The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 280

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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 280. Escape (2)
The vanishing of fifty thousand tons of Rune Iron.
According to the original plan, I was meant to cause chaos.
Shake the entire Empire to move The Emperor, and in doing so, make it easier for Kai to slip away.
But the plan changed.
There was no longer a reason for me to act directly.
I could simply use Ian instead of needlessly stirring up trouble.
The situation resolved smoothly.
The Emperor moved.
Marzen was promoted.
And I secured justification to enter the Imperial Palace.
But there was one thing.
‘I didn’t think about Kai.’
…I simply forgot and came anyway.
As a result, Kai was trapped within the Empire.
Since he possessed Perfect Immortality, there was no great cause for concern, but still.
‘I’m uneasy about it.’
Perfect Immortality only grants immortality.
It does not block pain.
Therefore, malicious acts such as imprisoning Kai and torturing him eternally were entirely possible.
Kai couldn’t even go mad now.
In other words, he would experience conscious suffering in infinite repetition.
Of course, this all hinged on the prerequisite that Kai could be ‘subdued.’
‘The Emperor moved personally.’
Because he believed the Rune Iron incident was Ian’s doing.
More precisely, I made him believe that.
Regardless, The Emperor was in motion.
No matter how strong Kai was, he couldn’t stand against The Emperor.
‘It would be difficult for him to escape alone.’
I had to go back.
I had to draw attention to myself, even if it meant taking risks.
I turned around immediately.
At that moment.
A faint presence caught at the edge of my senses.
The aura was shallow.
And it was suppressed.
Yet it could not escape my perception.
‘Kai…?’
Had Kai sensed me as well?
He altered his trajectory and approached directly toward me.
A moment later.
Kai appeared.
No, it wasn’t Kai.
Haofeng Laza.
It was Kai before the disguise had been removed.
“Who are you!!”
Sarpedon cried out.
Sarpedon drew his axe and took a defensive stance.
He seemed to have no idea who Haofeng Laza was.
I raised my hand to stop Sarpedon.
Then I took a step.
Moving forward, I asked Haofeng Laza—or rather, Kai—a question.
“What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here, sir?”
Kai asked me the same thing at the same time.
“How did you come to the Whitewolf Territory?”
“How did you come to the Whitewolf Territory, sir?”
Both Kai’s and my heads tilted simultaneously.
“…??”
“…??”
Our gazes met, nothing but confusion passing between us.
Sarpedon looked at me with bewildered eyes.
“Um… do you know this person?”
As expected, Sarpedon had no idea who Haofeng Laza was.
I straightened my tilted head and spoke.
“That’s Kai.”
“…Huh? Huh??”
Now confusion filled Sarpedon’s eyes as well.
I turned my gaze back to Kai and asked.
“Weren’t you trapped in the Empire?”
“I’m in the process of escaping right now.”
“Alone?”
“I did escape alone, but…”
Kai straightened his tilted head and continued.
“Didn’t you draw their attention, Adrian?”
“…Me?”
“Yes.”
“When did I?”
“About a day ago, in terms of time.”
“A day ago?”
I wasn’t even in The Empire back then?
“You didn’t draw attention to yourself until I managed to escape.”
“…Me??”
“Yes.”
“I’m right here now though?”
“So why are you—?? No, how are you even here?”
My gaze and Kai’s met in silent confusion.
For a moment.
“…???”
“…???”
Both our heads tilted simultaneously.
“Wasn’t it Adrian who caused the disturbance?”
“It wasn’t me.”
“Then who caused it?”
“…I don’t know. How would I?”
A brief silence fell.
It wasn’t just Kai who was at a loss for words.
I was in the same boat.
Honestly, I was even more speechless.
‘Could evading The Empire’s surveillance network have looked like a disturbance?’
That was possible.
I asked Kai.
“How exactly did the disturbance—no, how exactly did The Empire’s surveillance network become dull?”
“Security forces suddenly withdrew en masse.”
“And?”
“I heard there were large-scale explosions reported in several districts.”
“Explosions?”
Then it wasn’t me.
I hadn’t caused any explosions while evading surveillance and pursuit.
In the first place, evading surveillance and pursuit was meant to escape notice, not to draw it.
Which meant someone else was behind it.
‘…Who?’
Who in The Empire could even orchestrate something like that—?
‘Wait.’
In that moment.
A single possibility flickered through my mind.
‘Could it be… Ian?’
* * *
Imperial Central Intelligence Agency.
Elowin sat collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily.
…Kim Fujiwara, slipped through my fingers.
Elowin slowly lifted her head.
Hundreds of monitors positioned at the center were all dark.
The images, coordinates, and surveillance logs that had filled my vision moments ago had vanished without a trace.
Hundreds of agents stood motionless in disbelief.
No one could explain it.
No one could accept it.
Elowin bit her lower lip firmly.
I had lost him for now.
But it wasn’t over.
Kim Fujiwara was somewhere on The Continent.
Even if he had erased his tracks.
His existence hadn’t disappeared.
Or rather, even if his existence did disappear, it didn’t matter.
Runesteel.
The moment Kim Fujiwara obtained it, he would inevitably leave a trace.
And when that moment came.
This time, I would definitely capture him.
So now was the time to devise new strategies rather than dwell on this failure.
Elowin rose to her feet.
She was approaching the terminal to issue new orders when it happened.
Whirrrrrr!
The transmission system activated.
Without warning, one of the central monitors awakened.
The blocked communication channel opened.
One of the agents checked the channel code.
“…It’s the Director’s direct code.”
“What?”
Elowin’s eyes widened.
Aurec Ordan, the Information Bureau Director.
The only person with authority superior to Elowin, the Deputy Director.
But Elowin knew his true affiliation.
Director of the Special Operations Bureau.
The Information Bureau directorship was merely a title to conceal his real position.
He was the Emperor’s closest confidant.
A man granted absolute authority over the Special Operations Bureau.
Therefore, he did not officially exercise operational command.
He had never even intervened in the Information Bureau.
And yet he was moving now.
Elowin quickly approached the monitor.
I checked the code.
After confirming the ‘orders’ contained within it.
“…I’m changing the target.”
Elowin lifted her head.
“Effective immediately, Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound is completely removed from consideration—.”
Elowin’s eyes gleamed with sharp intensity.
Without hesitation or lingering attachment, the command fell from Elowin’s lips.
“Concentrate all efforts on tracking Invictus.”
* * *
After hearing the detailed account from Kai.
The series of disturbances that had occurred throughout The Empire.
The methods of disrupting the intelligence network and so forth.
Everything bore striking similarities to the incidents Marzen had been investigating.
‘It seems like it has to be Ian.’
It seemed Ian was the one who drew attention to allow Kai to escape The Empire.
In other words.
It meant Ian had known.
That Kai was trapped within The Empire.
If that were the case, it meant Ian knew everything.
That I am Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound.
That I am the culprit behind the Runic Iron Lump incident.
That he had known from the beginning everything I had done within The Empire.
There was no other explanation.
The fact that he caused a disturbance precisely timed with when Kai was trapped.
‘He moved in my place.’
Drawing The Emperor’s attention.
Helping Kai escape.
While simultaneously severing The Empire’s pursuit of me.
In essence, Ian had shouldered both The Emperor’s focus and The Empire’s attention directed at me.
He deliberately made himself a target so I could move freely.
‘So he deliberately didn’t approach me either.’
The moment I became entangled with him.
That target would shift to me.
‘He could have at least left a letter.’
Perhaps even that would have been dangerous.
If he had carelessly left a letter, it could become a clue for pursuit.
Variables had to be minimized.
‘It’s somewhat disappointing that I couldn’t meet Ian.’
Still, it wasn’t without results.
No—I had managed to achieve the greatest possible outcome.
‘Ian is alive.’
A powerful achievement called ‘certainty’.
This certainty alone was an enormous accomplishment.
I had confirmed that I had reason and motivation to continue moving forward.
Ian trusts me.
He draws the attention of The Emperor and The Empire upon himself, making my activities easier.
Then it was my turn.
To answer that trust.
‘Let’s see….’
I calmly organized the tasks I needed to accomplish.
As expected.
The most urgent task was undoubtedly the Rune Steel—
“If you have time, would it be alright to ask now?”
Kai’s voice reached me at that moment.
I tilted my head and asked.
“…Ask?”
“A sparring match.”
“Ah.”
I had promised to spar with him plenty once we returned to Whitewolf Territory.
And sparring with Kai was just as important as working on the Rune Steel.
My power that I cannot control.
To make this strength truly mine, I needed practical combat experience.
Therefore, Kai—with whom I had no need to worry about killing—was the perfect opponent to gain that experience.
Of course, the immediate priority was the Rune Steel.
‘I just need to give instructions.’
The Dwarves and craftsmen handled the Rune Steel refinement.
Rielin and Arcanoheart were responsible for mining the Rune Steel.
My task was simple.
Go to the site and instruct them to ‘focus on mining and refining Rune Steel over other work.’
‘Would Yggdrasil handle this too if I asked?’
The thought crossed my mind, but regardless.
“Go ahead then.”
“…Really?”
“I’ll just meet with Rielin first, so warm up your body in the meantime.”
“Understood.”
“Loosen up your transformation too.”
“Understood.”
Kai bowed his head.
At the same moment, crack!
His skin split and bones twisted, transforming from Haofeng Laza back into Kai’s face.
Sarpedon flinched and staggered backward.
“U-ugh?!”
Sarpedon couldn’t find his words.
Kai simply turned his head and spoke.
“Then I’ll go ahead and wait for you.”
With that, he naturally turned and began walking away.
Sarpedon stood frozen, his face rigid and blank.
Meanwhile, Kai’s departing footsteps were—how should I put it.
…distinctly eager.
* * *
Whitewolf Territory 2, situated in the Frozen Lands.
This place, where approximately 1.6 billion tons of runesteel ore deposits lay buried, had now become the home of the Elves.
Thus, there were discussions about changing its name to “Sylvandir Forest,” but it was still being administered under the official designation of Whitewolf Territory 2.
I had wanted to change it while thinking about it, but….
‘I can’t change it now.’
Without Seraphia’s approval, I couldn’t arbitrarily alter the administrative designation.
In any case.
For additional runesteel transactions, I needed 150,000 tons of runesteel ingots.
And the purity of the buried runesteel ore was 18.1%.
Therefore, to obtain 150,000 tons of runesteel ingots….
‘I would need approximately 830,000 tons of runesteel ore.’
If I mined it myself, well.
It was an amount I couldn’t extract even in a lifetime.
“Understood.”
But Rielin nodded without hesitation.
“I’ve already confirmed the flow of the earth. The depth is considerable, but if I adjust the underground currents slightly, we should be able to extract 40,000 tons per day without difficulty.”
40,000 tons per day.
We would need only 21 days to reach the required 830,000 tons.
What would take me a lifetime to mine would be completed for Rielin in less than a month.
Of course, this was only possible because Rielin possessed Arcanoheart.
‘…Remarkable.’
Even so, it was extraordinary.
Truly, the Spirit Summoner of the Upper Heavens.
Especially now that she resonated with Yggdrasil, she had transcended the mere summoning of spirits.
‘And yet Kai finds even Rielin weak.’
Just how much stronger had he become?
It seemed he hadn’t crushed Barelto for nothing.
In any case.
“Then I’m counting on you.”
“Sure. Don’t worry.”
Rielin raised her hand.
An emerald-hued aura spread outward, and something surged up from beneath her feet.
A Gnome.
A spirit of the earth.
And spirits are manifestations of nature itself.
Therefore, they take forms befitting their corresponding natural phenomena.
Fire spirits assume the shapes of fierce beasts—tigers, lions.
Water spirits take gentle, fluid forms—otters, turtles.
Wind spirits embody swift, graceful shapes—eagles, hawks.
In other words, a spirit’s form becomes the image most similar to its natural attribute.
In that sense, the Gnome that Rielin had manifested—
Thick arms and earth-toned skin.
A small, compact frame.
Yet this Gnome’s solid, weighty form—
“It resembles Broombar.”
It bore Broombar’s likeness.
In other words—
The image of ‘earth’ that Rielin had unconsciously conjured was none other than Broombar himself.
“No, no, that’s not it!!”
Rielin cried out in flustered alarm.
Her hands flailed about wildly.
The emerald aura scattered in all directions.
“This is just—! It’s a Dwarf! Absolutely not that uncouth, short-statured oaf—!”
Rielin bit her lip firmly and turned her head away sharply.
Yet her pointed ears—
Were flushed far redder than a rowan berry.
‘Honestly.’
Rielin was embarrassed at the strangest moments.
‘At any rate, there’s no need to worry about Runesteel mining.’
I turned my head.
In that instant—
I caught sight of someone watching us from a distance.
Hair the color of nature itself, verdant green.
Eyes of quiet teal, free from malice.
It was Silmarien.
“Oh! The Forest Keeper and the Forest Elder!”
With a bright, cheerful voice, Silmarien came bounding over.
“What were you two doing here?”
Silmarien asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Her face was alight with anticipation, like a child eager to join in play.
But soon, noticing Rielin’s ears, which had turned even redder than the rowan berries.
“Were you two exchanging names?”
“Ah, no, it’s not like that!!”
Rielin shrieked and whipped her head around.
“Then were you sharing leaves?”
“I told you it’s not like that!!”
Rielin cried out.
Yet her ears had flushed even deeper than the crimson seeds, surpassing the rowan berries.
“Ah! You were exchanging heart seeds!”
“W-what are you talking about!!!”
Finally, Rielin’s face burned with embarrassment.
She wrapped both hands around her cheeks and bowed her head deeply.
Then she glanced at me furtively.
“…O-don’t misunderstand. Silmarien is just saying whatever she wants.”
Rielin hastily averted her gaze.
Yet her ears still retained that crimson seed hue.
‘What even is that?’
Exchanging names? Sharing leaves?
Exchanging heart seeds?
How could I clear up any misunderstanding if I didn’t even know what these things meant?
‘…Anyway.’
The Elves’ expressions were utterly beyond my comprehension.
‘Well, they’ve lived in isolation for so long, after all.’
It was only natural that their language and culture had developed differently.
In any case.
Silmarien was laughing merrily, her eyes darting between me and Rielin.
At that sight, a sudden curiosity.
Crossed my mind.
‘Did Adlern confess?’
I casually asked Silmarien.
“Silmarien.”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to know where Adlern is?”
At that, Silmarien’s face and expression, which had been laughing brightly, suddenly froze.

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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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