The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 20: The Master of the Snowy Mountains (1) (Part 2)

His Aura-filled voice snapped the soldiers out of their panic.
They quickly assembled behind him in formation.

Once Kai confirmed everyone was there,
he drove his sword into the ground.

Then—
As he expanded his Aura, a translucent barrier formed around the sword.

And just then, the avalanche hit.

The world turned a hazy white.
The air filled with ice and dust.

Inside it—only destruction could be felt.

How much time passed?

The avalanche reached the base of the mountain,
forming a massive white grave.

Only then… did silence return to the Snowy Mountains.

“…Oh my god.”

“I-I almost died…!”

The soldiers collapsed to the ground as their legs gave out.

The area where the avalanche had swept through—
there was nothing left behind.

“Everyone…! Are you… alright?”

Kai checked the soldiers’ condition.

His long blond hair was dusted in snow.
His hand gripping the sword and his voice trembled slightly.

It was a natural reaction after facing the wrath of nature head-on.
He couldn’t have imagined such a thing was even possible.

This was no exaggeration—it was man going to war with nature.

He suffered considerable injuries in the process, yet Kai hadn’t fled.
He stood his ground and protected the soldiers while facing down nature itself.

If he hadn’t blocked the avalanche with his Aura up front…
How many of them would’ve survived?

“We’re okay!!”
“We’re unharmed!!”

The soldiers’ eyes, turned toward Kai, brimmed with deep respect and awe.
Just then—

BOOOOOM—!!

Another massive explosion erupted from the snowy mountains.
It wasn’t exactly thanks to it, but no further avalanches occurred after the first.

And from the direction of that explosion—
Kai’s instincts screamed.

They warned him to never go there.

“Ice-Drake…!!!”

One of the soldiers shouted.

“What—what did you say?!”
“Why is the Ice-Drake here…?!”

The soldiers’ faces instantly turned pale.

There wasn’t a single one among them who didn’t know what that name meant.
Not just the soldiers.
Every single person in the County of the House of Whitewolf knew it.

No—every living being in the northern continent did.

That creature was a catastrophe that surpassed even the fearsome wrath of nature known as an avalanche.

CLANG—!

The Ice-Drake’s hide refused to let the blade sink in.
But that didn’t mean it absorbed all the force of the blow.

The shock struck like a hammer of iron—
and the Ice-Drake staggered from the impact.
I quickly pulled back to create distance.

The sword I was using was a standard-issue weapon used by soldiers of House Whitewolf.
Nothing fancy, but a solid steel blade suited for real combat.

It wasn’t like the flashy rapier I had used last time.

Yet even with this, I couldn’t cut it.
I didn’t even leave a scratch.

‘Its hide is too hard.’

Not just tough—hard.
The Ice-Drake’s hide was something inherited from dragons.
Of course, it couldn’t compare to real dragon scales.

Still, it was hide imprinted with dragon genes.

Without an Aura Sword, there was no cutting through the Ice-Drake’s skin.
And I couldn’t use Aura, let alone handle Mana Force.

‘A sword won’t do it.’

I had to rely on blunt force. I made the call fast.
I threw the sword. The Ice-Drake didn’t dodge.

CLANG—!
Sparks flew as the sword collided with the creature’s hide.

I’d been feeling this for a while—its hide might as well be metal.

Which meant: even if I beat it to death, I couldn’t win like this.

But.

I wasn’t the good-for-nothing of the House of Whitewolf anymore.

I was part of the Allied Forces Special Operations Command.
Commander of the Special Warfare Unit.

If the Ice-Drake had dragon genes imprinted into it—
then I had every memory and experience as a Predator of the Allied Forces engraved into my mind.

◆ Skill ‘Promote Metabolism (신진대사 촉진)[E+]’ activated.
◆ Strength decreases by [-25%].
◆ Agility and Stamina increase by [+10%].

Thump!
All functions tied to my nervous system were temporarily boosted.
The thrown sword had done no damage.
But it gave the Ice-Drake a moment of hesitation.

And that brief hesitation—

Tap-tap-tap!

I darted in, slipping through the opening.
My sudden burst of speed caught the Ice-Drake off guard.

Its side was completely exposed.

I clenched my fist tightly.

Promote Metabolism [E+] traded 25% of my Strength for increased Stamina and Agility.
Meaning, my Strength stat dropped from 22 to 16.5.

That was a loss equal to five and a half grown men’s worth of force—
and that much less damage against the Ice-Drake.

But Promote Metabolism [E+] was a toggle skill: [On/Off].

Just before the punch landed, I deactivated the skill.
My lost Strength returned instantly.
A full-strength blow, using all 22 points of power.

And that punch struck the Ice-Drake’s ribs—

BOOOOOM—!!

A massive crash. The Ice-Drake’s body shook violently—

CRACK!
The sound of bones breaking rang out.

But the sound hadn’t come from the Ice-Drake.

◆ Temporarily disabling sensory nerves.

The message appeared in front of me, blocking out the pain.
When I looked down—my fist was shredded.

Meanwhile, the Ice-Drake had only staggered a few steps.
It shook its head a few times and quickly regained its senses.

At this point, I hadn’t punched its ribs.
Its ribs had punched me.

Giving up the bone to take the flesh.

Sounds absurd.
But for me right now, it was the best possible strategy.

◆ Skill ‘Regeneration [B-]’ activated. Damaged body parts can now regenerate.
◆ Skill ‘Nutrient Synthesis [C+]’ activated. Synthesizing required nutrients.

I activated Regeneration [B-] and Nutrient Synthesis [C+] at once.
Then pulled out monster meat from my inventory and chomped it down.

My pulverized fist regenerated in an instant.

Grrrr…!

That’s when I noticed the Ice-Drake’s gaze change.

Just moments ago, it had seen me as nothing more than prey.
A weakling to be hunted.

But not anymore.

Now, it saw me as a fellow predator.
A rival who could very well devour it.

Our eyes met.

Neither of us rushed in.

A standoff that felt like it could last forever.

I raised a finger and tauntingly beckoned.

“C’mon. Keep biting if you can.”

Even then, the Ice-Drake didn’t lunge.

Not fear, exactly—
but it now regarded me with caution.

Though only for a moment.

“You scared, or what?”

At those words, the Ice-Drake’s eyes rolled back—
and it launched forward, slamming its claws into the snow-covered ground.

Translatin_Otaku

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