The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - M.L.U.B.D Chapter 24 (Part 2):

…

As they tore into my skin, various poisons spread rapidly.

My right arm burned like fire, while my left felt ice-cold.

My senses ran wild.

I was dizzy.

But thanks to Cold Blood, I could maintain calm amid the pain.

– ‘Your body won’t hold up like this.’

“The same goes for him.”

The mana infused in the mud pile had dwindled significantly.

Dozens of whips.

And handling the fly swarm had sapped his strength considerably.

‘Now’s the time.’

[Agile Hind Legs activated.]

I kicked off the ground.

Not a straight charge this time.

I leaped skyward, my body soaring at a 45-degree angle toward the mud head.

The Demon King of the Swamp—no, Baal in its shell—stood about five meters tall.

Deploying Agile Hind Legs diagonally, I landed atop his head.

[Sharp Claws activated.]

[Blood Claw Technique activated.]

First stance, Fierce Tiger Blood Claw.

Infused with internal energy, the claw technique tore into Baal’s crown.

Mud splattered in all directions.

Baal’s remaining mana plummeted.

「How amusing.」

*Thud, thud.* The extended tentacle bundle dropped to the ground.

Instead of retracting the far-reaching tentacles, he siphoned only their mana.

At the same time, spikes erupted from his crown.

*Stab!*

My already weakened armor shattered completely.

The spikes pierced my flesh, injecting curses and poisons into the wounds.

*Zzzzzt!*

The Plague Flies swarmed me a moment later.

Accumulating poisons and curses.

My senses numbed, and I couldn’t even tell how my arms and legs were moving.

Stopping now means death.

Despite my scrambled senses, I moved my body based on past-life experience.

Lose consciousness, and it’s over.

Stopping my limbs is just as bad.

Whipping my body and mind to their limits, I unleashed Blood Claw Technique relentlessly.

Nyx shouted something beside me, but I couldn’t hear.

A second felt like eternity.

It was as if every pore was pried open and stuffed with poison.

Like downing four bottles of soju in a row, I was too dizzy to stand, my bones ached, and my skin itched.

Yet, I mechanically executed Blood Claw Technique.

[Internal energy depleted.]

[Forcing Blood Claw Technique risks Qi deviation.]

The internal energy I’d carefully managed hit rock bottom.

Damn it.

Still not enough.

I clenched my fist tight.

[Mighty Strike activated.]

*Boom! Bang!*

With 300% amplified strength, I hammered Baal’s deeply gouged crown.

Drawing on potential comes with backlash on consecutive uses.

But this wasn’t the time to worry about that.

I used Mighty Strike until my fist felt like it would break.

On the third punch.

A *crack* sounded from my right arm.

Overuse rendered it immobile.

[Massive EXP acquired.]

[Level increased.]

At some point.

The slime gripping my ankles weakened.

And with it, the mud pile, heaped like a hill, scattered in all directions.

“It’s… over.”

My distorted vision slowly cleared.

With Baal’s vessel defeated, the curses eating away at me vanished.

But the aftereffects of the poison and curses remained.

[Regeneration activated.]

[Due to severe injuries, Regeneration efficiency reduced by 37%.]

*Gag—*

Something hot rose in my throat.

Spitting it out, I saw pitch-black blood.

At this rate, I’d die.

Baal’s poison had ravaged my organs, bones, muscles, and skin.

The urge to collapse and sleep surged within me.

Couldn’t I rest, just a bit?

– ‘Hold yourself together! Have you forgotten your contract with me?!’

A thunderous voice struck my ears.

Well, thanks, Goddess.

Your noisy chatter snapped me awake.

If I’d fallen asleep here, I’d be on a one-way trip to the underworld.

I reached into my pocket.

Mid-grade potions, handed over by Park Jong-won’s party.

Each worth 50 million won, but now wasn’t the time to skimp.

A small price for survival.

I popped the cap and poured the contents down my throat.

‘Potions alone won’t cut it.’

I triggered *Regeneration* to amplify the potion’s effects.

Two bottles, three.

I doused my body like I was showering in potions, activating *Regeneration* alongside.

[Blessing of the Earth Mother applied.]

[Detected poison from another constellation. Blessing of the Earth Mother effect doubled.]

The swamp counted as earth, apparently, as the *Blessing of the Earth Mother* boosted the healing effect.

– ‘Oh, ohh. Your countless wounds are healing.’

*Pop!*

After dousing the final potion, my trembling body stabilized.

“Haa.”

A pained sigh escaped me.

I thought I was a goner.

Alternating between potions and Regeneration, I barely salvaged my crumbling body.

‘Barely, at least.’

I collapsed onto the mud pile, or rather, the Swamp King’s corpse.

My fingers trembled like aspen leaves.

I didn’t even have the strength to lift one.

Baal’s venom had wrecked my body, and my internal energy was drained.

Surviving was a miracle.

– ‘Truly reckless. Had you been even slightly weaker, you would have died.’

“I know.”

I squeezed out a reply.

– ‘If you perish, I will fall back into slumber. Why fight so recklessly?’

“Luck was on my side. Maybe because you were with me, Goddess.”

– ‘Hmph, Then you should be grateful.’

In truth, it had nothing to do with Nyx.

But saying this seemed to soften her anger a bit.

Baal was leagues beyond the Swamp King.

Charging in was my best shot at victory.

There was no guarantee of winning.

‘If I’d tested the waters against Baal, I’d have lost for sure.’

If I’d kept my distance like with the Swamp King, Baal’s curses would’ve overwhelmed me, and I’d have been swallowed by the swamp.

I had to trust in his mana depletion and go for a quick finish.

I owe the Hwarang Guild prospects some thanks.

Without them, I’d have died face-down in the swamp, no reward for slaying Baal’s vessel.

[The tower is calculating rewards.]

[Due to the intervention of the constellation ‘Master of the Corrupted Throne,’ difficulty has spiked.]

[Calculating rewards commensurate with difficulty will take time.]

[Please wait.]

Hah.

I’ve never seen the system throw such a fit.

Not in my past life or this one.

‘The ancient gods control the tower system.’

Administrators.

Those who lost their divine names and faded can’t step into the spotlight.

So, cloaked in black robes, they operate under the alias of Administrators.

Baal, using his tower share as leverage, caused an anomaly in the system.

They’d have to curb him while ensuring I get fitting rewards.

The law of the Tower of Babel!

I don’t know which ancient god oversees this tutorial stage, but they’re probably tearing their hair out right now.

“They’ll sort out the rewards properly.”

*Splatter.*

I stretched out my arms and legs, lying in the mud.

Even the squelchy sensation felt welcoming now.

“Goddess, one favor.”

– ‘Speak.’

“Wake me if anyone comes.”

– ‘Leave the watch to me. None shall slip past my gaze.”

A hidden boss that wasn’t even in my pre-regression knowledge.

And with the Master of the Corrupted Throne making an appearance, I rested in anticipation of what the Tower’s Administrators would grant me.

Dangun

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