Level Up Monster
Chapter 15
On a cold stone floor, Sae-Jin opens her eyes. see Hunters in the far away forest, while the noisy chirping of birds disoriented him . He could see the Hunters in the distant forest, while the noisy chirping of birds confused him. The wolf could see a little further, and hear a little more.
He got up from the spot, his four black legs moving.
Before he knew it, it felt like he was really adapting to using four legs instead of two. Because of this, a large amount of swear words suddenly came out of his mouth.
The amount of time available for Human Forms is 2 hours a day. If he could be human for only 2 hours then maybe he was not human anymore.
On the growing unrest, he stood tall and transformed into the Human Form.
Sae-Jin looks at her feet with her own two eyes, then touches her face with her own two hands. They are all exactly the same as before. He's really relieved. Tears flowed in the corner of her eyes.
Especially difficult in the morning after sleeping at night.
He had always suspected that he was now trapped in a dream. Many times, he wished so, because dreams would be better.
It hurts to live as a monster. The taste of blood and flesh was still tucked between his teeth, the sensation of taking a whole life with a mace – he could not get used to it. If anything, all of that only served to exhaust him.
*sigh*… . " "….. * Quote * …. "
Sae-Jin takes a deep breath. But her tight chest and unpleasant feelings won't just disappear.
And that gray, drab morning sky made her feel even more depressed than before.
At least to entertain himself, he turned on the micro TV.
With a gentle whistle, the hologram projection spread its light onto the cave wall.
***
Pant, pant, pant. "Pants, pants, pants … "
something . Orc Jaguar on the run from something.
A creature like the Jaguar Orc that has a deep passion for battle and victory is on the run? That doesn't make any sense. But at this moment, this Orc was engulfed in terror even by the rustling sound of grass behind him.
The smell of wolves, the smell of predators, made this brave Orc fear his wits.
Orc eyes hurriedly searched behind him. Can't see anything there. But the goddamn smell is still there. So the Orc made no effort and exerted strength in his legs to escape.
Awooooo!! – Awooooo !!
A Howling dipped the magical power tore through the sky and grabbed the feet of this fleeing Orc. It felt like all the muscles in his body were numb from terror.
The Orc intuitively sensed the encroaching death and as he turned his head.
Kwek - " " Kwek - "
With his throat held up tightly, the Orc couldn't even let out a certain scream, just a small whimper, before his life was finished off.
Strath . " " Nrnng. "
After clearing his nose, the wolf pierced into the heart of the Orc with its sharp claws. When the hard end of the claw pierced through the soft tissue of the heart and touched something strong, the wolf closed its eyes.
Then, something mysterious happened.
A blue aura slowly rose up like a smoldering veil and began to cover the Wolf from the claws buried in the heart of the dead Orc to the rest of its black body in a thin, barely visible layer. This blue light lingered for a while before entering the creature, causing him to open his eyes in satisfaction.
[You have absorbed the Low-grade Mana Stone from the Jaguar Orc. ]
– Physical Strength and Durability up by 0. 5.
– Agility increased by 0. 2.
– Energy Manipulation up by 0. 05
– If ?? more Stones are absorbed, original skills of Jaguar Orcs can be obtained.
“Quite a lot. Was it because I got the Jaguar Orc, even though I was a teenager? '
Sae-Jin, now in her Ebony Wolf Form, sneers cunningly.
utilising Mana Stones rather coincidentally . He found a way to utilize the Mana Stones by chance. It was really through a very lucky chance.
About 10 days ago, Sae-Jin watched a documentary on her TV in the cave. And in this particular documentary, the creators explain why predatory monsters, like Trolls in Ravenous State or Two-Headed Ogre, become stronger after eating other monsters.
At the end of the program, experts concluded that these Monsters had special digestive systems that could absorb Mana Stones.
Those words finally stir up her curiosity, so Sae-Jin takes the lowest-rated Mana Stone he plans to sell later and immediately swallows it.
Just like that, a warning window appeared at the same time.
[Complete Condition: Absorbing Mana Stone. ]
► Passive Skills "Growth Type Monsters" have been obtained. [Skill Skill Level: F]
– When in contact with Mana Stone of a Monster, the host can now absorb a minute percentage of his abilities.
A greater percentage of the Monster's abilities shall be absorbed when the Skill Proficiency Level increases .
He felt like he had just hit the jackpot. Sae-Jin then quickly leaves and eats the 10 Mana Stones stored in the cave. All of his Stats ended up rising by about 6, but unfortunately, most importantly, the Energy Manipulation, only rose by a paltry 0. 6. But he was not disappointed at all. He did find a new way to raise that important status, that was why.
He then completely focused on hunting after that. He would kill at least 7 to 8 monsters in a day and absorb their Mana Stones.
The stronger the Monster, the higher his Stats rose; which stat rose and when, it depended on the Monster he hunted. Following the properties of a Monster, if it was an Orc, then its Physical Strength increased; if it was a Wolf, then its Agility rose; if it was a Goblin, it would be a Wolf, hence the improvement was centered around Affinity Mana and Magic Power.
After only focusing on hunting for 10 days …
► Status
[Physical Strength 49]
[Power Resistant 48]
[Agility 63]
[Energy Manipulation 14]
[Mana Affinity 9]
[Magic Power 9]
[Luck 8]
[*Ebony Wolf: Strength and Defense increased by 26, Agility increased by 40. During Human Form, the effect will be reduced ⅓. ]
Eventually, Sae-Jin grows strong enough to easily take down a Jaguar Orc. "Orc Student" but still . Of course, it wasn't an adult, just a dwarf young enough to be called an "Orc Student" but still.
'The only thing left to do is evolve …'
prreung~ from the maws of the wolf . Sae-Jin sighed, it came out as a ~ prreung from the wolf's jaw.
As far as he knew, or for that matter the entire world, the Ebony Wolf was the strongest species of the wolf-type Monster in the Monster realm.
In other words, if he could evolve only once more, he could become a Lycanthrope, or Werewolf.
beast . Werewolves are pure beasts .person, just like Vampires, Humans, Soo-ins, and Elves . However, a Lycanthrope is considered someone, just like a Vampire, a Human, a Soo-in, and an Elf.
Human, but in the end, its nature was still that of a vicious beast . The Wolf Man had the skill to transform into a Human, but in the end, his nature was still like a ferocious beast.
wolf-man, but at its core, it was a human being . Lycanthrope had the skill to transform into a werewolf, but at its core, it was a human.
Seeing things like this, Sae-Jin is closer to being a Werewolf than a Lycanthrope. That was because his nature changed his species from Human to Monster.
But Werewolves are much weaker than Lycanthrope. One could understand this when seeing that, while the latter was becoming a legend, the former remained at the level of a rare Monster.
But he didn't really care where he evolved.
As long as he could spend the day as a Human without worrying about that damned deadline ….
Even with that alone, he was already quite happy.
*
Tadahk, tadahk.
While making a sound similar to what a puppy would do when running on a rock face, Sae-Jin returns to her cave.
Replacing back to Human Form, he took out a micro TV, put it in a nice place and lay down on a stone bed.
These days, this is the only method of relaxation. After finishing the hunt, he watched TV all day with a tired and sick body.
Since this was the only Human-like "hobby" she could do, she kept watching it until bedtime, even if all the programs were very boring.
– Afternoon today, President …
It wasn't interesting, so he changed the channel.
– Haaa …. Seriously, there are no talented people in the Gaebyuk Knight Order? Can't you cook rice properly?
– I'm sorry. I'm not used to doing this …
A program about trying to survive on a remote island somewhere, pops up. Famous for his ice-cold appearance, superstar Yi Seon-Jae, who doesn't look to be in his mid-40s, is busy berating a Mid-Tier Knight named Kim Si-Eol. (TL: the author actually said it was a program about making three times a day on a remote island ..).
– But hey, what is the Knight Order doing right now? have an incident of Monsters raiding cities for the past 5 years? Don't we have no incidents of monsters attacking the city for the past 5 years?
– Yes, fine. That's right . We ... are focusing on cleaning up Fissures.
– Is that so? But seeing how you have come all the way here, you may not have much to do in the first place.
The chemistry between the stupid-faced Kim Si-Eol who can't do anything right and Yi Seon-Jae who keeps scoring with spiked comments is fun to watch. Sae-Jin even giggles at a moment as well.
'…… I wonder, can I also make an appearance on TV?'
A strange thought suddenly blooms in Sae-Jin's head as she continues to watch TV and laugh.
superpower, so such a thought inevitable had to spring up in his mind, seeing that he lived as an orphan with no hope and prospects for 21 years of his life . No matter how hard it was, he still received superpowers, so such a thought must have popped into his mind, seeing that he lived as an orphan with no hope and prospects for 21 years of his life. And that thought is about being loved by so many people out there.
Currently, the distance between a Hunter or Knight, and a celebrity was quite small. There was even a TV show dedicated to Hunters and Knights only, so it was possible to become famous by killing enough monsters to raise one's rank to Mid-Tier if one was a Knight, so it was possible to become famous by killing enough monsters to raise one's rank to Mid-Tier if one was a Knight, or High-Tier if someone is a Hunter.
'As if…'
Not long after, Sae-Jin returns to the real world and violently shakes her head to remove the unrealistic dream from her mind. And then, he instantly changed his channel.
– Hours 3 this afternoon, a Werewolf was witnessed exiting Fissure in Gangbukgu.
Khrreung!! " " Khrreung !! "
Sae-Jin's body is lifted from the bed as soon as she hears the news.
– Slightly resembles the legendary Lycanthrope, but its nature is very different, Werewolf is a rare Monster that has not been seen for the past 30 years. After clearing the Fissure in Gangbukgu, the Raven Knights Order had announced plans to make equipment from the Werewolf remains, as well as auction off the Mana Stone found.
Ghrrong!! " " Ghrrrung !! "
As soon as he hears Mana Stone's words, Sae-Jin almost pounces into the hologram projection.
– Auctions containing Werewolf's Mana Stone as well as other loot found from Fissure will be held at Hyunwol Auction House located on Sebit Island next week Tuesday, at 1pm. Werewolf's Mana Stone is only ranked in the top Mid Grade, but its sale price is estimated to be at least $ 1. 76 million US, up to a maximum of $ 3. 5 million US, because many collectors want this rare item.
"Tidaaak !! Why is f* ck so expensive ?!"
Sae-Jin becomes very emotional, she accidentally turns back to Human Form and shouts loudly. (TL: ??? I think the man was already in Human Form while watching television. Huh. Must turn into a wolf due to time limit.)
The money!! The money!!
All of a sudden, he found himself in need of a lot of money.
Of course, the possibility was, he had not undergone any changes even after absorbing the Mana Stone. possibility . But there is a possibility . Even if it is minutes, for Sae-Jin who is in the stomach of the deepest despair it is worth risking everything she has.
"MONEY!!"
He shouted louder and stood up from his position.
Sae-Jin anxiously paces around the inside of the cave for 10 minutes while biting her fingernails. The sound of the anchor continued to echo in his head.
Expected price $ 1. Minimum 76 million, maximum $ 3. 5 million…
Expected price $ 1. Minimum 76 million, maximum $ 3. 5 million .. (TL: Yes, same line repeated in raw.)
"I don't have enough money. '
Sae-Jin bites her lower lip, hard.
Then, he saw the micro TV call function.
There is only one number that appears in the last call list – Hazeline.
They only see each other twice now. And the amount he needs to borrow, at least, $ 1. 76 million.
Anyone in their right mind would know not to call.
sanity had imploded a long time ago . But for a man with a pair of red eyes and his mind stuck in despair, a thing like sanity had exploded a long time ago.
– Ringing, Ringing
His breathing became louder each time there was a ring.
He did not want to miss this opportunity. The Werewolf's Mana Stone – from a rare Monster that hasn't been seen in the past 30 years. If he missed this opportunity, then there might never be a next time for him.
Hello, this is the Manager of Yoseon Alchemy House… . " – " Hello, this is the Alchemy House Manager Yoseon …."
"Miss Hazeline !! This is Kim Sae-Jin speaking !!"
Sae-Jin hurriedly shouts her name in an urgent voice, causing Hazeline to answer in a panic.
Ah, hello, Sir Kim Sae-Jin . Is there something wrong? " – " Ah, hello, Mr. Kim Sae-Jin. Is something wrong? "
"I need to apologize to you in advance, but can I ask for an important but selfish favor?"
Y-yes? Why so suddenly. ah, yes, it's possible . If it's you, Sir Alchemist . " – " Y-yes? Why suddenly .. ah, yes, it's possible. If it were you, Sir Alchemist."
Hazeline made a calm answer. He probably thought that it wasn't something big.
Or, even if it really wasn't something as big as she thought, she could imagine that having Sae-Jin in her debt might prove beneficial in the further development of their business relationship….
"Can you lend me money? I'm sure, definitely, without a doubt, will work hard and pay you with my potion."
It just so happens that he was right.
And he's desperate to owe Hazeline a big debt.
"… . Eh?" – "…. Uh?"
A short, incredulous sound of surprise came out from the phone's hilt.
