The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring – Chapter 15

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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My fist collided head-on with the Talonflame’s beak.

Kwaang!

Although two creatures made of flesh had collided, a sound similar to an explosion shook the mountain slope.

From my hand to my shoulder…

The thorn carapaces I had deployed in preparation for the collision with the Talonflame were all completely shattered.

“Ssp…”

I furrowed my brow.

My shoulder throbbed.

The arm that had struck the Talonflame was flung back in the opposite direction and then hung down limply.

The way my shoulder was dangling, it seemed to have been dislocated.

By the way…

“That was close.”

I glanced at the ground.

The Talonflame had collapsed on the floor, its body twitching intermittently.

“Kkiruruk…….”

The shock seemed to have been too much for it.

What was frightening about the Talonflame was its phenomenal speed and attack power along with the fact that it flew in the sky.

In return, its toughness was abysmally weak.

Precise timing and power.

It meant that anyone could hunt it if they just satisfied those two factors.

Perhaps because it had received a lot of damage when it collided with my fist, the Talonflame dropped its head not long after.

“H-he really hunted the Talonflame.”

“What did I just see?”

The voices of the Hwarang rising stars were colored with astonishment.

What? Getting surprised over something like this…

I caressed the corpse of the Talonflame with my left hand.

A soft texture was transmitted through my palm.

Talonflame’s feathers were sought after as a material for crafting armor.

‘Now it’s my breakfast.’

I used [Predation] without a moment’s hesitation.

“Oh.”

A short exclamation flowed out from my lips.

I had expected to get an essence related to speed, but a much better skill was created instead.

A skill that saw through a target’s abilities.

Discernment-type skills were classified as top-notch even in the Tower.

The effectiveness of the [Eagle Eye] skill was insufficient to be called a proper ‘discernment’ skill…

But as I climbed the Tower and absorbed related essences, I would be able to strengthen it further with synergy effects.

As I predated the Talonflame’s essence, my dislocated shoulder returned to its original position.

My arm was still tingling, but I had no problem moving it.

‘To think that I’d be able to hunt this birdbrain so quickly.’

The Talonflame’s sphere of activity was the entire Mount Emirate.

If I hadn’t fought with the Hwarang rising stars, including Park Jongwon, it would have been difficult for me to draw its attention.

The explosions created by magic…

The sound of my [Howl]…

The cold sound of metal clashing…

The various sounds that had occurred during the battle had rung out thunderously on the mountain slope.

It was a perfect situation to attract the attention of a predator.

In a sense, the foolish actions of the Hwarang rising star team had helped me.

This must be fate, so it would be nice if they could cooperate with me a little more.

“Even if you’re leaving, you should at least say goodbye.”

I turned my body.

Behind me, the Hwarang rising stars, who had been about to leave the battlefield with silenced footsteps, flinched.

Deudeudeu!

[Sharp Claws] scattered an eerie light.

The faces of the Hwarang rising stars turned pale.

Even Park Jongwon, who had fought bravely to the very end, looked at my claws with a stiff expression.

I grinned.

“I’ll let you live.”

Coming here was your decision, but you have to pay a toll when you leave.

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After a peaceful negotiation, I managed to get 5 intermediate potions from the Hwarang rising stars.

“Goodbye, and let’s meet again next time.”

I waved my hand while watching the Hwarang rising stars go down the mountain slope.

The rising stars descended the mountain without even turning their heads.

It seemed like they wanted to get away from me as soon as possible.

I didn’t know that I would get potions like this.

I looked at the sloshing red liquid with a pleased expression.

The recovery speed and effectiveness of potions differed depending on their grade.

An intermediate one was at a level where you could reattach an arm or a leg even if it was cut off.

Though it would take some time.

Five potions were enough as insurance for a dangerous situation.

‘Even if I don’t use them, I can just sell them after this.’

If I converted these intermediate potions to cash, it would be about 50 million won.

I didn’t know about the me from before my regression, but for the current me living in 2025, it was an incredibly large sum of money.

If possible, I should save them as much as I can and then sell them for their proper price in the outside world!

While they were handing over the intermediate potions, one of the Hwarang rising stars shouted, as if in a last ditch effort.

“Are you not afraid of the Hwarang Guild’s retaliation?”

“Nope. Go ahead and report it. That you got your potions stolen by another player.”

Eudeudeuk.

The Hwarang rising star who had spoken ground his teeth, his face bright red.

The one who gets hit is the idiot.

I snorted.

Hwarang would be so thrilled if he told them about it.

A rising star was, at the end of the day, a player burdened with ‘expectations’.

To be suppressed and have your potions stolen in the tutorial stage by a player who hadn’t even received the support of a prominent guild?

The moment he reported that, he could be kicked out of Hwarang.

Or he would have to return all the equipment given to him and pay back the money invested in him while doing the guild’s menial chores day in and day out.

When this news reached the Hwarang Guild, it was obvious who would lose out more.

Right. Now that my level has also risen, I should distribute my stats.

“Status Window.”

I looked at the status window with a pleased expression.

Looking only at the recorded information, I was at the level of a veteran player of the lower floors of the Tower, not a tutorial participant.

Wow, knowing future knowledge was truly amazing.

Thanks to steadily accumulating essences with [Predation], all of my stats had exceeded 50.

On top of that, with the effect of [Dragon’s Heart], my mana stat accumulated bit by bit every time I used Predation.

For the time being, I won’t be short on mana no matter how many skills I use.

‘There’s still a long way to go.’

Kkuuuk!

I clenched my hands tightly and ignited my fighting spirit.

The true enemies hidden behind the Tower.

To face the Old Gods, I had to become stronger more quickly.

I had to monopolize the secrets hidden in the Tower.

Only by swallowing up all the essences of monsters with [Predation] could I obtain the power to defeat the Old Gods.

After igniting my fighting spirit once again, I put a hand in my pocket.

The wooden doll.

It was the reward I had gotten from the basic training ground.

While I was fighting one battle after another, 12 hours had passed before I knew it, and it had become usable again.

I had to make sure to take care of things like this on time.

I firmly pressed the button on the doll’s nape with my right hand.

The 10-centimeter-sized doll grew as large as a person.

I was now used to the doll growing larger.

I cut off the neck of the doll, which had copied my face, with my extended claws.

Kyah, luck was on my side.

The number of essences I had predated so far was 11.

The wooden doll had copied the essence I wanted to get the most among them.

How nice would it be if it were always like this.

If I kept using the wooden doll, I would be able to perfectly collect this essence someday.

Haaam-

Just when I was burning with motivation, a yawn full of sleepiness came out of my mouth.

‘Now that I think about it, I haven’t slept a wink.’

I hadn’t had a proper rest even once since entering the tutorial stage.

Even with the [Blessing of the Earth Mother Goddess] and [Predation], I couldn’t completely wash away my fatigue.

Before my regression, I hadn’t felt sleepy even after moving for days and nights.

When I entered the Tower of Babel, I had moved according to that memory without even realizing it.

‘I should rest a bit.’

Taking a rest was also an extension of battle.

I turned my body around and entered the red cave again.

Mount Emirate was made up of a rocky area, so there were almost no trees.

It was obvious that I would be clearly exposed to the sight of monsters if I was sleeping outside.

[Thorn Carapace.]

Just in case, I had clad my entire body in carapaces.

This reminded me of the old days.

How long had it been since I had slept like this while maintaining tension?

I gently closed my eyes after having sharpened my nerves to the point where I could wake up immediately even if I heard a small sound.

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Eum

I let out a short groan.

The fatigue that had been clouding my head had disappeared completely.

Fortunately, nothing special happened while I was sleeping.

Because I had kept my nerves sharp, I would have woken up from my sleep immediately if an energy like fighting spirit or killing intent had been directed at me.

I curled and uncurled my fingers and toes.

My body reacted instantly.

Thanks to having rested, my physical condition was now at its peak.

‘Now, let’s move.’

I pushed my body into the crack of the rock.

The moment I came out of the cave, the sunlight hanging over the mountain slope struck my eyes.

“Ack, eye-blinding.”

Coming out after being in a dark place, the light felt even more intense to me.

I squeezed my eyes shut and then slowly opened them.

On one side, I saw the sunlight, which was gradually fading.

On the opposite side, a round moon began to show its form.

A form that was completely full, unlike the day before.

Although it was still hidden by the sunset and couldn’t emit light yet, it was definitely a full moon.

‘I thought it would be today or tomorrow.’

I fiddled with my pocket.

Deureureuk- deureuk-.

The Moonstones inside made a noise as they knocked against each other.

I was glad that I had pushed myself to buy the Moonstones on the first day.

If I had gone to the company now and then returned to Mount Emirate, I would have been short on time.

‘I’m lucky.’

With a smile on my face, I moved forward while stepping on the mountain slope.

The goal of this mountain climb was the summit of Mount Emirate.

To be precise, it was the long cliff below the mountain summit.

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T/N – Lol, that bird boss monster went down in one hit. That’s a bit anticlimactic. Then again, they did say it was a glass cannon, so I guess the difficulty is in actually hitting it.

Also, full status screen reveal in this chapter. The MC is chugging along quite nicely. I wonder what skill the MC will get with that Tyrannosaurus essence?

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.