The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - M.L.U.B.D Chapter 7 (Part 1):

After stepping away, I checked my status window.

Thanks to the consecutive battles, I’d gained two levels.

Maybe because this was the entrance to the Tower of Babel.

The speed at which experience points piled up was incredible.

+10 stat points.

Compared to the stats I’d boosted through [Devour] so far, the level-up rewards felt a bit underwhelming.

Why did I take so long to utilize this in my past life?

[Level: 3]
[Strength: 40.6 → 46.6]
[Agility: 34.2 → 38.2]

After distributing my stats, I scanned for my next prey.

“Slurp?”

A few Slimes were in sight, but I ignored them.

I’ve already sucked all your essences dry, you know.

Slime corpses were a key ingredient for potion-making, selling for a decent price—500,000 won per unit.

But I had no intention of wasting time for pocket change.

I quickened my pace, leaving the Slimes behind.

After trekking through the wasteland for a while—

“Grrrk.”
“Grk?”

—I spotted a pack of Ironclad Armadillos roaming near the 〔Forgotten Temple〕.

They noticed me too.

“Hello?”

I gave a slight wave.

“GRRRLRK!”
“GRRK!”

The pack snarled, then rolled into balls.

Quite the enthusiastic welcome.

“GRRRLRK!”

Ten gray spheres began spinning.

The “Ironclad” in their name wasn’t just for show.

Their tough shells.

For a Day 1 tutorial player, dealing damage to them while they were rolled up was next to impossible.

But that didn’t mean they were invincible.

They had a weakness.

The Ironclad Armadillos’s shell only protected its front.

Their flanks—the axis of rotation—were exposed.

I read their charge trajectory and sidestepped.

The Ironclad Armadillo brushed past me by a hair’s breadth.

Seizing the moment, I struck its exposed side.

“Grk…!”

It tumbled to the ground with a shriek.

“Your path’s too predictable.”

Once they committed to a charge, they moved in a straight line.

If you timed it right, hitting its weak spot was a piece of cake.

The remaining gray spheres came at me in waves.

I deflected their charges with minimal movement.

*Puhaak!*

Drops of blood painted the air as the armadillos fell one by one.

“GRRRLRK!”

One of them charged with a slight delay.

Oh-ho, this one’s got some learning ability.

But here’s the thing—there’s more than one way to deal with an Ironclad Armadillo.

I clenched my right fist tight.

[Mighty Strike activated.]

Power surged through every fiber of my muscles.

My fist crashed into the armadillo’s shell.

*Crunch!*

A section of its armor caved in.

Crimson blood seeped through the cracks.

“Tch. Hurts like hell.”

I shook my hand, grimacing.

Even with its high defensive power, the shell couldn’t absorb 100% of the impact.

If you couldn’t pierce it, you could still transfer force through it.

A normal Day 1 Player couldn’t brute-force it, but I was far from average.

Just looking at the total stats I’d raised with [Devour], I was on par with a Level 30 player.

Add to that the necklace I’d earned as a reward from the〔Forgotten Temple〕, the [Token of Valor].

It was more than enough to deal damage through their armors.

‘Though it’d be tough without using Mighty Strike.’

Their spinning could deflect even a sharp blade.

If I hadn’t focused my strength on a single point, my arm would’ve shattered instead.

Soon, the pack lay motionless on the barren ground.

[Devouring the essence of the Ironclad Armadillo.]
[Essence Grade: Common]
[Essence Devoured: 3.5%]
[Stamina + 0.1]
[Endurance + 0.2]

…

Wiping out the pack boosted my essence completion to nearly 1/3.

At this rate, I’d unlock their ability within 20 minutes.

*Grrrgle.*

My stomach growled loudly, still craving more.

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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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