The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 228

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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 228. Blood Runs Thicker Than Water (1)
The Territory Quest, somehow cleared without my direct involvement.
Mungu, not content with merely sulking and pouting, had even triggered a ※Error※.
…In any case.
The Quest reward was the 【Optimization Monitoring Tool】 from “Management Mode.”
And this function, simply put—
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The 【Optimization Monitoring Tool】 operates in tandem with “Management Mode,” analyzing and reflecting production, demand, manpower, and revenue within the territory in real time.
It provides immediate indicators and data for achieving optimal conditions.
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In simpler terms, it calculated the entire livelihood of my territory,
then told me precisely where to apply maximum effort,
and where to ease off.
It was an all-purpose manual, really.
You might call it an ‘automatic efficiency calculator.’
‘Let me take a look.’
◆Analyzing production volume and resource consumption rate within player-owned territory.
◆Computing overall profit margins, troop efficiency, administrative costs….
◆Complete.
The first report materialized before me.
◆Whitewolf Territory 2 Agricultural District – Manpower Shortage
-Labor-to-Harvest Efficiency Ratio: 2,580%
-Cause: Explosive crop growth due to increased spirit activity.
-Harvest delays occurring.
-Current workforce insufficient to manage harvest.
-Recommendation: Increase manpower and deploy Merchant Guild transport ahead of schedule.
The second report followed.
◆Whitewolf Territory Industrial District – Manpower Shortage
-Demand-to-Production Efficiency Ratio: 1,443%
-Cause: Surge in essential goods and facility demand due to population increase within Whitewolf Territory.
-Process queue overloaded.
-Current workforce unable to meet demand.
-Recommendation: Increase skilled manpower and cultivate technical expertise.
And the third report.
◆Whitewolf Territory Military District – Stability Maintained
-Regional Defense Capacity Average: 98%
-Key strongpoints and outpost deployment rate: 100% achieved
-Troop rotation and shift cycles operating normally
-No external threats reported in the past 10 days
-Conclusion: Combat readiness in excellent condition. No additional measures required.
Beyond that, there’s the Administrative District, Commercial District, and Health District?
‘When did the Health District even come into existence?’
Now that I looked closer, there was even a Cultural District.
It appeared Seraphia had created all of this while I was unconscious.
…In any case.
◆Integrated Assessment.
-Partial overcrowding and structural inefficiencies detected within territory
-Optimization recommended
◆Would you like to calculate optimization metrics based on current manpower and resources in Whitewolf Territory?
Thus, the 【Optimization Monitoring Tool】 tracked production, demand, workforce distribution, and more throughout Whitewolf Territory.
It calculated where resources should be invested or withdrawn.
Where budgets should be adjusted and personnel repositioned for maximum operational efficiency.
A function that transcended mere cheat-level utility—it deserved to be called a genuine ‘privilege’.
As for its rank?
It could rightfully be called [EX].
Such a function was cleared in an instant, so from Mungu’s perspective, it was so exasperating that a ※Error※ was inevitable.
“Regardless—.”
I dispersed the image of Mungu that had surfaced in my mind.
I wanted to utilize the optimization metrics, but there was something I needed to confirm first.
Beyond the Hidden Quest rewards as well.
“What happened to the others?”
“Pardon? The others, my lord?”
“I mean….”
“Are you referring to the Elves’ forest keeper?”
The answer came from the Maid named Lena.
I nodded.
Rielin, who had accepted Mongma.
Fortunately, I had managed to sever the connection with Mongma.
But Rielin’s power had been severed from its very source.
Sylvandir Forest had been annihilated.
Rielin was The Spirit Summoner who communed directly with nature itself, and Sylvandir Forest was as much her source as her lifeblood.
So if the forest disappeared?
Her spirit summoning would crumble from its roots.
There was no way her condition could be anything but dire.
She was likely withering away slowly, like a tree torn up by its roots.
Sure enough, the Maids’ excited expressions darkened in an instant.
“Well, about that….”
I waited for the Maid named Lena to continue, my heart tense.
Right then.
-Please shut up already, you leaf-eared fool!!
A booming voice echoed from beyond the window.
So thunderous it was.
Nearly rivaling the Ogre in volume.
‘Broombar?’
I rose from my bed and walked toward the window.
Leaning my body out past the sill.
Sure enough, Broombar stood in the center of the Town Square, grinding his teeth with visible fury.
And before him.
A woman with long golden hair stood facing him.
‘Rielin?’
She glared at Broombar with an expression of pure indignation.
Yet despite her uprooted appearance, she seemed—
—vigorous as an ancient tree unmoved by tempests.
-Shut up, what do you mean shut up!!
Rielin stamped her foot with a resounding thud.
The earth rumbled in sympathy with her rage.
-Because of you Dwarves, the bees keep abandoning their hives and leaving!
-How is that our fault?!
-Your hammering is far too loud!
Broombar and Rielin.
Two heroes of the Allied Forces were quarreling.
-Then how would the Blacksmith’s Forge operate if the hammering weren’t loud?!
-Bees are sensitive! Can’t you show a little consideration for such small lives?!
-Enough!! I won’t hear your leaf-philosophy nonsense!!
The chieftain of the Dwarves and the forest keeper of the Elves.
Two races growling at one another.
They snarled as though ready to come to blows at any moment.
‘She seems fine, though.’
Rielin appeared to be doing well.
Contrary to my earlier concerns.
More than fine—she looked remarkably spirited.
It was then that the Maids behind me spoke in anxious tones.
“They’ve been arguing like this since earlier.”
“The Countess has been trying to stop them, but it’s no use.”
“…Seraphia is?”
I turned my gaze back outside.
Only then could I see the small, delicate girl wedged between Broombar and Rielin.
Seraphia.
-Please, both of you, stop!!
Seraphia spread both arms wide, positioning herself between them.
Compared to the two of them, she cut a considerably smaller figure.
Yet her presence was no less formidable.
-What difference does a little less hammering make?!
-A little less hammering?! Ha! You Elves are as frivolous with your words as you are delicate in form!
But it was futile.
Seraphia paid them no mind.
The two continued to snarl at each other.
‘It’s the same as ever.’
Nothing had changed since the days of the Allied Forces.
Even then, those two were desperate to get at each other’s throats.
Elves and Dwarves.
More precisely, Elves and Dark Elves.
Their differing philosophies regarding nature had soured relations between the two races, and despite sharing common ancestry, they scarcely acknowledged each other as kin.
Much like my relationship with Seraphia—
‘Or perhaps not?’
…Come to think of it, that comparison didn’t quite hold.
Seraphia and I shared not a drop of blood as siblings.
We weren’t even the same species.
I was a ‘Primordial Human,’ after all.
In any case.
Broombar and Rielin.
The two were quarreling with their necks flushed crimson.
Caught between them, Seraphia could only shift her weight anxiously from foot to foot.
-Ah, no! Both of you, please calm down…!!
The Dwarf Chieftain and the Elven Forest Guardian.
Both were heroes of the Allied Forces.
They were also hailed as the greatest and strongest in their respective domains across the Continent.
If those two fought in earnest?
Without exaggeration, ‘the very geography of the Continent’ would be rewritten.
More than a few Allied soldiers had suffered grievously attempting to intervene in their disputes.
Ordinarily, merely standing between them would suffocate you.
Those with weak constitutions would lose consciousness.
Yet Seraphia remained remarkably composed.
‘She was the Frost Lord, after all.’
A lord whom even two heroes dared not oppose.
What were two heroes in comparison?
Even all four heroes combined could not withstand the Frost Lord.
Only Ian could face her, and she alone among the lords had claimed Ian’s left arm—
-Hah, haah…!!
Now she could barely manage two heroes and stood there flustered and helpless.
‘The world has become such a wonderful place.’
…In more ways than one.
* * *
Seraphia truly had no idea what to do about this situation.
Specifically, it concerned Rielin and Broombar.
More precisely, the Elves and the Dwarves.
Even more precisely, the Elves and the Dark Elves.
She had always known the two races harbored ill will toward one another.
But still.
“You Dwarves don’t even have ears to hear nature’s whispers!”
“You Elves seem to forget that we too are children of nature!”
…She never expected it to escalate to this degree.
After all, they shared the same roots, did they not?
Even if they rarely spoke to one another and fought bitterly, they ultimately reconciled and lived in harmony—bound by that unbreakable kinship.
Whether one liked it or not.
That was the bond of family, was it not?
Yet conversely, the fact that they shared the same roots yet had to remain divided spoke volumes about how deeply fractured their relationship truly was.
Thus, Broombar and Rielin.
Their relationship reminded her of how Adrian and she once were—
‘Was it really to that extent?’
…Upon reflection, it was not quite that severe.
For it to reach that level, well.
Adrian had regarded her with the revulsion one might reserve for vermin, recoiling at even sharing the same air—that was merely the foundation—
His very voice would turn her stomach.
Even his shadow passing by would ignite her fury.
Merely hearing his name would contort her expression.
Should their eyes ever meet by chance, he would not merely display displeasure.
He would even spit directly upon her face—
‘Did it really reach that extent?’
…Upon reflection, it had not quite gone that far.
Though he had spat into her food on occasion.
In any case.
All of that belonged to the past now.
Adrian was now an entirely different person.
Now he greeted her first thing each morning.
When they walked together, he would stand beside her and shield her from the cold wind.
During meals, he would arrange the dishes around her preferences.
He would pour her water before her cup even emptied.
Whenever she needed to go out, he would fetch her coat.
When she asked about something she didn’t understand, he would explain it to her with meticulous care.
When I stayed up late studying in the Administrative Office, he would worry, saying “Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Though not often, he would praise me too.
And then some more….
‘Hehehehe!’
Right now, he was being an absolutely wonderful older brother.
In stark contrast, Broombar and Rielin.
The two of them were itching to tear each other apart.
“Anyway! Because of you Dwarves’ incessant hammering, the bees can’t even collect honey!”
“Then why don’t you give the bees earplugs!”
“What? Does that even make sense?!”
“Why wouldn’t it? Should I craft special earplugs just for the bees?”
“Ah, no. You two, please stop fighting-.”
“Learn how to coexist with smaller life forms!”
“You should learn how to harmonize with hammer sounds!”
“I’ll try to find some way-.”
“How can anyone harmonize with that infernal hammering?!”
“Hammer sounds are nature’s voice too! Is nature to you only the rustling of trees?!”
“Don’t glorify the destruction of nature on a whim!”
“Both of you, please calm down-.”
“Destruction?! When a wolf hunts a deer, that’s nature’s law, but when we dig the earth, that’s destroying nature?!”
“Wolves only eat what they need, but you Dwarves keep excavating even when the earth screams!!”
“We do it to survive! These are resources nature itself provided!”
“Please, both of you-.”
“Nature didn’t provide them—you Dwarves just took them by force!!”
“Then didn’t you Elves make your bows by cutting down trees?!”
“You two are getting way too heated-.”
“Those bows protect nature—they’re not mallets of death like yours!!”
“What about all the life that died from those arrows, you leaf-lover!!”
Broombar’s neck trembled.
Rielin’s eyes blazed like wildfire.
…They weren’t listening to Seraphia at all.
They weren’t just growling in words.
They were essentially growling all the same.
“Plus, your hammering drowns out the wind songs completely!”
“Can’t you Elves just live without those wind songs for once?”
“Without the wind songs, every breath feels like our insides are being scraped raw!”
“Then just hold your breath and drop dead!”
“What?!”
Rielin’s pointed ears trembled.
“Did you really just say that?!”
“It’s done! What are you going to do about it?!”
“You rotten log of a shortstack!”
“What did you just…? What did you say?!”
“I said you’re a rotten log of a shortstack, so what!”
“Huh?!”
Broombar’s thick neck trembled violently.
“Oh, I see…!”
Broombar’s muscles swelled taut with power.
Just like when he had fought the Ogre back then.
“Today, I shall finally settle my ancestors’ long-standing grudge!”
“Ha! You think that scares me?”
Rielin’s long golden hair whipped about in all directions.
Soon, spirits began to circle around Rielin.
“As the forest guardian, I’ll teach you Dwarves a proper lesson!!”
“Come at me!!”
“No! No! No! No!”
Seraphia cried out in alarm.
What lesson was she talking about?
What did she mean by “come at me”?!
“Please, both of you, stop fighting!!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Seraphia drew upon the power of frost.
But then.
…they paid her no mind whatsoever.
Neither Rielin nor Broombar acknowledged Seraphia’s frigid aura.
They drew forth their own power and aimed it at each other.
“The wounds your kind carved into the earth will never heal, not even in centuries!”
“Those aren’t wounds—they’re merely marks! And upon those marks, we Dwarves build the future!”
Seraphia might as well have been invisible.
Rielin’s spirits unleashed their power without hesitation.
Broombar’s muscles, too, erupted with tremendous force.
“The earth is like a mother! How could you devour her flesh!”
“A mother? Then don’t we drink from her milk to survive!”
And so the worldviews of two races collided—
“Your Dwarven greed will lay waste to nature!”
“Your Elven stubbornness will starve all living things!”
A killing intent so potent it seemed ready to explode radiated outward.
As if forest and mountain were clashing.
The collision of their auras shattered the ground beneath them.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…!
The entire Whitewolf Territory trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
Crash! Boom! Boom!
The earth split open, and flames erupted from the fissure.
Seraphia’s frigid aura shattered with a resounding crack.
Seraphia’s face had gone deathly pale.
“M-my lord, you’ll die! If you keep fighting like this, one of you will perish…!!”
“Watch closely! Witness the fury of nature that you Dwarves have desecrated!!”
“Yield to nature? We are those who carve paths by shattering mountain ranges!!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!!”
Seraphia’s scream echoed across the land.
The inhabitants of Whitewolf Territory began to murmur anxiously.
They hurriedly fled, comforting the crying children.
And the Dwarves and Elves.
“Chieftain, you can win this!!”
“Forest Guardian! You mustn’t lose!!”
They were cheering for the two combatants.
“Flatten that leaf-eared fool’s ears!!”
“Break that ground-dweller’s arrogant nose!!”
They hurled cheers of encouragement at one another.
The Dwarves stomped their feet like striking a colossal drum, shaking the earth beneath them.
The Elves chanted in unison like the call of war horns.
It resembled a battlefield itself.
The atmosphere grew increasingly fierce.
Just as their auras were about to collide at their peak.
“Both of you. Let us calm down, shall we.”
A quiet voice brushed against their ears.
* * *
I had never intended to intervene in their fight.
Broombar and Rielin.
Dwarf and Elf.
Though they appeared to be fighting as if to kill one another, I knew better than anyone that such was not truly the case.
But that was only in my previous life.
‘The emotional rift runs deep now.’
If I left matters as they were, who knew what would happen.
They would not kill each other, but the very terrain of Whitewolf Territory could be transformed.
They were, after all, the two greatest heroes of the Allied Forces in all of continental history.
Moreover, to increase the yield of Runesteel mining, both races were essential.
More precisely, the cooperation of Broombar and Rielin was indispensable.
Above all.
◆Territory Quest, [Blood Runs Thicker Than Water] has arrived.
==[Blood Runs Thicker Than Water]==
[Objective] – Place Broombar and Rielin’s relationship into [Friendly] status
[Reward] – 【Territory World Tree Mode】 unlocked
[Rejection] – Territory enters ‘Fractured’ state
I could not possibly ignore this new Territory Quest.
‘How did Ian reconcile these two in my previous life?’
I calmly retraced the memories of my past existence.

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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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