Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

The sound of an explosion rang out, deafening, as flames and smoke billowed into the air.

A shockwave swept outward, like a raging wind that blew everything away.

At that moment, more than two hundred meters away from the site of the explosion, Noan and Khorvath appeared.

He was carrying her in a princess hold, but his eyes were fixed only on the distant dragon.

"Master… you… you… put me down." Khorvath stammered shyly, her words stumbling over each other.

"Silence!" Noan frowned, a hint of worry in his eyes.

'Even at such a distance, the destructive force is still terrifying. This dragon is nothing like the one I fought in the Trial Space,' Noan thought to himself.

Indeed, the dragon he once battled in the Trial Space had been rather weak—by now, he could have defeated it easily.

But this dragon was different. It was… terrifying.

Though more than five thousand meters away, the fireball did not lose any speed or power; its destructive force remained utterly fearsome.

It was like a bullet streaking through the air, completely unaffected by air resistance.

Whoosh!

Immediately after, another fireball shot out from the dragon's mouth, hurtling toward Noan as fast as a bullet.

Noan spoke at once: "Hold on to me."

Khorvath didn't have time to think—her arms immediately wrapped around Noan's neck, holding him tightly.

The Space talent activated, and Noan vanished.

Yet only a few seconds later, at the very spot where he had just stood, another fireball crashed down.

BAM!

A terrifying explosion resounded, the ground caving into a massive crater, cracks branching out like a spider's web in all directions.

The smoke and dust formed a column that soared hundreds of meters into the sky.

But when the dust cleared, there was nothing at all in the center of the crater.

In the distance, seeing this, the dragon simply flew away, not lingering any longer.

…

"Phew!" Noan let out a relieved sigh.

By now, they were floating halfway up the canyon, slowly descending thanks to Noan's power to manipulate [Space].

It was quite dark all around—nothing could be seen at all.

Noan waved his hand, and a blue-green fireball appeared before him, illuminating the surroundings.

"Sorry, Master, I've troubled you," Khorvath said shyly at that moment.

"What are you thinking? Protecting you is what a Master like me should do. Don't overthink it." Noan chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of teasing.

However, Khorvath's face was hidden by a raven mask, so Noan couldn't see what she was feeling right now.

Noan changed the subject: "You said the scent of herbs comes from this place?"

"That's right," Khorvath nodded, as if wanting to loosen her grip, but the gusts of wind made her afraid.

So, she could only cling tightly to Noan.

Noan laughed and said, "Don't let go—hold on tight. If you fall down there, it'll be even more troublesome."

"I… I understand," Khorvath stammered. Noan could hear the tremor in her voice.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and said, "Master, it seems there are still living plants down at the bottom of this canyon."

"The scent of herbs is getting stronger. If I'm not mistaken, perhaps someone is concocting medicinal ingredients."

"Ah!" Noan was a bit surprised and asked, "Are there still people living in such a barren land?"

Khorvath immediately replied, "Life is wondrous. No matter how harsh the conditions, there will always be living beings who exist and adapt."

Noan nodded. "You're right, life truly is wondrous. But… why hasn't that dragon discovered this place?"

"I don't know either," Khorvath shook her head and sighed.

The two fell silent; Noan said nothing more and began to speed up their descent.

After a while, he saw below them a scattering of lights, like fireflies covering the ground.

"Be careful. Keep holding on tight," Noan said with a frown.

He didn't know what lay below, nor what dangers might be here, so he remained highly vigilant.

Khorvath understood what Noan meant, so she kept clinging to him, not daring to let go.

Noan closed his eyes, using his space talent and magical energy to sense their surroundings.

An invisible wave of space swept through the entire area within a two-thousand-meter radius.

There really was nothing dangerous around—only insects and plants.

Immediately after, Noan landed, still holding Khorvath.

Khorvath looked at the scene around her, momentarily forgetting to let go of Noan.

This place was a forest shrouded in darkness, with the only source of light coming from countless fireflies drifting through the air.

They emitted a gentle glow while simultaneously pollinating the trees in this shadowy area.

The scene looked like something out of a fantastical painting—both beautiful and strange.

"If you want to keep hugging me, I wouldn't mind," Noan teased.

"AH!" Startled by his words, Khorvath quickly let go of Noan.

Standing on the ground, she nearly lost her balance and almost fell.

Embarrassment upon embarrassment—though she was wearing a mask, she still covered her face with both hands, shyly saying, "Sorry, Master."

"I… I was just surprised by this place, so…"

"I wouldn't mind if you hugged me a little longer, either," Noan said teasingly.

"Master, I… I…" Khorvath stammered, not knowing how to respond.

"All right, which direction do you smell the herbs coming from?" Noan stopped teasing, returning to the main issue.

Khorvath took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She then closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of herbs in the air.

A moment later, she opened her eyes and said, "Over there."

Following the direction Khorvath pointed, Noan nodded and took her, flying toward that way.

After traveling more than five miles, they finally found the source of the herbal aroma.

Noan looked toward a distant cave, where a fire was burning inside—the scent of medicinal herbs was so strong even he could smell it.

"How strange…" Khorvath muttered. "Why does the smell have a burnt note, as if something's burning?"

Noan gave her a puzzled look. He didn't know much about herbs or alchemy, so he couldn't grasp the meaning behind her words.

"This isn't good!" Khorvath suddenly exclaimed. "It's about to explode!"

"Explode?!" Noan asked in confusion, "What's going to explode?"

BAM!!!

No sooner had Noan finished speaking than a loud explosion erupted from inside the cave, accompanied by a rush of white smoke billowing out.

"AAA!!! Help! It's so hot!" came the scream of a middle-aged man.

Noan frowned. He didn't rush to help; instead, he remained silent and observed.

The man burst out of the cave in front of him, his body seemingly burned, red welts visible on his skin.

He immediately threw himself onto a patch of grass, rolling around to relieve the terrible heat burning his body.

"Master… should we…" Khorvath spoke up.

Noan frowned and said, "Wait a little longer."

What had just happened was all too coincidental. What if he and Khorvath hadn't shown up?

If this sort of thing happened often, the man surely had his own way to deal with it.

That was why Noan didn't feel the need to intervene.

As Noan had thought, the man slowly sat up, his body severely burned.

Several areas of his skin were blackened, likely beyond recovery.

The man simply sighed, then pulled out a small vial, uncapped it, and drank it down.

What happened next was nothing short of miraculous. His body began to heal.

Even with the naked eye, Noan and Khorvath could see how rapidly he was recovering.

The blackened skin gradually peeled away, replaced by fresh new skin.

Within three minutes, his body was whole again, not a trace of injury left.

"The regenerative power of that potion is incredible," Noan muttered.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, something bizarre began to happen to the middle-aged man's body.

His skin started turning purple.