The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 18: Possibility (Part 2)

Thus, in the past two weeks, these were the monsters I managed to hunt:
Two Demexus.
Fourteen Alacron.
One Ice Troll.

And—

“I only managed to take down one Rex.”

I had slain one monster known as Rex.

A Rex, characterized by its short hind legs and vicious jaws.
It possessed a bite force as savage as its appearance—but surprisingly, it was a herbivore.

Not all monsters were carnivorous.

However, even herbivorous monsters would lose control to madness and charge at any human they saw.
Every species classified as a monster posed a threat to humans.

At any rate, I had barely managed to kill even one Rex.

This creature also happened to be one of the monsters I absolutely had to use Predation on—
because the evolutionary strategy it had developed to survive the cold was: an advanced endocrine system.

It adopted a survival mechanism of generating heat by burning a high amount of calories.
But since you can’t create something out of nothing, it needed to drastically increase its metabolism.

However, the environment in the Snowy Mountains lacked vegetation that could support such a metabolic rate.

So, the Rex evolved to severely degenerate its muscles.
By minimizing the most energy-consuming organ—its muscles—it managed to maintain metabolic balance.

In other words, in exchange for giving up strength, it gained swift mobility, rapid regeneration, and internal heat.

And by devouring the Rex’s heart, I acquired this ability:

◆ Promote Metabolism [E+]
: When the skill is activated, the player’s endocrine system is stimulated, greatly increasing metabolic rate. The player’s Strength is reduced by [-25%], while Agility and Constitution increase by [+10%].
<This skill can be toggled [On/Off].>

Looking at the overall stats, it was a net loss of ‘-5%’—trading -25% for +20%.
But since it was a togglable skill, I could switch it on only when necessary.

That alone made it a highly practical skill in scenarios requiring agility.

“This will become way more efficient once it’s upgraded.”

If I keep enhancing it, it wouldn’t just be useful—it’d become outright broken.

“So, the abilities I’ve consumed so far…”

Even before I could finish my sentence, a translucent panel appeared before me:

==「Owned Skills」==

◆ Solo Leveling [EX]
: The player can gain EXP and level up. Each level-up grants 1 stat point.

◆ Player’s Will [EX]
: Grants immunity to all mental interference effects (curses, illusions, brainwashing, hypnosis, suggestion, etc.) that exceed the player’s mental strength.

◆ Predation [S+]
: Devour the heart of a living being to absorb and convert its abilities into skills. Consumes mental strength.

◆ Regeneration [B-]

◆ Toughened Skin [D]

◆ Nutrient Synthesis [C+]

◆ Promote Metabolism [E+]

Thankfully, the skills I had gained through Predation were automatically condensed and organized.
Had they not been, the descriptions alone might’ve blacked out my entire vision.

That alone was a relief.

“Let’s see…”

Aside from gaining Promote Metabolism [E+], there weren’t any major new additions.

Thanks to having hunted the most Alacron, I managed to upgrade Nutrient Synthesis from [C] to [C+].

As a result, its calorie conversion rate improved slightly. I also gained the ability to synthesize essential minerals like sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and so on.

One issue though—

“I didn’t get Heightened Keratin.”

The problem was that there were very few monsters with the Heightened Keratin ability.
And some monsters in the Snowy Mountains were off-limits entirely, so I couldn’t just go around attacking anything.

Likewise, I couldn’t find a single monster that had Extra Sensory Perception either.

“Shame…”

Still, that didn’t mean it was a fruitless hunt.
I managed to devour several abilities that I couldn’t get in my past life.

More importantly—

“I leveled up quite a bit too.”

As if on cue, another translucent panel slid into view:

==「Player Info」==

[Name] = Adrian Whitewolf
[Level] = Level 13
[HP] = 1,600
[MP] = 0
[Stats] = STR: 22 / AGI: 8 / CON: 15 / MANA: 1
[EXP] = 53.2%

“I was Level 8 when I entered the Snowy Mountains…”

So I gained 5 levels just from this expedition.
And on top of that, my Strength and Constitution had improved simply through combat and chase.

As a result, my stats were relatively high for someone of my level.

“But Agility is really hard to raise.”

So I had invested every single bonus stat point from level-ups into Agility.

That’s why Promote Metabolism [E+] was even more essential.
Agility was not only lacking—it was notoriously difficult to train.

“I’ll keep dumping every stat point from now on into Agility.”

Instead, I’d rely on physical training to boost Strength and Constitution.
And now that I had both Regeneration [B-] and Nutrient Synthesis [C+], the synergy would make that growth even faster.

“I guess it’s time to head back.”

Of course, it was disappointing that I couldn’t devour the Keratin skill.

But I was tired too.

While I could endure the cold of the Snowy Mountains, that’s all it was—endurance.
The two-week-long hunting march had taken a toll on me both physically and mentally.

More than anything—

“Ian might’ve already arrived.”

By now, Ian could’ve already come looking for me.

After all, I spent 10 days on physical training and 14 days hunting in the Snowy Mountains.

That’s 24 days total—nearly a full month.

Even if the County of Whitewolf was far away, Ian would’ve had more than enough time to make it.

Odds were very, very high that Ian was already here.

Possibly—
He might’ve already killed Serapia and Kai by now.

“…Let’s go.”

With that resolve, I turned back from the snowy cliffs.

But that was when—

A sudden sense of wrongness.
It gripped my entire body in an instant.

I couldn’t tell why.

Just—instinct.
That primal survival instinct screamed at me.

…I’m going to die!

Without thinking, I activated Promote Metabolism [E+].
My endocrine system spiked, my nervous system surged.
Before my brain could even process what was happening, my nerves moved my body—

BOOM!!

The spot I had just been standing in exploded.
Snow from the mountain blasted in all directions.
A dense blizzard obscured my vision.

…That was close.

If I hadn’t boosted my Agility,
If I hadn’t acquired Promote Metabolism [E+]—

Without a doubt, I would have died.

Gulp. A dry swallow.
The tension pulled tight. My body trembled involuntarily.
That primal terror rooted me in place.

The snowstorm gradually subsided.

My vision, once blocked, slowly began to clear—

And then my heart pounded like it was about to burst.

A terrible suspicion swelled in my mind.
Even in that moment, my instincts kept screaming at me—
Run! Run or die!

Finally—

When the snow fully cleared—

I saw it.

The one being you should never encounter in the Snowy Mountains—
I had come face-to-face with it.

Translatin_Otaku

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