The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 26

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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 26. A Guest Arrives at Whitewolf Territory (1)
The translucent message stating that I had devoured Gelu Drake’s genetic material.
The moment those words materialized before my eyes, my body responded instantly, and my fingernails and toenails underwent a transformation.
My outward appearance changed little.
To any observer, they remained human nails, yet their durability and hardness were decidedly inhuman.
◆Dragon’s Claw [A]
: Upon skill acquisition, enhances the player’s [keratin] composition. Refines density and hardness to an extreme degree, rendering them comparable to a dragon’s. Subsequently, the hardness of the player’s [nails, toenails, and hair] increases by [+1,601,200%], and their strength increases by [+1,992,500%].
When attacking with this skill, all damage dealt ignores the target’s defense by [-35%].
【This skill is a passive skill and is permanently applied upon acquisition.】
The skill description materialized before my eyes.
Like Enhanced Skin [D], it was a passive skill.
And passive meant ‘automatic’ in nature.
Therefore, a passive skill was one that required no active effort to trigger.
Simply possessing the skill meant its effects remained constantly active—an extraordinarily convenient and useful ability.
And moreover, it was a complete skill.
A finished ability requiring no further consumption to perfect.
“In exchange, I didn’t acquire any other abilities.”
It seemed I had focused so intently on the Dragon’s Claw [A] ability that I had missed Gelu Drake’s other powers.
My Predation [S+] ability wasn’t complete enough to obtain all of Gelu Drake’s capabilities.
To gain one, I had to sacrifice another.
“This is better anyway.”
Rather than obtaining some ambiguous half-formed ability, securing one definitive power was far superior.
Especially since Gelu Drake was a genetic specimen I might never encounter again.
Their numbers were nonexistent, let alone abundant.
The lower one’s position in the food chain, the stronger the drive to reproduce.
The greater the threat of death, the more urgently one seeks to leave offspring quickly and in abundance.
Conversely, the higher one’s position in the food chain, the weaker such drives become.
And Gelu Drake was the master of the Frozen Peak.
More precisely, it was the apex predator known as the master of the Frozen Peak.
With no existence threatening its life on the Frozen Peak, Gelu Drake harbored no significant reproductive urge.
It didn’t bother seeking out mates.
Consequently, its breeding capacity was poor.
That said, other Gelu Drakes weren’t entirely absent….
“I’d probably need to comb through the entire Northern Region to discover a few more.”
So acquiring one certain dragon genetic trait was far superior to haphazardly collecting useless abilities.
In that sense, the rank alone was [A].
The regeneration ability I obtained from Icetroll was [B-] rank, yet it demonstrated that level of performance.
I couldn’t even imagine what an [A] rank ability would be like.
“My nails are too short to properly test the ability….”
Hunting monsters on the Frozen Peak had left my nails worn to nothing.
They had worn away completely, leaving nothing that could be called nails.
After a brief moment of consideration, I burned calories through Nutrient Synthesis [C+] to synthesize keratin.
Then, activating Regeneration [B-] immediately, my short nails grew in an instant.
The newly grown nails immediately received the effect of Dragon’s Claws [A].
Passive skills, once acquired, applied permanently—meaning I had obtained my own weapon that I could replace infinitely through Regeneration [B-].
“The synergy between regeneration and this is incredible.”
Now I could freely adjust my nails shorter or longer depending on the situation.
Indeed.
It was far better to have one thing perfected than to carry several mediocre options.
“Just how much stronger have I become?”
Looking at the enhanced stats alone, they were absurdly powerful.
But I couldn’t intuitively grasp just how hard they actually were.
“Something to test with…”
I looked around, but there was nothing suitable in sight.
The pristine Frozen Peak landscape was nothing but snow, all of it frozen solid by the Ice Breath.
Perhaps because of that, a single sword lying abandoned in the snowfield caught my eye distinctly.
“That’s…”
The sword I had thrown at Gelu Drake during our battle.
It wasn’t a particularly special blade.
But it was forged from steel and of decent quality.
I walked over and picked up the sword buried in the snow.
The edge had taken considerable damage from fighting Gelu Drake, but it was sufficient for a test.
I positioned my nail at an angle and grasped the blade—
Clang!
“Huh…?”
The sword simply snapped in half.
I hadn’t even taken any special action.
I had merely applied light pressure.
Yet the sword split in two.
Looking more carefully, it was more accurate to say it had been torn apart.
“I expected it to be harder than steel, but…”
I never imagined it would shatter so completely.
“Even the Heightened Keratin I consumed in my previous life wasn’t this strong.”
The ‘Heightened Keratin’ I had consumed in my past life—and had aimed to acquire again—was only on par with a steel sword.
Only by adding other abilities on top of it could I match a sword wrapped in aura.
In that sense, I had thought Dragon’s Claws [A] wouldn’t be much different.
After all, it was ultimately an enhancement of the keratin I possessed.
Yet by itself alone, it far exceeded a steel sword.
“At this level, I could probably just shatter aura itself?”
I hadn’t directly tested it against aura, but it seemed entirely possible.
During my Predator days, I had faced countless auras.
Based on that experience, I could easily suppress an Aura Sword.
But that wasn’t all.
“Even the Master’s Aura Blade doesn’t seem like it would be a match?”
The pinnacle of aura—Master.
The realm of dreams that warriors wielding aura, including knights and combatants, yearned for endlessly.
Even the Aura Blade wielded by such a Master-tier warrior seemed unable to surpass this dragon’s claw.
And that made sense, for this ability was akin to a true dragon’s claw itself.
And no matter how skilled a Master-tier warrior was, before a dragon they were nothing but prey.
Dragons were the pinnacle of biological evolution.
The saying that no genetic code on this Continent surpassed that of a dragon was no exaggeration or falsehood.
“Insane….”
The words escaped me unbidden.
This was truly an ability born from devouring dragon genetics.
All the grueling effort spent hunting Gelu Drake had paid off abundantly.
With this.
“Excellent.”
I had surpassed my previous life by a full tier.
I had drawn one step closer to the “Ultimate Lifeform” that Ian spoke of.
And through that, I could draw one step closer to Ian.
Above all, it wasn’t just the dragon’s claw.
==「Player Information」==
[Name] – Adrian Whitewolf
[Title] – Master of the Frozen Peak
[Level] – 26
[HP] – 26
[MP] – 0
[Stats] – Strength: 27(+5) Agility: 13(+5) Endurance: 20(+5) Mana: 6(+5)
[Experience] – 34.7%
【Additional Stats +13】
My level had reached an impressive 26.
Moreover, a new [Title] section had appeared in the 「Player Information」 window.
Through this, all my stats had risen by +5, and I could distribute an additional +13 in stat points from further leveling.
“I’ll invest all the level-up stats into Agility.”
I could raise Agility all the way to 26.
Through this, not only would my nervous system’s processing of stimuli improve dramatically, but my ability to perceive those stimuli would also skyrocket.
My vision became so sharp I could see the very crystalline structure of my eyes.
My sense of smell became so acute I could detect even the scent of ice.
My hearing didn’t miss even the faintest whisper of wind.
My sense of touch became so keen I could detect the slightest presence.
“Isn’t this basically an ESP ability?”
It was no joke—continuously raising agility seemed like it would become indistinguishable from an ESP ability.
No, it felt like it would surpass ESP abilities altogether.
Of course, to achieve that, I’d need to invest all my level-up stat points into agility.
That meant I couldn’t invest in strength and stamina… but that was fine.
“I’ll need to intensify my physical training.”
After all, strength and stamina could be increased through other methods.
With that in mind, it was finally time to return to the Whitewolf Territory.
“I wonder if Ian has come back…”
With that hope in mind, I descended the Frozen Peak.
Then I stopped short.
“I can’t just leave Gelu Drake’s corpse here.”
Gelu Drake was a monster of exceptional value in many ways.
Its hide alone, which could easily withstand steel blades, made for an outstanding piece of armor.
I carefully placed Gelu Drake’s corpse into my inventory.
With the effect of the title 【Master of the Frozen Peak】, my strength had increased by +5, and my inventory’s storage capacity had expanded to 1,080kg.
◆You have exceeded the inventory storage weight limit.
“It won’t all fit.”
Even so, I couldn’t fit Gelu Drake inside.
After all, the creature’s body length alone was a staggering 10 meters.
At a glance, it easily weighed around 1,500kg.
In other words, even if I forced it into the inventory, I’d have to leave behind roughly 500kg.
“How can that be?”
Of course, I had no intention of leaving it behind.
I dumped out all the monster corpses that remained in my inventory. Since I’d consumed most of them while fighting Gelu Drake, there wasn’t much left anyway.
I sharpened my nails and began tearing apart Gelu Drake’s corpse.
Gelu Drake’s hide, which hadn’t even been scratched by a steel blade…
Rip—!
…tore like paper against my dragon claws.
I completely severed the partially cut neck.
I also cut off and removed the tail.
Butchering wasn’t particularly difficult.
In fact, during my time in the Special Task Force, it would’ve been harder to find something I hadn’t done.
“…This should be about right.”
After separating what needed to be separated and leaving only the torso, it seemed to weigh roughly 1,080kg.
As I placed it in my inventory, Gelu Drake’s corpse vanished before my eyes in an instant.
Of course, it didn’t actually disappear—it was simply stored in my inventory.
What remained were the severed tail and head.
I’d have to carry these myself.
As I hoisted them onto my shoulders, my body sank deep into the snow. The head and tail alone weighed around 500kg.
In that moment, a brilliant idea struck me.
“This would be perfect for weight training.”
I changed my mind and retrieved Gelu Drake’s torso from my inventory.
In exchange, I stored Gelu Drake’s head and tail in my inventory.
Then, using the 1,080kg torso as a barbell, I descended the Frozen Peak in a lunge position.
◆Your muscle fibers are tearing again!!
◆Your muscle fibers are being reconstructed anew!
◆Your Strength stat increases by +3!!
…The results were extraordinary.
* * *
Creak-creak-creak-CREAK!
The castle gate of the Count’s Castle, constructed from thick timber, groaned open with a deafening roar.
While the sound of the gate opening was loud enough to split eardrums, the shouts erupting from within were even louder.
“That… that thing…!!”
“Gelu Drake…!!”
The soldiers guarding the Count’s Castle gate all jumped back in shock.
Every last one of them stared at me, their expressions conveying the same emotion.
“Adrian did…?”
“…defeat Gelu Drake…?”
“Was what Captain Kai said actually true?!”
“This… this can’t be real…!!”
Astonishment.
It was astonishment directed at Gelu Drake resting on my shoulder, and astonishment directed at me.
‘This wasn’t my intention.’
I hadn’t carried it to draw attention.
I’d simply carried it because it was good for weight training and to increase my Strength and Stamina stats.
Thanks to that, I’d managed to gain +6 Strength and +3 Stamina.
In any case, I didn’t particularly enjoy drawing attention.
What good did it do for the commander of the Special Operations Unit to stand out?
I lowered Gelu Drake’s torso to the ground.
Then, with a heavy thud!
The massive weight of 1,080kg created a small tremor.
“Good… heavens…!!”
“You carried that here…?”
“Ugh…!”
…I’d unintentionally drawn attention again.
While the soldiers were reeling, the castle gate opened fully. I spotted one soldier who appeared to be the officer in charge—the Captain of the Guard.
“You there.”
“Y-yes, sir…?”
“Is there another officer in charge besides you here?”
At my words, the Captain of the Guard glanced around swiftly.
Of course, there were plenty of other soldiers nearby.
But realizing he was the only one in a position of responsibility, he rushed forward in a single bound.
“You called for me!”
He’d hesitated for a moment, but his military discipline was unmistakable.
Just from this, I could tell Kai had trained the soldiers well.
I pointed to the corpse of Gelu Drake lying on the ground and spoke.
“This. Keep it preserved without any damage.”
Of course, storing it in my inventory would have been convenient.
But I needed to keep my inventory empty to use it as a nutrient storage for regeneration.
“…Pardon? G-Gelu Drake… you mean?”
“Yes. Is that a difficult order?”
“No, no, of course not!!”
The Captain of the Guard snapped to attention as if it were nothing.
I brushed the snow from my hair and asked again.
“Ah, and. While I was away, was there anything unusual in the Whitewolf Territory?”
“Unusual, you say…?”
“Like someone visiting the Whitewolf Territory. …Was there anything?”
“If you mean that sort of thing… Kai brought some man to the Whitewolf Territory a while ago.”
At the Captain of the Guard’s answer, my eyes widened.
An unknown man meant someone the Captain of the Guard didn’t recognize.
In other words, not someone from the Whitewolf Territory—which made it highly likely to be Ian.
“Who is he?”
“I’m not entirely sure who…”
“You don’t even know his name?”
The Captain of the Guard gave a small nod.
I turned my gaze to survey the soldiers, but they all looked equally clueless.
I asked the Captain of the Guard again.
“Where is he now?”
“Currently at the Lord’s Residence, meeting with the Lord—no, with Seraphia.”
“With Seraphia?”
“Yes, sir.”
I felt I needed to go there immediately.
“Keep the corpse of Gelu Drake preserved without any damage.”
“Don’t worry!! I’ll safeguard it with my life!!”
The Captain of the Guard stiffened into a rigid stance.
As I began to move—
“UNIT, FALL IN!!!”
The Captain of the Guard’s shout rang out.
The soldiers snapped to attention in unison, lining up on both sides of me.
Soldiers stood at rigid attention, their posture impeccable.
“To Adrian Whitewolf, who has sacrificed his life in battle for the Whitewolf Territory—salute!!”
The gleam in the soldiers’ eyes was utterly transformed from two weeks prior.
“Hail!!”
I strode through their salute and made my way directly to the Lord’s Residence.

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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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