The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - M.L.U.B.D Chapter 27 (Part 2):

This is my second time dipping into the lake.

It’s pretty cold, probably because it’s night.

Still better than a dry sauna, though.

After coming back from the volcanic region, entering the lake feels like going between a hot bath and a cold plunge.

The fish in the lake region are diurnal.

But even if they’re sleeping, they’re not oblivious to external stimuli.

I was on edge about waking the fish when I went to visit the Midron Trading Company.

This time, it’s the opposite—I need to wake the sleeping ones.

“Good luck.”

Oh Ji-Won’s voice came from behind.

He’s worried about me.

He’s sticking around in case this fishing trip goes south, ready to help.

What a meddlesome guy.

[Your feet have left the ground.]

[Blessing of the Earth Mother no longer applies.]

As I moved to a depth where my feet couldn’t touch the bottom, one of my blessings lost its effect.

I’d almost forgotten about it since it’s like a constant buff while roaming Rainbow Island.

– ‘Ho, so you’ve received a blessing from Gaia as well?’

Come to think of it, Nyx is a god on par with Gaia.

“Nah, it just showed up after I devoured some essence.”

– ‘A mortal consuming the essence of a god? Well… I suppose it’s not impossible for you, since you can wield divine power.’

“I’m kind of a big deal, you know.”

I quipped back to Nyx and pushed through the water with my arms and legs.

The sound of splashing echoed in the still center of the lake.

*Twitch.* One of the sleeping monsters stirred.

Iron-Scaled Fish.

A species with scales as hard as iron, the most common monster in the lake.

The freshly awakened Iron-Scaled Fish glared at me.

– ‘Only one is coming.’

“Perfect.”

I was worried I’d aggro a whole group of Iron-Scaled Fish if I made too much noise.

Guess the sound was just right.

The Iron-Scaled Fish spread its fins side to side and pushed through the water with force.

*Shoosh!*

The distance closed in an instant.

It was like watching a Spiked Boar or Horned Rabbit charge.

If this were on land, I could’ve reacted easily.

But in water with no foothold, all I could do was flail.

‘As expected.’

I didn’t panic. I slightly lowered my waist and steadied my stance underwater.

Having high Strength stats doesn’t make you invincible.

In a situation like this, where I can’t properly control my body, even with a Strength of 90, I can only use about 20 or 30.

It’s the same reason people can exert more force standing on solid ground than floating in water.

‘But holding my ground? That I can do.’

*Boom-!*

The charging Iron-Scaled Fish slammed into my abdomen.

[Spiked Armor’s durability has been reduced by 37%.]

One charge, and more than a third of my armor’s durability is gone.

The spikes on its surface couldn’t pierce the Iron-Scaled Fish’s tough hide and shattered instead.

“Player Yu Jin-Ho!”

Oh Ji-Won’s voice echoed faintly.

It’s hard to hear clearly underwater.

That guy, panicking already.

I told him—I’m the bait and the fishing rod!

– ‘Heh, that one seems to lack faith in you.’

Tell me about it.

Time to show him what I’m made of.

[Mighty Strike activated.]

In a situation like this, where I can’t hold a proper stance, Mighty Strike is more efficient than the Blood Claw Technique.

I wrapped my arms around the Iron-Scaled Fish and crushed its body with both hands.

Once it’s in my grasp like this, it’s way easier to apply force, right?

‘I’ll crush you.’

The Iron-Scaled Fish has high defense.

Rather than scratching its scales, this is the better way to take it down.

The Iron-Scaled Fish’s eyes bulged out.

Its exterior looks fine, but its internal organs must be starting to get crushed.

It twisted side to side, diving deeper.

This is why I spent time finding a shallow enough depth while circling the lake.

When Iron-Scaled Fish are at a disadvantage, they dive.

Going deeper would be dangerous.

Without panicking, I kept applying pressure, squeezing its body.

Two minutes, then three.

As time passed, the Iron-Scaled Fish’s movements grew sluggish.

The small problem?

‘This is exhausting as hell!’

My stamina’s draining fast too.

Fighting underwater like this is no joke.

With [Blessing of the Earth Mother] gone, it’s even tougher.

Since I’d always had its support during the tutorial stages, its absence feels especially stark.

But we’re almost there!

I can feel the Iron-Scaled Fish’s strength fading.

Finally—

*Crunch!* Its scales caved in, exposing its insides.

Its guts were reduced to mush.

[Gained 5.4% EXP.]

Its unfocused pupils glared at me with resentment.

What can I do?

If we’d fought on land, I could’ve ended you quicker and more comfortably.

As I devoured the Iron-Scaled Fish’s essence, its bulging eyes turned to dust.

“Phew.”

Hunting a single Iron-Scaled Fish took more effort than I expected.

I returned to the lakeshore.

“That was… incredible.”

“Incredible? It took me over four minutes to kill one.”

“You’re probably the only one who’d hunt a Iron-Scaled Fish like that.”

“That sounds like a backhanded compliment.”

“Ah… By the way, your clothes are all torn up. You okay?”

Huh?

At Oh Ji-Won’s words, I felt a sudden chill.

While grappling with the Iron-Scaled Fish, the scraps of clothing I had left were completely shredded.

*Ugh-* I let out a short groan.

[Spiked Armor] covers my whole body, so I’m not exactly in an embarrassing situation…

‘Still feels kinda weird.’

I didn’t expect my clothes to get torn up like this.

No way I brought spares.

“Hey, Hunter Yu Jin-Ho. Want me to lend you some of my spares?”

“Spares?”

“Yeah. They might be a bit big since I’m bulkier, but they should be wearable.”

I looked at Oh Ji-Won with moved eyes.

“Man, you’ve got some loyalty, huh?”

“If I think of it as repayment for saving my life, clothes are a small price to pay.”

This guy—unintentionally, but saving him was worth it!

“Wait. Hold off on the clothes.”

“Huh?”

“They’ll just get torn again if I keep going in and out of the lake.”

The monsters in the lake are no pushovers.

I’ll worry about clothes after I’ve devoured the essence of every monster in this lake.

I stared at the calm lake, burning with determination.

Dangun

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