The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 69: Spoils of War (1) (Part 2)

Kai suddenly called out to him.

It only took a second for Adrian to wonder what was going on.

“Thanks to you, I survived. I’m grateful.”

Kai… bowed his head to him?

“…What?”
“Is there something wrong?”
“I thought you hated me?”
“I won’t deny it.”
“And now you’re thanking me?”
“Whether I dislike you or not is separate from the fact that I survived because of you.”

Well, put that way, it made sense.

“Do you doubt my sincerity?”
“It’s not exactly a pleasant feeling.”
“Then I’ll take back my thanks. However…”
“However?”
“I do genuinely thank you for stepping up—for Lady Serapia and the County.”

Just as Kai bowed once more—

◆ Kai’s affection toward you has increased!

A new message floated up in front of Adrian.

◆ Kai’s affection has reached [Trust].
◆ A person in a [Trust] state fully believes in and relies on you, and will follow you without hesitation.

◆ Kai is now willing to endure personal loss for your sake.

Kai’s affection had reached the [Trust] level. It was hard to believe this was the same guy who once had [Hatred] toward him.

Either way—

Adrian hadn’t been paying much attention to Kai’s affection level, so he let it go.

Truthfully, he didn’t have the mental energy left to deal with everything in detail.

241 days in the Infinite Labyrinth.

Only a day had passed in the real world, but he had lived 241 days—without a single moment of sleep, enduring non-stop training.

Thanks to Player’s Will [EX], he hadn’t lost his mind—but mental exhaustion was another matter entirely.

If not for his experience in the Allied Army, he would’ve broken down long ago.

With a flick of his hand, he dismissed the affection message.

And then, at that very moment—

<8… 7… 6…>

Avarus suddenly started counting down.

<5… 4…>

It looked like some sort of self-destruction protocol.

It must’ve been automatically triggered when his life was in danger.

Come to think of it, even in Transmog form, Avarus had been designed to auto-cast shield magic.

It wasn’t surprising he’d have measures for emergencies like this.

<3… 2…>

Too late to run now.

Kai might survive with Dependent Immortality [E].

Adrian had Regeneration [B+], but that alone wouldn’t be enough.

If his heart or head were destroyed in a single blast, Regeneration [B+] wouldn’t save him.

He had to endure it with Dragon’s Skin [U].

But Dragon’s Skin [U] only lasted five seconds.

He couldn’t use it too soon.

He had to activate it at the exact moment of detonation.

Quickly, he invested the +20 stat points he had just earned into Agility.

Agility surged like a geyser.

His endocrine hormones flared explosively, and his heart pounded wildly, shaking his entire body.

His nervous system went into overdrive—superheated to react instantly to any stimulus.

<1…>

And just as the countdown ended—

<0… 9… Exist not…….>

0 and 9 didn’t exist. Meaning… there was nothing.

No wonder it started from 8.

…Seriously?

< H…uh…heh…hee….>

Avarus was completely broken.

His mind had shattered to the point of no return.

There was a reason the assassination condition of the quest had been met.

At least it was over.

Kai let out a sigh of relief too, as if reassured.

And with that, the identity and existence of Avarus were fully erased.

What writhed before them now was nothing but a mass of flesh—and Adrian felt no sympathy for it whatsoever.

Avarus was a mad alchemist.

He had performed grotesque experiments, severing human limbs and attaching them in bizarre places under the guise of mutation research.

He had removed eyes, ears, tongues, and noses in experiments on sensory deprivation.

He had injected hallucinogens and toxic drugs, forcefully impregnated women, induced repeated abortions, and studied the resulting changes in reproductive organs.

Unspeakably horrifying human experimentation.

Countless people and allied comrades had perished at his hands.

When it came to cruelty, Avarus was worse than even the Commander of the Frost Legion or any werebeast.

Even if it was all from a past life—it didn’t make a difference now.

The man had just turned every person in Viscount Benneron’s domain into a homunculus.

Considering the lives sacrificed for his transmutations, Adrian had not a shred of sympathy for him—and certainly no mercy.

And when he recalled what Avarus had done in his previous life?

He didn’t even feel satisfied unless he devoured him on the spot.

With that thought—

He moved.

Kai looked at him in confusion.

“…What are you doing?”
“I’ve still got something to finish eating.”
“Finish… eating? What?”

Kai’s face twisted dramatically.

“You’re saying… you’re going to eat more?”
“Yep.”
“You’ve been eating nonstop for 241 days!”
“True.”
“And now you’re eating again?”
“Come on, if a full-course meal is served, you gotta finish it, right?”
“A full-course meal? You mean there’s still dessert left?”
“Who knows? I’ll only know once I taste it.”
“…Huh?”

Kai looked completely baffled, but Adrian ignored him and examined the meat in front of him.

Physically, mentally—it felt like an entirely different lifeform.

‘Even his heart’s not visible.’

Not even Predator’s Instinct [S] or Find Weakness [U] showed anything.

‘His body must have been reconstructed with the authority of the Monarch of the Abyss.’

In other words, Avarus was no longer human.

He was now a new species, or a monster—there was no real difference.

Which meant that devouring Avarus with Predation [S+] would grant Adrian new powers.

He could now confidently call this the main course.

A main course that could only be eaten after 241 days of appetizers.

Since he couldn’t locate a heart—

‘Might as well eat the whole thing.’

He opened his mouth wide toward the flesh—

“Wait! You’re not seriously going to—!”

Kai shouted in disbelief from behind.

Crunch!

The chewy texture of raw meat spread through his mouth.

And a new system message appeared:

◆ Kai’s affection for you boards the express train to rock bottom!!

Kai’s affection plummeted instantly.

◆ Kai’s affection is now at [Friendly]!
◆ A person in a [Friendly] state shows you kindness and a positive attitude.

◆ This person will actively support or cooperate with you, and may assist you in battle or during emergencies.

Just like that, Kai’s affection dropped one level from [Trust] to [Friendly].

Wow. Up and down like a rollercoaster.

‘Why does this always happen whenever I use Predation [S+]?’

◆ What the hell are you even doingggggg─!!

…Seriously, what’s with this guy?

Ignoring him and the system message, Adrian continued munching.

◆ Are you seriously insaneeeeeee!!!

Even more dramatic pop-up text now flashed before his eyes—

◆ You have devoured the genetic material of the entity ‘Z’thulonak’!

Just as he expected.

It didn’t display the human name Avarus—but a completely different entity name instead.

Translatin_Otaku

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