The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 159

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

Chapter 159. Ripples (2)
Training in Weak Point Hunting[M] continued from the Frost Trial Grounds.
The training was straightforward.
1. Use Weak Point Hunting[M].
2. Destroy the overloaded brain region with Dragon Burst[E].
3. Regenerate[B+].
That was all there was to it.
But simple in theory, it was anything but.
‘Ugh—!’
…It was far from easy.
Controlling the caloric expenditure for Dragon Burst[E] alone proved to be a significant hurdle.
More than that, simply destroying the brain and using Regenerate[B+] was not the end of it.
I had to reconnect the neurons and synapses of the regenerated neural network.
In that process, memories, sensations, and thoughts would often become tangled, twisted, and jumbled together.
…It was considerably dangerous.
One misstep could mean death.
The brain was one of my ‘fatal weaknesses,’ after all.
I had three fatal weaknesses in total.
The heart. Hunger.
And the brain.
First, the heart was the core of my Devouring[S+] ability.
If my heart was destroyed, I could not use Regenerate[B+] or any other skill.
Not even Super Regeneration[A].
I could see this from Memoria, who was a clone of me.
That was why I wanted to obtain the Ogre’s Organ Duplication System[A], but… unfortunately, I could not.
Therefore, the heart was my most fatal weakness.
And the second weakness: hunger.
If calories were depleted, I could not use Regenerate[B+] or most other skills, making this too a fatal weakness.
The third and final weakness: the brain.
A fatal weakness that any human naturally possesses.
But I was somewhat different.
An indirect weakness, one might say.
I could recover from any bodily injury using Regenerate[B+].
In other words, I could regenerate the brain as well.
And what was needed to activate Regenerate[B+] was two things.
Nutrients and willpower.
I could activate Regenerate[B+] through the manifestation of my ‘will’ to use the skill.
But if the brain was destroyed?
I could no longer manifest my will.
A damaged brain could be regenerated with Regenerate[B+], but if the extent of brain damage crossed the threshold and reached the point where I lost my ‘will’… then I would die.
I couldn’t even entertain the thought of using Regeneration [B+].
My heart. My hunger.
And my brain.
Since these were my fatal weaknesses, I had trained Weak Point Hunting [M] on thin ice countless times.
How much time had passed like that?
◆Surplus Calories – 4,150Kcal
My calorie reserves had finally bottomed out.
I could have replenished by pulling oil from my infinite inventory, but….
‘I’ll stop here for today.’
…I couldn’t push any further.
So I slowly opened my eyes—.
In one corner of the Frost Trial Grounds.
Someone had been staring at me intently.
They must have been standing quietly in the corner so as not to disturb my training.
It seemed they had been there for quite some time.
But I had been so focused on destroying and regenerating my brain that I hadn’t noticed them at all.
In any case, a handsome man with blue eyes and long blonde hair.
Kai approached me with long strides.
“I heard you’ve awakened.”
“As you can see.”
“Your body is in good condition, then.”
“As you can see.”
Truth be told, it wasn’t.
But that’s beside the point.
“Is there something you wanted to tell me?”
“I have a request for you, Adrian.”
“…A request?”
Out of the blue?
“What is it?”
“I wish to receive instruction from you.”
“…What?”
My face contorted for a moment.
Instruction? From me?
The Kai I knew would never say such a thing.
For one, Kai wasn’t the type to receive instruction.
Commander of the Frost Legion.
The ‘Lich’ who had driven the Allied Forces into terror—what instruction could he possibly seek?
Of course, the current Kai was far inferior compared to the Commander of the Frost Legion from my previous life.
But he was growing at a pace incomparable to my past, and Kai possessed the potential to perhaps even evolve into a ‘Sovereign-tier’ being.
Moreover, though he rarely displayed emotion, his pride was boundless.
Kai was not the type to set aside his pride and beg for instruction.
Moreover.
‘Kai doesn’t even particularly like me, does he?’
His affection level was indeed at [Trust], but that was solely because of Seraphia.
He had only acknowledged me to protect Seraphia.
Rather than trusting me deeply in his heart, he had merely accepted me because I was [necessary] to Seraphia.
There was no way Kai would seek instruction from me unless he had lost his mind.
Could it be that he didn’t actually mean he wanted to receive instruction from me?
“Instruction? From whom?”
“I wish to receive instruction from you, Adrian.”
…Had this man truly lost his mind?
“Are you serious?”
“I am serious.”
◆I activate the fusion skill, Weakness Hunt [M].
Upon verification, I could discern the truth.
…One hundred percent sincere.
I barely held my fragmenting consciousness together before speaking again.
“…What’s your reason?”
At my question, Kai lowered his gaze.
He repeated the pattern of hesitating to speak, his lips trembling.
There was clearly something on his mind.
I waited patiently for Kai’s answer—
“…I wish to keep my promise.”
Kai spoke further, biting his lower lip firmly.
* * *
Once upon a time.
Kai had sworn an oath as Seraphia’s guardian knight.
Even if everyone on this Continent abandoned Seraphia.
Even if Seraphia herself lost her own sense of self.
—I alone shall remain steadfastly at your side, my lady Seraphia.
Kai had endured until now with that singular resolve.
People did not understand.
Yet he did not seek their understanding.
Since when did following one’s heart require the approval of others?
Through every threat and trial, Kai had persevered with his unwavering devotion to Seraphia.
But reality was merciless.
Devotion alone could not keep him at Seraphia’s side.
—I shall accept the proposal from the Beneron Barony House.
He could not protect Seraphia as she was sold into marriage.
—I’m sorry… Sir Kai….
I could not protect Seraphia from the Lycanthrope.
That was when I understood.
Half-measures and inadequate strength could never protect Seraphia.
To speak plainly, I could not do what Adrian could do.
Yet I possessed an aura and swordsmanship talent no less than his.
So I made a vow.
That I would grow stronger and stronger—strong enough to cleave through the Frost Legion itself, through the Lycanthrope itself, with ease.
I made that vow and strived toward it.
But in this battle with the Ogre.
Adrian had warned me again and again.
-The Ogre does not die even if its head is destroyed. So never let your guard down, no matter how fatal a blow you believe you’ve dealt.
Yet I forgot that warning.
That it could survive without a head.
The Ogre—a creature with a fundamentally alien life structure—was not something I could easily comprehend.
A mistake.
But on the battlefield, a single mistake leads to fatal consequences. And in truth, my mistake did lead to something fatal.
-It’s not over yet!!
Kwaaang—!
As Adrian’s cry rang out, the Ogre’s fist struck me with perfect precision.
…And then, there was nothing but darkness.
When my eyes opened, my body was already drenched in blood, hurled to the ground.
My limbs would not obey me.
My entire body screamed in agony, and my consciousness kept slipping away.
-…Ugh.
I forced my blurring vision to focus—
Adrian stood alone against the Ogre.
Seraphia and Broombar desperately struggled to control the rampaging energy of the Arcanoheart.
…The situation was spiraling into catastrophe.
And it was a catastrophe that would never have occurred had I not let my guard down.
Had I only remembered Adrian’s warning, we could have hunted the Ogre without difficulty.
…But I had not.
As a result, we all nearly died.
Without Broombar, we could not have stopped the Ogre.
Without Seraphia, the Arcanoheart would have exploded.
Without Adrian, we could not have hunted the Ogre.
And without me… there would have been no problem at all.
In the end, Seraphia fell ill once more.
And I… could do nothing once again.
It was Adrian who assessed Seraphia’s condition and devised a solution.
It was Leon who summoned the Saint.
What Kai had done was… truly nothing at all.
Far from protecting Seraphia, he had instead thrust her into danger.
That was why.
-A festival is happening right now! Sir Kai, you should come along too!
-I’m afraid I must decline.
-What? Why?
Standing by Seraphia’s side now… perhaps it would only shackle her to the ground.
-You’ve been so busy lately that you haven’t even rested. So just this once, please come with me-.
-I’m afraid I must decline. If the Countess enjoys herself, that is enough for me.
Perhaps it would be better to leave her side empty.
-Eh, what? Sir Kai!
…From her grasping hand, Kai could only flee.
* * *
Kai’s confession, if one could call it that.
It was quite a lengthy tale, but the summary was simple.
‘In the end, it’s all because of Seraphia.’
He’s simply obsessed with Seraphia.
Completely obsessed.
In other words, Kai remains unchanged.
The same Kai as always, now and forever.
Indeed, the only thing Kai could cast aside all his pride for was matters related to Seraphia alone.
In that sense, I grew curious.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Why do you want to protect Seraphia so desperately?”
At first, I thought it might stem from romantic affection toward Seraphia.
‘But that doesn’t seem to be it.’
That’s what I had confirmed when we were in Frecce last time.
Yet one could never be certain.
Perhaps Kai was simply hiding his true feelings toward Seraphia.
“It is not something that seeks understanding from others.”
Kai evaded the question.
But I’m sorry to say, there was now a way to know, even if he tried to hide it.
◆Fusion Skill, Weakness Hunt [M] activated.
I grasped Kai’s emotions intuitively.
It was far more desperate than mere affection or romantic longing…
As if his very reason for existence lay in protecting Seraphia.
A knight’s loyalty? A sense of duty?
No.
It was a far deeper emotional compulsion than that.
This obsessive emotion—so deeply rooted that he attributed his very existence to Seraphia—.
‘…I have no idea.’
Kai was not someone who had twisted the laws through his own will to become a Lich on a whim.
Perhaps that’s why I suddenly grew curious.
If Kai’s loyalty ran this deep, then between me and Kai—.
How had our relationship ever become strained?
The memory was too distant to surface clearly.
And then there were the memories of my past life.
That is, my recollections had been tainted and marred by the horrors of the battlefield, so most of what happened within the family had faded from memory.
‘…Forget it.’
Who could ever understand the mind of a madman?
If I could understand it, wouldn’t that make me mad as well?
Besides, it’s all in the past.
To me now, Kai is nothing more than the commander of the Frost Legion.
I brushed aside my wandering thoughts and reconsidered Kai’s words.
Looking back… there were several things I needed to correct.
First of all.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Kai, I couldn’t have managed without you.”
At that moment, I was immobilized by the backlash of Dragon Impact.
I needed time to recover my composure and restore my calories.
But Broombar had reached his limit.
The Dwarves had bought me time, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
Therefore, it was Kai who had truly bought me time by cornering the Ogre at the final moment.
“If you hadn’t pinned down the Ogre at the end—.”
“Even if it hadn’t been me.”
Kai cut me off and continued.
“If another Master’s knight had stood in my place, they could have still grasped the Ogre’s ankle.”
“….”
“But Adrian, you are different. If another Master’s knight had stood in your place, we could never have hunted the Ogre.”
…I had nothing to say.
But it wasn’t as though I truly had nothing to say.
Only Kai could have continued fighting after taking a direct hit from the Ogre.
Dependent Immortality.
Therefore, it was only because it was Kai, not merely a Master’s knight, that I could corner the Ogre at the end.
But Kai didn’t seem to see it that way.
“And if I had been another Master’s knight… we wouldn’t have reached such a situation in the first place.”
He still could not forgive himself for failing to protect Seraphia until the very end.
Moreover, his reason for existence.
That is, he was doubting whether Kai—replaceable as another Master’s knight—deserved to remain at Seraphia’s side—.
“So… you want to learn from me?”
I was overcoming that doubt, striving to transcend my own limitations.
“Yes.”
“Kai, as you know, I don’t use a sword.”
“I’m aware.”
“Then why do you wish to receive instruction from me?”
In swordsmanship, Kai surpassed me by a considerable margin.
Not just one level—several levels above.
If we fought with blades, I could never defeat Kai.
“I didn’t mean I wanted to learn swordsmanship.”
“Then what?”
“I wish to learn Adrian’s methods.”
“…My methods?”
“More precisely, I wish to learn the methodology behind the techniques Adrian employs.”
“Ah.”
The subtle essence of martial arts that I had learned from Ian.
That’s what he seemed to be referring to.
It appeared he had glimpsed the martial essence woven into my evolution skills during the battle with the Ogre—
‘Can he actually perceive such things?’
In any case, a genius remained a genius.
It was no wonder Lucas, captain of the Royal Guard, had coveted him.
And it was no coincidence that the commander of the Frost Legion, who had driven the Allied Forces into terror, was no ordinary talent.
‘Teaching Kai, of all people.’
Naturally, it was something I had never considered.
Teaching the commander of the Frost Legion—was such a thing even possible?
But since I had decided not to kill Seraphia, there was no longer any need to kill Kai either.
However, that was separate from this matter.
“I cannot teach you.”
“…I understand.”
Kai lowered his head calmly.
He withdrew surprisingly easily.
Yet Kai’s emotions were different.
Disappointment.
But there was no helping it.
First of all, I myself did not fully understand the essence of martial arts.
Much less did I know how to imbue it within a blade.
So what could I possibly teach him?
Therefore—
“I mean to say, I cannot teach you at this moment.”
As it happened, this worked out well.
I could use this time to train Weakness Hunting as well.
I wanted to test the physical abilities I’d gained from evolving through Ogre Predation [S+].
I also wanted to experiment with Mana Predation.
Before entering The Empire, I needed to accumulate real combat experience myself.
“Kai, learn directly from me.”
* * *
A festive atmosphere spread throughout the Whitewolf Territory.
Everyone gathered in the Town Square was brimming with anticipation.
Seraphia breathed quietly and steadily.
All preparations were complete.
Iliana and Isolde.
The two allies who would keep Adrian immobilized were already with Seraphia.
Now only one thing remained.
“Is everyone ready!”
It was right as Seraphia shouted with resolute determination.
Boom!
An explosion echoed from somewhere.
The air trembled violently, and then—Crash!
The successive explosions instantly froze the festive atmosphere.
“Was that… an explosion?”
“What’s happening?”
“Did something blow up at the Rune Steel Foundry?”
“No, the direction’s different.”
People began to stir uneasily.
Kaboom!
Another explosion rang out.
More violent than before.
“Huh…?”
Confusion crossed Seraphia’s face, while Iliana and Isolde’s expressions hardened in an instant.
And at that very moment.
-The Monster and the Wolf are fighting aaaaah!!
A Dwarf’s piercing cry from somewhere resonated throughout the entire Whitewolf Territory.

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