The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - M.L.U.B.D Chapter 22 (Part 2):

Swamp Lizard.

A monster stretching three meters long.

– ‘Its tongue-flicking looks utterly vulgar.’

“You gotta watch out for that tongue.”

Slow speed, tough durability, and poison.

Those are the Swamp Lizard’s traits.

Touch its flicking tongue, and paralytic venom spreads through your body.

Its durability is so high that most ranged attacks barely scratch it.

A monster you need a team to hunt.

– ‘Its tongue moves pretty fast. Are you certain you can handle it?’

“Perfect timing. I was getting bored.”

I cracked my neck side to side.

Dealing with the Vampire Mosquito only half-loosened me up.

“Shh-shh-shht!”

The Swamp Lizard began advancing.

Despite its lumbering gait, it moved its massive body deftly.

[Energy Bolt activated.]

[Mana charged to maximum.]

Thanks to [Cold Blood], the Energy Bolt charged in just four seconds.

A blue orb, twice its usual size, slammed into the Swamp Lizard’s body.

“Shiiit?!”

The lizard’s shoulder charred black.

“That’s gonna be tough to regenerate.”

I grinned.

The Swamp Lizard’s traits are [Poison] and [Regeneration].

Like a lizard regrowing its tail, minor wounds heal quickly just by soaking in the swamp.

But a wound from intense heat? Not a chance.

[Energy Bolt activated.]

[Mana charged to maximum.]

*Kwaang—* The blue orb rocked the Swamp Lizard’s body again.

If the poison on its tongue is dangerous.

“Just don’t let it touch you.”

– ‘What a lowbrow way to fight.’

“What, does our Goddess prefer honorable duels?”

– ‘Not exactly. The night embraces all.’

“Good. You’ll see a lot more of this.”

I smirked.

The Swamp Lizard’s sluggish speed meant it’d spend eternity chasing my shadow.

“Nothing beats easy pickings.”

One minute later.

White steam rose from the Swamp Lizard’s entire body.

[4.2% EXP acquired.]

I devoured the essences from the Vampire Mosquito and Swamp Lizard corpses.

At this rate, I’ll max out both species’ essences to 100% in no time.

My level also rose in the process.

I immediately allocated my bonus stats.

“Easy, too easy.”

– ‘To grow stronger like this… Even seeing it with my own eyes, I can’t believe it.’

“That’s the Ancient Gods’ handiwork.”

Forcing those within this dimension to level up.

All to accelerate synchronization with the Tower of Babel.

The system you created.

I’ll suck it dry to get my revenge.

Using Devour even healed the wounds I’d taken from the Blood Mountain Lord, one by one.

Thanks to the synergy with Slime’s [Dissolution], my devouring efficiency skyrocketed.

“This is why I can’t quit Devour.”

I let out a laugh.

* * *

Aside from the unpleasant sensation with every step, the swamp was the perfect hunting ground.

“Eeeng!”

The Vampire Mosquito’s attacks couldn’t touch me.

The sluggish Swamp Lizard? I could outmaneuver it even with the debuff.

Approaching Vampire Mosquitoes were swatted like flies with a casual swing.

[Energy Bolt activated.]

For Swamp Lizards at a distance, I gifted an overcharged Energy Bolt.

Some tried hiding in the swamp.

[Sixth Sense detects something amiss.]

Using Sixth Sense, a skill extracted from the Blood Mountain Lord’s essence, I sensed the hidden Swamp Lizard.

No need to know its exact location.

I had Ultrasound from the Big Bat.

Using Ultrasound in the swamp sent ripples that instantly revealed the hidden Swamp Lizard’s position.

No matter how hard the swamp’s monsters tried, they couldn’t escape my eyes.

– ‘Contractor, you’ve mastered a variety of abilities.’

“Thanks to my unique ability, [Devour].”

I briefly explained [Devour].

A unique ability to extract and absorb essences.

After hearing me out, Nyx shook her misty form side to side.

– ‘That’s not what I meant.’

“Then what?”

– ‘I’m talking about your combat sense, wielding multiple abilities with such efficiency.’

“Well, that’s…”

I trailed off.

Can’t exactly say it’s because I regressed.

“Eeeng!”

Right on cue, a Vampire Mosquito flew straight at me.

“Prey’s coming to me.”

The topic shifted naturally.

I focused back on hunting.

Some time passed.

[Devouring Vampire Mosquito’s essence.]

[Essence Devoured: 100%]

[You have completely absorbed one species’ essence.]

[Skill – Bloodsucking has been added.]

[Bloodsucking]

– Rank: ★
– Type: Active
– Drains blood from a living target to restore vitality.

[Devouring Swamp Lizard’s essence.]

[Essence Devoured: 100%]

[You have completely absorbed one species’ essence.]

[Skill – Regeneration has been added.]

[Regeneration]

– Rank: ★
– Type: Active
– Consumes Mana to heal wounds. Reattached severed parts can also recover.

Bloodsucking and Regeneration.

The expected skills were added.

– ‘Oho, new power has taken root in your body.’

“Yeah. Got new skills from [Devour].”

– ‘Remarkable. A peculiar ability.’

“You can even tell my power’s grown?”

– ‘I am the Goddess who rules the night. I can sense changes in my soul-bound Contractor instantly.’

Pride dripped from her voice.

I replied halfheartedly.

“Truly, our great Goddess is unmatched.”

Brushing off Nyx, I checked the absorbed essence abilities.

‘Neither seems immediately useful.’

Bloodsucking requires sinking teeth into a living creature.

Regeneration’s recovery speed isn’t fast.

Considering the Swamp Lizard can regrow entire severed parts, this feels like a downgrade.

‘But there’s synergy.’

I smiled, reviewing the skill details.

With synergies from multiple essences, [Regeneration] can evolve into [Hyper-Regeneration].

A skill that regrows a severed limb in seconds!

The Swamp Lizard’s essence is one step toward [Hyper-Regeneration].

“I got a bit too carried away and came in too deep.”

Since the swamp’s difficulty is high with just Vampire Mosquitoes and Swamp Lizards, there’s no boss monster.

Having maxed out both species’ essences, there’s no reason to linger.

Then.

Bubbles surged in the swamp, boiling furiously.

[A player who has defeated five or more boss monsters in the first week of the tutorial has appeared.]

[When said player remains in the swamp for over an hour, an event triggers.]

[The Swamp King has awoken, stirred by the player’s presence.]

▶ Hidden Quest – Threat of the Swamp.

▶ Objective: Defeat the Swamp King.

Wait a second, I never heard of this even before regressing?!

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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