The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 119
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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 119. Anomaly vs. Anomalous Person (2)
As I returned to the Guest Chamber of the Royal Palace, my thoughts grew heavy.
‘I’ve grasped the entire plan.’
Queen Marceline, who saw through everything I intended.
She rested in the palm of my hand.
What remained now was simple.
Dismantle the plan piece by piece, completely overturn the intended outcome—
◆The Successor’s Will [EX] resists the severed awareness!!◆
◆101 Sanity points have accumulated.◆
Words materialized before my eyes.
The severed awareness returned to its original state, and Sanity points accumulated.
‘It’s definitely different.’
The Vanished Social Club.
Unlike the Infinite Labyrinth.
Yet there were similarities.
First, it was a separate space isolated from reality. And like the Infinite Labyrinth’s [Rulebook], there existed [Rules].
Inexplicable, unknowable dread—the Abyss Lord.
An entity of observational indeterminacy—the Darkness Lord.
Perhaps because both transcended understanding and perception.
‘I never see them in their normal form.’
But that made it all the better.
And so, as I returned to the Guest Chamber of the Royal Palace—
“No!”
Seraphia cried out into the empty air.
There was no need to repeat the situation unnecessarily.
◆Bond Skill, Mental Empathy [E] is activated!◆
I immediately activated Mental Empathy [E].
Seraphia’s body trembled sharply.
“I have to save my brother—! Ah? Ah…?”
Seraphia’s expression twisted strangely.
“W-what on earth is happening!?”
Her memories had returned, and Seraphia cried out at me.
“How much do you remember?”
“That is… well…”
Seraphia faltered, unable to continue.
Then her face suddenly paled, and she answered in a trembling voice.
“Y-you were beating a certain noble to death, and trampling the Royal Knights indiscriminately…”
Fortunately, she remembered everything.
In other words, she shared the same memories as I did.
“But now, what’s happening…? Why am I here…?”
Though still seeming confused, Seraphia’s voice trembled—
“Prepare yourself.”
By the time I reached 9,999, she would adapt soon enough.
* * *
Soft morning sunlight cascaded across the Royal Garden.
The Tea Reception Hall brimmed with vitality, each guest radiating their own charm and fragrance.
Seraphia hid behind a wall, carefully observing every corner of the hall.
…Strangely, nothing seemed amiss.
“It’s the same again.”
Seraphia answered softly.
But no response came.
“Brother…?”
She glanced around, searching for Adrian.
Yet Adrian was nowhere to be seen.
He had been at my side just moments before.
“B-Brother…!”
She called out, but again, silence answered her.
Eventually, Seraphia had no choice but to step away from the wall.
Steadying her trembling hands, she searched for Adrian.
Fortunately, she spotted him quickly.
Seraphia exhaled in relief and rushed forward.
“Brother!”
But—
The closer she drew, the more she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
For one thing… it didn’t look like Adrian.
Black hair, a sturdy silhouette, a familiar build.
It appeared to be Adrian, yet it was not.
And it was difficult to believe this was a noble attending the tea reception.
Of course, she didn’t remember every face present at the gathering.
But this figure wore no ornate formal attire.
The movements seemed unnatural somehow.
Seraphia’s hurried steps came to an abrupt halt.
In that instant—
“Kehehehehehe.”
A grotesque laugh echoed through the air.
Seraphia’s breath caught, her body going rigid.
Cold sweat trickled down her spine.
An inexplicable dread enveloped her entire being.
Then, that entity slowly turned its head.
A grotesque form.
It grinned wickedly at Seraphia.
“KYAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”
I was so startled that I leaped from my seat.
“U-uhhhhh…!! Ghhhhhhh!!”
Eyes materialized, and lips parted wide.
The form twisted into something even more grotesque.
It blinked its two eyes open—
“Hehehehehehehehe!!”
It began rushing toward Seraphia with frenzied abandon.
At that very moment.
BOOM—!!!
An explosion erupted alongside the rupture of air itself.
My vision reeled for an instant.
Through blurred eyes, I saw Adrian.
Adrian raised his nails to a razor’s edge and, without a moment’s hesitation, slashed at the grotesque form that lunged toward him.
Crack—!
In an instant, the form was torn asunder, and it shrieked in agonizing horror.
Adrian didn’t blink once.
His gaze never wavered from the grotesque creature.
Unbowed by fear or terror, he swung his hand again.
The grotesque form scattered and vanished in a crimson haze.
Adrian steadied his breathing and slowly turned around.
Adrian’s form seemed unmoved by anything. And his steady voice reached my ears.
“Use your ability in situations like this. With your power, something like a banshee is nothing.”
“Brother…!!”
Seraphia’s tension crumbled in an instant.
An indescribable sense of relief surged through my chest—
“Hic…!”
A sudden hiccup burst forth.
“Hhic…!”
And then, once more.
A moment of silence fell.
Adrian pressed his temples and exhaled a sigh.
His usual expression—cold, taciturn, barely sparing a glance, curt—looking down at me with disdain.
For some reason, that brought relief once more—
“Hic…! Hhic…!”
Seraphia whimpered and continued to hiccup uncontrollably.
* * *
Luseria, the Enchantress of Lust, was utterly bewildered.
The scene visible beyond the crystal orb was the reason.
-Huh? Ahhh…?!
-Did your memories return?
-Yes? Ah, yes!
…This is already the tenth time this situation has repeated.
“The tenth…?”
Was such a thing even possible?
By the tenth repetition, my memories and soul should have been consumed long ago.
There was no being capable of resisting the power of oblivion.
Yet somehow, Adrian remained unscathed.
Moreover, he didn’t yield to the anomalies either.
I could overlook Gremlin.
But a Banshee as well?
A Banshee is a high-tier demon.
A demon that commands the very concepts of fear and death.
Even the high priests of the Holy Kingdom find their vitality crushed and their minds worn down when facing a Banshee.
Seraphia herself experienced this, did she not?
But Adrian?
He was completely unaffected.
A mere ruffian had overcome the terror that the Banshee displayed.
“Overcome…?”
No, he hadn’t ‘overcome’ the fear.
He dominated the Banshee as if he were a being who had transcended the very emotion of fear itself.
Because of this, even the other demon servants couldn’t touch Adrian. And thus, Luseria was denied any opportunity to infiltrate Seraphia’s mind.
And that wasn’t all.
At the second social gathering, in the Banquet Hall.
Adrian unfailingly beat Alex to death there, resetting the gathering.
Look at it now.
-Gami…! Gami…!
-That pattern is identical every time.
Crack—!
With the sound of flesh tearing as the signal, the eleventh gathering had begun…
-It won’t work!
-Prepare immediately.
-Kyaaah!!
…I no longer even felt shock anymore.
A laborer performing repetitive work.
Adrian was now cycling through the gathering with maximum efficiency.
Because of this, the demon servants were being depleted.
If this continued at this rate?
I would no longer be able to create any more anomalies.
The power of oblivion is infinite.
But Luseria’s strength is not.
Subjugating demonic minions required considerable resources from the start.
Thinking of the grueling months spent trying to subjugate the Banshee made my chest feel like it would tear apart.
If this continued, no more anomalies would exist, and without anomalies, reaching the Ballroom wouldn’t be difficult.
In other words, Adrian’s escape from The Vanished Social Club was merely a matter of time, but….
-Iliana, that lowborn wretch and─.
SCREEEECH!!
…Somehow, Adrian didn’t seem to have any such intention.
Whether anomalies existed or not.
Adrian showed no signs of wanting to reach the final day.
A lunatic more anomalous than the anomalies themselves.
What was I supposed to do with this madman?
-Come to think of it, it might have been better to keep the Banshee bound and restrained.
…Truly, I couldn’t even get a sense of what was happening.
* * *
After that, over fifty iterations of the Social Club repeated.
As a result, I was able to learn considerably much about the mechanism of Berserk[?].
First, the required Sanity values by power level for Berserk[?] are─.
[B-] = 100 or more
[B] = 200 or more
[B+] = 400 or more
[A-] = 1,600 or more
[A] = 3,200 or more
Each time a [Stage] increased, double the previous Sanity value was required.
Each time a [Rank] increased, four times the previous Sanity value was required.
Therefore, what I could confirm through fifty iterations was only up to Berserk[A].
But if this structure continued─.
[A+] = 6,400 or more
[S-] = 25,600 or more
[S] = 51,200 or more
[S+] = 102,400 or more
I could make these estimations.
Of course, from [A+] rank onward, these were merely ‘estimates’.
I hadn’t actually confirmed them.
But following this pattern, the Sanity value needed to transcend Predation[S+] would be─.
[??] = 409,600 or more
I could ‘estimate’ it this way.
Assuming I accumulated 5 Sanity per monster, I would need to devour a staggering 81,920 creatures to gather that amount.
‘I’d burst from eating so much.’
But with the power of oblivion at my side?
I could stack them without difficulty.
‘I can’t even imagine what will happen.’
Considering the performance of Berserk [A-] and Berserk [A], it was truly absurd.
From [A-] grade onward lies the limit of biological evolution.
In other words, it’s the grade equivalent to a dragon’s abilities.
First, looking at the skill I had transcended with Berserk [A-]—
◆Nutrient Creation [A-]
: The energy conversion ability transcends, allowing the player to move beyond simple synthesis and decomposition to achieve fine control over [crystal structures].
Through this, the player can freely combine materials to [create] [new elements] and [novel materials] with virtually zero probability of occurring in nature.
【This skill is a transcendent skill that surpasses Nutrient Synthesis [B].】
Nutrient Synthesis [B] transcended into Nutrient Creation [A-].
The skill name changed to match its utility, which rivals a dragon’s abilities.
Clearly a broken effect.
But it wasn’t without limitations.
After all, it was built upon materials that already exist in nature.
Therefore, true creation—
That is, creation from nothing was impossible.
Still, it was a good skill.
No, it was a broken skill.
But it was nothing.
Berserk [A].
A skill transcended with the complete abilities of a dragon.
Compared to that, Nutrient Creation [A-] was nothing.
◆Hyper Regeneration [A]
: The player can highly utilize accumulated nutrients within the body to [modify] [cells themselves] during the regeneration process. Through this, the [structure and durability] of somatic cells are [strengthened], and tissues are [reassembled] into a form stronger than before regeneration.
Additionally, when necessary, by consuming vast amounts of nutrients, the player can create [heteromorphic parts] (wings, protruding bones, etc.) that are not part of the original player’s body.
【This skill is a transcendent skill that surpasses Regeneration [B+].】
My eyes widened involuntarily.
And for good reason.
‘Heteromorphic parts can actually be manifested?’
Regeneration [B+] can only restore to the [original] state.
I could restore a severed arm to its original condition.
But I couldn’t create three arms.
By the same logic, I couldn’t sprout wings that never existed before.
Or protrude bones outward.
I couldn’t create ‘heteromorphic’ parts that I never originally possessed.
But Hyper Regeneration [A] made it possible.
I could create and use heteromorphic parts like wings.
The only drawback was the massive consumption of nutrients.
The Sanity threshold required to transcend Berserk Rampage[A].
It’s only possible while Berserk Rampage[A] remains active.
The conditions were absurdly demanding, but when satisfied, the potential that erupted was beyond description—even calling it overpowered fell short.
This is the transcendence effect of Regeneration[B+].
Then what would happen if I transcended Dragon’s Claw[A]?
I was naturally swelling with anticipation when it happened.
A soft brush.
Something grazed the hem of my robe.
I lowered my gaze immediately, and there was Seraphia, pressed firmly against my side.
…Here we go again.
When had this started?
Probably after that banshee incident last time.
Seraphia had no intention of leaving my side.
She clung to the hem of my robe, determined not to stray even a single step away.
I swallowed a sigh internally and spoke.
“Let go.”
Seraphia flinched at my words.
Yet her hand still refused to release the hem of my robe.
“You’re hampering my movement. Let go.”
“…Y-yes.”
Only then did she separate from me.
But her hand released the hem reluctantly, hesitantly.
With Seraphia finally detached, I reorganized the mechanics of Berserk Rampage[?] once more.
To transcend Dragon’s Claw[A], I needed at least Berserk Rampage[A+].
The estimated Sanity threshold required was 6,400 or higher.
‘Roughly seventy resets should be more than enough.’
I leaped from my seat and kicked Alex’s face as he savored the banquet.
“This food tastes wond—”
Splooooort!!
* * *
The Tea Reception Hall of the Vanished Social Club, repeating once more.
Though I should have grown accustomed by now, Seraphia trembled every time.
A fear that wouldn’t easily shake loose.
She instinctively hid behind Adrian.
And she gripped Adrian’s sleeve tightly—
“Stop holding on.”
“Ah, oh…! I’m sorry…!”
At Adrian’s words, Seraphia hastily released the sleeve she’d been grasping.
She felt disappointed inside…
‘He didn’t tell me to leave.’
At that thought, a smile naturally spread across my face.
Fearing it might be noticed, Seraphia hastily turned her head to the side.
In that moment.
‘Huh…?’
…A strange person caught my eye?
To be precise, there was a person who hadn’t been in the Tea Reception Hall at first.
“Oh, oh Brother! There’s a strange person over there!!”
Seraphia cried out loudly.
At the same time, Adrian stepped in front of Seraphia.
Seraphia hurriedly hid behind Adrian’s back, and a bewildered voice leaked from Adrian.
“Commander Leon…?”
It seemed Adrian knew this person.
But as far as Seraphia knew, there was only one person named Leon.
First Prince Leon Battenberg.
There was no one else.
Seraphia carefully peeked her head out—
“W-what is this…? No, my memories…?”
I could see Prince Leon’s confused face and expression.
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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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