TLWD 25

Chapter : 25. Evolution

Due to the immense size of the Gelu Drake, its heart was also colossal.

Even after eating nonstop for nearly five minutes, I hadn’t managed to consume even half of it.

Being full wasn’t an issue thanks to my [C+] skill Nutrient Synthesis, which burned off the calories.

‘Ugh, it’s suffocating.’

But being trapped inside its body meant the air was thin.

And unfortunately, my Nutrient Synthesis [C+] couldn’t synthesize oxygen—at least not yet.

So I finally emerged outside, carrying the still half-eaten heart of the Gelu Drake.

As I stepped out of the creature’s body…

“He must’ve left already.”

Kai was nowhere to be seen.

Judging from the footprints in the snow on the mountain, he had descended.

And sure enough, off in the distance, I spotted Kai’s back as he walked away, his figure slowly disappearing.

His long golden hair fluttered amidst the snowy landscape of the mountain.

He resembled a noble wolf.

But somehow…

Today, he looked more like someone sulking.

Considering that his favorability status had shifted to [Disgust], it must’ve been something like that.

I had no idea what part of our interaction made him so upset, but whatever.

At least it was [Disgust] and not [Hatred]—a small relief, I suppose.

Crunch.

Not that it mattered.

He was someone I’d have to kill anyway.

“Guy never seems to get tired, huh.”

With that in mind, I could’ve killed him now.

But that would’ve been risky—for both of us.

As much as I hated to admit it, without each other, both Kai and I would’ve ended up as prey for the Gelu Drake.

“But I really do wonder what his ability is.”

My ability, Predation [S+], allowed me to absorb the powers of any living creature by consuming its heart.

Beasts, monsters, insects, bugs—even humans. Nothing was off-limits.

In my past life, I had consumed quite a few human hearts.

As a Predator of the Allied Forces, I had devoured the hearts of several Legion Commanders from the Empire—each possessing absurdly powerful abilities.

But sadly, those occasions were rare.

The drawback of Predation: madness.

Every time I used Predation, I was overcome with insanity.

Without Ian’s help, I couldn’t control it.

“Well, all he did was beat the hell out of me.”

Until the brink of death, no less.

And unless I consumed a heart immediately, I couldn’t absorb any ability from it.

Because of the risk of madness, I couldn’t afford to use Predation [S+] on most Legion Commanders I encountered during missions.

After all, I couldn’t bring Ian along every time.

In the end, I couldn’t consume Kai, the Ice Legion Commander, either.

Not that I particularly wanted to.

If memory served from my past life, I’d probably just gain some creepy ability like “Lichification” or something.

More importantly…

“It’s too difficult right now.”

Trying to use Predation [S+] on Kai at this point was simply too hard.

Even after fighting the Gelu Drake, he walked away like nothing happened.

Sure, I blocked the Ice Breath for him—but he was still a monster.

Crunch.

“And no way could I handle a Legion Commander yet.”

Same went for the others.

I’d need to reach my full combat power from my Allied Forces days before I could even consider it.

“Man, if only I could use Aura…”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t.

To be exact, I had zero talent for mana.

I was born that way.

I couldn’t sense it.

I couldn’t perceive it.

I tried everything to fix it.

Fortunately, I was born as the legitimate heir of a noble Count’s household, so I had plenty of chances to seek treatment.

But nothing worked.

I still couldn’t feel or perceive mana.

In the end…

My family abandoned me.

Even after I became a Predator of the Allied Forces, not even the miracles of a Saint could cure me.

When I returned to the past and saw Ian’s skill, Solo Leveling [EX], I had a sliver of hope.

Maybe if I raised my mana stat, I could finally control it?

That was the expectation.

But nothing changed.

“Even after raising the stat, nothing’s different.”

The only thing that increased was my mana capacity.

In simpler terms, my maximum mana limit went up.

But my ability to accept mana didn’t improve.

What’s the point of a bigger jar if you have no water to fill it?

It wasn’t even like pouring water into a leaky jar.

The jar kept growing, but there was no water at all to pour in.

I still couldn’t feel mana.

And since I couldn’t control mana, I couldn’t use Aura or magic.

Whether as a knight or a mage…

I could achieve nothing.

So I never learned magic, or even formal swordsmanship.

The swordsmanship I used now wasn’t really swordsmanship.

It was just something I picked up to survive on the battlefield.

You could call it “practical.”

Or “crude.”

That’s why, at one point, I asked Ian for a favor.

To teach me swordsmanship.

Even without Aura, having structured training made a world of difference.

Most advanced sword techniques on the continent required Aura.

But if it were Ian—he could craft something I could use.

It didn’t even have to be swordsmanship.

Though he mostly used swords, Ian wasn’t limited to them.

Spears, sabers, staves, axes, bows—you name it.

He could wield anything categorized as a weapon.

Even martial arts using the body.

And of course, he was a master at all of them.

There was a reason he was the Emperor’s only rival.

So whether it was swordsmanship or spear technique—

If I could learn from Ian, it would be a Hero’s technique.

I asked.

“It’s not hard to teach you,” Ian said.

“But Adrian… I don’t want to teach you.”

He didn’t want to teach me.

I was a bit disappointed.

No, to be honest—I was deeply disappointed.

But not in Ian.

In myself.

His words meant that even Ian didn’t think I was worth teaching.

Maybe my face showed it, because Ian smiled faintly.

“Adrian, why do you think people learn swordsmanship?”

“To handle a sword better.”

“And why do they learn martial arts?”

“To get stronger.”

“Exactly. To overcome weakness.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Not quite.”

Ian smiled gently and continued.

“There are two ways to become strong.”

First, amplify your strengths.

Second, minimize your weaknesses.

“As humans, we’re not as strong as ogres, we don’t have claws like beasts, or sturdy bones.”

Biologically, humans were weaklings.

Flawed from the start.

“So we used our intellect to overcome those flaws.”

We made weapons to replace claws.

Refined mana into Aura to overcome our lack of power.

Created armor tougher than beast hide.

“And swordsmanship? Martial arts?”

They were tools to overcome human fragility.

We learned them because we were weak.

So what if you weren’t weak?

“Ever seen a dragon learn swordsmanship?”

They didn’t need to.

A dragon’s scales were tougher than any metal.

Their claws, sharper than any weapon.

Their strength, greater than any living creature.

To them, swordsmanship was useless.

They were the strongest beings on the continent—but even so…

They still fell by Ian’s hand.

Even a dragon had weaknesses.

“What if there existed a lifeform with no weakness at all?”

“A perfect lifeform?”

“Exactly. One that survives in any environment, adapts instantly, reproduces immediately, lives forever, has no natural predators—no biological flaws at all.”

“Does something like that exist?”

“No.”

Ian shook his head.

If something like that did exist, it wouldn’t be called a lifeform—it would be called a god.

“But there’s someone with that potential.”

“You mean the Emperor?”

“No.”

Ian said—

“It’s you, Adrian.”

Only I could become that.

“All the swordsmanship, spear techniques, martial arts—they’re all based on human limitations.”

“…”

“In other words, they’re ways for humans to fight. And Adrian, that doesn’t suit you.”

“…”

“You shouldn’t fight like a human. That doesn’t mean you should abandon your humanity. Just don’t fight as a human.”

“…”

“Adrian, you need to develop your own way of fighting. No one can teach it to you. They shouldn’t.”

Even a Hero like Ian couldn’t.

We were silent for a moment.

“Ian… do you think I can become like you one day?”

“No way.”

Ian shook his head like I was talking nonsense.

Naturally.

Even I thought his strength was ridiculous.

Hoping to reach his level was just my selfish dream.

“Then… could I become like a dragon?”

“Nope.”

He was firm with that answer too.

I was a little disappointed—but not discouraged.

After all, I was still human.

But Ian’s next words…

Were far from what I expected.

“Actually, it’s the opposite, Adrian.”

He meant the complete opposite of what I was thinking.

“It’s not that you can’t become like me.”

“It’s that I can’t become like you.”

Nor could a dragon become like me.

“Adrian, you are the apex of all lifeforms.”

There can be many geniuses.

But only one at the top.

Ian was a genius.

So were dragons.

But neither could reach the summit.

Because they had limits.

Human limits.

Dragon limits.

Their standards were just high—but limits existed all the same.

That’s why dragons couldn’t surpass Ian.

Ian couldn’t surpass the Emperor.

And I? I couldn’t surpass even Ian or the dragons yet.

“But you’re different, Adrian.”

I had the potential to go beyond.

“Only your Predation can reach the top.”

My ability to obtain the genetic code of any living being—Predation [S+].

By devouring a creature’s heart, I could gain their powers and evolve.

With it, I could continuously surpass the limits of life itself.

“How could mere humans or dragons compare to the Ultimate Lifeform?”

Ultimate Lifeform.

That’s what Ian called me.

He never once called me a failure.

But unlike his expectations…

I never reached that summit.

I ended not as the Ultimate Lifeform, but merely an “exceptional” one.

Because of the madness from Predation’s side effect.

That madness stopped me from breaking free from being just a hunter.

But now—

That’s no longer the case.

With Ian’s ability, Will of the Player [EX], I no longer fear the madness of Predation.

Maybe now I can surpass it.

Maybe now I can reach it.

The apex of all lifeforms.

The Ultimate Predator.

The true instincts of the Predator, which had been suppressed by madness all this time—

—

◆You have consumed the genetic code of ‘Gelu-Drake’!

◆Skill acquired: ‘Dragon’s Claw [A]’!

That deadly instinct was finally beginning to awaken.

Meanwhile…

Kai walked down the snowy mountain without hesitation.

Every step carried a mix of disgust and a tinge of sadness.

He couldn’t explain why—but he felt it.

Without looking back, he descended.

Some time passed.

Suddenly, from the corner of his vision, he saw a man approaching.

A face he didn’t recognize.

Which meant he wasn’t from the Count’s territory.

When the man saw Kai, his face lit up.

He dashed toward him.

“Oh, thank goodness… I was starting to think I’d freeze to death!”

Panting heavily, the man seemed truly relieved.

His hair was covered in snow—he must have wandered the mountain for a while.

Scratching his head with a sheepish grin, the man asked:

“Excuse me, but could you tell me the way to the House of Whitewolf?”