Landlord World - Start with SSS talent-Chapter 247: Keep watching

"Where?" Noan asked with a frown.

Vylyss pointed toward the magic circle carved into the ground.

He felt as though he had begun to uncover something hidden behind this world.

Monica...

The vines...

The world of snow...

"It seems this world also holds some kind of secret. The only question is… what kind of reward will come from uncovering it," Noan muttered.

Crop!

Suddenly, Zeka felt like he had just stepped on something and was immediately startled.

"What the hell?!"

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Suddenly, the sound of grinding gears echoed around them.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The sound grew louder and more numerous.

The space suddenly brightened, allowing Zeka and Violette to see the entire surroundings clearly.

"This is… huh?!" Zeka was about to say something when he noticed Violette had just pulled her hand away. A twinge of displeasure stirred within him. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

No matter—he'd have many more chances to touch her.

Today it was just hand-holding, but in the future, it might be hugging, kissing, or even…

While Zeka was fantasizing about the future, the magical circle carved into the floor suddenly began to emit a strange light.

Violette panicked, trying to step out of the magic circle.

However, their feet were now stuck firmly to the ground—they couldn't move.

"What the hell?!" Zeka shouted, reaching his hand toward Violette, trying to hold hers.

Though frightened, she was still lucid enough to avoid his grasp.

Zeka: "..."

He was about to say something when a system notification suddenly appeared in front of them.

[Ding! Zeka and Violette are confirmed as the first to enter the Ice Core Destruction Zone.]

[Ding! Please choose who will destroy the Ice Core.]

Both Zeka and Violette were shocked to see the system notification.

Could it be… only one person was allowed to destroy the Ice Core?

Which also meant… only one person could complete the mission?

Zeka shouted at that moment, "No! I won't leave Violette behind. She is… she's my goddess."

"System, she and I will complete the mission together and leave this place."

\\[Ding! After destroying the Ice Core and successfully completing the next mission, everyone can be returned to the real world.]

Hearing that, Zeka breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at Violette and said, "Violette, destroying the Ice Core might be very dangerous."

"Don't worry. I will face this danger for you. As long as you're safe, I'll be happy."

After saying those words, Zeka felt deeply moved himself. He thought Violette must be touched hearing his declaration.

He didn't say anything more, nor did he turn back to see Violette's confused face with a hint of… nausea.

She wanted to say that she was the one who should destroy the Ice Core.

But thinking it over, whether the Core was destroyed or not, she could still leave this place, so there was no need to take such a risk.

In the end, Violette let out a long sigh and allowed Zeka to be the one to destroy the Ice Core.

Zeka heard her sigh and laughed triumphantly in his heart: 'Hahaha… she's worried about me. Don't worry, I will definitely come back. I will definitely make you mine.'

Confidently, he said to the System, "I will be the one to destroy the Ice Core."

\\[Ding! You have been confirmed as the chosen one to destroy the Ice Core. Please wait a moment.]

Immediately after, at the center of the magic circle, a sphere of ice appeared, radiating an intense cold that caused a thin layer of ice to form on both Zeka and Violette's bodies.

"What the hell is this?" Zeka gritted his teeth, trying to endure the terrifying cold.

Fortunately, he had the 'Warm Light' buff granted by Violette. Without it, he would have been frozen instantly.

Zeka struggled to extend his hand toward the floating ice sphere before him.

However, the closer his hand got to the Ice Core, the more terrifying the drop in temperature became.

His hand was covered in a thick layer of ice, and that layer kept growing thicker by the second.

Noan frowned as he watched this scene, but he didn't act hastily—he simply stood still and observed.

"Master, don't you want to steal this opportunity from Zeka?"

Hearing that, Noan shook his head and said, "No. I feel something isn't right, as if… this is a trap."

"A trap?" Vylyss asked in confusion.

"Exactly," Noan nodded and said. "I feel like everything has been too simple—so simple it feels strange."

"Valen is definitely a level 5 Lord. He also possesses the ability to manipulate the Earth element and summon Golems."

"Even if Zeka is protected by fate, Valen should still have enough power to stop them and reclaim the key."

"But Zeka seems to be protected by the gods themselves, favored by destiny, and he was able to reach this place so easily."

"Even when Zeka opened the door to this room, Valen didn't act to stop him—he merely shouted once and did nothing more."

Hearing Noan's words, Vylyss also felt something was off. "Master, you mean to say…"

"That's right." Noan nodded again. "This might all just be a trap. That's why we don't need to rush. We only need to continue observing."

At that moment, Zeka had already touched the Ice Core, but his hand had turned into a block of ice, completely numb and unresponsive.

"Damn it!" Zeka shouted, his voice full of anger.

Just as his finger made contact with the Ice Core, a blinding light erupted from it, enveloping the entire space.

And then—

BANG!

A sound like shattering glass rang out as the Ice Core broke into countless shards. However, the shards didn't fall.

Instead, they rose into the air and arranged themselves into a strange circular formation.

"That's…" Zeka was about to say something when a System notification popped up, striking him with dread.

\\[Ding! Congratulations Zeka, Lord Rank D of Area 30, for successfully destroying the Ice Core. You have become the one to release the Ancient Monster – Vinelord the Puppeteer.

You are now assigned a new mission – Become the one who controls Vinelord, or become the one controlled by Vinelord.]

[Ding! Other Lords have received a new mission – Eliminate the Ancient Monster – Vinelord the Puppeteer.

Whoever defeats it will receive the greatest reward: the Legendary Treasure Chest for Heroes.]

\\[Ding! This notification will be sent to all Lords currently present in the Chaotic World.]

As Zeka saw the notifications appear in front of him, his face gradually turned pale, like someone suffering from anemia.

What the hell is going on?

The System's mission had instructed him to destroy the Ice Core—so why had he become the one to release an Ancient Monster?

No! Lies, it's all lies.

I was supposed to be the hero! Why am I now the enemy of every other Lord?

While Zeka stood there stunned, unable to process the new information, Noan was laughing heartily in his mind.

"Hahahaha… I knew it. I knew this was a trap," Noan laughed loudly—of course, since he was hiding in the shadows, neither Zeka nor Violette could hear him.

Vylyss didn't understand what was going on and simply looked at Noan with a confused expression.

As he laughed, Noan began explaining to Vylyss the notifications he had just received from the System.

"Wow! Master, you nearly stepped right into that terrifying trap!" Vylyss opened her mouth wide in shock, her eyes full of disbelief as she looked at Noan. "Master, how did you know it was a trap?"

Noan shook his head and replied, "I didn't know. I just… felt like something about this place was strange."

That's right—from the moment they arrived, Noan had sensed something unusual about the snow in this place.

Combined with the sight of the two gatekeepers frozen as if caught off guard, and the vine-like plants spreading throughout the castle, he realized that this snowy world hadn't been formed naturally.

It was as if… those vines were searching for the Ice Core, while the Ice Core had created this snowy world to imprison the vines.

That was the only explanation that made logical and consistent sense with the System's latest messages.

Of course, what mattered most was that Noan felt incredibly lucky for not having tried to steal the task of destroying the Ice Core from Zeka—otherwise, the one who unleashed the monster would have been Noan.

"Master, what should we do now?" Vylyss asked.

Noan smiled and replied, "Keep watching. I have a feeling this play still has many more twists to come."