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

It definitely seemed that way.

Now that I got a good look, the thing was severely emaciated.

It must’ve gone nearly a whole month without food.

Since regeneration is fueled primarily by blood, its effectiveness varies based on nutritional status.
Compared to other monsters, starvation is especially deadly for an Ice Troll.

“No wonder.”

That strike earlier had felt manageable.
If I’d encountered a well-fed one, things would’ve gone very differently.
Chances are, I’d be the one lying dead.

I could only call it pure luck.

“Come to think of it, I’ve run into an Ice Troll before.”

And I survived.
To be precise, I managed to run away.

If I could escape with the pathetic stamina I had back then, it clearly wasn’t in peak condition.

Still, a troll is a troll.
As the tension faded, pain surged from where it had grazed me.

“Feels like a few ribs are broken—ghk!”

When I brushed the spot with my fingers, a sharp, splintering pain shot through me.

It had only grazed me, and yet this was the result.

If I had the hardened body of a Predator trained by the allied forces, that wouldn’t have happened.
But the body of a spoiled noble from the count’s house was far too frail.

In this state, even breathing was a chore, let alone moving.

◆ You have completed the Tutorial Quest: [What the Hell Just Happened?!]
◆ As a reward, [Inventory] has been unlocked!
◆ You have gained 200 Quest EXP!
◆ Your level has increased!
◆ Your level has increased again!

◆ You chose to face the Ice Troll head-on instead of running and achieved victory!
◆ Incredible! Truly incredible!!
◆ As a bonus reward, [Stats +1] has been granted!

Lines of text rapidly filled my vision.
Judging from all the level-ups and stat increases, something must’ve changed in the [Player Info] window I saw earlier.

But I could check that later.
Right now, I needed to tend to my injuries.

“Looks like I need medical attention, badly…”

But the snow-covered landscape around me was no place to get treatment.
Which left me with only one option.

“I never did manage to use Predation on an Ice Troll before.”

Predation.
Ice Trolls were native to my homeland, but I had never succeeded in absorbing one’s ability.

Part of that was because I awakened my predation ability quite late.
And by the time I had, the emperor had already driven Ice Trolls to extinction.

“The Ice Troll’s regenerative ability, huh…”

I cautiously extracted the heart from the fallen troll.
It was nearly the size of my own head—fitting for such a hulking beast.
It was still warm, proof that it had only just died.

“Whew…”

I took a deep breath and brought the heart to my lips.

Crunch.

The tough heart muscle crushed in my mouth, and thump—
My own heart pounded violently.
It felt like someone was strangling me. I couldn’t breathe, and the whole world turned red.

My mind blurred, tinted in crimson.
Consciousness flickered in and out.

…This was the side effect of Predation.

My ability came with a few strict conditions and drawbacks.

The first condition: I couldn’t absorb abilities from hearts that were completely lifeless.
In other words, I had to consume a living heart directly to gain its power.

No loopholes—eating the heart of a dead monster wouldn’t cut it.
Still, that was just a restriction, not a fatal flaw.

The real danger lay in the side effects.

Using Predation plunged me into a state of madness.
Even if only for a moment, I would lose all reason and become no different from a monster.

Not even a saint’s miracle could suppress these side effects.

That’s why I couldn’t use Predation lightly.
Later on, with Ian’s help, I gained some ability to control it—but it was never limitless.

Even now, having returned to the past, the side effects remained the same.
My body might be younger, but I was still the same person inside.

I knew this.
But right now, I had no choice.

This wasn’t a place where I could get healed.

And with my ribs wrecked like this, there was only one option left.

Besides, passing up an Ice Troll’s regenerative ability while it was right in front of me would’ve been idiotic.

Ssssshhh—!

Dark crimson mist crawled into my mind, swallowing it whole.
Soon, I would lose control.
I would become something no better than a beast.

Thank goodness no one else was nearby.

Just then—

“There are tracks leading this way!”

A loud voice rang out.

I turned my head—and saw armed soldiers cutting through the snow, rushing toward me.

“There! We’ve found Lord Adrian!”

At those words, the area instantly turned chaotic.
Someone pushed through the ranks of soldiers and ran ahead.

Her hair shimmered like silver under the moonlight, flowing gracefully in the snowy wind as it fell past her shoulders.

Her skin was pale and flawless, like untouched snow in the mountains.
Her large, sparkling ruby-red eyes and the delicate shading of her features only heightened her ethereal beauty.

Long lashes curled gently upward.
Lips as red as ripe apples.

A face as delicate as a flower petal—that woman was—

“Brother!”

My younger sister, Serapia.

“You’re safe!”

She shouted, her voice mixed with relief and joy.

But I didn’t feel the same.

I wasn’t happy to see her at all.

Serapia. The Monarch of Frost.
The allied army’s greatest enemy.
The witch who took the left arm of the Hero, Ian.

Thump!

My heart pounded like it would burst.
The madness of Predation surged violently within me.

Translatin_Otaku

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