how?”

-Do you even know who I am to speak like that!

“Judging by the hidden name, probably some ancient god nobody.”

I retorted bluntly.

The beings who built the Tower of Babel.

Ancient gods can’t reveal their true names until the tower fully synchronizes with the world.

Unlike Patron Constellations who inscribe their divine names among the stars, ancient gods, fallen from grace, have had their powers and names stripped away.

‘This god is no different.’

A name marked as [???].

Even before my regression, I’d never seen such a designation.

Ancient gods hid their faces with robes and used only the title [Administrator].

They didn’t obscure themselves with [???].

But I was certain the Shadow Orb’s master was an ancient god.

‘Otherwise, there’d be no reason to hide their name.’

An ancient god unable to act openly.

Even if I devoured their divine relic, they won’t be able to retaliate.

-Ancient god? What does that mean?*

“A nameless god like you.”

-You are rude. I proudly bear the name Nyx.

Huh?

Dangun

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