The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 8

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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 8. The Hour of Dogs and Wolves (1)
By completely rupturing my muscles and regenerating them [C+], my Strength stat increased by +4.
‘Since I gain +1 stat per level….’
It was equivalent to gaining four levels at once.
Though +4 seemed trivial, it was anything but.
Stats were calibrated against the standard adult male.
In other words, Strength 1 equaled the strength of a single adult man.
Strength +4 meant I had acquired the combined strength of four adult men.
My unique ability, Solo Leveling [EX], granted an additional +1 stat with each level-up, meaning I could continuously acquire the physical capabilities of one adult male—perpetually.
My hypothesis had proven correct.
The secret behind Ian’s absurd strength lay in Solo Leveling [EX].
==「Player Information」==
[Name] = Adrian Whitewolf
[Level] = Level 6
[HP] = 12
[MP] = 0
[Stats] = Strength: 7 Agility: 1 Endurance: 1 Mana: 1
[Experience] = 12.7%
Defeating the Icetroll granted +3 levels.
Clearing the tutorial Quest granted +2 levels.
I had reached Level 6 in total, earning +5 stats accordingly.
Additionally, the tutorial Quest’s bonus reward granted +1 stat.
A total of +6 stats allocated to me.
I distributed them evenly—one point each to Strength, Agility, Endurance, and Mana.
My purpose was to verify the efficiency per stat point. Through this, I discovered that 1 stat equaled the standard adult male baseline.
Therefore, my initial stats—starting from zero.
It meant I had fallen drastically short of adult male standards.
My past self had certainly been a wastrel, regardless.
‘Raising experience is undoubtedly the most efficient growth method.’
Acquiring additional ‘stats’ was valuable, but through my ability Predation [S+], I could obtain additional ‘skills’ as well.
Ian’s ability: Solo Leveling [EX].
My ability: Predation [S+].
Monster hunting—where these two abilities synergized—was an explosive growth method.
‘Hunting in my current state is reckless.’
Currently, my body belonged to Count Whitewolf’s House, not the Allied Forces’ Predator.
‘I nearly died hunting.’
Before returning to the family estate, I ventured into the Snowy Mountain searching for monsters under the pretense of hunting.
And I nearly perished.
All I possessed was a flimsy blade with virtually no combat utility, and even swinging it a few times left me gasping for breath.
The combat power I wielded as a Predator felt like a distant dream.
In my current physical condition, I lacked even the combat prowess of a common soldier.
‘It was fortunate that the blizzard swept in so suddenly.’
Otherwise, I would have perished before ever meeting Ian.
‘It was providence that the first Icetroll I encountered was a weakened specimen.’
Regardless, I needed to condition my body.
With the physique of a dissolute wastrel drowning in gambling and excess, hunting monsters was impossible.
Even if not to the level of my Predator days, I had to forge a body and stamina capable of sustaining combat.
I abandoned the hunt and returned to the estate immediately.
I invested all my remaining +2 ability points into Strength, and through muscle reconstruction, I gained an additional +4 to Strength.
Thus, my Strength, which had been bottomed out at zero, now reached seven.
I now possessed the strength of seven adult men combined.
‘Certainly….’
The reconstructed muscles radiated explosive power.
Ordinarily, such growth in so short a time would have been impossible.
This was made possible, as expected, by the Icetroll’s Regeneration [C+] ability.
‘Even trolls didn’t possess recovery on this scale.’
During my Predator days with the Allied Forces, the ability I gained from devouring a troll’s heart was Recovery.
Even that troll’s recovery ability was remarkably potent.
Lacerations, cuts, and contusions healed within minutes.
Even severed limbs could be restored if the severed part was retrieved.
The Icetroll was a variant of such trolls.
I had anticipated its recovery ability would be superior, given it surpassed the troll’s by a factor of five.
But… I never imagined it would be to this degree.
‘It’s nearly on par with The Saint.’
Without exaggeration, it rivaled The Saint, the hero of the Allied Forces.
And this was merely Regeneration [C+], with incomplete genetic factors yet to be secured.
If I hunted more Icetrells and acquired additional genetic factors, I couldn’t fathom what power would manifest.
‘No wonder The Emperor captured and bred them wholesale.’
In that regard, Icetrells were not alone.
The Continent teemed with monsters possessing abilities comparable to Icetrells.
In my past life, The Emperor had captured them all.
But now, having returned to the past, that was not the case.
Rare monsters with abilities superior to Icetrells roamed wild across the land.
‘If I could acquire all those abilities.’
Surpassing my past Predator self would be trivial.
Grrrrrrowwwwl…..!!
Suddenly, a thunderous sound erupted from my stomach.
Ravenous hunger seized me, dizziness clouding my mind.
The Icetroll’s regeneration was not infinite recovery.
It demanded a price.
The Saint’s miracles required divine power.
The Icetroll’s regenerative ability, on the other hand….
◆Extreme protein depletion causes severe hunger!
Nutrients.
In other words, I needed food.
Having not merely recovered but completely reconstructed my ruptured muscles, every trace of protein in my body had been depleted.
‘It’s about time for a meal.’
I pushed myself upright, suppressing the gnawing hunger.
Then came the cries of soldiers snapping back to consciousness.
“Whoa!!”
“Y-you’re standing up just fine!!!”
“Th-that’s…!”
Everyone stared at me, their eyes bulging wide.
Their jaws hung slack, showing no sign of closing.
Their faces and expressions transcended mere wonder at some curious creature—they were observing something bizarre and utterly grotesque.
But what was all this fuss over a simple exercise session?
‘Have they never seen someone work out before?’
Then again, thinking about it carefully, I was currently the wastrel of Count Whitewolf’s House.
During my time with the Allied Forces, I trained daily.
But as the wastrel of the Count’s household, I’d indulged in nothing but excess—never training at all.
‘This must be their first time seeing something like this.’
For the soldiers, it was nothing short of miraculous.
I rose easily and brushed the dirt and dust from my body with casual pats.
“U-uaaaah!!”
“A monster…! It’s a monster…!”
But even if they found it remarkable, there were limits.
Treating me like a monster crossed the line.
Just as I was about to scold the soldiers, it happened.
◆Maddening hunger causes you to perceive everything in sight as ‘food’!
My mind reeled for a moment.
I desperately steadied myself and refocused my vision.
But the landscape before my eyes was already distorted.
The training wooden swords gleamed like long loaves of bread, and the dummies resembled massive chunks of cheese.
And the soldiers…looked like fresh meat.
I wanted nothing more than to drive my fangs into their throats immediately.
I wanted to tear into their flesh and sate this ravenous hunger.
I wanted to wet my throat with their spilling blood and quench this unbearable thirst.
Thump!
My heart surged violently.
Bloodshot veins spread across my eyes as madness painted my reason a vivid crimson.
The predator’s instinct, with prey within sight.
It drove my body forward.
The moment I closed and opened my eyes—
I was already lunging toward the soldiers.
Muscles ruptured and reconstructed, my body was reborn.
My strength and speed had become incomparably greater and faster than before.
I kicked off the ground—CRACK!
With a deafening boom, the Training Ground’s floor shattered.
The recoil propelled my body forward.
The soldiers couldn’t respond.
They were horrified by my transformation, and that very shock prevented them from even reacting to my speed, let alone countering it.
In truth, even without their shock, they wouldn’t have been able to perceive my movements at all.
The distance between the soldiers and me closed rapidly.
My eyes gleamed with unmistakable killing intent. I reached out my hand, grasping for the nearest soldier’s throat, intent on claiming his flesh and blood—
That was when it happened.
◆The devouring hunger is resisted by the Player’s Will [EX]!
A semi-transparent message materialized before me.
And in that same instant, my mind snapped back into focus.
I hastily withdrew my outstretched hand from the soldiers.
But before I could, another hand intercepted mine.
SLAP!
A crude, powerful hand seized my wrist. I instinctively tried to wrench free, but it wouldn’t budge.
This was my reconstructed strength, after all.
Yet I couldn’t easily shake off the grip that held me.
CRASH!
A dull sound echoed through the air.
I glanced downward and saw a covered plate lying on the floor, its contents—a turkey dish—now scattered across the ground in disarray.
It was the meal I had requested from Bernard.
But the one gripping my hand was not Bernard.
I slowly lifted my gaze to confirm the identity of this hand’s owner.
And I beheld the twisted, demonic visage of a certain man.
“What in blazes are you doing?!”
I recognized his face from memory.
I remembered his name with absolute certainty.
Though my memories were stained and corrupted by the horrors of the battlefield, this man—I remembered him clearly.
How could I ever forget?
“Kai!”
The cursed bastard who had mercilessly slaughtered my comrades in the Allied Forces.
* * *
I first met Kai when I was around five years old.
Father once traveled to the Kingdom Capital, and returned to our house with a single disheveled boy in tow.
A small, scrawny child—gaunt to the point of being skeletal.
Father named him Kai, a name meaning “a dog that resembles a tiger.”
And whenever Father spoke of Kai to me, he called him “a rather useful stray dog.”
Father also said this:
-His intellect is high, but his judgment is poor, so he should be easy to raise. Once he acknowledges someone as his master, he will never betray them. Nurture him well and use him as your limbs.
Father entrusted Kai to me in that manner.
Father’s words proved true.
Kai served me as a loyal knight, willing to sacrifice his very life for my sake.
When I think back… our relationship seemed sound in those early days.
I regarded Kai, and Kai regarded me.
There was a time when we transcended the bond of master and servant, thinking of each other as brothers.
But at some point.
Our relationship fractured.
Kai and I could no longer live as brothers as we once did, and with Seraphia’s fall, our bond deteriorated into something irreversible.
And now, having returned to the past.
The Kai standing before me evoked the image of a noble wolf.
The way he stood, gripping my wrist, was as dignified as a wolf of the Snowy Plain—and it suited the Whitewolf House far more than it suited me.
Yet the meaning behind the name Kai is: a dog that resembles a tiger.
Genetically, there is no difference between a dog and a wolf.
In the distant past, when one or two wolves from a pack grew bold enough to rely upon humans, the species called “dog” was born.
Thus, there is no outward difference between a dog and a wolf.
Therefore, what distinguishes a wolf from a dog lies in their inner nature.
Loyalty.
A dog wags its tail when it sees a person.
A wolf grows wary and attacks when it sees a person.
Yet the twilight dusk renders the distinction between dog and wolf invisible.
“Leave the Whitewolf Territory at once.”
Is the Kai approaching me now truly a dog, or a wolf?
If a dog, he would wag his tail in joy.
“What if I refuse?”
If a wolf, he would seek to harm me.

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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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