The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 260
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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 260. Yggdrasil (2)
A colossal tree trunk suddenly erupted from beneath the earth.
Though I wasn’t even certain it could be called a trunk.
Its sheer scale was extraordinary.
A thickness and length that ordinary trees could never approach.
It was massive enough to easily engulf an entire building.
The way it pierced through the ground and rose skyward was…
A pillar supporting the heavens?
That description wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Moreover, though its surface resembled bark, it contracted subtly as if breathing.
Like the skin of a living creature.
I could sense something stirring within, alive and moving.
It moved as though possessed of its own vitality.
Of course.
Trees are alive by nature.
But this was something else entirely.
“It has consciousness…?”
It seemed to think for itself.
It possessed clear purpose and will.
And that clear purpose and will was—
Whoosh, crack-crack-crack!
The reconstruction of the burned village.
The trunk wrapped around the shattered walls and lifted them upright.
It plucked intact materials from the ash and rubble as if sorting through them.
Crash-crash-crash!
Groan…
Collapsed structures began connecting one by one.
The devastated zones and areas quickly took shape.
Road foundations were laid down layer by layer.
Cracked earth became level again.
Tendrils seeped into every crevice, anchoring the structures in place.
The Dwarves stood motionless.
Yet their expressions were uniformly struck with astonishment.
“…!!!”
“…!!!”
Was this even possible?!
The sight of it reconstructing itself was fundamentally absurd.
This was restoration work that should have required dismantling the entire foundation.
Resurveying everything.
Laying new groundwork.
Each stone block had to be carved anew from scratch.
But then—crack!
No, more like—crash-bang!
And then rumble, rumble…!
Here! There! Everywhere!
Restoration was happening all across the territory!
“W-what in the world is this…!!”
“How is this even possible!!”
I was seeing it with my own eyes, yet I couldn’t believe it.
This wasn’t mere restoration.
Recovery? Regeneration?
No, it transcended even those concepts.
This phenomenon couldn’t be defined by such crude terminology.
What should I call it…
“Evolution?”
Evolution.
The Whitewolf Territory had become a living organism unto itself, evolving autonomously.
But evolution is imperfect.
A clumsy patchwork.
An awkward apprentice’s work.
Evolution is merely the result of unintended consequences that happen to survive by chance.
However.
What if that could be changed?
What if evolution could select efficiency and circumstance?
What if there existed an intelligent being capable of considering and judging all of it?
Screech—!
The wooden tendril suddenly halted.
Then, slowly shifting direction, it approached toward where the Dwarves had gathered.
The tendril stopped before the Dwarves.
Pausing as if deliberating something.
Whoosh!
In an instant, it coiled around the Dwarves and lifted them skyward!
The Dwarves screamed, suspended helplessly in the air.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“What is this strength…!!”
“I can’t break free!!”
Yet something was strange.
Despite its tremendous power, the tendril’s movements were remarkably delicate.
Soon after, the tendril gently set down the Dwarves it had ensnared.
Soft. Gentle thuds.
And then I pressed down firmly.
I gently pressed the stone I had set upright beside it.
It was as if—how should I put it.
The stem seemed to be asking, “Is it okay to do it like this?”
But come on.
Surely that couldn’t be it.
No matter what, plants speaking—that’s simply not possible.
Yet the stem pressed down firmly.
Deliberately.
It displayed unmistakable intent and waited for an answer.
“….”
“….”
A stunned silence fell over us.
Then.
One of the Dwarves stepped forward.
He cautiously approached the stone the stem had pressed and examined its condition.
“…Not here.”
The Dwarf pointed to the ground a short distance away and continued.
“The foundation stone is over there. Below it is solid bedrock, so it won’t sink. This spot is unstable.”
The stem responded immediately.
It moved at once and carefully relocated the stone.
“Is it really understanding what we’re saying?”
Another stunned silence descended.
Soon the stem returned.
And pressed down firmly again.
This time it seemed to ask, “What should I do with this one?”
“Why can I communicate with this plant?”
“That’s… that’s what I’d like to know…?”
Long ago, the Dark Elves who could discern the weight of stone without measuring.
Reading the grain of soil.
Those who aligned themselves with the direction of trees and wind.
That sense had been forgotten now.
But it was etched deep within our genes.
And the World Tree, Yggdrasil.
Friend to the Dark Elves.
Mother to the Dwarves.
Through countless generations, the Dwarves had forgotten their mother’s existence.
In the vast expanse of time, memories had faded.
And at some point.
That name was no longer passed down.
Yet the mother never forgot her child.
Buried deep within the waste storage, covered in dust through all those long years.
Not once.
Did she forget her child.
She did not even hope to be remembered.
She only wished for the Dwarves not to crumble.
For the Dwarves to walk their own path well.
Holding only that singular wish in her heart, she waited silently through the ages.
And now.
Thump.
Thump-thump?
“Huh? What is this sensation?”
“Without even measuring, I can just feel the depth and weight?”
“I can see the balance of stone?”
The Dwarves were awakening their forgotten instincts anew through their mother’s teachings.
* * *
The Medical Ward in one section of Count’s Castle.
Those wounded during the war were receiving treatment.
Cries of pain echoing from here and there.
Yet the atmosphere was surprisingly bright.
Nearly all wounds could be swiftly healed with the Elves’ spirit magic and Adrian’s regeneration potions.
“Come on now, bear with it.”
“No, it really hurts like crazy!”
“A real man can’t even endure that much. Tsk.”
“Wait, just a moment! Aaahhhhh!”
Screams echoed through the ward, but laughter occasionally mixed in.
The aftereffects of war were present.
But there was no air of despair.
…Except in one place.
The Medical Ward where the Vister soldiers lay.
The atmosphere here alone was different.
There was no laughter, no conversation.
Only silence hung heavy in the air.
The wounds of those soldiers who had faced Dracula and the Vampire Legion were filled with nothing but despair.
Somehow Rielin’s emergency treatment had managed to keep them alive.
Somehow additional regeneration potions had allowed them to cling to life.
But there was nothing to be done about the legs melted away below the thighs.
The arms that had evaporated above the shoulders.
Faces crushed and mangled beyond recognition.
Jaws blown clean away, leaving mouths that could not close.
Spirit summoning and regeneration potions could not reshape a body that had been completely obliterated.
That was the domain of holy power.
But even holy power was uncertain.
Treatment would be difficult.
The attacks of Dracula and the Vampire Legion possessed a nature that eroded existence itself.
The Medical Ward at Vister was silent.
The medics moved quietly as well.
They communicated through gestures instead of words, careful not to aggravate their suffering.
A deafening silence.
Sarpedon’s heart was heavy with conflicting emotions.
Sarpedon’s entire body was wrapped in bandages.
Yet he was intact.
His limbs were properly attached.
His senses remained whole.
There were many wounds, but no fatal injuries.
The power of his awakened aura had allowed him to evade mortal blows.
A blessing beyond measure.
Yet a burden beyond measure.
As Sarpedon bit his lip, it happened.
“Brother.”
Someone called out to Sarpedon.
Turning his head, a familiar face came into view.
A Furry Soldier.
More precisely, a Furry Sergeant.
“Why so downcast, sir?”
He spoke with an easy smile.
Yet the Furry Sergeant’s one arm was missing.
He had paid a steep price for it to Dracula.
“…Your arm.”
“Treatment is difficult, it seems.”
“…”
“I never had much dexterity anyway, so it worked out well enough.”
The Furry Sergeant laughed.
Sarpedon forced a smile and replied.
“Still, your mouth works fine, so you can work with that. Befitting a sergeant.”
“That may be true, but…”
The Furry Sergeant paused before answering.
“I’m thinking of retiring.”
“What…?”
“I’ve lost my arm, and frankly, I’m afraid now.”
“….”
“It’s not the first time I’ve nearly died, but this time feels different.”
Sarpedon pressed his lips firmly shut.
He knew better than anyone.
That it was a lie.
Sarpedon had watched the Furry Soldier since the days of Violess.
As he said, he’d nearly died more than once or twice.
And now he was afraid?
Not a chance.
Above all, this one had been happier than anyone to become a soldier of Whitewolf Territory.
So why speak such words now?
There was only one reason.
Sarpedon ground his teeth and spoke.
“…It won’t be a burden.”
“I can’t fool you after all, can I?”
The Furry Sergeant sighed softly and continued.
“Yes, that’s right. I don’t want to be a burden to you and the children.”
“….”
“Why should I cause you unnecessary hardship because of one cripple without an arm?”
“….”
“And besides-.”
The Furry Sergeant flailed his severed arm as he spoke.
“Isn’t this how a gambler’s story always ends?”
“…Damn it.”
Sarpedon’s nose wrinkled.
“But my situation is a bit better. Adrian provided me with a very generous retirement fund.”
“….”
“From now on, I could live idle for the rest of my life without lacking anything-.”
The Furry Soldier’s words stopped.
Suddenly clenching his teeth tightly.
His face trembled faintly, as if biting down to hold back tears.
Sarpedon also clenched his teeth hard.
Because if he didn’t, he felt he would cry along with him.
Just as that trembling silence settled over them—
Kuguguguguguung…!
The entire Medical Ward shook violently.
The ceiling and floor trembled simultaneously, as if an earthquake had struck.
“Is, is it an earthquake?!”
“Everyone evacuate immediately!”
The medical orderlies guarding the ward rushed out in panic.
A roar erupted from outside.
Sarpedon instinctively scrambled to his feet.
He evacuated outside the Medical Ward with the Furry Sergeant.
And in that moment.
The sight before my eyes left me speechless.
Massive tree trunks surging upward through the entire Medical Ward.
Not just one or two.
Dozens, hundreds of tendrils burst from the ground, writhing and convulsing.
Tree trunks undulating as if alive.
Well, of course.
Tree trunks were originally alive, after all.
“What in the—?”
Sarpedon’s voice trembled.
Right then.
One tree trunk suddenly extended with a whoosh!
It stretched toward Sarpedon.
And then it twitched?
Twitch? Twitch?
After twitching several times, it wrapped around the Furry Sergeant completely.
“N-nooooo!”
The Furry Sergeant screamed.
Sarpedon desperately grabbed the tree trunk and tried to pry it open.
But it didn’t budge.
He pulled with all his strength—
It didn’t move at all.
“Damn it!”
Sarpedon wrenched the trunk with everything he had.
The Furry Sergeant thrashed desperately, flailing both arms wildly—
‘Wait…?’
What did he just say?
Both arms??
“Brother! Please save me!!”
“Hey! You…?!”
“Brotheeer!”
“What are your arms?!”
“Is this really the time to worry about my arms?!”
“No, you bastard! Look at your damn arms!!”
“What’s wrong with my arms—”
Huh? Uh…?
“I have two?”
…Why are there two now?
There was only one just a moment ago.
Both of their gazes descended simultaneously.
Soon after, the wooden tendril slowly lowered the Furry Sergeant.
And then—a playful gesture.
With that motion, it seized another Vister soldier.
“Uaaaaaaagh!”
“Kyaaaagh!!”
Vister soldiers were caught from all directions.
Twitch? Twitch?
The wooden tendril rummaged through the entire Medical Ward as if searching them out.
In an instant, chaos consumed the ward.
But soon, changes began to occur one by one.
“Huh…? What? I have shoulders now?”
“I have legs…?”
“My voice… it’s back?”
The wooden tendril was perfectly expelling the Immortal Lord’s erosion—something even holy power had struggled to heal.
But that wasn’t all.
Splash!!
An emerald radiance permeated throughout the entire ward.
“I’m overflowing with vitality?”
“My body feels so light…!”
“Wait, I think I’m sensing an aura right now?”
It transcended mere recovery and regeneration—something was being awakened.
A playful gesture.
The wooden tendril caressed the Vister soldiers with mischievous affection.
* * *
The Whitewolf Territory, brimming with life force.
Yggdrasil’s blessing had completely purged the Immortal Lord’s erosion that had seeped into this land.
As a result, all the Vister soldiers could recover without exception.
But three people.
Iliana, Seraphia, and Kai.
These three had yet to regain consciousness.
Having endured attacks in opposition to the Immortal Lord, even Yggdrasil could not restore them instantly.
“But they’re definitely regaining their vitality.”
They would awaken soon enough.
Furthermore, with the natural passage newly opened, the Elves had also fully recovered their strength.
“Though this does present…”
A certain drawback.
Namely, the Elves now flying about outside the window, riding upon wind spirits.
-Let’s go, Sylphid!
-Higher! All the way to the edge of the sky!!
It was absolute chaos.
Utterly chaotic, one might say.
“I wonder what the children of Whitewolf Territory will learn from this.”
I was already feeling dizzy.
But fortunately, it wasn’t something I needed to worry about.
-Come down right now, all of you!!
A clear, crystalline voice echoed from the sky.
It was Rielin, the Forest Keeper.
The Elves’ bodies went rigid in an instant.
The spirits trembled violently as well.
Rielin, as both the Forest Keeper and a Spirit King, commanded the Elves and spirits with perfect authority.
The Spirit Summoner of the Upper Heavens.
Rielin had regained the power of her prime.
“Or perhaps she’s even stronger than before?”
In other words, she had surpassed her past life.
The influence Yggdrasil exerted on Rielin was truly extraordinary.
But it didn’t end there.
Yggdrasil’s influence had an enormous impact on the entire Whitewolf Territory.
It autonomously interacted with the Optimization Monitoring Tool to develop and expand the territory.
It autonomously linked with Territory World Tree Mode to deploy personnel to optimal positions.
“She’s doing better than I ever could.”
In doing so, it had eliminated any work I needed to do.
“This is incredibly convenient.”
Long live Sephiroth, truly.
I leaned back comfortably in my chair.
Just as I was savoring this rare moment of leisure.
Knock, knock.
-Adrian… It’s Adlern…
Adlern’s voice came from outside the door.
But for some reason, it sounded dejected.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Adlern entered the room.
His face looked downcast.
I tilted my head curiously and asked.
“What’s the matter?”
“Uwahhhhhhhhh!”
Then Adlern burst into tears and threw himself into my arms.
For a moment, I barely managed to restrain myself from kicking him away with Dragon Impact [E].
Adlern nestled into my embrace like that.
She rubbed her tear-stained face against my chest without restraint.
‘What’s gotten into her?’
The moment that question crossed my mind.
“Schönne, I believe she’s fallen in love!”
What in the world was this crazy weasel spouting all of a sudden?
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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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