The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - M.L.U.B.D Chapter 9 (Part 1):

A dense forest of 30-meter-tall trees.

This was the woodland region located in the western part of Rainbow Island.

“Keeek…!”

The ruler of this forest, the Furious Ape, shuddered as its head slumped forward.

*Thud!* Park Jun-seok yanked the blade embedded in the Furious Ape’s nape free.

“Wow, as expected of Hwarang Guild’s rising star, Park Jun-seok. You’re in a league of your own.”

“To think he’d take down the Furious Ape in a single blow.”

“Wasn’t that move just now the Swift Advance Strike? To wield a 3-star skill so masterfully.”

“Not only did he master a 3-star skill, but to hit the vital point with such precise timing! Truly incredible!”

The party members showered Park Jun-seok with praise.

A prodigy nurtured by Korea’s top-ranked guild, Hwarang.

Every piece of equipment he wore was among the finest available for his level.

With his exceptional skills and high-tier gear, it was no surprise he had taken down the Furious Ape on the first day of the tutorial.

Yet, despite this feat, Park Jun-seok’s expression remained grim.

—
[Current Location: Floor 0 – Rainbow Island]

*Field Bosses*
– Giant Serpent *Nessie* – Alive
– Wolf King *Seorin* – Alive
– Deep Slime – Deceased (Hunter: Yu Jin-Ho)
– Respawn in: 163:52:19
– Furious Ape – Deceased (Hunter: Park Jun-seok)
– Respawn in: 167:59:31
…

*Points Acquired*
1st – Yu Jin-Ho (407 pts)
2nd – Park Jun-seok (131 pts)
3rd – Jeong Shin-ho (63 pts)
4th – Oh Ji-Won (53 pts)
5th – Lee Do-young (45 pts)
—

Park Jun-seok’s eyes turned icy.

‘I’m… not first?’

131 points.

An overwhelming score compared to others on the leaderboard—yet ironically, that very description applied to himself.

The gap between him and the top-ranked Yu Jin-Ho was more than double.

‘This is impossible.’

Three deep furrows creased Park Jun-seok’s forehead.

In the tutorial stage, killing regular monsters granted 1 point, while bosses awarded 100 points.

His leap to 2nd place was solely thanks to slaying the Furious Ape.

‘That bastard Yu Jin-Ho. How the hell did he farm 400 points in such a short time?!’

Park Jun-seok racked his brain for memories of before entering the Tower.

Oh Ji-Won, Jeong Shin-ho, Lee Do-young—all were sponsored players from major guilds, just like him.

Was Jin-Ho the same?

But no matter how hard he thought, the name Yu Jin-Ho rang no bells.

‘No guild backing, yet he hunted the Deep Slime?’

Heh heh— Park Jun-seok let out a dry laugh.

“That can’t be right.”

“Is something wrong, Player Park Jun-seok?”

“It’s nothing.”

Park Jun-seok shook his head from side to side.

The player who’d called out to him shrugged and approached the Furious Ape’s corpse.

‘This won’t do.’

The Hwarang Guild had invested heavily in this tutorial stage.

If Park Jun-seok failed to deliver results worthy of that investment…

‘I’ll plummet straight to the bottom.’

Hwarang demanded returns proportionate to their investments.

Just last season, a promising rookie had made a critical mistake during the tutorial—support was immediately cut off.

All guild-supplied gear became debt, trapping them with no escape.

*Grind.*

Park Jun-seok’s molars ground together.

With dead eyes, he stared back at the ranking window.

‘Yu Jin-Ho.’

A rival he had to surpass for the future he envisioned.

As if vowing never to forget that name, he glared at the stage status with murderous intensity.

***

“Grrr! Woof!”

“Awooo!”

A pack of Silver Fangs charged, tails lashing.

*Hey, kids.*

*Aren’t you overdoing the welcome?*

[Sharp Claws activated.]

Mana surged into the claws extending from my fingertips as I swung forward.

A blue arc sliced through the air.

Drops of blood hung suspended for a split second before scattering.

“Grrk!”

“Woof! Woof!”

The Silver Fangs encircled me, baring razor-sharp fangs and claws.

A formation specialized for pack hunting.

But here’s the thing—I’ve got those claws too, you know?

[Armor activated.]

[Infusing Mana into Sharp Claws.]

As long as I have the means to finish off a Silver Fang in one blow, there’s no need to fear an all-out battle!

*Splurt!*

Blood sprayed in all directions.

One strike each—throats and hearts torn open by my claws.

[Armor durability reduced by 26%.]
[Armor durability…]

Meanwhile, the fangs and claws of the Silver Fangs never touched me.

“Grrr?!”

A few turned tail and fled.

The moment they sensed defeat, they chose escape.

*Well.*

*Run if you want.*

I didn’t bother chasing.

If they brought back more, I wouldn’t have to go looking for them.

[Using Devour on Silver Fang.]

Just because I’d collected all their Essences didn’t mean Devour’s usefulness had diminished.

Health and mana recovery.

Now was the time for [Dissolution] and [Dragon’s Heart] to shine.

I’d used about one-fifth of my Mana in the fight against the Silver Fang pack.

Using Devour on the scattered corpses quickly restored it.

The value of the Silver Fang corpses dropped to zero, but right now, getting stronger fast was more important.

After taking down several Silver Fang packs, my level had gone up by 4.

*Shouldn’t that guy be showing up by now?*

“Awoooooo!!!”

A bestial roar shook the air.

[You have been exposed to the Wolf King’s Howl.]
[Strength and Agility reduced by 10% for 20 seconds.]

My body tingled.

The debuff effect of the roar had kicked in.

“Not exactly a gentleman, are you?”

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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