"Lord?" Noan was a bit surprised upon hearing Monica's words. "You're a level 4 Lord?"
Monica clenched her teeth and said nothing.
Noan frowned and lowered the sword a little more.
"Um!" Monica felt the blade lightly graze the back of her neck.
It was a gentle touch, but the sharp edge left a small cut on her skin, sending a shiver down her spine.
"Wait! I… this…" Monica stamred.
"Hm?! I already told you—my patience has limits," Noan said.
"I… can you let inside first? I… I'm about to freeze," Monica trembled.
Noan looked around. Indeed, the cold was biting. Monica had only been outside for a short while, yet her hair and eyelashes were already frosting over, her body shaking uncontrollably.
He waved his hand, and the sword beca a chain, binding Monica tightly.
Monica was taken aback. She still had no idea what weapon Noan wielded—how could it transform in such a way?
Bound by the Abyss Cube, she had no way to escape. Noan grabbed the other end of the chain and dragged her into a nearby house.
He shut the door tightly and lit a fire by creating sparks through spatial magic.
As the flas roared to life, Monica exhaled a long breath of relief as warmth enveloped her.
Though her stomach still ached terribly, at least now—she wouldn't die.
Noan glanced at Monica and said, "Can you talk now?"
Monica pressed her lips together, took a deep breath, and winced as the pain in her abdon reminded her not to resist.
She sighed and said, "I… I really am a Lord."
"Your rank, level, and soldiers?" Noan asked flatly.
Monica answered honestly, "I'm a rank B Lord, level 3… I can summon Elves."
"Then… why have you beco an Elf yourself?" Noan asked, frowning again.
Monica glanced at Noan. His face remained cold and indifferent, and it frightened her.
She continued, "This… it all started when the 'Snow World Challenge' was opened. You've heard of it, haven't you?"
Noan searched through his mories. Indeed—there had once been a Challenge called the 'Snow World.'
However, that was five years ago. At the ti, the "Snow World" was a huge sensation—countless people and countless news outlets were discussing it.
But back then, Noan had yet to awaken as a Lord. He struggled to make a living, so he hadn't paid much attention to the news.
"I've heard of it, but didn't care much," Noan replied indifferently.
Monica explained, "The Snow World was a major Challenge, and the rewards were enormous—but the level of danger was equally extre."
"Because this Challenge didn't allow anyone to bring Soldiers or Heroes along, the death rate for Lords entering it was over 97%."
Noan was aware of this. At that ti, he worked as a janitor in a hospital.
Lords who returned from the Snow World Challenge suffered from severe frostbite.
Besides that, they knew very little. The only thing they could confirm was the freezing temperature. Unable to endure it, many gave up right at the start.
They hadn't even encountered any danger or monsters.
"Because the level restriction was capped at level 5, and Heroes were forbidden, Lords were like ants—that's why the death rate was terrifyingly high."
"That's when people ca up with an idea: to fuse a Hero with a Lord."
Noan was surprised at this. After all, the Fusion talent was sothing only he possessed. Now, hearing soone else ntion that term piqued his interest.
Monica continued, "At the ti, people discovered a thod involving a rank A magical potion. It could temporarily bind a Hero's power onto a Lord for a short period."
"During that ti, the Lord could use the sa powers and magic as the Hero. But the drawback was that once the potion wore off, the Lord would fall into exhaustion for several years."
"What's more, during the process, the Hero would lose all abilities and mobility—essentially falling into a state of suspended animation."
"If the fusion lasts too long, that Hero will eventually die."
Noan gave a slight nod, realizing such a potion was utterly useless to him.
He was only mildly intrigued—truthfully, he had no interest in gaining power through such ans.
After all, he could evolve and inherit the strength of the monsters he summoned. That kind of potion held no aning for him.
"So… what about you? Did you enter the Snow World Challenge?" Noan asked.
Monica pressed her lips together, then shook her head and replied, "I… I've been in this place for nearly two years. I don't know exactly what happened, but it seems like the Hero's power I borrowed has completely beco part of . As for the Hero… she's dead."
Noan nodded lightly, releasing a soft "Ah" in mild surprise.
This was a world of magic—strange things were bound to happen.
Seeing Monica's suffering didn't stir even a sliver of sympathy in him, because this was her choice.
If she truly intended to use this kind of "bug" to cheat the system, she had to bear the consequences.
Even so, the consequence seed minor. Though Monica's Hero had died, she now possessed the strength of the Elf race in return.
"So… you've been in this world for two years?"
Hearing Noan's question, Monica gave a slight nod. "That's right. I've been here for two years."
"And you still haven't cleared the Challenge after all this ti?" Noan asked with a frown.
Monica shook her head.
"At the very least, you've learned sothing, haven't you?"
Monica nodded again.
"Are you mute or sothing?" Noan snapped, beginning to lose patience.
"Ah! I'm sorry, I… I just got a little emotional rembering my Hero. She… she…"
BAM!
"Um!"
Noan grabbed Monica by the throat and slamd her hard into the wall, causing her to cry out in pain.
"I don't have ti to watch you grieve over pointless things. Answer my question—or die," Noan said.
His words made Monica tremble. She couldn't comprehend why Noan was being so violent.
After all, she was a beautiful woman. In the past, any man who saw her had always treated her courteously.
But Noan was different. From the mont they t, he had nearly beaten her to death. And even now, gazing at her lovely face, he acted brutally.
If Noan had known what Monica was thinking, he would likely have sneered and called her a fool.
Was Monica beautiful?
Very much so—her beauty was only slightly inferior to Vylyss's.
However, he already had plenty of won.
Vylyss, Maya, Lylia, Noralia—and he would have many more in the future.
But he had no desire to keep a ticking ti bomb at his side. So no matter how beautiful Monica was, he would show her no rcy if she posed a threat to him.
"I… I understand…" Monica said with difficulty, feeling like this young man could strip away her life.
"Huh!" Noan flung her to the floor and asked, "Now tell everything you know."
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Monica coughed violently, then cald down and said, "I… I don't know much. After failing the second mission, I stopped receiving any information from the system."
"Besides that, none of us could return to the real world. We've been trapped here ever since."
"You said… 'you and everyone'... There are others here?" Noan instantly caught the keyword and asked.
"Yes, about twenty of us are hiding nearby," Monica replied.
"There are that many of you, working together—and you still haven't found a way out?" Noan asked with a frown.
Monica sighed and said, "That's right. We've tried everything, but nothing works. However, everyone still has one final unsearched target: that castle."
She pointed toward the castle Noan had just visited. "Everyone believes the key to escaping this place lies within that castle."
"Why?" Noan asked.
"Because no one has ever been able to get inside it—and the snowfall in this world… it seems to be coming from within the castle itself."
Noan: "??!!"
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