The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 86: Dragon’s Wrath (Part 1)

What is the most fundamental instinct of a living creature?

You could name hunger, sleep, or sex—but those are merely urges necessary for survival.

Hunger and sleep stem from primitive survival instinct.
Sexual desire is a survival instinct to propagate one’s genes.

So, no matter what anyone says, the most fundamental instinct of all living beings must be the instinct to survive.

On this instinct, the Archmage once gave a definition:

“The nature of a living creature is ‘selfishness, including kin-directed altruism.’”

One could give their life for their own blood.
But for someone who isn’t family?

You might pity them and lend a hand—but if that help required sacrificing your own life, you wouldn’t offer it.

“In other words, there’s no such thing as a creature willingly dying for another being that is genetically unrelated.”

But—

“For some reason, we humans risk our lives to protect others.”

Even if they’re not blood-related. Even if they’re genetically unrelated strangers.
And despite the fact that such behavior directly goes against the instincts of life.

“Why that is… I honestly don’t know.”

An exception inexplicable even through Magicology.

And Magicology is the field that interprets the laws and principles of this world.
Which means, even through the world’s laws, it remains unexplainable.

Isolde was one of those people.
Someone neither understandable nor explainable.

A saintess who believed her very reason for being was to protect others, even at the cost of herself.
A hero who silently endured solitude and loneliness, never showing her pain to others.

That’s why Ian had loved her—
And also why she had left him.

“Still as stubborn and hardheaded as ever!!”

A woman too obstinate to listen.
Nothing had changed since their previous life.

She was still the fool who couldn’t realize that protecting herself would save more people in the long run.

But if I’m being honest—

I was no different.

There was no need for me to fight Kraulgarr.

Left alone, Kraulgarr would’ve destroyed Baoless, and the Hidden Quest would’ve cleared on its own.

His incomplete body would eventually collapse over time, and Kraulgarr would return to the Abyss.

There was no reason for me to draw his attention.

Yes, everyone in Baoless would be sacrificed—but so what?

They had nothing to do with me anyway.
Just genetically unrelated strangers.

And yet, the reason I deliberately bought time to face Kraulgarr—

…Well.

I’m not really sure.

Maybe…
I just wondered if Ian would have done the same.

Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces.
Hero of the continent—Ian.

People praised and admired Ian as a hero, but not everyone.

Because there was one thing people loved more than a hero:

Watching a radiant hero fail and fall.
Taking pleasure in witnessing their tragic downfall.

Whatever Ian did—however good or noble—people always turned their backs, envious and jealous.
The vile nature of humanity.
Was there even any point in sacrificing for people like that?

And yet, Ian once said:

“If the people of this continent are wretched, then I am the hero of the wretched.”

Even so, he never stopped helping people.
To a foolish degree. To the point where he seemed like a sucker. He constantly sacrificed himself for others.

Every time he did, I felt frustrated with him—but at the same time…

I admired him.

You, who embraced others instead of condemning them.
You, who never wavered, like a deep-rooted tree standing firm on the edge of a cliff.
You, who always succeeded and overcame every obstacle.

But the truth was… you weren’t overcoming anything.

“Ian, you’re bleeding…!”
“Adrian, the others are watching. So I have to put on a brave face.”

Only then did I realize…

That even Player’s Will [EX] didn’t grant perfect mental immunity.
That Ian had been carrying something heavy on his shoulders all along.

And that’s when I truly came to admire you.
So much that I couldn’t even dare to wish to become like you.

KIIIIIIIIIING─!!

A bizarre screech burst out from Kraulgarr.

The markings on his skin flared with a fiery red light, as though they were alive.
That light shattered the boundary between day and night in an instant—

Rageful Shockwave.

A technique that compresses and unleashes the wrath and destructive energy Kraulgarr has absorbed.

The moment the shockwave erupts—

Light itself distorts first.
The earth tears apart.
The air heats to a boil.
And a radius of several kilometers is consumed by explosive vibrations.

Everything at the center of the blast is pulverized into dust.

A devastating explosion saturated with heat and berserk energy.
A force so heinous that it didn’t merely inflict physical damage, but razed the entire battlefield and annihilated all within.

Kraulgarr had realized time was no longer on his side.
That as long as I was here, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his goal in the time allowed.

And so—
He played his trump card.

In short, the moment Rageful Shockwave detonates, it’s all over.
Baoless would be obliterated. Isolde and I included.

So the rational thing to do now would be to flee—

◆ You have activated the combined skill: Dragon Rage Explosion [E]!

But I didn’t.

‘I’ll counter it.’

I had to nullify Rageful Shockwave.

I knew.
I knew how insane that was.

In my previous life, the shockwave had been overwhelming—transcendent in power.
Trying to counter that was beyond foolish.

But right now, Kraulgarr was unstable.
He wasn’t the same as before.

If I could time it perfectly—right as his rage energy condensed and exploded—I might be able to cause a controlled collision…

There was a chance.
I could counter it.

No—
I had to.

And the power of Dragon Rage Explosion [E] depended on how many calories I burned:

◆ Surplus Calories: 31,450 kcal

‘Not enough.’

That amount of calories wouldn’t be nearly sufficient.
Even if I burned 100,000, it’d barely be enough.

And there was no time to eat or replenish now.

Which meant…

I had to go beyond.

Beyond the Predator I was in my past life—
Beyond my current limits.

◆ Using skill: Nutrient Synthesis [B]
Synthesize: [Hydrogen], [Oxygen], [Acetylene], [Vanillylacetylene], [Ethylene Oxide], [Hydrazine], [Nitrous Oxide]…

Reactive elements and compounds for combustion and explosion.
Then, using Metabolic Overdrive [U], I triggered chain reactions between them.

The remaining calories rapidly combusted.
The synthesized explosives within my body surged uncontrollably.

They spread through my body—carrying immense heat and energy.

Up to this point, it was the same mechanism as Dragon Rage Explosion [E].

But I channeled the spreading energy entirely into my right arm.

BZZZZZZT–!!

The compressed energy began to boil violently.
Energy that should’ve been dispersed across my whole body was instead focused in one limb.
The simultaneous energy outbursts began to compress.

That compressed energy caused synergistic reactions.
And those reactions began to trigger stacked chain explosions…

“Ggggghhhh!!!”

The searing pain scorched through his body, threatening to tear his mind apart.

But… the pain must not be blocked.
It mustn’t be suppressed.

To gather the diffused energy in one place, his senses had to remain focused.

His right arm glowed crimson from the heat.
The energy boiled and surged, as if ready to explode at any second—immeasurable in intensity.
His body couldn’t possibly withstand this level of compressed energy.

By all logic, his right arm should’ve already burst apart—

But 241 days of training in the Infinite Labyrinth had changed him.
His drastically enhanced Strength and Vitality stats—

KRRRRRRRRKKKK!!!

—allowed him to endure the compressed explosive force.
No—allowed him to survive it.

“AAAAAARGHHHH…!!!”

Pain drilled deep into his bones.
Agony so intense, it made time itself feel frozen.

His very existence felt denied. His mind nearly crumbled under the weight of it—

◆ The player’s will [EX] resists the soul-rending pain!!

‘Endure it.’

He had to.

◆ The player’s will [EX] resists the endlessly blazing agony!!

‘You have to endure it, Adrian.’

‘You must hold on.’

“UWAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

With a scream, he squeezed every ounce of strength into his legs.

He kicked off the ground—

Leapt across the shattered ruins—

And at last, stopped midair—
Suspended high above, looking down at Kraulgarr.

Translatin_Otaku

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