The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 92

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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 92. Continuing Bonds (1)
Forest Keeper.
A guardian of the forest and an elf who protects its boundaries and interior.
The Forest Keeper preserves the forest’s ecosystem and serves as a sentinel defending against those who would invade.
As this is the most crucial role, it is customary for the most exceptional among the elves to assume the position of Forest Keeper.
Rielin, the Forest Keeper, moved with the grace of flight itself.
The sentinels followed in her wake.
Whoosh, whoosh—beyond the fleeting forest scenery.
“Silmarien!”
There stood Silmarien, the elf who had truly vanished.
Afterward, the sentinels who had followed surrounded her—
“Do you have any idea how worried we’ve been with you suddenly disappearing?”
“Where were you, and why are you only showing up now?”
“What happened?”
As they questioned the circumstances and examined her condition—
“Well, the truth is….”
Silmarien’s expression alternated between delight and sheepishness as she slowly opened her mouth.
“I was so curious about the outside world that I snuck out and came back….”
It was something that happened often enough.
Venturing beyond the forest was strictly forbidden, yet curious elves frequently broke the rules.
“But then I ended up being kidnapped by some wicked humans….”
“What?”
The sentinels cried out in shock.
By human aesthetic standards, elves were extraordinarily beautiful.
Therefore, being kidnapped by wicked humans meant—
No elf was ignorant of what that implied.
After all, the very reason elves now lived apart from humans was precisely because of such incidents.
“But how did you manage to return safely?”
“Lumis helped me.”
Then, from over Silmarien’s shoulder, a golden fox-shaped form peeked out.
That creature, slightly larger than a fist, was Lumis, a spirit of light.
With Lumis’s power, one could manipulate the angle of light to blur one’s appearance, enabling a concealment ability.
However, it was not a perfect concealment—
“I escaped when a human caused a commotion.”
“A human caused a commotion?”
“Yes! With whoosh and bang sounds, that human punished the wicked ones and a terrifying monster!”
“What kind of human was it?”
“Um… an incredibly frightening human. Even Lumis was so scared that it trembled!”
Elves commune with spirits and gain the eyes to perceive souls.
Through this, they can discern the true nature of a being, but—
“But you know what? He was an incredibly warm person too.”
Such advantages weren’t particularly suited for explaining to someone else.
Simply put, I was only recounting a story that I alone knew.
“Do you know his name?”
“Yes. Lumis knows it.”
Silmarien whispered briefly with Lumis, the fox-shaped creature perched on her shoulder, then spoke up.
“Adrian Whitewolf.”
“Adrian Whitewolf?”
“Yes.”
The sentinels fell into contemplative silence.
Yet no matter how much they pondered, nothing came to mind.
Too many ages had passed since the elves severed themselves from human society.
It was only natural that hearing a human’s name stirred no recognition.
“Adrian Whitewolf…?”
“Forest Keeper, do you know this human?”
At the sentinel’s question, Rielin continued her contemplation.
But ultimately, she shook her head.
No matter how hard she thought, nothing came to mind.
“In any case, I’m relieved you’ve returned safely, Silmarien. And from now on, don’t venture beyond the forest alone again.”
“I will. I’m sorry for worrying you, Forest Keeper.”
Silmarien was able to return safely to the village with the sentinels.
Thus, peace had returned once more to Sylvandir Forest.
Rielin felt a sense of relief, yet—
She couldn’t shake off a peculiar sense of déjà vu.
The reason eluded her—
But somehow, it was a familiar name.
“Adrian Whitewolf.”
For some reason, it was a name that etched itself deeply into Rielin’s mind.
* * *
The Whitewolf Territory, situated in the heart of an endless snowy plain.
Behind the territory, snow-covered hills and mountain ranges encircled it as if wearing white caps.
Thick castle walls built to withstand the bitter cold.
Ice and snow filled the crevices of the walls, and upon them stood soldiers of the Count’s Castle clad in thick fur garments—
“The Count has returned!!”
The soldiers atop the castle wall sprang to their feet.
Creak, creak, creak, creak!
Soon the thick wooden castle gate groaned open—
And Bernard came rushing out first, panting heavily.
The fact that he came running so quickly suggested he’d been guarding the castle wall alongside the soldiers.
But why would Bernard have reason to guard the castle wall?
Bernard up close.
He looked haggard, as though he’d spent the entire night awake—.
Something was clearly wrong.
“Bernard, what happened in the Whitewolf Territory?”
It seemed something had occurred in the territory during my absence.
As expected, Bernard didn’t offer a straightforward answer—.
“What happened?”
“It’s that….”
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing else, but—.”
Bernard paused for a moment before finally speaking.
“Some time ago, the Royal Investigation Unit visited the Whitewolf Territory in connection with the Beneron Barony incident.”
It had been roughly a month since I left the territory.
That was more than enough time for the Royal Court to learn of the incident.
“How did it turn out?”
“Fortunately, the evidence wasn’t conclusive, so it didn’t escalate into a major problem, but….”
Bernard paused before continuing.
“The Royal Investigation Unit seemed quite unsatisfied. They appeared to be meticulously investigating the records of exchanges between the Beneron Barony and our Whitewolf Territory.”
“I see.”
The investigation was more persistent than I’d anticipated.
Of course, the murder of a noble was a serious crime.
For the honor and authority of the Royal Court, the investigators had a duty to uncover every detail of the incident.
It meant Isolde hadn’t tried to kill me in Violess without reason.
“You should be prepared for the possibility that the investigation unit may return to the territory.”
Still, for now it had blown over.
After all, there was no evidence.
“What about Seraphia?”
“Seraphia is….”
This time Bernard hesitated considerably.
His expression grew grave.
“Currently in critical condition.”
…What?
“The cure didn’t work?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then?”
“The cure hasn’t….”
“Been completed?”
“Yes.”
A month had passed since I left the Whitewolf Territory.
I’d naturally assumed the cure would be finished by now.
‘It seems putting in a commission with Langritd Magic Tower took quite a bit of time.’
Even though I had offered one million gold as the commission fee.
“Still, Kai sent word that it will be completed soon.”
Yet the commission fee alone was a staggering one million gold.
No matter how prestigious Langritd Magic Tower was, that sum was far too substantial to refuse.
“Where is Kai?”
“He is in Frecce.”
Now that I thought about it, it was strange that Bernard had been guarding the castle wall.
‘He must have been waiting for Kai.’
That appeared to be the case.
“I’ll head to Frecce as well.”
“Right now, my lord?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve only just returned, have you not?”
Indeed, that was true.
After all that grueling work, I had barely made it back to the Whitewolf Territory, only to leave again immediately upon arrival.
“Since Kai is in Frecce, once the cure is completed, he will return at once.”
That much was true, but it wasn’t solely about the cure.
‘I wonder if contact has been made with The Grand Mage.’
When I placed the commission with Langritd Magic Tower, I had instructed Adlern to make contact with The Grand Mage of the Allied Forces.
To raise my understanding of Infinity [M], The Grand Mage’s assistance was absolutely necessary.
Therefore, I needed to check on the progress—
‘And I need various supplies to train the Vister.’
Food, clothing, training equipment for the Vister, and so on.
To purchase all these things, I had to go to Frecce.
With their numbers reaching thousands, the cost was astronomical—
‘But the Black Market’s funds are quite substantial.’
My inventory contained an astronomical sum of ninety million gold.
I pointed my finger toward the distance, at the Vister gathered in waiting.
“Bernard, do you see those people gathered over there?”
“I was about to ask you about them, but who are they?”
“Recruits.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“It’s complicated to explain, so just assume that for now.”
When would I ever explain what happened in Violess?
“Anyway. I’m heading to Frecce now, Bernard.”
“…Yes, my lord. What are your orders?”
“Find a suitable place within the Whitewolf Territory for them to stay, and keep them well-fed and well-rested until I return.”
“…Understood.”
“And if, in my absence, they cause any trouble, simply kill them.”
“…Huh?”
Bernard’s expression went blank.
He seemed unable to grasp the meaning of my words.
But despite appearances, he was an exceptionally capable butler—one my father trusted implicitly.
“Then I’m going.”
◆Activating Combination Skill ‘Metabolic Overdrive [U]’!
◆Caloric Consumption – 100,000 Kcal
◆For [1,000 seconds], all of the player’s stats increase by [+100%]!
I departed the Whitewolf Territory at tremendous speed.
* * *
Frecce, which I was visiting again after nearly a month.
As expected, it hadn’t changed much from a month ago.
‘The monster meat is selling well on its own.’
Even without me, the guild members were continuing to supply monster meat by traveling between the Whitewolf Territory and Frecce, keeping operations running smoothly.
It was no coincidence that rumors about monster meat had reached Isolde’s ears.
‘It’s time to expand the Predator Merchant Company.’
Along with establishing a Frecce branch, I needed to scout for new products.
There were limits to relying solely on monster meat if I wanted to become the greatest merchant company on the Continent.
‘There’s so much work, like Crawlgar said.’
Even ten bodies wouldn’t be enough.
But for now, Seraphia’s cure and the Grand Mage of the Allied Forces took priority.
As I was heading toward Adlern’s shop, that’s when it happened.
“This can’t be coincidence.”
Someone blocked my path.
And true to those words, Frecce was far too vast a city to feign chance encounters.
“Did they sense my presence?”
That seemed to be the case.
Though I wondered if such a thing was possible in such a sprawling city—
“What is it?”
If it was Kai, it was entirely possible.
“What about what?”
“About Violess.”
It seemed the rumors had spread to Frecce as well.
Of course, merchants—the most information-sensitive people—would never be ignorant of such news.
“Why would Violess—”
“Isn’t it something you did, Adrian?”
“Me? What did I do?”
“Destroyed Violess.”
“From what I heard, the Saint of the Holy Kingdom did it?”
“That’s what the rumors say, but….”
Kai fixed me with a meaningful gaze—
“You’re asking me to believe that?”
Fair point. Kai knew I was heading to Violess.
And by sheer coincidence, Violess vanished the moment I arrived there.
Could it be dismissed as mere chance?
It was far too convenient, as the saying went.
Unless one was a fool, there was no way to miss the connection.
Besides, there was no reason to hide anything from Kai anyway—
“Yeah, I did it.”
I stated it plainly—
“You’re asking me to believe that?”
He still didn’t seem to accept it.
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“It doesn’t make sense that you alone erased Violess.”
“I didn’t do it alone. The Saint of the Holy Kingdom and I—”
“You’re asking me to believe that?”
“What answer are you looking for?”
“What happened there?”
“Just as the rumors say.”
“You’re asking me to believe that?”
“Then don’t believe it.”
I quickened my pace and moved past Kai.
But he immediately fell into step beside me.
“You really won’t tell me?”
…This man was like a leech, truly relentless.
“I already told you.”
“You’re saying I should believe those rumors?”
“Don’t believe them. Don’t believe anything.”
I accelerated further—
“How do you know the Saint of the Holy Kingdom?”
Even at this speed, Kai kept pace with me.
“I happened to meet her there.”
“You’re asking me to believe that?”
“Don’t believe it.”
I activated Metabolic Overdrive and moved faster still.
It was less walking and more sprinting—
“By my understanding, that doesn’t add up.”
Kai matched even this pace effortlessly.
It was immediately clear that he had indeed reached the Master tier.
Which made this all the more absurd.
What common sense would someone who has reached the Master tier in Aura possess?
Your dependent immortality[E] itself is an ability beyond common sense, you bastard.
“Then cast aside common sense and exercise your imagination instead.”
I gritted my teeth and pushed my speed further—
Kai desperately kept pace with me.
Thump-thump, thump-thump-thump!
The result was a bizarre race where we kept trading positions back and forth.
It seemed I would need to activate Heartbeat Acceleration[E] to shake him off.
However, Heartbeat Acceleration[E] required using Berserk Form[?]—
And I currently lacked the Sanity points to activate Berserk Form[?]—
“Are you telling me to imagine the relationship between Adrian and The Saint all by myself?”
…I couldn’t shake off this golden leech no matter what.
* * *
A laboratory brimming with all manner of medicinal ingredients.
A woman sat at an alchemical workbench, absorbed in something with intense focus.
Her hands alternated between a silver beaker and small glass vials.
Her movements seemed somewhat hurried.
Yet her hands were smooth, delicate, and precise.
She skillfully handled each medicinal ingredient, calibrating the subtle balance of the alchemy.
“Now for the final step…!”
Her blue eyes gleamed with determination.
An unwavering resolve that permitted not even a single mistake.
Just as she carefully began to drop the solution one drop at a time with a dropper, at that very moment—
“Iliana!! Is the cure still not complete?!”
The laboratory door burst open and someone shouted—
“Eek?!?!!”
Iliana, the woman absorbed in her alchemy, startled greatly and jumped to her feet.

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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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