The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring – Chapter 2

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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I skimmed through the internet at a fast speed.

My main search targets were relics, or the remains or fossils of ancient creatures.

[Perfectly formed mammoth fossil, sold at auction for 15.4 billion…….]

[Oldest statue of Vishnu in Indian history discovered in Mohenjo-daro…….]

[Greek government requested the return of relics from Britain, but was rejected…….]

Before my regression…

After completely understanding the secret of [Predation], I had fanatically collected old relics and remains of ancient creatures.

I’ll have to do that this time as well, right?

I opened my bank account app.

[NG Bank – Balance 11,956,450]

It was an amount that felt unreal to me when compared to my memories from before my regression.

My mind went blank.

Was I this much of a beggar?

I belatedly recalled what situation the 23-year-old me was in.

I had diligently saved money during my military service, and I had even received tuition money from my grandfather.

And yet, I couldn’t even get a whiff of a relic back then, let alone buy one.

I recalled my knowledge from before the regression while stroking my chin.

Was there a relic I could obtain even without money on hand?

While retracing my memories from before my regression…

“Ah, right!”

A memory came to my mind.

The year 2030.

In Korea, a Tyrannosaurus fossil, the likes of which had never been excavated before, had appeared.

The most perfect fossil.

It was a tremendous discovery that changed the history of archaeology.

I think the winning bid at that time was 62 billion won.

I remember that an American capitalist had won the bid.

But in the year 2025, it was possible to obtain that fossil with a mere 1 million won.

How, you ask?

I just have to excavate it myself!

At that time, I was very interested in that fossil.

Perhaps because of that, I remembered it in more detail than other relics or fossils.

To think I thought that the army was the end of my shoveling.

I made a self-deprecating laugh as I put on my clothes.

From now on, it was time to act.

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Clatter- clatter-

The train moved quickly along the straight-laid tracks.

I organized my thoughts while looking at the scenery passing by beyond the window.

‘Before my regression, I really took the long way around.’

The potential of [Predation] is immense.

If I predate the essence of monsters, relics, or ruins, I can extract stats and unique abilities.

However, it took about 3 years for me to stand out as a player.

It was due to my lacking basic abilities.

At first, I was ostracized from parties because of my ability’s penalty.

A bitter smile lingered on my lips.

Making the value of a monster’s corpse zero.

That was the side effect of the [Predation] ability.

Potions.

Artifacts.

Magitech engines.

Including those three, the byproducts from corpses were used in all sorts of fields.

A monster’s corpse was treated as the new treasure of the 21st century.

-The ability to turn gold into shit.

A derogatory phrase other players had attached to [Predation].

In the early days of entering the Tower, I had to move in a team, so there were many times where I couldn’t use Predation.

In the end, that hesitation became the shackles that slowed my growth.

‘Not anymore.’

If things went according to my thoughts, I wouldn’t need to move in a team in the early parts of the Tower anymore.

Primeval species.

It was the essence of the most powerful creature that was obtainable on Earth.

‘Commonly called dinosaurs.’

In middle school science, they taught that the reason dinosaurs went extinct was because of a meteorite.

Actually, that is incorrect.

Dinosaurs weren’t defeated by a meteorite that fell from space, but by the Old Gods of the Tower of Babel.

The essences that could be absorbed with [Predation] have their own grades.

Myth > Legend > Ancient > Rare > Common

A total of five grades.

The higher the grade of the essence, the more powerful the stats and unique abilities it possessed.

The essence of a primeval species was Legend grade.

Just one step below Myth grade.

What creature is a higher grade than a primeval species, you ask?

The ten-headed dragon, Hydra.

The calamity god of the sea, Leviathan.

The evil dragon Fafnir, and so on.

Beings with high status and power was where the so-called Myth-grade essences came from.

Though at my current level, I would be blown away by a single snort from such beings.

‘If I can obtain a Legend-grade essence in advance, it’s possible for me to climb up much faster.’

I sincerely hoped that my memory wasn’t wrong.

-Our train will be arriving at Jeonju, Jeonju Station shortly. Please check to make sure you do not leave any belongings behind.-

A deep voice echoed in my ear.

I stretched out fully and went to the cargo car.

‘Clank,’ the heavy feel in my hands made my eyes furrow on their own.

“Damn, this is heavy.”

I packed my luggage while grumbling to myself.

While clutching the heavy bag tightly, I left the tile-roofed Jeonju Station.

Just outside, taxis were lined up in front of the station while waiting for tourists.

“Could you open the trunk, please?”

Clunk-

As I pushed the bag through the opened door, the taxi swayed.

“Aigoo, customer. You seem to have a lot of travel luggage.”

“Well, yes.”

I answered with a reluctant look.

It would be nice if it were travel luggage.

Very unfortunately, I wasn’t going for tourism but to work.

“Where shall I take you?”

“Please go to 48-7, Kongji-Patji-ro.”

“Kongji… What-yo?”

“Ah, it’s not a tourist spot, just a mountain.”

I showed him the navigation coordinates I had saved in advance.

A look of bewilderment spread across the taxi driver’s face.

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The taxi, which had been driving up a mountain road for a long while, came to a stop.

“Is this the right place, customer?”

The taxi driver looked at me with a gaze mixed with suspicion.

“Yes. Thank you.”

I took down my luggage and looked around.

I saw an unpaved road barely wide enough for one car to pass.

To the side, a hill covered with nameless weeds came into view.

‘Yes. He definitely said it was around here.’

Five years from now.

During road construction to secure traffic on the outskirts of the city, a dinosaur fossil will be discovered.

That was the fossil which was sold for over 60 billion won!

That discovery site was right here.

After confirming that the taxi was getting farther away, I calmly pulled down the zipper on my bag.

“First, shall I unpack my things?”

Two pickaxes, three shovels, a one-person tent. And even extra food like bread and drinks.

I had packed up with the resolve to stay out here for several days.

I skillfully set up my tent and immediately picked up a pickaxe.

Thwack! Thwack!

The blade of the pickaxe split the hardened ground, and I scooped out the dirt with a shovel.

Perhaps because I had regressed to when I had just been discharged, the knack of digging was ingrained in my body, which made things much easier.

“I wonder if I should be happy about this.”

I smiled bitterly as I swung my pickaxe repeatedly.

There was still a lot of ground to dig up.

‘I came here knowing this wasn’t a job that would end in a day or two.’

I shoveled silently.

Blisters formed on my hands, and I was constantly out of breathe, but I worked with minimal rest.

My only consolation was that it was autumn, so there were no mosquitoes.

The mosquitoes in the mountains, the so-called Aedes mosquitoes, were famous for being vicious.

When I got tired from swinging my pickaxe, I would sit on the ground.

When I was hungry, I ate the bread I had put in my bag.

When the sun set, I would lie down in the tent to rest.

‘I can’t expose my body to the night dew.’

Before my regression, I had camped in even worse environments than this.

It was uncomfortable not being able to wash up, but I wouldn’t go down the mountain until I achieved results.

The food I brought was for 10 days.

I wouldn’t leave this spot until my strength ran out.

1 day.

3 days.

And 7 days.

A week passed by in a flash, but I couldn’t find a single piece of bone.

‘Don’t doubt.’

I believed in myself.

I knew well that the moment I lost faith in myself, I would collapse just like that.

While I was swinging my pickaxe mechanically as usual.

A ‘kaang-‘ sound struck my ears.

“Is it a rock again?”

No, the feel in my hands was a little different this time.

It felt hard, but unlike a rock, it was crumbling.

I threw away my pickaxe and caressed the area I had just struck with my hand.

Sniff- sniff sniff-

A strong scent stimulated my nose.

My [Predation] ability had detected a delicious-looking essence.

“Found it.”

I grinned and used Predation.

It was worth swinging the pickaxe until my blisters burst.

The bone of a Tyrannosaurus.

Although it was an extremely small part, the essence dwelling within the fossil was real.

“This is the taste!”

I didn’t hide my excitement.

The memory from the past, no, what had become the distant future, wasn’t wrong.

How hard had I tried to shake off the doubts that arose every time I swung my pickaxe.

This was thee sweet fruit I had obtained as a reward for my patience.

By the way…

‘The Predation skill’s penalty is still the same even after regressing.’

A complete Tyrannosaurus fossil held immense value.

However, the bone that had its essence absorbed shattered into pieces to the point where it was difficult to recognize what it was anymore.

The crumbled fossil was now no different from the rocks scattered on the ground.

‘It’s not like I didn’t know this would happen.’

I had no regrets.

I mustered my strength and picked up the pickaxe.

The effect of [Predating] the primeval species’ essence was applied to my status immediately.

Thud!

The pickaxe blade lodged itself much deeper this time.

Thanks to the strength increased by [Predation], the work became easier.

How much longer had I dug up the ground?

Finally, the fossil of the dinosaur called by the moniker of ‘Tyrant,’ the Tyrannosaurus, revealed its form.

“I’ll eat it well.”

I suppressed the thrill of accomplishment in my heart and caressed the fossil with a trembling hand.

Hoo-

I let out a short sigh.

“This is incredible.”

The rumors that said that it was a fossil that was preserved perfectly.

They were by no means an exaggeration.

The essence absorbed through [Predation] breathed vitality into my body.

An unprecedented power surged through me.

So much so that I wanted to test it out right away!

My stats rose exponentially even though I hadn’t gained a single level yet.

‘I didn’t get a skill, but still… This is great, right?’

I grinned.

When you gain one level, you get 5 bonus stats.

The stats I gained from predating the essence dwelling in this one fossil were about 110.

It was the same as gaining 22 levels before entering the Tower of Babel.

“Hehehe.”

I savored the power boiling up from within my body.

With this much, I won’t get beaten up in the tutorial stage.

‘As expected, I can’t complete the essence with just one fossil.’

If I absorb 100% of the corresponding essence, the true power of [Predation] activates.

Well, there will always be opportunities to obtain the essence of a primeval species.

What was important now was that I had gained enough power to be self-sufficient in the tutorial.

I thought of my next destination.

Greece. The home of the most famous ‘myth’ on Earth.

“But how do I go down in this state?”

My clothes were caked with dirt and sweat.

It seemed like I should be worried about returning home first before thinking about going to a foreign country.

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T/N – Damn, so the dinosaurs got done in by the gods instead of a meteorite? Call the scientific community! 😂

Or maybe the dinosaurs did get wiped out by a meteorite, but it was actually summoned by the gods?

Why the fuck am I fixating on this? 😅

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