The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 28: Variable (1) (Part 1)

If he had a regression ability…

Ian wouldn’t have said the word “last” to me.
After all, he could just regress and meet me again.

“What if Ian didn’t know he had a regression ability?”

Then it would make sense.
If he wasn’t aware of his own regression ability, it was perfectly understandable that he spoke of it as a final farewell.

“…No, that’s not it.”

But the likelihood of that was extremely low.
So low, in fact, that I could say with certainty it was impossible.

Because of the translucent messages floating before my eyes:

== [Acquired Skills] ==

◆ Solo Leveling [EX]
: The Player can gain experience points and level up. Gains 1 stat point for each level gained.

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

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

◆ Regeneration [B-]
◆ Toughened Skin [D]
◆ Nutrient Synthesis [C+]
◆ Promote Metabolism [E+]
◆ Dragon’s Claw [A]

This neatly explained every ability possessed by a [Player].
And this wasn’t my ability.
These were Ian’s.

In other words, just as I could see my own skills, Ian could also see his abilities clearly.

Which meant—
Ian absolutely knew he had the regression ability.
It’s more accurate to say it was impossible for him not to know.

So why did Ian still say it was the last time?

“Did Ian intend to pass his regression ability on to me?”

That was the conclusion I reached.

It made sense—
Ian was already aware of my [S+] grade Predation.

He knew exactly how Predation worked.
I only began to truly understand its mechanics after meeting Ian.

In a sense, Ian understood Predation better than I did.

Which is why… it wasn’t just the regression ability.
Ian likely intended to give me all of his powers.

Why he thought that was a good idea… I’m not sure.

But if that really was his intent, then I did receive both [Solo Leveling EX] and [Player’s Will EX] from him.

However—

A variable arose.

“I didn’t receive the regression ability.”

Because Predation [S+] is not a complete ability.
You can’t acquire everything from a target in a single use.

The fact that I only received Dragon’s Claw [A] from the Ice-Drake is proof enough.

And so—
Ian, who returned to the past, must’ve realized immediately upon opening his eyes:

“Adrian didn’t receive my regression ability.”

Because it was still with him.
The very fact that Ian had returned to the past proved that the ability hadn’t transferred to me.

And so Ian must’ve thought:

“I need to find Adrian.”

But in my past life, I left the House of Whitewolf.
Ian likely assumed I’d acted the same way again and thus didn’t think to look for me there.

“That’s why…”

Even after a whole month, Ian still hadn’t appeared.
Because he assumed I wouldn’t be at the County of Whitewolf.

If so—

“I need to find Ian.”

It had to be me who searched for him.
No matter how you looked at it, the one sure thing was that Ian had returned to the past.

So, logically, I should leave the House of Whitewolf right now and go after him—

“No. That would be a rash decision.”

Now that I was certain Ian retained his memories of the past,
his whereabouts were even more unclear.

Just as I had changed my behavior from before, so would Ian.

After all, I still didn’t know where Ian was.

Which meant that even if I left the estate, the only thing I could do was wander aimlessly looking for him.

Leaving without a plan wouldn’t be wise.
Especially not when I hadn’t yet dealt with the Monarch of Frost Serapia.

If I were to leave, I had to at least ensure Serapia was eliminated.
No one knew when, where, or how she might fall into corruption.

Therefore, leaving the estate now wasn’t an option.

If that’s the case—

“I need to let Ian know that I’ve returned to the past.”

That would be the best move.
If Ian knew that, he would come looking for me at the House of Whitewolf.

“The problem is… how do I let him know?”

Right now, I had no idea where Ian was.
More importantly, if my hunch was right, Ian thought I had already left the County of Whitewolf, just like in our previous life.

Ian was likely wandering across the continent, searching for me.

But there was a way.

I could create an organization that gathered and tracked information on my behalf.

“I need to establish a merchant group.”

A merchant group was perfect in many ways.

As the former commander of a special operations unit, I had performed covert missions, including intelligence gathering, analysis, and dissemination.

“There’s no organization more sensitive to information than a merchant group.”

Through it, I could access the latest news from across the continent—
even monitor the movements of the Emperor and the Empire.

That wasn’t all.

I could also begin stockpiling funds for the formation of an allied force.

Finding Ian, monitoring the Empire, and securing the capital for war—all through the merchant group.

The benefits were overwhelming.

But founding one wasn’t something you could do just by talking about it.

“I’ll need some starting capital.”

I started moving immediately.

And at that exact moment—

◆ A Territory Quest has arrived ◆

Suddenly, a translucent message appeared before me.

== [Humble Beginnings, Grand Endings!] ==

[Objective]: Establish a merchant group and complete your first trade route.
[Reward]: Unlock 「Management Mode」
[Failure]: Expelled from the County

Translatin_Otaku

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