Unearthing the Tyrant's Essence
I skimmed through online sources at breakneck speed.
My primary targets were relics or the bodily remains and fossils of ancient creatures.
Perfectly preserved mammoth fossil auctioned for 15.4 billion...
Oldest Vishnu statue in Indian history discovered at Mohenjo-daro...
Greek government requests artifact repatriation from Britain, request denied...
Before my regression.
After I had fully unlocked the secrets of Devour, I obsessively collected relics and biological remains.
I would have to do the same this time.
I opened my banking app.
NG Bank — Balance: 11,956,450 KRW
Compared to my memories from before the regression, the amount felt jarring.
My mind went blank.
Was I really this broke?
I finally remembered what my situation had been like at twenty-three.
I had saved diligently during my military service and even received tuition money from my grandfather.
Even so, I couldn’t afford to so much as sniff at a relic.
I stroked my chin, dredging up knowledge from my previous life.
Weren’t there any relics I could obtain without money?
As I combed through those memories, one suddenly surfaced.
“Ah, that’s right!”
In 2030, a Tyrannosaurus fossil never before discovered in Korea would appear.
The most complete specimen ever found. A discovery that would rewrite the history of archaeology.
I remembered the winning bid being around 62 billion.
An American investor had taken it, if I recalled correctly.
But in 2025, I could claim that same fossil for a mere million won.
How?
By digging it up myself, of course.
Back then I had been deeply interested in that fossil, so the details had stuck with me far more clearly than anything else.
Looks like my military days of shoveling weren’t over after all.
A self-mocking smile tugged at my lips as I threw on some clothes.
It was time to move.
The train rattled rapidly along the endless tracks.
I stared out the window at the passing scenery and organized my thoughts.
In my last life, I really took the long way around.
The potential of Devour was incredible.
By consuming the essence of monsters, relics, or ruins, I could extract stats and unique abilities.
Yet it had still taken me three full years to stand out as a player.
The reason was my pathetic base stats.
In the beginning, the penalty had been so severe that parties rejected me outright.
A bitter smile crossed my face.
Rendering monster corpses completely worthless.
That was the side effect of Devour.
Potions. Artifacts. Magic engines.
Byproducts from monster corpses were used across every industry.
In the twenty-first century, monster remains were treated as a new form of treasure.
The ability to turn gold into shit.
The insulting nickname other players had given Devour.
In the early days of the Tower, parties were mandatory, so there were many times I couldn’t use it.
In the end, that hesitation had become the shackle that slowed my growth.
Not anymore.
If things went according to my plans, I wouldn’t need to move in parties during the Tower’s early stages.
Primordial species.
The strongest essence obtainable on Earth.
Commonly known as dinosaurs.
Middle-school science textbooks claimed an asteroid wiped them out.
That was wrong.
The dinosaurs had been defeated by the Old Gods of the Babel Tower, not a meteor.
Essences that could be absorbed through Devour had their own ranking system.
Myth > Legend > Ancient > Rare > Common.
Five grades in total.
The higher the grade, the more powerful the stats and unique abilities.
A primordial species essence was Legend-grade.
Just one step below Myth.
What ranked higher than primordial species?
The nine-headed dragon, Hydra.
The sea god of destruction, Leviathan.
The evil dragon Fafnir.
Beings of lofty status and power—Myth-grade essences.
At my current level, a single breath from any of them would knock me out cold.
If I can secure a Legendary essence ahead of time, I can shoot up much faster.
I could only hope my memories were accurate.
This train will soon arrive at Jeonju Station. Please ensure you have not left any belongings behind.
A deep voice echoed in my ears.
I stretched, then headed for the luggage car.
The heavy clunk made me frown instinctively.
“This thing weighs a ton.”
I grumbled to myself as I gathered my gear.
Gripping the heavy bag tightly, I left Jeonju Station with its tiled roof.
Taxis were lined up out front, waiting for tourists.
“Could you open the trunk, please?”
The bag slid in with a heavy thud that made the taxi rock.
“Goodness, sir. You must be carrying quite a lot for your trip.”
“Something like that.”
I answered awkwardly.
It would be nice if it were really travel luggage.
Unfortunately, I’m not here for sightseeing. I’m here to work.
“Where to?”
“48-7 Kongjwi Patjwi Road, please.”
“Kongjwi… what now?”
“Ah, it’s not a tourist spot. Just a mountain.”
I showed him the navigation coordinates I had saved earlier.
Bewilderment spread across the driver’s face.
After a long climb up the mountain road, the taxi finally stopped.
“Is this the right place?”
The driver looked at me with clear suspicion.
“Yes. Thank you.”
I unloaded my gear and scanned the surroundings.
A narrow unpaved road that could barely fit one car.
To the side rose a hill covered in nameless weeds.
Yeah. This is definitely the spot.
Five years from now, during road construction to improve traffic on the city outskirts, they would discover a dinosaur fossil.
The very same one that would sell for over sixty billion!
This was the exact location.
Once the taxi disappeared into the distance, I casually unzipped my bag.
“Time to unpack.”
Two pickaxes, three shovels, a one-person tent, plus spare food like bread and drinks.
I had packed for several nights outdoors.
I set up the tent with practiced hands and immediately grabbed a pickaxe.
Thud! Thud! The pickaxe split the hardened ground while the shovel cleared away the dirt.
Having regressed right after my discharge, the muscle memory made the work much easier.
“I can’t decide if I should be happy about that or not.”
I smiled bitterly and kept swinging the pickaxe.
There was still a lot of ground to cover.
I knew this wouldn’t be finished in a day or two.
I dug in silence.
Blisters formed on my hands and my breath grew ragged, but I only rested the bare minimum.
The one silver lining was that it was autumn, so there were no mosquitoes.
The mountain mosquitoes—nicknamed “Samdas Adidas”—were infamous for their vicious bites.
When I grew tired from swinging the pickaxe, I sat on the ground.
When hunger struck, I ate the bread from my bag.
When the sun set, I crawled into the tent to rest.
I can’t let night dew get on me.
In my previous life, I had camped in far worse conditions.
It was unpleasant not being able to wash, but I wouldn’t leave until I produced results.
I had brought ten days’ worth of food.
I wouldn’t move from this spot until my strength gave out.
Day one.
Day three.
Then day seven.
A full week flew by, yet I hadn’t found so much as a single bone fragment.
Don’t doubt yourself.
I trusted my own memories.
I knew that the moment you lost faith in yourself, everything would collapse.
As I swung the pickaxe with mechanical precision, a sharp clang rang out.
“Another rock?”
No, the sensation was slightly different.
It felt hard, yet unlike stone—something that actually shattered.
I tossed the pickaxe aside and ran my hand over the spot I had just struck.
Sniff—sniff—the strong scent stung my nose.
My Devour ability had detected a delicious essence.
“Found it.”
I grinned and activated the skill.
Devoured the essence of a Primordial Species — Tyrannosaurus.
Essence Grade: Legend
Essence Absorbed: 0.2%
Strength +0.5
Stamina +0.4
All that pickaxe work until my hands blistered had been worth it.
The Tyrannosaurus bone.
Though only a tiny fragment, the essence dwelling within the fossil was genuine.
“This is the stuff!”
I couldn’t hide my excitement.
My memories of the distant future had been correct.
How many times had I swung this pickaxe while fighting off doubt?
This was the sweet fruit earned at the end of my patience.
That said—
The penalty from Devour is still the same even after regressing.
A complete Tyrannosaurus fossil would have been worth an astronomical sum.
Yet the bones from which I had absorbed the essence had shattered into fragments so small they were impossible to identify.
The crumbled fossil was indistinguishable from the ordinary rocks littering the ground.
It’s not like I didn’t know this would happen.
I felt no regret.
I gripped the pickaxe with renewed energy.
The effects of devouring a primordial essence applied immediately.
Thud!
The pickaxe sank much deeper than before.
The increased strength from Devour made the work far easier.
After digging for a while longer, the fossil of the dinosaur known as the tyrant king finally revealed itself.
“Bon appétit.”
Suppressing the surge of triumph, I ran trembling hands over the fossil.
Essence Absorbed: 1.3% → 2.1% → 2.8% → 3.3% → … → 10.2%
I let out a short breath.
“Incredible.”
The claim that it was a perfectly preserved specimen had been no exaggeration.
The essence absorbed through Devour flooded my body with vitality.
An unknown power surged within me.
I wanted to swing something right this second!
I hadn’t gained a single level, yet my stats had skyrocketed.
I didn’t get any skills, but still—this is huge.
I smirked.
Raising one level granted five bonus stats.
The stats gained from devouring the essence inside a single fossil amounted to roughly 110 points.
It was the same as raising twenty-two levels before even entering the Babel Tower.
“Hehehe.”
I savored the power boiling up throughout my body.
At this level, I wouldn’t get beaten around during the tutorial stage.
Still, one fossil wasn’t enough to completely fill the essence.
Only after absorbing 100% of a given essence would Devour display its true power.
Well, opportunities to obtain primordial essences would come again anytime.
What mattered now was that I had gained enough strength to stand on my own in the tutorial.
I thought of my next destination.
Greece. The country on Earth most deeply steeped in “myth.”
“But how am I supposed to go down the mountain looking like this?”
My clothes were caked in dirt and sweat.
I’d have to worry about getting home before worrying about going abroad.