The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 195

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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 195. A Second Leap (1)
Ten days had passed since Adrian returned to Whitewolf Territory.
In those ten days, a significant transformation had swept through the Territory.
Specifically, weapons honed from Adrian’s fingernails and toenails had been distributed to the soldiers.
It was a tale that would draw ridicule from anyone who heard it.
Who would use weapons crafted from human nails, they would scoff.
But Kai understood the truth.
Adrian’s nails were already perfected weapons that rivaled Aura Blades themselves.
Soldiers re-equipped with such weapons.
It would be no exaggeration to say each one possessed Master-class combat prowess.
Yet no matter how superior a weapon, if one lacked the skill to wield it properly, it became nothing more than pearls cast before swine.
“Don’t rely on brute force. Establish your angle and center of gravity first.”
Kai intensified the training regimen beyond his usual standards.
“Bend your knees, blade held at chest height.”
“Nnnngh-!”
“Maintain that stance for two hours straight.”
Yet the soldiers burned with fervent passion regardless.
“Hyaaaaaaaa-!!”
“We are Adrian’s soldiers!!”
“We shall become Masters before death claims us!!”
…No, they threw themselves into training like madmen possessed.
Once the chaotic instruction of the soldiers concluded—
“Good. Today’s training instruction ends here. The rest of you, begin your repetition drills.”
Kai descended deep into the Underground Vault beneath the Frost Trial Grounds.
A newly constructed training chamber.
Equipped with a gravity manipulation device, this place transformed even mundane exercises into ordeals that tore at one’s entire body—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Someone was already using the gravity chamber.
‘Adrian?’
It was Adrian.
Adrian stood drenched in sweat, hoisting an enormous barbell aloft.
It differed not from his usual physical conditioning.
But the ‘environment’ was different.
Specifically, the gravity multiplier was set to—
‘Five times…?’
In other words, that barbell’s weight was effectively equivalent to several boulders bound together.
“Still insufficient.”
Yet Adrian, deeming even that inadequate, increased the gravity intensity from five-fold to ten-fold.
A deep rumble resonated through the chamber—!!
The entire training ground trembled in that instant.
The pillars creaked as a crushing gravity descended, grinding bone and joint.
An ordinary human would not have lasted even a minute in such conditions.
“Hgh…!”
But Adrian endured.
No—endurance alone did not describe what he was doing.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Bearing a tenfold gravitational load, he began sprinting across the training grounds—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Blades erupted from all directions in random trajectories.
The blades themselves were not particularly fast.
Dodging them would have been simple enough.
But under a tenfold gravitational field?
‘…Even I find it difficult.’
Even perceiving the incoming trajectories, my body’s response speed could not match my normal capabilities.
And yet.
Snap!
Adrian reacted.
Perceiving every descending blade while lifting a barbell with a single hand, he twisted his waist and contorted his shoulders.
Instantaneous reaction, balance, judgment.
And precision besides.
Snap! Crash! Whoosh!
…Everything transcended normal parameters.
His movements, calculating each blade with exactitude, made the tenfold gravity seem almost unbelievable.
‘He has grown stronger.’
The rumors from Caravana were no exaggeration.
In other words, Adrian had not ceased his pursuit of absolute strength.
Bang! Snap!
Kai’s passion to surpass Adrian burned ever more intensely.
* * *
The gravity training grounds that Srandel had newly constructed.
Since the gravitational intensity could be freely adjusted, I could conduct high-intensity training impossible under normal conditions.
Thus I could apply sufficient strain to my body, enhanced by Ogre Predation [S+].
“Hah…! Hah…!”
…Or rather, I could push myself to the brink of death.
Every fiber of my body felt as though it were tearing.
With each breath, my lungs were compressed.
With every muscular contraction, my joints screamed.
Yet precisely because of this, the training’s efficiency could be elevated dramatically—
◆Ultra-dense muscle fibers are being reconstructed anew!
◆Strength stat increases by +13!
◆The neural pathways governing hypersensory motor control realign!
◆Agility increases by +7!
◆The density and strength of the ultra-reinforced skeletal structure are recompressed!
◆Stamina increases by +21!
I’d managed to raise my stats by an amount equivalent to a +41 level up.
◆What in the world is this even supposed to be?!?!
It had been ages since I’d seen such an exuberant notification.
‘…Or had it?’
The quests that cleared so rapidly had certainly driven me to fits.
But since those were merely ‘fits’, the theatrical notifications were indeed a rarity now.
Regardless.
Here in the Gravity Training Grounds, I could swiftly recover the stats diminished by Hemolytic Torrent [L].
And thereby elevate the soldiers’ combat strength as well.
The soldiers’ equipment materials came from my sinews and bones.
Since they were biological resources extracted from me, as my body grew stronger, the equipment’s performance grew in tandem.
The stronger I became, the stronger the equipment—
And the stronger the equipment, the more formidable the soldiers—
A system where my growth directly translated into theirs.
There was one exception, however.
A golden-haired handsome man training in one corner of the Gravity Training Grounds: Kai.
He hadn’t been idle all this time, it seemed.
The aura flowing through his sword strikes had visibly transformed.
‘It won’t be long now.’
Soon he would transcend Dependent Immortality [E].
Just as in my past life, he was managing splendidly on his own.
In any case, I needed to forge Kai a new blade.
‘My equipment, specialized in semi-mana, would only shackle him.’
Ogre byproducts possessed high aura resistance.
I’d already fashioned them into different equipment.
But the owner of the Ogre equipment was nowhere to be found.
‘Surely they haven’t already left.’
I departed the Gravity Training Grounds in search of the equipment’s owner.
* * *
A frost-encrusted cliff face upon the Snowy Mountain.
A deep, untrodden snow valley.
Isolde drew a deep breath.
As she slowly extended her hand, a sudden gust of wind swept through, her platinum blonde hair dancing in the currents.
A brilliant flash pierced through the falling snow.
From within it, a Divine Bird blazing with golden light took form.
Holy Martial Arts. Adrian’s style.
Phoenix Heaven Breaker.
The radiant wings of the sacred bird unfurled in splendor, and snow erupted outward.
A cry that tore through the silence of the snowy valley.
Yet before the sacred bird’s form could fully manifest.
A tremor rippled across the feather tips.
The blazing holy flame fractured.
The wings wavered, losing their balance.
The momentum that should have rent the very landscape crumbled instead, and ultimately the sacred bird collapsed without ever ascending into the sky.
A stumble.
Isolde’s body tilted for a moment.
A wave of sudden exhaustion swept through her.
Her strength had failed to flow properly.
She barely managed to steady herself by forcing power into her legs.
“Haah…! Haah…!”
…I had failed.
Just as I had when I let slip the leaders of the Dark Merchant Company.
I steadied my ragged breathing.
There was no time to linger here.
Even now, people were suffering somewhere.
Even now, someone’s life might be quietly fading away in some distant place.
It was then that I bit down hard on my lower lip.
“Is that a newly devised sacred martial technique of yours?”
Suddenly, Adrian’s voice reached me on the wind sweeping through the snowy valley.
* * *
I had worried she might have returned to the Holy Kingdom, but fortunately that was not the case.
‘I wondered why she would come all the way out here to train.’
The sacred bird that had just swept across the snowy valley.
It was Isolde’s sacred martial technique, created based on the Radiant Dragon’s Wrath that I had taught her.
So while Radiant Dragon’s Wrath took the form of a dragon wrought in flame, Isolde’s took the form of a phoenix wrought in holy power.
“The structure seems quite different from mine.”
Not merely in form, but the structure itself was distinctly different.
Of course it was—the very energy used was different.
But this was not merely a difference in application method.
It felt as though she had conceived an entirely new concept….
“I incorporated a healing effect into it.”
“…A healing effect, you say?”
I examined the landscape swept by the sacred bird more carefully.
Where the sacred bird’s wings had passed, tender green sprouts were lifting their heads.
Seeds hidden beneath the earth had germinated under the power of holy force.
Unfortunately, they were already withering in the cold.
Yet there was no denying that I had breathed life into existence.
But my Radiant Dragon’s Wrath held no healing properties whatsoever.
It was purely an area-of-effect skill that inflicted explosive damage.
It made no distinction between ally and enemy.
Anyone within its radius—friend or foe—would suffer its effects.
But Isolde was different.
“You’re saying it can damage enemies while simultaneously healing allies?”
“Yes.”
In essence, it was an area technique capable of dealing damage and healing in a single motion.
“…But it’s not easy to achieve.”
Isolde’s voice trailed off as her gaze lowered.
Meanwhile, I found myself at a loss for words.
No matter how much holy power was the ultimate aura capable of manifesting anything imaginable, this was…?
“I think it would be best to call it the Isolde Style.”
This was no longer my technique.
Holy Fist Technique. Isolde Style.
Phoenix Heaven Breaker.
That was the proper naming.
Then Isolde lifted her gaze to meet mine.
“Why can’t it be called the Adrian Style?”
Her expression remained composed.
Yet in those topaz-like eyes, a flicker of disappointment passed through.
“That’s not it.”
I shook my head and continued.
“Attaching my name to it would feel like diminishing the effort you’ve put in.”
“I only imitated what Adrian taught me.”
…There are limits to imitation.
What she’d achieved was beyond imitation—it was the level of drawing inspiration.
“Why can’t it be called the Adrian Style?”
“It’s not that it can’t be—”
“Then I’ll call it the Adrian Style.”
She was being rather stubborn about it.
The disappointment that had lingered in Isolde’s eyes eased slightly.
And at that very moment.
◆You have acquired the title 【Silver Moon Saint】!
A notification suddenly appeared announcing a new title.
==【Silver Moon Saint】==
[Acquisition Condition] – Holy Fist Technique Registration
[Effect 1] – You gain [+15%] resistance against all debuff effects (slow, weakening, vulnerability, etc.) that target you.
The effect was a passive based on resistance.
In simple terms, I was granting a resistance that reduced Blake’s Weakness Contempt [L] effect from -75% to -60%.
‘Not bad at all.’
It was an unexpected windfall.
Just like the title Black Moon’s Saint last time.
And helping Whitewolf Territory and Seraphia this time as well.
I retrieved equipment from my inventory.
A soft shimmer filled the air.
“What is that?”
“Equipment crafted from the byproducts of the Ogre.”
“You mean the Ogre that Adrian subjugated?”
“That’s correct.”
“Why would you…”
“A gift for you, Isolde—”
Perhaps it was too meager to call it repayment.
Isolde had helped me far too many times.
“A gift.”
At that, Isolde’s eyes widened slightly.
A flicker of surprise crossed those topaz-bright irises.
“…For me?”
“Would you like to try wearing it?”
Isolde’s lips parted, then stilled.
Her gaze moved carefully toward the gauntlets and greaves.
Then, without a word, she reached out and donned the equipment.
“It feels like a perfect part of my body.”
Isolde clenched her fist lightly.
Her eyes gleamed with wonder, as if she felt no discomfort whatsoever.
“Let me briefly explain the performance and function—”
I checked the gauntlet’s information using Predator’s Instinct [S].
◆Smash Chunk [L]
: Heavy gauntlets crafted from the Ogre’s humerus as the primary material. An embedded fixed pressure converter is designed to concentrate and release impact according to the wearer’s arm movements, forcibly penetrating physical force through to the interior.
● Base Damage +500%
● Armor Penetration +35%
● Additional damage equal to 3% of target’s maximum health
● 15% chance to inflict stun and stagger
● Ignores target’s stagger resistance
● Enhanced knockback effect
● Recoil damage on attack
The rating grade was Legendary [L].
The performance was as broken as the grade suggested.
Yet perhaps a simple explanation alone didn’t quite convey the full picture.
“May I test it directly?”
“By all means.”
Isolde clenched her fist lightly.
Then she thrust it gently toward the empty air—
BOOM!!!
A fan-shaped shockwave erupted from the center of her punch.
As if space itself were being torn apart, the snow around her scattered in all directions.
The rocks on Snowy Mountain shattered to pieces from the mere wind pressure.
This was the result of base damage amplified by +500%.
But it didn’t end there.
CRACK!!
The ground struck by the shockwave split open and spewed forth soil.
The shockwave, transmitted through air as its medium, forcibly conveyed physical force deep beneath the surface.
And so the earth continued to CRACK!!
Exploding with thunderous roars.
Isolde stared down at her own hand, clearly astonished.
‘I anticipated she would become a monster.’
At this level, she could match the Ogre himself.
But the Ogre’s equipment had one more piece.
“The greaves’ performance and function are—”
◆Crush Limb [L]
: Greaves crafted from the Ogre’s femur. Equipped with a fixed gravity-responsive core to assist the wearer’s lower body movement, absorbing friction and recoil to reflect impact back outward.
● Base Damage +600%
● Stun Resistance +99%
● Movement Speed +150%
● Evasion Rate +33%
● Fall Damage -99.99%
● [Ground Shatter] activates upon landing from sufficient height
● Recoil damage occurs upon attack
Isolde tilted her head quizzically.
Again, she seemed to lack intuition about its capabilities.
“Try using the greaves directly as well.”
Isolde channeled power into the greaves.
Then she immediately kicked off from the ground—
CRACK!!
The ground beneath Isolde’s feet exploded outright.
The recoil from the collapsing earth.
Her body shot skyward in an instant.
Isolde seemed momentarily flustered, but she rotated her body lightly in mid-air.
Then she descended in a straight trajectory toward the ground—
CRASH!!
The merciless impact obliterated the ground itself.
The ground-shattering effect activated as well.
A massive crater spanning fifteen meters in radius formed, centered on Isolde.
‘Even Iratum would lose to this.’
I was rapidly approaching the power I’d wielded in my past life as the Condemning Saint. And I could glimpse potential that might even surpass that former self.
Isolde asked me from the center of the crater, her voice tinged with disbelief.
“Are you truly giving this to me?”
“You helped Seraphia, and you didn’t stop those who attacked Whitewolf Territory.”
“That is….”
“This gift is my gratitude for those deeds, so I hope you’ll accept it without reservation.”
Isolde hesitated.
Perhaps she thought the gift excessive.
Her lips parted and closed several times.
“…Thank you so much.”
But Isolde didn’t refuse in the end.
She gazed at the gauntlets and greaves for a long while where she stood.
Then a small smile crossed her face.
“Thank you, truly.”
She seemed delighted beyond measure.
Seeing her so pleased, I felt relieved as well.
…In any case.
Leaving the joyful Isolde behind, I summoned “Management Mode” before my eyes for a moment.
‘The current equipment supply status for the soldiers….’
I activated the 【Military】 section.
When I checked [Equipment Supply Status], a clearly organized status panel materialized before me.
==[Equipment Supply Status]==
[Total Forces] – 2,730 soldiers
[Fully Equipped] – 118 soldiers
[Weapons Only] – 178 soldiers
[Armor Only] – 57 soldiers
[Supply Incomplete] – 2,377 soldiers
‘The supply rate is still quite low.’
My biological resources were comparable to those of dragons and Ogres, making them materials even the Dwarves couldn’t easily work with.
But Broombar was focused on developing the Ether Carriage.
‘In reality, Srandel is crafting them alone.’
That’s why the supply rate had to be slow.
Yet production continued nonetheless.
There was no concern about all 2,730 soldiers eventually being equipped with Master-class armaments.
In other words, military strength was not a concern.
But military might alone wasn’t enough to solve this.
Given that the Imperial Secret Service was moving, their schemes against Whitewolf Territory would be covert and insidious.
Disrupting administrative systems, manipulating prices.
Turning the populace against me, sabotaging infrastructure, inciting public opinion—
They would shake Whitewolf Territory using every conceivable tactic and method.
Therefore, administration, economy, security, industry, logistics—
I couldn’t afford to leave any of them vulnerable.
It was at that very moment.
◆Territory Quest, [Our Territory Has Changed!] has arrived.
A new Territory Quest flashing before my eyes.
==[Our Territory Has Changed!]==
[Objective] – Achieve Prosperity Rank: ‘Fortified Town’
[Reward] – 【Territory Buff】 function unlocked
[Rejection] – 【Territory Buff】 function forfeited
‘Territory Buff?’
…What in the world is this.

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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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