Noan was somewhat surprised by the girl's beauty encased in the ice column.
Until now, this girl, Vylyss, and the woman chained in that dark space were the three most beautiful women he had ever seen.
Suddenly, Noan reached out his hand, his fingertip gently touching the ice column.
Noan swore… this was not an action he intended to take. But his body did not obey his commands, so he could only widen his eyes and watch as the inevitable unfolded.
At the spot where his finger touched the ice column, a crack suddenly appeared.
Then, that crack started spreading outward, like a spider web, enveloping the entire ice column.
BANG!
The ice column shattered a second later, and the frozen girl fell, landing precisely in his arms.
The moment he and the girl touched, Noan's consciousness was suddenly pulled into a strange space.
This place was a white void, surrounded by floating geometric shapes. On these shapes were peculiar symbols and drawings.
"Where is this?" Noan murmured. He realized he had regained control of his body and began exploring the bizarre space.
He felt somewhat exhausted. Whether it was the crypt or this peculiar space, both made him feel drained, both physically and mentally.
The crypt had forced him to walk for a long time, while this mysterious space showed no end despite being filled with light.
Noan, feeling weary, plopped down onto the ground, with no intention of moving further. He had already walked too much today; if he continued, he feared he would collapse from exhaustion.
"Don't you want to see what lies at the end?"
Suddenly, a voice rang out. It was a clear voice, carrying an air of authority like a queen's.
Noan didn't know whose voice it was, but he was too tired to find out.
"No. Why should I keep going? What's the benefit?"
"Hahahaha…" The voice laughed, clear and full of charm. "You are quite strange. But would you reconsider if I tell you what awaits at the end of this journey?"
"No! Too lazy!" Noan waved his hand dismissively, showing that he wasn't interested.
"Hmm?!" The voice seemed intrigued and continued, "Why not? If the end holds something incredible that could make you the ruler of this world in the future, would you continue?"
"No!" Noan almost didn't need to think; he immediately replied, "You don't need to deceive me. I don't want anything. Can you send me back now?"
"Hahahaha… how amusing." The strange voice laughed again, this time with a sense of delight. "I am telling the truth. If you continue, you will undoubtedly have the opportunity to compete for this world's ruler position."
"Oh! Earlier, you said I would become the ruler, but now you say I can compete for it. Do you think I'm a child?" Noan immediately retorted.
"Alright, I am just an E-rank Lord. You don't need to waste time trying to deceive me. Deceiving me wouldn't bring you much benefit."
"If you want to find someone to deceive, I can give you some names. Do you know Jankos? He's a B-rank Lord. Deceiving him would definitely bring you great benefits."
"Or maybe…"
"You are truly entertaining, hahahaha… hahaha…" The voice laughed heartily again, this time with genuine amusement, laughing for over two minutes before stopping.
"Do you really want to live like this forever?" the voice asked.
Noan nodded. "Yes. Living like this is quite good. After all, being an E-rank Lord allows me to earn much money and enjoy a comfortable life."
"In the future, I can marry ten wives and live happily ever after."
Fifty percent of what he said was a lie, the other fifty percent was true. The life he sought was indeed leisure, but he had lied about having no desire to grow stronger.
He knew this was a tremendous opportunity, and anyone in his place would undoubtedly seize it.
However, Noan was different. He didn't want this opportunity; he wanted to give it away.
Why?
He feared the trouble and complications it would bring.
One must understand that the greater the opportunity, the greater the trouble and the greater the danger.
If he accepted this opportunity, he would undoubtedly face countless troubles and life-threatening dangers awaiting him.
Although the title of 'World Ruler' sounded grand and dominant, he had no intention of risking his life for a mere fancy phrase like a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water. Enjoy more content from Freewebnovel
On the contrary, even if he didn't take this opportunity, thanks to his SSS-rank talent, as long as he had enough time and resources, he was confident that he could evolve to the highest level—or even break past the current limits.
That's why he didn't need to take unnecessary risks.
"So, I will ask you one last time. Do you truly wish to give up this opportunity?" the voice asked again. "You must know, many people dream of having this chance. If you discard it, you will regret it."
Noan shook his head. "No! No! I will never regret it."
"Hahaha… very good! I really like your answer. Congratulations, you have passed the test."
Noan: "..."
"Wait! Didn't you understand what I just said? I just said that—"
Before Noan could finish speaking, the symbols and drawings on the floating cubes around him suddenly surged towards him, fusing into his body.
At the same time, in a dark space, the woman bound by chains hovering in midair exhaled a breath.
"At last… the bearers of fate have all appeared."
"It is time for you all to take the stage, Fate Holders."
Elsewhere.
Not a single blade of grass or tree could survive atop a towering mountain, where snow and ice covered the land year-round.
Yet, at the peak of this mountain stood a simple wooden house.
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Before the house, a young man, around twenty years old, knelt on the ground.
Strangely, he was bare-chested, wearing only a pair of shorts, seemingly indifferent to the terrifyingly frigid temperatures surrounding him.
The biting winds did not make him shiver; instead, he remained as still as a rock, without the slightest movement.
If not for the fact that he was still breathing, one might think he was already dead.
After a while, the house's door creaked open. Seeing this, the young man bowed his head respectfully, then stood up and stepped inside.
The moment he entered, the door shut behind him, and the flickering candlelight dispelled the darkness.
Before him sat a human skeleton on a cushion, draped in a red robe.
"Master!" the young man bowed his head, his voice filled with reverence.
"Alex, it is time for this world to tremble before you," a strange voice emerged from the skeleton.
Immediately after, a crystal orb appeared before Alex, radiating an enchanting light.
"With this, your Lord rank is no longer worth mentioning."
Hearing his Master's words, Alex immediately grasped the crystal orb. A system notification appeared before him.
[Ding! Congratulations, Lord Alex has obtained the SS-rank talent - Devour.]
Seeing the notification, Alex smiled in satisfaction.
Then, he bowed deeply to the skeleton, his voice filled with sincerity and respect. "Thank you, Master."
"No need to thank me," the skeleton continued. "If you ever have the chance, help him with what I told you."
"Yes, Master."
The skeleton disintegrated into countless dust particles when Alex finished speaking, scattering onto the floor.
Witnessing this scene, he was unfazed, only lowering his head in gratitude and reverence.
Then, he stood up, walked to the corner of the room, and retrieved a set of clothes prepared in advance.
After dressing, he muttered, "System! Take me to the New Region."
[Ding! Preparing for teleportation, please wait.]
Though his expression remained unreadable, his eyes gleamed with excitement and pride.
He murmured, "This world will tremble before my power."
[Ding! Beginning teleportation to Region 27, please prepare.]