Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

Aldric shook his head, pushing aside his thoughts, and tried to figure out how to open the massive gate before him.

At that moment, Noan and Malrik, concealed within a spatial veil, watched the scene unfold, their faces reflecting confusion.

"Oy! Did you hear what he just said?" Noan whispered.

"Master, I'm not deaf," Malrik replied flatly.

Noan: "…"

He really wanted to punch Malrik, but in the end, he managed to restrain himself.

"So…" Noan sighed. "What do you think? Do you know anything about the legend Aldric just mentioned?"

"Master, this is my first time in this place, and it's also the first time I've heard of the Insect Queen and Insect King. What do you expect me to know?" Malrik answered, sounding weary.

"I'm smart, knowledgeable, handsome, but that doesn't mean I know everything," Malrik added with a sigh.

Noan: "…"

Noan stared at Malrik with his mouth open, then shook his head, sighing. "Pretend I never said anything."

They continued to observe. Meanwhile, Aldric was still fumbling, unable to find a way to open the gate in front of him.

He frowned, then leaped upward, attempting to enter through the top. After all, the gate was only about four meters high, and all other sides were completely open, without any walls to block the way.

The gate seemed to serve as mere decoration, without any real function.

However, Aldric was mistaken.

The moment he jumped up, a bolt of lightning struck toward him, catching him completely off guard.

"What the hell?!"

In that brief instant, Aldric couldn't evade—the moment his body was suspended midair, the lightning was already there. It moved so fast that he hadn't even registered the sound before it slashed right in front of him.

Then—

BAM!

A deafening explosion echoed through the space, and for an instant, Aldric lit up, becoming a blazing fireball in midair.

He crashed down, fortunately landing back on the road he'd stood on earlier. If not, he might have fallen off the castle and into the swirling abyss of black clouds below.

Thud!

A heavy sound echoed as if a sandbag had hit the ground.

Fortunately, Aldric was still conscious enough to control his landing spot.

His body was scorched in many places, especially his hair, which was burnt and curled up in a ridiculous way.

"Damn it!" Aldric muttered, frowning as he looked at the gate, unsure how to open it.

At that moment, Malrik burst out laughing: "Hahahaha… he really looks hilarious, what an idiot."

"If that gate was useless, then why would the ancients build it in the first place?"

"Hahahaha…"

Noan glanced at Malrik and asked, "How do you know that gate was built by the ancients?"

Malrik replied with a grin, "Master, I can sense the will left upon that gate—it was left behind by the ancient sages."

"And besides, do you see the magical symbol on the dragon's head?"

Noan looked up at the dragon skull. Indeed, at the very top of the skull was a magical symbol, faintly glowing.

But what was strange was that Noan felt a strange sense of familiarity with that magic symbol, as if it was something he had lost long ago.

The symbol resembled a circle, with three arrows piercing through it, dividing it into three equal sections that intersected at a single point in the center.

"That's an ancient magic, the kind only activated when a chosen person approaches," Malrik explained.

"Since ancient times, such magic was used by colossal clans or legendary races to protect the treasures they passed on to their descendants."

"If a descendant bears the required power or bloodline, the magic seal will open the gate."

Noan frowned. "So, do you know what that symbol requires? Or which race or clan it belongs to?"

Malrik shrugged. "Sorry, Master. As knowledgeable and handsome as I am—"

"Enough!" Noan groaned, pinching his brow. "Get to the point."

"Kekeke…" Malrik chuckled, then continued, "I don't know. There are so many bizarre races and great clans in this world—their number is like grains of sand in the desert, I couldn't possibly know them all."

"However, if Aldric is the chosen one, then as soon as he gets close to the gate, the ancient magic should activate on its own."

Malrik rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How odd. Maybe he's not the chosen one after all? Or to be precise… perhaps he's not the one chosen by the fate of this place?"

Noan frowned, feeling even more puzzled.

Aldric was a 'Fate Holder'—his presence here could not possibly be just a coincidence. Surely, the currents of destiny had brought Aldric to this place, and there had to be some fateful opportunity here for him.

But if Aldric wasn't the one chosen to open the gate, did that make sense?

Noan's gaze remained fixed on the magical symbol. The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed, as if it was something he had once known or even possessed.

He drew a deep breath and said, "Malrik, can you help me get close to that gate?"

"Hm? Of course." Malrik replied, immediately pulling out a black book.

The book flipped itself open to a certain page. Wisps of green smoke drifted from the pages, curling around Noan's body.

"All done!" Malrik grinned mischievously. "Now, even if you kicked that brat's butt, Master, he wouldn't sense you at all."

Noan: "..."

He took another deep breath, then slowly made his way toward the gate formed by the dragon's skull.

Each step took him along a narrow road surrounded on all sides by dark clouds. One slip and he'd fall into the endless black sea of clouds, crackling with terrifying lightning.

He drew closer to Aldric.

At that moment, Aldric was sitting on the ground, examining the burns on his body. Even though he had already reached level 8, the lightning strike just now, small as it was, had carried an unbelievable power—so much that he had almost thought he was done for.

His body was covered with scorch marks, some places burned quite badly.

Yet Aldric showed no fear or pain.

With a wave of his hand, a tiny porcelain bottle appeared between his fingers.

Without hesitation, he uncorked it, and the fragrance of rare medicinal herbs drifted out, strong enough for Noan to notice from nearby.

Aldric tilted his head back and downed the contents in one go.

Instantly, a white light enveloped his body, and his wounds began to heal at an astonishing speed.

Even the areas that had been burned black as charcoal began to heal.

However, a few strands of Aldric's hair gradually turned silver, as if his lifespan had just been shortened.

Noan noticed this detail but didn't find it especially strange.

After all, healing potions were never truly omnipotent. Most restorative elixirs simply accelerated the body's natural healing processes. This, inevitably, came at the cost of one's inner vitality.

Aldric, however, was not only a Royal Knight but also a Fate Holder—he had the luck to stumble upon fateful encounters that might later help him increase his longevity.

Suddenly, Noan felt that what was happening to Aldric seemed familiar, as though he'd seen it before.

Ah! Could it be... Noan suddenly recalled Elgar. His situation had been exactly the same as Aldric's after using recovery potions.

Could it be that everyone who uses these restorative potions experiences similar symptoms? Noan frowned, puzzled.

He had never personally used a healing elixir—after all, he possessed the 'Immortal' talent. As long as his head wasn't completely smashed, he could always resurrect.

Noan shook his head, putting those thoughts aside, and continued walking toward the gate.

As he passed by Aldric, the latter suddenly looked up, glancing sideways.

Although Aldric couldn't see anything, his gaze was full of suspicion.

Noan tensed.

He trusted Malrik, but Aldric's intuition was frighteningly sharp.

Even the tiniest, nearly imperceptible disturbance had made Aldric sense something was off.

Aldric reached out a hand toward where Noan was standing and waved.

A gust of wind encircled Aldric's hand. He frowned at his palm, then looked again at where Noan stood.

To Aldric, the space was utterly empty—no unusual scents, nothing.

He shook his head and dismissed it, focusing once more on his recovery.

Noan let out a sigh of relief and continued toward the gate.

Just as he came within a few steps of the gigantic dragon skull, a System notification appeared before his eyes.

[Ding! Resonance detected between the sealing magic and your talent 'Almighty Fusion'.

Would you like to use your talent to unlock the seal?]