The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 193

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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 193. Upheaval (1)
Before Kalek’s eyes stretched the Whitewolf Territory.
Contrary to the barren, harsh landscape he had anticipated, the castle walls stood tall and formidable.
Standing with dignified presence upon the snowy plain.
It even emanated an oppressive aura.
This was no mere territory of ‘endurance’ as Kalek understood it.
It was a territory that had achieved ‘prosperity’ beyond any other region.
“Hmm.”
Certainly, there was something here—that much was undeniable.
The higher-ups hadn’t made their judgment without reason.
Kalek flicked his fingers lightly, scattering magical energy.
He was preparing to use servant magic.
A spell to manipulate insects and creatures inhabiting the surroundings—common organisms that could be investigated for information without suspicion.
“…That will be difficult here.”
But in the Whitewolf Territory, such magic could not be easily employed.
The environment was far too cold; insects and creatures suitable for servant magic simply did not inhabit this place.
But that was acceptable.
He had heard that monsters existed here.
Of course, controlling monsters through servant magic carried considerable risk.
But monsters were also creatures one could observe in nature.
Information could be gathered without arousing suspicion.
“Hmm.”
Kalek swallowed dryly and turned his steps toward the Frozen Peak to seek out monsters.
* * *
Furnaces lined in succession along the wall.
Crimson flames blazed, and molten metal flowed slowly along the channels.
The sound of hammering and the vibration of machinery never ceased.
Though the Whitewolf Territory endured perpetual bitter cold, the Blacksmith Workshop always roiled with fire and sweat.
And so, within the workshop’s landscape that seemed to escape even the harsh season itself.
“Phew…!”
Srandel exhaled and set down his hammer.
A master of supreme refining arts—Srandel.
Srandel gazed quietly at the metal glowing with heat.
It was then.
“How is the work progressing?”
Someone called out from beyond the workshop entrance.
As he wiped away sweat and turned his head, a familiar face came into view.
“My lord!”
Adrian Whitewolf.
Srandel’s voice rose naturally with delight.
“I heard the news! You really went all out!”
Adrian, who had faced the Death Knight alone.
It was a rumor that seemed utterly unbelievable, but since Srandel had experience fighting the Ogre, he harbored no doubts.
“As expected of a monster aura user! Kahahaha!”
The Blacksmith Workshop resonated with Srandel’s booming laughter.
Adrian smiled lightly before getting straight to the point.
“More importantly, how is the work progressing?”
The equipment for the soldiers of Whitewolf Territory, to be precise.
The very equipment Srandel had promised to craft personally from the Ogre’s byproducts.
“Ah, well, you see….”
Srandel scratched the back of his head and pointed to one corner of the workshop.
“I’ve been falling behind while making swords for the wolf aura user.”
Blades piled high like a mountain.
All of them were unsatisfactory works.
“The blade forms are complete, but I lack suitable materials to withstand the aura of an aura user like the wolf aura wielder.”
Steel was out of the question entirely.
“Rune iron, as the monster aura user knows, isn’t suitable as a weapon either.”
The nature of rune iron neutralized mana.
Because of that, it couldn’t contain aura and thus couldn’t be used as a weapon.
“Ogre bone has a low refinement rate, so it resists the process severely.”
Thus, I’ve attempted various approaches.
Mana stone alloys.
Composite materials fusing organic matter with metal.
Ancient rune steel molecular processing methods, and so on.
“I’ve tried everything imaginable….”
And the result is there.
Swords piled high.
“Even when the forms take shape, they don’t hold up.”
“Well then, sir.”
Adrian, as if the timing were perfect, handed something to Srandel.
“Would it be possible to craft with this?”
Srandel examined what Adrian had given him closely.
Something irregularly curved.
It wasn’t particularly large in size.
At first glance, it gave the impression of a human fingernail enlarged excessively—
“…Hmm?”
…Something felt off.
One might say it was unusual.
Srandel brought his face closer and reached out to feel the surface.
The texture was hard as stone.
Yet it possessed the flexibility of living bone.
Its grain was smooth as metal.
Yet it had the organic cohesion of scales.
A structure where disparate properties harmonized in perfect unity.
Thereby granting tensile strength and fracture resistance thousands of times greater than steel.
Most notably, it was both unyielding and possessed an eerie coldness.
It didn’t merely cut—it possessed the property of disregarding resistance itself.
As far as Srandel knew, there was only one material on the Continent with such properties.
“A dragon’s claw…?”
“Is that possible?”
“Wait, you’re telling me this is actually a dragon’s claw?!”
Srandel’s eyes widened involuntarily.
And for good reason—what were dragon claws?
The mightiest and supreme.
The apex of all living things.
A remnant shed from the supreme lifeform that reigned above all creation.
So rare that its very existence seemed unbelievable, yet a legend whose mere presence could annihilate an entire kingdom.
“Where on earth did you obtain this?!”
Surely Adrian hadn’t hunted a dragon himself?
Srandel’s bewilderment was brief.
As if answering his very question—
Snip, snip.
…Adrian began trimming his own fingernails and toenails, which had grown quite long.
* * *
Dragon’s Claw [A], a skill obtained by devouring Gelu Drake with Predation [S+].
It was a skill that elevated my keratin composition to rival that of a dragon.
Thereby granting all damage I inflicted the effect of ignoring [-35%] of the target’s defense—
A Passive Skill.
More precisely, it was the form of dragon genetics applied to my physical structure.
Therefore, there was no problem even if it separated from my body.
For instance, even a weapon crafted from extracted nails retained its full effect.
‘I wish I could apply the monomolecular blade effect as well…’
Unfortunately, Monomolecular Blade [S] was an On/Off skill.
That is, the skill’s effect only applied when I activated it.
Therefore, once it separated from my body, the ability wouldn’t manifest.
But Dragon’s Claw [A] was different.
Being a passive skill, the effect remained identical even after separation from my body.
With basic attacks alone, it could function as a weapon possessing aura blade-tier performance.
‘It’s not as though I hadn’t considered this before.’
There was a fatal problem.
The real problem was that refining them was extraordinarily difficult.
Dragons—the pinnacle of biological evolution.
Dragon scales were harder than any metal.
Dragon claws were sharper than any weapon.
‘Which is why master craftsmen capable of refining them were exceedingly rare.’
There were none among human artisans.
Moreover, they only shared the same ‘nature’.
Dragon Claws[A] were ultimately human fingernails.
They hadn’t genuinely grown over hundreds of years like an actual dragon’s claws.
They were merely ‘keratin nails’ made to match through skill.
Though their properties were as hard as a dragon’s claws—
‘their workability was significantly inferior.’
But a master of the highest-tier refining arts.
The Steel Master of the Engineering Corps, Srandel.
“Would it be possible?”
“P-possible? Well… I can try…”
Srandel was indeed Srandel.
He wasn’t without reason comparable to Broombar when it came to refining alone.
“…This isn’t a joke, is it?”
Srandel muttered with an expression of disbelief.
And for good reason—it meant all the soldiers would be able to wield aura blades.
An army composed entirely of master-class knights.
No knightly order in the history of the Continent had ever possessed such military might.
And if we layered runic steel armor on top of that?
Offense: aura blades.
Defense: runic steel that nullifies mana.
An invincible army would be born—one impervious to both magic and physical attacks.
‘I need to be cautious about this.’
This was power that couldn’t be granted carelessly.
If those blades were ever turned not toward the Empire, but toward the Whitewolf Territory, the invincible army would become a catastrophe.
But I no longer needed to worry about such things.
The bond skill forged with the soldiers—the Oath of Loyalty[U].
It had awakened into an awakened skill: the Oath of the Undying[E].
◆Oath of the Undying[E]
: This skill activates when the target in [Loyalty State] voluntarily swears the oath, independent of the player’s will.
The target who swears the oath transcends [Loyalty State], and all their objectives—[survival, interests, emotions, etc.]—realign around the player as the center, producing the following effects:
1. The target designates the player’s survival and commands as their absolute highest priority objective.
2. While pursuing objective 1, the target gains [complete immunity] to all forms of mental interference (curses, illusions, brainwashing, hypnosis, suggestion, etc.).
3. The target gains a [+250%] increase to base growth efficiency in all training performed to accomplish objective 1.
【This skill is a bond skill awakened from the Oath of Loyalty[U].】
The rank was [E], which stood for Epic.
It was a grade capable of inflicting damage upon a lord, and simultaneously possessed enough power to resist a lord’s authority.
Therefore, even if a lord were to intervene now, there was no reason to believe the soldiers would betray me or the Whitewolf Territory.
‘This is going well.’
I intended to finally strengthen the military forces of the Whitewolf Territory, something I’d been postponing.
* * *
Kalek headed toward the Snowy Mountain in search of monsters.
Kalek roamed here and there, searching for monsters.
Hours passed this way.
“…None?”
For some reason, not a single monster was visible.
I’d certainly heard there were many monsters lurking about the Snowy Mountain.
“I did hear the population was sparse.”
Perhaps that’s why I hadn’t found any.
Kalek continued searching for monsters.
But.
…No matter how much I searched, there were none.
No sounds of monsters, no traces, no presence.
Not even the common footprints were visible.
It was as if the monster habitat of the Snowy Mountain had shifted, leaving it utterly barren.
“Huff! Huff!”
…I’d only exhausted myself trudging through the snow-covered Snowy Mountain for nothing.
I couldn’t summon a servant beast this way.
But that was fine.
A Familiar.
I had a servant beast created through dark magic.
‘The Familiar would be troublesome if discovered….’
As long as it remained hidden, that was all that mattered.
Kalek extended his hand and drew forth darkness.
Ssshhh….
With an eerie aura, a rift tore through the empty air, and a strange creature burst forth from within.
A Dark Crawler.
A spider-form servant beast with four legs, specialized in concealment and camouflage.
‘Go.’
The Dark Crawler slid through the snow like a phantom.
As Kalek closed his eyes, the Dark Crawler’s vision projected into his mind.
Segmented compound vision like that of a spider.
Information from hundreds of lenses flooded in from multiple angles.
Frozen trees.
Rocks blanketed in snow.
And among them, a man with a particularly menacing appearance.
‘A person?’
As I focused the Dark Crawler’s vision, a muscular man clad in thick winter garments came into view.
Behind him, I could also see soldiers from Whitewolf Territory patrolling along the boundary of Snowy Mountain.
‘…They’ve stationed troops all the way out here?’
A faint furrow creased Kalek’s brow.
But there was no problem.
The Dark Crawler was a creature specialized in concealment and camouflage.
Thanks to its membrane that mimicked the reflection of light in eyes and the contours of terrain, mere soldiers couldn’t possibly detect its presence—
—Hey, brother. The surveillance device is picking up something here?
—Let me see.
—Look right here, sir.
—Huh, it’s real?
And the soldiers from Whitewolf Territory approached precisely toward where the Dark Crawler was located.
‘What…?’
How could that surveillance equipment possibly detect the Dark Crawler’s presence?
—What is this spider?
—I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, sir.
—And it only has four legs?
One of the Whitewolf Territory soldiers cautiously jabbed the Dark Crawler with his sword.
Crack!
“What…?!”
Kalek’s eyes snapped wide open.
The Dark Crawler’s exoskeleton was no mere shell.
It was an organic metal fiber reinforced with dark magic.
It possessed a defense that even an Aura Sword couldn’t cut through.
—Ouch, it’s been torn to shreds.
It shouldn’t have ripped apart like tissue paper like that!
—Hey! Don’t swing that thing around so carelessly… Tch, tch-tch-tch!
The Dark Crawler was neutralized in an instant.
The vision from the vanished familiar cut off.
What this meant was singular.
“…That was an Aura Blade just now?”
These weren’t mere soldiers, were they?
Could it be that each and every one of those soldiers was a Master?
“That’s… impossible…!!”
Kalek’s complexion drained to a sickly pallor.

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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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