"You are very fortunate to have met my Master. Of course, with my assistance, my Master can easily resolve your condition."
"Human, you should learn to be grateful. After you regain consciousness, even if my Master’s slave contract does not bind you, you must still be loyal to him. Besides..."
"Enough!" Noan pressed his forehead and snapped, "No need to say more. Just save him first."
"Ack! My apologies, Master. Kekekeke..." Malrik chuckled awkwardly before pulling out a black book.
He flipped through it momentarily, found a specific page, and placed his skeletal hand upon it.
A black flame emerged, wrapping around Malrik’s hand.
He waved his hand, and the fire transformed into countless black threads that instantly burrowed into Austin’s body.
Noan could see the ’Desert Worms’ beneath Austin’s skin writhing violently as if they had encountered something terrifying.
"Master..." While Malrik was helping Austin purge the Desert Worms, Vylyss whispered, "Do you really want to save these two?"
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Noan nodded at the question and asked Vylyss, "Have you thoroughly investigated the Gloomy Forest?"
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Vylyss immediately understood what Noan was referring to—the secret caves that Caleb and Austin had discovered.
When they first arrived, Vylyss had conducted an extensive investigation. Even Urlgug had brought a group of Skeletons to search for anything unusual in the surroundings.
Days passed, and they found nothing. Even when Vylyss used magic to sense the area, she couldn’t detect anything, leading her to believe there was nothing strange in the forest.
However, as soon as Austin arrived, he discovered a cave within the Gloomy Forest, obtaining a mysterious key and several blood crystals.
Now, Austin and Caleb had once again stumbled upon another peculiar cave. This made Vylyss question her search capabilities.
"Master, do you doubt me?" Vylyss bit her lip, her face showing uncertainty—she was beginning to doubt herself.
Seeing Vylyss’s discomfort and embarrassment, he shook his head and said, "No, I was considering another possibility."
"Heh?!" Vylyss was startled and quickly asked, "Master, do you mean…?"
"Perhaps… it is because of the wheel of fate," Noan spoke somewhat abstractly, making it difficult for Vylyss to understand.
In his previous life, back on Earth, he had read countless online novels. Naturally, he was familiar with many tropes involving protagonists.
Others might search endlessly and find nothing, but the protagonist would always stumble upon countless treasures—sometimes even uncovering terrifying secrets.
At first, he had considered killing Austin and Caleb, but after careful thought, he decided to spare them.
Now, they had proven that his decision was correct.
Although he did not believe Caleb and Austin were true protagonists, he knew some things related to fate were beyond comprehension.
Another thought crossed Noan’s mind—if he did not exist in this world, then Caleb and Austin would almost certainly be the dominant figures in this region.
He was the anomaly, the variable that had disrupted the trajectory of the wheel of fate.
Of course, Noan never considered himself a protagonist or a hero destined to save this world.
No!
He was just an ordinary person. Even though he possessed an SSS-rank talent, he had no intention of saving the world or becoming a hero.
He only wanted to live for himself. Yes, he was selfish, greedy, and cowardly.
Noan continued, "Don’t worry, I don’t blame you. I know you’ve worked hard. The caves that Austin and Caleb discovered might simply be tied to their fate."
At this moment, Noan decided to let them live, believing they carried some kind of mission.
If he killed them, the one who would have to bear that mission would be him.
Of course, Noan had no desire for trouble, nor did he wish to be a hero.
Austin and Caleb could fulfill their destinies, and Noan could still keep them under his control.
Hearing Noan’s words, Vylyss felt warmth in her heart, believing he was trying to console her.
After a while, Malrik finally exterminated the Desert Worms that had parasitized Austin’s body.
Austin’s face looked more at ease now, though it remained deathly pale like that of an anemic patient.
Malrik chuckled and said, "Kekekeke… I have purged all the parasites from his body. However, he is severely injured and will need a long recovery time."
Upon hearing this, Caleb immediately bowed and quickly said, "Thank you, Master."
"Caleb, this is your opportunity," Noan suddenly said. "If you kill him, you could become the strongest person in this region."
Caleb clenched his teeth upon hearing those words, then bowed his head and said, "I’m sorry, Master. I cannot do it. Though he and I indeed had conflicts in the past, we are now both your slaves."
"Besides, while Austin may be arrogant and somewhat reckless, he is not an evil person. If he stays alive, he could greatly use you."
Noan nodded lightly, further confirming his thoughts.
It seemed that Austin and Caleb truly carried some unknown mission.
That was fine. It was of no concern as long as it did not interfere with him. If their mission made them stronger, then it was a good thing.
This way, he would have two extremely powerful slaves loyal to him.
Noan nodded again and took two small pouches from his ’Storage’ before tossing them to Caleb.
"Inside each pouch are 200 F-rank crystals and 10 E-rank crystals. Use them wisely. I do not want my subordinates to be useless."
Caleb was momentarily stunned before his expression turned to joy.
For the first time, he felt that being Noan’s slave was not such a bad thing.
In times of danger, Noan could save them. He even provided them with more resources than when they were free.
Caleb suddenly recalled the time before he arrived in this region. Back then, he could barely gather around 100 F-rank crystals in an entire week.
Reaching level 3 was only possible because he used ’Credit Points’ to purchase energy crystals in the City.
But now, Noan had casually tossed them 200 F-rank crystals and 10 E-rank crystals. If these were taken outside, they would be considered an enormous fortune.
Moreover, Noan was not weak—on the contrary, he was so powerful that both Caleb and Austin felt utter despair in comparison.
For that reason, Caleb no longer thought of being Noan’s slave as a misfortune. Instead, he felt incredibly lucky.
"Alright! Take me to that cave."
Hearing Noan’s command, Caleb’s mind snapped back to reality. He hurriedly grabbed the two pouches Noan had thrown at him and quickly responded, "Yes, Master."
…
A short while later, Noan arrived at the cave entrance. There, the Stone Golem and the Magma Lizard lay motionless on the ground, having fallen victim to the parasite’s attack.
Unsurprisingly, the Magma Lizard had been parasitized, but even the Stone Golem had been taken down.
After all, a Stone Golem was nothing more than an animated mass of rock that followed commands. How could parasites have attacked it to the point of unconsciousness?
Malrik explained that the ’Desert Worms’ could absorb energy to mature. Once developed, they could corrode the energy flow inside monsters, eventually leading to their complete demise.
After helping Caleb remove the parasites from the two monsters, Noan instructed him to take Austin and leave first.
Only after Caleb had completely left did Noan finally feel at ease, allowing him to focus all his attention on the monsters under his control.
He had learned a valuable lesson from the Mutant Hunter before. Because of that, even though he had grown significantly stronger, he still maintained his cautious nature.
Vylyss and Malrik led the way, while Urlgan and Urlgug stayed close by his side.
As for Zhisse, Noan had initially considered bringing him along, but he realized that his territory needed a guardian. For that reason, he left Zhisse behind to oversee it.
The Skeletons were also left behind to guard the territory. If there were a monster strong enough that even Vylyss couldn’t stop it, then bringing the Skeletons along would be pointless.
He stepped into the cave, with Malrik and Urlgug using magic to illuminate the path.
Suddenly, Malrik spoke, "Master, be careful. There is a strong presence of dark energy here—so dense that I can even sense traces of blood energy."
"Blood energy? What is that?" Noan frowned, puzzled by the term.
Malrik explained, "Master, I suspect this place may belong to the Blood Clan."