The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 141

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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 141. There Cannot Be Two Suns Beneath the Sky (2)
That incident, which defied all conventional wisdom and bordered on the utterly bizarre.
Their training was so incomprehensible even by dwarven standards that one questioned whether they were the same species at all.
First among them was the human man named Kai.
His grip on the sword held no hesitation, and his eyes, reminiscent of blue opal, were cold and fathomless.
This was the strength of survival that only those who had endured endless training and countless battlefields could possess.
Above all, the power he displayed under the guise of aura training.
Even Broombar could not confidently claim victory against him.
And then there was the human woman named Seraphia.
At first glance, she appeared small and delicate.
Her physical stamina seemed unremarkable.
Yet the power inherent within that diminutive frame was far from trivial.
What it was, I could not discern.
But I could instinctively sense it was something even Broombar dared not approach.
Most of all.
My gaze swept across the surroundings.
One human absent from this place.
“Adrian. That man is certainly stronger than me.”
“Huh? How could you possibly—wait! You didn’t actually fight my brother, did you?!”
Fortunately(?), I shook my head.
“The Runesteel Ore Vein was located eleven kilometers beneath the surface. That’s why no one had discovered it. And it would never have been found.”
But then.
“Adrian. That man personally dug tunnels eleven kilometers underground and discovered it himself.”
“My brother did?”
“Yes. And it wasn’t just one place. There were traces of tunnels dug in various locations.”
“…Ah! So that’s why my brother was late.”
Seraphia nodded as if understanding at last.
Kai fell silent in thought before speaking.
“What does that signify?”
“You don’t understand the significance of tunneling eleven kilometers underground?”
That depth transcended mere mining.
“It’s something I myself cannot accomplish.”
“Even you, Clan Chief?!”
Broombar nodded gravely.
Throwing oneself into already-excavated tunnels was one thing.
But personally carving tunnels was an entirely different matter.
“Even borrowing the power of the Arcanoheart, it would be difficult.”
In other words, a depth that required mobilizing all current dwarven technology merely to reach.
Yet he had carved through it with his bare hands.
Or rather, even with tools, it would be the same.
“I can tell that Adrian is stronger than me without needing to exchange blows. The earth doesn’t lie.”
That’s why I clung to this belief.
“Adrian. I thought that man could stand against an Ogre.”
“Mm.”
Seraphia nodded in agreement.
Kai seemed satisfied as well, asking nothing further.
“But is an Ogre really that strong?”
“You seem unfamiliar with Ogres.”
If you knew, you wouldn’t speak such words.
“I’ve only read about them in books….”
“Human woman. The contents of the books you’ve read are likely embellished with imagination.”
“Imagination?”
“No one has ever seen an Ogre up close.”
“You mean…?”
“More precisely, no one has survived to tell of it.”
This is why Ogres are called both natural disasters and the apex predators of the land.
Therefore, reactions to the name Ogre split into two categories.
Curiosity from those who have never seen one.
Terror from those who have glimpsed one from afar.
But.
At that moment, the emotion that flickered in Adrian’s eyes at the mention of Ogres.
It was not curiosity.
Neither fear nor dread.
Exhilaration. Or perhaps ecstasy.
How many beings could feel such emotion—or rather, display such a reaction—at the mere mention of an Ogre?
Broombar certainly could not.
In that sense—
“Where exactly is this man Adrian?”
Adrian, who had been nowhere to be seen since earlier.
“Ah! My brother is probably scouting the surrounding area.”
“…Scouting the area?”
Broombar’s head tilted to the left.
* * *
Feractrum, the kingdom of dwarves.
A land long separated from mankind.
No roads were laid, no terrain passable by carriage—only treacherous, jagged earth.
This meant, in other words—
Kiiiiiieeeeek─!!
That rare monsters worthy of [S+] rank were stationed at every passage leading to Feractrum.
Bodies resembling ants.
A colossal insect measuring nearly two meters in length.
Elongated antennae protruded from its head, while its thorax and legs were covered in countless bristling hairs.
Its carapace bore what resembled a series of panels.
Thus, the true identity of this creature, discerned through my predator’s instinct [S], was—
==【Entity Information】==
Entity: TremoAnt
Classification: Monster-class Insecta, Hymenoptera, Formicidae
Gender: Female
Age: 11 years
Trait: Vibrational Perception [B-]
TremoAnt.
An ant that senses vibrations (Tremo-) (Ant).
A literal translation: vibration ant.
In essence, a monster born from a mutation of an ant’s ability to detect seismic vibrations.
◆Vibrational Perception [B-]
: Upon acquiring this skill, the player’s skin surface [Merkel cells] and [Pacinian corpuscles] develop to an extreme degree, enabling the detection of minute vibrations in the air. Through this, one can analyze vibrations of [specific frequencies] to identify the presence of [concealed and invisible] enemies.
【This skill, when acquired as a passive skill, applies permanently.】
Based on this ability, TremoAnts establish resonance networks and remember the paths they traverse through vibrational sensation.
Thus, TremoAnts have no eyes.
In other words, vision has atrophied.
An entity that hunts in a state of blindness, relying entirely on vibrational perception and hearing.
TremoAnts detect the neural signals of their prey to predict attack intentions in advance, and even read heartbeats to assess the condition of their quarry.
An ability virtually indistinguishable from ESP.
If I could make this my own?
The realm Ian spoke of.
Lumen Pax.
A supreme state where one’s mind and senses achieve perfect alignment, allowing clear perception of all surrounding environments, including one’s opponent.
Of course, I cannot wield mana, so I cannot reach Lumen Pax.
However, through Spectrum Vision, a ‘biological Lumen Pax,’ I could approach it.
Vibrational Perception [B-] and Low-Light Vision [C].
These were the core abilities that could combine to form a biological Lumen Pax.
◆Evolutionary Skill, Slime Fluid [U] activated!
As friction against my body vanished, the sounds accompanying my movements diminished.
TremoAnts are monsters that sense vibrations and sound.
In other words, Slime Fluid [U], which eliminates vibrations and sound, functioned as Camouflage [B] against the TremoAnt.
Kyiek?!
The TremoAnt was flustered, as expected.
The elongated antennae on its head twitched and moved frantically.
Yet it could not easily pinpoint my location.
Kyieeeeeeeek──!!
Soon, Tremoant let out a piercing cry.
It was no ordinary screech.
The Tremoant before my eyes was eleven years old.
Typically, Tremoants live for one to three years.
In other words, only one type of individual could survive for eleven years.
A queen.
The queen could vibrate her body at a specific frequency to summon her soldiers.
Kieek!! Kieek—!!
Grraaaaaaagh—!!
Horrific shrieks erupted from all directions.
In an instant, soldier Tremoants swarmed together in writhing masses.
While not quite an army, it could certainly be called a swarm.
‘I’ve been waiting for when she’d call them.’
This was actually the situation I had hoped for.
A single queen alone couldn’t achieve the complete evolution of my ability.
More than anything.
‘My Sanity value should accumulate quite a bit.’
I needed to build up Sanity in advance to prepare for the final confrontation with the Ogre.
…For some reason, I found myself missing the click of the Authority of Oblivion today.
‘Should I capture Blake and keep him confined.’
Thinking such thoughts—
◆You have defeated a Tremoant!
◆You have gained 40 combat experience!
I hunted down the swarms of Tremoants.
* * *
After several days of physical training and searching for rare monsters.
==「Player Information」==
[Name] = Adrian Whitewolf
[Title] = Master of Snowy Mountain
[Level] = 109
[HP] = 11,985
[MP] = 0
[Sanity] = 527/?0
[Stats] = Strength: 104(+5) Agility: 149.9(+24.9) Endurance: 118.85(+19.85) Mana: 11(+5)
[Experience] = 4.1%
Without the effect of the title 「Ruler of the Northern Region」, my overall stats had declined compared to the Whitewolf Territory.
However, my pure stats had increased dramatically.
Through consistent training, my current pure stats for strength and endurance were each 99.
It was equivalent to possessing the strength and endurance of ninety-nine adult men combined….
‘It seems like it won’t go any higher than 99.’
I was forcibly raising my agility stat using the ability points from my Lone Leveling [EX] skill.
However, strength and stamina could only be increased through ‘training’ alone.
‘At this rate, training alone won’t be enough to raise my strength and stamina any further.’
But if I devour an ogre with Predation [S+], things could change.
In any case, since I was no longer training, my pace quickened considerably.
Thus, I arrived at Feractrum, the kingdom of dwarves.
I could reach its vicinity much faster this way.
“Wait here.”
Perhaps unwilling to expose Feractrum’s location to humans, Broombar only permitted us to approach so far.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
With those words, Broombar departed.
Well, since things had come to this.
There was no particular need to continue physical training.
If I wandered off and something went wrong, it would only cause trouble.
‘I should practice vibration sensing instead.’
I decided to wait here at ease.
* * *
Broombar’s figure receded into the distance with heavy strides.
‘…How disappointing.’
Seraphia murmured inwardly.
‘I wanted to see where the dwarves actually lived….’
Her lips pouted slightly at the regret.
But she couldn’t very well complain about it.
Seraphia consoled herself and sought out Adrian.
A desolate Rocky Mountain.
Adrian was sitting atop the mountain’s peak.
When had he even climbed up there?
She had no confidence she could reach that height even if her life depended on it.
Seraphia gazed up at the Rocky Mountain and sighed quietly.
‘I wanted to be with my brother….’
But she had to give up on that as well.
Seraphia eventually settled onto a nearby rock with a soft thud.
As she gently brushed aside the strands of hair dancing in the wind, savoring a moment of respite—
“Count.”
Kai approached cautiously.
But something seemed amiss with Kai’s expression.
Before she could wonder what was wrong—
“Forgive my presumption, but….”
Kai spoke quietly.
“I heard that you received a marriage proposal from Leon.”
“Ah…! Ah, that….”
Seraphia flustered, her gaze darting evasively in all directions.
Yet her face, flushed crimson, betrayed her completely.
“That is… well….”
“You hold Leon in your heart.”
“N-no…? That’s not—”
It was at that precise moment.
BOOM—!
An explosion erupted in a straight line from atop Rocky Mountain, tearing through the air with a violent shriek.
* * *
Uuuuuung.
A peculiar vibration felt at the tips of my skin.
Tremount’s ability, Vibration Sense [B-].
It seemed the dwarves were arriving.
But the sensation I felt through Vibration Sense [B-] was not from the dwarves.
A powerful bio-wave.
In other words, Dragon Fear.
‘…Already?’
They said they’d return soon, and they truly did return soon.
If I had been away, it would have been catastrophic.
After a brief moment—
From the distance, a massive spherical structure came into view.
Its overall form was a rounded sphere reminiscent of a heart.
Three rings enveloping the sphere floated and rotated, while numerous conduits and connection lines extended from the core’s lower section.
And along those conduits flowed streams of mana’s luminescence.
Each time the sphere pulsed, currents of blue and red light erupted across its surface, displaying movements as though it possessed life itself.
‘It’s larger than what I saw in my previous life.’
In my previous life, it was smaller, and far more refined.
It seems to be a prototype—
That was when it happened.
Thump-thump.
Another sensation registered through Vibration Sense [B-].
Yet nothing was visible in the surroundings.
Only the Arcanoheart and the dozens of dwarves transporting it.
That was all that could be seen from atop Rocky Mountain.
And yet, Vibration Sense [B-] clearly detected another presence.
Thump-thump-thump.
It was growing stronger by the moment.
I expanded my senses further.
‘…Underground?’
BOOM!!!
A tremendous shockwave erupted from beneath the earth.
…Something was charging directly toward Arcanoheart in a straight line.
The distance closed at terrifying speed.
There was no time to deliberate.
◆Activating derived skill, Dragon Burst [E]!
The explosion released from my left wrist tore through space instantaneously—
CRASH—!
The trajectory of the underground shockwave twisted abruptly.
Then the ground bulged upward violently—
BOOM…!!
A colossal aberrant creature emerged, spewing earth and stone.
True to its nature as a whale mutation.
Its size approached a staggering 20 meters.
The elephant, called the mightiest of all beasts.
Yet this creature’s overwhelming mass proved that such supremacy existed only because whales had retreated to the seas.
==【Individual Information】==
Species: Ogre
Classification: Monster-type Mammal, Artiodactyla, Cetacean Family
Gender: Male
Age: 26 years
Trait: Impenetrable Defense [S-]
It was a creature of absolute invulnerability.
ROOOAAARRR—!!
The apex predator of the land—the Ogre.

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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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