The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 57

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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 57. Rumors
A suspicious rumor was spreading—that monster meat was becoming fashionable.
Isolde’s head tilted instinctively, her platinum hair cascading left and right with the motion.
“…Monster meat?”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
“That can’t be right.”
Isolde’s elegant brows furrowed slightly.
The genes of madness dwelling within monsters.
Even The Saint’s holy power could not purge such corruption.
Monsters were creatures of chaos that defied the divine order, possessing an inherent nature that rejected holy power itself.
It was a thesis acknowledged even by the mages who studied the truths of the world.
It was no accident that it ranked among the “Twenty-Three Impossible Problems of Arcanis”—problems deemed fundamentally unsolvable.
Thus, the Attending Priest cautiously raised his suspicion.
“Could it possibly be connected to the Dark Merchant Company, which has been reported recently…?”
The Dark Merchant Company.
An organization of darkness that researched forbidden black magic and blood magic, conducting inhumane and horrific experiments.
As the Attending Priest suggested, disturbing movements related to the Dark Merchant Company had recently been reported throughout the Holy Kingdom.
“Do you know where the monster meat is being distributed?”
“It’s a place called the Predator Merchant Company—a newly established merchant guild operated from Whitewolf Territory, which belongs to the Battenberg Kingdom.”
A newly established merchant guild.
It was certainly suspicious.
“Do you know who the guild master is?”
“The eldest son of House Whitewolf, Adrian Whitewolf, I believe.”
“Adrian Whitewolf…”
The name was unfamiliar to her.
Yet somehow, it felt strangely familiar.
“From what I’ve heard, he’s known as the Count’s wastrel.”
Perhaps that was why.
“So you’re saying a wastrel is running this merchant guild?”
“Indeed, but what’s even more peculiar is that his conduct has changed dramatically in recent times.”
“His conduct has changed?”
“That is…”
The Attending Priest explained in detail the circumstances surrounding Adrian.
Upon hearing this account, Isolde immediately grasped what the Attending Priest meant about Adrian’s changed conduct.
To be precise, it wasn’t merely a change in conduct.
It was as if…
“Someone else had seized control of Adrian’s body, so sudden was the transformation.”
It seemed as though another soul had entered the body of this man called Adrian.
People do not change.
They only appear to.
A person’s true nature never changes.
“I suspect he may have fallen victim to dark magic, such as possession sorcery.”
The man had changed so drastically that such words would be sufficient to explain it. And it was a vicious method primarily employed by the Dark Merchant Company.
Isolde fell into thought, her lashes lowering.
Monster meat—an impossibility.
A sudden emergence of a new merchant company.
And a strange occurrence where the person himself seemed to have transformed entirely.
Could all these layered events unfolding now truly be coincidence?
Predator Merchant Company.
Whitewolf Territory.
‘Adrian Whitewolf….’
That name, known as the wastrel of the Count’s House.
And yet, for some reason, a familiar name.
“An investigation would be worthwhile.”
Thus the name became deeply etched into Isolde’s mind.
* * *
“This is the last one!”
With the merchant company member’s cry, a massive wooden crate landed on the ground with a heavy thud.
As I opened the heavy wooden lid, the gold within gleamed into view.
Golden coins glittered brilliantly, their radiant luster singing with the sound of wealth.
The profits earned in a single day.
“431,560 gold.”
An astounding profit exceeding 430,000 gold.
“W-wow…!!”
“I’ve never seen this much money in my entire life.”
The eyes of the merchant company members and soldiers alike were wide with astonishment.
To be honest, generating this level of profit from a single day of trading was nearly impossible.
Not just a day’s trading—even across the entire merchant operation, such profits were unthinkable.
‘Lex meat sold far better than expected.’
Word of mouth had truly begun to spread.
As the saying goes, stopping people’s gossip is harder than damming a raging river.
‘At this rate, I could establish a Frecce branch.’
A Predator Merchant Company branch.
A merchant company branch serves as a regional network hub.
It functions as a stronghold responsible for regional trade, transactions, and resource procurement, often directly exchanging with other merchant companies and leading trade initiatives.
Essentially no different from an independent merchant company—requiring security personnel, transport workers, administrators, accountants, and more.
Numerous personnel would need to be hired and deployed.
The labor costs and initial investment expenses were astronomical.
Thus I had thought it premature… but.
‘At this level of profit, it would be sufficient.’
This was a form of investment as well.
Expanding my influence through the Frecce branch to encompass Frecce and the entire Free City, thereby checking the Dark Merchant Company’s growth.
Above all, I couldn’t confine my merchant operations to Frecce indefinitely.
I needed to expand the Predator Merchant Company’s influence beyond the Free City into the kingdoms scattered across the Continent.
For that reason, I needed to establish a branch to manage and oversee merchant operations in my stead.
“Everyone, assemble.”
After organizing my thoughts, I gathered the merchants and soldiers together.
Eleven merchants and twenty-four soldiers.
Those assembled wore bewildered expressions.
I withdrew gold coins from a chest and spoke.
“Come forward one by one and take your share.”
Immediately, their eyes widened in disbelief.
“Sir, are you speaking of… us?”
“Yes. Besides you all, who else is here?”
Yet everyone hesitated, too uncertain to move forward.
“Do you refuse?”
“No, that’s not it, sir…”
“We’re uncertain if we’re worthy of accepting…”
“You are.”
There’s an old saying: go without food for four days, and any man becomes a thief.
Unwavering loyalty springs from unwavering prosperity.
The greatest merchant company on the Continent that I sought to build was one that invested in ‘people’, not immediate gains.
“Stop hesitating. Come forward and receive your reward.”
Thus I distributed 1,000 gold to each merchant.
And 800 gold to each soldier.
I gave the merchants more because their labor had been more grueling.
Overall management and profit calculation of monster meat, accounting, transportation—the list went on.
All eleven merchants bore deep dark circles beneath their eyes, a testament to their exhaustion.
The soldiers understood this and harbored no resentment.
Besides, 800 gold was no small sum.
In Whitewolf Territory, soldiers earned 150 gold in monthly wages.
This was more than five months’ worth of salary.
Their regular wages would continue as usual—this was a separate bonus.
There was no room for complaint.
“Hehehehe…!”
“What is all this!”
As expected, all who received the gold coins broke into broad smiles.
Each bowed deeply to me with faces alight with gratitude.
In total, I had expended 30,000 gold.
“You have free time until business begins tomorrow. Do as you wish with your earnings.”
“Things you wish to do, you say…?”
“Buy something you’ve always wanted, purchase gifts, gamble, save money, spend lavishly—do as you please.”
At that, they broke into broad, beaming smiles.
And yet.
‘…Their favorability didn’t increase.’
Unfortunately, the favorability of my territory’s people hadn’t risen.
Their current favorability status remained at [Friendly].
I needed to clear the territory Quest to prevent my “Management Mode” from being stripped away, and I was just one step away from reaching the [Trust] condition required for that.
I’d thought I might clear the Quest here if things went well.
‘It seems the favorability of such a small number didn’t register significantly.’
In any case, judging by their expressions alone, they looked like they’d squander the money in a single day.
Though that probably wouldn’t happen.
As the saying goes, only those who’ve tasted meat know how to eat it.
These were children who’d never possessed such wealth before. At most, they’d likely spend it on things they’d always wanted and gifts to give—nothing more.
“Lephin, what will you do with that money?”
“I’m going to buy a gold ring.”
“A gold ring? Don’t tell me you’re planning to propose to Lena?”
“Yes! When we return to Whitewolf Territory this time, I’m definitely going to confess to her!”
…Well, there it was.
In any case, I left them to do as they wished.
I’d given them the money to spend freely, and besides, I wasn’t idle enough to concern myself with such trivial matters.
The money remaining in my possession was approximately 900,000 Gold.
An astronomical sum that would allow me to live in leisure for three generations or more, breathing and eating without lifting a finger.
‘Perhaps I should invest some of this.’
Naturally, I had no intention of idling away my days.
* * *
The Free City, lacking absolute authority like a lord or sovereign, was home to diverse classes and factions coexisting.
Ordinary citizens, merchants, adventurers, mercenaries, mages, and more.
With no rigid hierarchy, a multitude of different strata existed.
And within each stratum, complex webs of interest were entangled.
The City Congress.
The City Congress was the central governing institution that mediated the complex interests between the Free City’s various factions and administered the city.
It oversaw the Free City’s general administration, legislation, and budgeting.
In simple terms, it was the heart and brain of the Free City.
In other words, to establish a merchant guild branch in the Free City, one required the City Congress’s approval.
And Frecce was a Free City where ‘commerce’ had flourished.
As such, it had formed an intricate network with countless kingdoms, cities, and factions across the Continent.
For this reason, numerous merchant guilds across the Continent desired to establish branches in Frecce.
But as was typical, the administrative procedures were extraordinarily complicated.
Moreover, the territorial protectionism of the Merchant Guild already established in Frecce could not be ignored.
Reaching for the stars in the sky.
Not quite that difficult, but establishing a branch in Frecce had proven challenging enough.
However.
None of it posed a significant problem for me.
“The Merchant Guild has unanimously approved the proposal for the Predator Merchant Company to establish a branch here.”
Adlern, an executive of the Merchant Guild.
In other words, even the Merchant Guild—notorious for their territorial resistance—had become favorable to me.
It was only a matter of time before the City Congress passed it as an agenda item.
And on top of that.
“As you instructed, we’ve sealed the council members’ lips with gold coins!”
The esteemed members of the City Congress.
I’d distributed bribes under the guise of lobbying funds, and after sweetening the deal with some Lex meat.
“The branch establishment permit should come through shortly!”
Everything was proceeding at lightning speed.
The expenditure had been considerable, but I could always earn more.
With this, I could freely exercise influence not just in Frecce, but throughout the Free City.
Effectively, I had the entire Free City backing me.
Just one exception.
The lawless city of Violess remained beyond my reach.
“You’ve done well. Your efforts have been invaluable.”
“Oh my, to be of service to you is truly an honor.”
Adlern bowed his head as though it were nothing.
Having the Merchant Guild at my back certainly made operations proceed without obstruction.
But receiving branch approval wasn’t the end of it.
In truth, this was where things really began.
‘I need to appoint a branch director—someone to oversee the entire operation.’
As the head of the branch, I needed to place someone I could trust implicitly.
Competence mattered, but trust was paramount above all else.
‘Originally, I’d planned to assign someone from the Special Task Force.’
Operatives who, like myself, had conducted not only special operations but also intelligence work—gathering, analyzing, and disseminating information—as well as espionage activities.
I could have entrusted any of them with the branch director position without hesitation.
But watching Adlern bow deeply before me now.
As I observed him in silence.
‘His work efficiency is better than I expected.’
A sudden curiosity stirred within me.
I activated Predator’s Instinct [S] on Adlern, and information about him materialized clearly before my eyes.
==【Character Information】==
Name: Adlern
Classification: Animalia, Mammalia, Hominidae, Human
Gender: Male
Age: 36 years old
Distinctive trait: Sense [R]
He appeared considerably older than his actual years.
Nearly twice my age, though when combined with my previous life’s years, we were roughly comparable.
And true to form, he possessed a striking characteristic.
‘Sense?’
As I activated the Predator’s instinct [S] once more, information about Sense [R] materialized before my eyes.
◆Sense [R]
: The user possesses an exceptional ability to swiftly and accurately discern the emotions, intentions, atmosphere, and circumstances of others, responding accordingly. Through this, the user can rapidly perceive subtle shifts in mood, unspoken information, facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice. They can make instantaneous situational judgments and take appropriate action.
Judging by the description alone, it was a formidable ability.
The rank was [R], denoting Rare.
One tier directly below the Unique rank [U].
It could hardly be called inferior.
As the word “Rare” suggested, it was a ‘rare’ talent indeed.
While not quite genius-level, it certainly qualified as exceptional.
Considering Seraphia and Kai alone.
Because I’d only witnessed those grotesque monsters that had plunged the Continent into terror, [R]-rank abilities were far from common talents.
His decades-long experience managing a merchant company in Frecce could not be dismissed either.
With proper cultivation, he seemed capable of developing into a genuinely valuable asset.
Above all, Adlern’s favorability toward me was at [Intimate] status.
‘If I could just raise his favorability further…’
If I could elevate his favorability to the [Trust] stage, there would be no reason to fear betrayal from Adlern.
It was precisely as I was seriously contemplating Adlern’s potential.
◆A Sub Quest [I Won’t Stand for This Marriage!] has arrived.
A translucent message suddenly materialized before my eyes.
As usual, it appeared abruptly and without warning—a Quest that caught me off guard.
But this time, it wasn’t a ‘sudden’ Quest.
More than anything.
‘I Won’t Stand for This Marriage?’
What kind of title was that for a Quest?
A marriage out of nowhere?
Whose marriage, exactly?
Could it possibly be Adlern, standing vacant-eyed before me right now?
“Just asking, but… did you get married?”
“…Huh? Oh, no. I’ve been so busy making a living that I never even had time for romance…”
Adlern scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
So it wasn’t referring to Adlern’s marriage.
Fortunately(?), the Quest details materialized before my eyes to resolve my confusion.
==[I Won’t Stand for This Marriage!]==
[Objective] – Prevent Seraphia’s marriage
[Reward] – Kai’s Affection Increased
[Failure] – The Frost Lord Awakens
…What is this now?

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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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