Landlord World - Start with SSS talent-Chapter 231: Strange mission

Noan heard the mechanical sound, but only chuckled to himself.

He glanced at Vylyss, then waved his hand, and she immediately entered the 'Summoning Space'.

As for the 'Abyss Cube', which currently took the form of a bracelet on his wrist, it remained unaffected. Despite numerous teleportations between worlds, it was still wrapped around his wrist, indicating that the System could not recognize the 'Abyss Cube' as a hero.

What Noan regretted was that he still could not evolve the 'Abyss Cube'.

Because to evolve the 'Abyss Cube', he needed an Abyss Crystal. Naturally, he had never heard of such a crystal nor knew where to find one.

That was why he planned to try to evolve to rank B first, and then begin the search for the Abyss Crystal.

Noan shook off his thoughts and immediately replied: "Accept!"

Luckily, this 'Challenge Space' was limited to level 5 and below; otherwise, he would not have been able to enter.

[Ding! Initiating inspection…]

Noan felt as though a stream of light had just swept across his entire body.

However, he wasn't worried. Abyss Cube and Vylyss had crossed the barrier between the City and the Chaotic World, so he believed they would also pass this inspection.

[Ding! Inspection complete, identity verified. Please prepare…]

Noan smirked. Although he didn't understand why this 'Challenge Space' forbade him from bringing Heroes, it still allowed Vylyss and Abyss Cube to come along.

This was his most significant advantage.

Immediately after, the stone gate slowly opened, revealing a golden spatial vortex.

Noan didn't hesitate and stepped inside the swirling portal.

When his figure completely vanished within the spatial vortex, the stone door slowly closed as if nothing had happened.

But from afar, atop a tall tree, Isabell sat on a branch, looking toward that stone gate, smiling as she murmured: "Monika, I hope you enjoy this little gift."

…

Noan only felt a wave of dizziness, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the area that had appeared before him.

All around was snow—an endless expanse of white. The temperature was likely -40 degrees Celsius. Snowflakes swirled in the air, falling so densely that no matter where Noan looked, all he could see was snow.

White... nothing but white.

However, Noan's current strength had far surpassed that of ordinary humans many times, so such temperatures did not affect him.

He waved his hand, and a protective circle formed from space energy, shielding him from the snow and the biting cold outside.

"Vylyss!" Noan called out.

"I'm here, Master," her seductive voice echoed inside his mind.

Hearing her voice, Noan nodded, feeling reassured.

The Abyss Cube was still on his wrist, taking the shape of a bracelet.

Noan nodded again, feeling deeply satisfied.

[Ding! Because you have entered the 'Challenge Space', the 'Extreme Challenge Medal' has been activated.]

Noan tilted his head. Though he didn't feel any noticeable changes, he knew the beneficial effects of the 'Extreme Challenge Medal' were now in play.

He frowned and looked around. Snow everywhere. He had no idea where to go, nor what the challenge required this time.

"Strange, is there no objective this time?" Just as Noan was puzzled, a notification panel appeared before him.

[Ding! Welcome to the 'Snow Plateau'. Your first task is to reach the nearby fortress within 24 hours.

If you fail to complete the mission within the given time, it will be considered a failure, and you will be returned to the real world.]

Noan frowned as he read the notification. He then closed his eyes, attempting to use his Space talent.

Moments later, he opened his eyes and smiled, saying, "Luckily, I can use my space talent here. Otherwise, I'd probably waste a lot of time."

However, his teleportation ability only allowed him to move to places he could see within his line of sight or locations he had previously visited.

Still, that was more than enough to shorten his search time. Besides, he still had Vylyss.

"Vylyss!"

When Noan gave the command, Vylyss dashed out from the 'Summoning Space'. She knew exactly what to do and immediately began casting detection magic.

A moment later, she opened her eyes and pointed into the distance.

"Master, there is a fortress 50 miles away in that direction. However, it is protected by magic—I can't sense what's inside."

Noan nodded upon hearing that, not particularly worried. After all, this was a challenge space designed for Lords at level 5 or below.

Moreover, this 'Challenge Space' only allowed Lords to enter; no Heroes or soldiers could be brought along.

According to his estimation, the difficulty of this challenge was likelyn't too high.

How could the Lords of level 5 or lower possibly overcome it if it were too complicated?

Because of that, Noan proceeded forward with a bit of confidence. At the same time, he reminded himself to remain cautious.

Vylyss carried Noan as they flew over more than 50 miles. All Noan could see during the flight was snow and a never-ending white expanse.

There was so much snow, it felt as if the Ice Age had returned.

After a while, Noan saw a fortress up ahead. The outer walls rose over thirty meters high and were constructed of stone bricks.

However, the entire wall had been covered in thick ice and snow, and even the main gate had frozen shut.

"Vylyss, can you fly high enough so I can see what's inside the fortress?" Noan commanded.

Vylyss shook her head and replied, "Master, there's a protective magic dome surrounding the fortress—you won't be able to see what's inside."

Noan nodded at that, then stepped before the main gate. Instead of rushing in, he teleported to another location and set an 'Anchor Point', before teleporting back to the fortress.

"Vylyss, return to the 'Summoning Space' for now."

"Yes, Master." Vylyss didn't resist, immediately following Noan's instructions.

Once Vylyss had returned to the Summoning Space, Noan approached the gate and gently placed his hand upon it.

At that moment, a System notification appeared before his eyes.

[Ding! Congratulations, you found the 'Black Snow Fortress' in 5 minutes and 12 seconds, breaking the previous fastest record.

You have received a rank B reward chest. The System has held the reward and will send it to you after you clear all the challenges.]

Seeing the notification, Noan frowned and asked, "What if I don't complete all the challenges?"

[Ding! If you fail in any challenge, the reward will be forfeited.]

Noan let out a sigh and shook his head. Since he had come this far, there was no way he would leave empty-handed.

He pushed the gate, but it remained unmoved—there was no sign of it budging.

He frowned and tried again. Both hands pressed against the cold metal surface of the gate—so cold that Noan felt as though he were touching a slab of ice rather than an actual door.

"Hm!" Noan exerted strength, trying to force it open.

Crack!

Crack!

At that moment, cracks began to form across the layer of ice on the gate, but they were few and quickly sealed up again by the frigid air.

The layer of ice surrounding the gate reverted to its original, unbroken state.

Seeing this, Noan frowned and gave up on using brute strength to force it open.

Instead, he extended his hand, compressing the space around his palm.

A spatial orb, about the size of a tennis ball, began to form in his hand.

Noan thrust the orb toward the gate, and at once, it emitted waves of spatial energy that pulsed through the ice encasing the door.

Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!

A strange sound echoed amid the howling wind.

Crack! Crack!

The ice began to crack once more. Though the freezing temperature attempted to repair the fractures quickly, the spatial orb relentlessly unleashed wave after wave through the icy surface.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The cracks grew denser, spreading like spiderwebs across the entire layer of ice.

BANG!

With a shattering sound, the ice broke apart. Noan immediately swung his leg and kicked the gate with full force.

BAM!

His kick was so powerful that the gate burst open violently.

The snow behind the gate exploded outward under the force, momentarily obscuring Noan's vision.

He swiftly stepped inside, raised his hand, and unleashed a wave of spatial energy around him, clearing all the snow within a twenty-meter radius.

Whoosh!

A sharp gust tore through the air, scattering the snow.

After a brief moment, Noan finally saw the interior of the fortress.

The houses were built closely together, following a medieval Western architectural style.

The streets were paved with stone, though they were now entirely buried beneath snow.

The snow was over two meters thick, completely covering the entrances of nearby houses.

This fortress resembled a dead city—snow everywhere and no trace of life.

[Ding! Mission has progressed to Phase 2. Within 24 hours, locate the Ice Core inside this fortress.]