The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 163

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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 163. Resolve (2)
A dangerous(?) favorability message about Kai appeared before my eyes.
Kai’s current favorability toward me was in the [Trust] state.
And a message indicating that Kai’s favorability toward me had reached its maximum.
This meant the possibility of transitioning to the [Affection] state, which came after the [Trust] state, had opened.
◆Favorability in [Trust] state is changing!
An extremely dangerous message appeared before my eyes—
◆Error: Kai is a character who cannot reach the [Affection] state.
…Thank heavens, such a misfortune did not occur.
◆Favorability obstruction factors – Same gender, Frenemy
◆You cannot reach the [Affection] state unless you remove the favorability obstruction factors.
◆Kai’s favorability toward you is in the [Trust] state.
Frenemy.
It referred to a relationship bearing two faces simultaneously—ally and enemy.
Those who are fundamentally hated and disliked, yet cannot help but acknowledge, are called a “frenemy.”
The opposite is archenemy.
A word meaning an irreconcilable enemy.
It seemed Kai had once regarded me as an “archenemy,” but that perception had finally changed.
And judging by the fact that we were a frenemy rather than a rival—
Kai and I.
The fundamental reason our relationship had to become strained still seemed to be in effect…
◆Kai’s favorability toward you has reached its limit!!
Another message appeared before my eyes.
This time it was a message stating that favorability in the [Trust] state had reached its “limit.”
◆Fate Quest, [Two Madmen, But the Strongest!] has arrived.
==[Two Madmen, But the Strongest!]==
[Objective] – Guide Kai to transcend dependent immortality [E]
[Reward] – Kai favorability 「Bond Stage」 unlocked
[Rejection] – No penalty
A Fate Quest with Kai had appeared.
…But this guy too.
He’s unpredictable.
And this madman was already filled with the determination to surpass his limits.
Just from his eyes, he had already surpassed the Frost Legion commander.
I wonder if he’ll really grow into a lord-tier being at this rate.
Either way.
Since I had decided not to kill Seraphia, there was no reason to kill Kai either.
◆Fate Quest, [Two Madmen, But the Strongest!] has begun.
Without much deliberation, I accepted the Quest and pulled something from my inventory, tossing it to Kai.
“Take it.”
Clang!
A sword clattered loudly as it fell before Kai.
“This is….”
A Dwarf-forged blade received from Leon.
In other words, Leon’s bribe for his marriage to Seraphia.
“It’s fine.”
“Just use it. You won’t have any concerns.”
“I don’t need it.”
…Such stubbornness.
“Aura is a force that resists the laws of nature. Therefore, to contain Master-tier aura and beyond, a high-performance weapon is essential.”
Without one, the aura’s power wouldn’t manifest properly.
It was the same principle as why my single-molecule blade required a proper foundation.
Of course, Ian had demonstrated techniques that didn’t require a sword.
But even Ian normally used the blade that Broombar had crafted for him.
“I will surpass that limitation as well.”
…What audacity.
“Stop being stubborn and use it.”
“I refuse.”
“A sword of that caliber is hard to find even across The Continent.”
“I’m aware.”
“Then why—”
“To me, it’s nothing but worthless scrap metal.”
That was the moment.
“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!?!”
A thunderous cry echoed from one side.
None other than the Steel Master, Srandel.
Srandel, who had been crafting equipment from Ogre corpses.
It seemed he’d come to watch for a moment upon hearing news of the confrontation—
“My masterpiece, Silver Gleam, what in the blazes are you talking about?!?!”
…Ah, so Srandel made that?
“Silver Gleam is the greatest of my five masterpieces!!”
As I activated Predator’s Instinct on the blade, information materialized before my eyes.
◆Silver Gleam [E]
: A sword forged by processing high-purity ether silver. Crafted with supreme refining techniques, its mana purification rate reaches [99.99%], allowing the user to convert their mana with almost no loss. Its metallic structure is [amorphous], maintaining a [silent state], and through induced wave interference, it [guides] photons without absorbing or reflecting them.
…I couldn’t understand a single word of that.
But it clearly didn’t look ordinary.
Above all, its Epic-tier rating alone justified calling it a “masterpiece.”
“To me, it’s garbage.”
“You whelp!!!”
Srandel howled in anguish.
Srandel, a master of supreme-tier forging techniques.
It seemed his pride had taken an enormous scratch.
…In other words, he was wounded.
“What kind of hammering did I do on the Silver Flash?! I elevated the mana refinement rate to 99.99% with ether silver!!”
“It is meaningless.”
“You seem not to understand what that means! It means there is virtually no aura loss! For high-output aura users like the Wolf Lord, it boasts perfect efficiency!!”
Srandel shouted, nearly threatening.
“What about photon induction in amorphous structures?!”
His voice grew increasingly louder.
“Sound blocking! Silent processing! Vision distortion! The Silver Flash is optimized for cutting ‘instants’ exactly as its name suggests! It was designed so that even the moment of the blade is not detected!!”
…This was incredible.
It was no wonder Srandel was called a master of supreme-tier forging.
“Do you know how precise its structure is?! Only the clan leader can replicate it!! You won’t find a sword like this anywhere!!”
“I am aware.”
“But—!”
“It is unnecessary.”
“…What?!”
Srandel’s thick neck trembled.
In forging, Srandel was a craftsman comparable to Broombar.
And Kai’s statement just now directly denied such craftsmanship.
Thus, he had properly scratched Srandel’s pride.
“…Fine.”
Srandel cracked both his wrists, expressing his anger.
I wondered if this might lead to another fight….
“Then I’ll create something even more perfect!!”
…Huh?
“I’ll make the Wolf Lord utter the word ‘supreme’ from his own lips, so wait for it!!”
And with that, Srandel departed, snorting.
His retreating figure blazed with craftsman’s spirit.
Had Srandel ever burned this intensely before?
…At least, I had no such memory.
More precisely, I had never seen him scratched this deeply.
In that sense, I anticipated that at least a Legendary [L]-rank item would emerge….
‘Wait.’
…Kai, you bastard.
Could it be intentional?
“Kai, you could have just used it as is….”
Seraphia spoke cautiously, but Kai said nothing.
* * *
With Srandel’s boastful declaration concluded.
My fight with Kai had come to an end.
And there were things I gained from this battle.
Not just Kai—I had acquired considerable gains as well.
First, Phantasmal Embodiment[U].
This skill, evolved by mimicking the wolf’s swordsmanship, projected illusions and hallucinations onto my opponent.
Because it consumed calories rather than mana, it couldn’t be detected by mana sense.
By deceiving pure physical sensation alone, opponents who relied on mana detection or magical prediction would become increasingly confused.
In other words, it was the perfect counter to mages.
And it wasn’t a skill that warriors could easily respond to either.
Next, Weakness Hunting[M].
Through my fight with Kai, I had accumulated considerable proficiency.
I could use it immediately in actual combat.
But as my proficiency grew, the flaws in Weakness Hunting[M] became increasingly clear.
‘The calorie consumption is far too high.’
I couldn’t even use Metabolic Overdrive[U].
And the calorie issue wasn’t a matter of proficiency.
No matter how much I raised my proficiency in Weakness Hunting[M], there was a limit to reducing the calories needed for Regeneration[B+].
‘I need to improve calorie efficiency.’
Mucous Fluid[U].
The title 【Saint of the Black Moon】.
I had to find ways to increase the efficiency of calories needed for Regeneration[B+].
But simply raising ‘efficiency’ wasn’t enough.
‘I need to raise my calorie limit higher too.’
My current calorie limit was 100,000 Kcal.
…It was becoming insufficient.
No, I had been feeling the shortage for some time now.
As I acquired multiple skills, the calorie consumption became excessive.
Especially the Ogre’s Ultra-Dense Muscle Fiber[A+].
While the brain consumes 10 times more than the same weight of muscle, the muscle density of Ultra-Dense Muscle Fiber[A+] far exceeded that tenfold.
So calories were evaporating with every breath I took.
‘It’s woefully insufficient.’
So I had to increase it.
At minimum, double.
That is, I needed to raise it to 200,000 Kcal for combat operations to become manageable.
And….
‘It would be nice if I could replenish calories during combat.’
Not necessarily through Dragon Transformation[E].
With sufficient calories, I could regenerate infinitely through Regeneration[B+].
But practically speaking, there was a limit to my calories.
Even my infinite inventory couldn’t be a fundamental solution.
‘There’s no time to consume food during combat.’
Therefore, I needed an alternative method to obtain calories without relying on food.
In other words, an Alternative Metabolic Pathway.
Simply put, acquiring calories through an ability similar to ‘photosynthesis.’
If I could supply calories even during combat this way, high-calorie skill usage would become unrestricted, and Infinite Regeneration [B+] would become viable.
‘I need to increase my Anti-Mana stat further as well.’
My current Anti-Mana stat was -1,560.
I was able to grasp the meaning of this number during my fight with Kai.
It was the same as the other stats.
Just as each point in a stat was based on an adult male standard, it equated to the mana of 15.6 ordinary people that I could neutralize simultaneously.
And that was enough to instantly neutralize the magical power of three lower-tier mages.
Truly a formidable force, but….
‘It’s insufficient.’
Compared to the beings I had to face, it was nowhere near enough.
It wasn’t enough to neutralize Kai’s aura, the commander of the Frost Legion.
Against other legion commander-class entities, it would deal only marginal damage—
‘Against lords, it’s utterly hopeless.’
Therefore, I needed to increase this Anti-Mana stat further.
‘From now on, I should invest all level-up stat points into Mana.’
Ian’s ability, Solo Leveling [EX].
Even though I couldn’t manipulate mana directly, I could forcibly enhance it through the stats gained from leveling up.
‘Agility can now be raised through training.’
Thanks to the Transcendent Sensory Motor Control [A-] I obtained from devouring the Ogre.
‘Leveling up is still crucial.’
But as I surpassed level 100, the required experience was skyrocketing.
‘I need to clear every Quest possible.’
Quests remained vital.
No, they had become even more important than before.
‘For now… this is where I stand.’
What I gained from my fight with Kai.
The immediate limitations I faced.
And the alternatives and methods to overcome those limitations.
All of this—
‘—was something I couldn’t have done in my previous life.’
But now it was different.
Unlike my previous life, I no longer had to fear the madness of Devour [S+].
And unlike my previous life, the rare lifeforms scattered across the Continent were boundless.
‘I can obtain them all.’
I could continuously evolve and perpetually transcend the limits of biology.
And with Ian’s ability, Solo Leveling [EX].
I can even increase mana that I cannot expand through my own power alone.
‘I can reach it.’
The absolute pinnacle of all living beings.
The Ultimate Lifeform.
And so, I might be able to transcend it.
The otherworldly level of a Lord.
The apex that is Ian.
And the finality that is The Emperor.
For this, I had to continue striving without pause.
There was not a moment to spare for rest, but….
‘There is no need to rush.’
I did not grow impatient.
Step by step, yet with certainty.
I steeled my resolve and organized my thoughts.
And right at that moment.
“Adriaaaaaaan!!!”
A spirited cry echoed from afar.
All eyes around me, including my own, turned in unison.
There stood Adlern…?
Adlern came rushing toward me, breathless and frantic.
“It’s finished…! We’ve finally completed it!!”
“Completed?”
“The Night Ale, sir!!”
…Ah, the research is done?
“And it’s the finest quality with complete maturation!!”
…Ah, production and all?
It seemed everything had been finished while I was unconscious.
Well, having resolved the Feractrum situation, what couldn’t we accomplish?
I calmly assessed my physical condition.
The bodily overload from Predator.
The cerebral overload from Weak Point Hunting.
I could endure it somehow.
But I was confident that the moment someone gave the signal, I would collapse immediately.
‘Rather than endure, should I collapse once more?’
…Then truly, The Empire would likely fish me up on its own.
* * *
Broombar, the patriarch of the Dwarves.
Broombar was able to resolve the Feractrum situation and return to the Whitewolf Territory.
But….
People wore expressions of elation.
The Dwarves were half-crazed, their eyes rolling back in their heads.
“Drink! Get drunk! Drink until you drop!”
“Brothers! Today is our day!!”
Boom─! Boom─!
The Dwarves began drumming their beer mugs like drums and started singing—
“Nighttime ale rises higher than the heavens~♪”
“A brother’s cup burns hotter than the earth~♬”
…What in the world was this sudden festival doing here?

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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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