The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 50: The Predator’s Instinct (1) (Part 1)

◆ You have cleared the Sudden Quest [We Are the Legion!]
◆ You have gained 959,600 Quest EXP!

It wasn’t the message I had been expecting.
Well, it had taken quite some time for the Dragon Genetic Factor engraved in the Ice-Drake to settle in.
Let alone the genetic factor engraved in the Monarch of Beasts—that would surely take even longer.

Still, it wasn’t something that would disappear if I waited. I simply needed to be patient.
More importantly, the message that did appear was more than enough to excite me.

‘Nearly nine times more.’

Nearly 960,000 EXP.

‘Quest rewards really do far surpass hunting.’

Thanks to that, I leveled up a whopping +16 times.
My level, which had previously been 30, jumped all the way to 50 in an instant.
That alone was a tremendous reward.

But the real prize was only just beginning.

◆ KkyaaAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!!!

A semi-transparent message popped up again in front of my eyes, as if it might faint from excitement.

◆ You have achieved the incredible, unbelievable feat of not just repelling a monster legion—but subjugating its leader, the Lycanthrope!!

◆ Who in their right mind wouldn’t be shocked at such a feat?!
◆ If anyone dares object, let them come forward! Bam! Smash! I’ll teach them a lesson!
◆ Transcending imagination! Undeniable! Real fact! No cap!

◆ But wait, there’s more!
◆ Fearless courage! A sacrifice that defied death! The people of your territory watched—and were deeply moved! Again and again!
◆ As a reward, Territory Favorability has greatly increased!

◆ That’s not all! This kind of day doesn’t come often!
◆ As an additional reward, you receive [+5 to All Stats]!

◆ Are we giving away too much?!
◆ Who cares! This quest has gone crazy!!

◆ Now then, who dares stand in our way?! Move aside for the <Ruler of the North> !
◆ As a bonus, you have been granted the title <Ruler of the North>!

…Truly, this was on another level of over-the-top.
It blacked out my vision with its overblown excitement—it was all a solo performance, and I was close to losing my mind watching it.

‘No matter how I look at it, it really seems to have a personality.’

The way some messages popped up like they could read my thoughts made it seem all the more likely.

In any case, setting aside the fanfare, the rewards were insane.
I had defeated none other than a Commander of the Beast Legion, after all.
High risk, high return.
And this return more than justified the danger.

‘I’ll check the Territory Favorability and bonus stats later…’

First, I checked the new title I received: .

== ==
[Acquisition Requirement] – Subjugate the previous <Ruler of the North> .
[Effect 1] – Enemies who attempt to challenge the player within the northern region receive intense psychological pressure, reducing All Stats by -20%.
[Effect 2] – The ruler’s dignity and presence raise ally morale. During battles in the North, All Stats of the player and allies increase by +15%.

The only downside was that the effect was limited to the northern region.
Unlike the <Master of the Snowy Mountains>, which provided +5 to all stats anywhere, this title only worked in the North.

‘Still, it’s good.’

Even with that limitation, it was a better title than <Master of the Snowy Mountains>.
Even if it was regional, the raw stat swing of [+35% total difference] made a significant impact—and that effect would scale even more as I grew stronger.

‘The debuff also isn’t limited to monsters.’

Previously, <Master of the Snowy Mountains> had an [Effect 1] that instilled fear in all monsters residing in the Snowy Mountains, reducing their stats by -15%.
It didn’t apply to enemies that weren’t monsters.
And unless the target actually felt fear, their stats wouldn’t be lowered.

That’s why it hadn’t worked on the Lycanthrope—he hadn’t been afraid.

But the same was true in reverse.

Based on the requirement for acquiring <Ruler of the North>, it seemed the Lycanthrope had been the previous <Ruler of the North> .
In other words, he had been applying the effects of that title to me.

‘No wonder the monsters in his legion felt abnormally strong.’

Now I realized—it was because the Lycanthrope’s title had given all his forces a +15% stat boost.

That also meant I should have been suffering from -20% stat reduction.
That’s what does, after all.

But in reality, I hadn’t experienced any stat decrease.

‘Thanks to Ian’s ability.’

It was because of Ian’s ability: Player’s Will [EX].
The -20% stat penalty from the title was based on mental pressure.

But mental pressure has no effect on me.
So there was no stat reduction.

Which meant—

‘Kai was fighting under a -20% stat penalty.’

Even so, he had pressured the Lycanthrope and even pushed him into Berserk.

‘Freaking lunatic.’

That thought came naturally.
And come to think of it, Kai was a legion commander too.

Commander of the Frost Legion.
From my experience, Kai was far stronger than the Lycanthrope—even overwhelmingly so.

‘Crazy bastard.’

A madman, through and through.

Anyway, I allocated all of my level-up bonus stat points to Agility.

‘The additional +5 to all stats from the reward was applied automatically.’

Lastly, I unequipped the title and replaced it with to activate its effect.

==「Player Info」==
[Name] = Adrian Whitewolf
[Title] = Ruler of the North
[Level] = 50
[HP] = 611
[MP] = 0
[Stats] =
Strength: 37.95 (+4.95)
Agility: 65 (+15)
Endurance: 27.3 (+6.3)
Mana: 6.9 (+0.9)
[EXP] = 31.7%