The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 26: Flames and Synergy

The moment I activated the skill, a new message appeared before my eyes.

Not bad at all. I rearranged my mana.

Squelch! A thick, sticky swamp formed around the point I had chosen.

The magically created mire was far more viscous than natural terrain.

“Just as I thought. So this is how it works.”

The boggy ground didn’t distinguish between friend and foe. Since players usually moved in parties, area-of-effect skills that couldn’t differentiate between allies and enemies were generally rated poorly.

“Still, this should be useful.”

“I prefer traveling alone, you see.”

“Oh. You really do have an eye for these things, Goddess.”

“Still, area skills can be surprisingly versatile depending on how you use them.”

They were excellent for pinning down part of an incoming enemy wave and splitting their forces. You could also lay Mud Trap in advance to lure opponents into a specific path. The usefulness of area skills varied wildly based on creativity.

In the end, skills that could manipulate an enemy’s movement route according to my will were far more valuable.

“Anyway, I’ve taken everything worth taking from the swamp. Let’s move on to the next spot.”

“There’s still one more place left.”

The volcano.

Along with the lake, it was classified as high difficulty within the tutorial stage.

Whoa. I figured it would take two full weeks of nonstop grinding to devour every essence, but here I was—only the evening of the third day—having already cleared five out of the seven regions.

I’d have to come back for the ant lions in the wasteland later, but my progress was several times faster than my original plan.

“I’ll save the lake for last.”

The monsters living in the water were strong, and movement was inconvenient. So the next destination was practically decided.

Kwaaaaang—!

A massive explosion rang out as flames scattered across the sky.

The place filled with thick black smoke was none other than the volcanic zone.

The instant I stepped out of the swamp, the debuff that had clung to my body vanished.

I let out a bitter laugh.

“Is being stuck in a sauna better than being stuck in a swamp?”

Heading southeast from the wetlands led to a plain filled with the scorching heat of the volcano.

“Ugh, it’s hot.”

The moment the overheated air touched my skin, goosebumps rose all over my body.

Dry wind carrying the volcano’s heat. My mouth already felt parched.

The tutorial guide had heavily emphasized the dangers of the volcanic region. The number thirty I just mentioned was the bare minimum threshold for activity.

If I moved around normally, I’d be begging for dehydration symptoms.

Feels like I’ve walked into a dry sauna.

Thanks to all the Endurance I’d stacked through Devour, I didn’t take any direct damage. The only problem was that I wasn’t particularly fond of dry saunas.

“Yeah. Let’s grab what we need and head straight to the lake.”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and stepped into the volcanic zone.

Hisss! Pure white steam erupted from the cracked earth. Touching it would guarantee a burn. Even lifting my feet required caution in this area.

“Kyuuing?”

A monster poked its head out from behind a rock.

A fire worm. A worm-like creature about two meters long. Its main pattern was leaving trails of flame as it moved and spitting fire when approached.

A natural predator for close-combat players. Fortunately, its slow speed made it easy prey for ranged fighters. Its high magic resistance meant it took time to finish off, though.

“Why go through all that trouble?”

In just 4.2 seconds, the energy bolt reached maximum charge. The blue orb struck the fire worm’s head with perfect accuracy.

“Kyuuuiiing!”

The fire worm shook its head violently.

“It’s just enduring the pain.”

I charged the energy bolt to maximum again and again, firing at the fire worm. Yet it held on longer than expected. Even after four, then five hits, it showed no sign of falling.

It should have less Endurance than the lizard I fought in the swamp. It must have been thanks to its high magic resistance.

I know that without you telling me, thanks.

I glared at the writhing fire worm. Should I keep sweating under the volcanic heat, or close the distance and taste its scorching flames in a short, decisive melee?

My choice was the latter.

Pa-pat!

The instant I charged straight at it, the fire worm opened its maw.

Flames poured straight toward me. The area was wide enough that dodging would require significant maneuvering.

If I wrapped myself in Thorn Armor, I could simply charge through flames of that scale. But—

Might as well test the item’s performance while I’m at it.

I thrust my right hand forward.

Flash!

An ominous light leaked from the Maw of Gluttony. The red barrier that expanded to roughly two meters swallowed every last flame the fire worm had spat.

“Kyuuuiiing?!”

“Oh? Not bad at all.”

Two completely different reactions to the same result. My mana was already maxed, so I didn’t recover any, but completely nullifying that flame breath was more than enough to prove its worth.

My claws, dyed a dark crimson, tore mercilessly through the fire worm’s body. With internal energy poured into the attack, it had no chance of holding out.

Splurch!

Green blood gushed from the wound.

The creature that hadn’t budged no matter how many energy bolts I fired went down in a single close-range strike.

“There was a deeper meaning to it.”

The goddess who fell for such an obvious line. Hearing that made me feel even more defeated.

By absorbing the fire worm’s flame breath with Mana Absorb, I had taken it down without even feeling the heat. In that case, why had I bothered keeping my distance and using energy bolts?

The recommended level for hunting fire worms was 20. My pure stats were already comparable to a level 80 player, and with the Blessing of Greed strengthening my claws, there was no way it could withstand me.

Even so.

I gave a bitter smile and devoured the fire worm’s essence.

While hunting fire worms in the volcanic region, I discovered a rocky plain scattered with boulders.

I let out a long sigh.

“Looks like I found them after all.”

“Flame men. Those rocks over there.”

“You’ll understand soon enough.”

I grinned.

Those boulders were monsters native to the volcanic region—flame men. The reason they were called “men” despite looking like rocks was simple: when approached, they transformed into flaming humanoids.

“In that state, attacks don’t work.”

I frowned. Whether it was protection from the Tower system or simply high defense while dormant, physical strikes barely affected them in rock form.

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To defeat a flame man, you had to approach, wake it up, and then finish it off.

There’s no such thing as a useless essence.

Just look at the steam rising from those stones. I really didn’t want to approach something radiating sauna-like heat.

But what choice did I have? A thirsty man digs a well.

Not knowing what skill the flame man’s essence would grant, I walked toward it with clear reluctance.

Twenty meters.

Ten meters.

Then three.

The moment I closed the distance to just three steps—

“Uuuuuurgh.”

With a lethargic groan, the boulder stretched. Flames poured out from the cracks. Large and small stone fragments moved like joints, reshaping into a humanoid form.

Once one awakened, the others rose in unison.

“They’re lazy bastards. If they’d woken up and charged earlier, it would’ve been so much better.”

My elongated claws were covered in dark crimson energy.

Flame men possessed a fire attribute. They were monsters that could not be defeated with physical attacks alone.

My original plan had been to infuse the Blood Claw Technique with internal energy to strike their flames. But thanks to Baal’s gift, things had become far simpler.

Dark red trajectories swept between the flame men.

First form—Fierce Tiger Blood Claw.

I alternated between my right and left hands, executing the first form repeatedly.

Thud. Thud-thud.

When I used the Blood Claw Technique with claws reinforced by the corrosion effect of Blessing of Greed, the flame men wrapped in fire fell like bundles of straw.

Well, well.

One more constellation had begun watching me. A rather familiar name.

It was Baal—the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠very constellation I had clashed with not long ago.

Come to think of it, it made sense.

He even bestowed that precious blessing on me.

A blessing normally only granted to those who formed a guardian constellation contract. For some capricious reason, Baal had consumed part of his own divinity to grant me that blessing.

Ares and Baal.

Both were beings with considerable influence among the gods.

The name “Evil of the Heavens” felt unfamiliar, but if that constellation was the one I suspected…

They must be interested because of my martial arts.

I had drawn the attention of major players since the very beginning of the tutorial. It didn’t feel bad at all.

Nyx seemed tense from the sudden attention of multiple constellations and called out to me.

If I wanted revenge against the Old Gods, I would need to draw even more eyes. Whether they were constellations or other beings, I had to use every resource available.

After all, constellations sometimes sponsored promising players even without a formal guardian contract. Just like Baal had done.

The interest of the constellations will become my strength as well.

Swallowing my laughter, I continued hunting in the volcanic region.

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Enduring the sauna-like heat, I completed 100% essence collection.

“Blaze and Fire, huh.”

Neither had much practical use. Blaze, which created flames with every step, might prove useful in certain situations. But Fire, obtained from the flame man’s essence, had literally zero combat utility.

Fwoosh—!

When I tested Fire, a fist-sized flame rose. Pouring more mana into it increased the flame’s size.

“It has other uses.”

“This is exactly why I devour essences.”

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I smiled brightly.

Like I said earlier—there’s no such thing as a useless essence.

The Fire skill itself was nearly useless, but it carried a powerful synergy effect that amplified every fire-type essence.

At the moment, a 3% increase in fire skill power didn’t feel significant. But as I devoured more fire-related essences and my stats grew, the synergy from Fire would shine brighter and brighter.

Now that I had taken everything worth taking, it was time to head to the safest yet most dangerous place.

“Yeah. I’m ready.”

With noticeably lighter steps, I began walking toward the center of the island.