The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 282
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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 282. Sparring Match
Chaos had descended upon Whitewolf Territory.
The sky lay shrouded beneath a veil of dust and smoke.
Deafening explosions erupted from all directions, and the earth trembled without cease.
Within the pandemonium of screams and devastation.
“Ah, ahhhhh!”
Silmarien trembled in panic, her body convulsing.
Adlern bolted toward her.
Structures hurtled through the air above their heads.
Beneath their feet, the ground cracked with a sickening screech, and flames erupted from the fissures.
“Silmarien!!”
Yet Adlern pressed forward, reaching her and grasping her hand firmly.
“We must flee, now!!”
Adlern pulled her hand, drawing her away.
Crash, crash, crash, crash, boom!
Mud and dust scraped across Adlern’s cheek like a blade.
Even so, he did not release Silmarien’s hand.
“Lower your waist!!”
Adlern wrapped his arms around her protectively.
“This way!!”
The ground tore open once more, the path splitting anew.
Screams echoed from every direction.
Yet somehow, Silmarien found herself smiling.
“You must never let go of my hand!!”
It was because Adlern’s hand, clasped firmly in hers, radiated such warmth.
* * *
The Training Ground within Whitewolf Territory.
Kai’s fingers toyed with the sword at his waist.
But he did not draw it.
Uncertainty held him back—whether he should unsheathe this blade.
A sparring match with Adrian.
A true test of skill, nothing more.
Not a battle fought to crush an opponent.
And yet, simultaneously.
It was far from a casual exchange.
Among masters, a single moment of carelessness or oversight could prove fatal.
Of course, Kai and Adrian.
Neither would easily fall to death.
But Kai had transcended even such a realm.
He had surpassed the condition of “easily.”
Absolute immortality.
Never to die under any circumstance.
But Adrian is not the same.
He simply dies less easily than before.
One misstep, and death still comes.
In other words, the weight of wounds they inflict upon each other differs.
Kai resurrects himself regardless of the method.
But Adrian?
He might not be able to regenerate a second time.
As Kai’s realm ascends, his attacks become far more lethal than before.
So I deliberated.
In that moment.
Adrian spoke.
“Kai, as you said, this is a sparring match.”
“….”
“It’s not instruction like last time.”
“….”
“So you should go all out as well.”
“Understood.”
Kai drew his sword.
Adrian cracked his neck side to side.
“Since it’s a sparring match, there’s no need to yield the first strike, is there?”
Kai nodded.
In that instant.
Pop!
Adrian’s form vanished.
Whoosh.
A faint sound reached his ears.
But I knew it was not merely sound.
In the same breath, a sharp presence pierced from directly behind.
Kai immediately twisted his upper body.
Clang, clang, crash—!
Three impacts erupted in succession.
The first was evasion.
The second was response.
The third and final—
Screech—!
Was a counterattack.
Adrian’s eyes widened greatly.
But the emotion dwelling within them was not surprise.
As if thinking, “Your instincts are sharp,” Adrian’s gaze held a glimmer of genuine interest.
It was the look of someone reassessing Kai.
In that instant, Adrian’s eyes transformed once more.
They became the eyes of a true duel—one where he would evaluate Kai anew.
Kai’s eyebrows twitched involuntarily.
Instinct screamed a warning.
‘Now it begins in earnest!’
Adrian moved without giving Kai a moment to catch his breath—
Crack!
Something pierced through Kai’s chest.
Blood erupted, and breath caught in his throat.
His vision flooded crimson.
Adrian’s afterimage flickered faintly before him.
Kwaaaaaang—!!
The deafening explosion that followed sent Kai flying backward.
The aura bursting from his heart shattered abruptly.
“Kgh…!”
His vision blurred.
Yet one thing remained crystal clear.
‘The speed is different.’
This was not the Adrian of before.
Adrian had grown several times stronger than Kai had grown.
‘He surpasses me.’
Kai accepted the reality swiftly.
After all, my swordsmanship had developed from the martial principles Adrian once taught me.
My immortality was achieved through the teachings Adrian had imparted.
The very foundation of my strength.
It all originated from Adrian.
Therefore, Adrian understood every movement and sword path I possessed.
Whatever I attempted.
Adrian would anticipate and counter it.
‘Gaining the advantage would be difficult.’
I acknowledged this truth.
Pride? Hesitation?
Such things did not exist within me.
This was not instruction.
It was a true duel in every sense.
A real combat where we tested each other on equal footing.
Before consciousness could scatter, I steadied myself.
Gripping my blade firmly.
I read the space before my eyes.
Adrian clenched his fist tightly and struck through the empty air.
A dull thud echoed.
The space itself was crushed entirely.
A tremendous shockwave erupted—!!
The violent shockwave tore through Kai’s very body.
The crushed flesh knitted itself back together.
But the shattered mind did not.
‘Just now… that was absurd…’
Kai’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Shock was etched across his face.
What kind of impossible power was this—warping space itself?!
It was truly a preposterous force.
But the shock was fleeting.
‘He’s coming!’
My senses screamed.
A sharp crack split the air.
Both of Kai’s arms burst open.
And once more.
An explosion tore through!
A blast fired in a straight line ripped through Kai’s heart.
…There was no time to react.
My ribs were pulverized.
Between the shattered ribs, my lungs tore.
I cut off my thoughts.
Distractions? Hesitation?
This opponent allowed for neither.
“Haah!”
Kai swallowed a breath and swung his blade.
Though my heart was torn and ribs crushed, I did not die.
Yet the pain remained.
The agony of pulverized ribs and torn lungs severed my consciousness for a moment.
But I endured.
I surrendered flesh to claim bone.
Kai suppressed all pain and swung his blade forward.
…There was no way to evade.
Just as expected.
Exactly as predicted.
A sharp metallic screech—!!
I was cut.
…Kai’s sword?
The blade that extended so sharply from Kai failed to cut through Adrian.
Instead, it was Kai’s sword that shattered.
The sensation of metal tearing.
The blade ruptured and split in half, flying apart.
An aura blade that transcended the realm itself… was severed without resistance.
Kai’s eyes widened in shock.
I couldn’t comprehend it.
It made no sense.
Then Adrian’s voice followed.
“I told you, this isn’t instruction.”
Adrian’s fingernails, honed to razor sharpness.
“This time, I’ll be using a single-molecule blade.”
Rip—!
Kai’s throat was torn open.
Blood erupted.
My head flew through the air.
…And then, consciousness severed.
* * *
After that, it was meaningless sparring.
Or rather, it couldn’t even be called sparring.
Adrian’s fingernails rendered any defense futile.
Even with an aura blade wrapped around them?
It was useless.
The aura blade could slice through steel like tofu, but the moment Adrian’s fingertips made contact, it was neutralized.
As the aura blade was neutralized, swordsmanship became useless.
Kai’s combat prowess was ultimately rooted in bladework.
Immortality merely meant not dying.
It was the sword that dealt damage and decided victory.
But that sword had been neutralized.
All that remained was a bare body.
I was truly helpless.
Speed and perception meant nothing.
Instantaneous reaction, muscular strength, endurance.
Every physical attribute was overwhelmingly inferior to Adrian’s.
Adrian had become a monster of an entirely different dimension.
Kai possessed only one advantage.
The fact that I wouldn’t die.
But I didn’t die.
Defense was impossible.
Attack was impossible.
Trapped in a state where even movement was sealed off, I could only die and be resurrected repeatedly.
In other words.
…I had lost.
Defeated once again.
This overwhelming gap could not be called a “sparring match.”
So there was no frustration.
Pride only held meaning when a fight was at least somewhat evenly matched.
But comparison itself was impossible.
Something untouchable.
I felt awe, and yet.
…it was the feeling of facing my limit.
I had surpassed the Master’s realm, but I couldn’t even approach it.
Would further growth here make any difference?
Could I defeat Adrian?
No—could I even advance to a realm beyond this?
I closed my eyes.
Darkness consumed my vision.
The blackness, where I couldn’t see even an inch ahead, seemed to whisper:
-This is the limit permitted to you, and your end.
I did not open my eyes.
Just then.
“Kai, why do you think you learned swordsmanship?”
Adrian’s voice reached me.
As I slowly opened my eyes, Adrian stood with his arms crossed, questioning me.
Not a single wound marred his pristine appearance.
I drew a breath and answered.
“…To wield a sword more skillfully.”
“Then why do you think you learned martial arts like swordsmanship?”
“…To become stronger.”
“Correct. To become stronger. More precisely, to overcome ‘weakness.'”
Adrian unfolded his arms and continued.
“There are two ways to become stronger.”
First, to maximize your strengths.
Second, to minimize your weaknesses.
“Generally speaking, humans are not as strong as Ogres, nor do we possess claws as sharp as beasts, nor skeletons as durable.”
From a biological standpoint, we are the weak of the ecosystem.
A creature burdened with countless flaws.
“That is why humans utilized intelligence as our strength to overcome the weaknesses we possessed.”
We forged weapons to replace the sharp claws of beasts.
By refining mana, I discovered a force called aura.
Through it, I overcame my weakness.
I forged armor and gained skin harder than the toughest leather.
“Martial arts like swordsmanship are no different.”
They were all created to overcome the ‘frailty’ inherent to humanity.
We learn swordsmanship precisely because we are weak.
But what if one were not weak?
“Imagine a dragon wielding a sword.”
Kai pondered quietly.
A dragon unfurling its colossal wings.
Scales harder than anything in the world.
Claws sharper than anything in the world.
And radiating a presence that places all creation beneath its feet, yet merely swinging a blade—a ridiculous sight.
“If a dragon with such overwhelming strength and magical power used human swordsmanship, it would not be swordsmanship at all, but a shackle.”
“….”
“Kai, your relationship with the sword is no different from that.”
“….”
“Your wolf’s swordsmanship is currently a chain binding you.”
“…Do you mean…”
Kai lowered his gaze.
“That I should abandon the sword?”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Adrian shook his head.
“The sword is part of you. Even the immortality you’ve attained now is not complete without it.”
“….”
“The weight of time you’ve endured, the will and effort woven within it—all of it has been alongside the sword.”
“….”
“So you must not deny the sword going forward.”
However.
“You are now too bound by the ‘human way.'”
In that moment.
Kai’s mind blazed with clarity.
“The wolf’s swordsmanship you use now was created when you were still ‘human.'”
In the days when a severed neck meant death.
In the days when losing limbs was unthinkable.
Wolf’s swordsmanship was forged with the premise of necessary defense.
It could only be created with the premise of necessary survival to avoid death.
“In other words, it is ‘the way of fighting as human.’ And that, Kai, no longer suits you.”
“….”
“You must no longer fight like a human. To fight like a human is now poison to you.”
“….”
“That doesn’t mean you should abandon your humanity. It simply means don’t fight like a human.”
“….”
“Therefore, Kai, you must use the sword as your foundation, but create your own unique combat style.”
That was something no one could teach him.
“Because no living being in this world has ever experienced immortality.”
A path no one had ever walked.
No—a path that could never be walked.
And so no one could walk it for him, nor could anyone provide an example.
“Kai, you must forge the path yourself.”
I had to do it alone.
In other words, this was no longer imitation.
Creation.
And the creator does not follow others.
I would only carve out my own path.
Now I had to create a new way not within the framework built by the existing world, but within a world uniquely mine.
“That is the first step toward the next realm.”
Adrian spoke those words—.
No, he imparted that teaching.
“Of course, Kai, you are strong even now. Finding someone stronger than you on The Continent would be nearly impossible at this point.”
But.
“You must have felt it this time. That there is a force targeting Seraphia.”
Kai could not deny it.
The Immortal Queen.
She had certainly tried to abduct Seraphia.
“And that this force is incomprehensibly powerful.”
This too, he could not deny.
The Queen he had faced that day possessed overwhelming strength.
In other words, the enemies that would come from now on were different.
They operated on a different level entirely—beyond the standards that had applied until now.
My current strength was merely the bare minimum qualification.
The bare minimum qualification to face enemies of that caliber.
And the bare minimum qualification to stand beside Seraphia.
But qualification was only ever qualification.
“If you stop, it ends there.”
It did not mean I would have the power to protect Seraphia to the very end.
I clenched my fists.
My fingertips turned white from the force of my grip.
But the more I did, the more my inner hesitation faded away.
My mind grew clearer.
My objective had become crystal clear.
It felt as though I were shedding a tattered husk, awakening a suppressed sensation from somewhere deep within my body.
* * *
My transcended stats.
The immense energy of Rilselenium.
‘Even Kai struggled with it.’
Unfortunately(?), it was a power even Kai found difficult to handle.
For one, Kai couldn’t respond to the monomolecular blade [S] at all.
‘Though it was originally an ability that couldn’t be countered.’
Blake was the strange one.
More precisely, Ahimsa’s Authority.
The Authority of Extremity [M] was absurdly broken.
Anyway.
‘Still, he’s the perfect sparring partner.’
Simply not dying was enough.
Of course, it still wasn’t sufficient.
Truth be told, there was a sense that I’d grown far too strong, but regardless, Kai needed to grow further.
Sparring aside, if I were to face The Empire and its lords next.
‘I shouldn’t use the monomolecular blade in the next sparring session.’
If I’m to cultivate Kai’s growth.
Still, true to being The Continent’s most insane warrior, his gaze was utterly fierce.
Had he already gained some enlightenment?
The amplitude of his aura was remarkably refined.
I let out a hollow laugh and spoke.
“Then let’s end today’s sparring here.”
The Whitewolf Territory was in absolute chaos right now.
I’d lost control of my power and flipped Whitewolf Territory 2 as well.
‘Though I’m gradually growing accustomed to it.’
After a few more sparring sessions with Kai, I’d become completely acclimated.
…Though I had no idea how many more times the Whitewolf Territory would be destroyed by then.
‘Perhaps I should train at the Frozen Peak like Isolde does.’
Now that I thought about it.
‘I wonder how Isolde is faring.’
I’d heard from the envoys who visited the Whitewolf Territory that The Saint was busy preparing for her canonization ceremony.
“Adrian.”
Suddenly, Kai called out to me.
It seemed he had something to ask.
“What?”
“….”
Kai remained silent for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.
“I mentioned it before.”
“Before?”
“About my sister. I told you about her.”
Kai’s sister?
Ah.
What did he say back then?
-My sister was sickly. She was vulnerable to the cold, and she ran fevers frequently. And that day, the snow had piled up to my head height.
-….
-My sister was delirious from fever, barely conscious.
-….
-Adrian came to deliver medicine to my sister, clearing the path with his bare hands.
-….
-Do you remember?
I had a memory of him saying that.
But I couldn’t remember any of it.
I had no memory whatsoever of Kai even having a sister.
So I gave him no answer.
Kai didn’t press further either.
And so it simply.
Faded away.
But now it was different.
The light in Kai’s eyes as he looked at me.
This didn’t seem like something that would simply fade away—.
“Why did you kill my sister?”
“…?”
What the hell is he talking about all of a sudden?
—————
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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honeybee
sister?? wtf bro?