The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 4: Doubt (Part 2)

He never explained why.
But it had been enough to make me hesitate before twisting Serapia’s neck.

If he regretted it more than being rejected by the Saintess, there had to be a reason.

“You didn’t actually like Serapia, did you?”

It seemed unlikely… but I couldn’t be sure.
The Ian I knew might’ve been capable of something like that.

A tragic romance between a Hero and a Witch, huh?
You don’t get a more heartbreaking love story than that.

In any case, the reason I couldn’t kill Serapia was Ian’s regret.
But that wasn’t the only reason.

I should have twisted Serapia’s neck.
There’s no doubt that Ian’s regret made me hesitate—but I was also consumed by the madness of Predation.

Once madness takes hold, there is no such thing as reason.
Which means, if it had been me from 15 years ago…

I would’ve definitely twisted Serapia’s neck.

◆ The player’s will [EX] resists the encroaching madness! ◆

Just as I was about to twist Serapia’s neck, a message suddenly flashed in my mind.
In that moment, my mind cleared.
Slowly but surely, my sanity returned, and the madness that had taken over me began to fade.

“The player’s will…”

As I muttered, a translucent message appeared before my eyes.

==「Owned Skills」==

◆ Solo Leveling [EX]
: The player can gain EXP and level up.
Every level up grants 1 stat point.

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

◆ Predation [S+]
: By consuming a creature’s heart, the player absorbs its abilities and converts them into skills.
Consumes mental strength.

◆ Regeneration [C+]
: Uses accumulated nutrients in the body to repair damaged physical parts.
The type and amount of nutrients consumed depends on the part and degree of damage.

These were my current abilities.

I still didn’t know the exact mechanism behind this translucent message.
But one thing was certain: Predation [S+] was my ability. And Regeneration [C+] was something I gained from devouring an Ice Troll.

However, Solo Leveling [EX] and Player’s Will [EX] weren’t originally mine.

Back when I was the Predator of the Allied Forces, I had absorbed many powers through Predation—but I had no memory of absorbing something like those.

Which meant… the answer was clear.

“Ian.”

Those were Ian’s powers.
I ate Ian’s heart.

I couldn’t be sure if Solo Leveling [EX] was his…
But I was certain that Player’s Will [EX] was.

“Could that be why Ian was able to fight the Monarch of the Abyss…?”

Among the six Monarchs who served the Emperor, the Monarch of the Abyss was referred to as ‘An Unexplainable Unknown Terror’ within the Allied Forces.

And rightly so—there was simply no way to describe it.
Which meant there was also no way to counter it.

Not the Saintess’s miracles,
Not the Archmage’s spells,
Not the spirits of the Spirit Master,
Not the weapons of the Blacksmiths…

Nothing could stand against the Unexplainable Unknown Terror that the Monarch of the Abyss brought forth.

Except for Ian.

Ian alone remained unshaken, even before the Unexplainable Unknown Terror.
Ian alone could stand against the Monarch of the Abyss, and in the end, he successfully destroyed him.

So now I was certain.

“It was Ian’s ability.”

Player’s Will [EX] belonged to Ian.
So did Solo Leveling [EX].

And I had absorbed those abilities from Ian through Predation.

I hadn’t known what Ian’s abilities were.
But Ian had known about mine.

He knew that I could gain someone’s powers by devouring their heart.

Which made his final words to me all the more meaningful.

“If you ever… go back…”

It meant Ian knew I would return to the past.

Which implies…

“Ian had an ability that allowed time regression?”

That’s the conclusion I had to reach.

The Hero of the Allied Forces, the Archmage, used to say this whenever he encountered something impossible:

“Once you’ve eliminated the impossible, whatever remains—no matter how improbable—must be the truth.”

Such a mage-like thing to say.
But it perfectly described my current situation.

“Regression into the past… huh.”

Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?
But everything pointed to it being the truth.

Let’s say my body becoming younger could be explained—maybe through some secret imperial experiment or something like that.

“The Monarch of Frost is still alive, huh.”

But Serapia is alive.
Even if the Emperor had supernatural powers, he couldn’t bring back the dead.
Sure, there were things like Undead, but that was completely different from resurrection.

If resurrection were possible, he would’ve brought back the other Monarchs that Ian destroyed.
And if he could, why revive her as “Serapia” instead of the Monarch of Frost?

No—there’s no room left for doubt.

I’ve returned to the past.
Denying it would be meaningless.

From now on, I need to change how I think.

“Am I the only one who came back?”

Did I return alone?

Because this regression isn’t my ability.
It’s Ian’s.

Which means—it’s entirely possible that Ian returned as well.

And just when I reached that line of thought…

◆ Main Quest has arrived. ◆

“Main Quest…?”

As I voiced my confusion, messages began to scroll in front of me.

====

You woke up in the snowy mountains of the north out of nowhere!

But instead of panicking like expected—huh?!
You were very calm!

You calmly defeated an Ice Troll!
You calmly assessed the situation!

And the result is…

Ta-da!

You realized you’ve returned to the past!

Bravo! Seriously, bravo!
You’re absolutely awesome!

But don’t get too cocky!
The real question hasn’t been answered yet!

If Ian had an ability to regress into the past, was this really the first time it happened?

Could Ian have regressed countless times before?

Why did Ian give you his heart?

Are you sure this was the first time he gave it to you?

Your head’s spinning already, huh?
So many questions! Total mystery!

Thankfully, someone out there knows everything!

And if you’re as insightful as you seem, you already know what you must do next, right?

It’s time to go find the Hero—wherever he is on the continent!

====

◆ Main Quest [Find the Hero!] has begun.

Translatin_Otaku

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