The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 88

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 88. The Sovereign of the Underworld (2)
After the chaos had settled, the Crimson Soiree from the Red Pleasure House arrived belatedly.
When they began to seize control of Violess.
What surfaced in the mind of Sarpedon, the Archon of the Black Grasp, was honestly nothing but ‘opportunity’.
The absolute law of Violess is ‘power’.
In that sense, the bloodied man who had felled the great evil threatening Violess was worthy of becoming its absolute ruler.
But had it not been said that in the ruins of a destroyed kingdom, the nameless one wears the crown?
“When giants clash, it’s always the dwarves who pocket the spoils left behind, is it not?”
Lyla, the matriarch of the Crimson Soiree, had exploited that weakness perfectly.
Two giants locked in struggle for dominion over Violess.
One giant had fallen, and the other had grown exhausted.
A wounded ogre.
Just as bold wolves in a pack could hunt tigers, so too could trolls gathered in numbers hunt an ogre.
There is no match for a mob.
No matter how skilled, one would tire when swarmed by multitudes.
The Visters assembled here numbered in the thousands alone.
A force rivaling an army itself.
A wounded ogre would surely fall to them.
Sarpedon rose to his feet, having quietly observed the situation.
And then—.
ROOOAAARRRRR—!!!
When he beheld the man whose aura rippled with blood-red flames.
Sarpedon understood at once.
No matter how many trolls gathered to form an army.
CRASH!
They could never, ever hunt a dragon.
The man whose hand had seized Lyla’s throat without warning.
He drove her body straight into the earth.
Soil erupted skyward from the impact crater—.
The man’s casually swung hand tore through the very landscape.
The shockwave shredded the Visters who rushed forward. All that remained in its wake was the groaning of the fallen.
“You bastard!!”
“Die!!”
More Visters surged forward with raised axes, but the man twisted fluidly and swept his leg against the first Vister’s knee.
CRACK!
The Vister’s knee bent backward as he collapsed—.
SPLURT!
The chest of the next Vister tore open, spraying crimson blood in all directions.
There was no mercy in those hands.
Merciless instinct.
Every strike from the man became a fatal wound, dropping the Vister operatives like felled trees.
“W-what is this…!”
“Gaaaahhhhh!”
Screams of agony echoed from every direction.
I couldn’t see the man’s movements at all.
Yet the Vister members of the Crimson Soiree crumpled to the ground one by one, bleeding profusely.
Some of them collapsed in place, their bodies trembling violently.
Whether from fear or something else, puddles of liquid had formed beneath them.
The man’s eyes as he regarded them.
They glowed a sickly crimson, as if drenched in blood.
The dark-red aura enveloping him burned like wildfire.
Sarpedon swallowed hard without thinking.
That… is not human.
Nor is it a dragon.
Neither human nor dragon—
Something that reigns supreme over all living beings.
I couldn’t fathom what it was, but that was the only way Sarpedon could perceive it.
Now.
Not a single Vister from the Crimson Soiree remained standing.
All hundreds of them lay sprawled across the ground.
The entire ordeal had taken merely three minutes…?
No—it hadn’t even taken three minutes.
…Overwhelming.
Overwhelming…?
Could such a word even adequately describe this?
A strength that seemed to exist beyond this world itself.
It was absurd.
And because it was absurd, it defied all explanation.
The man brushed the blood from his hands.
As he slowly surveyed his surroundings, regarding Sarpedon and the Black Grasp operatives—
“Will you come at me too?”
Sarpedon threw himself flat against the ground.
“No, absolutely not!!!”
Even that wasn’t enough—he slammed his head down repeatedly.
Lest he offend the man’s sensibilities.
Perhaps he already had.
“Attack Your Majesty?! Such a thought never crossed my mind for even an instant! I would never dare defy you!!”
He drove his forehead against the floor again and again, until blood began to seep.
* * *
…I had lost my composure entirely.
Words so vile that merely thinking them filled me with disgust—I wouldn’t dare speak them aloud.
I purged such worthless thoughts from my mind entirely.
Then I surveyed the Vister bowing their heads before me, one by one.
‘No Aketa among them.’
The Vister of the Ashen Mask.
In other words, the Aketa of the Dark Merchant Company were nowhere to be seen.
It appeared they had been offered as sacrifices for Crawlgar’s manifestation.
Since Iratum, the conduit, had met his end by the dragon’s wrath, additional sacrifices had become necessary.
Which meant—
‘The situation is resolved.’
Only then could I finally release the tension that had gripped me.
To be honest, if Violess’s Vister had attacked, I would have been in dire straits.
I had indeed panicked when the Crimson Soiree made their move.
Of course, I hadn’t failed to anticipate their involvement.
That’s precisely why I’d asked Isolde to contact the Eye of The Pilgrim.
But then Crawlgar’s manifestation introduced an unforeseen variable.
The situation spiraled beyond my control, and the Eye of The Pilgrim hadn’t yet reached Violess.
Isolde and I were isolated in Violess.
Breaking through seemed impossible—until I found an unexpected breakthrough.
Crawlgar’s authority, the source of wrath itself.
By devouring it through Predation [S+], I obtained a transcendent skill: Berserk [?].
◆Berserk [?]
: Upon activation, the player channels accumulated [Madness] into a rampage. Through this, the player can temporarily elevate the [rank] of [ordinary skills], enabling enhancement that transcends the maximum rank ceiling.
Enhanced skills have their [rank] and [abilities] amplified according to the [Madness] channeled, and each receives [additional effects] tailored to its characteristics.
Transcendent Skill.
At first, I didn’t understand what kind of skill it was, but the description made it clear.
It was a skill that amplified abilities or granted entirely new dimensions of power—one that literally ‘transcended’ limitations themselves.
The cost was [Madness].
Originally, Crawlgar wielded wrath, but upon being absorbed through Predation [S+], it seemed to have been converted into ‘Madness’—
‘There must be a way to check my Madness value…’
On a hunch, I accessed 「Player Information」—
==「Player Information」==
[Name] – Adrian Whitewolf
[Title] – Master of Snowy Mountain
[Level] – 76
[HP] – 9,185
[MP] – 0
[Sanity] – 107/110
[Stats] – Strength: 81 (+5) Agility: 110.8 (+18.8) Endurance: 95.85 (+16.85) Mana: 11 (+5)
[Experience] – 9.33%
【Additional Stat +1】
I noticed a new entry labeled [Sanity] that hadn’t appeared before.
Its meaning referred to ‘mental state’.
In simple terms….
‘The degree to which one can maintain an intact mind.’
More simply put, it could be called ‘mental fortitude’.
In that sense, the maximum mental fortitude was 110.
‘It seems to be related to the mana stat.’
It appeared that for every 1 point of mana, I gained 10 points of [Sanity].
And with 107 [Sanity].
This seemed to represent both the madness threshold and determine the power of Rampage[?]—
◆Transcendent Skill, Rampage[?] is activated.
◆[Sanity] – 107
◆Rampage[?] is graded as [B-].
◆The transcendent skill available at this threshold is Metabolic Acceleration[C+].
This appeared to be the mechanism by which Rampage[?]’s grade was determined.
A value of 107 corresponded to [B-] grade.
Therefore, only skills of lower grade like Metabolic Acceleration[C+] could be applied.
So I immediately selected Metabolic Acceleration[C+]—
◆Skill, Metabolic Acceleration[C+] is upgraded to grade [B-].
◆[Additional Efficiency] – The increase in Agility and Vitality is further increased by [+5%].
◆[Additional Effect] – You can temporarily accelerate the heart muscle to increase blood circulation speed.
The grade rose immediately by one tier, and [Additional Efficiency] and [Additional Effect] were added.
It was an excellent skill.
It allowed me to transcend skills that had reached their biological limits and could evolve no further.
That’s why it was a transcendent skill.
Though temporary, the madness threshold could be replenished by devouring[S+] a monster’s heart, making it a ‘good’ skill.
But.
I was mistaken.
Rampage[?] was not a good skill.
It was an absurd skill.
Because Rampage[?] possessed a true effect that lay elsewhere.
Combination skills.
That is, because Metabolic Acceleration[B-]’s grade was upgraded, all ‘combination skills’ using that skill were affected—
◆Combination Skill, ‘Metabolic Runaway[U]’ transcends its limits!!
Most notably, Metabolic Runaway[U] was most heavily affected and transcended its limits.
◆Accelerated Heartbeat[E]
: When this skill is used, the player rapidly increases heart rate to amplify the effect of Metabolic Runaway[U] by [2x].
However, excessive strain is placed on the cardiovascular system, risking heart damage, and intense hormone secretion may cause excessive excitement or rage.
【This skill is an ultra-combination skill that transcends the limits of Metabolic Runaway[U].】
The rank signified Epic, denoted as [E].
It was the same grade as Dragon’s Wrath [E].
In other words, its utility matched the power of Dragon’s Wrath [E]—and in practice, it truly did.
Explosive speed and amplified strength.
Hyper-Reflex Mode to predict the opponent’s movements.
Wide-Area Awareness, with concentration heightened to an extreme degree, allowing rapid perception and reaction to surrounding circumstances.
Even if temporary, I could wield abilities that transcended biological limitations.
Beyond that, Dragon’s Claw [A], Regeneration [B+], Reinforced Skin [B], and Nutrient Synthesis [B] could all be enhanced by Berserk [?].
Apart from Heartbeat Acceleration [E], the possibilities for transcendent abilities were boundless.
I couldn’t even imagine what other abilities might manifest.
Truly, I was a Legion Commander of the Abyss.
An ability and authority I hadn’t dared to Devour [S+] in my past life.
It wasn’t without reason that Ian had expressed concern that I might be uncontrollable.
‘My Sanity stat seems to accumulate through madness.’
In other words, using Devour [S+] would cause it to build up.
However, there was one regrettable aspect—
‘The Player’s Will doesn’t have good compatibility with it.’
The Player’s Will [EX] completely reset any madness exceeding my mental fortitude.
The [Sanity] that determined the power of Berserk [?] couldn’t accumulate under this structure.
‘Maybe I should invest some points into Mana as well.’
If I increased the maximum [Sanity] cap, I could circumvent this by using Berserk [?] just before the reset.
But Mana was a stat utterly useless to me.
This was something I’d need to think about how to utilize going forward.
In any case.
Now I could finally say it with certainty.
‘I’ve surpassed it.’
I’ve surpassed the Predator of my past life.
It was right as I clenched my fist.
“Ugh…!”
A groan suddenly pierced the air.
Lyla, who had been driven into the ground, was slowly pushing herself up.
…I was somewhat surprised.
The blow I’d delivered to Lyla had been amplified by Heartbeat Acceleration [E].
Moreover, I had lost some semblance of reason in that state.
Every strike had landed as a critical hit, and as evidenced by the motionless Vister members of the Crimson Soiree around me, my hands showed no mercy.
Still, perhaps that’s what it meant to be the matriarch of the Crimson Soiree.
“Ugh… ugh…!”
Her durability was quite impressive.
But that didn’t mean she could mount any real resistance.
Lyla couldn’t properly get to her feet and had begun crawling across the ground—
“P-p-please…!”
Instinctively, Lyla crawled toward Isolde and began to plead.
She instinctively understood that begging me would not save her.
Isolde gazed down at Lyla in silence.
Isolde’s expression was nearly devoid of emotion.
Yet there was something in the aura she emanated.
Isolde possessed the bearing of a benevolent saint.
Indeed, she was the sort of foolish woman who sacrificed herself for the belief that she must embrace all people.
Therefore, it seemed Isolde could not bring herself to kill Lyla—.
But that was only because one did not truly know Isolde.
Those whom Isolde embraced were limited solely to the ‘innocent.’
Toward the guilty, Isolde showed not a shred of mercy.
Thus, Isolde displayed ruthlessness against the Imperial Army and refused to take prisoners.
Following her will, the slogan of the Holy Command during the Allied Forces era was as follows—.
[Forgiveness belongs to God; slay them all.]
“God will forgive you.”
The Allied Forces called Isolde by a name—.
Crack!
[The Saint of Condemnation].
* * *
Lyla’s skull crushed.
Isolde’s condemnation was merciless.
Yet I understood.
That she granted a painless death was the utmost mercy Isolde could offer.
Lyla, who had exploited women in the Red Pleasure House.
Such a crime was not one to be judged in a single stroke.
In any case.
Now, no one in Violess dared to challenge me.
And so, as all of Violess bowed and submitted before me—.
◆Hidden Quest, [Perfect Weather for Causing Chaos], has been cleared!!
The notification that the Hidden Quest had been cleared appeared—.
◆Wha—wha—whaaaat?!!?!
A translucent message brimming with theatricality filled my vision, but only for a moment—.
◆Wait just a minute!!
The message began to raise an objection?
◆I cannot accept this!
◆The Hidden Quest’s objective was the ‘fall’ of Violess!?
◆So who told you to ‘rule’ Violess?!
‘…What?’
◆This is a deviation from the Quest’s terms!!
◆I cannot accept this!!
◆I simply cannot!!
‘What on earth…?’
◆What are you saying now, of all times?
◆It’s not something different!!
◆This was merely the buildup to grant you an additional reward!
“…?”
◆You who deviated from the Quest’s original terms!
◆You who achieved such a remarkable Achievement!
◆How could I possibly grant you merely the standard reward?!
◆Such a thing is absolutely unacceptable!!
◆I simply cannot allow it!!
◆Therefore, presenting a s.p.e.c.i.a.l bonus~!
I wondered how this dramatics could escalate further with each passing day.
◆Were you perhaps startled?
◆Did your heart suddenly sink into your chest?!
◆Were you worried I might not grant the reward?!
◆If so, operation succeeded spectacularly!!
◆Oh? Are you perhaps upset?
◆If so, as an apology, I shall bestow upon you an additional reward—the title 【Sovereign of the Underworld】!!
◆How is that?! Is your heart fluttering with excitement over the bonus?!
◆Do you fear you might faint from cardiac arrest upon receiving the main reward?!
◆If so, take a deep breath!
◆Now, quickly claim your main reward: [Ian’s Journal]!!
‘…Did this one also learn a transcendent skill?’
Perhaps something like Rampant Theatricality[?] as a skill.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————