Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

"But… Rosie said you liked this kind of cake," Vylyss asked, a little confused.

"Ah, but I don't like it anymore," Noan replied indifferently.

Hearing that, Vylyss looked at the cake, feeling slightly disappointed, but she quickly composed herself and cheerfully asked, "Master, what kind of food do you like? I'll… I'll ask Rosie to make it for you."

Noan glanced at Vylyss and smiled, "I like you."

"Ah! Then… Heh?!" Vylyss blushed furiously at his words, then immediately rushed toward him, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "Master, are you teasing me?"

"Hahaha… I thought you hadn't noticed," Noan laughed as his hand gently stroked Vylyss's hair.

"The moment I saw the cake, I knew you made it. However, for me to eat it… there has to be a little challenge."

Hearing that, Vylyss instantly understood what Noan meant. After all, she was naturally a Succubus—how could she not understand a man's intentions?

She bit off a piece of the cake and slowly brought her face closer to Noan's.

And then…

It took nearly thirty minutes to finish just one plate of cake.

Of course, a few things happened during that time—things that were rather… steamy—explained why eating the cake took so long.

Vylyss now lay contentedly on top of Noan, and her voice tinged with concern as she asked, "Master, was the cake delicious?"

"Very delicious. Next time, you can make more, but I need you to help me eat it—just like today," Noan said with a smile.

Vylyss beamed with joy, silently resolving that aside from her regular training, she would also learn to cook even better.

Naturally, Vylyss didn't mind helping Noan eat like she did today. On the contrary, she hoped it would become something they did often.

…

While Noan was enjoying himself, Alex, on the other hand, was so frustrated he nearly cursed out loud.

He had indeed discovered an ancient ruin and was just about to venture inside to explore when the cave entrance suddenly collapsed, trapping him inside.

Gritting his teeth, Alex muttered angrily, "What the hell is this? Am I really this unlucky?"

For the past two days, everything had gone relatively smoothly, making him believe that his streak of bad luck had finally ended—but clearly, today proved otherwise.

In fact, over the past two days, he had gathered many energy crystals.

His injuries had also healed by over ninety per cent, and his strength had increased significantly.

Earlier today, he had found a strange cave with stairs leading downward.

He had intended to explore it before his time in this world ran out, but the cave entrance suddenly collapsed, sealing him inside.

Moreover, Alex couldn't shake the feeling that a pair of eyes constantly watched him, making him increasingly uneasy.

He let out a long sigh and decided to continue descending. Since he couldn't get out now, the only path available was to head deeper into the ruin.

At the same time, Caleb and Austin had cancelled their plan to explore the Gloomy Forest after seeing a System announcement.

"We can't bring anything from this place back to the City, and we can't bring anything from the City into this place either—then what's the point of letting us return?!" Austin shouted in frustration.

Caleb sighed at his outburst. "Being allowed to return to the City is already a mercy granted by the System. I honestly thought we'd be stuck in this hellhole forever."

"But…" Austin started to say something, but Caleb cut him off.

"What are you so worried about? Master seems to be able to bring items from the City into this world—have you forgotten that?"

"Ah!" Caleb's reminder sparked excitement across Austin's face. "I forgot Master could do that. But… will he help us?"

"Well…" Caleb hesitated. He didn't know whether Noan would help them or not.

Although Noan had given them plenty—food, water, and energy crystals—it wasn't enough to develop a territory.

In particular, Caleb needed many energy crystals and food to summon and maintain his troops.

Moreover, he also needed to expand the territory, which required numerous materials like wood, stone, and many other resources.

If their Master didn't help them, they had no idea where they would find such supplies.

No "Resource Storage Center" existed in this place, so they could not gather the necessary materials.

Cutting trees and collecting rocks from the wild? Impossible!

The System had a rule: only materials produced by the System could be used to build structures related to their territory.

If not, even if they cut down the entire Gloomy Forest, it would be useless.

"How about… we try asking Master for help?"

Hearing Austin's suggestion, Caleb hesitated momentarily before replying, "I want to ask for Master's help too, but doing so would expose our incompetence."

"You know what happens to those who are deemed useless."

Caleb recalled Malrik's words, accompanied by a gloomy, icy atmosphere and the screams of tormented souls.

He was afraid—truly afraid.

Before, he had only feared Noan. But now, it wasn't just Noan; even the monsters surrounding him struck fear into Caleb's heart.

"If we keep staying silent, we might really become useless," Austin said with a frown. "If you won't ask, then I will."

"You…" Caleb looked at Austin, who had made his decision so quickly, feeling both anxious and slightly hopeful inside.

Ultimately, he sighed and said, "Let's go into the Gloomy Forest."

"Why?" Austin asked, puzzled.

"It's simple—we'll search for any ruins. If we find something valuable, maybe the Master will reward us. Then, asking for his help would be much easier."

"Ah!" Understanding Caleb's reasoning, Austin immediately nodded. "You're right. Let's go. I'm tired of being cooped up indoors anyway."

...

That night, Alex stood excitedly in front of a mysterious room, his heart filled with exhilaration.

He had no idea whether it was morning or night by now—but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he had finally found what he was searching for.

After surviving many traps and trials, thanks to the blessings of being a Fate Holder, he had overcome everything with relative ease and reached this hidden chamber.

The door to the room was fairly small, made from a solid block of stone, carved with strange, intricate patterns.

However, what struck him as even stranger was the fact that two other passageways were branching out from this place.

Indeed, this place was the intersection of three tunnels, with strange glowing stones embedded around the area, casting an eerie yet soft light illuminating the space.

"Could there be other paths leading here?" Alex muttered to himself.

However, he quickly dismissed the thought. What mattered now was opening this door as soon as possible.

Why?

Because his instincts were screaming at him—that behind this door lay a great opportunity meant solely for him.

Alex pushed against the door, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge.

And this was even though his current strength far exceeded that of a normal person—pushing a stone weighing over 500 kilograms would usually be effortless for him.

Yet, the door remained still, completely unmoving.

Falling into contemplation, Alex decided to inspect the door more carefully. After a while, he noticed something unusual.

Among the many intricate carvings on the door, there was a spot that once featured three moons, but three small holes had replaced them.

Remembering something, Alex reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small gemstone, no larger than his thumb. He tried placing it into one of the holes.

Clink!

As the gemstone neared the hole, it was suddenly pulled in by a powerful force, locking it perfectly into place.

A moment later, the gemstone began to glow with a mysterious light spread across part of the door's carvings.

"Could it be… I need to collect all three gemstones to open this door?" Alex muttered with a frown.

He looked toward the other two tunnels, his eyes filled with disappointment and weariness.

After overcoming so many traps and trials, he was already exhausted—and all of that had earned him only this one gemstone.

Now, he feared he would be completely drained if he had to find two more.

If a monster or any danger awaited behind the door, he wouldn't have the strength to fight it.

Still, he wasn't willing to give up. He had come too far, and his pride wouldn't allow him to turn back.

Besides, Alex could feel his instincts whispering that behind this door lay a tremendous opportunity—something that could elevate him to a whole new level, like the wings of a tiger.

As Alex stood in hesitation, two silhouettes emerged from the remaining tunnels.

"Who?!" all three voices cried out at once.

"It's you?!"