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

After putting Alacron down painlessly, translucent messages popped up in front of me.

But I didn’t level up.

Not only did I gain less EXP than from defeating Demexus, but the higher my level got, the more EXP I needed to reach the next.

Considering I spent half a day suffering through this… it felt like a poor return on investment.

“Well, whatever.”

It was just that—a bit of a letdown.
After all, hunting monsters wasn’t only about leveling up.

When I looked down, I could see Alacron’s life force rapidly fading.
I figured it was because he had collapsed from utter exhaustion.

If a heart dies completely, I can’t absorb its ability.
Without wasting time, I sliced open Alacron’s chest and dug out his heart.

“It’s not the Keratin Enhancement I was hoping for…”

But that didn’t mean Alacron’s ability was bad.
In fact, it was rare enough to be considered a “Rare Ability.”

Monsters that inhabit the Snowy Mountains evolve unique traits to survive the harsh conditions.

Naturally, the Alacron I hunted had a special ability of its own.

In the Snowy Mountains, where food was incredibly scarce due to the severe cold,
Alacron had dramatically evolved a “nutrient storage system.”

◆ You have devoured the creature Alacron!
◆ Acquired the skill: Nutrient Synthesis [C-]!

◆ Nutrient Synthesis [C-]
: By using this skill, the player can burn calories (Kcal) to synthesize desired nutrients.
Depending on the calories consumed, you can freely synthesize compounds such as [Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, and Water].

The moment I finished swallowing the last chunk of Alacron’s heart, the information for the new skill flashed before my eyes.
And then my legs gave out, and I collapsed where I stood.

“Huaaah…!!”

Running all day had pushed me to the brink.
Sure, humans had vastly superior stamina compared to other races,
but that didn’t mean we never got tired.

After two straight days of sprinting with Kai, I was absolutely drained.
Right now, I was parched.

“I feel like I could drink ten liters of water…”

But in the north, water was an incredibly scarce resource.
To be specific, drinkable water was hard to come by.

It froze solid in seconds, so carrying it in a canteen was practically useless.
It would’ve been fine if I stored it in my inventory, but I hadn’t thought of that.

“Should I just scoop up some snow and eat it…?”

…That’s when it happened.

◆ You can synthesize [Water] by consuming calories.
◆ Remaining Calories – 3,200 Kcal
◆ Would you like to use the skill: Nutrient Synthesis [C-]?

A system message popped up out of nowhere.

The moment I willed it to activate, a flame ignited inside me, and my thirst disappeared in an instant.

Maybe the calorie burn had also cut down my body weight,
because I felt lighter than just a second ago.

Just like the description said, it had burned calories to synthesize water.

“That’s incredible…”

I’d only ever known this in theory.
I never got this ability in my previous life, so it felt like a marvel.

Truth is, Alacron wasn’t the only one I failed to devour in my past life.
You could say I missed out on almost every monster in the Snowy Mountains.

Not because of the Emperor.

Sure, the Emperor played a major role,
but he wasn’t the ultimate reason.
Before he began making major moves, his influence on the continent was relatively minor.

The real reason… was Serapia.
More specifically, the Monarch of Frost.

The entire northern region of this continent fell under her domain.

It wasn’t easy to access the north, and because of that,
most monsters in the Snowy Mountains were completely out of reach for me to devour.

Alacron was the first monster from there I had ever consumed.
Nutrient Synthesis [C-] was also a first.

“With this…”

I no longer had to worry about balanced nutrition.
I still needed food, but as long as I had enough calories, I’d be fine.

As long as I consumed high-calorie foods,
I could freely synthesize whatever nutrients I needed.

And that meant I could now use Regeneration [C+] to constantly restore any part of my body I wanted.

For now, I could only synthesize [Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, and Water].

But once this ability evolved,
I’d likely be able to synthesize everything the human body needs—
like vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, chlorine, potassium, and so on.

“I might even be able to synthesize organic compounds from inorganic ones…”

Even if I ate rocks, I could convert them into nutrients.

This ability had insane synergy with Regeneration [C+], which relied on nutrient input.

And this was just from Alacron.

There were still countless monsters in the Snowy Mountains I hadn’t devoured yet.

Their abilities weren’t just useful—they bordered on broken.
And there were endless skills I could evolve.

Now that I’d returned to the past…
To a time before the Emperor had risen to power.

More importantly, to a time before Serapia had fully awakened as the Monarch of Frost—

“…I guess it’s time to head back.”

The snowy north was practically my territory now.

Translatin_Otaku

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