Crushing the Records
They began dismantling it at a rapid pace.
The soldiers marveled at the expert technique.
As Arthur broke down the hellhound, he addressed the soldiers.
"There should be plenty of grass around with four white petals. Gather every bit of it, along with the frog grass."
The first mission had been hunting.
The second was masterful dissection.
The third was achieving one of the 333 astonishing combinations.
All of it could be done right here.
Those who had completed the second mission before knew it meant they had the monster dissection profession in the real world.
The one who figured out the third was an exceptional alchemist.
The soldiers sprang into action, and Arthur finished the disassembly cleanly down to the bones.
Three rewards appeared again this time as well.
And one was always guaranteed among them.
The Growth Potion.
Growth Potions only dropped from first clears, or from hunting for farm and logging camp construction.
Arthur chose the Growth Potion once more.
Soon, the soldiers returned with the herbs they'd mentioned.
Both were essentially useless on their own.
But when their ingredients combined, they produced a potency that could dispel most minor ailments.
Arthur picked up one of each first.
For the frog grass, he boiled water furiously, added it, let it reduce, added more water, reduced again, repeating the process.
When it thickened into a starchy liquid, he turned off the fire.
Next came the Liddis flower with its white petals.
It was so beautiful that rumors said it might grow in the world of the celestials.
He ground just the petals and mixed them into the thickened frog grass at the perfect ratio.
Final mission complete.
One of the 333 Astonishing Combinations Achieved!
Please select one of the three rewards.
He chose the Growth Potion again.
The Lord Nurturing Device emits a bright light.
You have completed 3 missions in the shortest time.
You may inscribe your name on the Tower of Records.
The Tower of Records.
As the name implied, it listed the names of lords who set records.
He had built one during the first construction as well, and this tower didn't require further leveling after reaching level 1.
The key point of the Tower of Records wasn't fame or honor from having your name known.
'Do that, and you'd naturally draw attention.'
Arthur had no intention of using the tower to make himself known.
There was only one thing worth noting.
'Climbing the Tower of Records grants rewards.'
Not just this mission—various achievements could yield rewards through the tower.
It hadn't popped up at the training camp because there was no Tower of Records there.
"Inscribe my name anonymously."
Your name will be inscribed anonymously on the Tower of Records.
Ralph in second place.
Known as the Sword Emperor.
He currently held the challenger lord position, leading the Gordin Alliance.
But Arthur had effortlessly surpassed his record.
The gap between them was a whopping 11 hours.
It was inevitable.
The Ralph that Arthur knew was meticulous to a fault.
He had quick wits and a sharp eye for his surroundings.
He must have uncovered hidden systems and cleared the three missions over about 12 hours.
But for Arthur?
'Took me an hour and a half.'
Overwhelming was an understatement.
The difference between knowing and not knowing.
Please select your Tower of Records reward.
1st Place: Overwhelming record beyond compare. Select two from the listed rewards.
"Oh..."
Arthur let out a small exclamation.
This was a new system.
Well, it was that overwhelming a margin.
If Arthur hadn't regressed, no one could have come close to that clear time.
"As expected."
He confirmed the item he'd been after was there.
Mad Injection.
The effect of this Mad Injection.
Inject it into your forearm, and your body transforms.
Lasts exactly 2 hours, with every 20 minutes, HP drops 15% and base stats rise 15%.
20 min: HP -15%, base stats +15%
40 min: HP -30%, base stats +30%
1 hour: HP -45%, base stats +45%
At 1.5 hours, ignoring the pattern, HP -99%, base stats +100%, doubling your power for 30 minutes.
But it had a vicious drawback.
HP at 99% loss.
One hit and you're done.
But Arthur was confident.
Confident he wouldn't take a single hit.
Arthur wore a satisfied smile.
He scanned the rest of the reward list carefully.
"Wait... this..."
He paused.
Slaughterer's Sweet Gum.
The Monarch Game had some items from outside the continent trickling in.
Put there by the unknown god who created the game.
And lords knew these mysterious items came from a place called Earth.
From books in unknown languages, deciphered by interpreters with translation skills.
The gum Arthur knew tasted sweet when chewed.
Even more astonishing, it never ran out no matter how long you chewed.
'Earth sure has some wild stuff.'
Arthur nodded.
He decided.
Slaughterer's Sweet Gum.
Its effect seemed similar to the Mad Injection at a glance, but it was definitely different.
For 2 hours while chewing and tasting the sweetness, every life you take boosts your four base stats by 1% each.
And hitting 100%? Jackpot.
Sure, you needed 100 kills, but any life counted.
The moment it maxed after 100 kills, the chewer gained 1% to all stats per hit on someone.
'Pair this with the Monster Summon Scroll...'
There was a Monster Summon Scroll.
It summoned low-level monsters usually.
Release 100 lowest 1-star slimes and farm them—you'd hit 100% in no time.
Arthur selected the Slaughterer's Sweet Gum.
Arthur wore a satisfied smile.
At that moment, the Lord Nurturing Device glowed gold.
The Lord Nurturing Device marvels at your achievements.
One of the 14 Absolute Monarchs who created the Lord Nurturing Device, the Luck Monarch Lloyd, bestows a reward upon you.
"...Luck Monarch?"
This guy's name was hilarious.
More importantly, what would he give?
Acquired Absolute Stat: Luck +1.
If needed, name a one-use tactical scroll, and it will be obtained within possibility.
"Luck? What's that? A stat from the first Monarch Game?"
That thought crossed his mind.
He checked the details.
Soon, his jaw dropped, and Kazaven's quill slipped from his hand.
"Th-this is insane..."
Arthur had gotten just +1 to a stat.
But a normal +1 stat meant every time he leveled up as lord, he could invest in that stat.
The Luck stat's effect that Arthur saw.
'Item drop rate +2%. Gambling success probability increased.'
"Holy shit..."
Insane.
Only one word for it.
If Arthur maxed Luck at 50, monster drops would double.
'So when others get one rare, I get two?'
Yeah, he could think that way.
And gold?
At 50, others get 1 gold, he gets 2.
Arthur pondered.
'Other lords level up and occasionally do quests to boost stats and grow stronger.'
Unlike them, Arthur grew several times faster thanks to constant quests.
For now, focus stat ups on quests, and on level ups, dump into Luck.
Decision made.
'Absolute Stat, huh.'
Arthur smirked.
The second Monarch Game had similar stats called special stats.
But Absolute Stats were a cut above.
Seemed only obtainable through his specialized Lord Nurturing Device.
Plus, a tactical parchment on demand, within reason.
Arthur wrapped things up and turned to his soldiers.
"We're hitting a few more dungeons today."
"Pardon?"
"R-really?"
The soldiers looked puzzled.
Fatigue was already setting in.
And more dungeon runs sounded terrifying.
Arthur scanned them and said,
"I'm gonna carry you guys."
"Carry...?"
"What's that?"
One puzzled soldier raised his hand high.
"My lord, may I ask what 'carry' means?"
Arthur grinned, looking over the soldiers.
"A high-level carrying the noobs in power-leveling time."
Carry.
This came from deciphering Earth's language too.
Earth's RPG games had character growth and leveling systems.
Lords figured the Monarch Game ripped that off.
One thing he'd seen there.
High-levels carrying noobs.
Usually for a price, but Arthur planned to carry his own soldiers.
Using the Mad Injection.
"My lord, there are no more monsters around here."
"No, there are."
Thanks to the VIP pass.
Exactly three dungeons hidden here.
And the VIP pass kindly explained entry methods.
First dungeon.
'Blacktail Lizard Dungeon.'
Among them, the weakest.
Arthur knew plenty about dungeons too.
Reward from Blacktail Lizard Dungeon.
Rail Tree wood.
Timber, basically.
Rail Tree was rare-grade by item standards.
A chance to boost building defense—territory total defense.
The next dungeon was riskier.
By then? He'd be stronger from the injection.
Same for the one after.
"Alright, let's go."
Arthur stood before a massive tree and spoke.
The soldiers tilted their heads.
"Penrus."
Penrus headbutted the tree with full force.
Boom!
The tree shuddered violently.
Then something bizarre happened.
The shaken tree began vibrating on its own.
Rumble rumble!
The tree uprooted itself, revealing the dungeon entrance.
"Let's go."
The soldiers stared, speechless.
'D-does our lord know everything?'
No other conclusion.
Arthur entered first, soldiers following.
A lush forest appeared before him.
"Hunting method's simple."
He turned, handing a brush and paint from his basic drawing kit to one soldier.
"What's your name?"
"Ran, sir."
"Right, Ran."
Arthur opened the Cash Shop.
It sold stopwatches too.
"Ran, you're on the most important duty from now on. I'll leave monsters on the brink of death—just barely alive. Mark the time on their bodies."
"T-time, sir?"
"Yeah, precisely."
"Understood."
"The rest of you, grab the timed monster corpses and follow me."
Arthur smiled, pulling the Mad Injection from his inventory.
Without hesitation, he jabbed the needle into his left wrist and injected.
This regular dungeon had only 1-stars.
Compared to Arthur and Penrus, far weaker.
The hellhound earlier needed headshots, so soldiers helped, but now? No need.
Soon, a blacktail lizard appeared nearby.
"Eek..."
Its tail tip was razor-sharp.
Graze it wrong, and a wrist flies off.
But tough hide? Nah, weak.
Arthur vanished in stealth.
The lizard's body soon slumped.
Kek kek kek!
Precisely gutted, it gasped, clinging to life.
Arthur grabbed its tail and hurled it toward the soldiers.
Splat!
"Time."
"Ah, y-yes..."
Incredible speed, perfectly on the brink.
"Alright, now..."
Arthur gestured.
"We run. Keep up."