The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 38

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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 38. Monster Legion
Monsters—creatures born from the mutation of wild animals through the factor of madness.
Monsters never form legions.
All monsters belonging to the monster category inherently possess ‘madness’.
They retain their primal ferocity and display it without hesitation.
While some monsters are known to be docile, this merely means they do not recognize others as enemies first or attack them.
The reason is to avoid unnecessary conflict.
In the wild, injury is fatal to survival.
They refrain from attacking purely for survival’s sake, but this does not mean the monster is friendly toward humans.
Not only humans.
They are hostile to other animals as well.
They even display aggression toward other monsters of the same kind.
Therefore, monsters do not form legions.
A legion, by definition, is a group where multiple different individuals are subordinated to a collective consciousness and ruled by a single leader.
A ‘monster swarm’ where the same species bands together can exist.
However, a ‘monster legion’ where different individuals form a massive group does not exist.
Except for one.
The six lords who serve The Emperor.
‘How could the Beast Lord possibly…?’
Except for the monster legion led by the Beast Lord.
This was precisely.
The reason I was not merely surprised, but horrified.
Of course, it could have been a misunderstanding by the soldiers.
They might have reported a swarm of monsters attacking in groups as a legion.
But I could be certain that was not the case.
The Quest notification appearing before my eyes was proof.
==[We are a legion!]==
[Content] – Defend Whitewolf Territory from the monster legion.
[Reward] – Increase in territory resident favorability
[Rejection] – Collapse of Whitewolf Territory.
The Quest explicitly referred to a ‘monster legion’.
And the rejection penalty was severe.
This implied that the current forces of Whitewolf Territory could not withstand it.
Even with Kai and Seraphia present.
This meant the possibility of the Beast Lord’s involvement in this Quest was extremely, extremely high.
The sudden appearance of the Beast Lord.
I had no knowledge that the Beast Lord attacked Whitewolf Territory at this time.
But thinking about it now… there was something strange.
‘Could it be that Gelu Drake descended from the peak for that reason?’
The reason Gelu Drake, who rarely descended from the summit of Snowy Mountain, had come down.
The reason Dermexus, which dwelled in the Snowy Mountain, had been discovered near Whitewolf Territory.
And the reason I had first encountered that starving Icetroll.
Finally, the reason the monster population in the Snowy Mountain had plummeted so drastically.
‘Because of the Beast Lord?’
Only now did those puzzle pieces click into place, one by one.
And if this truly was the work of the Beast Lord….
‘I absolutely cannot win.’
No matter what I did, I could not clear this Quest.
The Lord’s strength exists on ‘another level’ entirely.
The Emperor indiscriminately slaughtered all who were not imperial subjects. As if he despised life itself, he annihilated every living creature across the Continent.
He merely bred those he needed.
He merely slaughtered those he did not.
In that sense, the Imperial Army was also an army being ‘bred’ by the Emperor.
Breeding and slaughter.
Every living thing that faced the Emperor was destined for one of these two fates alone.
The Beast Lords were the six existences whom that madman Emperor had acknowledged—neither bred nor slaughtered, but ‘recognized.’
Moreover, they were beings to whom he granted sovereignty, allowing them to rule over certain regions of the Continent.
Entities incomparable to the legion commanders of the Imperial Army I had dealt with, beings even the heroes of the Allied Forces dared not challenge.
Seraphia was one such Lord.
The Frost Lord who once ruled and governed the Northern Region of the Continent.
But that was no longer the case.
The current Seraphia, returned to the past, was nothing more than a small, weak, and delicate woman.
With my current combat power, I could not defeat her even if I beat her to death.
This would be a dog’s death.
The Beast Lord whom I had not dared to challenge even during my previous life as a member of Predator.
Much less now, when my combat power is but a fraction of a fraction of what it was in those Predator days.
So I had to abandon this sudden Quest.
Right here.
I could not meet a dog’s death.
* * *
Beyond the horizon of the Snowy Plain stretched an overwhelming and chaotic spectacle.
As if a wave of snow were surging forward, endless white billows rushed in, filling my entire field of vision.
Colossal monsters led the way, clearing the accumulated snow to forge a path.
The relatively smaller monsters that followed scattered in all directions, charging forward at a frenzied pace.
The monster legion moved as if it were a single, massive organism.
As countless claws trampled the snowy field and advanced, the earth of the Snowy Plain trembled beneath their weight, resonating with a deep rumble.
Kwuaaaaaaaah-!!
Roars and thunderous sounds erupted from all directions, causing the frigid air itself to vibrate.
Upon the high ramparts of the Castle Wall that protected Whitewolf Territory.
Seraphia, without realizing it, stumbled backward, retreating a step.
“Good heavens!!”
…It was beyond our capacity to handle.
Seraphia could be certain the moment she laid eyes upon them.
Against that legion—every monster from the Snowy Mountain and Snowy Plain gathered as one—Whitewolf Territory could never emerge unscathed.
Seraphia bit down hard on her lower lip.
She closed her eyes with deliberate calm, drew a deep breath, and steeled her resolve again and again within her heart.
When Seraphia’s eyes opened once more.
Her crimson irises had begun to glow with pure white radiance.
Kiiiiing—!
A strange sound erupted as a piercing chill bloomed from Seraphia’s entire body, spreading in tendrils of frost.
It was just as that uncontrolled power began to sprawl outward, consuming everything around it.
“You must not.”
Kai rushed forward like lightning, restraining Seraphia. The spreading tendrils of frost receded, gathering back into her form.
Only after confirming the frost had completely dissipated did Kai speak.
“You cannot use your power.”
“But—!”
“Trust in me and the soldiers.”
With Kai’s words, the soldiers behind him nodded with grave resolve.
From them emanated a determination so profound they would not hesitate to forfeit their very lives.
Yet it was not directed solely toward Seraphia.
The families, friends, and loved ones of those who dwelled in Whitewolf Territory.
The soldiers had steeled themselves to protect them, even at the cost of their own lives.
In the end, Seraphia found herself biting down hard on her lower lip.
“…I understand.”
Only with Seraphia’s answer did Kai turn to face the enemy.
The soldiers likewise gripped their weapons tightly, following Kai’s lead.
The monster legion drew ever closer with each passing moment.
Kweeeeeee—!!
Bestial shrieks and chaotic roars intermingled. The chilling cacophony grew louder, announcing that battle was imminent.
Haa…! Haa…!
The soldiers’ breathing grew ragged.
Though they had resigned themselves to death, overcoming their fear before such a colossal threat demanded immense courage.
Witnessing their resolve, Seraphia made another vow to herself.
Should danger escalate, she would unleash her power without hesitation.
Not because she doubted Kai and the soldiers.
Seraphia’s conviction mirrored theirs.
To protect the people of Whitewolf Territory, I too am prepared to lay down my life.
The monsters drew near in an instant.
Leading the vanguard was Lex, the creature with the swiftest movements on the Snowy Mountain.
Lex charged forward with fangs and claws bared, followed by countless monsters surging forth in a roiling mass.
The monsters shoved against each other’s backs and shoulders, ceaselessly advancing toward the Castle Wall of Whitewolf Territory.
“All units, prepare for battle!!!”
With Kai’s thunderous roar, the soldiers atop the wall gritted their teeth.
“Come on, you bastards!!”
“As long as I draw breath, you’ll never breach this wall!!”
Each of them cried out, struggling to overcome their fear.
Yet they could not entirely shake the terror lurking beneath the surface.
Could we survive this?
Just as that despair began to spread—that was when it happened.
“Move aside.”
A single figure blurred past Seraphia and the soldiers’ eyes, leaping forward.
* * *
To be honest.
I had intended to refuse this sudden Quest.
Leaping down from the Castle Wall—
Crash!
I seized Lex, who was clawing his way up the wall, and drove him straight into the ground.
With claws enhanced by dragon talons, I tore into Lex’s chest and ripped out his heart.
Lex’s hide and flesh.
They tore like paper, offering up his heart to me without resistance.
Splurt—!
Crimson blood sprayed in all directions. The entire world turned scarlet, and the first thing to enter my vision was a gaze that matched that crimson hue.
Seraphia’s crimson eyes.
Those eyes fixed upon me were trembling violently.
Shoving Lex’s heart into my mouth, I surveyed my surroundings—
The monsters’ eyes burned a blazing red. Thick saliva dripped from their maws, their entire bodies glistening with murderous intent and madness.
Yet beneath that surface lay a pervasive terror—fear of me.
The effect of the title 【Master of the Snowy Mountain】.
It filled every monster dwelling on the Snowy Mountain with dread, and those gripped by fear suffered a -15% reduction in all stats.
Grrr, grrrrgh…!
Kiki, kiki-ack—!
Because of this, the monsters hesitated to rush toward me.
To be frank, I harbored no lingering attachment to Whitewolf Territory.
But Whitewolf Territory was necessary until Ian returned.
As a stronghold for the Predator Merchant Company, Whitewolf Territory remained indispensable.
Above all else.
There were so many genetic factors I could consume with Predation [S+].
Without needing to search the Snowy Mountain, they gathered before my eyes of their own accord.
If I consumed all of them, achieving the perfect form of ability evolution would be trivial.
For that reason, I could not abandon this sudden Quest.
And while I rattled off various reasons and justifications, the true cause was this.
“Ha ha….”
The exhilaration and thrill piercing sharply through my mind at this very moment.
I simply could not shake it off.
It was a joy on an entirely different scale from when I faced Gelu Drake.
In my past life, I had waged war against the Beast Lord.
And that war was never a light affair.
It was so fierce that every ounce of the Allied Forces’ strength had to be committed, with everything at stake.
Ian, of course, and all the heroes of the Allied Forces fought the Beast Lord. Commanders from each battalion were all mobilized, and I was there among them.
After a brutal battle where countless lives hung in the balance, the Beast Lord finally fell.
Before Ian’s blade, the Beast Lord ultimately knelt.
And I.
Did not devour the Beast Lord.
Of course, I was not ignorant.
I knew that by devouring the Lord’s heart and absorbing its power, I would become immensely stronger.
So it would be more accurate to say I could not devour it.
-You must not devour the Lord’s heart, Adrian.
Ian had warned me not to devour the Lord’s heart.
-Adrian, your mind won’t endure it.
First, he feared my sanity would collapse entirely.
In my past life, I could not control my madness.
The more I devoured, the more I inevitably fell into frenzy, and even the Saint’s miracles could not heal it.
Only Ian could control me.
By beating the madness out of me until it was gone.
Similarly, if I devoured the Lord’s heart, I would certainly descend into madness.
As a Lord, that madness would undoubtedly surge to unprecedented heights.
And so Ian.
-I cannot handle it.
Feared that he could not handle me in such a state.
Me, vastly stronger from devouring the Lord’s heart.
Me, my mind completely shattered, raging uncontrollably.
-I have no confidence I could suppress you without killing you.
Ian feared he might have to kill me. He was wary that he might not be able to control me.
He was cautious that he might lose all control over me.
-You must not devour the Lord’s heart.
Thus Ian opposed my devouring the Lord’s heart.
And I agreed with Ian’s judgment.
If I cannot control my madness, I become no different from a monster.
That would be equivalent to nurturing another Lord.
Uncontrolled power is nothing short of catastrophe.
In the end, the Beast Lord had never consumed a heart. The same held true for the other Lords.
But not anymore.
I could now control and suppress the madness.
Ian’s ability—Player’s Will [EX].
As long as I possessed this power, I would never be consumed by madness.
There was no fear that the madness dwelling in the Lord’s heart would shatter my mind.
Ian possessed strength far superior to any Lord, and his ability would perfectly suppress the madness embedded in the Lord’s heart.
In other words.
I could now devour the Beast Lord’s heart [S+].
I could now obtain the Lord’s power and strength—something I had never achieved in my past life.
How could this be.
“Hahahahahaha!!”
How could my entire body not tingle with exhilaration?
Of course, this conclusion was only valid under the assumption that I could defeat the Beast Lord.
Naturally, at my current level it was impossible, but the Beast Lord would not be as formidable as before.
Just as Seraphia did not reveal her aspect as the Frost Lord, the Beast Lord would be the same now that we had returned to the past.
At the very least, it would not possess the same strength it had in my previous life.
Then it was worth attempting to some degree.
By utilizing Kai and Seraphia, I could even calculate a fairly high probability of victory.
‘There’s no monster that appears to be the Beast Lord at the moment.’
Only monsters worthy of being called a Legion stretched endlessly before me.
And as the saying goes, there is no match for a crowd.
Even small fry become quite troublesome when gathered together.
But the monsters assembled now were no small fry.
For that reason, it would be unwise to expend my strength when a battle with the Lord might be imminent—
Yet I turned slightly and spoke to Kai, Seraphia, and the soldiers gathered atop the Castle Wall.
“Let no one interfere.”
In fact, this was fortunate.
It was an excellent opportunity to test my still-incomplete techniques alongside the perfected evolution of my ability.
A way of fighting that was not human, that must not be human—my own combat style.
◆Activating combination skill, ‘Metabolic Overdrive [U]’!
An incomparably perfect opportunity to complete that imperfect combat system.

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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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