The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 53

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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 53. The Triangle of Weaknesses
Derivative Skill.
A skill that branches off from a parent skill—derived, in other words.
In that sense, a Derivative Skill could be understood as a skill that has been transformed and expanded from its parent skill.
◆Find Weakness[U]
: When this skill is activated, it awakens the Predator’s Instinct[S], allowing the player to catch even the slightest changes in the surrounding environment and the enemy. The player can perceive the enemy’s body temperature fluctuations, heart rate, attack patterns, and even their psychological state.
Through this, the player can [detect] the [weaknesses] of the target, gaining [a priori] knowledge of unprotected areas, vulnerable points in their armor, and openings created by variables such as exhaustion and fatigue.
【This skill is a Derivative Skill branching from Predator’s Instinct[S].】
‘So that’s what a Derivative Skill is.’
True to its meaning of “derived”—branching off from a parent—it was a skill that had split away from Predator’s Instinct[S].
I must have naturally awakened it through constantly using Predator’s Instinct[S] while monitoring Seraphia’s condition.
The rank classification was [U], which stood for Unique.
In other words, it was an ability that only I possessed.
‘Did my experiences and memories from my time with the Allied Forces get added into this as well?’
That seemed to be the case.
So even though I’d obtained this ability from the Lycanthrope, it appeared to have evolved into something uniquely my own.
In any case, it was an incredibly useful skill.
Being able to instantly identify an enemy’s weaknesses could honestly be called “broken.”
When I used it on Seraphia, the vulnerable areas lit up in red, immediately visible to my eyes.
The solar plexus where the heart was located.
The head where the brain resided.
All the blood vessels throughout her body where the carotid artery ran.
These were weaknesses that any human would naturally possess, which in turn proved that Seraphia was currently human, not the Frost Lord.
But there was one thing.
‘Why am I…?’
For some reason, my body was also glowing red.
Like a leaf dyed in autumn colors, my entire body was shining a brilliant crimson.
It was at that very moment.
Knock, knock.
The sound of knocking came from outside the door.
-I’m coming in.
A man entered the room with a light knock.
* * *
A man who had entered without my permission, barging in regardless.
There was only one person in Whitewolf Territory audacious enough to pull off something like this.
I turned my head, about to say something.
“What the…?”
And my expression froze.
“Is something the matter?”
Kai, now asking in return.
Kai stood before me without a single wound, his appearance immaculate.
‘How is he completely unscathed?’
The injuries Kai had sustained from the Lycanthrope at the time had been ‘fatal’.
Of course, five days had passed since then, but even so.
Even with immortality, he would need time to recover his aura.
I had estimated it would take at least two weeks.
Yet he was perfectly fine after just five days….
“Could it be that his realm has advanced?”
“How could you tell just by looking at me?”
Kai’s eyes widened in surprise as he asked back.
Though I was the one who should have been shocked.
It seemed he had gained some enlightenment from his battle with the Lycanthrope.
You could tell just from the fact that he had perfected the wolf’s swordsmanship at the time….
‘Was it really that easy?’
Even accounting for that, his growth was unreasonable.
I stared at Kai intently, bewildered.
◆Activating derived skill, ‘Find Weakness[U]’!
As the text appeared before my eyes, Kai’s weaknesses—
‘…don’t exist?’
He had no weaknesses.
No matter how carefully I examined him, I could not detect any weaknesses in Kai.
‘How is that possible?’
This… made no sense.
As long as something lived, it was impossible to have no weaknesses.
No living being in this world exists without a weakness.
Dragons had them, and Ian had them.
Even I would die if my ‘head’ or ‘heart’ were destroyed.
My Regeneration[B+] ability could not recover from fatal wounds beyond its limits.
I would die if my nutrients were depleted.
The Ultimate Lifeform.
Only such a being as Ian described would exist without weaknesses.
And at that point, it would be more fitting to call it not a life, but a God.
Even if his realm had advanced—
‘Wait, could it be?’
I activated Predator’s Instinct[S] with a sense of dread.
Then, just as with Seraphia, information about Kai appeared clearly before me.
==【Character Information】==
Name: Kai
Classification: Animalia, Mammalia, Hominidae, Human
Gender: Male
Age: 20 years old
Traits: Adoptive Muscle Memory [A-], Immortal Link [E],
As expected, there was distinctive information to be found.
First and foremost, Adoptive Muscle Memory [A-].
◆Adoptive Muscle Memory [A-]
: Upon acquiring this skill, muscle cells are granted [Learning Memory Ability]. Through this, previously experienced physical activities and training are intuitively recalled, and relearning efficiency increases by [+1,205%].
The neural connections between brain and nerves, as well as interactions between muscles, are amplified by [+2,290%], allowing the body to be used more efficiently with less energy.
The learning ability for executing movements can be pushed to biological limits, but muscle fatigue accumulation increases by [+6,550%], and the risk of injury to joints and ligaments increases by [+1,430%].
【This skill is permanently applied upon acquisition as a passive skill.】
…It was a broken ability.
Considering it was one rank below Dragon’s Claw [A], the dragon’s innate genetic ability, it could be said to be slightly inferior to the dragon’s capabilities and talent.
Kai’s genius-level swordsmanship talent must have been entirely rooted in this.
However, it wasn’t purely broken.
There was a penalty: muscle fatigue accumulation increased by [+6,550%], and the risk of injury to joints and ligaments increased by [+1,430%].
In simple terms, it meant tiring easily and sustaining injuries easily.
But Kai’s other ability.
‘Immortal Link?’
At my question, Predator’s Instinct [S] activated once more, and information about Immortal Link [E] surfaced before my eyes.
◆Immortal Link [E]
: The user anchors their life force to a [specific target], thereby wielding the power of immortality. As long as the target to which the life force is anchored remains alive, the user will never face physical death under any circumstances.
However, spiritual death may still occur, and the body may fail to regenerate if severely damaged.
The measurement grade is [E], which denotes Epic.
It was the same rank as Dragon’s Wrath [E].
And it was an ability that could perfectly overcome the penalties of Adoptive Muscle Memory [A-].
Unfortunately, I could not obtain that ability.
That was an ability Kai manifested purely through ‘Aura’.
Unable to manipulate Aura, even if I devoured Kai with Predator [S+], I could never acquire that ability.
But regardless.
‘Anchoring life force to a specific target?’
The specific target mentioned here.
I didn’t need to ask who Kai had anchored his life force to—I already knew.
My gaze naturally turned in one direction.
And as expected.
Seraphia’s entire body was dyed crimson.
Like autumn leaves coloring a single leaf, her entire body was stained red.
In other words.
‘Seraphia is Kai’s Life Force Vessel?’
A Life Force Vessel.
An object in which a Lich’s soul is sealed, and the cornerstone through which a Lich gains the power of immortality.
As long as the Life Force Vessel remained intact, a Lich could resurrect infinitely.
In other words.
…this bastard is in the process of becoming a Lich.
Though not a true Lichification, mind you.
Still, spiritual death could occur, and if the body sustains severe damage, it might not regenerate.
Even by this measure alone, Kai is undeniably human.
That is, unlike his past life, he now acquires only a Lich’s abilities as a human.
By wielding the absurd power of Aura, no less.
However, since his body merely persists as long as life clings to it, calling him a ‘zombie’ would be more apt.
In a sense, he has transcended his time as commander of the Frost Legion.
Just as I have transcended my Predator days, Kai too has transcended his days as commander of the Frost Legion.
…Wait, I’ve lost my words.
‘Is he in his right mind?’
No matter how I look at it, he is not.
I’ve reached a point where even the word ‘madman’ can no longer describe Kai.
‘Is he truly sane?’
…No matter how much I think about it, he is not sane.
Even obsession with loyalty to Seraphia has its limits, but what is this…?
‘If this continues….’
Killing Kai has become nearly impossible.
As long as Seraphia lives, Kai can wield the power of Immortality.
Of course, conversely, if only Seraphia dies, Kai’s immortal ability becomes useless.
In that sense, killing only Seraphia would end Kai as well, but the problem is I cannot kill Seraphia in the current situation.
‘Ian, this bastard….’
Why did he have to leave such a statement?
Ultimately, the disposal of both Seraphia and Kai became a problem that could only be resolved by finding Ian.
‘I must sever all ties.’
Until then, I severed any thought of associating with Kai.
If I got close, I feared I might go mad myself, so the best course was to avoid any association whatsoever.
“How is Lady Seraphia?”
Unwilling to engage further, I stepped slightly aside with a gesture for him to check himself.
Then Kai moved with long strides to examine Seraphia’s condition.
Even in heat approaching 253 degrees Celsius, Kai did not shed a single drop of sweat.
Kai’s large hand covered Seraphia’s forehead.
And at the touch of Seraphia’s icy coldness, Kai’s face too hardened like stone.
“From now on, I shall care for Lady Seraphia.”
“Very well.”
I was planning to head to Frecce on business anyway.
To treat Seraphia.
To find Ian.
And to raise the affection of the remaining territory residents by one more level, I needed to prepare for departure to Frecce.
“Then I’ll be going.”
I stepped out of the room immediately.
* * *
The primary commodity for this merchant expedition was undoubtedly monster meat.
The monsters that Seraphia and Kai had hunted couldn’t be sold.
Only by using Predator [S+] myself could I remove the madness from the monsters.
Therefore, the legion that Lycanthrope had brought couldn’t be sold—but.
‘Still, I’ve consumed all the monsters that attacked Whitewolf Territory, so the quantity is more than sufficient.’
More than sufficient was an understatement.
It was oversaturated.
The Count’s Castle warehouses couldn’t possibly handle it all.
So multiple temporary storage facilities were being constructed right now.
I couldn’t even begin to estimate how much all of this was worth.
Even releasing a modest portion would easily cover several years of operating expenses for Whitewolf Territory.
With the approaching Frost Season, there were no concerns about long-term storage either.
And on top of that, I’d achieved the complete evolution of my ability.
It was certainly worth the effort of facing that legion alone.
‘Let me see….’
I organized my priorities for this merchant expedition.
The top priority for this trip was the ‘investigation into Ian’s whereabouts’ that I’d requested from the Merchant Guild last time.
The Merchant Guild in Frecce wielded considerable influence in the free city through its formidable capital.
If Ian had stopped at any free city anywhere on The Continent, he would inevitably be caught in the Merchant Guild’s information network.
Given Ian’s nature, he would definitely have caused some kind of trouble or incident.
So I had to hear the results first thing in Frecce.
‘And….’
Next was purchasing medicinal materials to improve Seraphia’s condition.
Securing funds for establishing the Allied Forces.
Purchasing daily necessities to raise the affection of the territory’s residents.
Expanding the influence of the Predator Merchant Company, and so on.
There were tasks aplenty.
So the members of the Predator Merchant Company and the conscripted soldiers were busily transporting and hauling supplies.
“Lex meat goes here! Alacron goes over there! Please load it onto the back wagon!”
“Where should Dermexus be loaded?”
“Ah! Dermexus goes here—just load it onto this wagon!”
Once the system was in place, the merchant company members and soldiers moved with brisk efficiency.
It was right in the middle of these preparations that it happened.
“Adrian.”
Someone called out to me.
I turned my head to see a neatly dressed man with slicked-back hair approaching me.
Bernard, the chief steward of House Whitewolf.
Bernard’s complexion looked hollow up close.
With Father gone and Seraphia bedridden, the weight of it all showed plainly on his face.
He now shouldered every administrative duty across the Whitewolf Territory—no wonder he appeared so drained.
“What’s the matter?”
At my question, Bernard opened his mouth at once.
“It’s nothing serious, my lord, but we’ve just had a visitor arrive at the Territory.”
My eyes snapped wide open.

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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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