Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

As soon as Noan finished speaking, the magic circle beneath their feet didn't disappear. On the contrary, it began splitting the ground into two halves.

The earth shook violently as it cracked open, and from below, a stone platform started rising, at the center of which was a tangled mass of vines seemingly binding something tightly.

Zeka, already weakened, lost his balance and fell to the ground. Violette, not understanding what was happening, stared in astonishment.

Suddenly, a hand appeared and covered her mouth.

Violette struggled fiercely, but in the end, she was dragged into the shadows.

Zeka didn't notice what had happened to Violette, because his attention was fixed on the vines unraveling at the center of the stone platform, revealing a girl so beautiful it took his breath away.

"Wait! That's… Monica?" Zeka suddenly recognized the girl as Monica. But… why was she tied up here?

Wasn't Monica outside? Then who was this? Her twin sister?

Zeka was utterly confused.

Boom!

Suddenly, the girl who had been bound opened her eyes, and a wave of frigid energy exploded outward, sweeping through the surroundings.

Zeka was hit by the shockwave and instantly frozen solid.

But strangely, the vines that had fallen to the ground suddenly slithered like snakes, rushing to surround Zeka and causing the ice to start melting.

The girl saw this and her gaze became colder than a snow-capped mountain.

BANG!

The ice encasing Zeka shattered, and the arm that had been frozen was crushed into pieces.

The vines immediately wrapped around what was left of his arm, forming a prosthetic limb out of twisted vines.

Zeka gasped for breath, staring in disbelief at his right arm.

From the elbow down, it was no longer his arm—it had been replaced by a writhing mass of sinister vines, squirming like snakes.

"AAA!!! What the hell is this? What the hell is happening to me?" Zeka screamed in despair and confusion.

His arm…

His body…

His mission…

What in the world was happening to him?

"Human…"

The girl who had just been imprisoned by countless vines now seemed to have fully awakened. She looked toward Zeka and, in a voice filled with icy coldness, said, "Are you the one who broke the seal of Vinelord?"

Zeka lifted his head to look at the girl.

She was breathtaking.

Monica was already beautiful, but this girl—though strikingly similar to Monica—was on another level. Especially with her long, pointed Elven ears and sapphire-blue eyes, she exuded a regal aura, like that of a true queen.

[Ding! Next mission – Eliminate or Subjugate Vaelyth.]

A system notification appeared in front of Zeka, startling him. Not only Zeka, but Noan also saw the same system message.

This meant that anyone present in this world had just received this newly issued mission.

However, Zeka then saw another notification that filled him with fear.

[Ding! You have received the Blessing of the Evil God Vinelord – Evil God's Blessing.

Evil God's Blessing: All physical strength and stamina increased tenfold.

In addition, you can control all of Vinelord's vines.

Every time you kill a Lord, you will receive a random 'buff' lasting for thirty minutes.]

Zeka read through the beneficial effect—Evil God's Blessing—and felt an unsettling mix of confusion and fear.

But when his eyes landed on the final line of the description, the greed within him surged uncontrollably.

Kill a Lord, and receive a random buff lasting thirty minutes.

But he possessed an SS+ ranked talent—one that turned any buff he received into a permanent buff.

That meant… he no longer needed Violette to cast support spells on him.

All he needed to do was kill as many Lords as possible to grow stronger.

Each Lord equaled a permanent buff. So what if it were 10 Lords? 100? 1,000?

Suddenly, Zeka no longer saw becoming the Evil God as a curse.

On the contrary—it was a blessing.

As for what becoming an Evil God might do to him—he didn't care.

As long as he was powerful enough, all criticism from others would be meaningless.

As long as he was powerful enough, he could restore his original body. Then, he could make even the Evil God Vinelord his pet.

At that thought, Zeka's face twisted into a grin filled with malice and a darkness so deep it was terrifying.

As if… he had become someone entirely different.

"Human… I'm speaking to you."

At that moment, Vaelyth spoke again, her voice filled with disdain and icy contempt.

Zeka glanced at Vaelyth and sneered. "That's right, it was me. Got a problem with that?"

"So… you've also been seduced by the illusory power granted by the Evil God," Vaelyth said with a frown. "Do you even realize that he—"

"Hahahaha…"

Zeka suddenly burst into laughter, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Are you stupid? The Evil God? I don't care what he's done."

"I care about one thing only—that he gives me the power I desire. And you can't."

"You…" Vaelyth frowned, her eyes growing colder by the second. "It seems I can't talk sense into you. That leaves only one option…"

As she spoke, her golden hair, though untouched by wind, fluttered lightly, reflecting the light like strands of molten gold.

Before her, a magic circle appeared and began spinning, radiating a terrifying surge of power.

Zeka grew uneasy at the sight and took a step back.

However, with his strength now amplified tenfold, he no longer felt the same fear he once did.

BAM!

Zeka stomped the ground, shattering the earth beneath his feet.

He shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, dashing toward Vaelyth like a gust of wind.

Vaelyth scoffed. "Huh! You think that wielding the Evil God's power makes you a match for me?"

She raised her hand, and the magic circle transformed into a white snowflake that spun in midair.

BAM!

Zeka's fist collided with the snowflake. It trembled violently but didn't shatter as he had expected.

"Damn it!" Zeka cursed inwardly, but at that moment, the tendrils on his other arm lashed out toward Vaelyth.

She didn't flinch. With a graceful wave of her hand, a terrifyingly cold wind surged forth, instantly freezing the vines solid.

Vaelyth didn't stop. Her index finger moved gently, as if she were dancing, causing the snowflake in front of her to tilt sideways before shooting toward Zeka.

"Damn it!" Zeka cursed inwardly as he saw the snowflake spinning like a saw blade, aiming to slice him in two.

He quickly retreated, but the snowflake relentlessly chased after him.

Clenching his jaw, the confidence he had moments ago vanished completely. He hadn't expected Vaelyth to be this powerful.

"Shit! If I had more time, I could kill that bitch and make her kneel between my legs," Zeka muttered.

[Get out—now!]

Suddenly, a strange voice rang in his head. It was impossible to tell if it belonged to a man or a woman.

"Who? Who's talking to me?" Zeka asked as he dodged the spinning snowflake, speaking to the voice that had just echoed in his mind.

[I am your ally—Vinelord.]

"Vinelord? You…"

[Don't hesitate. Get out there. Kill those human scum outside. You'll gain enough power to destroy that bitch.]

"But even if I kill others, I only get buffs that last thirty minutes. How could I ever beat her with that?" Zeka replied immediately.

Of course, he kept his SS+ rank talent—turning temporary buffs into permanent ones—a secret.

[I can absorb more blood. The stronger I become, the stronger you become.]

Hearing that, Zeka instantly understood why the Evil God Vinelord had been sealed.

If left unchecked, this Evil God would grow endlessly. As long as there was enough blood, he would grow stronger—strong enough to engulf the entire world.

But Zeka didn't care about anyone else.

The stronger the Evil God became, the stronger Zeka would become. That was all he wanted.

Naturally, he had absolute confidence that he could destroy Vinelord himself once he had collected enough buffs.

With a wicked grin, Zeka responded, "Good! But first, we have to get out of here."

[Don't worry. I've summoned reinforcements.]

"Reinforcements?"

Just as Zeka spoke, the door suddenly burst open—Valen stepped in, dragging Monica with him.

Monica was tightly bound by vines, her expression filled with frustration and anger.

Valen held a stone drill, its sharp tip pointed directly at Monica's forehead. He smirked as he spoke, "Let my master leave, or I'll kill this girl."