The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 134

—————

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

—————

Chapter 134. The Bait
An enormous quantity of Runesteel lay buried in Whitewolf County 2.
However, to verify the Runesteel’s content and purity, I would need to go there personally, extract the ore, and examine it.
It would be more efficient to head straight to Whitewolf County 2 rather than make a detour through Whitewolf Territory.
“From here on, I’ll move separately.”
So I told Seraphia, who had poked her head out the carriage window—
“Wh-wh-what?!”
Seraphia suddenly cried out in alarm.
She whipped her head around.
The rushing wind sent her silver hair streaming wildly in all directions.
“Y-you’re moving separately?!”
“Exactly as I said. From here, I’ll move on my own, so you go to the Territory first.”
“…Pardon?”
Seraphia leaned further out of the carriage.
“What about you, brother?!”
“I have something to attend to.”
“Something to attend to…?”
“I need to inspect the Territory that Leon granted me this time.”
“If that’s the case, I should come with you—!”
“There’s no need.”
“Why not? Is there some reason I can’t come along…?”
Confusion and anxiety flickered across Seraphia’s face simultaneously.
I paused for a moment, considering how to explain this.
Whitewolf County 2 contained an enormous deposit of Runesteel.
The total area of Whitewolf County 2 was 282 square kilometers.
Of that, 46.7 square kilometers were Runesteel veins.
Approximately fourteen percent of Whitewolf County 2’s total area consisted of Runesteel deposits.
And yet.
‘Avarus had no idea such quantities of Runesteel were buried there.’
Despite having spent at least several years in Beneron Barony.
It wasn’t just Avarus, either.
The Emperor himself didn’t know.
This defied all logic.
That such an enormous quantity of Runesteel lay hidden, yet no one had discovered it—it made no sense.
In other words, there had to be an inevitable reason why Avarus hadn’t found the Runesteel veins, why the Emperor couldn’t have discovered them.
Either the quality of the Runesteel was too poor to be economically viable.
Unfortunately, the “Management Mode” function hadn’t revealed such details.
Without knowing what that reason was, it would be reckless to bring Seraphia along.
“I’m simply going to take a look around and return.”
“….”
“So go to the Whitewolf Territory first.”
Seraphia’s eyes trembled visibly between strands of flowing silver hair.
An anxious expression like a puppy on a rainy day.
Since I could roughly see what she was thinking, I let out a small sigh and added more words.
“Once this is finished, I’ll return to the Whitewolf Territory.”
“Really, truly?”
“Yes.”
“For real?!”
“Yes.”
“You’ll definitely come back?!”
“….”
“Ah, I understand! I won’t ask anymore!!”
Seraphia hurriedly retreated.
Like a mole, she quickly tucked her body into the carriage.
-You will come back, won’t you? You’ll definitely come back.
Anxious murmurs continued to drift from inside the carriage.
I brushed those aside.
Veering off the path I’d been following, I broke away from the procession.
* * *
According to Iliana, the hero of the Allied Forces.
-Ore veins are generally buried in environments where tectonic activity is severe and mineral deposits accumulated over long periods can exist.
Because of this, ore veins were typically hidden deep beneath the earth.
Regarding this, The Blacksmith, hero of the Allied Forces, said.
-Ore veins are the blood vessels of the earth and hidden heartstrings, you could say!
But they weren’t only underground.
Mountain ranges also fulfilled the conditions for Runesteel deposits to be buried.
Thus, I dug through the earth and traversed mountain ranges to find Runesteel ore veins.
Fortunately, digging through the earth wasn’t a major problem.
Even without the Monofractal Blade [S], I could easily destroy massive rocks and geological layers with the Dragon’s Claw [A].
So I wandered for a full five days searching for Runesteel ore veins.
“…Why can’t I find it?”
I still hadn’t found the Runesteel ore vein.
At this point, I’d nearly completed my search of Whitewolf County 2.
If 14% of the territory’s area contained Runesteel ore veins, I should have found it long ago.
Could the information be wrong?
“That shouldn’t be the case.”
Even if Mungoo wasn’t in his right mind, he didn’t lie.
“So Avarus and The Emperor couldn’t find it for a reason.”
Conversely, the possibility that the Runesteel’s quality exceeded expectations grew higher.
It was more likely they couldn’t find it rather than knowing of its existence and choosing not to touch it.
The problem was that even I found it difficult to locate….
“Then there’s no helping it.”
I summoned my 「Player Information」.
I hadn’t wasted time during the journey back to Whitewolf Territory.
First, Assimilation [B] and Low-Light Vision [C].
Hunting Chameleons and Noctura, I’d managed to perfect both abilities.
Additionally, I’d devised methods to regulate the overload of Predator [M], and engaged in rigorous physical training every single day.
==「Player Information」==
[Name] – Adrian Whitewolf
[Title] – Ruler of the Northern Region
[Level] – 109
[HP] – 12,940
[MP] – 0
[Sanity] – 54/ℵ0
[Stats] – Strength: 101.2 (+13.2) Agility: 163.8 (+37.8) Endurance: 118.3 (+27.3) Mana: 6.9 (+0.9)
[Experience] – 3.89%
Strength, Agility, Endurance.
All three stats had broken through 100.
However, these figures already included the amplification effects from passives and titles. In terms of pure stats alone, only ‘Agility’ had surpassed 100.
“Training increases Strength and Endurance slowly, it seems.”
As my pure stats approached 100, the growth rate from physical training had plummeted dramatically.
In that sense, Agility hadn’t increased through any form of training whatsoever.
Regardless.
“Phew.”
I exhaled a deep breath.
An inexplicable tension gripped me.
And for good reason.
“This is the first time since Violess.”
I’d been hesitant due to the extreme pain involved.
But since it had come to this, perhaps it was for the best.
I could accumulate proficiency as well.
“If I tear this place apart, it should appear.”
◆Evolved Skill, Wrath of The Frenzied Dragon [L] is activated!!
* * *
A thunderous roar erupting from the tip of my fist.
CRAAAAAAAAASH─!!
As the blazing Wrath of The Frenzied Dragon tore across the mountain range, everything shattered as if raked by a dragon’s claws.
And.
“Ugh…!!”
I felt as though I were dying.
My bloodline burned and swelled as if set ablaze, muscles expanding until they threatened to tear.
My limbs trembled, and my vision began to blur.
◆I retrieved the waste oil from my inventory.
I poured the oil into my mouth.
Dragon’s Wrath [L] could replenish its own calories by sacrificing only one arm.
After replenishing my calories, I unleashed Dragon’s Wrath again in rapid succession.
Each time, my joints tore apart without fail.
My flesh twisted, and the burning cells screamed with maddening agony.
By the time I’d unleashed it dozens of times, I’d developed a certain technique.
How many more times did I unleash it after that?
◆You have acquired the derived skill, Dragon Burst [E]!
I was able to acquire a new derived skill.
A derivation born from branching off the original skill.
Weak Point Detection [U] was the skill derived from Predator’s Instinct [S].
In this way, a derived skill could be understood as a skill that had been transformed and expanded from its parent skill—.
◆Dragon Burst [E]
: When this skill is used, the player selects [any amount] of calories and concentrates [the desired amount] into [the desired location], allowing for [instantaneous] energy explosions to be released.
At this time, damage equal to [consumed calories × 5] is concentrated on enemies in a straight-line distance.
【This skill is a derived skill branching from Dragon’s Wrath [L].】
Compared to the original skill, Dragon’s Wrath [L], its power fell far short.
But the ability to release instantaneous explosions in desired locations.
If I concentrated calories in my forearm and released them, a single punch could pierce through formations.
If I concentrated them in my legs and released them, I could tear through the ground and execute explosive charges.
The power was halved, but in exchange, I gained ‘precision and utility’.
It wasn’t without reason that this derived skill was rated [E], which signified Epic.
* * *
After that, I continued replenishing calories and unleashing Dragon Burst [E] in rapid succession, building proficiency.
As a result.
“…Now I understand.”
The Emperor had ‘failed’ to discover the ore vein.
There were multiple complex reasons.
But they could be narrowed down to two main factors.
The first of these.
“At this depth, it’s roughly 11 kilometers down.”
The ore vein was located so far beneath the surface that it defied imagination.
A location that couldn’t be discovered through artificial explosions or even seismic fractures.
Even Dragon’s Wrath [L] had its limits, and without concentrated drilling using Dragon Burst [E], discovery would have been nearly impossible.
And even that was only possible because I could delicately scrape away the bedrock with Single-Molecule Blade [S].
But what madman would go to such lengths on already-troubled land?
Even I wouldn’t have thought of it without the information from 「Management Mode」.
This was the first reason the Runesteel ore vein had never been discovered.
But it wasn’t the only reason.
Though it lay deep underground, it was positioned where magical detection tools could have found it.
Thus, the second reason the Runesteel ore vein had remained hidden.
It stemmed from Runesteel’s unique property of ‘nullifying’ mana.
◆Runesteel Ore
[Runesteel Content] – 18.1%
A purity of 18.1%, no less.
Runesteel with a purity of around 0.0005% is classified as mid-grade.
High-grade is around 0.0015%.
The highest grade is 0.003%.
But 18.1% purity far transcended the highest grade—it was ‘Prime’ tier.
“At this level of purity, detection tools wouldn’t sense it.”
The high purity completely nullified mana, after all.
It couldn’t be detected by any magical means whatsoever.
Combined with its vast reserves, detection became even more impossible, making it something no one had ever discovered since the dawn of history.
In other words.
“Jackpot!!”
No—it was a mega-jackpot.
* * *
After confirming the existence of the Runesteel ore vein.
I headed not to my territory, but to the commercial city of Frecce.
A purity of 18.1%, no less.
The quantity alone amounted to a staggering 1.67 billion tons of Runesteel.
It could not merely change the tide of war—it could overturn it entirely.
But I couldn’t simply rejoice.
For one, the Runesteel ore vein lay far too deep underground.
In other words, mining it was extraordinarily difficult—nearly impossible.
I could endure it to some extent with Hardened Body Transformation, but that was merely ‘to some extent.’
I couldn’t last more than five minutes.
The subterranean pressure and temperature were no joke.
Even a knight cloaked in aura would have their skin seared.
Moreover, the deeper the excavation, the more unstable the bedrock became.
There was far too great a risk of immediate collapse during the mining process.
Thus, I would need to construct safety facilities, hire workers, and so forth.
The initial investment costs would be astronomical.
“Funding isn’t a major concern.”
The problem was ‘technology.’
The technology to manufacture specialized equipment capable of withstanding subterranean pressure and temperature.
The technology to stabilize unstable bedrock.
And that was far from all.
Even if I managed to extract Runesteel ore, the process of refining it presented an entirely separate and formidable challenge.
Refining Runesteel was extraordinarily difficult.
Only master craftsmen possessed of exceptional skill and decades of experience could accomplish it.
Yet the Whitewolf Territory harbored no such artisans, nor did it possess the facilities and infrastructure required.
To speak plainly.
“At present, there is nothing I can do about this situation.”
It was like gazing upon a painting of fruit—beautiful but utterly unreachable.
But it didn’t matter.
Because solutions did exist.
I had the means to summon the greatest craftsmen across the Continent to my Territory, and to construct the finest facilities and equipment known to civilization.
To this end, I had already extracted approximately one ton of Runesteel ore and stored it within my infinite inventory.
The subterranean environment—so hostile that even Rigid Body Transformation could scarcely withstand it.
Extracting that single ton had cost me dearly in exhaustion.
“Perhaps I should dangle some bait.”
If I knew him as I believed I did, he might very well come charging through the gates of my Territory tomorrow itself.
* * *
Cambion.
The bastard offspring of demons and humans.
Yet among the Cambion, some abandoned their existence rooted in physical temptation and desire, yearning instead for a life of harmony.
Thus was born a natural race—the Elf.
The Elves pursued harmony with nature alongside the spirits, discovering methods that caused minimal harm to the natural world.
They spurned unnecessary technological advancement, and viewed mass production as an act that violated natural harmony, forbidding it with absolute strictness.
Yet just as one or two wolves from a pack might grow comfortable relying upon humans, birthing the race known as dogs.
So too did certain Cambion, dreaming of harmony with nature, give rise to the race called Elf.
But some among the Elves refused to pursue harmony with nature.
They spoke thus:
We did not wish to be shackled by greed and desire.
We never sought to be bound by nature.
Must we truly endure such inconvenient lives, constrained by nature’s chains?
When wolves devour deer, you call it the law of nature—so why do you condemn Elves for doing the same?
It is arrogance.
We Elves are also part of nature.
You claim to live in harmony with nature, yet beneath that name, you fall prey to the arrogance of believing yourselves separate from and capable of dominating the natural world.
That is why you pity all life and nature.
The Elves ultimately fractured, dividing into two paths and turning their backs upon one another.
Those Elves who refused to be bound by nature, who sought only freedom, descended into the depths of the earth where mineral wealth lay abundant.
Elves dwelling in the profound darkness beneath the ground.
To distinguish themselves from the Elves above, they chose a different name for themselves.
Dökk—meaning darkness.
Elf—álfar, meaning “elf” in the ancient tongue.
Dökkálfar.
In other words, Dark Elves.
Subterranean elves. Dark Elves.
And so, countless ages passed.
The underground environment transformed the Dark Elves.
Living beneath the earth, their stature diminished.
Laboring with ore veins, their delicate frames gave way to muscular, powerful bodies.
Rejecting harmony with nature, the presence of spirits faded from memory.
Aesthetic beauty was melted away in the furnace.
Diminished height. Unattractive features.
Crude, brutish forms.
Humans observed them and thought:
—This is supposed to be an elf?
They bore no resemblance whatsoever to the beautiful race of elves.
To human eyes, they looked nothing like elves at all.
And so, humans bestowed upon them a new name—one meaning “those afflicted with dwarfism”—.
Thus was born the race known today as Dwarves.
The Dwarves: a race of master craftsmen.
Unlike the elves, the Dwarves maintained trade and contact with humans for ages.
But humans, blinded by greed, betrayed the Dwarves’ trust and exploited their formidable strength and exceptional craftsmanship.
And so, the Dwarves, like the elves before them, turned their backs on humanity.
They retreated into the deeper underground, beyond the reach of human discovery, and established a kingdom of their own—.
Feractrum, the subterranean world nestled in the depths of the earth, faded from human memory.
Feractrum, protected by self-regenerating labyrinths and distorted gravity fields that barred entry to outsiders.
A river of crimson lava flowed serenely along the towering cavern walls—.
Between the stone faces, metal dust and sparks danced, while the endless echo of hammers rang through the air.
“Hear me, Chieftain!!”
A dwarf kicked open the forge door with a heavy boot—.
“High-purity Rune Iron ore has arrived in the human city of Frecce, it has!!”
Broombar, the dwarf chieftain, felt his muscles tense.

—————

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

—————