The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 31: Predator Merchant Group (1) (Part 2)

“Uh… Alacron belly steak, was it? I’ll have one of those.”

“Please wait just a moment!”

The staff quickly prepared the steak. The man, visibly nervous, sliced into the meat.

With everyone’s eyes on him—

“Holy sh*t!!!”

His eyes flew wide open, and then—silence.

Chomp chomp! Chomp chomp!

He dug in like a starving beast. The fork and knife disappeared—his face was buried in the plate.

“Uh, sir, are you alri—”

Chomp chomp! Chomp chomp!

The plate was cleared in an instant.

“Another one! No, two! No, just give me everything!!”

He even placed an additional order.
There wasn’t a hint of madness in him.

Unless you count gluttony as a form of madness.

With irrefutable evidence right before them, everyone swallowed nervously.

Sure, they’d hesitated at the word monster, but the marbled texture alone looked mouthwateringly insane.

“Give me one too!”
“Me too! Me too!”

The flood of orders that followed was inevitable.

It had been a day since the Predator Merchant Group began doing business in Frecce.

“Hey, have you been to that meat shop in the central plaza?”

Rumors about the Predator Merchant Group were already spreading through Frecce.

“Hm? Was there a meat shop in the central plaza?”
“It’s the new place where the Predator Merchant Group set up.”
“Predator Merchant Group?”
“I heard it’s run by the House of Whitewolf.”
“Ah, that territory located way up in the north?”
“Exactly.”

But in the end, it was still just a rumor.
There were still plenty of people who didn’t even know it existed.

However, that was only a matter of time.

“They say the meat sold there is insanely delicious!”
“Still, meat is just meat. How good could it possibly—”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!!”
“Whoa, you startled me. Did you eat Ogre lungs or something? Why are you so loud?”
“Well, that’s because you’re clearly spouting nonsense!”
“Is it really that good?”
“I’m telling you, it’s no joke. It’s so good, you could die while eating it and not even notice!”
“Seriously?”
“Have you been living under a rock? This won’t do! Come on, I’ll show you heaven itself!”
“W-Wait, hey!”

And just like that—

Word of mouth about the monster meat spread through all of Frecce like a contagious madness.

It was now the second day since we began business in Frecce.

At this point, the stall was so crowded that there wasn’t even room to step.

With one hand, I flipped the meat quickly, and with the other, I moved the pan as I grilled.

Besides butchering, I also knew how to cook fairly well.
In fact, back during my Special Task Force days, it was harder to find something I hadn’t learned.

Whoosh!!

“Whoa—!”
“What skill!”

A flashy fire show like something out of a circus drew people in.

Even those who didn’t order food often paused for a while to watch.

‘Definitely, increasing Agility made my dexterity better.’

Agility didn’t just mean fast movements.

It was the ability to transmit commands from the brain through the nervous system. In simple terms, “every action that relies on the nervous system” was tied to Agility.

In that sense, dexterity was also a part of Agility. My current Agility stat was 25.

That meant I had neural responsiveness and hand skills equivalent to 25 adult males.

Because of that, the taste of the meat had improved significantly.

Monster meat evolved with thick layers of fat to survive the cold.
Its taste alone was already incomparable to any other meat on the continent.

And when you added my enhanced Agility on top of that, it was truly a taste from a fantasy.

As a result—

“Here! Two more servings of Demexus hind leg!”
“Five servings of Alacron belly steak, please!”

We quickly became the most popular merchant group and restaurant in the free city of Frecce.

Naturally, the money was piling up at an incredible rate.
And that wasn’t even the end.

With the recent hunt of three more Rexes, I was able to further enhance my abilities.

◆ Promote Metabolism [D]

: When activated, the player’s endocrine system is stimulated, greatly increasing metabolic rate. The player’s Strength decreases by [-15%], but Agility and Stamina increase by [+20%].

<This skill can be toggled [On/Off].>

This way, I was able to upgrade the previously [E+] ranked “Promote Metabolism” ability up two whole levels to [D].

As a result, the Strength penalty was significantly reduced.
On the other hand, the boosts to Agility and Stamina increased considerably.

Now, the bonuses outweighed the penalties.

Additionally, I had managed to hunt 8 Alacrons and 3 Demexuses.

Thus:

• [Toughened Skin] upgraded from [D] to [D+]
• [Nutrient Synthesis] upgraded from [C+] to [B-]

Each increased by one tier.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to level up.

‘The EXP requirement really keeps getting higher.’

Just hunting monsters wasn’t going to cut it anymore.
Based on past experience, quest EXP was the most efficient way to level up.

And right now, the only quest I could immediately complete was the territory quest I had received earlier.

== [Though Its Beginning Is Humble, Its End Shall Be Great!] ==

[Objective] – Successfully complete your first merchant venture after establishing your merchant group.
[Reward] – Unlock 「Management Mode」
[Failure] – Banishment from the County

I didn’t know exactly what this “Management Mode” reward entailed.
I had a rough guess, but even without that, the quest EXP was likely to be substantial.

Granted, the condition said “successfully,” but—

‘At this rate, we’ll sell out in no time.’

This wasn’t just “safe” success.
It was an all-out jackpot.

I had no real worries about completing the quest.
So instead of focusing on that, I needed to remember my true purpose.

‘Ian isn’t in Frecce.’

Ian wasn’t here.

While taking breaks from work, I’d searched all over Frecce, but there wasn’t even a trace that Ian had ever passed through.

Just as I suspected, Ian was wandering the continent in search of me. But I didn’t know where exactly he was looking…

‘I need to make sure he hears the name of the merchant group.’

That’s why I named it “Predator Merchant Group.”

My code name during the Allied Forces days—Predator.
It was a name Ian himself had given me.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar word on the continent.
But it also wasn’t one that was used often.
Especially not “Predator Merchant Group.”

So if the rumor of the Predator Merchant Group reached Ian’s ears, that was all I needed.

If he just found out that the Predator Merchant Group was run by the House of Whitewolf—

‘Then he’ll know right away.’

He’ll realize that I’m currently in the County of Whitewolf—and that I also returned to the past.

Then Ian would come find me immediately in the Whitewolf territory.

To make that happen, I had to spread the name of the Predator Merchant Group as far and wide as possible.

That’s why I came to the free city of Frecce.

‘I can’t just make a name for myself in the kingdom.’

The House of Whitewolf belonged to the Kingdom of Battenberg.

News from the Battenberg Kingdom was easy for me to access. But information from other kingdoms was harder to come by.

Meanwhile, the Free City wasn’t part of any kingdom—it was truly “free.”

It was the hub where goods from all over the continent’s kingdoms were distributed, and where intel from every corner gathered.

And it wasn’t just about finding Ian.

Even merchant groups from the Empire frequented the Free City.
That meant I could use the group to enter imperial lands and even the royal palace directly.
That way, I could monitor the Emperor and the Empire’s movements.
And gather funds to form the Allied Forces again.

To do all that, I planned to make the Predator Merchant Group the best on the continent.

And the first step to achieving that—was right here, in Frecce.

‘Now then, it’s about time for the bait to bite…’

And just then—

“Ahem! Hem-hem!”

The sound I’d been waiting for—of someone finally taking the bait—rang out.

Translatin_Otaku

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