The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 305

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 305. A Dragon Has Nothing But Yawns to Discard (1)
I suppose I should call it a stroke of luck.
Or perhaps the timing was simply exquisite.
By a stroke of fortunate timing, Mungu’s theatrics mercifully came to an end.
Thanks to him exhausting his dramatics throughout the entirety of my unconsciousness, I was spared the agony of mental deterioration the moment I regained consciousness.
“Sigh…”
A breath of relief escaped me unbidden.
I savored this peace, however briefly.
After indulging in such fleeting tranquility.
“How much time has passed?”
It didn’t seem like much had elapsed.
Perhaps only a few days.
After all, Mungu’s theatrics couldn’t possibly have stretched across months.
…Presumably.
“Thanks to Yggdrasil’s blessing, my recovery seems to have accelerated as well.”
Yggdrasil was that sort of tree—one that promoted the cycle of life, maximized all vital functions, and restored the natural order; roughly speaking.
In other words, because it embodied the power of nature itself, it could facilitate my recovery.
“My physical condition is acceptable.”
But overall, it was far from acceptable.
There was a distinct sense of lassitude.
More precisely, I felt significantly weaker than before.
“…My stats have decreased considerably.”
It was the aftereffect of Dragon Blood Explosive Torrent[L].
Upon skill termination, irreversible physiological damage accumulated, permanently reducing Strength/Stamina/Agility stats by [-12%] respectively.
The higher my stats, the greater the absolute reduction from that -12% decrease.
Strength: -613.
Agility: -532.
Stamina: -769.
In simple level terms, I had lost a staggering -1,914 levels.
“It’s fortunate I possess the Transcendent Factor[EX].”
Even accounting for that, I had suffered a net loss of -382 levels.
An enormous price.
Dragon Blood Explosive Torrent[L] was a high-risk, high-reward skill.
“But I didn’t gain nothing from it.”
In other words, the risk wasn’t the only thing I obtained.
The reward was equally overwhelming in proportion to the risk.
First, there was the clear reward from the Calamity Quest [Wait, you’re saying your mom came too? Nobody mentioned that!].
Namely, a new exclusive skill.
◆Growth Reset Factor[EX]
: Immediately initialize all invested additional stats and recover [100%] of them. Possesses a cooldown of 100 hours.
“Not bad at all?”
It was actually quite excellent.
Though not quite at the level of being broken.
I was simply receiving back exactly what I invested in stats.
But depending on the situation and how I utilized it, it could absolutely become broken.
First of all.
“I can reinvest the stat points I previously allocated to agility back into mana.”
This allowed me to push my mana reserves even higher.
And second.
“I can reinvest the stat points I put into mana into strength, agility, and vitality as well.”
This meant I could flexibly reorganize my stats based on combat situations.
Against mana-using opponents, I could dump everything into mana.
In wide-area suppression battles, I could max out vitality and strength.
When instantaneous evasion and reaction speed mattered most, I could invest everything into agility.
“There’s a 100-hour cooldown, so I need to be careful about it.”
But being able to pull the exact stats I needed exactly when I needed them was an enormous advantage.
“Looking at it this way, it’s completely broken.”
This was truly a Privilege Skill.
And on top of that.
With this setup, the synergy between Privilege Skills couldn’t be ignored.
First, Growth Acceleration Factor [EX].
A skill that amplifies combat experience by 100 times.
Thus, the experience I gained from defeating the Beast Lord, T-Rex, was—.
◆You have acquired 6,053,000,000 combat experience points!!
A staggering 6 billion.
Since I possessed information on every living being and monster across The Continent, the experience was astronomical.
My level rose by a massive +589 levels.
My current level had reached 1,018.
Normally it should have risen further.
“Breaking through level 1,000 seems to have made the required experience exponentially higher.”
That appeared to be the case.
In any case.
There’s also Ability Transcendence Factor [EX].
A skill that grants +5 additional stats per level.
Therefore, the additional stats from +589 levels were—.
【Additional Stats +2,945】
I could now freely distribute this enormous amount of stat points through Growth Reset Factor [EX].
“This is absolutely broken?”
Looking at it this way, it’s completely and utterly broken.
The Privilege Skills alone are broken, but when they synergize together, they become absolutely overpowered.
Thus, my current “Player Information” was as follows.
==「Player Information」==
[Name] = Adrian Whitewolf
[Title] = The Apex Predator of The Surface
[Level] = 1,018
[HP] = 557,700
[MP] = -50,280
[Sanity] = 16,146/ℵ0
[Stats] = Strength:4,501 Agility:3,885 Endurance:5,577 Mana:-502.8(x-1.2)
[Experience] = 1.2%
【Additional Stats +2,945】
…It was truly staggering.
And this was far from the end.
The essence that the Beast Lord, T-Rex, possessed.
◆Primal Essence of Evolution
: A crystallized condensation of genetic information and evolutionary potential from all life forms. It contains the evolutionary data of every living creature currently existing on The Continent.
Within it lay the essence of countless life forms that T-Rex had gathered over tens of millions of years.
If I could devour this with Predation [S+], I could undoubtedly become a being approaching the ultimate life form.
Moreover, by clearing the evolution Quest, “All Paths to Supremacy Lead Through Dragons,” I could achieve complete awakening of my primordial bloodline.
However.
“Hmm.”
Devouring it with Predation [S+] right now was impossible.
It was not a matter of my physical condition.
Rather, it was due to the incompleteness of Predation [S+] itself.
Absorbing the Essence of Evolution meant simultaneously consuming the genetic information of all life forms at once.
But my ability, Predation [S+], could not absorb all information in a single instance.
At minimum, several times.
At maximum, dozens of times.
To obtain a single genetic ability, I had to undergo multiple instances of Predation [S+].
Yet the Essence of Evolution existed only as one.
I could never obtain another.
Without exaggeration, throughout the entire continental history spanning billions of years, there was only one.
“I suppose it’s acceptable if I fail to absorb other genetic factors.”
But there were abilities I absolutely had to absorb.
T-Rex’s Selection Pressure [S+].
Fafnir’s Mutation [S+].
I could not afford to lose either one.
“Yet the probability that I’ll miss one or fail to properly absorb either is substantial.”
Because they share the same rank as Predation [S+].
Sharing the same rank meant.
That meant they could ‘collide’ rather than be absorbed.
“It seems I’ll need to transcend the rank of Predation [S+] before consuming it.”
Through Berserk Evolution [?].
And the Sanity values by rank were as follows.
[A+] = 6,400 or higher
[S-] = 25,600 or higher
[S] = 51,200 or higher
[S+] = 102,400 or higher
From [S-] rank onward, these were merely estimates.
I had never actually used them.
But following this progression, the Sanity value needed to transcend Predation [S+] would be—
“409,600 or higher.”
Yet my current Sanity value was only 16,146.
“Utterly hopeless.”
It truly was hopeless.
Assuming I accumulated 5 Sanity per monster consumed, I would need to devour a staggering 78,690 creatures just to fill the requirement.
“Perhaps I really should imprison Blake once I capture him.”
It was a moment when I found myself oddly nostalgic for the Authority of Oblivion’s snap.
“Marzen does have a lead on Blake’s whereabouts.”
But I couldn’t simply wait indefinitely.
So what could I do?
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
“I’ll need to accumulate steadily from now on.”
Consuming the Essence of Evolution immediately was impossible.
“But at least its vitality won’t drain away.”
It was a blessing that it was the Essence itself and not the heart.
I swallowed my regret and stored the Essence of Evolution back into my inventory.
At that moment, a creaking sound echoed.
A tendril of Yggdrasil extended toward me.
Yggdrasil, which had stood vigil at my side and tended to me in place of the Maids.
Thanks to it, I was able to awaken quickly.
Creak, creaking!
Yggdrasil’s tendril pointed urgently beyond the window.
The gesture carried an unmistakable sense of urgency.
I rose and gazed out the window.
Beyond the window lay the Town Square.
There, another reward awaited—the corpse of the Dragon Fafnir.
Sprawled across the ground with its colossal frame, Fafnir’s corpse was overwhelming.
Upon that corpse, countless Dwarves clung and swarmed.
Hearts, bones, scales, muscles—
It was an attempt to process the Dragon’s corpse and extract it as a resource—
—Damn it all! The ether drill won’t even penetrate!
—How is this even possible?!
—How did Gwesuau manage to bring this down?!
…The attempt itself was proving impossible.
* * *
“Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!”
Seraphia gasped like a girl seeing a Dragon for the first time in her life.
Seriously! Incredibly! Unbelievably! Massive!
So enormous that my eyes couldn’t take it all in!
“It’s ridiculously huge!!”
I couldn’t believe something that enormous could actually fly through the sky.
I couldn’t fathom that it was truly dead.
“Did my brother really bring it down?!”
The fact that Adrian had actually hunted this was incredibly, incredibly impressive.
“I didn’t bring down that Dragon.”
“There was a being far stronger than that Dragon.”
That was the answer from Rielin and Broombar.
Seraphia’s eyes gleamed as she pressed both hands to her chest.
Even that ridiculously powerful Dragon was amazing, but the existence of something even stronger was beyond imagination.
And the fact that Adrian had brought down such a being was truly, truly incredible, so cool, and genuinely, impossibly something to be proud of—!
“Why are you speaking as though I defeated it alone?”
A voice reached her ears in that moment.
She whipped her head around to look—
“Brother!!”
Adrian was walking toward me slowly.
Seraphia’s eyes lit up as she asked.
“You’re awake?!”
“Am I awake?”
“…What? Me?”
Oh, that’s right.
Adrian didn’t know I had awakened and had gone to Feractrum.
“Yes! I’m completely fine!”
“That’s a relief.”
“And you, brother?! Are you alright? No dizziness, no chest tightness, no difficulty breathing, no spinning vision—!”
“I’m fine.”
“Really?!”
“Yes, thanks to Yggdrasil, there are no problems at all.”
“I see.”
Seraphia nodded immediately.
Having experienced it firsthand, Yggdrasil’s care was unparalleled.
Adrian examined Seraphia briefly before speaking to Broombar and Rielin.
“Without you two, I would have died there.”
Broombar and Rielin exchanged silent glances.
A moment passed.
Rielin slowly opened her mouth.
“I didn’t really do anything.”
Broombar shook his head firmly.
“Little leaf, if you hadn’t awakened me then… I would have abandoned everything and locked myself behind the word ‘impossible.'”
And.
“Gwesuau, without you, there would be no Feractrum, and no us.”
The three fell silent.
Seraphia blinked among them.
She didn’t know what it was, but… something tremendous must have happened.
Well, that would explain why that colossal dragon corpse was lying right before their eyes.
In that sense.
It was a bit awkward to suddenly say this, but.
“Um… big brother.”
Seraphia called out to Adrian carefully.
“Could I possibly…”
Seraphia spoke while clasping her hands tightly, gauging Adrian’s reaction.
“Try some dragon meat, just once…?”
* * *
Rielin, Broombar, and I.
All three of our gazes turned toward Seraphia in unison.
“Aha ha…”
Seraphia scratched the back of her head.
Her eyes darted about, gauging our reactions.
Yet her crimson eyes sparkled like rubies.
“Is that not allowed…?”
…She was clearly desperate to taste it.
Indeed, where else would one find an opportunity to eat dragon?
It was the most precious and supreme legendary flesh among monster meat—
“That’s not possible.”
Unfortunately, dragon meat could not be eaten.
First, its value was extraordinarily high.
A dragon is the ultimate pinnacle of biological evolution.
Nothing about it goes to waste.
Its scales are premium armor materials.
Its claws and bones are premium weapon materials.
Flesh and fat were used as alchemical materials.
In other words, eating Dragon meat was no different from boiling soup in diamonds.
Of course, I could taste it once.
“But even tasting is forbidden.”
Second, the Dragon’s biological classification was ‘Monster-class’.
Fafnir’s precise biological classification: Monster-class, Saurischia order, Brachiosaurus family, Dragon.
In other words, a Monster.
A Brachiosaurus transformed by Madness into a Dragon, with Madness factors permeating every fiber of flesh.
Therefore, consuming it would drive one insane.
‘Of course, if I used Predation [S+], it would become safe.’
Fafnir had not been subjected to Predation [S+].
T-Rex had merely extracted the essence using Selection Pressure [S+].
Therefore, Dragon meat.
More precisely, that Fafnir meat was inedible—
‘Wait.’
A thought flashed through my mind in an instant.
I immediately approached Fafnir’s corpse.
Leaving the Dwarves grunting and straining against the body behind me, I activated my Monomolecular Blade [S] and carefully tore away a piece of flesh.
Crack!
Unlike T-Rex’s exoskeleton, it tore away like tissue paper.
“What?!”
“What did you say?!”
The Dwarves leaped to their feet on the spot.
“H-how did you just do that?!”
“Even Ether Drills were completely useless!”
Instead of answering, I took a small bite of the torn flesh.
Crunch, crunch, gulp.
I swallowed the meat after a few chews.
Soon, my stomach rapidly digested it—
◆2,863 Kcal has been accumulated.
A full day’s caloric intake for an adult male.
Extraordinarily high calories.
But it wasn’t just calories that were high.
◆The Madness of Dragon Blood resists the Successor’s Will [EX]!
◆201 Sanity points have been accumulated.
The accumulated Sanity was also remarkably high.
The phrasing is odd, but regardless.
The colossal Fafnir, a hundred meters in length.
If I removed the scales, teeth, claws, bones, and all manner of precious materials, eating only the scraps that remained?
‘I could obtain Sanity points that would transcend Predation [S+]?’
…Truly, it was a dragon with nothing to discard.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————