The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 147

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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 147. Primordial Evolution (2)
In a single instant, a tempest of mana consumed Adrian.
The space surrounding Adrian warped entirely.
Mana swirling through space erupted in chaotic light, devouring everything around it.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash—!!
Light and darkness flickered violently, distorting the very fabric of space and time.
It was over.
…No one could withstand it.
That rampage. That torrent.
No one could possibly endure it.
And yet….
Crack—!
A brilliant spark erupted.
An invisible magical field twisted, and the flow of mana suddenly fractured.
The waves of mana swirling through the air vanished.
The energy distorting space and time began to dissipate in turn.
…The mana was beginning to collapse.
“What…?!”
Broombar’s eyes widened.
This was impossible… utterly impossible.
It could not be.
This was a rampage of highly compressed mana plasma.
It existed beyond the realm of controllable energy.
“But how…?”
Broombar stared at the heart of the tempest.
And he could see it.
Crackle—! Crackle—!
Rumble—!
The mana tempest was slowly organizing itself.
The energy of the rampage was dissipating.
At its center stood Adrian.
He remained standing.
“He’s… enduring it?”
Impossible.
How could he possibly withstand such energy?
That was… even the Ogre could not do it.
Much less a Dragon.
“How is this even…?”
And yet it was not mere endurance.
Crimson light and azure lightning enveloped Adrian’s body.
Two opposing energies collided, violently repelling each other.
And in that process, mana was collapsing.
Crackle…! Crackle crackle…!
The mana particles that had collided with Adrian were forcibly decomposed and annihilated.
It was as though Adrian himself was ‘rejecting’ mana itself—
“Anti-mana!!”
Broombar cried out.
Anti-mana.
An energy and substance possessing a wave opposite to mana.
When anti-mana collides with mana, it emits waves of opposite phase and causes mana to collapse.
Pair annihilation.
The phenomenon where mana and anti-mana erase each other and cease to exist.
As a result.
The Arcanoheart’s runaway energy vanishes.
…But it is not over.
Energy released from the pair annihilation reaction remains.
As mana and anti-mana annihilate each other, mass defect occurs, and that mass converts entirely into energy.
In other words, tremendous high-energy is released.
It is incomparable in scale to mana nuclear fusion.
By simple calculation, one thousand times greater.
To put it plainly, one thousand times more powerful than the Arcanoheart’s explosion.
This means that energy of such vast magnitude is about to detonate.
Boom─────!!
Light erupted.
A brilliant blue radiance that seemed to devour everything—
‘It’s vanishing…?’
—It scatters. It fades.
It extinguishes. It evaporates. It sinks.
…No, that’s not right.
It would be more accurate to say it is being ‘consumed’.
“What in the world is…?”
Broombar’s eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.
The energy released from the pair annihilation reaction was absolutely not the kind that could be controlled.
Without exaggeration, it could be said.
It could obliterate an entire kingdom in one blow.
“But how is this even…?”
The phenomenon before his eyes recombined within Broombar’s mind.
Laws encompassing concepts, phenomena, and matter were perfectly envisioned.
By restructuring and transforming the fabric of reality itself to discern the information—
That was—
“Not mutual annihilation…?”
Devourer of Mana.
That would be the more accurate description.
The mana wasn’t simply cancelled out—it was devoured.
In other words, Arcanoheart’s runaway energy had been consumed and absorbed by Adrian.
“Krraaaaaaagh—!!”
Adrian screamed.
His body was collapsing.
His skin peeled away, his flesh evaporating like sand.
“Big brother—!!”
Keeeeeeeee—!!
The space was instantly engulfed in frost.
Threads of frigid energy bloomed in all directions, wrapping around Adrian and beginning to arrest his collapse.
Adrian gradually regained stability.
And.
“Gasp…! Gasp…!”
Adrian was alive.
Broombar had lost all words.
He couldn’t fathom what to say or how to say it.
He simply couldn’t comprehend it.
Adrian asked, his mind still reeling.
“Arcanoheart….”
Broombar moved instead of answering.
His shattered legs and arms wouldn’t obey him.
Still, he forced them to move.
He examined Arcanoheart.
The surface of Arcanoheart was covered in cracks.
From within came the sensation of irregular mana tremors.
When he placed his hand on it, the residual heat seared his skin.
Broombar ignored his burning flesh and inspected the interior.
…Fortunately, the core remained intact.
“It will need repairs… but it can still function.”
The moment Broombar finished speaking—.
Thud.
Adrian collapsed like a withered leaf.
* * *
The trade city of Caravana.
The central hub of a network where merchant guilds from across the Continent actively exchanged goods and conducted commerce.
Yet today, the procession of merchant guilds entering Caravana was unusually large—.
“You there! Why are you only arriving now!! The contract deadline passed long ago!”
At the angry voice, a merchant hastily jumped down from the carriage and quickly bowed his head.
“Oh dear…! I’m truly sorry.”
“What’s the reason? Why are you so late?”
“Well…, I was completely trapped because of the Ogre and couldn’t help it.”
“…What? An Ogre?”
“Actually, you see-.”
The merchant explained in detail everything that had happened.
How the roads had been devastated by the Ogre.
The Central Region’s trade routes completely destroyed, collapsed, and shattered into absolute chaos.
“If I took the southern route, the barbarians have been swarming lately, so I had no choice but to have my hands tied.”
“Huh…!”
It was a story difficult to believe.
The Ogre shouldn’t have awakened yet, and it wasn’t a monster one could easily encounter.
One might barely see a single one in a lifetime.
But the merchant guilds continuously arriving in Caravana.
They were all telling the same story.
It wasn’t just one or two people—multiple guilds were experiencing the same problem, so it couldn’t be false.
“It was that severe…?”
“Well, it’s an Ogre after all.”
“…Hmm? Wait.”
Someone muttered.
“Then how did you all get here?”
“Well, that’s the thing….”
The answer that followed.
It completely shook Caravana.
“The Ogre… has been subjugated?!”
The footsteps of people walking along the street naturally came to a halt.
Conversations in the middle of the marketplace ceased, and everyone’s attention focused—.
The Ogre has been subjugated!
The rumor spread throughout the entire city of Caravana in an instant.
Originally, the citizens of Caravana were rarely surprised by anything.
With various cultures mixed together, they frequently encountered extraordinary things.
And since news of events and rumors from each kingdom reached them constantly, they were indifferent to most matters.
The distribution of monster meat.
The collapse of the Lawless City, Violess.
The rumors that had shaken Caravana thus far were of this magnitude—.
“Who did it?!”
“How is that even possible!”
The subjugation of the Ogre was such a shocking major event that it overturned everything else.
“I haven’t heard that the kingdom’s army mobilized?”
“You fool! Do you truly believe the Kingdom would dispatch its armies merely to hunt an Ogre?”
“Such madness could bring ruin upon the entire nation!”
The Ogre was a natural calamity that crossed borders at will.
Even the Kingdom itself refused to attempt direct subjugation.
“Has a Master-tier mercenary company emerged?”
“I’ve heard no such reports.”
How could one remain ignorant of the few Master-tier mercenary companies that existed across The Continent?
And more importantly.
“Even a Master-tier mercenary company couldn’t possibly defeat an Ogre.”
Only a Mercenary King could accomplish such a feat.
Yet no Mercenary King had emerged in the past several centuries.
“Then who?”
“How is this even possible?”
The rumors and questions began spreading beyond Caravana, rippling across The Continent.
It was not limited to the Free City.
High-ranking nobles from each Kingdom began taking considerable interest in this incident.
“If only we could bring such a person under our banner….”
“Conversely, should they become our adversary?”
An asymmetric military asset capable of destabilizing the balance between nations.
“Uncover their identity by any means necessary!”
“Spare no expense—bring me information, even if it costs a fortune!”
Intelligence organizations from every nation mobilized with urgency.
* * *
Battenberg, the capital of the Battenberg Kingdom.
The conference chamber within the Royal Palace at its heart.
“The Ogre has been subjugated, you say….”
At First Prince Leon’s words, the various nobles gathered in the conference chamber stirred, their voices rising in agitation.
“Your Highness, we must absolutely uncover this person’s identity!”
“Indeed! The ability to subjugate an Ogre single-handedly is far too significant a matter to overlook!”
And with good reason—the Ogre was no mere monster.
A natural calamity whose very existence could consume an entire region.
An entity capable of subjugating such a calamity alone was equivalent to a nation-level asymmetric military asset.
“Should we succeed in bringing this individual into our Kingdom, they would become an invaluable asset.”
“Conversely, should another nation extend their hand first….”
“It would pose a grave threat to our Kingdom.”
The nobles’ opinions converged with unusual unanimity.
And Leon himself shared their sentiment.
“Information Director, what does the investigation team report?”
“Thus far, it remains unknown. No evidence, no witnesses… nothing has been left behind, they say.”
“Elaborate further.”
“The subjugation took place near the Berka Mountain Range in the Central Region. Only signs of combat remain at the scene. No trace of the Ogre’s corpse or anything else….”
The intelligence officer’s report continued on.
There was nothing particularly useful in the information.
Yet Leon closed his eyes calmly and reasoned through the data.
Intuition.
That sensory form of thinking called instinct or gut feeling.
It was a sense everyone possessed, something most had experienced at least once in their lives.
Like when something feels off or heavy in the air.
Or when your heartbeat changes in a dangerous place.
Or when inexplicable dread makes you break into a cold sweat.
These seem like trivial reactions on the surface, but their true nature is the judgment of intuitive thought.
When encountering an object or phenomenon, you feel it immediately without needing proof.
Therefore, intuition wasn’t so much bypassing the thinking process as it was the thinking process occurring so rapidly that consciousness couldn’t register it.
And Leon could wield this intuitive thinking perfectly.
Experience, knowledge, analysis, deductive reasoning.
Every circuit of thought materialized into images, unfolding and visualizing within Leon’s mind.
‘No traces of magic used….’
The remaining traces showed only destruction from physical impact.
Then was this the work of a Master swordsman?
But Masters always leave traces behind.
Use a sword and you leave cutting marks.
Use a spear and you leave piercing marks.
Yet there are none.
Or rather, very few.
What’s visible is only raw power.
Indiscriminate slaughter and destruction alone.
In other words, not the work of a Master swordsman either.
Based on witness accounts, the battle lasted quite some time.
Yet the damage was minimal.
Most importantly, there were no casualties.
But Ogres are natural disasters—the damage from subjugating one is typically catastrophic.
The surrounding area should have been caught up in it.
And yet the damage is remarkably light, with no casualties at all.
Considering this, the person is accustomed to ‘controlling the situation’.
But to consciously control the situation while fighting an Ogre?
…That’s extremely difficult.
So it probably wasn’t a conscious action.
More like habit.
A veteran among veterans who has conducted and experienced countless battles and operations.
How many such individuals could exist on this Continent?
Who here is neither a mage nor a Master?
Yet possesses overwhelming physical prowess capable of contending with an Ogre?
Considering all of this….
‘It must be Adrian.’
Leon could reach that conclusion immediately.
Truly, he was a remarkable man.
Frankly, without the experience from the Royal Palace before, I could never have deduced it.
How could someone who is neither a mage nor a Master possibly possess such overwhelming physical ability to match an Ogre?
Fortunately(?), thanks to that experience at the Royal Palace, I did know of Adrian’s strength—.
‘That he could subjugate an Ogre.’
…Honestly, I never expected it to be this much.
Even my intuition as Leon couldn’t grasp it at all.
Thus, I couldn’t fully comprehend this person called Adrian.
No, with an achievement of this magnitude.
Shouldn’t one be allowed to boast and display oneself a little?
Every nobleman I’d observed only sought to inflate their own accomplishments and demand rewards and glory.
Often they were too busy stealing others’ achievements to line their own pockets.
But Adrian was not like that.
Far from inflating his accomplishments, he didn’t even reveal them.
Stealing others’ achievements? Not a chance.
Rather, he shared his own accomplishments.
Didn’t he refuse the title of Count and give it to Seraphia instead?
Because of that, he couldn’t propose to Seraphia.
And because of that, most people didn’t even know who truly earned the credit in the Battenberg Kingdom incident.
Adrian never sought to become a hero himself.
One who performs missions that go unrecorded.
Hidden in moonlight, walking beneath starlight… as they say.
Adrian simply did what was necessary from behind the heroes.
“Your Highness, we must move swiftly as well.”
“The Levent Kingdom has already dispatched spies to begin tracking the identity.”
“Informants across the entire Continent are already in motion. We mustn’t fall behind.”
Along with the nobles, other kingdoms were also desperate to uncover the identity.
It was no exaggeration to say the entire Continent’s attention was focused on this.
Therefore, since the matter was so grave, no matter how hard one tried to hide it, Adrian’s identity would be exposed eventually—.
‘Perhaps I can score some points with my brother-in-law.’
…For Leon, this presented an excellent opportunity to gain favor.
* * *
A clandestine meeting place thick with heavy tension.
Fallen Soul Worshippers wearing black hoods all fell silent.
And for good reason—the news Aketa had just brought.
“What did you just say?”
“The Ogre has been subjugated?”
In other words, the entire plan had crumbled.
The plan to awaken the Ogre and collapse the order of each kingdom entirely, destabilizing the balance of power.
The plan to easily seize and control multiple kingdoms through this chaos.
The plan to kidnap high-ranking officials of the kingdoms amid the confusion and facilitate assassinations.
The plan to generate refugees and displaced persons in every region where the Ogre appeared.
The plan to collapse the market economy through this.
The plan to secretly trade illegal weapons, slaves, and forbidden magical artifacts by exploiting the devastated situation.
The plan to use this as a cornerstone to reactivate the collapsed Obscura and ultimately create a new Lawless City—all of it—
“The Ogre has been subjugated!”
Completely ruined.
With the Ogre—the linchpin of the plan—subjugated.
“This is utterly absurd!!”
Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Who on earth did this?!”
“And how?!”
“Did the kingdom’s army mobilize?”
“We have no intelligence of that.”
“Then you’re saying someone subjugated the Ogre alone?”
“Based on the current situation….”
Aketa continued in a strained voice.
“That is the only conclusion we can draw….”
“The only conclusion?”
What is this bastard saying right now?

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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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