The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 105

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Chapter 105. The Journey to the Capital (1)
Drawing upon memories from my past life, I was able to eliminate all the rare monsters with S+-rank Predation abilities.
And before embarking on the proper journey to the Capital, I made a brief stop in Frecce.
Supplies for the new recruits and raw materials for the territory’s residents.
Moreover, there was a continued need to supply daily necessities to Whitewolf Territory.
“Don’t worry at all!! Schönne will manage everything without a hitch!!”
Adlern shouted with confidence.
It wasn’t an exaggeration—he was as reliable as Kai and Bernard.
“I’ll settle the payments through the Predator Restaurant.”
The amount of money in my inventory was absurdly large.
In truth, the revenue flowing from the Predator Restaurant was staggering.
Daily average profit: approximately 100,000 gold.
It matched the monthly sales of a mid-sized merchant company.
‘Though inventory is beginning to run low.’
Supply couldn’t keep pace with demand.
Only I could supply monster meat.
‘The Icetroll’s infinite meat didn’t work out.’
To remove the monster’s madness, I had to use my S+-rank Predation ability.
But if I use Predation?
The Icetroll’s regenerative ability disappears.
In the end, infinite monster meat supply was structurally impossible.
Once again, I realized just how broken the M-rank Infinity ability truly was.
Regardless.
‘After returning from the Capital, I’ll need to properly expand the Predator Merchant Company.’
By then, the territory’s residents should be producing decent goods.
To promote, distribute, and sell those across the Continent, the current scale of the Predator Merchant Company was insufficient.
In that sense—
“Adlern, bring me the finest quality wine from the warehouse.”
“Yes, s-sir…?”
Adlern tilted his head in confusion and asked again.
“May I ask what purpose you intend to use it for? Depending on whether it’s a gift or for your personal consumption—”
“I’ve been invited to the Royal Court’s social circle this time.”
To be precise, it was Seraphia who received the invitation, but regardless.
“I intend to recommend your merchant company’s wine there.”
“…Y-yes?!”
Adlern’s movements froze completely.
He seemed momentarily unable to comprehend my words.
“Have you forgotten who I am?”
“Ah…!”
Only then did Adlern’s eyes widen in realization.
I seem to have momentarily forgotten that I am the eldest son of House Whitewolf.
In any case, the benefits a merchant can reap by establishing themselves in aristocratic society are beyond measure.
Especially for Adlern, who caters primarily to the upper echelons.
And if we’re talking about the pinnacle of society—the Royal Court itself—well, that’s another matter entirely.
“Th-th-that is…! That is…!!”
“What are you doing? Bring it here at once!”
“Y-yes, I’ll fetch it! Just a moment! Give me but a sparrow’s worth of time, I beg you!!”
Adlern rushed into the warehouse in a flurry.
I thought it would take some time, but he returned surprisingly quickly.
It seemed he had a secret weapon hidden away for such occasions, though its color was an unusually deep brown for wine.
“Here is what we call ‘Peanut Wine’, sir!”
“Peanut Wine?”
It was a spirit I had never heard of before.
A name I had not encountered even in my previous life.
Wine is made by fermenting grapes—so what in the world could peanuts possibly have to do with it?
“Schönne developed it herself!”
“You developed it yourself?”
“Yes, sir! By fermenting peanuts and honey together, one can experience both a savory richness and sweetness simultaneously!”
…It actually sounded rather promising.
“The sweet and nutty flavor flows smoothly down the throat, and finishes with a bold, lingering taste that I dare say is exquisite!”
“May I taste it?”
“Ah, well, you see, there’s only this one bottle…”
Adlern scratched his head awkwardly as he continued.
“Truth be told, I spent every last coin Adrian gave me just to make this one.”
“You spent all of it?”
“Hehe…”
Adlern was far more devoted to wine than I had anticipated.
In any case, with only one bottle in existence, I could not very well drink it.
“I look forward to seeing the results.”
The moment I accepted the Peanut Wine from him, Adlern prostrated himself flat on the ground.
◆Your favorability with Adlern has reached its maximum!
Simultaneously, a semi-transparent message appeared.
◆Error: Adlern cannot reach the [Affection] state.
◆Favorability Obstruction Factors – Same Gender, Savior
◆You cannot reach the [Affection] state unless you remove the favorability obstruction factors.
◆Adlern’s favorability toward you is in the [Trust] state.
◆Those in the [Trust] state place absolute faith in you, depend upon you, and will follow you in all things.
◆Adlern would gladly bear any loss for your sake.
And so.
“My first loyalty is to Adrian! My second loyalty is to money!!!”
I had successfully completed all the groundwork needed to recruit Adlern as a branch manager for the Predator Merchant Company, including building his favorability.
* * *
-Seraphia. Dinner is ready.
A voice suddenly called from outside the carriage.
“…Eek!”
Seraphia’s delicate shoulders flinched and trembled.
I hastily wiped away the saliva at the corners of my mouth, and when I glanced out the window, the landscape had already grown dim with approaching dusk.
I straightened my disheveled clothes and lightly combed through my tousled hair with my fingers.
Then I opened the carriage door—
“We must hurry and finish before sunset!”
Soldiers were driving stakes into the ground and constructing the campsite.
“Everyone, please eat!”
On the other side, handmaidens bustled about carrying provisions and cooking utensils.
Warm meat stew and freshly baked bread.
Steam rose from above the makeshift stove, releasing an appetizing aroma.
Soldiers gathered one by one at the dining area.
Seraphia called out to one of them.
“You there…!”
“Yes! You called for me!”
The soldier rushed over in an instant and saluted.
Seraphia glanced around before asking the soldier a question.
“Is my brother inside the carriage?”
“Adrian left the campsite some time ago to conduct reconnaissance of the surrounding area.”
“Reconnaissance?”
“Yes. It’s been a while, so he should return soon.”
“…Ah! Thank you for telling me.”
“Not at all! Please call if you need anything!”
The soldier saluted once more and hurried back to the dining area.
The handmaiden who had awakened Seraphia spoke up.
“Seraphia, please eat as well.”
“I’ll eat a bit later.”
Seraphia sat down on the edge of the carriage.
I quietly observed the soldiers eating around the campfire.
Soldiers eagerly devouring stew and bread.
“Wow! How does it taste so good?!”
“It’s a hundred times more delicious than what we ate in Whitewolf Territory!”
The soldiers’ faces were filled with happiness as they exchanged jokes while eating.
‘I should eat together with my brother later.’
And then came the natural conversation that would follow.
I endlessly contemplated what topics I might discuss with Adrian.
That anticipation-filled imagination.
“The bread is good, but this stew is absolutely insane?”
“You couldn’t get a meal like this even in the Capital?”
“Even the Royal Court’s Head Chef couldn’t make something like this?”
“Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”
“…Is it?”
The soldiers’ cheerful chatter drifting from beyond the campfire only fueled Seraphia’s anticipation and excitement further.
* * *
The Capital of the Battenberg Kingdom was located in the central part of The Continent.
Climatically, it enjoyed a temperate climate.
With distinct seasonal changes, countless natural environments existed there.
In other words, genetic variations accumulated through adaptation to seasonal changes, increasing biodiversity—.
Deep within a dense forest, quite distant from the Campsite.
The light of dusk was obscured by the forest’s darkness.
Tangled branches blocked my vision.
I illuminated the darkness with a luminescent stone and cut through the tangled branches with dragon claws, continuing forward.
“It should be around here…, ah, is that it?”
In the distance, I could make out a massive cave.
A deep and dark cave.
The cave, devoid of even a sliver of light, resembled a colossal beast gaping its maw wide open.
If my prediction was correct, this cave was the perfect habitat for that creature.
I stored the luminescent stone in my inventory and entered the cave.
Darkness as though the entire world had gone black.
If I could manipulate aura or mana, I could secure my vision, but neither applied to me.
I relied on the sensitivity of my fingertips as I ventured deeper into the cave.
‘This should be about right.’
I retrieved the bait I had purchased in advance from Frecce and laid it down.
Now came the battle of patience and waiting.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve done an ambush.’
I recalled memories from my Special Task Force days and concealed myself in the darkness.
* * *
How much time had passed?
Seraphia waited endlessly for Adrian to return.
Yet no matter how much time elapsed, Adrian did not come back.
Each time a soldier finished eating.
Seraphia’s shoulders gradually drooped.
Each time a maidservant cleared away the dishes.
Seraphia’s head sank lower and lower.
“Seraphia.”
A maidservant who had been watching with concern approached carefully.
The maidservant’s hands carried appetizing dishes, their steam rising in delicate wisps—
“I’m not particularly hungry. I think it’s because I had a snack earlier.”
For some reason, Seraphia’s appetite had completely vanished.
* * *
How much time had elapsed?
It was precisely when my sense of time had dulled in the pitch-black darkness.
‘It’s here.’
Something had triggered my senses, now rivaling ESP itself.
In this lightless void, I couldn’t perceive its form.
But the moment I activated my Predator’s Instinct[S], the creature’s information crystallized before my eyes with perfect clarity.
==【Entity Information】==
Entity: Cave Fisher
Classification: Monster-class Gastropoda Mucilaginous Gastropod
Gender: Hermaphrodite (Male)
Age: 6 years
Distinguishing Feature: Slime Cell[B-]
The entity—Cave Fisher.
This was the creature I had been searching for.
Literally translated, it meant “the fisherman dwelling in caves.”
Yet it was no true fisherman.
As the gastropod classification suggested, it was a rare monster born from a snail’s mutation.
But ultimately, it remained a snail.
The Cave Fisher, too, was slow.
Thus, it inhabited caves and underground environments like this one, where light was scarce, ambushing and devouring prey that sought shelter from rain or rest.
Its hunting method resembled that of a fisherman, hence the name—the fisherman of caves.
Cave Fisher.
Its primary ability was Slime Cell[B-].
◆Slime Cell[B-]
: Upon activation, the player consumes [10Kcal](per second), coating cells with chemically potent slime. The coated cells reduce bodily friction, increasing joint mobility range by [+8,380%], pressure resistance by [+1,350%], and accelerating damaged cell division to enhance recovery by [+15%].
【This skill can be toggled [On/Off].】
When one thinks of snails, slime comes to mind.
The Cave Fisher was an evolved iteration of that very substance.
Because of this, the Cave Fisher’s slime wasn’t sticky. It was moist, smooth, and odorless.
It served excellently as an ingredient for recovery potions.
Particularly for skincare, it was overwhelmingly superior.
Moreover, coating armor with the slime dramatically amplified waterproofing and durability.
‘The Emperor had reason to capture them all.’
The Emperor bred Cave Fishers in the Imperial Palace Underground Laboratory.
He distributed armor coated with their slime in vast quantities, ruthlessly crushing the Allied Forces.
…In any case.
By directly coating the mucus of the Cave Fisher onto my cells, I could expand the range of motion in my joints.
The range of motion in a joint referred to the extent to which muscles could move when exerting force.
In other words, I was obtaining a body capable of executing optimal movements in any situation and environment.
The downside was the high caloric consumption.
But I could overcome it through the synergy effect of Regeneration [B+].
Recovery ability increased by [+15%].
Which meant that the caloric cost required for Regeneration [B+] decreased by [-15%].
◆Activating derived skill, ‘Find Weakness [U]’!
Upon using Find Weakness [U], the Cave Fisher’s vulnerabilities became immediately apparent.
Simultaneously, a distinctive feature of the Cave Fisher was highlighted—it possessed two reproductive organs.
The Cave Fisher was hermaphroditic.
A single individual could function as both male and female.
The interesting part was that a ‘battle’ determined the sex.
When two individuals met, they fought before mating.
The victor became male, and the loser became female.
-Quite unusual, isn’t it?
That was what I had learned from Iliana.
Therefore, a hermaphrodite male meant a powerful individual.
A hermaphrodite male in its sixth biological year of life meant it was the strongest specimen with an undefeated record of ‘six years without defeat’—.
Crack!
◆Cave Fisher defeated!
◆Acquired 150 combat experience points!
To me now, it was merely an excellent source of genetic material.
* * *
Time passed in an instant—one week.
The journey to the Capital had already progressed halfway through.
‘Today as well….’
Adrian was nowhere to be seen.
During meals, rest periods, and even in the briefest of moments, Adrian unfailingly absented himself.
That had been going on for a week already.
‘I haven’t seen my brother’s face even once.’
Somehow, it was harder to see his face than it had been in Whitewolf Territory.
Rather than growing closer to Adrian, I felt myself drifting further and further away.
The journey to the Capital was nothing like I had expected.
Seraphia sat alone in the carriage in silence.
“Sigh….”
A sigh escaped unbidden as my gaze fell to my lap.
In that moment.
I detected a shadow creeping down from above my head.
But what could possibly cast a shadow inside a carriage?
The moment I carefully lifted my gaze upward—
“Ah, mmph…!”
Before a cry could escape Seraphia’s lips, her breath caught in her throat with a soft gasp.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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