Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

Noan couldn't believe that, even at such close range, the Killer Bee could still dodge his attack.

Moreover, its speed was so extreme that it left behind an afterimage indistinguishable from the real thing.

Clang!

At that moment, a chain shot in and knocked the bee's stinger aside.

Seeing this, Noan swung his sword, unleashing a blinding arc of sword light.

Whoong!

The sound of a bell rang out as a slash appeared, cleaving this pitch-black space in two.

Whoosh!

The Killer Bee was instantly cut in half, falling toward the ground below.

Clink! Clink!

A chain followed, wrapping around the corpse of the Mutant Killer Bee.

The end of the chain slithered into the bee's head, as if searching for something.

After a moment, the chain extracted a small crystal from the bee's head and flung it toward Noan.

Noan caught the crystal and, without pause, immediately darted toward the remaining Killer Bees still hovering in the sky.

He was like a shadow weaving among the chains, slaughtering the Killer Bees one after another.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The constant sound of wind echoed, accompanied by countless beams of sword light, slicing the sky into ribbons.

The Killer Bees fell like wheat before the scythe at harvest time.

Suddenly, it was as if the swarm had received some sort of command—they instantly stopped, hovering motionless in midair.

Noan sensed something strange as well; he raised his sword and decapitated one of the Killer Bees.

Smash!

The bee's head was severed, flying high before dropping to the ground.

However, the rest of the bees continued to hover in the air, not reacting at all.

If not for their wings fluttering to keep them aloft, Noan would have thought they were frozen in time.

"What the hell is this?" Noan muttered, frowning.

Suddenly, the bees' bodies began to swell, countless cracks appearing on their surfaces.

From within those cracks, a destructive force radiated out, making Noan shudder.

"Not good!" Noan used teleportation magic, instantly rushing over to Vylyss.

He grabbed her hand tightly and urgently said, "They're about to explode!"

Vylyss, of course, already knew that. She was even faster than Noan—immediately using her own space-manipulation ability to pull Noan away.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The moment they vanished, countless explosions rang out, the entire sky lit up with fire as if the sun had suddenly shone down upon this darkness.

A shockwave swept out in all directions, toppling countless trees.

The light from the explosions slowly faded. Smoke and sparks drifted down, blanketing a massive area.

Noan and Vylyss reappeared over 2,000 meters away from where the explosions had taken place.

But even here, Noan could still feel the shockwave rolling across his body like a storm front.

"That was insane," Noan murmured. "They were willing to sacrifice themselves like that?"

"Perhaps the Killer Bee Queen commanded them and forced them to sacrifice themselves," Vylyss said softly.

"How do you know?" Noan asked, curious.

Vylyss smiled, but there was sadness in her smile. "Because that's how the Demon Realm treats its subordinates."

"If danger arises, the leaders use their followers as weapons—or as meat shields."

"It prevents enemies from getting close, and also keeps their own underlings from leaking information. What the Killer Bees just did is a classic Demon Realm tactic."

Hearing her words, seeing the sadness in her expression, and feeling how tightly she clung to his arm, Noan understood she must have experienced something similar in her past.

He smiled and said, "Don't worry. Here, no one will ever do that to you."

Vylyss nodded gently, a happy smile blossoming on her lips. "Of course, I trust you, Master."

"Besides, it seems the Killer Bee Queen no longer wanted those bees to survive," Vylyss added. "I could sense that the energy within them was almost depleted. That's probably why we could defeat them so easily."

Noan frowned, his mind recalling certain bee behaviors.

But this was a fantasy world, and he didn't expect bees here to follow any natural habits.

He glanced back at the explosion, then opened the System notification window.

[🔔! Total Rage Points you have collected: 207 points.]

"207 points?" Noan frowned.

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness struck him, and the space around him began to distort.

By the time Noan regained his senses, he realized he was standing in a strange cave. In front of him was a massive cocoon, countless silk threads suspending it in midair.

"Human…"

A strange, trembling voice echoed—a voice that sounded as if some bizarre creature was desperately trying to mimic human speech.

"Come… to me…"

"Human…"

Noan narrowed his eyes, not moving, simply staring intently at the giant cocoon.

From within the cocoon, a bizarre yellow light pulsed, flickering on and off like a warning beacon.

"Who are you?" Noan took a deep breath and asked.

But there was no answer.

Noan slowly retreated, trying to keep his distance from the cocoon. A sense of unease welled up in his chest, growing stronger by the second.

He reached for his wrist, only to realize the Abyss Cube was gone—causing a jolt of alarm.

He immediately tried to teleport to his 'Anchor Point', but it was useless.

It seemed that in this cave, he couldn't use any magic skills at all.

"Human… wait for me…"

As that voice echoed again, Noan grew more puzzled and wary. "Why should I wait for you?"

"Wait… I'm… almost finished…"

"Finished?" Noan grew even more confused, unable to grasp what the cocoon was trying to say to him.

"Ha…" Suddenly, Noan gasped, realizing he had returned to reality.

He panted and looked around. Vylyss also sensed something strange and quickly grabbed his hand. "Master, what happened?"

Noan didn't answer—he simply glanced around, as if searching for something.

After a while, he shook his head and said, "It's nothing… I just feel a little tired, that's all."

Noan decided to keep what he'd just experienced to himself. But in his mind, he still remembered every word that cocoon had said, even if… he had no idea what those words actually meant.

…

At this moment, in the Empire—

Catherine sat in her chamber, deeply focused on the document in her hands.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, accompanied by a rather familiar voice.

"Your Majesty, I have returned."

"Ah!" Catherine set the document in her hand aside and said, "Come in."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" came the reply, and then the door swung open.

A young man entered the chamber. If Noan were here, he would instantly recognize this youth.

Indeed, it was Aldric, one of the Fate Holders who had once nearly killed Noan.

He was as handsome as before, but now his face carried a trace of calmness and a faint air of killing intent.

Aldric knelt down, bowing his head. "I have not disappointed you, my Queen. I have advanced to level 8, and in just a few more steps, I will reach level 9."

Catherine frowned slightly, satisfaction flickering in her eyes. "Level 8? It seems your fortunes have not been lacking."

"It is all thanks to Your Majesty's grace," Aldric replied hastily.

"There's no need for such modesty." Catherine sighed, her voice softening. "Most people who entered that trial space perished."

"You are among the few who survived and made it out. That alone proves you are not an ordinary person."

"Aldric, I trust you can help me rule this Empire, protect humanity, and ensure our continued prosperity."

Aldric bowed low, his tone full of reverence: "Great Queen, I am willing to be your sword, to fight for you—to die without regret."

"Good! You—"

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Suddenly, a voice cried out, interrupting Catherine's words.

Her brows knitted in irritation, her expression darkening. But when she saw the fear and anxiety in the man's face, she immediately asked, "What is it?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness, I—"

"Get to the point!" Catherine snapped.

The man trembled, cowed by Catherine's imposing presence, but he forced himself to steady his voice and said, "Your Majesty, the Insect King is attempting to awaken."

"What?!"