The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 21

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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 21. Master of the Snowy Mountain (2)
Explosive force erupting from a colossal frame spanning roughly ten meters.
Gelu Drake’s movements were invisible.
I could barely perceive a blurred afterimage.
‘My agility is far too low.’
Agility did not merely mean swift movement.
To be precise, it meant ‘the ability to transmit commands through the nervous system from the brain.’
This was why high agility enabled rapid motion.
The better the ability to transmit commands through the nervous system from the brain, the faster the interaction speed between neural pathways, and consequently, the faster the physical response.
Conversely, the speed of processing stimuli received through the nervous system also accelerated.
Reflexes that allowed instantaneous reaction to an enemy’s attack.
Dynamic vision that enabled me to perceive an enemy’s movements.
As agility increased, these abilities improved in tandem.
Simply put, ‘all actions performed through the nervous system’ were all related to agility.
In that sense, dexterity was also included in agility, making it extremely difficult to raise such an ability through mere physical training.
This was why I had invested all additional stat points gained from leveling into agility.
As a result, my current agility stat was 8.
Using Metabolic Acceleration [E+] to gain a +10% effect, I could push it up to 8.8.
But it was insufficient.
Such a meager amount was not enough to perceive or react to Gelu Drake’s movements.
Screech!
My entire flank was torn away.
Before the pain could flood my mind into delirium, I severed the sensory nerves and swallowed the agony.
What about Gelu Drake?
Its movements were constrained as it tore into my flank.
I surrendered bone to claim flesh.
I clenched both fists with tremendous force and brought them down like hammers against Gelu Drake’s back as it gnawed at my side.
Crash!
Gelu Drake was driven straight into the snow-covered ground of the Snowy Mountain.
I did not follow up with additional strikes.
I quickly created distance.
Regeneration was not omnipotent.
Enhanced Regeneration [B-] could readily restore severed limbs.
But if I lost my heart or head—reaching ‘instant death’—regeneration could not restore me.
Regeneration was not an ability to resurrect the dead.
And had I not frantically twisted my body just now, it would have been my heart torn away, not my flank.
So I must not panic.
If I could not kill it in one blow, I would simply continue to inflict damage.
◆You can use the skill ‘Regeneration [B-]’ to restore your damaged body.
◆You can use the skill ‘Nutrient Synthesis [C+]’ to synthesize the necessary nutrients.
I activated Regeneration [B-] and Nutrient Synthesis [C+] simultaneously, and my torn flank regenerated in an instant.
The caloric expenditure was enormous, but it was manageable.
I reached into my inventory to pull out monster meat—
◆Your inventory is empty.
…What?
My mind snapped to attention.
At that same moment, translucent text scrolled across my vision.
====
An Inventory is a storage space for items owned by the player, classified as a ‘subspace’.
Only ‘items’ can be stored in an inventory.
Furthermore, only items that the player ‘owns’ can be stored.
There are no restrictions on the type or quantity of items a player can own and store, provided they meet ownership criteria.
However, items cannot be stored if they exceed the inventory’s weight capacity.
Inventory weight capacity is determined by the player’s stats and is calculated as [Player’s Strength stat] x [40kg].
====
◆Your current inventory weight capacity is [880kg].
I already knew this.
The inventory had a weight limit.
That’s why I couldn’t collect all the monster corpses I obtained while hunting on Snowy Mountain.
But I had thought 880kg would be sufficient…
It was at that very moment.
A deep rumbling echoed.
Suddenly, a commotion roared up from below the Snowy Mountain.
* * *
Kai led his soldiers toward the site of the explosion.
And what he finally encountered was, as expected, Gelu Drake.
Gelu Drake was classified as a dragon-type monster.
If dragons were the masters and calamities of the Continent, then Gelu Drake was the master and calamity of Snowy Mountain.
It rarely descended from the peak of Snowy Mountain, but when it did, it could obliterate one or two villages.
The best approach was to leave Gelu Drake untouched.
To be honest, even Kai lacked confidence.
He had no certainty that he could subjugate Gelu Drake alone.
Therefore, the shock Kai received was nearly akin to horror.
A single man—currently locked in combat with Gelu Drake.
“It’s Adrian!”
“Adrian is fighting Gelu Drake!”
Adrian was engaged in a desperate struggle with Gelu Drake. Blood—whose, he couldn’t tell—scattered across the pristine white snow.
And this place was not Gelu Drake’s domain.
It was a considerable distance from the peak of Snowy Mountain where Gelu Drake dwelled.
Therefore, Adrian had not drawn Gelu Drake down here.
This was Gelu Drake descending of his own volition.
I couldn’t fathom why Gelu Drake had descended from the peak of Snowy Mountain, but once he came down, he wouldn’t simply return.
He would hunt for prey until his belly was completely satiated.
And the prey easily found on Snowy Mountain were the residents of Whitewolf Territory.
At minimum, dozens of territorial residents would fall victim to Gelu Drake.
We had to prepare for the possibility that one or two villages would be annihilated.
Therefore, Gelu Drake absolutely had to be subjugated.
“All units, prepare for battle!!”
At Kai’s cry, the soldiers formed their ranks with perfect synchronization.
The discipline of soldiers who had not neglected their training.
It was no less than that of elite troops.
Yet despite this, deep fear was etched across every soldier’s face.
The master of Snowy Mountain, Gelu Drake.
Casualties would certainly occur—there was no doubt about it.
At minimum, dozens.
Perhaps total annihilation.
Kai drew his sword, stepping forward first. To minimize the soldiers’ losses, Kai would have to bear all the damage himself.
Even so, casualties couldn’t be avoided, but Gelu Drake was a monster that absolutely had to be subjugated.
Just as Kai gripped his sword firmly, it happened.
“Fall back with the soldiers!!”
Adrian shouted.
Even in that moment, Gelu Drake’s assault continued.
Adrian barely evaded them while crying out again.
“Gelu Drake isn’t an opponent the soldiers can face!!”
He was right.
Gelu Drake was both the master of Snowy Mountain and its calamity.
Such a fearsome reputation hadn’t been earned without reason.
But even so, this battle—
“Kai! You and I will face Gelu Drake together!!”
Adrian’s cry rang out once more.
Kai’s mind snapped into focus.
A strategy where only Adrian and Kai would confront Gelu Drake.
That way… the soldiers’ losses could be minimized.
More than minimized—they could be eliminated entirely.
But I never expected Adrian to say such a thing.
To be honest, I thought he would throw the soldiers out as bait to preserve his own life.
Yet it was the opposite.
Adrian was throwing himself out as bait to protect the soldiers.
‘What on earth…?’
Adrian was far too different from the Adrian that Kai knew.
Adrian was not consumed by madness, contrary to Kai’s assumptions.
His rationality remained perfectly intact.
He was making calculations with absolute clarity.
After all, Adrian was currently restraining Gelu Drake from descending the Snowy Mountain.
If Adrian had not bound Gelu Drake here… what would have become of this place?
Without question, countless people in the Whitewolf Territory would have perished.
Yet binding Gelu Drake was merely a temporary measure.
Adrian and Kai.
Ultimately, only these two could resolve this by subjugating Gelu Drake.
…But could they manage it?
To be honest, the odds were not favorable.
Kai alone would struggle against Gelu Drake. The probability of victory would barely exceed thirty percent.
Gelu Drake was that caliber of monster.
With Adrian added to the equation, how much could their chances of victory improve?
One thing was certain.
Adrian was no longer the disgrace of House Whitewolf.
Kai deliberated, and finally reached a conclusion.
“All units. We descend the Snowy Mountain immediately.”
“Sir?!”
“But… but…!”
The soldiers cried out in shock.
Not a single one agreed with Kai’s decision.
And for good reason—they were all soldiers of House Whitewolf.
Warriors who trained relentlessly each day to protect their families, friends, and loved ones living in the Whitewolf Territory.
They knew all too well what would happen if they fled in fear here—they did not know who Gelu Drake would claim as victims when it descended from the Snowy Mountain.
And so.
Kai’s conviction only deepened.
“This is an order. All units will descend the Snowy Mountain at once. Then inform the Whitewolf Territory of this situation and evacuate the citizens to safety.”
Until then.
“I will hold the line, no matter what.”
Even at Kai’s command, the soldiers did not move readily.
It was not that they distrusted Kai.
They simply could not trust Adrian.
Kai felt the same way, but there was no choice now.
“Move!”
Finally, as Kai shouted, the soldiers reluctantly began to stir, one by one.
“We will evacuate the people and return with reinforcements!”
“You must survive until then!!”
The soldiers descended the Snowy Mountain swiftly.
Kai watched them go, then immediately kicked off the snow beneath his feet.
* * *
Soldiers descended rapidly from Snowy Mountain.
My reason for ordering their retreat was simple.
‘The heart must not be damaged.’
If the soldiers intervened, Gelu Drake’s ‘heart’ would inevitably sustain damage.
Striking the heart was the most certain and fastest method to subdue Gelu Drake.
‘That cannot happen.’
I could never witness such a sight with my eyes open.
The dragon’s genetic factors imprinted upon Gelu Drake must be devoured completely intact.
What kind of genetic factor was that to squander it carelessly?
However, that was not the only reason I pulled the soldiers back.
The soldiers were no match for Gelu Drake whatsoever.
Bluntly put, they were nothing more than meat shields.
Of course, that did not mean they were unhelpful.
Perhaps if I were my former self.
If I were the wastrel of House Whitewolf.
I would surely have sacrificed the soldiers.
But that was not the case now.
As the Predator of the Allied Forces, as commander of the Special Operations Unit, there was something I always told my Special Task Force operatives.
To survive on the battlefield, you must sell everything you have. You must be willing to cast aside pride and soul without hesitation.
But there is one thing.
Never sell your comrades.
Rather than betray your comrades, simply die.
I would sooner die myself than ever cast my comrades as sacrificial lambs.
Of course, the soldiers of Count’s Castle were not comrades of the Allied Forces.
Soldiers who followed The Frost Lord.
Strictly speaking, they were soldiers in an adversarial relationship with me.
But what crime did they commit?
The soldiers had no guilt except for following orders from above.
My targets for death are limited.
Since I resolved to hunt Gelu Drake, the sacrifice of soldiers is unnecessary.
However, hunting alone would be beyond my capacity.
That is why I ordered only ‘one person’ to remain.
Former commander of the Frost Legion.
Current chief knight of the Whitewolf Family.
In an instant.
Long golden hair was embroidered across the pristine white world.
A movement like a flash of golden light.
Crunch—!
Kai became a golden wolf and tore into Gelu Drake.

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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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