The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 5

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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 5. Find the Hero
==[Find the Hero!]==
[Objective] – Locate the Hero.
[Reward] – ???
[Failure Penalty] – The End of the Continent
Semi-transparent text materialized across my entire field of vision.
Thanks to my prior experience accepting Quests, I grasped the meaning immediately.
And though the penalty for failure—the end of the Continent—was staggering, it hardly surprised me.
It was only natural, after all.
“I ran away approximately fifteen years ago….”
In other words, I had traveled back through fifteen years of time.
Which meant that roughly ten years from now, The Emperor would begin his true campaign.
And then one year.
Every kingdom and city on the Continent would be erased from the map.
There was only one being capable of stopping such an Emperor.
Ian alone.
Only Ian could stand against The Emperor.
Without Ian, the Continent had no future.
I had to find Ian at all costs.
This was a Quest that could truly be called a [Main Quest].
“But is that really all?”
Yet the details were frustratingly sparse.
It was as though the Quest posed questions and then turned a blind eye to them.
There were no concrete instructions on what I should do.
No hints as to where I might find Ian.
Not even a clue or lead was provided.
“So Quests only offer direction, nothing more.”
Looking back at the [Tutorial Quest], that seemed to be the case.
The [Tutorial Quest] had only given me the objective to ‘survive’ against Icetroll.
Whether I would survive by ‘fighting’ Icetroll.
Or by ‘fleeing’ from Icetroll.
How to reach the objective was left entirely undecided.
The choice of how to achieve the goal rested solely with me.
And the responsibility for the consequences also fell entirely upon my shoulders.
If that was the case, then my objective was clear.
“I have to find Ian.”
And with Ian, I had to stop The Emperor.
I had to find Ian before The Emperor began his true campaign.
In other words, my deadline was ten years from now.
Quite a considerable span of time.
Yet this reprieve was far from leisurely.
Though I had returned to the past, the Empire still dominated the Continent as its supreme power.
The Emperor remained unmatched even in this distant era.
However, since he had not yet grown strong enough to transcend the Continent itself, he remained in hiding.
By now, The Emperor was likely laying the groundwork for his continental conquest.
In other words, he was scheming in secret somewhere deep within the Imperial Palace.
There was no immediate crisis, yet I could not afford to idle away my time.
I had to find Ian as quickly as possible.
Together with Ian, I needed to cultivate the strength and influence to oppose The Emperor.
The problem was how to find Ian….
“Hmm….”
I gathered my thoughts methodically.
In my current situation, I had been given two choices.
The first was to set out immediately and search for Ian.
If regression was Ian’s ability, then Ian had returned to the past alongside me. According to the Quest, Ian should be somewhere on the Continent.
I would search for Ian across the vast expanse of the Continent and build the strength and influence to stand against The Emperor.
That was my first option.
“But the problem is, I don’t know where Ian is at this point in time.”
The same applied to Ian.
Ian had no way of knowing where I was at this moment.
We had never discussed the details of what happened fifteen years ago.
However, Ian could make an educated guess.
Ian knew that I was the eldest son of the Whitewolf Family.
If he had returned to the past alongside me?
Then Ian would certainly be searching for me as well.
In the past—in my previous life—I had fled the Whitewolf Estate.
But since Ian knew I had returned to the past, he could deduce that I would act differently than before.
Perhaps Ian was even now heading toward the Whitewolf Estate.
What if I set out to find him and our paths crossed in the darkness?
“There would be nothing more frustrating than that.”
Therefore, the second option was to remain at the Whitewolf Estate and wait for Ian to find me.
This was my second choice.
“Though I never imagined I would consider such a thing….”
In truth, I had harbored no intention of returning to my family.
In my reckless youth, I had desired such things.
That was why my rage toward Seraphia, who had taken everything from the family, had been so consuming.
But now, that was no longer the case.
Such matters held no meaning for me anymore.
The emotions of a wastrel heir had faded and vanished after I became a Predator of the Allied Forces, treading through countless battlefields.
Now, my comrades in the Allied Forces were far more precious to me than the people of my family.
Therefore, only rage remains—not toward Seraphia, who stripped the family of everything, but toward The Frost Lord, who slaughtered my comrades in the Allied Forces.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t even manage to kill The Frost Lord.”
Now that I think about it, I failed to kill The Frost Lord—Seraphia.
Seraphia cannot simply be left alive.
Even if I set out immediately to find Ian, I must kill Seraphia before I go.
Sister or not, familial bonds mean nothing.
They hold no meaning for me whatsoever.
It’s merely the elimination of one of the six Lords, called The Emperor’s greatest forces, before they can act.
But when it comes to actually killing her?
Ian’s parting words weigh on me.
“…I’m going to lose my mind for real.”
Ian, what the hell was that bastard thinking, spouting such nonsense?
“Just meet with her.”
I’ll give him a proper piece of my mind.
In any case, I cannot rashly kill Seraphia now.
There must be a reason Ian regrets this more than when he confessed to The Saint and was rejected.
Until I understand that reason, Seraphia’s fate must remain… suspended.
“So it’s decided then.”
My two possible choices have narrowed down to one.
“I’ll return to the family estate.”
If Ian came back to the past with me, he’ll be searching for me as well.
It’s wiser to wait for Ian at the estate rather than move about recklessly.
Besides, I haven’t even decided what to do with Seraphia yet.
“Only until Ian arrives.”
I’ll keep Seraphia alive until that moment.
“Let’s go back.”
With my thoughts settled, I turned my steps around.
But then.
“…Where is the family estate again?”
I’d forgotten the location of the estate.
It’s only been a week since I fled the family, but in reality, it was over fifteen years ago.
I can’t remember the estate’s location, nor can I recall the people there at all.
The only one I remember is my sister and The Frost Lord, Seraphia.
And….
“Ah, now that I think about it, Kai. That madman is alive too.”
Since I’ve returned to the past.
In other words, there’s one more person I absolutely must kill at the estate besides Seraphia.
But then again.
“In my current state, I can’t beat him.”
…I had no confidence in defeating Kai.
Seraphia has not yet awakened as the Frost Lord.
But Kai was different.
The chief knight of the Whitewolf Family.
Even now, he was monstrously strong. Kai was.
“Perhaps I should devour a bit more before heading back.”
In truth, devouring was not an ability I could use recklessly.
The Icetroll’s Regeneration [C+].
As that demonstrated, in most cases, consuming a single heart did not unlock the full extent of an ability.
At minimum, several times.
At maximum, hundreds of times.
I had to repeat the devouring, and each time I was consumed by madness.
Therefore, the me of the past.
In other words, my former self could not absorb many abilities.
But.
“Now I have the Player’s Will.”
I possessed Ian’s ability, ‘Player’s Will [EX]’.
I could use the devouring ability freely without being consumed by madness.
It meant that with sufficient specimens, I could grow infinitely stronger.
And at this point in time, the Emperor has not yet begun his activities.
Countless rare monsters, including Icetrolls, exist in the wild.
And beyond that.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t properly tested the ‘Solo Leveling’ ability.”
Ian’s other ability, Solo Leveling [EX].
I still did not know what that ability was.
“If it’s one of Ian’s abilities like Player’s Will….”
Ian’s absurd strength.
Perhaps the secret lay in Solo Leveling [EX].
* * *
A domain situated in the heart of the endless Snowy Plain.
Behind the domain, snow-covered hills and mountain ranges encircled it as if wearing white caps.
To withstand the brutal frost, the walls were thick and towering, with ice and snow filling the gaps between them.
Small villages clustered around the grand castle at the domain’s center, each composed of snow-laden roofs and low wooden houses.
The landscape of the domain radiated warmth and vitality even amid the bitter winter, as if displaying the fierce will to endure such harsh cold.
“Mm.”
A man within that landscape exhaled a soft breath.
Sharp facial contours and jawline.
Deep, cold blue eyes as keen and piercing as a wolf’s gaze.
Long golden hair, radiant as if cradling sunlight.
A perfectly honed, muscular frame.
Silver armor fitted flawlessly to that body.
The atmosphere was as frigid and emotionless as the biting cold of the Frost Lord’s domain.
His name, which evoked the image of a noble wolf, was Kai—the chief knight of the Whitewolf Family.
Kai examined the corpse of the Icetroll that the soldiers had brought with meticulous attention.
The Icetroll’s body remained remarkably intact.
It was as though it might still be alive, merely lacking the ability to move.
In other words, bringing the Icetroll to death had required no elaborate process.
‘A thrust through the heart, then.’
The Icetroll’s heart was not visible.
Yet judging by the position of the pierced hide, it was clear the blade had penetrated directly through the heart.
‘No defensive wounds.’
That meant the attacker had seized a single opening and driven the blade into the Icetroll’s heart.
But judging by the wound itself—
It was a strike devoid of even aura.
A simple thrust. Nothing more.
For such a feat to be possible required exceptional dynamic vision to read the Icetroll’s movements with absolute precision.
And that was merely the beginning.
The agility to evade the Icetroll’s attacks.
The audacity to close the distance and strike at its core.
The perfect timing and rhythm of the blade’s thrust.
Every single element had to align flawlessly, without the slightest deviation.
Yet such perfection was extraordinarily rare.
Achieving such mastery was difficult even through countless hours of relentless training and discipline.
The very audacity required to close in on an Icetroll was itself a formidable hurdle.
Even veteran mercenaries who had rolled through countless battlefields rarely possessed such nerve.
In other words, this was a thrust that even seasoned mercenaries would not dare attempt.
The strike was that flawless.
A weakened Icetroll was no match for such an opponent.
Even had it been a healthy specimen, the outcome would likely have been much the same.
Could I have stopped such a blow?
Kai mentally reconstructed the image of his opponent, and after running through several exchanges in his mind, he reached his conclusion swiftly.
He would have chosen to evade rather than attempt to block.
The very thought of stopping such a perfect thrust was foolish.
And yet, it remained unbelievable.
“….”
He simply could not accept that the ‘reckless fool of the Whitewolf Estate’ had done this.
Having finished his examination of the corpse, Kai slowly turned his head.
Seraphia—the lady he was sworn to protect with his life.
Kai studied the dark bruises marking her long, pale neck with careful attention.
Though she had attempted to conceal them with a scarf, the dark discoloration against her pristine skin could not be easily hidden.
The force with which she had been seized was immediately apparent.
Kai could discern the unmistakable intent to kill etched into those handprints.
He had meant to murder her.
Thoroughly and completely.
Adrian had attempted to kill Seraphia.
And so Kai had no choice but to ask.
“Why did you spare him, my lady?”
Why had Seraphia allowed Adrian to live?
According to the soldiers, Seraphia had intervened.
The soldiers had reluctantly released Adrian at her command.
Had Kai been present, he would never have permitted such mercy.
Not only would Seraphia never have faced such peril, but Adrian would have perished on that very spot.
Adrian must be eliminated.
It was the only path forward—for Seraphia’s sake, for the Whitewolf Family, and for all the subjects of the earldom.
“Mind your words, Kai.”
Yet Seraphia’s convictions stood in direct opposition to his own.
“My brother is the firstborn heir of the Whitewolf Family, regardless of what anyone says.”
Still calling Adrian her “brother,” Seraphia clung to him as her sole remaining family.
But Kai could not share such sentiment.
“And yet he is also the man who threatened the lord’s very life. As a knight sworn to protect you, I merely fulfill my duty.”
“Then all the more reason to guard your tongue. The lord is not me—it is my brother.”
As expected.
Adrian should have been slain on that spot.
Kai’s resolve hardened further still.
If that wretch returned to the family claiming his rights as firstborn heir….
It was at that very moment.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The castle’s bell tolled from the tower that rose high above, surveying the surrounding lands.
The soldiers along the ramparts moved in perfect unison—something had occurred.
“This is terrible!!”
True to form, a soldier came rushing over, breathless and frantic.
His face bore the marks of urgency.
“Adrian has just returned to the earldom!!”
A cold, piercing killing intent blazed forth from Kai’s deep blue eyes.

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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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