The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 307

The evil of the heavens widens its eyes in shock.

Thank goodness for the System at times like this.

Ares had been so loud I thought my eardrums would burst.

“Partner.”

“I can still hold on.”

I carefully examined the several gashes torn across my stomach.

This…

Even my past self would have found this miracle difficult to achieve.

Are you saying I’m overreacting to just slicing open one belly?

There’s a reason the mighty Constellations reigning from the high heavens are losing their minds right now.

The ship protected by the Tower System.

It cannot be destroyed by a player’s power.

Not because the hull itself is absurdly tough.

It’s because the rules of the trials are equal to the laws of providence.

No one questions the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, do they?

That rule.

Had been broken.

Nyx must have realized it too, which was why she wore such a worried expression.

I had wielded power from a realm forbidden to mortals, after all.

But.

I hadn’t said I was fine without any basis.

It was the same grade as what my senior from my previous life, Shin Junseok, had displayed.

One might think that the power of Fusion Qigong had also dropped since the skill’s effectiveness was lower, but.

It was the opposite.

My own capacity was insufficient, so the skill had been downgraded to match.

If I had tried to force the essence of the Mind Sword, it would have dealt a massive blow to my mind.

“……This is insane.”

The ship was only protected by the System’s rules. Its actual durability wasn’t all that high.

My dantian was completely empty as the price for using the Mind Sword.

If I had used the same amount of energy on the Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts, I wouldn’t have just torn the hull apart—I would have shattered it into pieces.

The important thing was that this power could even destroy rules.

And what about the unavoidable and defense-ignoring options?

For the depleted internal energy, I could convert mana or, if necessary, draw from the true Yeouiju I had stored.

A sure-hit, penetrating finishing move.

I had gained one more trump card.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“By the way, why is the Goddess lying on the floor?”

“You seem to be mistaken. It is you who has turned the deck into a bed.”

I tried to ask what she meant, but no voice came out of my mouth.

My vision slowly darkened.

Wait… did I just pass out…?

* * *

Ugh.

My head hurt like it was splitting open.

It reminded me of the time during a university MT when I had chugged soju without knowing my limits, only to be hit by the mother of all hangovers the next day.

But why was everything still pitch black even after I opened my eyes?

“You’ve finally woken up.”

A gentle voice floated down from above my head.

The shadow cast over my face was from Nyx’s… dress.

“Why are you giving me a lap pillow?”

“Is it uncomfortable?”

Not really.

“Say no more. What you need right now is rest.”

“I’m fine.”

“You can’t even open your eyes properly from the headache, yet you speak so boldly.”

How did she know?

“The Mind Sword. Do not use it again in the future.”

“It’s okay. Passing out for one or two minutes is nothing. Only when it’s really urgent…”

“Four hours have passed.”

Excuse me?

Now that she mentioned it.

I wasn’t in the trial area anymore. I was back in my own room.

Quite a bit of time must have passed since I lost consciousness.

The scenery visible through the window had long been swallowed by darkness.

“So it’s not a technique I can just throw around recklessly.”

“Have you finally realized how dangerous the Mind Sword is?”

I had no response to Nyx’s scolding.

Even with a body that had transcended humanity through racial transformation, I still couldn’t handle it.

“There is also the matter of your soul.”

“My soul?”

“You manifested the image engraved upon your soul. If you are not careful, you could have become a mindless fool.”

Ah.

So that’s why I passed out right after using the Mind Sword.

It wasn’t a problem with the sturdiness of my mind.

Combining my past and present lives, I had experienced everything from land, sea, and air battles.

Overcoming countless trials had also expanded the vessel of my soul.

The problem was that the medium for manifesting the Mind Sword was my own ‘image.’

“Because martial arts isn’t my main focus. That’s what you’re saying, right?”

“Correct. You catch on quickly.”

The root of my ability was Devour.

Close combat, martial arts, magic, Seon Magic, void, and so on.

I handled countless abilities, and my enlightenment in each wasn’t shallow.

To be precise, I had engraved the profound principles contained in the essences absorbed through Devour directly onto my soul and made them my own.

***

Because I had become proficient in so many different fields.

My inner image wasn’t suited to forging a single sword.

“So being versatile is the problem.”

“It clashes with the path you have walked. That is why you could not endure it.”

Thanks to Nyx’s advice, I had identified the issue.

My enlightenment in martial arts itself was lacking, but.

The real problem was that I had learned far too many abilities, making it difficult to create the Mind Sword.

“Still, it’s worth trying.”

I thought of Rene Davis.

When that bastard had been a Monarch, he had combined all sorts of abilities to reach the pinnacle and wielded several ultimate powers.

He hadn’t used as many different types of power as I did.

But he definitely had conflicting abilities as well.

“There must be a way.”

The pinnacle of martial arts. A power that could even collapse the Tower System.

I didn’t want to give up on it.

Even if I only understood half of the profound principles within the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Mind Sword, I would gain another trump card.

And my understanding of martial arts would rise dramatically as well.

Nyx lightly shook her head.

“It seems you won’t listen even if I try to stop you.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Do as your heart desires. I shall fill in whatever is lacking.”

For a moment, a corner of my heart grew warm.

I felt like I should say something, but my throat tightened as if blocked.

“……Thank you.”

“Hmm? I didn’t hear that clearly. What did you say?”

“If you didn’t hear it, then forget it.”

It was too embarrassing to say it twice.

Nyx’s soft giggling lingered in my ears.

* * *

By the time the morning sun rose and lifted the curtain of night.

“Ugh…”

I opened my eyes with a groan.

“Do you have a better feel for it this time?”

“Just a tiiiiiny bit.”

I hadn’t even drunk, yet my head throbbed like a hangover.

There was nothing else to do at night anyway.

I decided to analyze the Mind Sword.

If I used it inside the guild building, it would cause a catastrophe, so I moved to a nearby mountain.

The target I chose to cut was a tree at the base of the mountain.

Rather than sharpening the image in my mind, I deliberately made it blurry.

The shape of blades splitting into many.

It meant the paths I had walked were that numerous.

By not focusing and intentionally blurring it, I lowered both the power and the mental strain.

The first attempt ended in spectacular failure.

If Nyx hadn’t wrapped the area in Polar Night, an unexpected landslide would have buried the nearby houses.

“Without me, you couldn’t even lift a spoon.”

After those words, my memory cut off completely.

The second attempt was better than the first.

***

The power of the Mind Sword had been adjusted as intended.

The area carved by the blade on the mountain had also been reduced to about half.

“How long was I out this time?”

“One hour.”

A tremendous improvement achieved in just two tries.

It was still too dangerous to use as a main technique, so it remained a last resort.

Even so.

The important thing was that I was progressing. Wasn’t it?

“Train even harder. You still have a long way to go.”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

I left the cleanup to Team Leader Han Suchang.

“Please at least give us a heads-up next time.”

“Training has to be done when the feeling hits, you know.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but. Shouldn’t we at least have time to mentally prepare?”

“Anyone listening would think this happens all the time.”

“I’m just asking you to be careful from now on.”

He never lets me have the last word.

After roughly fixing the mountain so it wouldn’t collapse, I returned to the guild building.

I had just finished a quick shower when I heard a knock.

“Maaaaster!”

“What is it so early in the morning?”

“You have a press conference scheduled!”

“So what?”

“Aigoo. Of course you need makeup!”

Makeup?

Why would I need that?

“Do you know how good camera quality is these days? It captures every single pore on Master’s skin!”

“I’m fine as I am.”

“I admit your bare face is good, but that’s one thing and this is another.”

Ugh.

She was making me do something annoying.

—Give up. It doesn’t look like Jiyoung has any intention of backing down.

Only after being captured by the makeup team Lee Jiyoung had already hired in advance could I finally stand at the press conference venue.

The crowd was even larger than last night.

The first-floor lobby had been packed then, so it was the same now.

But even more people had gathered outside the building.

“Master. We’ve set up speakers outside the building as well.”

“Thank you, Analyst Thomas.”

Good.

The stage was perfectly set.

I deliberately skipped the elevator and took the stairs down.

Step— Step—

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sound of my footsteps drew everyone’s attention.

I didn’t even need to look with my eyes.

All my senses, which had transcended human limits, were feeding me information.

“It’s Player Jinho!”

“Look over here please!”

Click! Click! Click!

Countless camera flashes felt like a skin massage.

I stepped up to the podium prepared inside the lobby.

***

“I am Yu Jinho of the Yeokcheon Guild.”

“This is Park Suho from Goryeo Ilbo. First of all, congratulations on your flawless victory in the promotion match.”

“Thank you.”

“I heard you have one more announcement besides your thoughts on the match.”

The rumor I had leaked through Analyst Thomas.

The bait that I had something to say at the press conference had them all jumping.

Good.

This was the kind of reaction that made leaking the rumor worth it.

When I glanced at the reporters, even the foreign broadcast journalists didn’t seem unaware.

“There was a recent major collapse incident in Paris, wasn’t there?”

The French occupation incident by Arme Rouge, led by Rene Davis.

It was fortunate that there were almost no casualties relative to the scale.

Otherwise, mentioning it at a press conference would have been quite awkward.

“That is why the Yeokcheon Guild plans to establish a new European branch.”

“Have you already chosen the person in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠charge?”

“It will be Marco Hofman.”

In my previous life, he had been a High Ranker from Germany who defended the European front.

And now… he was my fan.

It would have been nice if he had joined us during the Paris collapse.

But his skills weren’t up to participating in that battle, so I hadn’t called him.

“Player Marco is known as a rising star in Germany, correct?”

“Yes. Detailed information will be distributed to each media outlet as attached materials.”

The power vacuum that had come to France.

With Arme Rouge gone, they were struggling just to manage the gates, let alone close them.

For gates they couldn’t handle, I might have to fly over and clear them myself.

But I couldn’t stay in Europe permanently.

Therefore.

The method I had come up with was to raise Marco.

If I trained him like Ping Lei or Jiyoung, his skills should improve quickly.

The first time I met Marco in this life, I had refused because there were too many guild members I needed to focus on.

But the situation had changed a lot now.

Analyst Thomas was also helping with training matters.

The growth curve of the guild members had stabilized to a certain extent.

So adding one more person to nurture while extending our reach into Europe should be fine.

“Oh, right. There’s one more announcement.”

A press conference was just a performance.

The real purpose was this.

“Since everyone seems to have seen the results of the promotion match, I would like to make one declaration.”

“A declaration?”

“The strongest player on Earth is me—Yu Jinho.”