The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 243

—————

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

—————

Chapter 243. An Impregnable Fortress (2)
The Conference Room of the Royal Palace fell into sudden silence.
All the ministers blinked their eyes repeatedly at the successive reports of victory from Whitewolf Territory.
…It was an incomprehensible disparity.
The official military force of Whitewolf Territory was five thousand soldiers.
Even if a mobilization order were issued and every reserve unit scraped together, it would be uncertain.
Perhaps around eight thousand at most.
Of course, that was an enormous force.
But the invading army that assaulted the territory numbered fifty thousand.
And they were far from a rabble of disorganized fighters.
Seasoned mercenaries who had waged war as casually as eating bread.
Brigands who made a living through bloody plunder.
Foreign warriors who crossed borders in constant conflict.
Fifty thousand soldiers who had traversed countless battlefields had assembled.
On top of that, Langritd Magic Tower was providing covert support as well.
This already exceeded the scale of the Kingdom’s regular army.
Toppling a mere border territory?
It should have been child’s play.
Even with the cooperation of the Dwarves and Elves, it should have been impossible to overcome.
The population of the Dwarves and Elves was simply not that large.
Their combat forces were virtually nonexistent, so they could only play a ‘support’ role at best.
Even leveraging the advantages of defensive warfare, it should have been an unwinnable battle.
So what was this?
“They continue to suffer defeat after defeat, you say…?”
So fifty thousand soldiers?
With that entire force?
Did that even make sense?
Whitewolf Territory possessed military strength of this caliber?
Even without Adrian?
“….”
“….”
“….”
All the ministers were at a loss for words.
And as if bound by an unspoken agreement.
Every gaze converged upon the flag upon the table.
[Only one burdened with a destiny higher than the wolf may hunt the wolf.]
“This wasn’t a desperate last gambit, was it…?”
Someone’s voice trembled as the words escaped their lips.
* * *
Seraphia ascended the Castle Wall and gazed down upon the battlefield.
Ten thousand soldiers encircling the Whitewolf Territory.
The enemies flooding beneath the castle walls were in disarray.
The castle walls of the Whitewolf Territory had not yielded even slightly to the siege weapons’ bombardment.
“Why… why won’t it break?”
“Can’t even gold scratch it…?”
The castle walls reinforced with Dwarven technology and runesteel.
By nullifying mana while simultaneously possessing durability and shock absorption, the walls were impervious to both magic and physical attacks.
Thanks to that, dozens of catapult stones and mana projectiles rained down without leaving a single scratch.
What if it had been otherwise?
The castle walls would have crumbled at the first assault.
In other words, without Adrian’s directive to reinforce the castle walls with runesteel, there would have been countless casualties.
‘Everyone survived because of my brother.’
Seraphia closed her eyes briefly, then opened them.
Now it was time for Seraphia to demonstrate her worth, using this fortification as her foundation.
She had to prove it to everyone.
That Adrian’s absence would not become a void in the Whitewolf Territory.
Kiiiiiiiing—!!
A wave of frigid energy erupted from within Seraphia’s body.
An immense force swirled outward.
The currents of heaven and earth swept down as if in submission.
Just as the entire surroundings bloomed with azure ice flowers.
“You mustn’t.”
Kai’s sudden intervention.
The swirling force began to rapidly subside.
When she turned her head, Kai stood before Seraphia with a resolute expression.
“There is no need for you to take action, my lady.”
“But…!”
“Using your authority against such a vast force would place considerable strain on your body, would it not?”
Seraphia bit her lower lip firmly.
His words were not wrong.
Excessive use of her authority was still beyond her limits.
She could fall ill again, just as she had when controlling the Arcanoheart’s rampant energy.
Yet Seraphia was not idle either.
Even while handling pressing duties, she had steadily built her proficiency with her authority.
Though it would certainly strain her body….
“Only by stepping forward can I minimize casualties among our soldiers.”
“I am aware of that.”
“Then why—”
“This is not a back alley brawl. This is war.”
A stage where everything is justified in the name of victory.
Only the victor becomes justice in this world.
No matter how righteous one’s cause, the moment you fall in war, you are trampled.
“If there is a strategist on their side who knows the Count’s power, we cannot simply accept the current situation.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Their strategy may be to lure the Count into using her authority here.”
A strategy to draw out Seraphia’s power first and remove her from the battlefield.
And.
An intention to discern the conditions and limits of the authority Seraphia possesses.
Then the Whitewolf Territory’s strongest card would be withdrawn from the battlefield while the nature of that power is exposed to all.
“You must also consider the possibility that this massive force aims to gather intelligence.”
That is what war is.
“Even if there are sacrifices, the Count must never take the front lines.”
Kai’s resolute answer.
It was also a merciless one.
Perhaps that was why.
Adrian’s words overlapped in Seraphia’s ears.
-If necessary, you must know how to cut off people’s livelihoods and send soldiers to their deaths.
Seraphia lowered her eyes.
But soon she lifted her head.
“But we can reduce the sacrifices.”
“….”
“There is a way to reduce sacrifices, and it is something I can do. I cannot accept doing nothing.”
Seraphia clenched both fists.
A resolute light gathered in her crimson eyes.
There was no small, delicate girl here.
The Empress of the Frozen Wastes.
Kai smiled.
“I believe I have misunderstood.”
And he continued slowly.
“I merely meant there is no need to fall into their trap.”
“What do you mean by that—?”
Kai did not answer.
Whoosh!
Kai’s figure vanished before her eyes.
In an instant, Kai stood in the heart of the enemy lines.
“K-Kai!”
Seraphia cried out urgently.
Yet Kai did not flinch.
Standing alone in the heart of the enemy forces.
Like a noble wolf upon the Snowy Plain.
Kai slowly drew forth his aura.
After the battle with Adrian.
Kai had relentlessly pushed himself forward.
Yet it still wasn’t enough.
He hadn’t surpassed his Master.
He hadn’t set foot upon the realm Adrian had spoken of.
But he had seen it.
Only for a fleeting moment.
Shhwoooom!
A brilliant blue flash erupted outward.
As Kai swung his blade with tremendous force, dozens of enemies were cleaved in two.
“What…?!”
Robert’s eyes widened in shock.
He too was a knight who stood on the threshold of mastery.
But what was this power Kai had just unleashed?
…It was utterly beyond what any human should be capable of.
Robert was astounded.
And he was not alone in his astonishment.
“What… what is that….”
“Is it a monster…?”
The enemy soldiers’ bodies froze in place.
Some stood paralyzed, their weapons slipping from nerveless fingers.
The soldiers of Whitewolf Territory watching from atop the Castle Wall felt the same.
Seraphia stood speechless, her mouth agape.
“Ah.”
Seraphia’s eyes widened in recognition.
Kai, aware of Seraphia’s gaze upon his back, raised his blade’s tip skyward.
An aura blade shining brighter than the sun itself.
“Aura.”
…Not a single soul dared step forward.
* * *
Free-falling through the Valley of Kardun.
A sudden emergency Quest materialized: [The Shadow Consuming the Territory].
“All of a sudden?”
…Such questions were fleeting.
◆You have cleared the emergency Quest, [The Shadow Consuming the Territory].
Before I could even review its contents, the emergency Quest was cleared.
◆You have obtained 24,500,000 Quest Experience Points!
◆Your level has increased!
◆Your level has increased!
◆Your level has increased!
With the effect of the title 【Lord of Igogkeng】, Quest experience was amplified five-fold, granting me +3 levels in one go.
Anyway.
A sudden Quest that started abruptly and cleared just as suddenly.
Because of that, I couldn’t discern the Quest’s actual contents.
But looking at the Quest title about something swallowing the Whitewolf Territory….
“Was there an intruder in the Whitewolf Territory?”
Just like when I was in Caravana last time.
But seeing as it cleared immediately—
“They must have handled it well on their own.”
Just like when I was in Caravana last time.
In other words, the Whitewolf Territory was running smoothly even without me.
“I’m glad I prepared everything in advance.”
That aside.
“…It does feel a bit empty now that he’s gone.”
None other than Mungu’s complaints—
Or rather, his fussiness? His grumbling?
Anyway, Mungu showed no particular reaction.
Normally, he would have started immediately after the Quest cleared with “Oh, seriously!!”
Why do the Quests keep clearing on their own like this!
What did you even do!
You just threw yourself into the valley!
Tore and burst your muscles!
Rose up like a zombie, staggering around with that expression like “I don’t know anything,” that’s all you did!
…He would have made quite the fuss.
Unfortunately(?), Mungu was nowhere to be seen in the Valley of Kardun.
“It seems Quests and Mungu operate on separate mechanics.”
At that moment.
My body, which had been in free fall from the valley, collided violently with the ground.
Crash!!
My entire body shattered from the tremendous impact.
But the Cycle of Death immediately reconstructed my body.
◆Your Vitality stat increases by +157!
And the increased Vitality stat.
Was immediately reflected in my body.
The shattered bones were reconstructed, interlocking thicker and more solidly than before.
But my skeleton was based on the Ogre’s ultra-reinforced skeletal structure [A].
The grade itself was [A]-rank.
It could be called the perfect form of a living being.
In other words, no further evolution was permitted.
Yet this place was the Valley of Kardun.
A realm where death itself was reinterpreted as cyclical renewal, where biological limits spiraled toward infinity.
◆Skill, Ultra-Enhanced Skeletal Structure [A] evolves!
Crack! Crack-crack-crack-crack—!!
My bones screamed and wailed as they transformed.
◆Evolution Skill acquired: Bio-Alloy Ossification [A+]!
I had finally transcended the Ogre’s genetic capabilities.
◆Bio-Alloy Ossification [A+]
: Upon acquisition, the player’s original calcium-based skeletal structure dissolves and is replaced by a biologically maximal-tier alloy skeleton composed of organic carbon crystals.
This skeleton possesses complete structural integrity that resists deformation even under extreme impacts reaching [100Gpa], and possesses the ability to absorb and disperse all external impacts without internal damage.
【This skill is an evolution of Ultra-Enhanced Skeletal Structure [A].】
100Gpa.
A unit of pressure impact.
An ordinary human skeleton fractures easily at 0.01Gpa.
At 1Gpa, even Dwarf-forged titanium alloy deforms.
And 100Gpa.
Nothing in nature can withstand it.
Except one.
The hardest natural metal.
Diamond.
Only that barely endures.
Therefore, my bones withstanding 100Gpa of impact meant my skeleton had become equivalent to diamond itself.
“Is this real?”
I clenched my fist once.
Crack!!
The air compressed in my grip, splitting with a thunderous boom.
“…It’s real.”
The infinite power of death had transcended even the Ogre’s genetic abilities.
“Wait, if this is the case….”
Nutrient Synthesis [B], Regeneration [B+].
Metabolic Acceleration [C+], Dragon’s Claw [A], and so forth.
I could transcend every ability and skill I possessed.
Including Ultra-Dense Muscle Fiber [A+].
The [A+] tier called the pinnacle of biological evolution.
I could even transcend that to [S-] tier.
Then I could reach not merely the apex of biological evolution, but its ultimate form.
“Could predation work as well?”
Perhaps I could even transcend the ability of Predation [S+].
* * *
The Imperial Central Intelligence Agency.
Beneath the magical lamps casting their glow from the ceiling.
The Aide continued his report, his voice trembling.
“Our… our front lines are being pushed back.”
The bandit groups that had ravaged villages throughout the Whitewolf Territory and severed supply lines were being systematically eliminated by the Elves.
The vanguard attacking the territory directly could not even breach the Castle Wall.
The supply routes and infrastructure they had managed to sever.
The Dwarves were rapidly restoring them.
“The battle situation is… beyond control.”
The situation was essentially one of inevitable defeat.
An “overwhelming total rout” so complete it was scarcely found in historical records.
“…How amusing.”
Elowin murmured softly.

—————

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

—————