Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

"Ha… ha… ha…" Zeka panted, his face pale as he struggled to move through the icy wind.

Each step was a battle—snow was piled over 50 centimeters high, draining what little strength he had left.

Luckily, the 'buffs' he'd collected kept his stamina regenerating; otherwise, he would have frozen to death already.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The wind grew harsher, the gusts more violent, making Zeka shiver uncontrollably.

Even though Vinelord had stitched up his wounds, the blood loss was still severe, and in this brutal weather, his injuries began to turn a worrying shade of purple.

"Damn it! I can't die here!" Zeka ground out, his eyes burning with hatred. "Maisy, just keep laughing… Soon… I'll come back and make you cry in despair."

He muttered bitterly, but he had no idea where he was—too much wind, snow whipping in every direction, obscuring all sense of direction.

Vinelord spoke up, "Find somewhere to hide. The snowstorm's coming."

Even Vinelord was weary. He'd thought leaving the snowy world behind would bring him somewhere better, somewhere he could grow strong.

But here? More snow, more cold. This world was just as frozen and merciless.

Vinelord hated snow and low temperatures the most—he couldn't unleash his full power in these conditions. If he could, those trash from earlier would have been nothing but his dinner.

Shivering, Zeka kept moving, not knowing where to go next.

"Damn it! Where am I supposed to hide?" he growled, anger in his voice, but his face was so pale it looked almost bloodless.

He was already dizzy, feeling like he could faint at any moment.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

Suddenly, countless vines burst up from the ground and the deep snow, forming a dome to shield Zeka from the wind.

Underneath, the ground was lined with thick, soft vines—making a rough but much-needed resting place.

Zeka sat down in the cramped vine dome, frowning, "You could do this from the start. Why make me walk so far just to suffer?"

Vinelord sighed, "From here on out, you'll have to go alone."

"What?! What do you mean by that?" Zeka was shocked, fear and anxiety flooding his mind.

He knew that having Vinelord parasitize him was the reason he could harvest so many 'permanent buffs' just by killing other lords.

That's why, until he'd collected as many buffs as he wanted, he absolutely didn't want Vinelord to leave.

Zeka, this place is all snow—you know what sealed me before, Vinelord said, his voice weary. Right now, my life force is exhausted. I can only enter hibernation.

Don't worry. If you're in real danger, I'll help you. But for now, you'll have to fend for yourself.

Ah, fine… Zeka replied indifferently.

Whether Vinelord left or just slept, Zeka honestly didn't care.

Vinelord felt a pang of annoyance at Zeka's apathy. Though their relationship was built entirely on mutual benefit, that cold reaction still stung. But now wasn't the time for feelings. He had no choice but to go dormant to preserve what little life force he had.

No, more accurately, he simply didn't want to waste his precious energy helping Zeka anymore.

Vinelord decided that if Zeka died, he would just find someone else to parasitize. There was no point stubbornly sticking to Zeka.

Zeka, for his part, didn't give it much thought. He started to feel warmer—though the cold still bit at him inside the vine shelter, the 'Warmth Aura' buff from Violette was still in effect.

And thanks to the regeneration and vitality buffs, he was recovering, little by little.

Outside, Noan watched the scene, his eyes flashing with a cold killing intent.

Right now, if he attacked, he'd probably succeed in killing Zeka.

But there'd be no real benefit in doing that.

Master… Vylyss, flying beside him, spoke up.

Noan waved her off, stopping her words: No need. It's more useful to keep him alive for a while longer.

After speaking, Noan teleported away from the area. After all, he'd already placed an "Anchor Point" on Zeka, so no matter where Zeka went, Noan could always find him.

Noan didn't hurry back to his own territory but instead teleported to a completely different region.

Although the blizzard hadn't yet reached this place, snow already covered the entire landscape.

"So this is the region for Rank D Lords?" Noan frowned, a hint of killing intent flickering in his eyes.

At this moment, he felt he was fully capable of killing every lord here.

However, there was one major drawback—if he did that, the System Events would be affected.

That meant he couldn't act as recklessly as he wanted. Besides, he no longer needed too many lord points.

After all, his rank had already reached its maximum—he couldn't go any higher, so there was no rush.

On the contrary, keeping the lords here alive was more beneficial to him.

This way, events could proceed as normal. All he had to do was wait for the System to announce the next event, then swoop in and seize first place to claim the reward.

Noan looked around, as if searching for something.

Moments later, he vanished again, leaving only the sound of howling wind and a sky filled with swirling snowflakes.

…

In a small, cold, damp, and dark room—

Violette sat curled up in a corner, her body trembling violently from the cold.

Her skin was flushed red but her face was pale as if she were an anemic patient. She hugged herself tightly, struggling to withstand the intense cold.

She never imagined that after returning here, she would be pushed to a dead end by Maisy.

Violette thought she would have more time to prepare, or that with her abilities, Maisy wouldn't dare do anything harmful to her.

But Violette was wrong.

Maisy was like a rabid dog, uncaring about the lives of others.

No, more accurately, Maisy wanted to kill as many Lords as possible so she could manage this place more easily.

No matter how strong or talented Maisy was, there were always some who disliked her.

In fact, several lords had already formed their own groups to oppose Maisy.

This time, it seemed Maisy intended to wipe out all those who opposed her—all those she considered threats to her position.

Violette clenched her teeth, her eyes not showing any fear, only burning with intense hatred.

"I like that look in your eyes." Suddenly, a voice sounded, startling Violette.

A wave of energy wrapped around her body, warming her and flooding her with fresh strength.

"Um… m…" Violette let out a soft moan, a sound filled with satisfaction.

A moment later, she exhaled deeply, feeling her body had recovered, and then complained: "You're late."

"I had a lot to deal with." Noan replied as he walked up to her. "I thought by now you'd be living in a cozy room, not a place like this."

"Tsk!" Violette said indignantly, "Damn it! That bitch Maisy locked me in here so she could easily get rid of the lords who oppose her."

"Ah!" Noan was a bit surprised, then scoffed, "So… you guys aren't really united at all."

"United?" Violette smirked. "Huh! It's just a facade. Everyone wants to be king, of course there will be conflicts."

"So… are you also against her?" Noan asked with a smile.

Violette shrugged, leaning against the wall with a completely indifferent expression. "No, but I can help those who oppose her."

"You mean…"

Violette didn't answer, instead she raised her hand, and a wave of magic enveloped her body, slowly healing the frostbite wounds.

Noan was startled by this scene. He frowned and said, "This is… your talent?"

Violette smiled and replied, "That's right, I have a rank B recovery talent."