The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 220

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

Chapter 220. Paradox (2)
I found myself in this place.
The land of the Elves, Sylvandir Forest.
In a sense, it was only natural.
Before entering the Valley of Kardun, I had been in Sylvandir Forest.
A temporal paradox had occurred, ejecting me from the Valley of Kardun, and I had returned to my original location.
There was nothing strange about it.
But that wasn’t the case.
There were several reasons.
The first among them.
‘Why does the landscape look like this…?’
Sylvandir Forest was wrong.
The trees that should have grown straight were grotesquely twisted.
The bark was swollen and flushed like bruised skin.
The ground was slick with something that wasn’t mud.
Scattered across it were the bones of dead animals and decaying moss intermingled together.
…Sylvandir Forest was dying.
A landscape as if the Death Lord himself had awakened.
‘That’s not it.’
I shook my head.
I had experienced it before.
The apocalypse bestowed by the Death Lord.
Death without cycle.
That was far more desolate and far more silent than this.
The Continent was filled only with death, all life suspended in stillness.
But Sylvandir Forest now?
It was not that.
Rather than dying….
It was diseased.
That description was more fitting.
Above all, even if I accepted that.
Even if the Death Lord had awakened.
Then it becomes even more strange.
As the Man said, the reason I entered the Valley of Kardun was ‘because the Death Lord had awakened.’
Therefore, if the Death Lord remains awakened, causality is still bound to that fact.
Then I should still be in the Valley of Kardun.
But I was ejected.
The temporal paradox expelled me from the Valley of Kardun.
This means.
The Death Lord has not awakened.
Therefore, I could be certain.
‘It’s not the Death Lord.’
Which made this all the more strange.
‘Why am I in Sylvandir Forest?’
If the Death Lord hadn’t awakened, I should never have been in Sylvandir Forest.
Tracing the causality of events, it goes like this:
1. The Elves suffered hardship due to the deaths occurring in Sylvandir Forest.
2. Allerion of the Greenleaf Trading Company moved to resolve it.
3. Running short on funds, he sold the Elves’ crops.
4. He made a deal with Adlern, and ultimately came into contact with me.
But if the Death Lord hadn’t awakened?
No deaths would have occurred in Sylvandir Forest.
The Greenleaf Trading Company wouldn’t have traded peanuts with Adlern.
Allerion wouldn’t have come looking for me.
Ultimately, the outcome of my arrival in Sylvandir Forest would be erased.
Therefore, I should have been in Whitewolf Territory.
That’s the correct conclusion of causality.
‘Yet why am I here?’
…Something’s wrong.
Something has been twisted.
Unlike the Royal Social Society incident, the very causality of events was distorted in an eerie way.
‘Stay calm.’
I steadied my breathing and suppressed my panic.
I couldn’t let myself be swept away by the situation.
I needed to judge the circumstances coldly and grasp what was happening.
If I carefully retraced the causality, there would be a point where the trajectory had been bent.
I had to find when and where that deviation began.
And the causal information I could currently discern.
Fortunately, there were a few things.
First and foremost, the hidden linked Quest [The Death Lord is Loading].
The very title was connected to the Death Lord.
The content instructed me to investigate Valley of Kardun.
Therefore, if causality had changed and the Death Lord hadn’t awakened, the Quest should have changed as well.
Either the Quest would be cleared.
Or the Quest should have disappeared entirely.
==[The Death Lord is Loading]==
[Content] – ※Error※
[Reward] – ※Error※
[On Failure] – ※Error※
…Yet the Quest was still in progress.
However, all the information had collapsed.
Something had indeed changed.
But this alone didn’t reveal much.
I needed something that could provide more information about causality….
‘Player Information.’
The experience points and Sanity values I’d gained in Valley of Kardun.
What if I had never gone to Valley of Kardun?
More precisely, what if it had been erased from ever happening?
Everything would have disappeared.
I immediately summoned 「Player Information」 before my eyes.
==「Player Information」==
[Name] = Adrian Whitewolf
[Title] = The Continent’s Greatest Predator
[Level] = 214
[HP] = 12,614
[MP] = -13,320
[Sanity] = 5,089/ℵ0
[Stats] = Strength: 435 Agility: 264 Endurance: 382 Mana: -133.2(x-1.2)
[Experience] = 21.5%
…It remained unchanged.
Even the values consumed by Rampage [?] were reflected.
In other words, the causality of my having gone to Valley of Kardun.
The causality of having fought the Death Clump.
All causality remained intact.
Accordingly, the experience points.
The Sanity values.
Everything was as it had been.
There existed a cause that should not have existed.
And the consequence that should have vanished remained.
‘What in the world is this…?’
My mind was tangled like a ball of thread when, at that very moment.
Crash! Boom!!
Gwaaaaaaaaaah─!!
A tremendous roar and an agonized cry echoed through the forest.
* * *
A horrific form of intertwined fire and shadow let out a roar.
Iliana bit her lower lip firmly.
“Valrok!”
Valrok.
A demon that feeds on death.
One of the infamous demons of Pandemonium itself.
Its strength was absolutely overwhelming.
Historical records even documented how it had single-handedly toppled powerful nations.
Its power was truly comparable to that of a dragon.
But that was no longer the case.
Demons are creatures born of imagination.
Their strength is determined by human ‘fear’.
And fear swells endlessly when it lacks a tangible form.
Thus, the ancients endlessly distorted their imagination of demons’ existence, and that accumulated imagination granted them power beyond their actual substance.
However, Arcanis Rilsein, the first mage.
From the moment he appeared, demons began to weaken.
The advancement of arcane magic had rendered fear of the unknown hollow and meaningless.
As a result.
Most demons that had been powerful in ancient times fell into decline.
In the modern era, Valrok could never compare to a dragon.
But it was certainly a match for an Ogre.
Kwaaaaaaaah—!!
Valrok swung its hand.
Iliana swiftly moved her fingertips, unfolding a spell matrix.
Kiiiiing—!
The spell matrix formed in an instant, rotating and radiating light.
As the light condensed, it crackled!
A sharp lightning spear shot toward Valrok’s arm.
The moment it struck, thunder erupted.
The force was enough to tear apart the surrounding forest.
‘This won’t be nearly enough.’
But Valrok was not a demon that could be felled by merely this.
Iliana’s eyes blazed with intensity.
She drew upon her mana once more.
Kwaaaaaang!!
Brilliant light erupted in all directions.
The explosion tore through space and time itself, consuming Valrok’s massive form.
Kwerrrrrrrr—!!
Valrok roared.
Flames still burned across its entire body.
“Spatial binding has no effect whatsoever…!”
Valrok’s shadow stretched and twisted grotesquely.
Iliana increased the distance between them.
Valrok lunged forward, pursuing Iliana.
Kwang! Kwakwakbang!
The twisted trees burned and collapsed.
Whoosh!
The burning ash engulfed Iliana.
“Ugh…!”
Iliana’s fingers moved swiftly through the air.
Rings of blue light opened in succession, positioning themselves in the void.
At that very moment.
Snap!
Iliana’s body froze instantly.
It wasn’t because of Valrok.
Rather, Valrok had frozen as well.
Iliana’s head turned slowly.
The darkness of the deep forest.
Crimson eyes flashed within the landscape of ash and ruin.
And a blast erupted in a straight line, striking Valrok directly.
Boom!
Valrok’s massive body tilted.
“Adrian…?”
As Iliana spoke, Adrian burst forward.
Valrok steadied himself.
His eyes blazing, he brought down a colossal fist toward Adrian.
Crash!!
The fallen fist split the earth in two.
Fragments of the cleaved ground shot upward, setting the landscape ablaze.
Adrian did not stop.
Beginning with a single sweeping motion, he moved dozens of times, striking relentlessly and driving Valrok back.
Valrok had no opportunity to struggle.
Adrian’s attacks came in succession, pressing him further.
“My… my goodness…!!”
Iliana’s eyes widened in shock.
She had known Adrian was strong.
She had even witnessed him fight before.
But.
…she never imagined it would be to this degree.
It was on an entirely different level from when he fought Kai in Whitewolf Territory.
The mighty Valrok was proving to be no match for him whatsoever.
Beyond the burning vista, Adrian’s silhouette appeared.
To Iliana’s eyes, he seemed even more colossal than Valrok.
Soon enough.
Adrian pierced through Valrok’s chest.
A gaping hole torn through the center of Valrok’s chest.
Whoooosh!
The malice that had been relentlessly piercing Iliana vanished cleanly.
* * *
◆You have defeated Valrok!
A message appeared, confirming Valrok’s certain death.
Fortunately, unlike the Ogre, he didn’t continue to revive.
He wasn’t like the Death Lord, something that refused to die.
◆You have gained 43,500,000 combat experience!
◆Your level has increased!
◆Your level has increased!
.
.
.
Countless level-up messages flooded my vision.
As I surpassed level 200, the required experience grew exponentially, but my Growth Acceleration Factor [EX] filled that gap effortlessly.
A total of +10 levels gained.
I invested the additional stat points directly into mana.
After dismissing the 「Player Information」 window—
Shhhhhhh—!
Valrok gradually scattered into sand and dust.
The heart in my hand dispersed and vanished as well.
Being a creature of imagination, it left no corpse behind.
‘Valrok.’
A demon diminished from ancient times.
Yet still a demon of Pandemonium.
A supreme demon that only the most powerful dark sorcerers could summon.
‘There shouldn’t be a dark sorcerer of that caliber in this age.’
Precisely—there had been, but no longer.
Luseria, the Enchantress of Lust.
She had been annihilated by Seraphia.
‘Hmm.’
Something still felt off.
Just then.
“Adrian!”
Iliana came rushing toward me, breathless.
Fortunately, she didn’t appear to be injured.
Iliana steadied her ragged breathing and spoke.
“Where… where on earth were you?!”
“Well—”
“You asked for my help for a moment, and then suddenly disappeared—do you have any idea how shocked I was?!”
…What?
Suddenly disappeared?
“Are you asking me?”
“Yes!”
Wait, could it be…?
“You don’t remember?”
“Remember what? What are you talking about?”
“When we created that black hole together.”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a true black hole.
“Huh?! A black hole?!”
Iliana’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.
“Who? How?!”
“You helped me, Iliana.”
“Me?! That’s impossible!!”
Iliana cried out, insisting I was talking nonsense.
“Creating a black hole requires gravitational collapse on a celestial scale! It would be questionable whether it could even destroy the entire Continent!”
It seemed that for Iliana, the very fact of creating a black hole had been erased from her memory.
“Then do you remember the Death Spirit?”
“…The Death Spirit?”
Iliana tilted her head in confusion.
Her expression suggested she had no idea what I was talking about.
In other words, the Death Lord had not awakened.
“But why are you here, Iliana?”
“…Yes?”
Iliana blinked, utterly bewildered.
“What are you saying? You brought me here, Adrian.”
“I did?”
“Yes. You said you wanted me to experience something special… or rather, to investigate the phenomenon that appeared in Sylvandir Forest.”
“I apologize, but could you explain everything that’s happened so far?”
Iliana hesitated for a moment, then slowly began to speak.
And.
The causality of all events was identical.
1. The Elves suffered hardship due to the problem that arose in Sylvandir Forest.
2. Allerion of the Greenleaf Trading Company moved to resolve it.
3. Running short on funds, he sold the Elves’ crops.
4. He made a deal with Adlern, and ultimately came into contact with me.
Only two things were different.
The problem in Sylvandir Forest was caused by a ‘demon,’ not death.
And the causality behind the creation of the black hole.
In other words, the fact that I had entered the Valley of Kardun.
It had been erased from existence.
“You said you’d figured something out and suddenly called for my help, then vanished without a trace! Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been…!”
Iliana exhaled a sigh of relief.
But I was not relieved.
‘This can’t be….’
Every puzzle piece fell into place, and my entire body bristled with dread.
None other than the words The Man had spoken in Death’s Sanctuary.
-Death possesses two possibilities simultaneously.
Cycle and termination.
Contradictory, yet existing at once.
-And the observation of a conscious being can fix death into one singular possibility.
Cycle and termination.
It was possible to determine death to bear only one of these natures.
-What would happen if someone with malicious intent were to arbitrarily interpret death in this place and force that interpretation upon nature itself?
Someone with malicious intent.
The one who awakened the Death Lord before causality shifted, covering Sylvandir Forest in death.
Though now death could no longer be interpreted as termination.
And so the Death Lord would not awaken.
‘But that doesn’t mean he simply vanished.’
That malicious someone still remains.
Therefore, if he who sought to interpret death as termination has not abandoned that intention?
If he has not given up on the Death Lord?
He will surely find another path.
He will circumvent the blocked causality and attempt to draw forth the Death Lord once more within this new flow.
And the result of that is precisely—
The Sylvandir Forest now teeming with demons.
Then.
The identity of that malicious someone… becomes clear.
One possessed of such obsession and ruthlessness.
One who holds both the means and the will to reverse the flow of causality.
One who would not hesitate at any cost of destruction.
And thus, before and now.
The identity of that malicious someone driving Sylvandir Forest toward death is—
‘The Emperor.’
…He is in Sylvandir Forest right now.

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