The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 8: The Hour of The Dog and Wolf (1) (Part 1)

By fully tearing his muscles and regenerating them with Regeneration [C+], his Strength stat had increased by +4.

‘Since I gain +1 stat per level…’

It was effectively the same as leveling up four times in an instant.
It may seem like just a +4, but it was anything but insignificant.

Stats were based on the average adult male.

In other words, 1 point in Strength equaled the strength of an average adult male.
+4 in Strength meant having the strength of four adult men.

With Solo Leveling [EX], 1 bonus stat was granted with every level-up, meaning he could continually gain the physical ability of another adult male.

‘Just as I predicted.’

The secret behind Ian’s absurd strength was none other than Solo Leveling [EX].

==「Player Info」==
[Name] = Adrian Whitewolf
[Level] = Level 6
[HP] = 12
[MP] = 0
[Stats] = Strength: 7 / Agility: 1 / Stamina: 1 / Mana: 1
[EXP] = 12.7%

Defeating the Ice Troll had granted +3 levels.
Clearing the tutorial quest added another +2 levels.

He’d reached a total of Level 6, and gained +5 stats accordingly.
In addition, the tutorial quest gave a bonus +1 stat.

(T/N: POV change)

That gave me +6 total stats. I distributed them evenly across Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Mana.

It was to check the effectiveness of each stat point. Through that, I figured out that 1 stat equaled the capability of an average adult male.

In other words, my initial stats being stuck at 0…

It meant I had been far below the standard of a normal adult man.
In hindsight, I really had been a total delinquent.

‘There’s no doubt—raising experience is the most efficient way to grow.’

Getting more stats was important, but with my ability Predation [S+], I could gain additional abilities as well.

Ian had Solo Leveling [EX].
I had Predation [S+].

The synergy between those two abilities made monster hunting an explosive growth method.

‘But in my current state, hunting is impossible.’

Right now, I was no longer the Predator of the Allied Forces—just the disgrace of the House of Whitewolf.

‘I nearly died when I tried hunting.’

Before returning to my family, I went around the Snowy Mountains looking for monsters to hunt.
And I almost died.

All I had was a rapier with zero practical combat use.
Even swinging it a few times had me gasping for air.

The combat prowess I had during my Predator days was beyond my reach.
With my current body and stamina, I wasn’t even on par with a regular soldier.

‘Good thing that snowstorm hit out of nowhere.’

Otherwise, I’d be dead before ever meeting Ian.

‘It was pure luck that the first Ice Troll I faced was a weakened variant.’

In any case, I first needed to train my body.

In this body ruined by gambling and debauchery, monster hunting was out of the question.
Even if I couldn’t reach my Predator self just yet, I needed at least enough strength and endurance to sustain a fight.

I gave up on hunting and returned straight to my family.
I invested the remaining +2 stat points into Strength, then rebuilt my muscles based on that—gaining another +4 in Strength.

That brought my Strength stat, once stuck at 0, up to 7.
I now had the strength of seven adult men.

‘This is definitely…’

I could feel the explosive power from my reconstructed muscles.
Normally, growing this fast in such a short time would’ve been impossible.

What made it possible was none other than the Ice Troll’s Regeneration [C+].

‘Even Trolls don’t heal this well.’

During my time as a Predator in the Allied Forces, I’d obtained the ability Recovery by devouring a Troll’s heart.

That Recovery was an outstanding ability.
Lacerations, burns, bruises—they would all heal in a matter of minutes.
Even severed limbs could be restored, as long as you recovered the missing part.

Ice Trolls were mutated forms of Trolls.
Since their regeneration was said to be five times more powerful, I expected it to be exceptional.

But… I hadn’t imagined it would be this good.

‘It’s nearly on par with the Saintess.’

No exaggeration—it was comparable to the Saintess, the heroine of the Allied Forces.
And this was with Regeneration [C+] that hadn’t even fully assimilated into my genes yet.

If I hunted more Ice Trolls and secured the rest of the gene sequence, I couldn’t even imagine what kind of power I’d unlock.

‘No wonder the Emperor rounded them all up for breeding.’

And Ice Trolls weren’t the only ones.
Across the continent, there were countless monsters with abilities rivaling theirs.

In my previous life, the Emperor wiped them all out.
But here in the past—things were different.

Rare monsters with better abilities than Ice Trolls still roamed the wild.

‘If I can acquire all their powers…’

Surpassing my former self—the Predator—would be child’s play.

Grrrrrrgle…!!

Suddenly, a thunderous growl came from my stomach.
The intense hunger left me dizzy and light-headed.

Regeneration wasn’t infinite.
It came at a cost.

The Saintess’s miracles needed divine power.
And the Ice Troll’s regeneration came with…

◆ You feel extreme hunger due to massive protein consumption! ◆

Nutrition.
In other words, food.

After not just healing torn muscles but fully reconstructing them, I had completely depleted all protein reserves in my body.

‘It’s about time for a meal.’

I stood up while trying to ignore the hunger.
That’s when I heard the panicked voices of the soldiers nearby.

“W-What the…!!”
“H-He’s up! He’s really up!!”
“W-What the hell…?!”

They all stared at me, eyes wide open.
Their jaws dropped, hanging there like they forgot how to close them.

It was no longer just the curious gaze one might give a strange animal—these were the faces and expressions of people observing some bizarre, grotesque creature.

All because I was exercising. What a fuss.

‘Have they never seen someone train before?’

Then again, thinking it over… I was the disgrace of the House of Whitewolf.

Translatin_Otaku

•