Landlord World - Start with SSS talent-Chapter 244: Watch out!

Inside the Black Snow Fortress, Zeka and Violette somehow managed to reach the tallest castle in the area—though they had no idea how.

Zeka was now so cold he was on tahe verge of freezing solid. At first, he believed he could endure the terrifying cold.

However, because he had to use his own blood to activate the key, he had lost quite a bit of it.

Losing blood while also enduring this extreme chill—if he weren't a 'Fate Holder' with multiple buffs on his body, he would've died long ago.

Why didn't he use Violette's blood instead?

Of course, it was because she was the goddess in his heart. How could he bear to make her bleed?

When they reached the castle gates and saw that the two knights guarding the entrance had frozen to death, both Violette and Zeka felt a wave of fear.

But in order to complete the mission and escape this cursed place—and because the goddess of his heart was here—he couldn't let himself show fear.

"Don't worry, Violette," Zeka said with a smile. "We're the chosen ones. We won't end up trapped here like them."

Violette looked at Zeka's pale face, sighed, and then nodded. "Alright. Let's finish this mission quickly and get out of here."

Zeka smiled and nodded.

He held the key and approached the castle gate. The beam of light from the key shone directly into it, so Zeka was sure that the 'Ice Core' mentioned by the System must be hidden inside.

However…

"What the hell?" Zeka muttered. "There's… there's no keyhole. How are we supposed to open this?"

Indeed, the gate of the castle looked like it was made from a massive wooden slab, covered by a thick layer of ice, turning it into an unbreakable wall of frozen stone.

Zeka began to panic. He quickly searched the area for any other clues.

Violette wasn't doing well either. She trembled, unable to bear the overwhelming cold.

She began to hesitate, but then made up her mind and raised her magic staff.

A warm light enveloped both her and Zeka, making them feel a wave of warmth.

[Ding! You have received the buff 'Warm Aura.' Every minute, you will recover 1% stamina and maintain a warm body temperature for thirty minutes.]

[Ding! Buff 'Warm Aura' has become permanent.]

Zeka was stunned as he saw the two notifications pop up before his eyes. His gaze turned to Violette, filled with excitement and delight.

'So that's it… she really does like me,' he thought to himself.

'If she didn't, why would she use her energy to keep me warm?'

'Violette, don't worry. You will be mine. You will always be the one I love most.'

If Violette could hear what was going on inside Zeka's head, she'd probably vomit straight into the next year.

She had cast the spell simply because she could no longer bear the horrifying cold.

Even though energy couldn't regenerate in this place, dying from the cold wasn't an option—so she chose to use magic to survive.

As for casting the buff on Zeka? It was because he seemed oddly lucky and might hold the key to completing the mission.

Everything she did was for herself. There was no kindness toward Zeka in her actions.

Of course, Zeka didn't think that far. He was completely absorbed in his own delusions.

With his stamina steadily recovering and warmth spreading through his body, Zeka felt invigorated.

He began searching the area more actively for a way to open the gate.

Suddenly, he noticed a magical sigil on the back of each of the two frozen knights.

He glanced at the key in his hand—his instincts told him he needed to use it to activate the magic embedded in the knights.

But… for what purpose?

He had no idea. It was simply what his gut was telling him.

And naturally, he trusted his instincts.

Zeka stepped forward and pressed the key against the magical sigil on the back of the first frozen knight.

Ting!

As soon as the key touched the symbol, a clear chime echoed, like the sound of a bell.

The magical sigil began to emit a warm light, melting the ice that enveloped the knight.

However, only half of the ice melted—his body remained partially frozen.

Zeka turned to the second knight and repeated the action.

Ting!

The chime rang again. This time, the ice around both knights completely melted away.

Their bodies were rotting—parts of their flesh had decayed, exposing bone, and half of one knight's face was entirely decomposed.

And yet… they began to move.

"AHH!!!" Violette screamed in terror the moment she saw them.

She quickly backed away, her face pale as she watched the two knight-like figures—now resembling zombies—begin to move.

Zeka hurried over to her side, smiling as he said, "Don't worry. This might be the method to open the gate of the castle."

As he spoke, he reached out his hand, seemingly trying to pull her into his arms.

Though frightened, Violette wasn't a fool. She immediately sidestepped, avoiding his hand.

Zeka's hand missed, and he gave an awkward smile.

But inside, he wasn't angry at all—on the contrary, he felt pleased.

'Ah! I almost forgot—my goddess wouldn't let just anyone touch her so easily.'

'This is even better. That means only I will be allowed to touch her in the future.'

The two knight-like zombies slowly approached the gate and reached out their hands, placing them against the ice-covered surface.

The moment they touched the ice, their bodies suddenly burst into flames.

As they turned into blazing torches, Zeka and Violette both stepped back in alarm.

The fire from their bodies slithered like snakes, crawling up the castle gate. The flames twisted and danced, eventually forming a blazing magic circle on the surface of the door.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The icy wall began to fracture—then…

BANG!

It shattered into countless shards, revealing a massive wooden door behind it.

Crit! Crit! Crit!

Though the knights had become living torches, they still pushed against the door, forcing it open little by little.

Hiding in the shadows, Noan watched the scene unfold with a satisfied smile.

"So they really are 'Fate Holders,'" he murmured, amused. "If it were me, I probably wouldn't have figured out how to open that gate."

"But Zeka… he only had to poke around a bit and managed to use the key—and even discovered the way to open the castle gate."

Noan felt a twinge of jealousy in his heart. 'Fate Holders' truly were favored by destiny. Whatever they did, luck followed.

"But then again, if you're that lucky," he smirked, "you'll make the perfect radar to help me find even more treasure."

Noan grinned wickedly, like a true villain straight out of a story.

At that moment, Zeka suddenly shuddered, as if someone were watching him with a sinister gaze.

But when he looked around, all he saw was snow—only Violette stood nearby.

"Strange…" Zeka muttered with a frown. "What the hell is going on? Why do I feel like someone's targeting me?"

"How long are you planning to stand there?" Violette asked impatiently. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Zeka quickly forced a smile and replied, "Hahaha… sorry, I was just lost in thought. Let's go—you walk behind me. I'll protect you from any danger."

"Ah! Fine," Violette said without protest. After all, having a human shield in front was much safer.

Noan also slipped into the castle, of course remaining hidden in the shadows with Vylyss. No one noticed them at all.

Zeka and Violette walked down a massive corridor.

The hallway was strange—flanked by two walls over ten meters tall, with the ceiling above completely covered by frozen-over vines.

After walking for some time, they came upon another massive door.

Unlike the one before, this one seemed to be made of metal, with a small keyhole at its center.

Zeka immediately recognized what he had to do. Holding the key tightly, he slowly approached the door.

Just as he inserted the key into the lock, a sudden, overwhelming sense of dread washed over him.

"Watch out!"