The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 53: The Triangular Web of Weaknesses (Part 2)

It was a busted ability.

Considering that Dragon’s Claw [A]—a genetic trait of dragons—was just one tier above it, this meant Kai’s talent was just barely below that of a dragon.

Apparently, this was the foundation of his swordsmanship genius.

But it wasn’t purely broken, either.

Fatigue accumulation increased by +6,550%, and the risk of injury by +1,430%.
In simple terms, he tires fast and gets hurt easily.

But Kai’s other ability—

‘Immortal Link?’

As I questioned it, Predatory Instincts [S] activated again, and information on Immortal Link [E] appeared before me.

◆ Immortal Link [E]

The user anchors their life to a [specific target], gaining immortality for as long as that target remains alive.
As long as the linked entity lives, the user cannot experience physical death, regardless of circumstance.
However, mental death may occur, and extreme bodily damage may prevent regeneration.

The measured grade was [E], standing for Epic.
It was the same rating as [Dragon Rage Explosion].

And it was an ability that could completely overcome the penalties of [Muscle Memory (A-)].

Unfortunately, that was an ability I couldn’t obtain.
It was something Kai had manifested through his Aura, after all.

Since I couldn’t wield Aura, I couldn’t gain that ability even if I used [Predation (S+)] on Kai.

Well, anyway.

‘He fixed his life force to a specific target?’

The “specific target” in question—
It wasn’t even necessary to ask who Kai had fixed his life force to.

My gaze naturally shifted in that direction.

And sure enough—

Serapia’s entire body was dyed red.
As if autumn leaves had settled on her, her entire figure had turned crimson.

Which meant—

‘So Serapia is Kai’s Life Force Vessel?’

Life Force Vessel.
An object that seals a Lich’s soul, and the core through which the Lich gains its immortality.
As long as the Life Force Vessel remained intact, the Lich could be resurrected endlessly.

In other words—

…This bastard is undergoing Lichification.

But that didn’t mean he had become a true Lich.
Even so, mental death could still occur, and if the body suffered extreme damage, it might not regenerate.

Just from this, it was clear—Kai was still human.
That is, unlike in his past life, he now remained human and was only borrowing a Lich’s abilities.

All by harnessing the absurd power of Aura.

Still, his body might be wrecked beyond repair, and the only thing keeping him alive was that he hadn’t died yet—
So technically, it was more accurate to call him a zombie for now.

In some ways, he had surpassed even his days as the Commander of the Frost Legion.
Just as I had surpassed my days as a Predator, Kai was also exceeding his past limits.

…Hold on, I was speechless for a second.

‘Is he out of his mind?’

No matter how I looked at it, he was not sane.
We were beyond the point where calling him a madman did him justice.

‘Is he seriously sane?’

…No matter how I thought about it, he wasn’t.
Even if he were blinded by loyalty to Serapia, wasn’t this a bit much?

‘At this point…’

Killing Kai had become near-impossible.

As long as Serapia lived, Kai could enjoy the benefits of immortality.
Of course, the reverse was also true—if Serapia died, Kai’s immortality would become meaningless.

In that sense, killing Serapia would end Kai too.
But the problem was—I couldn’t kill Serapia under these circumstances.

‘Ian, that bastard…’

Why the hell did he leave behind such a mess?

In the end, the fate of Serapia and Kai had become an issue that could only be resolved by finding Ian.

‘I should just stay away from him.’

Until then, I made the firm decision to cut ties with Kai.
If I got too close, I might lose my own mind as well. Better to avoid him completely.

“How is Lady Serapia doing?”

I didn’t want to talk to him, so I stepped slightly to the side, gesturing for him to check for himself.
Kai took a step forward and immediately moved to check on Serapia’s condition.

Even in a heat nearing 253 degrees Celsius, Kai didn’t sweat a single drop.

Kai’s large hand covered Serapia’s forehead.
And when he felt the ice-cold chill radiating from her, his face turned cold and stiff.

“From now on, I’ll take care of Lady Serapia.”
“Do as you like.”

I was already planning to head to Frecce for a trade run.
To treat Serapia.
To find Ian.
And to raise the territory’s Favorability one final step—I had to get ready to leave for Frecce.

“Then I’m off.”

I stepped right outside the room.

The primary product for this trade run was, of course, monster meat.

The monsters that had been taken down by Serapia and Kai couldn’t be sold.
That was because only I could remove their madness by using [Predation (S+)].

So the army brought by the Lycanthrope was off-limits for sale—

‘But I already consumed all the monsters that attacked the County, so there’s still plenty of supply.’

Plenty was an understatement.
It was overflowing.
The County’s warehouse couldn’t possibly hold it all.

So now, several temporary storage facilities were being built.

How much would all this be worth…? Even I couldn’t estimate it.
Just selling it at a reasonable price would probably fund the County’s operating costs for several years.

Thanks to the coming season of bitter cold, there was no concern about long-term storage either.

On top of that, I had achieved the complete evolution of my abilities.
I could say it was definitely worth facing an entire army on my own.

‘Let’s see…’

I began organizing my priorities for this trade run.

The first and foremost task was checking on the ‘Investigation into Ian’s Whereabouts’ that I had previously requested from the Merchant Guild.

The Frecce Merchant Guild, with its immense capital, wielded great influence in the Free Cities.
If Ian had passed through any Free City on the continent, he would’ve definitely been flagged by their information network.

Knowing Ian’s personality, he would’ve absolutely… no, inevitably caused a commotion or two.

So I needed to hear that report first upon arriving in Frecce.

‘And then…’

Next was buying medicine to improve Serapia’s condition.
Securing funds to form an allied army.
Purchasing daily necessities to increase Favorability among the residents.
And expanding the influence of the Predator Merchant Group, etc., etc.

I had enough on my plate to make a goblin horde look lazy.

Because of that, the Predator merchants and the drafted soldiers were quickly transporting and loading supplies.

“Rex meat goes over here! Alacron—over there! Load it onto the back cart!”
“Where should I put Demexus?”
“Oh! Demexus goes here—yes, this cart!”

Once the system was set in place, the merchants and soldiers moved swiftly and efficiently.
Just as preparations were underway for the trade run, it happened.

“Lord Adrian.”

Someone called out to me.
When I turned my head, a man in a crisp suit with slicked-back hair approached.

It was Bernard, the Chief Steward of the House of Whitewolf.

Up close, Bernard’s face looked visibly worn out.

With his father dead and Serapia bedridden, Bernard had taken over all administrative duties in the County.
No wonder he looked like that.

“What is it?”

I asked, and Bernard spoke right away.

“It’s nothing urgent. A guest has just arrived at the County.”

And with that, my eyes opened wide.

Translatin_Otaku

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