The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 16: Hunt (1) (Part 1)

The northern region of the continent was divided into three main zones:

The tundra beyond the forest line,
The snowy plains where alpine plants grew,
And the snow-covered mountains—where survival became impossible.

The County of Whitewolf was located right on the border between the snowy plains and the mountains.
Beyond the snowy peaks lay an uninhabitable wasteland, where neither man nor beast could survive.

All because of the extreme cold.

“Brr…!”

Unconsciously, I curled up tightly.
My breath, exhaled in a shiver, scattered into the air and instantly froze white.
My hands felt as if they had turned into ice sculptures—numb and lifeless.

The chill pierced through my skin.

My body gradually froze, refusing to move.
Each breath I drew felt like sharp blades of air freezing my lungs from within.

◆ Your skill [Toughened Skin][D] resists the freezing cold!

If I hadn’t gained body-temperature regulation from Demexus, I’d likely have frozen to death by now.

“Urgh…!”

Of course, that didn’t mean I wasn’t freezing anyway.

“I… I think this is far enough…!”

My teeth clacked together, chattering uncontrollably—it was a good sign that I’d reached the ideal location.

I took out a chunk of Demexus’s meat I’d carved earlier and placed it where it was clearly visible.
Then I concealed my body, waiting for prey to take the bait.

How long had I waited like that?

The sun that had once stood high overhead had now begun to set.
It felt like at least five or six hours had passed when—

Krrrk?

At long last, my prey revealed itself.

It was about one and a half times the size of an adult man.
It moved on four legs, its body long and serpentine with remarkable flexibility.

Sharp claws tipped all four limbs, and its thick hide shimmered white, blending in with its surroundings.
Its head was lined with fang-like ridges, and its snout jutted forward in a sharp point.

Its long tail helped it swiftly cut through the snow and sense buried prey.
Its glowing yellow eyes scanned the area, alert and wary.

Its name—

Alacron.
A monster native to the snowy mountains.

I sank deeper into the snow.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry much about scent.

The monsters of the snowfields weren’t particularly sensitive to smell. The brutal cold froze even odors solid.

I held my breath, waiting until the beast was fully distracted by the bait.

Kerrrk…

Alacron kept scanning its surroundings.
But perhaps it decided there was no threat.

It turned its gaze toward the meat of Demexus and opened its massive jaws wide—just as I launched myself forward.

The snow beneath my feet gave way with a crunch as I shot forward like an arrow.
Alacron turned toward me.

But my hand had already moved. I swept my waist, drawing my sword in one smooth motion.

Shing! A clean, slicing sound.

Only then did Alacron realize I was there.

But by the time it fully saw me, the tip of my blade had already pierced its hide.

Thuck—!

Unlike Demexus, Alacron’s hide wasn’t that tough.
Even without Aura, a clean strike could deal solid damage.

Alacron let out a pained shriek. I immediately stepped back to adjust my stance.

Despite being a beast, it didn’t recklessly charge at me.

Even mindless monsters knew fear.
And because they acted on pure instinct, they knew when to submit and when to retreat.

Its glowing yellow eyes swept over me.

I didn’t look away.

Our eyes met.

And it was Alacron who broke the gaze first.

It began to retreat.

Predator and prey.
The roles had been made clear.

I tightened my grip on the sword.

That’s when it happened—

Rustle!
Alacron turned and bolted?

“…Huh?”

I blanked out for a moment.

Alacron was supposed to be a high-tier monster.
Even a cornered rat bites—so what was this?

It ran so fast that it was already out of sight.

“……”

This was… a problem.

Through all my training, I had managed to raise my strength and stamina.
But Agility was still quite low.

Right now, my Agility stat was only 3.
That was after I used the +2 points I gained from leveling up after killing Demexus.

While that made me about as agile as three grown men combined, it still wasn’t nearly enough to catch up with Alacron’s speed.

“I should’ve finished it in one blow.”

Unfortunately, Alacron reacted just in time to escape death.

It felt like missing a mosquito in a room—annoying and regretful.
Still, that didn’t mean I had no way to track it.

Even if I hadn’t ended it, I had inflicted a solid wound.

Just as I thought—there was a clear trail of crimson blood on the snow, marking the path it fled.

If I followed this, I could still catch up.

“Phew…”

I exhaled deeply and re-sheathed my sword.

“Guess I’m running again.”

Even though I’d spent the last two days racing Kai nonstop…
Well, I did once sprint full speed for six days straight during my time in the Special Forces.

“Let’s see how far you think you can run.”

Time to show why humans outmatch every other race when it comes to endurance.

Alacron was truly running for his life.

He sprinted like a madman, driven by the singular thought: If I get caught, I’m dead.
His speed was insane, and his stamina wasn’t any less impressive.

He showed no sign of tiring.

But in the end, he was still no match for human endurance.
I chased after Alacron with everything I had.

By the time the sun that had set in the west began to rise again in the east—

Huff—! Huff—! Huff—!

—Alacron finally collapsed from exhaustion.

He had clearly given up.
His trembling gaze, fixed on me, seemed to scream, Just kill me already, you bastard!

Of course, there’s no way a monster would have such human reasoning.

◆ You have slain Alacron!
◆ Gained 100 Combat EXP!

Translatin_Otaku

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