Landlord World - Start with SSS talent

"The Immortal Clan was simply too powerful, which is why all the other races had to join forces to destroy them."

"For that reason, the Immortal Clan came up with a way to save themselves—they created the Blood Pact."

"Those who receive the Blood Pact will gain the power of immortality. Although it's not true immortality like the Immortal Clan themselves, it's still not much weaker."

"That's why, out of greed for becoming immortal, many have chosen to betray their own race and sign the Blood Pact."

"Once a member of the Immortal Clan is imprisoned, the Blood Pact activates, compelling those who signed the pact to seek out and free them."

"Master, when did you sign the Blood Pact?"

Hearing this, Noan frowned, his gaze full of confusion, tinged with anxiety and worry.

He knew Carlotta was a member of the Immortal Clan, but… she was only imprisoned, not even suffering pain—so why did she force him to sign the Blood Pact?

Noan sighed and said, "I don't really know either. When I woke up, I just felt a blood-colored energy inside my body."

"It seems…" Malrik stroked his chin, "that person must hold a very high status within the Immortal Clan."

"Hm?! Why do you say that?" Noan asked, perplexed.

Malrik continued his explanation: "Because only a member of the royal family of the Immortal Clan can force someone to sign the pact."

"Perhaps it's a Princess, a Queen, or the King of the Immortal Clan."

"However, Master, you don't need to worry. It appears that the pact is only in its initial stage—you haven't yet been fully bound to the point of a soul link."

"But… if this situation continues, it won't be long before you and that person become bound both in life and in soul."

Noan took a deep breath, feeling extremely uneasy. He furrowed his brows and asked, "Then… is there any way to break this pact?"

Malrik shook his head. "As far as I know, there's almost no way to break the Blood Pact—unless the other party willingly tears apart their own soul to do so."

"The price is enormous. That's why, once they put this pact on anyone, they're essentially deciding that, for the rest of their life, their soul will only be linked to that person."

After hearing this, Noan didn't feel even a hint of joy at the prospect of being soul- and life-bound to Carlotta. On the contrary, he felt even more anxious.

"Wait!" Noan suddenly recalled something, and asked with a frown, "What if my rank is higher than the one who forced me to sign the pact?"

Malrik tilted his head, as if searching through his memories. After a while, he said, "It's not impossible…"

"In the past, there were people who managed to break the Immortal Clan's blood pact, but the price they paid was enormous."

"Not only did they lose their immortality, but they were also cursed. As for what happened after that, I'm not sure—the rest is only legend."

"In theory, Master, as long as your strength surpasses that of the one who holds the pact with you by a great margin, you can break the pact."

"The greater the difference in strength, the smaller the price you have to pay. In fact, if the gap is vast enough, you might not need to pay any price at all to break it."

Hearing this, Noan felt a little more at ease.

After all, he possessed an SSS-rank talent. He believed that with this talent, he could evolve quickly to an extremely high level.

"However…" Malrik continued, "Master, if you don't hurry, once the soul and life link between you and that person is fully established, then no matter how strong you become, you won't be able to break the pact."

Noan nodded slightly. "Thank you, I understand."

He let out a long sigh and asked, "How much time do I have left?"

Malrik shook his head. "I'm not certain—it depends on the strength of the one who forced you into the pact."

"I see." Noan nodded, his gaze drifting off into the distance.

Today, he had received too much information—from learning about the Fate Hunter, realizing he had become the next Fate Hunter, and now the Blood Pact.

He felt that the deeper he delved, the more terrifying secrets of this world he uncovered.

Noan held his forehead, cursing inwardly: "Damn it! I never wanted to get tangled up in these secrets right now."

"I just wanted to quietly develop myself. I'm still just a rank D Lord, and the distance to rank S or SS is so far I can't even see it."

"Damn it! Goddamn it!"

Vylyss and Malrik, seeing Noan's expression, immediately knew what was running through his mind.

At this moment, Malrik tried to console him: "Master, you shouldn't worry too much. Although the blood pact is very dangerous, it also grants you immortality."

"Although that immortality isn't the same as the innate talent of the Immortal Clan, at the very least, you have essentially become an immortal yourself.

Besides that, you can also seek out tombs or ancient ruins of the Immortal Clan to claim the opportunities hidden within."

When Noan heard the word "opportunities," his eyes immediately lit up. "Opportunities from the Immortal Clan?"

"That's right." Malrik continued explaining, "The Immortal Clan is a race with an unbelievably long lifespan—far beyond even the Dragons or Elves. Some say they're truly immortal.

Because of that, over their long lives, they accumulated tremendous knowledge and countless treasures in this world.

It's said that if you discover the tomb of a member of the Immortal Clan, it's like finding a treasure trove a hundred times greater than a Dragon's hoard."

Hearing that, Noan took a deep breath and then asked in confusion, "But what does my blood pact have to do with the treasures of the Immortal Clan?"

"Master…" Malrik laughed—a strange sound given he was now nothing but a skull, but somehow Noan could feel Malrik's amusement.

"If you possess a pact with the Immortal Clan, you also possess their energy—the blood-red power now within you.

That energy is synchronized with all the treasures of the Immortal Clan, so you should understand what I mean, right?"

Noan took a deep breath, a greedy smile appearing on his face. "Of course, hehehe… Wait! But where am I supposed to find those treasures?"

Malrik scratched his skull. "That… I don't know."

Noan: "…"

Noan sighed, not really disappointed anymore. At least, Malrik's words about treasure hunting were a bit of consolation.

"All right, let's not worry about that anymore. Malrik, how strong are you right now?" Noan suddenly changed the subject.

Malrik replied with utmost confidence, "Master, at present, I can face a rank C+ monster and still leave safely."

Noan nodded slightly at that. Right now, Malrik had only just reached rank D – Peak. If he could evolve Malrik to rank D – Perfect or even higher, Malrik would definitely become even stronger.

But… Noan couldn't help but wonder—just how strong had Malrik been in the past?

"Malrik, how powerful were you before?"

Hearing Noan's question, Vylyss also looked at Malrik with curiosity.

After all, when she was first summoned, she was just a rank D Hero and only a Succubus, so her knowledge was rather limited.

Malrik tilted his head, thinking for a moment before replying, "Master, if I said… my strength back then had already surpassed the understanding of humankind, would you believe me?"

Noan nodded gently, but then pressed further, "How powerful exactly?"

"Hm…" Malrik stroked his chin and pondered a bit longer, then answered, "Perhaps… far beyond level 10. At that time, people called it something, but I don't remember anymore."

"I just remember they called me the Overlord."

Hearing that, Noan was deeply surprised, thinking to himself: 'Overlord level? What kind of rank is that? How far beyond level 10 is it?'

He frowned, finding it a bit hard to comprehend, but decided not to dwell on it. He believed one thing… that in the future, he would definitely be able to reach that level.

Noan let out a long sigh and said, "Alright, let's put these things aside. Malrik, I know you were once extremely powerful. Do you… want to possess a type of energy that could help you surpass even the limits of your past self?"