The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - M.L.U.B.D Chapter 4 (Part 2):

I stopped before a massive sand pit.

Hundreds of tumbleweeds, gathered in one place, were caught in a swirling vortex and sucked inside.

The same shape as an Antlion’s trap—

But.

Laurent had observed something else in the vortex.

Antlions don’t eat tumbleweeds.

The proof? Even large tumbleweeds entering the pit weren’t consumed.

Yet, at the center of the Wasteland’s winds, tumbleweeds were swallowed whole.

‘Just as I thought.’

Nodding to myself, I recalled Laurent’s knowledge.

Descending into that pit would lead to Rainbow Island’s hidden space—the [Forgotten Temple].

The image of the shredded Ironclad Armadillo flickered in my mind—

But I felt no fear.

In my past life, I had faced far worse sights countless times.

There were moments when my own state had been far more gruesome.

So there was no reason to hesitate…

“Not for me.”

Muttering to myself as if making a vow, I stepped into the sand pit.

[You have stepped into an Antlion’s trap.]
[Friction coefficient reduced by 80%.]

My feet sank.

No wonder the armadillo couldn’t escape.

[Skill] adjusted effect.

If I wanted, I could use [Mighty Strike] to break free.

‘But I must resist for now.’

I ignored the blaring warnings of instinct.

The moment I reached the center of the sand pit—

Instead of an Antlion’s pincer jaws, something hard met my foot.

Digging through the sand with both hands, I uncovered an iron door.

I yanked the handle with force.

In that instant, blinding light seared my vision.

[You have discovered the Altar of the War God.]

* * *

[Your current location: Altar of the War God.]
[You are the first to discover the Altar of the War God in the Tutorial Stage. Strength and Agility +2.]

As expected of a hidden space.

Just discovering it boosted my stats by 4.

‘So far, so good.’

I surveyed my surroundings.

A square chamber, roughly 100 pyeong (~330 m²) in size.

The only notable feature was a single gladius thrust upward from the floor.

The name “War God.”

And the gladius.

Even without Laurent’s intel, I could guess the identity of this temple’s master.

“Ares.”

The legitimate son of the king of the gods, Zeus.

The god presiding over war.

Though high-ranking among the Olympians, modern perceptions of him weren’t favorable.

‘He inherited too much of Zeus’ worst traits.’

A womanizer. A thug.

Ares was widely seen as a brat who relied solely on brute force.

When I’d met him, that image wasn’t entirely wrong.

But he was also vain—stroke his ego right, and he’d shower you with rewards.

I placed a hand on the gladius.

[Altar of the War God]
[A shrine dedicated to Ares, the god of war.]
[Ares values bloodshed, violence, and conflict above all. Satisfy him, and you shall receive a worthy reward.]
[Will you accept Ares’ trial?]

“Of course.”

A hidden god’s altar in the Tutorial.

Overcoming its trial promised immense rewards.

Even if I failed, death wasn’t a risk—this was still the Tutorial.

Not that I planned to fail.

▶ Hidden Quest – You have accepted Ares’ Trial.
▶ Objective: Defeat the Dragonfang Soldier (Weakened).

A knight clad in golden full-plate armor.

Only his eyes were visible, burning with crimson light.

The Dragonfang Soldier—forged from dragon teeth—gripped Ares’ symbol, the gladius.

Goosebumps prickled my arms.

A razor-sharp aura radiated from the soldier’s entire body.

Hmm. I couldn’t gauge his stats, but his presence alone felt no lesser than the original.

The gladius was so large that the soldier gripped it with both hands.

At that size, wouldn’t it be more accurate to call it a Zweihänder? [T/N: Zweihänder, a large two-handed sword.]

「Are you the challenger?」

“That’s right.”

「I hope your skill is worthy of bringing glory to the War God.」

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

I circled the Dragonfang Soldier slowly.

Full-plate armor.

At a glance, there were no gaps to exploit.

If there were no openings—

I’d just have to make some.

「Trying to find a weakness?」

The Dragonfang Soldier pivoted unnaturally fast.

Reacting to my killing intent, it swung the gladius downward in a vertical arc.

A blade descending toward my skull.

“No. I’m not looking for one—I’m creating it.”

I’d already known he’d react to my intent.

The gladius’ range.

His speed relative to his stats.

I’d moved after calculating everything, including reaction time.

At the last moment, I braked just outside the blade’s reach.

*Clang!*_ The gladius struck the ground.

I lunged again, aiming for the now-exposed gap in his chest plate.

「Challenger, I can defeat the likes of you even without a weapon.」

The Dragonfang Soldier lowered his shoulders slightly, releasing the gladius.

He seemed confident in his armor’s defense—

A mistake.

[Mighty Strike activated.]
[Deals damage equal to 300% of the user’s Strength stat.]

A skill I’d gained by devouring the Essence of Mighty Baby Uturi.

With quadrupled force, I struck the joint between shoulder and pauldron.

*Crash!*_ The connecting metal crumpled under the impact.

Unable to fully dissipate [Mighty Strike]’s force, the Dragonfang Soldier was sent flying 10 meters back.

「What… was that power?」

“What’s wrong? Something not working?”

The Essence of Mighty Baby Uturi.

Its effect was undeniable.

My arm trembled from the recoil of channeling such force—

But it was more than enough to topple a weakened Dragonfang Soldier.

「Not bad, challenger.」

The soldier swung the gladius relentlessly.

Each strike carried lethal intent.

A single misstep would mean a fatal wound.

Without any armor, every moment was perilous.

But.

Compared to my past life’s battles, this was child’s play.

Had I learned martial arts, I could’ve pressured him more efficiently.

For now, I had to rely on my past life’s experience to guide the fight.

Dodging the flurry of slashes, I landed two more [Mighty Strike] hits.

「A fluke? Or…」

The Dragonfang Soldier shook his head, visibly confused.

His offensive slowed.

“Come on. Let’s give Ares a fight worth his attention.”

I smirked.

Dangun

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