Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

Malrik stroked his chin, falling into deep thought. Noan was a bit surprised by this: "You… don't want it?"

Malrik shook his head and replied, "Master, you may think that accepting a new source of energy is a simple thing, but for me, it's different."

"Basically, accepting a new energy source is extremely dangerous for anyone. It could even put your life at risk."

"It's like smashing apart everything you've built, and then trying to rebuild it all from scratch in a very short period of time."

"That's why, for now, I can't accept a new source of energy from you."

Hearing this, Noan nodded lightly, but then his gaze shifted toward Vylyss.

Vylyss had accepted the new energy from him; she must have endured excruciating pain that he had never realized.

'Perhaps both Vylyss and Austin felt the same thing—pain.' Noan shook his head and sighed.

Because his own process of absorbing new energy had been so smooth, he had thought others wouldn't be affected much either.

"All right! I understand. Keep up your work. I'll help you evolve later."

"Hehehe…" Malrik chuckled, "Thank you, Master."

"Ah!" As if remembering something, Malrik smiled and said, "Master, there doesn't seem to be anyone living in the eastern region. May I expand the Abyss in that direction?"

Noan waved his hand, "As you wish, as long as you keep yourself safe. Other than that, you can do whatever you like."

"Thank you, Master." With that, Malrik left.

At this moment, Noan turned to Vylyss and gently asked, "Did it hurt?"

Vylyss pressed her lips together, gazing at him with gentle eyes, "No. As long as I can become stronger, strong enough to help Master, I can endure even greater pain."

"You… All right, next time, you're not allowed to stay silent like that anymore, understand?" Noan said as he tapped her lightly on the head.

She stuck out her pink tongue, her face filled with happiness: "Understood, Master, hehehe…"

Noan let out a long sigh, sitting back in his chair, his gaze drifting off into the distance, thinking about everything Carlotta and Malrik had said.

Especially the last thing Carlotta had told him.

'I need to find someone to become my ally?' Noan sighed, his heart full of confusion.

He knew that the path he had chosen meant going against the Fate Holders. But if he needed an ally, then who could possibly stand against a Fate Holder?

'Wait a minute!' Suddenly, Noan realized something, and he couldn't help but grin as he muttered to himself, "I can rely on those people. I just need to build up their strength, that's all."

"With my innate abilities, I'm sure I can do it."

That's right—if he succeeded, then in the future, he wouldn't need to show himself at all. He could simply let those people act in his stead.

A satisfied smile spread across Noan's face as he pulled Vylyss into his arms.

"Um! Master…"

…

The next day.

The blizzard had subsided, leaving only gentle winds and swirling snowflakes drifting through the air.

"Damn it!" Zeka was trudging wearily through the snow, the vines that had once replaced his arms now completely withdrawn inside his body.

"Evil God? Damn it, you're just a God who's afraid of the cold." Zeka cursed as he walked, "Just a bit of cold and your precious vines are already shutting down—how am I supposed to fight like this?"

Zeka was truly furious, because his arms were gone. Before, it hadn't bothered him much since he could manipulate the vines as a substitute for his hands.

But now things were different.

The vines kept withering away in the face of this brutal cold.

He couldn't keep generating more vines, because that process drained both his life force and magical energy.

If he used up too much energy, he'd be in real trouble against this relentless chill.

Zeka shuddered, looking up at the sky. It was nothing but an endless gray expanse, the wind and snow still sweeping across everything, showing no sign of letting up.

"Damn it! How long is this weather going to last?"

He cursed under his breath, growing more and more frustrated. If the conditions stayed this harsh, he wouldn't be able to move around comfortably at all.

Luckily, he still had plenty of 'permanent buffs' to help him maintain his combat abilities—otherwise, he'd already be dead by now.

Peering into the distance through the thick snow, Zeka could just make out a large, familiar cave.

"Ah! I finally found this place again." Overjoyed, he used every last bit of his strength to run toward the cave.

He swung his stump of an arm and punched straight at the entrance.

BAM!

The sound of impact rang out, snow scattering everywhere and revealing the entrance to a rather large cave.

Inside, Elara was curled up on a cloth fashioned from the clothes of the dead, her face pale, her body trembling violently.

"Elara!" The moment Zeka saw this, he was startled and hurried over to her side.

"She… don't tell me she's come down with a fever?" Zeka muttered to himself.

He knew all too well that Elara was just an ordinary person. In weather as harsh as this, there was no way she could survive for long.

"Damn it! What should I do?!" Zeka cursed inwardly, panic showing clearly on his face.

"Ah! Maybe… I can still save her." Remembering something, Zeka immediately reached out with his stump of an arm.

At that moment, a vine sprouted from the severed end.

Its tip was razor sharp, and it stabbed directly into Elara's arm. A huge surge of energy flowed from Zeka's body into hers.

Time passed. In just ten minutes, Elara's fever was gone, her cheeks even regaining a rosy hue.

In contrast, Zeka's face became deathly pale, like someone suffering from severe anemia, exhaustion written all over him.

He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Elara was alright, before collapsing to the ground, his consciousness plunging into darkness.

He had no idea how much time passed, but suddenly, he heard someone calling him.

"Zeka!"

"Zeka!"

"Oy! Zeka!"

"Huh?!" Zeka jolted awake, his eyes flying open. Before him stood a familiar girl who he always remembered.

"You… you… why are you here?" Lying on the cold ground, Zeka stammered, "Don't tell me… I'm dead already?"

"No! I don't want to die… I… I…"

"Are you alright?" the girl frowned, "Do you have a fever or something?"

"Ah! You…" Zeka's mouth fell open. He struggled to sit up, staring at the girl, then at Elara—who was now sitting in the corner, eating a bit of roasted meat.

For a moment, he couldn't make sense of what was happening. Confusion and suspicion clouded his face.

"You… you…" Zeka stammered, finally managing to say what he wanted, "You're still alive?"

Violette glanced at him, her eyes filled with confusion, as if she were looking at an idiot.

"If I weren't alive, how could I be sitting here right now?"

"Ah! No… what I meant was…" Zeka pursed his lips, then suddenly burst into tears, "Huhuhu… I… I… I thought you were dead."

"Alright, stop crying." Violette sighed. "I thought you were dead too, actually. I never expected you'd become a Heretic God."

"This…" Zeka was startled, quickly trying to explain, "Don't misunderstand, it's not what you think… I… I…"

He wanted to explain, but the shock of Violette being alive was too much; his mind just couldn't process anything else.

"Hahaha…" Violette covered her mouth, her laugh warm and pure, making Zeka's heart pound even faster. "You really are such an idiot."

Hearing that, Zeka scratched his head—then remembered his hands were gone, so he could only bow his head and smile sheepishly.

"You must've gone through some terrible things, haven't you?" Violette gently touched the stump of his arm, caressing it as if trying to soothe his pain.

At that moment, Zeka could no longer hold back his tears and wept, thinking to himself, I knew it… I knew there was someone in this world who truly cared about me, who truly understood what I was enduring.

He shook his head and said, "It doesn't hurt. As long as I can see you, no matter how much more I have to endure, I can bear it."

Violette saw his expression and, inwardly, felt contempt—but she still forced herself to suppress her nausea, playing out the scene Noan had requested.

"Don't worry. From now on, we'll be together again."

Hearing Violette's words, Zeka nodded repeatedly, "Uhm! We'll be together. I promise I'll protect you, not like last time."

Violette glanced at Elara, then smiled and asked, "First, who is that girl?"

Zeka: "…"