The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - M.L.U.B.D Chapter 25 (Part 2):

The dark crimson aura rising from the ring seeped into my skin.

Immense energy.

Similar to when I had faced Gaia’s essence in Athens.

[The blessing from the Constellation ‘Master of the Corrupted Throne’ takes root within you.]

[Mana increases by 20.]

[Seven Deadly Sins – Blessing of Greed]

– Rank: EX
– Type: Active
– Blessing Rank: 1

The Demon God Baal, who presides over Greed among the Seven Deadly Sins.
The Blessing of Greed can erode any tool or substance.

Hold on. A Constellation’s blessing?

“Why is he giving this to me?!”

My eyes widened.

A god’s blessing isn’t easily obtained.

It’s a powerful ability granted only by choosing a Constellation as a Patron.

I managed to obtain [Blessing of the Earth Mother] because of the variable of Devour, but this was entirely different.

A Constellation directly granting a blessing carried no penalties or risks.

“Wow, this is insane.”

Baal had given me an incredible gift.

To receive a blessing without a Patron contract—unbelievable.

Seems I really caught his eye.

— ‘Contractor, what is that unpleasant power?’

“Oh, the Constellation I fought earlier shared some of his power as a gift.”

— ‘I haven’t even given my contractor a blessing yet, and another Constellation dares to take the lead?!’

Uh, I already have [Blessing of the Earth Mother], you know.

Check my status window properly.

— ‘Contractor, you’re not thinking of contracting with that mud clump instead of me, are you?’

“No way, I respect the order of things.”

My dear goddess.

With little knowledge of the Tower of Babel, she was desperate to hold onto me, her only tether.

“Maybe Baal gave me this to propose a Patron contract.”

— ‘Patron contract?’

“Yeah. Usually, blessings come after a Patron contract…”

I trailed off.

That Baal guy must really like my performance.

— ‘So if that mud clump offers a Patron contract, will you accept?’

“No way. You’re the only one for me, Goddess.”

— ‘Contractor!’

Nyx’s voice brimmed with emotion.

Well… even without Nyx, I had no intention of making a Patron contract.

A Patron contract is like a sponsorship deal in sports.

You get support for your activities, but occasionally, you must act on the Constellation’s orders.

A significant constraint.

With my knowledge from before regression, the cons outweighed the pros.

‘Especially once the Tower starts eroding the world.’

Constellations don’t care about Earth’s fate.

They’d even offer to transfer contracted players to other worlds.

Before regression, only a handful escaped the world’s end to a utopia.

I didn’t want that future.

Not that I’d refuse to use what I’d already received.

‘I’ll make good use of it, Lord Constellation.’

Grinning, I tested [Blessing of Greed].

The ability to erode anything.

I extended my hand toward the swamp and unleashed [Greed]’s power, dark crimson mana spreading like veins.

“Oh?”

The eroded mud felt like an extension of my flesh and muscle.

I infused more mana.

A portion of the swamp bubbled up.

The mud surged like the Swamp King, stretching into the form of a tentacle.

I swung the tentacle experimentally.

A nearby tree snapped with a *crack!*.

“So that’s how it works.”

I withdrew [Greed]’s mana.

The mud collapsed.

The [Blessing of Greed] from Baal allowed me to alter the properties of matter with my mana.

Strengthening or reshaping it.

But it consumed a lot of mana.

‘Not very cost-effective.’

The mana used to swing a mud whip could’ve cast ten [Energy Bolt]s.

Compared to [Blessing of the Earth Mother], its versatility came with much higher mana costs.

Its activation speed was slow for now.

Mastering [Blessing of Greed] would require plenty of trial and error.

‘If it’s erosion, could I use it like this?’

An idea struck me.

If it could erode anything… could it enhance my body?

[Sharp Claws Activated.]

Dark crimson aura cloaked my 20-centimeter-long claws.

*Twitch—twitch—*

As Greed’s power infused them, their sharpness intensified.

“It works?!”

I couldn’t reshape them freely like the mud.

But their cutting power increased, rivaling a 2-star skill.

[Sharp Claws – Erosion]

– Rank: ★★
– Type: Active

Enhances the cutting power and hardness of claws. Infusing mana deals additional damage.
Under the erosion of [Blessing of Greed]. Rank increased by one.

— ‘That dark crimson aura is that Constellation’s blessing?’

“Yup.”

— ‘It reeks unpleasantly.’

I shrugged.

Even if Nyx disliked it, I’d use any means to boost my combat ability.

I applied [Blessing of Greed] to [Spiked Armor].

Its durability and the menace of its spikes grew.

But even with [Dragon’s Heart]’s effect, mana drained slightly.

‘Perfect.’

With mana to spare, using [Blessing of Greed] was no burden.

A player with two divine blessings in the tutorial stage?

Across both my lives, I’m likely the only one.

“Oh, almost forgot.”

Even with Baal showering me with rewards, I mustn’t forget my roots.

My core is Devour.

Beneath me, the corpse of the Swamp King—possessed by Baal—melted into the mud.

[Maw of Gluttony] and Baal’s blessing.

Both were invaluable rewards unobtainable in the tutorial, but my feast wasn’t over.

“Heh heh, what’ll you give me?”

I stretched my palm toward the mud and activated [Devour].

The swamp’s moisture evaporated, and the piled earth turned to dust.

Finally.

As [Devour] fully absorbed the Swamp King’s essence, the surrounding 100 meters dried up completely.

The swamp itself must’ve been the ‘Swamp King.’

[You have devoured the Swamp King’s essence.]

[Essence Devoured: 100%]

[You have completely absorbed one species’ essence.]

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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