The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 244

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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 244. Impregnable (3)
Successive victories for the Whitewolf Territory.
And successive defeats for the invaders.
It was an overwhelming, total annihilation—one that would be difficult to find even in historical records.
Yet Elowin, the Deputy Director of the Empire Central Information Bureau, remained unperturbed.
“It was already anticipated.”
“…Pardon?”
The Aide lifted his head with a bewildered expression.
“You mean you predicted that the Whitewolf Territory would emerge victorious?”
“A territory that could crumble under a mere fifty thousand soldiers would never have survived this long.”
The Whitewolf Territory had already neutralized every intelligence network the Information Bureau possessed.
The informants had found nothing to report.
The dispatched scouts were captured instead, forced to divulge their intelligence.
Even the Wearbeasts proved helpless.
Prototypes though they were, they were monsters capable of annihilating an entire unit.
Yet all were destroyed.
By mere soldiers, no less.
Elowin had long since known that each of the Whitewolf Territory’s soldiers possessed Master-class combat capabilities.
Fifty thousand troops seasoned across countless battlefields?
Before a Master, they were nothing but small fry.
“Then why did you support a battle with no chance of victory from the start?”
“Verification was necessary.”
“…?”
“To gauge the capabilities of the one placed in charge.”
The Aide swallowed hard.
“You mean Seraphia Whitewolf?”
“That’s right.”
Elowin tapped her index finger rhythmically against the table.
“But it seems even that was seen through.”
My scheme and strategy had been read.
I had intended to drive ten thousand soldiers into a death trap to provoke Seraphia into using her authority.
Through that, I sought to discern Seraphia’s strength and its limits, then remove her from the battlefield.
But Seraphia never stepped forward.
Someone else took her place instead.
“Kai, wasn’t it.”
There was another target worthy of attention in the Whitewolf Territory.
An entity with a minimum threat level of Grade 10.
In other words, the Whitewolf Territory was not Adrian alone.
And through this, I could finally understand.
“Everyone has been mistaken.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s sweet honey in the Whitewolf Territory, or so they say.”
To be precise, the Whitewolf Territory is mistaking itself for a beehive.
“The Whitewolf Territory is not a beehive.”
It’s a wasp nest.
The moment you touch it, the entire swarm descends to tear away your flesh—a wasp nest of that nature.
Adrian was the most ferocious and terrifying soldier wasp in such a nest.
“The disappearance of a single soldier wasp doesn’t change the fundamental nature of that nest.”
Rather, it becomes even more extreme.
To fill his void, the wasps each sharpen and hone their venom ever deeper.
So there is no honey in the wasp nest.
“Only poison dwells within.”
“….”
“We withdraw our hand from the Whitewolf Territory now.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s beyond what our Information Bureau can handle anymore.”
Elowin’s gaze turned toward the desk.
A single classified document laid out neatly.
“His Majesty has issued a directive.”
“…!!!”
The Aide’s eyes widened greatly.
The distant presence of His Majesty.
Merely speaking that name sent cold sweat trickling down the Aide’s spine.
“What… what kind….”
Gulp.
The Aide swallowed hard.
“What kind of directive is it…?”
“You’ll know once you see it.”
Elowin gazed quietly out the window.
“A true monster will emerge to devour every last wasp and their larvae.”
* * *
Kai stood before ten thousand soldiers.
Kai was not intimidated in the slightest.
Before the ten thousand troops that filled his entire field of vision, far from being cowed, he cut through the enemy lines with absolute freedom.
When siege ladders approached the Castle Wall, he shattered them to splinters.
While sweeping away the enemy’s assault formations,
he cut down commanders at every opportunity to collapse their formations.
“It’s just one man!”
“Stop him! Stop him, I say!”
“Gaaahhhhh!!”
Ten thousand troops crumbled, each unit falling apart in isolation.
…Tremendous martial prowess.
But Kai was not unscathed.
Each time I pierced through enemy lines, flesh tore away.
Bones shattered, and eventually I suffered a fatal wound—one arm severed.
“Now!”
“Encircle him! Cut off his movement!!”
Iron chains flew at me from all directions.
Clang clang clang!
I swung my sword to deflect the chains.
But with one arm severed, perfect defense was impossible.
“Now! Thrust!!”
Spears flew at me simultaneously from every side.
In that moment.
From atop the Castle Wall, the archers of Whitewolf Territory released their arrows in unison.
Thump thump thump thump!!
A rain of arrows tore through the sky and poured down.
The spearmen who had been about to strike me staggered and fell.
Robert, who commanded the ten thousand troops, ground his teeth.
That impossible range alone was maddening.
And as if that weren’t enough, arrows possessed the insane power of ballista bolts.
“They don’t hesitate even with their own allies nearby! These madmen…!!”
Robert glared up at the Castle Wall of Whitewolf Territory with furious eyes.
“Prepare siege weapons!! We must seize control of the wall!”
At Robert’s cry, troops in the rear moved frantically.
In that moment.
Kai tore through the encirclement and charged forward.
“What…?!”
Robert’s eyes widened in confusion.
“He wasn’t dead…?”
I was certain the arrows had pierced through him.
Bound by iron chains, there was no way to evade them.
And given the insane power equivalent to ballista bolts, Kai’s body should have been shattered to pieces.
“How could he possibly be alive…?”
Indifferent to Robert’s bewilderment, the soldiers preparing the siege weapons collapsed without even a scream.
“What, what is this…!”
Robert’s face finally twisted in horror.
And for good reason—Kai’s current state was…?
The torn flesh had been sutured closed.
The shattered bones were intact.
Even the severed arm had reattached itself.
A Death Knight.
Kai was no different from a knight of death itself.
“A m-monster…! That’s a monster!”
“R-run!”
Soldiers gripped by terror cast down their weapons.
They scattered in all directions, and the formation collapsed in an instant.
Thus, ten thousand soldiers found themselves facing a single man.
Driven back as if fleeing from Kai himself.
Seraphia observed the entire spectacle from atop the Castle Wall.
‘Remarkable….’
She could see what efforts Kai had made since his battle with Adrian.
And Seraphia could witness firsthand how much Kai had grown.
‘I must become stronger as well.’
Seraphia clenched her small fists tightly.
It was then.
“My lady.”
Someone approached Seraphia’s side.
Bernard, the steward of Count Whitewolf’s House.
Seraphia turned her gaze from Kai and asked Bernard.
“How is the situation?”
“The enemy’s momentum has been completely broken.
“Is everyone safe?”
Bernard nodded his head.
It was an affirmation given without hesitation.
Indeed, thanks to Kai’s efforts, the Whitewolf Territory suffered no casualties.
Whitewolf Territory 2 had also been firmly defended by Sarpedon and Vister’s soldiers.
“Critical facilities and infrastructure have sustained no major damage.”
Of course, there was not zero damage.
The numerous villages beyond the Castle Wall had suffered considerable losses.
Many homes lay burned and collapsed.
Many had lost their livelihoods.
Still, Rielin was currently commanding the supply corps, caring for the wounded and refugees.
Broombar was rapidly repairing the collapsed walls and structures in each village and district.
“Though still unsettled, stability should return soon.”
“That’s a relief….”
Seraphia exhaled a long breath of relief.
The shoulders that had been rigid with tension gradually relaxed.
Just then.
“Your Excellency!! Count Whitewolf!!”
Suddenly, an urgent cry from a messenger pierced the air.
The messenger rushed toward Seraphia in a flustered state.
“Urgent report!! Right now…! Abnormal signs have been detected in Whitewolf Territory 2!!”
“Abnormal signs? What do you mean?”
“That is…!!”
The messenger trembled, his face drained of color by fear.
* * *
It had been some time since I entered the Valley of Kardun.
“How much time has passed, I wonder.”
I couldn’t say for certain.
In the Valley of Kardun, a day did not flow like a normal day.
The sun and moon neither rose nor set.
Time itself pooled like stagnant water.
“Roughly… it feels like about 100 days have passed.”
Though I couldn’t be sure.
It was merely my sense that such a span of time had elapsed.
“How much time has passed in the outside world, I wonder.”
I wished time flowed differently here as it did in the Infinite Labyrinth.
“But it might not be the case.”
Perhaps exactly 100 days had passed there as well.
Or perhaps time flowed more slowly on my end.
“Still, nothing serious should have happened.”
Even if something had, it wouldn’t trouble me.
I had absolute confidence that Seraphia would handle the matters I had instructed her with, resolving them smoothly.
The sudden Quest from last time, [The Shadow Devouring the Territory], had been cleared immediately—proof that my confidence was not unfounded.
Moreover, the Territory had Iliana, Broombar, and Rielin.
Three heroes of the Allied Forces stationed there.
“Has Iliana returned to Langritd Magic Tower by now?”
Iliana’s assignment was for two months.
She stayed a bit longer because of the soap development—
“By now, she might have returned.”
Still, Broombar and Rielin remained.
Two heroes were stationed in the Territory.
“I wonder if they’ve grown closer.”
It was certain they weren’t yet in [Friendly] status.
The Territory Quest [Blood Runs Thicker Than Water] hadn’t been cleared.
But conversely, there had been no particular warnings.
In other words, at least their relationship hadn’t deteriorated.
In any case.
Even without me, the Territory was running smoothly without any problems.
“If the Lord himself were to come, that would change things somewhat.”
But the likelihood was extremely low.
Six Lords serving The Emperor.
First, The Frost Lord no longer follows The Emperor.
The Death Lord was sealed after being interpreted as a cycle.
The Darkness Lord remains incomplete.
The Abyss Lord had sunk beyond the Dark Dimension.
The Beast Lord had its core cultivation lines completely destroyed when the laboratory was shut down last time, making immediate activity difficult.
Only one remained.
“The Immortal Lord.”
That was even less likely.
The Immortal Lord does not currently exist on The Continent.
More precisely, cannot exist.
The world had banished The Immortal Lord to another dimension.
The Immortal Lord is a being of perfect immortality.
It directly negates death as a natural law.
Therefore, this world would not permit The Immortal Lord’s existence on The Continent.
Ultimately, The Immortal Lord had been banished to another dimension long ago and was now imprisoned in a dimension where time, space, and even concepts were collapsing.
Of course, The Emperor did summon it again later.
But now The Emperor’s attention is drawn to Ian.
“The Emperor won’t have the leisure to summon The Immortal Lord.”
In every way, there was no immediate threat to Whitewolf Territory.
Therefore, there was no need to hurry back to the Territory.
“Besides, I can’t return immediately anyway.”
Success rate: 0%.
A nonsensical Quest asking me to draw exactly 0.5 from a number between 0 and 1.
Honestly, whether I could even return was questionable.
“Let me focus on what I can do right now.”
The ultimate form of biological evolution.
That was all I could do—advance toward that goal.
“Let’s see….”
I scrolled through my skill list.
“I’ve transcended quite a few.”
Metabolic Acceleration [C+] had become Metabolic Maximization [B].
Rigid Transformation [U] had become Rigid Fusion [E].
Mucous Fluid [U] had evolved into Mucous Circulation Body [E].
“My defense and regeneration have definitely improved.”
But I hadn’t managed to evolve Regeneration [B+] itself.
“It seems to be because it’s directly tied to my life force itself.”
The power of death interpreted as a cycle.
It was akin to the force of nature itself.
And nature had spawned infinite abilities.
Fish that discharged electricity.
Insects that detonated explosions.
Nature had created every conceivable power.
Yet there was one exception.
Immortal life—nature could never forge.
Without death, the cycle ceases.
When the cycle stops, life collapses.
Thus, nature could neither shape nor permit an immortal existence.
“It’s no accident that The Immortal Lord was banished to another realm.”
Therefore, even infinite natural power could not create “a being that never dies at all.”
“But I can certainly evolve abilities that bolster regenerative capacity.”
As part of this, ultra-dense adipose tissue [U].
By exponentially increasing the upper limit of caloric capacity, I could amplify my regeneration rate by dozens of times or more compared to before.
Thus, my current caloric limit is—.
◆Your current maximum storable caloric capacity is 1,692,500,000 Kcal.
Approximately 1.69 billion calories.
A figure that rivaled even the storage tank of the Arcanoheart, a mana nuclear fusion device.
In terms of pure caloric value, it actually exceeded it.
“The bottleneck is what’s frustrating—I can’t fully utilize it.”
The water tank is enormous.
But the pipes are too narrow, and water cannot flow properly.
Therefore, the calories I can actually utilize right now are—.
◆Your current usable maximum caloric capacity is 1,628,000 Kcal.
Approximately 1.628 million calories.
Still, it was tremendous growth.
“I wish I’d acquired an ability to resolve this bottleneck before entering.”
Unfortunately, death and nature’s power could evolve my existing abilities.
But creation from nothing.
They could not forge abilities that didn’t exist.
In any case.
“The transformation of ultra-dense muscle fibers [A+] is quite pronounced.”
A little more, and I could reach [S-] rank.
I sensed I could transcend it into the ultimate form of biological evolution.
“Let’s continue.”
I turned my steps back toward the valley above.
Just then.
◆Calamity Quest, [Lord of the Undying], begins.
An ominous Quest materialized before my eyes.

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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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