The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 47: Commander of Beasts (1) (Part 2)

Kai was practically ripping the legion apart.

‘That…’

My eyes widened before I realized it.
The technique Kai was using right now—

‘Wolf’s Swordsmanship?’

Wolf’s Swordsmanship.
Just as the name implied, it was a sword style that mimicked a wolf’s movements.
Inspired by the hunting methods of wolves, it was a swordsmanship Kai had developed himself.

And in the future, it would become the signature technique that made Kai famous as the Commander of the Frost Legion.
Its power was something even Ian acknowledged.
There was no need to say more than that.

‘He’s already perfected it?’

In other words, this wasn’t a technique Kai should have been able to use at this point.
He must’ve taken a step into the realm of a master and completed his swordsmanship during this fight…

‘Insane.’

His growth rate was absurd.
Now, Kai had become a golden wolf, slaughtering the legion’s monsters.

Despite having Serapia on his back, which greatly restricted his movements, Kai remained relentless.
As an enemy, he was loathsome beyond belief—but as an ally, there was no one more reassuring.

Which is why the original plan was:

To throw Serapia in as bait, then launch a joint assault with Kai to take down the Lycanthrope.

But something went wrong.

‘He brought the entire legion with him.’

The Lycanthrope had dragged a whole legion along.
Though a beast maddened by desire, it still valued its life enough to bring backup insurance.

As a result, joint combat with Kai was no longer possible.
Worse yet, we were the ones on the receiving end of the combined assault from the Lycanthrope and his legion.
Fortunately, Kai was holding the line against the entire legion on his own.

Sshk—! Splurt—!

…Or rather, he was wiping them out.

I didn’t need to worry about Kai.

The problem was me.

In the shadows of the snowy mountains, the Lycanthrope’s eyes gleamed ominously.

But it didn’t recklessly charge in.
And I didn’t either.

‘Strong.’

There was a reason he was called a Monarch of Beasts.
Of course, Dragon’s Claw [A] had torn through even the Lycanthrope’s claws.

With its ability to ignore [-35%] of the target’s defense, Dragon’s Claw [A] could rip through the Lycanthrope’s tough hide in an instant.

In short, my attack power was far superior.
But I lacked the supporting stats to back it up.

Agility, Strength, Endurance—
The essential attributes needed to sustain battle.
The stats required to drive Dragon’s Claw [A] into his chest were still overwhelmingly in the Lycanthrope’s favor.

Even after activating Metabolic Overdrive [U], I couldn’t match his stats.

‘If I burn more calories…’

Then I could amplify my stats even further.
Metabolic Overdrive [U] scaled with how many calories were consumed.

‘But I can’t.’

I couldn’t afford to burn all my calories just on Metabolic Overdrive [U].
My maximum calorie storage was 100,000.
I had to reserve the remaining 50,000 calories for Regeneration [B+].

‘If I deplete my calories, regeneration becomes impossible.’

That would be a death sentence.
Once HP hits zero, Regeneration [B+] becomes useless.

It’s not like I didn’t store extra calories in my inventory.
But expecting to replenish them mid-fight against the Lycanthrope was wishful thinking.

A Commander of the Beasts like the Lycanthrope wasn’t someone who gave openings.

More importantly—even if I did get a moment to replenish calories—if both my hands were gone like earlier, I couldn’t consume nutrients anyway.

On the battlefield, a single mistake or miscalculation can cost your life.

Grrrrrr…

The Lycanthrope let out a low growl.

Its snout curled upward like a crocodile’s.
The fangs inside looked sharp enough to chew through steel with ease.

And that wasn’t all. Its regenerative ability was exceptional.

The shoulder I had ripped apart earlier had already healed.
The gash I’d torn into its nape was the same—completely closed.

It wasn’t on the level of an Ice Troll, but in terms of battle endurance, it had more than enough of an advantage.

The Lycanthrope’s claws—extending from its fingertips—were not to be underestimated either.
Granted, they couldn’t compare to Dragon’s Claw [A],
But they still had enough power to tear into my flesh.

And even with Toughened Skin [B]—which granted me [+30%] resistance to all physical damage—
those claws could still dig in.

I’d probably need something like Dragon’s Skin [U] to block those fully.

But that only lasted [5 seconds], and it burned through [10,000Kcal] per activation.
Dragon’s Skin [U] wasn’t something I could recklessly use.

Me versus the Lycanthrope.

We both knew the other could inflict a fatal wound.
So we stared each other down in the darkness, locked in tension.

◆ Time remaining for Metabolic Overdrive [U]: <157 seconds>

Even now, the timer for Metabolic Overdrive [U] continued to tick down.
Roughly 2 minutes and 30 seconds left.
Honestly, defeating the Lycanthrope within that time was nearly impossible.

Trying to replenish calories would only give the Lycanthrope a perfect opening.

As expected—

‘I can’t do this alone.’

The first plan had failed.
The moment the Lycanthrope brought the legion with him, it was over.

But that was only the first plan.

When I devised this operation, I had already accounted for the possibility that he might show up with a full legion.

In my previous life, missions constantly threw curveballs.
I’ve adjusted plans to unpredictable situations more times than I can count.

Which brings us to Plan B.

“Kai!!”

The moment I shouted, Kai immediately hurled himself in my direction.
No detailed instructions were needed.

Kai instantly understood what I meant.

I, too, launched myself toward Kai.

In a flash, our shoulders and backs met.
We used the point of contact as a pivot and spun in half a circle—
and just like that, we switched positions.

I, who had been fighting the Lycanthrope, was now facing the legion.
Kai, who had been battling the legion, was now up against the Lycanthrope.

In that moment, the Lycanthrope and his legion were both stunned.

Kai seized that moment of hesitation and charged straight at the Lycanthrope.
And with the Kai of now—he could definitely buy me time.

Thanks to him, I could now face the legion instead.

Or rather, more accurately—

“Now then… who’s first on the menu?!”

—I could replenish my nutrients.

Translatin_Otaku

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