The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 309

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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 309. The Legendary Whitewolf Territory (1)
Something surged upward from beneath the solid bedrock.
Moments later, the dust settled.
Then something massive and colossal pushed its way through—
“A tree trunk…?”
A thick, gnarled tree trunk.
None other than Yggdrasil, the World Tree itself.
“Why is Yggdrasil here? No—how is it here?”
“Its roots shouldn’t have extended this far…”
Yggdrasil had no geographical connection to the Hilly Region.
Of course, according to mythology, Yggdrasil was the tree that upheld the world.
But that was merely myth.
A tale exaggerated far beyond reality.
Yggdrasil’s blessing was powerful, yet it had limits—it could never influence the Hilly Region.
And yet.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! BOOM!
Yggdrasil’s trunk split the bedrock asunder.
The boulders forming the ridgeline tore apart with sharp, crackling sounds.
Geological layers hardened over billions of years cracked like tofu before Yggdrasil, lifted and displaced.
Soon, Yggdrasil began to root itself.
As if declaring this entire land its own domain.
Yggdrasil’s roots pierced through the heart of the Hilly Region and spread outward.
“Th-that’s…!!”
“And it’s not just rooting itself…?”
It read the grain of the stone and expanded the fissures.
It found gaps and wedged itself between the layers.
And it sealed the fractured groundwater layer in an instant.
“Good heavens!!”
“At that depth, so cleanly?!”
The Dwarves stood speechless.
Regardless of their amazement.
Yggdrasil continued to root itself.
The soil settled without subsidence.
The bedrock leveled without distortion.
With this, there was no risk of foundation collapse, and no cracks for water to seep through.
“It’s even optimizing?!”
“And in such an absurd manner?!”
This was insane.
This was truly insane—there was no other way to describe it!
“Uuuaaahhh!”
“Ugh, ugh!!”
All the Dwarves gasped in shock.
Several hours passed like that.
Yggdrasil had completely finished laying the foundation.
Work that would normally take years was completed in merely a few hours.
“….”
“….”
The color drained from the Dwarves’ faces.
In that moment, Yggdrasil’s trunk approached the Dwarves.
And tap.
Tap tap.
It pointed with its trunk at the foundation it had laid.
The gesture seemed to say, “Now build your homes here!!”
Tap! Tappity-tap (Ah! This is my spot!).
Tap tap! (Make sure I can hear the rain well!).
Tappity-tap! (And position it so the sunlight comes through nicely!)
Tap tap!! (You have to build it beautifully!!).
Thus.
All preparations for constructing the new Feractrum were completed in an instant.
* * *
Whitewolf Territory.
A frozen domain located in the Northern Region of The Continent.
A land where bitter cold persisted year-round, utterly unsuitable for human habitation…or so it had been.
“The streets of Whitewolf Territory are filled with truly beautiful Elves, I’m telling you!”
As the Elves established new roots in the Territory, this frozen land began to transform gradually.
Fire spirits melted the frozen rivers.
Wind spirits gently calmed the blizzards.
Water spirits opened clear springs.
Earth spirits prepared the soil for seeds to take root.
Yet the geographic limitations of a remote frontier remained.
Poor accessibility restricted trade routes, and treacherous terrain made development difficult…or so it had been.
“Whitewolf Territory’s civilization is entirely different, I tell you!”
“Now you can see why Dwarf technology is the finest on The Continent!”
As the Dwarves established new roots in the Territory, the paradigm of civilization began to shift.
A transportation system utilizing Ether Carriages was constructed.
Steel framework bridges connected across valleys blanketed in snow and ice.
Automatic snow-melting devices were installed in regions frequently battered by blizzards.
Warming mage-lamps erected throughout the Territory illuminated even the night roads with warmth.
Most notably, the innovation that defined Whitewolf Territory.
It was the water pipe plumbing installed in every home.
Just turn the handle and water flows abundantly!
A system that sweeps away filthy waste, purified by Yggdrasil itself.
“Impossible! How is there not a single trace of stench, no matter the wind?!”
“Walking the streets without stepping in sewage!”
“The women of Whitewolf Territory wear comfortable shoes?!”
Merchants and travelers visiting Whitewolf Territory erupted in admiration, one and all.
Praise poured in from every visitor.
Soon it became rumor, spreading across the entire Continent.
“I mean, can you really believe it’s the same territory?!”
“That much?”
“I’m telling you! We live in completely different worlds! Different worlds!”
That was 60% exaggeration.
30% misunderstanding.
And 10% pure overstatement added on top.
“They say the air in Whitewolf Territory flows with honey?!”
“Even common folk there live 100 times better than most nobles!”
“It’s not a territory—it’s a paradise granted by the heavens to mankind!”
In an instant it became legend, spreading beyond all control.
Whitewolf Territory, once a continental tourist attraction, had now become known as ‘the ideal realm everyone must visit before death.’
“Will we be allowed in today….”
“We won’t be turned away at the entrance like yesterday, will we?”
“If only I could see Prince Adrian’s face once…!”
Whitewolf Territory had become so crowded with people drawn by the rumors that it was now forced to implement entry restrictions.
Thus, the checkpoint of Whitewolf Territory was teeming with crowds from dawn once more.
Merchant Guilds of every kind, royal delegations from across the Continent, representatives of noble houses, adventurers, mages, and more.
An endless procession of countless people stretched on without end.
A hooded man stepped before the checkpoint soldier.
“Halt. Please present your visitor’s permit.”
The man said nothing and felt inside his coat.
Then he produced a metal badge and showed it.
“…That is not a visitor’s permit, sir.”
“Do you know what this is?”
“A metal badge, is it not?”
“Look more carefully.”
“…A Mercenary Guild badge?”
The soldier’s voice subtly dropped in tone.
Mercenary ranks were divided into seven tiers total.
Iron—those who had just received their badge.
Bronze—those who could be called true mercenaries.
Silver—those with over a year of active service.
Gold—the rank where one begins to earn the title of veteran.
Platinum—the tier granted qualification for border disputes.
Emerald—the rank discussed in diplomatic wars between kingdoms.
And Diamond—the strategic-class mercenary capable of altering the tide of war itself.
But the metal badge the man produced was not even Diamond.
There was no gemstone indicating a rank.
Only a unique insignia was etched into it.
“It’s a Master Mercenary Badge.”
Master.
In that instant, all eyes converged upon him.
And someone in the procession immediately recognized the man’s identity.
“That mercenary badge insignia… is that Kallis?”
“Kallis? You mean the Master Mercenary who single-handedly shattered 300 shield soldiers in the Battle of Alnor Gorge?”
Murmurs of astonishment spread rapidly through the crowd.
“Really? Is it truly that Kallis?”
“Why would he come to Whitewolf Territory…?”
All eyes fixed upon him.
The hooded man, Kallis, spoke.
“I’ve come to meet Adrian Whitewolf.”
“…Please wait a moment. I’ll go confirm and return.”
The soldier hurried inside the checkpoint.
And a faint voice could be heard.
-Brother, a Master Mercenary says he’s come to meet Adrian, sir?
-A Master Mercenary?
-Yes, sir. Did Adrian perhaps give any prior notice?
-I’m not sure? I haven’t received any such report.
Shortly after, a superior emerged from within the checkpoint.
Sarpedon, a man whose rough appearance suggested he was at least Master rank, approached with long strides.
“You’re the mercenary who came to meet Adrian, sir?”
“Kallis.”
Sarpedon calmly reviewed the list in his hand.
The list contained the descriptions and names of dozens of individuals.
It was a special roster Adrian had left, instructing that if such people ever arrived, they were to report immediately regardless of whether an appointment had been made.
Rustle.
“You’re not on the special list.”
After Sarpedon had reviewed the list through its final page, he raised his head.
“Do you have a letter of introduction?”
“No.”
“So you’ve simply come unannounced to meet Adrian, sir?”
“And if I have?”
“Go back.”
Sarpedon shook his head firmly.
Then Kallis opened his eyes wide and spoke.
“Did you not hear who I am?”
“I heard you loud and clear—a wandering mercenary without proper credentials.”
“…Ha.”
Kallis let out a short, contemptuous laugh.
“Step aside. I’ve come to meet Adrian Whitewolf.”
“I told you to leave. Before you end up in worse shape.”
“Worse shape?”
Kallis took a step forward.
Crunch!
The air pressure compressed across the snowy ground.
“I’ll say this one last time. I’ve come to meet Adrian Whitewolf, so step aside.”
“….”
“Before you end up in worse shape.”
Boom boom boom boom boom boom—!!
An explosion-like pressure erupted all at once.
A Master’s aura.
Snow swirled up from beneath Kallis’s feet, and the surrounding air screamed.
Then—pop!
A sound like a rubber ball bursting echoed out.
“…?”
“…?”
Everyone’s faces went blank in unison.
What on earth had just—?
“Cough!”
Someone spat blood and tumbled across the ground.
“K-Kallis?!”
It was Kallis.
People screamed.
Sarpedon ignored them all and strode toward the sprawled Kallis.
“This bastard’s lost his mind.”
Kallis, beaten senseless, couldn’t regain his wits.
‘J-just now—.’
He had definitely reacted.
He’d sensed Sarpedon’s movement.
He’d responded to it.
But it hadn’t worked.
…How?
Why on earth?
Kallis felt bewildered by something that made no sense.
And that bewilderment froze his body in place.
Thud!
Kallis’s body lurched.
His breath surged up his throat as his vision swam.
Sarpedon’s massive hand seized Kallis by the collar and hoisted him aloft.
“You need a beating.”
Sarpedon’s fist came crashing down across Kallis’s face.
Kallis desperately summoned his aura to shield himself, but it was useless.
Crack!
Several teeth shattered and flew from his mouth.
Indiscriminate violence.
The onlookers fell silent.
Kallis was being brutalized—by a mere soldier, no less.
But who was Kallis, after all?
A Master Mercenary who had single-handedly broken through three hundred shield-bearers at the Battle of Alnor Gorge.
And yet he was being struck head-on, in one blow, completely defenseless?
By a common soldier?
“This… this can’t be real…”
“A Master Mercenary being beaten like that…”
“Are all the soldiers in Whitewolf Territory like this?”
A territory where even Masters were beaten like dogs.
A territory where Masters were the bare minimum for conscription.
And so the rumors of Whitewolf Territory took flight once more, spreading far and wide.
* * *
A face lumpy as if stung by wasps.
When I returned to Whitewolf Territory from the Capital, a hunk of meat was dragged before me.
“What is this?”
At my question, Sarpedon straightened to attention and answered.
“His name was Kalguksu? Some kind of noodle type, sir…”
“It was Kallis, sir.”
“Ah, right. Kallis.”
At the soldier beside him, Sarpedon nodded as if remembering.
But Kallis?
The name sounded familiar.
Or perhaps it didn’t.
“A Master Mercenary, sir.”
A Master Mercenary?
Hmm.
…I still don’t quite understand it.
It seems he wasn’t particularly famous in my previous life.
Well, anyway.
“But why does he look like that?”
“Ah, he was causing trouble at the Checkpoint—no, he was being rowdy, sir.”
“Rowdy, you say?”
“He showed up without proper documentation, demanding to see Adrian directly, and tried to force his way in. So I had to teach him a lesson.”
“…Teach him a lesson?”
Who?
Kallis, this guy?
So the Master?
“Yes, sir.”
Good heavens.
I was momentarily dumbfounded.
Of course, Sarpedon’s abilities weren’t at that level.
His strength was improving day by day, that much was true.
But enough to teach the Master a lesson?
That was certainly not the case.
Yet there were two major reasons why Sarpedon could manage it against Kallis.
First was the Territory Buff.
Within Whitewolf Territory, soldiers fought while stacked with every conceivable buff.
Enhanced basic physical abilities, of course.
Optimized reflexes, accelerated aura circulation, increased resistance, fatigue suppression, and more.
An ordinary soldier gained the capabilities of an intermediate knight simply from the Territory Buff alone.
With the blessing of Yggdrasil added on top, the effects doubled, granting them the abilities of a superior knight even while standing idle.
‘Yet it should have been difficult to teach the Master a lesson?’
The Master was not simply someone with superior strength.
Combat sense and intuition.
Those were individuals who had pushed such things to their absolute limits.
Therefore, the ultimate reason—and the second reason—why Sarpedon could teach Kallis a lesson.
‘It must be because of the equipment.’
Equipment advantage.
In crude terms, it was all thanks to the gear.
Currently, Sarpedon and the soldiers were equipped with weapons and armor crafted from my biological resources.
Dragon equipment.
Weapons forged from dragon claws wielded power equivalent to aura blades.
Armor reinforced with dragon scales could withstand aura blades themselves.
And dragon equipment, optimized for mana, dramatically enhanced aura circulation and operational capability.
‘…But it shouldn’t be to this degree?’
There had to be limits to such things.
Not enough to knock the Master down.
I activated Predator’s Instinct [S] on the equipment Sarpedon wore.
Then information materialized before my eyes.
◆Dragonscale Aegis
: A breastplate crafted from woven dragon scales. Inscribed with a mana circulation structure that responds to the wearer’s vital signs, automatically amplifying and circulating aura.
● Damage Reduction -95%
● Aura Emission Rate +3,500%
● Aura Amplification Rate +3,200%
● Physical Ability Amplification +700%
◆Dragonclaw Axe
: An axe forged from processed dragon claws. Its extreme hardness surpasses ordinary aura blades, and its mana conductivity overwhelmingly elevates aura conductivity and amplification rates.
● Base Damage +950%
● Aura Conductivity +4,200%
● Aura Amplification Rate +3,600%
● Defense Penetration -70%
‘…Insane.’
The word escaped me unbidden.
Dragon equipment being broken was one thing.
But not to this absolutely absurd degree of performance.
This is definitely…
While I was away visiting the Capital for a brief time.
‘What in the world did they create?’
…The Dwarves must have pulled off something utterly mad.

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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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