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

“Ugh…”

As I slowly opened my eyes, the dazzling white of a snow-covered mountain pierced my vision.

…No wonder it felt cold.

The biting chill jolted my senses awake. All around me was blanketed in pure white snow, as though the entire world had frozen over.

There weren’t many regions on the continent where one could see such a bitterly cold landscape.

“The Northern Snow Mountains?”

The northern region of the continent, where a harsh winter reigned year-round.

“But why am I here?”

Why in the world was I in the North? Just moments ago, I had been in a jungle located in the southern part of the continent.

And I had died there.

Which meant… after dying, I somehow crossed the entire continent?

“Did the Emperor bury me here?”

The Northern Snow Mountains were my childhood home.

Maybe, as a gesture of respect for a worthy enemy, he returned my body to my homeland…

“…Yeah, right.”

As if the Emperor would show mercy.

What mercy could one expect from a slaughter-crazed maniac?

More importantly, I was the Empire’s top-priority kill target.

Every time the Imperial Army saw me, they couldn’t help but grind their teeth. They practically chewed their molars to dust.

In some ways, they were more wary of me than of the heroes or even the Hero himself.

I was part of the Allied Forces’ Special Operations Command.

Captain of the Special Warfare Unit.

As that captain, I had carried out numerous missions, foiling the Empire’s plans again and again—no, shattering them completely.

For someone like me, even being posthumously desecrated wouldn’t be enough. A respectful burial for a former enemy commander? Don’t make me laugh.

“Did they just dump my corpse here?”

That… would make more sense.

But the problem was, I wasn’t dead—I was alive.

“Yeah, no way.”

Even that didn’t add up.

First of all, the Emperor wouldn’t go through the trouble. If he was just going to discard my body, he could’ve left it in the South.

Why go through the trouble of transporting it across the continent to the North?

Besides, I had been run through the heart. There’s no way I should’ve survived that.

“Then what the hell is going on?”

None of this made sense.

I rubbed my face, trying to steady my thoughts…

“Huh?”

Something felt off.

Specifically, the scar over my left eye—

“It’s gone?”

It was missing.

Or more precisely, I couldn’t feel it with my fingertips.

Was I imagining things?

But no… It wasn’t just the scar over my eye that was gone.

“The one on the back of my hand is gone too?”

The scar on my right arm, earned in a battle against an Imperial corps commander—vanished.

And this wasn’t just a trick of the mind. I could clearly see it was gone.

Looking closer, it wasn’t just the scars.

“What happened to my hands?”

The calluses built up from countless battlefields were nowhere to be found.

Now, my hands were pale and smooth, like those of a pampered noble’s son.

As if I had become someone else…

And then, it happened.

—

◆ Unique Privilege Transferred! ◆

A translucent message suddenly appeared before my eyes.

Soon after, more incomprehensible lines began flooding my vision.

—

==「Player Information」==
[Name] = Adrian Whitewolf
[Level] = Level 1
[HP] = 71
[MP] = 0
[Stats] = Strength: 0 / Agility: 0 / Constitution: 0 / Mana: 0
[EXP] = 0%

—

The messages glittered in my vision like a magical hologram.

I swear—

“…What is this?”

I’ve never seen anything like it.

Sure, I’d seen magical holograms before—plenty, in fact. It was the primary method of communication for the Allied Forces.

But those required several magic casters and rooms covered in intricate magic circles.

No way that kind of magic could be used here, in a snow-covered wasteland.

More importantly—what was actually written here?

“Player…?”

I’d never heard or seen this stuff in my entire life.

I carefully examined each line of text floating in front of me.

Player. Name. Level.

HP, MP, stats, experience points…

“Is ‘player’ referring to me?”

Since my name was listed under [Name], it seemed like it.

So, I hadn’t become someone else.

“Level 1?”

Assuming this ‘level’ meant what I thought it did, it was probably a quantification of my current capabilities.

Which meant… I was now Level 1.

“Seriously?”

Sure, I was nothing compared to the Hero Ian or the other so-called ‘heroes.’

But that was because they were monsters.

That didn’t mean I was weak.

I had been one of the Allied Forces’ core assets, staying by Ian’s side until the very end.

Even when the heroes and troops were falling left and right, I had survived to the bitter end.

There was a reason the Imperial Army called me the ‘Mad Predator.’

But now… Level 1?

“And what’s with these stats?”

This part was even more absurd.

Strength, Agility, Constitution, Mana—

All sitting at zero.

“Why the hell is everything zero?”

I didn’t know exactly how powerful each stat point was, but zero?

That couldn’t be normal by any standard.

“And what’s this EXP line…?”

Just as confusion began to mount—

—

◆ Displaying Current Player Skills ◆

—

Another message suddenly appeared.

The view changed, and a new window filled my vision.

—

==「Acquired Skills」==
◆ Solo Level Up [EX]
: The player can gain experience to level up. Each level grants 1 stat point.

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

◆ Predation [S+]
: Allows the player to devour a creature’s heart to absorb their abilities and convert them into skills. Consumes mental energy.

—

“…What even is this?”

That was the last thought that crossed my mind—