Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

The Grand Elder let out a long sigh and said, "As you wish, my Empress."

He then turned to Aldric and said, "Prepare yourself. I will arrange for you to be transferred to the Trial Space."

Aldric nodded lightly.

The Grand Elder left, instructing the researchers to prepare the necessary equipment.

At that moment, Catherine spoke up, "You need to understand that this mission is extremely dangerous."

Aldric replied with unwavering determination, "Your Majesty, no matter how dangerous this mission may be, I will carry it out.

I… will never back down.

This life was given to me by the Empire. I will use it to serve the Empire."

Catherine nodded gently. "Don't worry. This mission is difficult, but I believe you will surely accomplish it."

"Aldric, the place you are about to go… is the Herb Forest, also known as the Insect Kingdom."

…

"Insect Kingdom?" Noan frowned as he stared at the stone tablet in front of him.

Noan and Vylyss had originally planned to return to the cave, but Vylyss seemed to have detected a source of energy vibrating at a very low frequency.

Because of this, the two of them moved to this location.

After confirming there was no immediate danger, Noan and Vylyss found a stone tablet.

The entire tablet was inscribed with ancient characters, making it impossible for Noan to understand what it said.

However, it was different for Vylyss—she could read them with ease.

"You know this kind of script?" Noan asked with a frown.

"Yes," Vylyss answered with a smile. "Master, these are indeed ancient characters. But in reality, they're the script of the Demon Clan—one must possess demon blood and energy from the Demon Realm to be able to read them."

Noan nodded lightly and said, "Keep reading."

Vylyss gazed at the stone tablet and began using magic to probe each word.

After all, this tablet was strange, inscribed in a language of the Demon Realm, so it required the energy of that realm to decipher.

Vylyss read for a long while, then seemed to sense something terrifying. Her brows furrowed tightly, her face revealing deep discomfort.

Beads of sweat, like little pearls, rolled down her face.

Seeing this, Noan was startled, but he didn't dare interrupt her for fear of breaking her concentration.

Time passed. After a while, a sudden explosion erupted.

BAM!

A pillar of light created a shockwave, then burst outward. Vylyss was thrown more than ten meters back by the blast but immediately stabilized herself.

Noan was startled and hurried to her side. "Are you alright?"

Vylyss shook her head. "Thank you, Master. I'm fine, it's just…"

She didn't finish her sentence but simply raised her hand, where countless magical runes slithered like snakes.

"What the hell is that?" Noan asked, bewildered.

"This is a curse spell," Vylyss replied. "It seems… I touched upon some terrifying existence, so this magic automatically triggered."

Noan asked anxiously, "So how can we dispel it?"

"Well…" Vylyss bit her lip, then said, "Master, don't worry. This curse is very weak.

Give it a little time and it will fade on its own. However, I was only able to read about half of the inscriptions on the stone tablet, so I can't help you much."

"Don't worry about that," Noan said, frowning. "Your safety is the most important thing."

"Let's find a place to rest first, then talk." Noan spoke with concern.

He had a feeling that the curse afflicting Vylyss was anything but ordinary.

After all, she possessed Void energy, which could resist many forms of low-level magic.

But if Vylyss was afflicted by a curse, it meant this magic was not simple at all.

Vylyss shook her head. "Master, perhaps this is your fateful encounter."

"My fateful encounter?" Noan frowned.

"Yes," Vylyss explained. "The stone tablet said this place once belonged to the Insect Kingdom. However, after suffering many calamities and being suppressed by other races, it was destroyed.

"The two rulers of the Insect Kingdom, the King of Insect and Queen of Insect , went into hibernation to preserve their lives.

"The remaining members took on the duty of reproduction and tried to develop in secret.

"However, when humans appeared and began attacking this world, the King of Insect had to wake from his slumber to protect his kingdom."

"The battle was unimaginably fierce, and after that… I… I couldn't read any further."

Hearing this, Noan nodded, his sense of unease growing as the secrets of this place gradually unraveled.

The Insect Kingdom.

The King of Insect and Queen of Insect.

Perhaps… the power of these beings was so immense it was hard to believe.

Still, Noan felt there was something very strange about all of it.

"Vylyss, you said humans once came here?"

"That's right," Vylyss answered softly.

Noan rubbed his chin. "Strange… How could humans reach this place? This is the Challenge Space—if humans could get here at all, their numbers couldn't have been large.

"On the other hand, the Insect Kingdom was immensely powerful. Just a single mutated Killer Bee could already throw many into chaos.

"Besides… if only humans came to this place, then what was the purpose of that dragon?"

Vylyss shook her head. "I'm sorry, Master. I don't know that much. I was only able to read a small portion of the stone tablet."

"If you want, I could—"

"No need!" Noan interrupted immediately, his tone firm. "Your safety is the most important thing, understand?"

Vylyss pursed her lips, feeling a deep warmth inside.

"Rest for a while," Noan said, then sat down beside Vylyss and let her lean against him.

Vylyss didn't say a word, quietly resting her head on Noan's shoulder.

However, she could feel that her body was changing.

The magical runes continued to multiply, gradually spreading all across her body.

Noan didn't rest either. He frowned, gazing at the stone tablet, his mind full of thoughts about all that had happened.

He didn't understand why, after arriving in this world, he was constantly plagued by an intense sense of unease.

It was as if… a pair of eyes was watching him at every moment.

…

Inside the cave.

Khorvath frowned as she watched Elgar begin to mix several types of poisonous leaves with the golden fluid.

"Elgar, are you… making a mistake?" Khorvath spoke up at last. "Those are all plants with extremely potent toxins."

Elgar glanced at Khorvath but didn't say much, only shook his head and replied, "You don't need to ask, just watch what I do."

Khorvath felt even more bewildered, but after hearing Elgar's words, she said nothing more—she simply sat in silence and observed him.

After thoroughly mixing the concoction, Elgar frowned and produced a small vial from his pouch.

He uncorked it. A wisp of purple smoke drifted out, startling Khorvath. "Elgar, that's…"

"You should step outside—this is poison, it will harm you."

"Ah!" At Elgar's words, Khorvath hesitated for a moment, then decided to leave the cave.

Watching Khorvath move away, Elgar didn't lower his guard—he checked to ensure she was gone and not watching.

Only then did he smile.

He opened his mouth, stretching it so wide it seemed to cover half his face.

From inside, a long proboscis slowly extended, spraying a yellow, viscous fluid into the cauldron that contained his mixture.

The moment these substances touched, a golden light suddenly flashed.

Excitement flooded Elgar's face.

At that moment, behind him, a pair of insect-like wings unfurled, and two long antennae grew from his head.

"Did it work? Have I finally succeeded?" An inhuman, raspy voice escaped from his mouth.

But just a second later, the light vanished, replaced by a wretched stench—like the rotting carcasses of hundreds of rats left here for days.

Elgar stared at the scene, dumbfounded, then clutched his head and screamed, "No! No!!!"