Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

Noan was startled the moment he saw those eyes.

The enormous red eyes, like two blood moons, were fixed intently on him.

Noan shuddered, sensing the terrifying killing intent and evil radiating from those eyes.

Alongside that was a hatred so absolute, it seemed bent on annihilating everything, on drowning all in a sea of flames.

Noan took a deep breath, wanting to open his mouth and say something, but realized, to his shock, that he could not speak.

Those eyes focused on him, emitting a blood-colored light that enveloped his entire being.

"Ack!" A cry of agony escaped his lips.

The blood-red light carried a searing, horrifying heat, burning his body without the need for flame.

At that moment, the 'Immortal' talent activated to its very limit.

His skin was charred in an instant, but just as quickly regenerated—only to burn to ash once more, then be replaced by fresh skin, again and again.

The process repeated endlessly, subjecting Noan to unspeakable pain, his mind continuously tormented.

"AH! Agh!!!" Noan screamed, his voice desperate and filled with suffering.

All he wanted now was to die. The 'Immortal' talent had become a curse, denying him death and forcing him to endure this hellish agony forever.

Noan felt his consciousness begin to blur, cracks appearing by the thousands as if his mind were about to shatter.

With the last of his will, he struggled to keep his mind from breaking apart.

"AGH!!!" Noan gritted his teeth, his howls growing louder, then fading away.

Now, he truly felt he could not endure any longer. His body had reached its limit.

Clenching his teeth, he looked toward those hatred-filled eyes, wishing to ask, "Why?"

But no words would come from his mouth.

"Damn it!" Noan cursed inwardly, "Could it be... I'll die here?"

No, this wasn't truly death. Even if he lived on, with his psyche crushed, he would be no different from a vegetable.

"So... you've taken good care of my slave, haven't you?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.

In his heart, a magical symbol abruptly appeared, then transformed into a chain that tightly bound it.

"Mm!" Noan felt as though his heart were being squeezed by an invisible hand; the stabbing pain jolted him, but also sharpened his awareness, allowing him to hear the words just spoken.

"That's..." Noan murmured, "That voice is..."

At that instant, the space around him turned frigid. The scorching heat that burned his flesh like the sun vanished, replaced by a biting cold as if he had been thrown into an icy cellar.

Yet, though his energy was depleted and his 'Immortal' talent's regenerative power nearly exhausted, now his recovery began anew with astonishing vigor.

The charred, blackened skin sloughed away and vanished, replaced by fresh skin that radiated a light brimming with strength and the energy of life.

A familiar figure hovered in the air before him, making his heart leap in shock.

Long silver hair, a petite frame yet radiating an overwhelming arrogance, as if a little angel were shielding him from all the evils outside.

"Carlotta?" Noan murmured.

"Just sit there and don't move," Carlotta said disdainfully.

However, Noan could sense the deep care hidden within her words.

Carlotta gazed at those gigantic eyes without a trace of fear. On the contrary, her crystal-like eyes brimmed with scorn and mockery.

"Are you going to crush your last hope of freedom, Abyss Lord?"

Upon hearing Carlotta's words, those enormous eyes flickered with hesitation. Then, a voice echoed: "Humans... betrayal..."

Noan shuddered, for that voice was terrifying—like countless people speaking at once, hoarse and filled with boundless hatred.

"Hahahaha..." Carlotta laughed gleefully, "Abyss Lord, you have no other choice. Do you want to stay in that place forever?"

"I've changed. I have my own choice now."

As she spoke, she walked up to Noan, propped one foot on his shoulder as if he were nothing more than her footstool.

"Look at him. He's so adorable—why can't you trust him?"

Noan: "..."

Hey! Aren't you confusing 'adorable' with 'slave' or something?

Noan desperately wanted to say that, but he knew... this was a conversation between terrifying beings, and he had no right to speak.

"Just look at him... utterly adorable. This little creature needs to be protected." Carlotta said disdainfully.

Noan: "..."

He had a sneaking suspicion that Carlotta was taking revenge because he'd called her short before.

Noan sighed and glanced at those enormous eyes.

"Goddammit!" Noan cursed inwardly.

This time, those eyes, upon seeing the situation, didn't show even a hint of ridicule. Instead, they began to waver, even revealing a trace of... embarrassment and anxiety.

What the hell is going on?

Hey! What's with that expression?

Carlotta chuckled, "Hahaha... All right, you can go back. After you save that girl, leave this place—this is not somewhere you should be right now."

"Later, once you've surpassed level 10, you can return here again."

BAM!

"Ack!"

Carlotta suddenly kicked him in the stomach, making it feel as if his gut had exploded from the pain.

"Ha!"

BAM!

Noan jolted awake, and at that very moment, a loud explosion rang out.

Aldric was also startled as he saw a shockwave erupt from Noan's body, like a terrifying blaze instantly incinerating all the insects around them.

The shockwave spread outward, and everywhere it passed, the insects were burned into tiny flickering embers floating through the air.

It was a miraculous sight, as if Noan and Aldric were standing in the midst of a fireworks display.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind swept through, clearing away all the ashes left by the incinerated insects.

The surface of the water trembled violently, and the dark clouds above gradually dissipated, revealing a scene that left both Aldric and Noan astonished.

This place resembled a massive water-conducting corridor. The corridor formed a circular path, like a belt.

At the center of that belt stood a colossal castle, so vast that neither Noan nor Aldric could fathom its true scale.

All they knew was that, even if an entire city were placed inside that castle, there would still be ample space left.

Aldric frowned, noticing that the spear in his hand was trembling violently, as if it had sensed something truly terrifying.

"What did you do?" Aldric asked.

Noan shrugged and said, "Nothing at all. I just sensed something very strange, so I tried using my energy to take it, that's all."

Aldric glanced at Noan, knowing full well he was lying, but there was nothing he could do to make him tell the truth.

'Could he be the Chosen One?' Aldric thought to himself. 'Impossible! He's a criminal, not someone who stands for justice—there's no way he could be the chosen one.'

At that moment, Aldric suddenly remembered what his Master had once told him.

"Only those who represent justice can become Heroes. Those are the ones chosen by the gods."

Those words seemed to echo in his mind, but now, his faith was beginning to waver.

"How do we get to that castle?" Noan suddenly asked.

He could hear someone calling out to him—it sounded like Vylyss's voice.

Aldric shook his head and replied, "I don't know either. Let's just keep moving forward. This is my first time here too, so I have no idea what we'll encounter."

"Ah!" Noan glanced at Aldric, then looked toward the castle, furrowing his brow. "That place… it's about 2,000 meters away from here, isn't it?"

"Hey!" Aldric seemed to realize what Noan was planning and immediately said, "The space here is strange. If you try to use any teleportation or flight skills to get there, you'll run into trouble."

Noan took a deep breath, then said, "Let me try."

"You…"

Before Aldric could finish his sentence, Noan was already hovering in the air, his body beginning to fly toward the massive castle ahead.

Aldric could only watch in silence, following Noan's figure with his eyes.

"If he succeeds, then… I can do the same, can't I?" Aldric muttered.

In the end, Aldric decided to stand still and observe. He wanted to see whether Noan would actually succeed with this method.

After all, the distance from here to that castle was only about 2,000 meters; as long as he leapt, he should be able to cross it with ease.

Noan soared out of the corridor's belt, his body continuing to drift toward the castle.

He saw a corridor leading into the castle not far ahead, so he focused his energy, guiding his body toward it.

"Noan… Noan… Noan…"

The voice grew louder and more urgent, as if whoever was calling him was desperate to see him.

"Vylyss…" Noan recognized it as Vylyss's voice. Yet he wasn't certain whether it was truly her voice.

Or was it some entity imitating her voice to deceive him?

However, he had no other choice. He… needed to save Vylyss.

To save his woman.