The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 15: The Mad Fool (2) (Part 1)

Across the continent, countless wild animals have adapted to a wide variety of environments.

And just as many monsters also exist alongside them.
Beasts more savage and primal than wild animals—monsters.

In truth, monsters were not native to the continent.

At some point, they began appearing suddenly.
No one knows exactly when monsters first emerged.

Every scholar has their own theory.
But in the end, those were all nothing more than baseless hypotheses.

All they could say was, “A very, very long time ago.”

However, there was one question that scholars all agreed on:

How were monsters born?

The answer was: mutations of wild animals.

A pig that mutated became the monster known as an orc.
A rat that mutated became a kobold.
A centipede that mutated became a monster called Demugade.

In this way, various animals—including insects—underwent mutations, branching off into new species.
These new species continued to evolve, eventually becoming the monsters we know today.

And it wasn’t just animals.
Even plants mutated.

That’s how a new biological classification called the Monster Realm came to exist, separate from the Animal and Plant Kingdoms.

The mutagenic factor that transformed animals and plants into monsters…

Scholars named this factor Madness.

Thus, all monsters carry Madness within them.
Which is why monster meat cannot be consumed.
You can make weapons and armor out of their bodies—but not food.

Madness is embedded in the monster’s very flesh.

There have been many attempts to extract it.
But they all failed.
Magicians concluded that it was impossible—because it’s imprinted at the cellular level.

Anyone who eats monster meat first goes mad.
They lose all reason, becoming a slave to instinct and descending into a frenzy of indiscriminate slaughter.

And if they’re killed quickly—consider it a mercy.

But what if they’re not?

They continue the slaughter.
The Madness continues to build.
And humans, too, are animals.

As the Madness accumulates, it causes mutation.
Eventually, the person transforms into a monster—a horrifying fate.

Which meant one thing.

Crunch.

Adrian, who was now chewing on Demexus’s heart, was no longer in his right mind.

“Are you out of your mind?!”

Kai yelped in alarm.

He had to stop him right now.
But he didn’t dare rush in.
He couldn’t. And more importantly, he shouldn’t.

Adrian had already bitten into Demexus’s heart.
And the heart is the core of Madness.
It’s the source of life.
Even monsters, as living beings, concentrate their life force in their hearts.
So naturally, Madness is concentrated there as well.

Which meant—eating the heart would cause the Madness to take over much faster than any other part.

And sure enough, Adrian’s presence shifted dramatically.

His eyes burned an even deeper red.
Eyes drenched in blood.
Eyes completely unfocused.

…There was no sign of reason left.

Kai gripped his sword tightly.
He had to kill him.
Before Adrian was completely consumed by Madness, he had to be put down right here and now.

But—

…Could he even win?

The thought crossed Kai’s mind before he realized it.
And he couldn’t believe himself for even thinking it.

But the truth was, he couldn’t estimate his chances against Adrian at all.

And as Kai hesitated—

Something violent stirred beneath Adrian’s blood-red gaze.

It was the thing Kai had seen at the Trial Grounds of Frost.
Something buried deep within Adrian.
Something so far suppressed by an unknown force that it had never surfaced—until now.

A savage beast, twisted with killing intent beneath a cloud of hatred.

That unknowable creature was now being released by the trigger of Madness.
Slowly, it began to rise.

And when Kai looked into it—

He instinctively staggered back.

That… wasn’t human.
But it wasn’t a monster either.

It was an ultimate being, one that stood above all life.

And in facing such an entity, a primal fear rooted in life itself gripped Kai’s body and mind in an instant.

Fear. Dread. Despair.
None of it mattered.

No matter how hard he struggled, he wouldn’t survive an encounter with that ultimate being.
Even the instinct to survive became meaningless.

Kai clenched his teeth.
Even that wasn’t enough—he bit into his cheek.
The sharp pain and the taste of blood jolted his body and mind back into clarity.

…He had to fight.

Kai gripped his sword even harder—

“…Hoo.”

Adrian exhaled a long breath.

The savage thing inside him collapsed back to the ground.
It had been suppressed by some unknown force, unable to fully awaken.

And with that, the radiance in Adrian’s eyes dimmed.
The hollow focus in his gaze—the loss of reason—gradually faded.

‘How…?’

The question arose—but there was no answer to be had.

As Kai slowly raised his eyes, he noticed that about half of the heart in Adrian’s hand was gone.

And Adrian’s lips were stained red with blood.

It was a grotesque sight.
He didn’t even look like a human.
Kai couldn’t even bring himself to speak.

…He didn’t want to engage at all.

But one thing had become painfully clear today.

Adrian must die.

He was no longer the mad dog of the House of Whitewolf.
He had definitely changed.

But whether that change was for the better—Kai couldn’t say yet.

To be blunt, it was more likely for the worse.

Whatever unknown thing slumbered within Adrian—
It was obviously still suppressed.
Yet it had already triggered a primal, life-threatening fear in Kai.

If Adrian were left alive, who knew what kind of being he might become?
Who knew what kind of threat he could pose to the County?

One day, he could even turn on Serapia.

The bruises still lingering on Serapia’s neck—
Even after more than ten days—
Proved that Kai’s fears weren’t just paranoia.

Adrian wanted to kill Serapia.

And he was serious.

They had managed to survive this ordeal by cooperating with Adrian.
But that would be the last time.

There would be no next time.

Kai steadied his thoughts and took a deep breath.

Three months remained until the Royal Decree arrived.
Not a short time—but not long either.

Twelve days had already passed.

Kai turned his back and left without another word.

Translatin_Otaku

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