The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - M.L.U.B.D Chapter 22 (Part 1):
I returned to the forest.
Even though the Shadow Orb had shattered into pieces, the darkness filling the passage didn’t dissipate.
One small comfort, perhaps, was that no traps had been triggered.
Thanks to that, the journey back was uneventful.
– ‘Oho! I sense a place brimming with vibrant life force!’
“Keep your sightseeing quiet, Goddess.”
– ‘Hohoho, are you sulking because I can’t bestow any blessings?’
“Yeah.”
I pursed my lips.
The Goddess of Night, Nyx, had formed a contract with me, but it was like a shiny, hollow fruit.
Was it the aftereffect of just waking up?
Nyx couldn’t wield any power.
Had I known this would happen, I would’ve just devoured the essence inside the Shadow Orb!
– ‘Contractor, it seems you just had an irreverent thought.’
A fist-sized puff of black smoke clung to my face.
I swatted at it with both hands, scattering the smoke, but it quickly reformed, obstructing my vision again.
“Goddess, stop bothering me and go sightsee outside or something.”
– ‘You’re being petulant, so I’m just returning the favor.’
A voice leaked from the swirling smoke.
That smoke was ‘Nyx.’
Thanks to our contract, she’d escaped her confined space and could venture outside.
In exchange, in this smoky form, she couldn’t exert any physical or spiritual power.
*Haah—*
A heavy sigh slipped through my lips.
It felt like I’d gained nothing but dead weight.
– ‘Don’t fret too much. If you reach the heart of this island, I can awaken my power.’
“That’s the third time you’ve said that.”
The Ancient Gods built the Tower of Babel using ‘darkness,’ the domain Nyx governs.
Its core lies at the center of Rainbow Island.
A cavern beneath the lake, apparently.
Thanks to me triggering the Shadow Orb, she’d learned its location.
Coincidentally, it was a place I knew.
The lair of Ness, the Ruler of the Lake.
The mightiest boss monster on Rainbow Island, dubbed the ‘Final Graduation Test’ among players.
Defeating it grants a [Unique] grade item from the cavern beneath the lake.
“If I go there, you’ll recover some power, right?”
– ‘Indeed. To fulfill our contract, we must go there.’
I thought the contract was in my favor.
Turns out, it was the opposite.
The old sages were right—always read the fine print before signing.
“Stop nagging. If I head to the lake now, I’ll just end up as fish food.”
– ‘Hmm. I thought you were quite adept at wielding divine power, Contractor, but you’re weaker than I expected.’
“Sorry for disappointing you, *Your Holiness*.”
– ‘So, when do you plan to head to the place where my power is sealed?’
“Once I get a bit stronger.”
– ‘Didn’t you say you can only stay here for two weeks?’
“Yeah.”
– ‘I’m worried because the time left is so short.’
“Don’t worry.”
I clenched my fist tightly.
I know exactly how to get stronger.
* * *
[Your current location: The Swamp.]
[Swamp – Status effect ‘Slow’ applied.]
*Squelch-* The moment I stepped into the greenish swamp, a slimy sensation enveloped my feet.
“Ugh, this is why I can’t stand swamps.”
The sticky feeling of slime clinging to my legs.
On top of that, the field’s unique effect kicked in.
A debuff that slashed Agility by 20%.
As I entered the swamp, a yellow aura wrapped around my body.
A penalty twice as harsh as other terrains.
And that wasn’t all. Beyond the terrain debuff, the swamp’s inherent stickiness restricted movement.
‘This place and the volcano are the areas players avoid like the plague.’
The volcano, always shrouded in scorching heat.
And the swamp, with its movement-restricting penalties.
Unless you’re competing for top ranks, the tutorial guides don’t recommend bothering with these zones.
– ‘What a filthy place this is.’
“It’s pretty gross.”
– ‘You’ve gotten filthy too.’
“Want a taste of this mud, Goddess?”
– ‘No thanks.’
When I scooped up some mud from the swamp, the smoke hurriedly retreated.
That goddess has some ridiculously sharp instincts.
*Splat, splat.*
I pushed through the swamp, putting strength into my legs.
Each step dragged against the clinging mud.
If your strength is lacking, you could lose balance and tumble into the mire.
My stats are high enough to avoid that, but you never know, right?
“Eeeeng!”
A shrill buzzing assaulted my ears.
Vampire Mosquito.
A creature the size of a grown man’s forearm, with a needle-like proboscis as long as its body.
A literal ‘bloodsucking’ monster.
Not quite on the level of the boss monster Talon Flame, but its flight speed is pretty fast.
“Iiiing!”
The Vampire Mosquito zigzagged toward me.
Its proboscis thrust forward.
One stab, and you’d lose a significant amount of blood.
Wasn’t this the number-one hated monster in the tutorial?
It’s a flying type with high speed.
If it got close, it’d suck your blood dry, making it hard to continue fighting.
Hard to kill, yet no valuable drops—no wonder players despised it.
As someone who’s hunted Talon Flame, the Vampire Mosquito’s speed is merely annoying…
[Spiked Armor activated.]
Since there’s an easier way to hunt, I crossed my arms and waited for the mosquito to approach.
“Iiing!”
The Vampire Mosquito closed in, extending its proboscis.
*Ting!* The armor deflected the needle attached to its mouth.
Almost no durability was lost.
The proboscis’s attack power is low, so [Spiked Armor] was more than enough.
“Eeeng?”
The Vampire Mosquito wobbled side to side.
It couldn’t steady itself, like a drunkard.
The impact of its proboscis bouncing off the armor must’ve hit it hard.
“Oh, I didn’t expect that.”
No need to use Blood Claw Technique.
A light swing of my fist, and the Vampire Mosquito’s body went *pop—* and burst.
[0.7% EXP acquired.]
My Strength stat, including item bonuses, is in the 90s.
That’s a value typical melee players only reach at level 50.
Even barehanded, I could crush a frail Vampire Mosquito with a flick.
– ‘Didn’t you come here to get stronger?’
“Yep.”
– ‘Hunting mere insects like this doesn’t seem like it’d train your body.’
“Players gain experience by defeating monsters.”
I shared my [Status Window] with Nyx.
– ‘Fascinating. Even my memories don’t recall such a system.’
Nyx let out an exclamation.
Well, there’s also the Devour ability, but I didn’t bother explaining it.
“Sssrp, sssrp.”
Bubbles gurgled on the swamp’s surface, and a creature resembling a Komodo dragon emerged.
It must’ve heard the Vampire Mosquito’s buzzing and sensed prey.