The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 3: Return (2) (Part 1)

I’ve returned to the past?

It didn’t make sense.

Even though the thought came from my own head, it was utterly ridiculous.

But if it was true—if I really had returned to the past?

Then everything made sense.

The scar I got on the battlefield was gone.

My hands were pale and smooth, like those of a nobleman’s pampered son.

My level was back to 1.

All my stats were slammed down to zero.

If I wasn’t the Predator of the Allied Forces anymore, but just the disgrace of a Count’s household—then all the pieces fit perfectly.

“No, come on, that’s just nonsense—”

KRRRROOOAAAAR—!!!

The Ice Troll’s roar shattered my thoughts.

Maybe it thought I was paralyzed in fear, just standing there doing nothing. With a wicked grin, it approached like a predator eyeing its captured prey.

I didn’t know exactly what was going on yet, but…

‘Questions later.’

The Ice Troll in front of me came first.

An Ice Troll was never an easy monster to deal with.

Its regeneration was one thing—but the strength coming from that massive frame was utterly destructive.

No gambling-addicted noble brat who wasted years in debauchery could hope to take it on.

But still…

Tap!

I kicked off the snowy ground of the mountain and rushed forward.

Maybe it never expected the scared kid to suddenly charge.

Krruh?!

The Ice Troll flinched, startled.

The distance between us closed fast.

Even if I had returned to the past, my memories remained intact.

All my experience crossing countless battlefields and dancing along the edge of death still lingered within me.

If someone asked who my teacher was, I always had one answer:

“The battlefield.”

I sharpened my hand into a blade.

The monster was still recovering from its surprise.

The Ice Troll was a top-tier predator on this snowy mountain.

It probably never imagined it could become prey.

I drove my sharpened hand straight into its chest.

Splat—!

But I couldn’t pierce its hide?

‘Shit!’

A mistake.

I wasn’t the Allied Forces’ Predator anymore.

All the powers I gained through Predation were gone.

Not to mention, this wasn’t the trained body I had back then either.

I no longer had the hardened, steel-like physique forged from endless battlefields.

This was the body of the noble disgrace who lived on gambling and indulgence.

There was no way such a weak body could rip out a Troll’s heart—hell, it couldn’t even scratch its hide.

‘Goddamn it.’

I quickly pulled my hand back and reached for my waist.

Even back then, I had at least worn a thin rapier at my belt for “self-defense.”

The kind of fancy blade used by noble heirs trying to look cool.

Completely impractical in a real fight—but still, a blade was a blade.

KRRROOOAAAARRR!!

The Ice Troll’s roar slammed into my eardrums.

It had finally gotten over its confusion, and its eyes now tracked me with deadly focus.

My mind raced.

Survival instincts screamed.

I couldn’t back off. I had to finish this.

I stepped forward again.

Among two-legged monsters, the top predator was undoubtedly the Ogre.

Ice Trolls weren’t quite at that level—but they were still brutal beasts worthy of the title “predator.”

And this one was showing clear hunger—for me.

That feral bloodlust.

Its gaze alone was overflowing with violence.

I could feel it through its eyes—pure, boiling savagery.

And I read it.

‘Now!’

Whoosh!

The Troll’s massive fist barely grazed my side.

Yeah—it just grazed me.

“!!”

A searing, tearing pain exploded through my body.

My mouth opened in a silent scream.

Unbelievable power.

…But I endured. I had to endure.

I gritted my teeth so hard they ached.

I forcefully clung to my fading consciousness.

Eyes wide open, refusing to shut.

Now it was my turn.

Sharpening all my senses, I thrust the rapier toward the Troll’s chest.

Thrust—!

The thin blade dug into the Troll’s hide.

Say what you want about its flashy looks, but the past me had at least bought a fairly decent weapon.

KRUOOARGH—!

The creature howled in pain and swung its arms again.

I opened my eyes wide, focusing on its movements.

If I got caught, I’d die.

But I didn’t retreat.

I lowered my stance, dodging its flailing arms and dove inward.

My grip on the rapier tightened.

Shhk—!

The blade plunged deeper into the Troll’s chest.

But it didn’t fall.

What was I expecting from a flashy noble’s rapier?

I never thought I could kill it in one blow anyway.

‘Found it!’

I felt it—the beating heart of the Ice Troll through the blade.

Trolls’ signature ability—regeneration.

That ability relied on blood.

And blood flowed from the heart.

Destroy the heart, and you cut off that supply. Its regeneration would be crippled.

In other words—the heart was the Troll’s weak point.

KRRUUAGH—!!

The Ice Troll screamed in panic.

It flailed again, trying to stop me—but I was faster.

SPLATTT!!!

The heart burst, and blood exploded like a fountain.

I jumped back just in time.

The Troll’s huge arms lost all strength, flopping uselessly in the air.

Its massive body wobbled—then collapsed with a dull boom that shook the ground.

◆ You have slain the Ice Troll!
◆ Gained 120 Combat Experience!
◆ Level Up!
◆ Level Up!
◆ Level Up!

The messages filled my vision.

I tilted my head.

“That was enough to kill it?”

Honestly, I was baffled.

Sure, the heart was the Troll’s weak spot.

But this shouldn’t have been enough to kill it.

You usually had to shred the heart with a bastard sword imbued with a ton of aura to take down a Troll.

And this was an Ice Troll.

A variant of the species with super-charged regeneration.

The kind the Emperor rounded up and turned into potions.

Against something like that, a fancy decorative rapier was worse than a toothpick.

You’d normally have to punch dozens of holes in it to maybe kill it.

So what gives?

“…Was it a weakened specimen?”

Translatin_Otaku

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