The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 314

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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 314. Ultimate Evolution (2)
What was growing inside my inner thigh.
It was unmistakably the reproductive organ of an aquatic creature.
A fortunate twist (?) was that it belonged to a male.
But true to a species that practiced external fertilization, there was no protruding organ.
Instead, beneath the skin of my inner thigh.
A space lined with delicate mucous membrane had formed.
That wasn’t all.
The center of my abdomen opened slightly, dividing in two like a single-celled organism.
This time, the middle of my back swelled.
Flesh rose up and moved like an independent entity.
Spores were generated inside my mouth.
New shoots sprouted between my fingernails.
Binary fission, budding, sporulation, vegetative reproduction.
Every method of life’s propagation and cellular division occurred simultaneously within my body.
A sensation as if my very existence was being dismantled and reassembled.
My entire body felt alien.
I was crumbling.
I was being remade.
Into what?
I didn’t know.
Everything was me, yet nothing was me.
Even the sensation of being alive felt unfamiliar.
Beyond the collapsing boundaries of my self.
Screeeeeeeeeech─!!
My instinct shrieked to keep me from being lost.
* * *
Screeeeeeeeeech─!!
A wail so agonized it could barely be called a scream anymore.
The thrashing cocoon had now descended into convulsions.
Seraphia’s face had turned deathly pale.
Adrian was dying inside that cocoon.
Dying because he couldn’t withstand the power of evolution.
“B-but! Until now, he was fine!”
Seraphia cried out in protest.
“Brother grew stronger by eating monster hearts all the time!”
He absorbed the abilities of monsters and made them his own.
That’s why even when his arm was severed, it grew back in a flash.
Even eating just oil posed no nutritional problems.
He possessed skin so resilient he could easily block even an Aura Sword.
He had even stripped away the madness dwelling within monsters themselves, creating in the process an unprecedented commodity—monster meat—.
“Recently, he consumed dragon meat without any ill effects!”
The madness of the Dragon, called the supreme being above all creation.
Even that alien power had no effect on Adrian.
“So surely it should be fine now…?”
Seraphia’s eyes gleamed with desperate hope.
She wanted to believe that this time he was merely absorbing the power of a particularly strong monster, and there was no reason Adrian couldn’t handle it.
But Rielin’s response shattered that hope.
“If it were merely a matter of gaining a monster’s power, there would be no problem whatsoever.”
Her faith crumbled in an instant.
“As I said, that isn’t a monster’s power.”
The transformation of life repeated across tens of billions of years.
The methods of adaptation accumulated by each species.
The record of change accumulated across generations.
The totality of evolution that every living being has chosen and walked.
“Life itself.”
Even T-Rex had no choice but to gradually change, adapt, and accumulate power over tens of millions of years.
“And he’s accepting all of it in a single moment right now.”
In a manner nature does not permit.
An evolution that nature itself does not allow.
Adrian was cramming everything into his body.
“Then… is my brother… going to die…?”
Seraphia spoke through trembling tears.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
It seemed as though the slightest touch would cause them to spill over.
Rielin gazed at the cocoon and slowly shook her head.
“Not necessarily.”
“Really…?”
Rielin nodded slightly and spoke.
“What the Forest Elder faces now is the totality of evolution that no living being has ever endured before.”
“….”
“If he can only master that power, he will reach a place no one else has ever attained.”
“You mean…?”
“He must not merely endure—he must overcome.”
Seraphia bit her lip firmly.
She could not fully comprehend the meaning behind Rielin’s words.
But at least there was hope.
Whether Adrian would overcome the power of life and stand at its pinnacle.
Or.
Whether Adrian would be crushed beneath the power of life and perish.
Seraphia clenched both her fists.
“Is there no way we can help? There’s truly nothing we can do?!”
“I’m afraid not… there’s no way to help.”
Rielin shook her head gently.
“What the Forest Elder is contending with inside is a current that nature has spent billions of years creating.”
“….”
“Simply put, he’s fighting against nature itself.”
“….”
“Whoever survives in there will become the ‘new nature’—it’s no exaggeration to say that.”
It was essentially a challenge to the realm of the divine.
Only now could Seraphia begin to grasp, even slightly, the magnitude of power Adrian was bearing.
“Therefore, not only I but Yggdrasil cannot intervene.”
Rielin is The Spirit Summoner who communes with nature itself.
That is, she merely follows nature.
She was never a being who would challenge nature or break its flow.
It wasn’t only Rielin.
Everyone gathered here was the same.
Because they existed within the framework of life, they could neither aid nor comprehend Adrian, who sought to transcend that very framework.
“But the inability to help doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do.”
“What is it?!”
Rielin pointed to the cocoon and answered.
“The Forest Elder is currently clashing head-on with nature from within. He’s enduring, persisting, so as not to lose himself.”
“….”
“Which means he’s extremely vulnerable to external shocks right now.”
Rielin glanced around at those gathered.
Seraphia, Kai, Broombar.
She opened her mouth, meeting their eyes.
“No one—absolutely no one—must touch the cocoon.”
“You mean we mustn’t touch it because….”
“Because any shock cannot be allowed.”
“And if it is?”
It was Kai who asked.
Rielin then opened her mouth heavily.
“If a shock is applied, all the forces maintaining balance within will collapse.”
“Then….”
“It cannot be undone.”
“Does that mean my brother will die?!”
“…Death might be a mercy, in that case.”
Rielin’s answer.
Seraphia held her breath.
I suddenly felt afraid to ask what it meant for death to be preferable.
“That’s why no one—absolutely no one—must be allowed to touch the cocoon.”
Seraphia nodded gravely.
* * *
My skin would occasionally be covered in scales.
My eyes would transform into compound eyes like an insect’s.
My ears would morph into wrinkled membranes like a bat’s.
My mouth would split into three.
My arms would sprout fins.
My tongue would fork like a serpent’s.
‘…Whatever happens, happens.’
It was utterly chaotic.
My body was experiencing the evolution of all life itself—every cell being rewoven and shattered in absolute pandemonium.
It was, with only slight exaggeration, like Mungu’s frantic outbursts.
Therefore.
Under normal circumstances, I should have been unable to maintain my sanity.
With each cell being torn apart in this evolution, my reason should have collapsed and my mind should have fractured long ago.
But it didn’t.
My mind remained intact.
More than intact—it was remarkably clear.
The reason this was possible was, first.
The Successor’s Will [EX].
The infinitely expanded vessel of consciousness was containing this current evolution.
But that wasn’t everything.
The Successor’s Will [EX] is infinite, but its magnitude is aleph-null.
Countably infinite.
In other words, it could not contain infinities beyond countable infinity.
During the Hidden Quest, [Success Rate 0%].
I had already experienced that limitation once before.
And this current evolution could not be fully contained by countable infinity either.
‘In truth, it’s thanks to Gluttony.’
The power of Gluttony [UL].
It was devouring all the forces of life.
Therefore, the evolution occurring within me now was less about containing and more about consuming.
Thus, there was no problem.
No accompanying excruciating pain.
No mental collapse.
There were no threats of that kind whatsoever.
The sudden and rapid evolution was originally the authority of Predation [S+] that I already possessed.
‘Either way, transcending it was the right call.’
If it hadn’t been for that, I’d be done for.
I would have been swallowed whole.
The power of life was that formidable.
No—it was infinite.
Far beyond what the Successor’s will alone could handle.
Which meant Gluttony would take quite some time to fully digest all that life force.
Until then, I could do nothing but remain still like this.
If there was a problem, that was it.
‘By now, the people of Whitewolf Territory must have noticed my condition.’
Not that they could see anything.
My eyes had been torn apart down to the cellular level.
I could sense something wavering outside, though.
But what it was.
And what it was doing.
‘I can’t even grasp it.’
…I simply couldn’t tell.
* * *
A city landscape surrounded by towering mountain ranges and verdant rivers.
A city formed by the gathering of those who cherished learning and the arts.
The cultural city of Orpheum.
Within it stood the Red Barrel Tavern.
As the sunset’s glow gradually tinted the scenery.
Patrons settled into their seats in small groups.
Artists, scholars, mercenaries, adventurers, merchants, and more.
Boisterous laughter and cheerful chatter intertwined, washing away the fatigue of a long day, when—
“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?!?!”
A cry erupted from one corner of the tavern.
The raucous atmosphere fell silent in an instant.
And then.
“Night Ale is completely sold out!! What kind of nonsense is that, like an Ogre doing ballet!!”
“…Huh? What did you just say?”
All eyes turned to the server in a heartbeat.
“My apologies. Today… we’ve run out of Night Ale.”
Silence fell over the entire tavern.
“What, Night Ale is already gone!?”
“That’s like a Lich running a funeral home!!”
“Don’t you know inventory management is the foundation of business!!”
“Are you joking right now!?”
It was on the verge of a riot.
Then the owner rushed out from the kitchen.
“I sincerely apologize! I’m truly sorry, everyone!”
The tavern keeper gasped for breath before finally managing to speak.
“The Predator Merchant Company has recently stopped distributing night beer, so… our current inventory is extremely difficult to secure!!”
Silence fell over the entire tavern once more.
“…What?”
“The Predator Merchant Company stopped distributing night beer?”
“What’s this now, another zombie getting a health checkup??”
This silence did not last long.
One of the merchants gathered in the corner cried out.
“Wait, so that rumor was actually true?”
“A rumor? What rumor are you talking about?”
“I did hear a rumor from Caravana that Whitewolf Territory had entered a complete lockdown.”
“What? The Territory, you say?”
“Yes. They’ve suspended all external activities and aren’t accepting any visitors at all, or so I heard….”
The tavern began to stir rapidly.
“How long is this supposed to last?!”
“I vaguely heard it was indefinite.”
“So that means we can’t drink night beer indefinitely…?”
“That’s impossible!!”
The tavern descended into panic.
“A life without night beer! That’s… unimaginable!!”
“Night beer isn’t even the only problem! The Predator Merchant Company has completely halted operations!!”
The goods coming from Whitewolf Territory were not limited to night beer.
“The equipment from the Dwarves was our adventurers’ lifeline…!”
“And what about the medicinal herbs cultivated by the Elves!”
“Our clothing shop only uses dyed fabrics produced by the Territory!”
“Soap! I can’t live without it now!!”
All of it would be cut off.
“This is nothing short of civilizational collapse, isn’t it?!”
Though exaggeration was mixed in, it was no mere jest.
Whitewolf Territory was positioned at the center of The Continent.
“At this rate, the Adventurers Guild will close temporarily too, won’t it?”
“Especially with Langritd Magic Tower already sealed off…!”
“The entire continental economy is paralyzed, paralyzed!”
Near-panic filled the tavern.
“But why did Whitewolf Territory suddenly enter a complete lockdown?”
Naturally, people began to wonder.
But there was no clear answer.
Eventually, all manner of speculation began to flourish—
“Could it be that they’ve been cursed by a Dragon?”
“Or perhaps the world sealed it away because Whitewolf Territory was becoming too powerful and threatening the balance?”
“I heard that the Dwarves once crafted a divine weapon, but it gained consciousness and led a rebellion.”
“Actually, they say Whitewolf Territory isn’t real at all. It’s supposedly asleep until the dream flips and awakens.”
Thus the rumors grew of their own accord, each retelling inflating them further.
* * *
A chamber coated in viscous secretions.
Before the cocoon containing Adrian, Seraphia clasped her hands together in earnest prayer.
If only Adrian would awaken safely.
One day, two days, three days, four days passed.
Time continued to flow without her even noticing the passage of days.
Seraphia prayed without fail, every single day.
Perhaps her prayers had reached him.
The screams emanating from within the cocoon had diminished considerably.
They hadn’t stopped completely yet.
But the reduction was unmistakable.
“He’s enduring it.”
Those were Rielin’s words.
“Really?! Truly?!”
“Yes. He’s definitely enduring it.”
Seraphia’s heart swelled with emotion.
Within the cocoon before her eyes.
Adrian, who was battling nature itself and prevailing, filled her with such gratitude, such pride, such admiration, such magnificence, such glory, such brilliance—
“He’ll awaken without any problems soon.”
In any case, he was absolutely the best.
Seraphia’s eyes glistened with tears as she released a sigh of relief.
Then, suddenly.
A curiosity flickered through her mind.
“By the way.”
Seraphia immediately asked Rielin.
“When he awakens from the cocoon…”
“Yes?”
“Will my brother… come out naked?”
A moment of silence.
“…Huh? What?”
Rielin’s face flushed with bewilderment.

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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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