The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - M.L.U.B.D Chapter 21 (Part 2):

I stopped using Devour.

“Who are you?”

-Did I not say? I am Nyx.

Three wrinkles creased my forehead.

An ancient god casually revealing their true name.

It shattered the common sense I knew from before my regression.

“How can an ancient god speak their divine name and remain unharmed?”

-Mortal, I do not understand what you’re blabbering about.

A conversation running parallel.

Come to think of it, that name just now… it sounds familiar.

‘Nyx… isn’t that from Olympus?’

Nyx, or sometimes Nox.

A distant ancestor of the Olympus pantheon, the primordial goddess of darkness.

A being akin to a “conceptual god” like Gaia, interpreted as immense power itself, rarely showing the traits of a sentient deity in myths.

“Goddess of Darkness.”

-Hoho, so now you recognize me.

Wow, I didn’t expect it to actually be *that* Nyx.

Nyx isn’t a being on the same level as ancient gods like Hyperion or Humbaba.

She was the darkness itself—a being second only to Gaia in Olympus.

‘So that’s it!’

I finally grasped the full situation.

The reason this goddess’s name appeared as [???].

Then, a thought sparked in my mind.

‘I can use this situation.’

*Heh.*

I forcibly suppressed the corners of my mouth from curling up.

* * *

Conceptual gods.

As the name suggests, gods who govern abstract “concepts” like light, darkness, or chaos.

Beings so immensely powerful they fell into slumber, uninvolved in worldly affairs.

‘Even monarch-class Constellations have to tread carefully around them.’

According to mythic records, even Zeus, the King of Olympus, once retreated in fear of Nyx’s intervention.

Ancient gods exploited this.

-Let’s bind the concepts and powers of the slumbering conceptual gods to the tower.

The current generation of gods benefited from fewer beings to fear.

Ancient gods gained the “concepts” needed to construct the tower.

Nyx’s name appearing as [???] was the result of a collaboration between the previous and current generations of gods!

“Uh, Goddess.”

-I sense no reverence in the voice calling me.

Tch. Typical goddess, so picky.

“This isn’t the time to be so relaxed, you know?”

-Mortal, what are you talking about?

“Goddess, try invoking your power.”

A brief silence.

Arms crossed, I waited for Nyx’s response.

-Strange. Why is my power flow elsewhere?

“Why? Because someone tampered with things while you were asleep.”

Nyx’s power is likely being consumed as a “concept” to sustain the Tower of Babel.

Her consciousness seems to have awakened because I stimulated the Shadow Orb, but still.

To put it simply—

It’s like sleep paralysis.

Conscious but unable to move.

That’s Nyx’s current state.

I briefly explained, summarizing my knowledge from before my regression.

-…Insolent beings.

“The Titans you doted on are involved too.”

-I cannot believe it.

Denial and anger.

Both emotions emanated from Nyx’s thoughts.

As expected. Nyx knew nothing about the Tower of Babel.

‘It’s like stealing someone’s seal and ID to take out a loan while they’re asleep.’

The ancient gods and current gods teamed up to pull off a scam.

Perfect. The bait’s set.

“Goddess, how about a proposal?”

-What is it, mortal?

“Let’s make a contract.”

-A contract?

“Yeah. Getting played like this must sting, right?”

-I am not pleased. I cannot even move my body as I wish.

“I’ll help you reclaim your power.”

-Do you think a mortal is capable of such a thing?

“Yeah. I’m a player climbing the tower. I can grow stronger.”

Actions speak louder than words, right?

I summoned a speck of divine power again.

-That energy…! How can a mortal wield power reserved for gods?

“I’m not a demigod, so don’t get the wrong idea.”

-I know. Your soul carries no divine scent.

“I’m at a mortal level now, but I’ll get strong fast.”

Nyx fell silent for a moment.

Seeing me freely manipulate divine power seemed to shock her quite a bit.

Heh. This goddess’ reactions are priceless.

-Your words do not feel like empty boasts.

Good. She’s halfway convinced.

“Then let’s settle the contract terms.”

Nyx mulled over the contract terms I recited, chewing on them repeatedly.

-To recognize a mere mortal as my equal…

“If you don’t like it, then never mind.”

-That is not what I meant.

Look at this goddess, switching gears so fast.

‘Alright. She’s almost on board.’

I barely held back a laugh.

Truth is, Nyx doesn’t lose anything even without this contract.

The ancient gods and current gods pulled their stunt, but the moment I awakened Nyx’s consciousness, their scheme was half-broken.

Give it about 500 years, and she’ll probably reclaim her dominion over darkness.

That’s a long time for me, but for this goddess, it’s not much.

This contract was essentially a scam—in my favor.

-Very well. Yu Jin-Ho, I shall enter a contract with you.

Nyx called my name for the first time.

Not as a mere mortal, but as an equal partner in this contract.

[You have declared a soul contract with ???.]

[The mutual contract has been established.]

[A contract etched into the soul must be fulfilled.]

[The divine relic, Shadow Orb, serving as the contract’s medium, will be destroyed.]

An invisible thread bound our souls.

*Psssh-.*

The Shadow Orb shattered into pieces.

The essence within the orb vanished the moment the contract was sealed.

No regrets.

I now had something better than essence—a goddess by my side!

“Goddess, since we’ve made the contract, how about helping me out?”

-What is it, my contractor?

“Grant me a blessing, please.”

-A simple matter. Wait just a moment.

Nyx’s blessing.

I could only guess it might be related to the shadows Antonio wielded.

But a minute passed, then five, and nothing changed.

Man, what kind of grand blessing is our goddess preparing to make me wait like this?

-Contractor.

“Yeah?”

-There is… a slight problem.

Nyx’s words trailed off.

Dangun

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