The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 42: Traces (1) (Part 1)

Thank goodness.

Thanks to the soldiers who came running after, I was able to replenish my nutrients.

◆ Skill ‘Regeneration [B+]’ can be used to heal your damaged body.

◆ Regeneration [B+]

: Consumes stored nutrients within the body to recover damaged tissue. The type and amount of nutrients consumed vary depending on the damaged area and severity.

• Temporarily degenerates sensory nerves to block pain.
• Temporarily restructures and reinforces somatic cell structure and durability.

My regeneration ability had now reached [B+] rank.

Regeneration [B+] didn’t just recover injuries—it could even alter the structure of my somatic cells.
That allowed me to convert skin proteins into keratin and unlock a combination skill: [Dragon’s Skin][U].

So I began by regenerating both of my arms.

“U-Uwaaah!!”
“What the hell!?!”

The soldiers flinched and stumbled back in shock.
At first, I thought they were overreacting—but then I realized…

‘This must be their first time seeing my regeneration ability.’

I had never used Regeneration [B+] in front of them before.
Sure, I had healed torn muscles, but I had never regenerated entire limbs like this.
So seeing my practically obliterated arms restore themselves right before their eyes—it would’ve been stranger if they weren’t shocked.

Naturally, the way the soldiers looked at me had completely changed.

When I had defeated the Ice-Drake, there had been awe and reverence in their eyes.
But now… only fear remained.

Gathered together with pale faces, they stared at me with trembling eyes, clearly waiting for an explanation.

Of course, I ignored them.

“Don’t just stand there—start hauling the monster corpses.”

There was a literal mountain of monsters I had hunted.
Each one had been killed using the power of [Predation][S+].

These were overflowing with value—not just materials, but highly marketable ingredients.

I happened to need new goods to sell in the next trading trip.
Still, I’d have to postpone that for now since the Monarch of Beasts was my priority.

But I couldn’t just leave them to rot.

“What are you doing? Move them, now.”
“Y-Yes, sir!!”
“Right away!!”

Only after I repeated myself did the soldiers finally scramble into action.
They rushed about in a frenzy, as if I might eat them next, hurriedly carrying the monster corpses.

I watched them for a moment, then slowly turned my head.

Even now, the semi-transparent system prompt had yet to appear.

‘So the quest hasn’t cleared…’

It was now certain that the emergency quest hadn’t been completed.
Even though I wiped out every fleeing monster with [Dragon Rage Explosion][E].

“Hm…”

I checked the quest details again.

== [We Are the Legion!] ==
[Objective] – Defend the County from the monster horde.
[Reward] – Increased territory favorability
[Failure] – Collapse of the House of Whitewolf

Defend the county from the monster legion.
The fact that it wasn’t cleared yet meant there were more of them out there.
This must’ve only been the first wave.

In other words—

‘The Monarch of Beasts is still somewhere in the north.’

That could only mean one thing: there was no time to waste.

I had to begin the pursuit.

Just as I turned to leave—

A group of soldiers hesitated in front of me, glancing between me and the monster corpses.

“…Did you not hear me say to move them?”

The extreme cold had slowed down decomposition, but not anymore.

The heat unleashed by [Dragon Rage Explosion][E] had warmed the entire county.
If they didn’t act quickly, the meat would spoil.
Not that I cared.
As long as it had calories, I could eat anything.

But these were goods.
High-value merchandise that could elevate the Predator Merchant Group to the continent’s finest.

“Um…”

The soldiers fumbled with their words and then glanced toward something.

Following their gaze, I saw Serapia collapsed on the ground.

To the soldiers, Serapia was both the lord of the county and its top military commander.
They couldn’t just leave her lying there.

“She’s not dead. Leave her and move the corpses.”
“W-What? B-But Serapia-nim—”
“We need to take her inside and heal—”

If they spent time treating her, all the meat would rot.
She only fainted from the shock—there was no serious injury.

“Sigh.”

I let out a short breath and strode over to her.
Then, like lifting a puppet with its strings cut, I picked Serapia up into my arms.

“Now are you satisfied?”

The soldiers’ eyes went wide.
Even those running from inside the castle froze mid-step.

All of them stared with shocked expressions.

“L-Lord Adrian…”
“H-He picked up Serapia-nim…!”
“Carried her in his arms?!”

They looked even more horrified than when I had used [Dragon Rage Explosion][E].

“…Not going to move?”
“M-Moving right away!!!”

Finally, the soldiers dashed off in a panic.
Those frozen in place snapped out of it and rejoined the others.

Despite the commotion, Serapia showed no signs of waking up.

She didn’t seem asleep… it was more like she was dead.
Yet the soft, steady breathing told me she was alive.

Anyway, Serapia, now in my arms, felt incredibly frail.

Maybe it had been hidden beneath her thick coat, but she was beyond slim—emaciated.

The northern continent was a land of scarce food.
She probably never received proper nutrition during her growth years.

As I quietly looked down at her…

Memories from my previous life came creeping back.

The screams of people begging for their lives.
Allied soldiers dying in agony.
Special Forces agents frozen and torn apart.
And Ian, returning with one arm missing.

The pain and suffering endured by the Allied Forces.

My teeth clenched. My eyes reddened with bloodshot fury.
I wanted to twist Serapia’s neck right there.
To tear out her heart with [Dragon’s Claw][A].

My emotions surged like an eruption.

I hadn’t even consumed a monster’s heart with [Predation][S+], yet voices echoed in my mind:

‘Kill this bitch already.’

The screams of civilians.
The despair of comrades.
The resentment of my team.

All of it twisted into one, crushing my sanity.

If it hadn’t been for Ian—

◆ Your Player’s Will[EX] resists the encroaching madness! ◆

—I would’ve broken Serapia’s neck on the spot.

My rationality returned slowly but surely.

“…Hoo.”

As I let out a deep breath, Kai approached with a weary gait.
I walked up to him and shoved Serapia into his arms.

“Take her.”

Kai caught her reflexively, stumbling under the weight.
Serapia was so light she barely registered—but Kai almost collapsed anyway.

That was how bad his condition was.

Even so, he didn’t let go.
Through sheer resolve, Kai managed to keep his balance.

I couldn’t help but admire him.

‘He took that head-on and survived?’

To be honest, I’m starting to wonder if Kai is even human anymore—maybe he’s already a Lich.

Because Dragon Rage Explosion [E] was not a skill anyone could survive.

Translatin_Otaku

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