The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 28

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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 28. Variable (1)
If he possessed the ability to regress.
There would be no reason for Ian to call this our “last” meeting.
After all, he could simply regress and meet me again.
“What if Ian didn’t even know he had the regression ability?”
That would make sense.
If he were unaware of his own regression ability, then calling this our last meeting would be entirely understandable.
“…No, that’s not it.”
But the likelihood of that was extremely low.
So low, in fact, that I could confidently say it was impossible.
The semi-transparent text floating before my eyes proved it.
==「Possessed Skills」==
◆Solo Leveling [EX]
: The player can accumulate experience to increase their level. Each level gain grants 1 stat point.
◆Player’s Will [EX]
: The player gains immunity to all effects exceeding their mental fortitude (curses, illusions, brainwashing, hypnosis, suggestions, etc.).
◆Predation [S+]
: By consuming the heart of a living creature, absorb its abilities and convert them into skills. However, mental fortitude is consumed.
◆Regeneration [B-]
◆Toughened Skin [D]
◆Nutrient Synthesis [C+]
◆Promote Metabolism [E+]
◆Dragon’s Claw [A]
This displayed all the abilities the [Player] possessed in clear detail.
And these were not my abilities.
They were Ian’s abilities.
In other words, just as this system explained my abilities, it would have explained all of Ian’s abilities to him as well.
Which means Ian could not have been unaware that he possessed the regression ability.
It would be more accurate to say he couldn’t possibly not know.
Then why did Ian call this our “last” meeting….
“Was Ian trying to transfer his regression ability to me?”
I arrived at this conclusion.
After all, Ian knew about my Predation [S+] ability.
He understood the mechanism of Predation [S+] well.
I only truly grasped my Predation [S+] ability after meeting Ian.
In a sense, Ian understood Predation [S+] better than I did.
Therefore, it wasn’t just the regression ability.
Ian was trying to transfer all of his abilities to me.
Why he would think such a thing, I’m not entirely sure.
But if that truly was Ian’s intention, then I have successfully inherited Solo Leveling [EX] and Player’s Will [EX] as he intended.
But then.
A variable emerged.
“I couldn’t obtain the regression ability.”
This was because Predation [S+] wasn’t a complete ability.
I couldn’t acquire all of a creature’s abilities from a single use of Predation [S+].
The fact that I could only obtain Dragon’s Claw [A] from Gelu Drake proved this.
Therefore, Ian, who had returned to the past.
The moment Ian opened his eyes, he could only think one thing.
-The regression ability wasn’t transferred to Adrian.
Because the regression ability still remained with me.
The very fact that I had returned to the past meant that the regression ability hadn’t been transferred to Adrian.
Ian thought again.
-I need to find Adrian.
But in my previous life, I fled from House Whitewolf.
Ian, believing the regression ability hadn’t been transferred to me.
Ian naturally assumed I would act exactly as I had in my previous life, and never considered that I might remain in House Whitewolf.
“That’s why….”
Even now, more than a month later, Ian hasn’t revealed himself.
Because he thought I wouldn’t remain in House Whitewolf.
If that’s the case.
“I need to find Ian.”
I have to search for Ian myself.
One thing was certain—Ian had returned to the past.
Therefore, I should leave House Whitewolf immediately, but….
“That would be too hasty.”
Now that it’s confirmed Ian possesses memories from the past.
Ian’s location has become even more unknowable.
Just as I’m acting differently from before, Ian is also acting differently.
At this point, I have no way of knowing where Ian is anyway.
So all I can do if I leave the family is search for Ian aimlessly.
Without any plan, rushing out recklessly isn’t wise. Especially not when I haven’t decided what to do about The Frost Lord and Seraphia.
Whenever I leave, I must kill Seraphia without fail.
Because I don’t know when, where, or how Seraphia will fall into corruption.
Therefore, leaving the family now isn’t the right choice.
Then.
“I need to let him know I’ve returned to the past.”
Informing Ian of this fact would be best.
That way, I can make Ian come to House Whitewolf to find me.
“The problem is how to inform Ian….”
I don’t know where Ian is at this point.
Most importantly, if my prediction is correct, Ian believes I’ve abandoned Whitewolf Territory just as I did in my previous life.
Ian must be wandering across The Continent searching for me even now.
But there was a way around this.
Instead of waiting passively, I could establish an organization to gather information about Ian and locate him.
“I need to establish a Merchant Guild.”
A Merchant Guild was perfectly suited for this purpose.
As commander of the Special Operations Unit, I had conducted not only special operations missions but also intelligence gathering, analysis, and distribution—the full spectrum of information warfare and espionage operations.
“No organization is more attuned to information than a Merchant Guild.”
Through the Merchant Guild, I could access The Continent’s information faster than anyone, allowing me to monitor The Emperor and The Empire’s movements swiftly.
But that wasn’t all.
I could secure funds in advance for establishing the Allied Forces.
By finding Ian, monitoring The Emperor and The Empire’s activities, and securing the necessary capital for the Allied Forces—all simultaneously through a single venture.
The benefits from establishing a Merchant Guild were staggering.
However, a Merchant Guild couldn’t be established through words alone.
“I’ll need some startup capital.”
I moved immediately toward my destination.
And at that very moment.
◆A Territory Quest has arrived.
A semi-transparent message suddenly materialized before my eyes.
==[Though the beginning be humble, the end shall be glorious!]==
[Objective] – Establish a Merchant Guild and successfully complete your first trade expedition.
[Reward] – Unlock 「Management Mode」.
[Failure] – Expulsion from Whitewolf Territory.
“A Territory Quest?”
…What is this now?
* * *
“Territory funds…, my lord?”
Bernard, the chief steward, momentarily doubted his own ears.
Adrian had suddenly appeared asking for territory funds—an unexpected request indeed.
“Yes. I believe ten thousand gold should suffice.”
Bernard couldn’t fathom how to respond to Adrian’s demand for ten thousand gold.
Ten thousand gold was an enormous sum.
In Whitewolf Territory, a family of four spent roughly two hundred gold per month, after all.
“That is impossible, my lord.”
No matter the circumstances, he could not permit this.
Winter was approaching soon.
Ten thousand gold was as precious as the lives of the territory’s inhabitants—money that could never be squandered or misused.
“What if I command it as the young lord?”
“Even so, it remains impossible, my lord.”
Of course, according to royal law, territorial inheritance fundamentally passes to the firstborn heir.
If there were special circumstances like a will, one had to file for adjustment with the Royal Court.
Only after the Royal Court determined whether the will had been tampered with and verified its authenticity could it be officially recognized, and only then would it take effect.
Until then, the firstborn of the House would maintain the position of minor lord.
However, Bernard was the chief steward of House Whitewolf.
He held a critical position—managing finances, overseeing territorial administration, serving as regent in the lord’s absence, and more.
“As regent, I shall disregard the minor lord’s authority.”
No matter how much Adrian clung to his position as minor lord, Bernard possessed the authority to override it.
* * *
Bernard’s resolve was unwavering.
‘I expected this, but….’
The image of the House’s wastrel hadn’t completely faded yet.
An image cultivated over a decade couldn’t possibly change in a mere month.
Still, Bernard proved far more stubborn than I’d anticipated.
Honestly, I wanted to dismiss him entirely.
Part of me wanted to seize the funds by force if necessary.
Regardless of the territorial Quest that suddenly came to mind, I absolutely needed to establish the Merchant Guild to find Ian.
But I couldn’t resort to force.
If I used force here?
First, that damned Kai wouldn’t stand idle.
And it wasn’t merely Kai’s problem.
The greatest reason was that the Royal Court wouldn’t overlook it either.
The chief steward was second only to the lord in authority.
In a crisis like now, with my father gone, the chief steward held greater authority than I did as minor lord.
Because of this critical position, most chief stewards came from the ‘nobility.’
More precisely, they were typically younger sons of noble houses who’d been passed over for inheritance by their firstborn brothers.
Staying with their families would yield them nothing.
The territories would inevitably pass to the firstborn, and they were merely obstacles threatening the heir’s rights.
So when the time came, younger sons left their families of their own accord.
Those with talent served as knights under the Royal Court and rose in status.
Those without chose to work as chief stewards in other noble houses.
Being noble, even if their bodies were frail, they possessed education.
And if hired by a major lord—especially one of baronial rank or higher—they could even receive a title. For younger sons of nobility, becoming a chief steward was their path to advancement.
Better to serve under a major lord than languish in obscurity.
This saying didn’t emerge without reason.
In that sense, Bernard could be called unlucky.
Despite decades of loyal service to House Whitewolf, he hadn’t even received a baron’s title from my father.
Yet seeing him cling to the House despite everything suggested he was less unlucky than foolish.
In any case, if I intimidated Bernard—the chief steward and current regent—the Royal Court would brand me a ‘traitor’ and issue a death warrant.
Honestly, a death warrant wasn’t a major concern….
‘But it would complicate establishing the Merchant Guild.’
The stigma of being a traitor’s Merchant Guild became a considerable problem.
Above all.
‘I cannot afford to incur the Royal Court’s displeasure.’
There was someone in the Royal Court who absolutely had to be recruited into the Allied Forces.
Leon.
He who would later be called the ‘Lion of the Allied Forces.’
The field commander who stood as my equal—I who had been called the Predator of the Allied Forces.
Though he was never called a hero of the Allied Forces, Leon was someone who absolutely had to be recruited, just as much as the heroes themselves.
Therefore, I needed to ‘persuade’ Bernard, not coerce him.
And Bernard was, in a certain sense, like Kai.
Meaning he was someone whose mind was completely made up.
But unlike Kai, Bernard remained in House Whitewolf not because of ‘loyalty,’ but because he valued ‘principles and propriety.’
In other words, if I invoked justification based on those principles—
“I believe the inheritance of the lord’s private assets falls outside the purview of the chief steward’s authority.”
I could actually command Bernard as though he were my own limbs.
As far as I knew, Father’s private assets were quite substantial. And he had left all of those inheritances to Seraphia.
It was no accident that I had left the House in my previous life.
Father had left me not a single coin.
But since these were ultimately the lord’s ‘private assets,’ it was not Bernard’s place to intervene.
Between Seraphia and me.
It was a dispute that had to be resolved between us.
And already, that dispute had been resolved.
“Seraphia has entrusted all of Father’s private assets to me.”
I withdrew a neat sheet of paper from my breast and handed it to Bernard. He accepted it carefully, and then—
“This… this is…!!”
Not long after, Bernard’s eyes widened in shock.
And for good reason—it was the written oath that Seraphia had given me just moments ago.
Within it were written not only her renunciation of the positions of family head and lord, but also her complete waiver of all inheritance rights.
‘I’m glad I kept this instead of discarding it.’
Even though I had no intention of becoming family head or lord, the reason I had set this document aside was precisely for this moment.
“Is it… truly the case that Lady Seraphia has renounced all her inheritance rights…?”
“Is it not written in the oath?”
Bernard had no response.
If he had eyes, he could not have failed to understand what was written in the document.
Needless to say, I had not forged it.
The contents written in the oath were in Seraphia’s own hand, and the seal affixed at the end was also stamped by Seraphia herself.
“As the firstborn’s rightful claim, I shall take all of Father’s private assets.”
Naturally.
….
Bernard could not refute my words, nor could he have.

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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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