Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

Noan swallowed hard, his lips trembling as if he were brushing up against the forbidden realm of the gods.

Carlotta drained the last of her wine, then sighed, her gaze drifting far off as she continued: "The gods decided to put a stop to this, but the god who supported humanity fled."

"In the end, the gods chose to create another being, one whose destiny was completely opposed to that of the Fate Holders."

"If the Fate Holders were those chosen by Fate, gathering fortunes from across the world, growing stronger and enabling humanity to overcome the other races, then this new being would be the exact opposite."

"He… would become the one who hunts the Fate Holders, seizing their opportunities, step by step becoming stronger, and ultimately restoring balance among the races."

Noan took a deep breath; suddenly, his spine felt so cold he couldn't help but shudder.

Carlotta went on: "Such people are called… Hunters of Fate Holders, hounds of the gods, destroyers of Destiny, Nemesis of Humanity… and many other names."

"There are countless ways to refer to that existence, but in the end, they were given the title… Fate Hunter."

Noan drew in a shaky breath, then asked, "So… has a Fate Hunter ever appeared before?"

"Yes," Carlotta nodded, "She killed many Fate Holders, bringing humanity step by step to the brink of extinction."

"The other races became aware of her existence and began to use her to suppress humanity."

"But… do you know what became of her?" Carlotta's question startled Noan, and he suddenly recalled the mysterious woman imprisoned in that dark space.

She was chained, with only the upper half of her body remaining. Beautiful, but her eyes brimmed with sorrow and despair.

"I don't know…" Noan managed to say, his voice strained.

Carlotta suddenly smiled with a hint of hidden meaning and continued, "The Fate Holders also began to unite to fight against her."

"The battle raged on for tens of thousands of years, and in the end, she managed to bring all the races—and humanity itself—to a point of balance."

"But… her fate was truly tragic. What she did made her the enemy of humanity, so, naturally, humans did not welcome her."

"The other races, thanks to her, managed to regain their standing, but they feared her as well."

"Why?" Noan frowned and asked.

"Because she was simply too strong," Carlotta replied with a smile. "She was so powerful that the other races grew wary of her, afraid that what happened to humanity might one day happen to them."

"In the end, the one who had helped all races achieve balance became the most isolated being of all, shunned by everyone."

"The world was vast, yet she could not find a single place that belonged to her."

"She once wished that she could go to the place where the Gods resided, to serve them—because they were the ones who created her."

"However, even the Gods feared her."

"Why? They created her, and yet they feared her?" Noan frowned in confusion.

That's right—the gods created her, so why would they fear their own creation? Did she somehow escape their control?

Carlotta sighed and continued, "Because she possessed the power to influence the flow of Fate."

"The so-called gods were not truly deities. They were beings who had reached the highest realm of existence, which is why people called them gods."

"Gods… but even they could not grasp the flow of Fate. She was not a god, yet she could affect the flow of Fate."

"That was the reason why the gods feared her. And so, they made their final decision—to destroy her."

"The gods created the most powerful Fate Holder, one who carried the power and will of all the gods and every other race, for the sole purpose of destroying her."

"That battle lasted thousands of years. Can you guess what the outcome was?"

Noan didn't think too hard and replied immediately, "That Fate Holder won, right?"

"Hahaha… hahahaha…" Carlotta suddenly laughed heartily. After a while, she held out her glass toward Noan.

He picked up the extremely expensive wine he had bought in the city and poured more into Carlotta's glass.

She downed another glass, then smiled and said, "Even if that Fate Holder bore the will of the gods and every race in existence, he was still only a part of the flow of Fate."

"In the end, he failed. But she forced the gods to break their own laws and personally suppress her."

"However, her power had grown beyond the gods' control, and they could not destroy her."

"The battle dragged on, and in the end, the gods were unable to eliminate her—they could only imprison her in a special space."

"From that moment on, no one ever heard any more news about her."

Hearing this, Noan let out a deep sigh. It sounded almost as if he were sighing for that woman's fate.

But in truth, it was also a sigh for his own fate.

He understood well enough… there was a reason Carlotta was telling him this story.

Noan looked up at her and asked, "You mean… I am…"

"That's right." Carlotta smiled, tilted her head, and looked at him. "You are the next generation's Fate Hunter."

Noan: "??!!"

Even though he had prepared himself mentally, when Carlotta spoke those words, he was still shaken, finding it hard to accept.

Nevertheless, Noan still frowned, searching for any glimmer of hope that Carlotta might be wrong.

"How do you know?" Noan asked.

Carlotta glanced at Noan, a mysterious smile appearing on her lips. "Take a guess. If you're right, I'll grant you one wish. If you're wrong… Hahahaha…"

Her laughter sent a chill down his spine.

Noan shook his head. "How could I possibly know? I just want to know… whether what you said is actually true or not."

Carlotta shrugged. "I don't need your trust. Believe it or not—it's up to you."

Noan frowned, taking a deep breath before asking, "Why are you so certain that I'm the next Fate Hunter?"

"It's very simple." Carlotta raised her index finger toward the air.

Where she pointed, ripples of spatial energy, like concentric circles, began to spread outward.

Noan felt as if his body was resonating with those waves.

Suddenly, a stream of black smoke surged out from within him, forming into a dark orb.

"What is that…" Noan frowned as he looked at the black mist.

Even though it had coalesced into a sphere, there was still a thin wisp connecting the black orb and his body.

Carlotta smiled and said, "I sensed it the moment you appeared. At first, I thought I was mistaken."

"But the feeling only grew clearer. Now, there's no mistaking it."

"What… is that?" Noan stammered, anxiety sprouting like a seed in his heart.

Carlotta replied, "When you stand against the Fate Holders, it means you've chosen the side of darkness."

"This… is the Darkness of Destiny. The more you suppress and kill Fate Holders, the greater it becomes."

"The larger it grows, the more misfortune and opposition this world will throw at you."

"If you keep going, the whole world will become your enemy. At that point, you'll only be able to move forward alone, with no possibility of turning back."

Hearing this, Noan let out a long sigh. He'd half-expected something like this, but he never thought things would be this serious.

"Still, you don't need to worry too much. You're also someone who can influence the fate of Fate Holders." Carlotta smiled at him. "So I'm sure you've already realized that, haven't you?"

Noan nodded slightly. Of course, he'd already noticed it. Or rather, to be more precise, he hadn't thought he could influence the flow of Fate itself.

What he could do was seize the opportunities of Fate Holders.

However, those very opportunities were an essential part of the flow of Destiny. If he could steal them, that also meant he could affect the current of Fate.

Noan took a deep breath. Unconsciously, he had already accomplished what no one else could—he was influencing the flow of Fate.

He frowned, looking at Carlotta, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

"Carlotta, just who are you, really?"