The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 351
The flight attendant’s voice crackled through the cabin speakers.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our aircraft has now arrived at Incheon International Airport.”
I opened my eyes, which had been closed during the announcement.
The flight hadn’t been long. Having undergone two racial evolutions, I didn’t feel any real fatigue. Yet for some reason, a strange lethargy made me want to keep my eyes shut a little longer.
–Do you truly have the luxury to be this lazy?
“Where would you find a human busier than me?”
–Heh heh. That is true.
Of course it was.
I’d already been on three overseas business trips recently. In Siberia, Nidhogg’s presence had made entering any city impossible. I’d been forced to sleep outdoors, and now my back was killing me.
–Is that not romantic? Sleeping beneath a sky full of stars.
“Wasn’t that the everyday scenery back when you were active as a goddess?”
–It seems I have grown accustomed to the lights of the city now. Or perhaps…
“There’s another reason, isn’t there?”
–Indeed.
Why do you always stop talking right there?
Even when I silently pressed her to continue the story, Nyx simply smiled softly.
She wasn’t about to start badmouthing me, was she?
With that uneasy feeling lingering in my chest, I stepped out of the airport to find the guild members waiting with a massive banner.
“Milky-white Yu Jinho! Woooooo!”
“Jiyoung. Be honest. You prepared that to mess with me, didn’t you?”
“How could I possibly tease my heavenly master?”
“I still haven’t heard a real answer.”
“Of course I prepared it to tease… eek!”
You really make me ask the same thing multiple times.
Among the welcoming crowd was Analyst Thomas, who had been dispatched to Germany.
“Have those people become somewhat useful yet?”
“Thanks to the framework Master established, training has gone smoothly.”
Oh?
I hadn’t expected Analyst Thomas to show this much confidence.
I’d picked up players from the European front who hadn’t stood out much in my previous life. Looks like it was the right call.
“Helena’s growth in particular has been remarkable.”
Ah.
That explosion maniac.
I’d been quite shocked by how calm and composed she was now, completely different from the memories of my previous life.
The image of her screaming “Explosion is an art form!” had been so strong that it was hard to believe they were the same person.
Hmm.
When I fell silent for a moment, Thomas tilted his head.
“Talking about work right after you’ve returned home… that was rude of me.”
“I asked first. It’s fine.”
I couldn’t exactly tell him I’d spaced out thinking about the future Explosion Maniac.
Once we returned to the guild house, we reviewed everyone’s results.
“You all reached the 69th floor?”
All guild members have cleared up to the 69th floor.
“That’s right. It’s all thanks to my magnificent performance.”
“This old man kept rushing ahead and almost ruined everything multiple times.”
At Enrique’s tattling, Ping Lei’s face turned bright red.
Just as I thought.
Even Elder Youngsu only let out a hearty laugh without denying it, so it must be true.
“S-So-hyeop! Why are you calling me ‘old man’!”
“You’re the one who called me a ‘midget who has to bow his head just to be seen,’ old man.”
“I never said it like that.”
“But you did call me a midget!”
Is this what they call a deadly dilemma?
All the guild members had been carefully managing their RP, so they were sitting between 1,300 and 1,400 points. Since there weren’t only team missions on the 60th-floor range, there were some individual differences. Still, considering the global average RP was below one thousand, this was an excellent result.
That said.
I couldn’t be satisfied with just this.
“Our goal before promotion is to push past 1,500 RP.”
“Ugh. You’re joking, right?”
“I agree it’s tough, but it’s motivating.”
“Karla, don’t just accept Master’s unreasonable demands.”
“Must become stronger. It’s fine.”
“Ughhhhhhh.”
Jiyoung ground her teeth before suddenly making an ‘ah’ expression.
“I don’t take orders from anyone weaker than me.”
“?”
“Master, you’re still on the 63rd floor, aren’t you?”
You.
Why are you crooking your index finger at me?
“How’s the air down below the 65th floor? Must feel pretty stuffy, huh?”
“Oh?”
“If you ask me nicely after I reach the 69th floor, I might consider…”
Blood Intoxication
Jiyoung’s body, which had been several meters away, was violently yanked forward.
“Kyaaaaak!”
“Yeah. Go on, call me trash again.”
“I didn’t even say that this time!”
“Trash? Sea anemone? What else did you call me?”
“I oppose fake news!”
How should I deal with this destructive little brat?
I dragged her to a quiet place for a deep, heartfelt conversation.
“Ping Lei.”
“I-I didn’t say anything!”
This guy.
How can you freak out just because I called your name once?
It’s not like I’m a plague spirit or something.
The more he overreacts, the more suspicious he looks.
“Have you been using the Star Absorption Technique lately?”
“Hmm. The Constellation told me to refrain from using it.”
Star Absorption Technique.
The signature skill that earned Ping Lei the title Death's Hand in his previous life.
“Is it because of the purity of the internal energy and true qi?”
“That is correct.”
The ability to plunder the target’s internal energy and life force.
A portion of the absorbed energy is converted into permanent stat increases.
The downside is that it cannot steal stats from competitors within the Babel Tower.
Since monsters don’t possess internal energy, the effect was only half as useful.
To fully utilize the plunder effect, it had to be used on players who practiced heart methods.
The Star Absorption Technique had been the greatest contributor to Ping Lei’s reign of terror in his previous life.
I should make use of everything I can.
“From now on, keep running the 65th floor exclusively.”
“Pardon?”
“Spirits appear there, right?”
“They do, but…”
“Spirits are beings that contain pure natural energy. Even if you absorb them with the Star Absorption Technique, you won’t have to worry about accumulating turbid qi.”
This wasn’t a method the previous Ping Lei had used.
That guy had absorbed turbid qi to refine demonic arts, so he had no reason to take in pure natural energy.
However.
The Ping Lei who had changed after meeting me now had a reason to absorb natural energy.
“If you refine the absorbed energy properly, both your true qi and internal energy will increase.”
“O-Ohhh! The Constellation says that is a reasonable suggestion.”
“Would I ever give you pointless advice?”
“Master is truly amazing!”
A flame of desire ignited in Ping Lei’s eyes.
Come to think of it, the supply of Kaidin Crystals should increase significantly now.
It was an item I’d obtained as a reward for clearing the 3rd floor.
Back then I’d sold it for a hefty sum.
Now that the 67th floor had been cleared, stable supply should be possible.
“Analyst, please find me one management specialist.”
“Huh? I can handle that on the side.”
“Please focus solely on the guild members’ training.”
Thomas’s real strengths were his keen eye and training expertise.
The Germany trip had reminded me of his abilities once again.
To avoid the Third Great Erosion.
We had to raise the average strength of Earth’s players.
Thomas’s talents would shine even brighter in the future.
Therefore.
It was right to have him focus exclusively on training duties from now on.
–It’s not that you hate doing paperwork when this child is away, is it?
This is exactly why I can’t like a goddess who’s too quick on the uptake.
* * *
[You have entered the Arena of Tribulation.]
[Mission – Hell’s Relay]
You must complete a course filled with traps, monsters, and various other obstacles.
Directly harming the opposing team is impossible, but interference is allowed.
Hell's Relay
📍 Objective: Complete the course faster than the opposing team.
🎁 Victory Condition: All five members cross the finish line.
[The mission will begin in 5 minutes.]
The theme of the 64th floor was a relay race.
It was a mission that couldn’t be won by being fast alone.
“The savior of Paris?”
“Please take care of us!”
“We got lucky.”
My overwhelmingly high RP meant my teammates were all players on the verge of demotion, while the opposing team had relatively balanced RP.
–It feels quite malicious.
“It’s a floor designed to snipe high-RP players.”
Apparently luck was also part of the test.
It was a design that perfectly reflected the ancient gods’ twisted tastes.
It was a relief they at least allowed debuffs from outside the course as a final shred of conscience. Otherwise people would have called it an even worse luck-based trash game than the 61st floor.
“U-Um… please take care of me.”
The player chosen as first runner stepped onto the track with a nervous expression.
–I wonder if a small intervention can overturn such a gap.
“It won’t be small at all.”
I pulled the black book from the Pocket of Desire.
Boom!
The moment flames exploded behind the track as the starting signal, the two players shot forward.
The distance between them opened from the very beginning.
The difference in ability was obvious.
Crackle!
Chilling air surged above the track.
If Jiyoung were here, she could have blocked it with her Vibration Barrier.
Blessing of All Erosion
Blessing of Greed
What else could I do?
If I didn’t have teeth, I’d have to chew with my gums.
I used the two blessings to interfere with the nature of the traps—easing them for my teammate while strengthening the cold on the opposing track.
Swish!
Physical traps like spikes had weaker interference effects, but I also had an insanely powerful debuff artifact.
Ars Goetia & Cocytus – Internal Skill: Dantalion's Phantom
“Ughhhhh…”
The opposing team’s runner collapsed on the track.
The demonic authority that showed the target their greatest fear.
As my magical power had grown, the artifact’s strength had increased as well.
It was powerful enough that even a Diamond player would struggle to shake it off.
–You have good reason to be confident.
“Hehehehe. Have you ever seen me pick a fight I’d lose?”
If you’re jealous, go regress too.
The opposing team members also began indirect interference.
Nope. Useless.
Debuff-type skills were rare.
Unless they were supporters or mages specialized in dark magic, their means of interference were extremely limited.
Black Gaze
Rank Collapse
I generously layered on the curses I’d gained through Devour as well.
Ars Goetia & Cocytus had separate cooldowns for each spell used.
Since this trial would end in an hour at most, it was better to assume any spell used once couldn’t be used again.
–You’ll have to use them strategically.
“Good thing combining Cocytus’s stele increased my debuff skills.”
Three offensive spells.
The rest were all debuff-type.
After continuously applying two major ones and all the minor debuffs I’d gained through Devour—
“What a garbage way to play!”
High praise came from the opposing team.
“No need for such compliments. There’s still a chance to turn it around, so don’t give up and keep fighting.”
“You… you %$#%#&…….”
Look at the opposing team burning with motivation from a single word of encouragement.
True sincerity really does get through.
–I don’t understand why the embarrassment falls on me.
“It’s not a good habit to mock your opponent’s pathetic performance like that.”
–Let’s stop talking.
Goddess, you should also develop the habit of respecting your opponents like I do.
With the heart of Santa Claus generously handing out presents to good children, I kept piling on the debuffs until—
4th Runner has begun.
You are the next runner.
My turn came quickly.
“It’s that guy.”
“Let’s pay him back for all the humiliation so far.”
Curse of Petrification stiffens your body.
Cursed energy erodes your skin.
…….
True Dragon Armor resists the interference.
Primordial Dragon Heart corrects the distorted mana flow.
Wow.
It doesn’t even tickle.
If they wanted to stop me, they should’ve brought a debuff specialist supporter.
First to complete the track.
Your team has won.
Rewards will be distributed according to each player's RP.