Noan didn't rush to check Zeka's information, rely glancing at him and the girl standing next to him, then paying no further attention.
However, even though he wasn't looking, Vylyss continued to observe them closely.
At that mont, Zeka seed to sense that soone was watching him, and an overwhelming discomfort welled up within him.
"Is it that young man?" Zeka muttered. "No, he's not looking at . Then who is it?"
When he saw Noan's gaze focused only on the glass orb, while the eerie sensation of being watched persisted, Zeka felt increasingly puzzled.
"Is sothing wrong, Zeka?" Violette asked.
Zeka shook his head. "No, just felt like that young man is a bit strange, that's all."
Hearing this, Violette couldn't help but trust Zeka.
Ever since entering the 'Trial Space', although the area was blanketed in snow, Zeka seed unusually fortunate.
She had followed him for less than three miles before they discovered a cave for shelter.
But they hadn't expected that many others would already inhabit the cave.
These people were all Lords who had previously entered this Trial.
It seed Valen had taken so interest in Zeka and acted quite friendly toward him, which quickly led to their inclusion in the group of survivors in this world.
Although they hadn't yet completed the first mission of the Trial, they had already found a safe place to take refuge—an extraordinary stroke of luck in such a terrifying and unforgiving world.
Zeka glanced at Noan once more before averting his eyes, though deep inside, an intense discomfort remained—as if a voice was urging him to kill Noan imdiately.
"Hahaha… we have many guests today, so allow to make so introductions," Valen said, introducing everyone to Noan, Zeka, and Violette.
Through this, Noan learned that the girl beside Zeka was nad Violette.
She stood about 155cm tall, with a petite fra, an innocent and gentle face, and clear eyes like a pristine lake that made anyone who looked at her want to hold her close and protect her.
At that mont, Noan activated the 'Fate Holders List' to inspect.
Now, the list included a third na—Zeka.
With a thought, Noan selected that na to view the information, and imdiately, a new information panel appeared before him.
…
Na: Zeka
Rank: D
Class: No
Level: 2
Talents:
Pixie's Line (D): Can extend the duration of buffs/debuffs caused by Pixie by 50% longer than their standard durations. Eternal Buff (SS ): Any beneficial effect received by Zeka will beco permanent. Identical beneficial effects can stack infinitely.
...
Noan saw nothing particularly noteworthy in Zeka's information, except for one thing that made him slightly uneasy: Zeka's 'Eternal Buff' talent.
This talent could turn every beneficial effect Zeka received into a 'permanent' status. Even identical beneficial effects could stack endlessly.
Was this a cheat?
This talent was many tis more terrifying than Alex's 'Devour' talent.
Fortunately, it seed Zeka had only recently acquired this talent, so Noan could sense that Zeka's current strength wasn't significant.
In fact, Zeka wasn't even as strong as Baron yet.
Nevertheless, if Zeka were allowed to continue living, he could beco a ticking ti bomb.
Still, Noan wasn't eager to kill Zeka. After all, Zeka possessed a talent even stronger than Alex's, indicating that his fate and fortune were vastly superior.
Thus, Zeka was essentially a treasure-finding radar. By following Zeka, Noan would surely reap considerable rewards.
Noan silently asked the System: "Can I see Zeka's buffs?"
[Ding! Cannot. Zeka's buffs are beneficial and cannot be displayed within the system.]
"Tsk!" Noan clicked his tongue, but it wasn't a significant problem.
After all, he could still sense Zeka's strength. Besides, Vylyss could help him monitor Zeka.
If Zeka displayed excessive growth, Noan would kill him imdiately.
After finishing the introductions, Valen smiled and said, "Today is a joyous occasion as we have three new allies, so let's hold a small party to welco our new mbers."
Everyone was delighted to hear this and quickly agreed.
After all, in this world, they couldn't cultivate crops due to extrely low temperatures, making food exceedingly scarce.
Holding a party ant they would get to eat their fill. Therefore, whenever Valen ntioned having a party, everyone quickly agreed.
Noan observed the joy and greed in the eyes of the people here and could sowhat guess that their lives were uncomfortable.
While everyone was preparing, Noan called Monica to a secluded corner, frowned, and asked, "What do you know about Valen?"
"Ah!" Monica was slightly startled but obediently replied, "He's the one who created this cave."
"Hm?!" Hearing that, Noan seed to have so speculation, but he didn't voice it, remaining quiet and letting Monica continue.
"He's a Lord who has fused with the power of a Stone Golem; that's why he can change the cave's shape, creating a refuge for everyone."
Noan nodded lightly upon hearing this.
He glanced at the mission tir, indicating more than twenty-three hours left, and didn't feel particularly anxious.
He rely looked at Monica and continued asking, "How did you et him?"
"Ah! Well… I t him when I had just arrived in this place. He said he was one of the first people to enter this world," Monica answered truthfully.
"At that ti, everyone was desperate, and he appeared, bringing us hope to continue surviving."
Noan glanced at Valen, who stood smiling from afar, directing everyone as they cooked.
Handso, friendly, kind-hearted, and the sole source of hope everyone could depend upon.
If Noan couldn't detect 'Fate Holders,' perhaps he would have believed that Valen himself was a Fate Holder.
"So, over the past two years, none of you have found any way to escape from this place?" Noan continued questioning.
Hearing this, Monica sighed, "That's right. Whenever we discovered a new thod, Valen would always be the first to explore it. But each path always led to a dead end."
"At those monts, Valen imdiately encouraged everyone, raising their spirits and motivating them to overco their difficulties."
As Monica spoke, admiration for the young man nad Valen filled her eyes.
Noan didn't feel jealousy; it was just… he increasingly found the young man strange.
Exactly how strange, he didn't know—just that his intuition was urging him to remain cautious around this man.
'It seems I must find the Ice Core myself,' Noan thought silently.
He turned around, intending to leave, when Monica suddenly asked in surprise, "You don't want to join the party? There will be lots of delicious food."
Noan: "…"
He shook his head and replied, "I'll be back."
With that, he activated his Space talent and instantly vanished.
Seeing this, Monica's face lit up with longing. If only she possessed a space-related talent, she could go anywhere.
At that mont, Valen suddenly glanced toward Monica, a strange glint flashing briefly in his eyes before disappearing.
His gaze then shifted to Zeka and Violette, and within it shimred a hint of greed.
Zeka, sensing Valen's gaze, shivered slightly. He quickly turned his head and saw Valen looking at him with a friendly expression, which eased his nerves.
However, he knew he needed to locate a fortress called 'Black Snow' to complete the System's first mission. Because of that, he walked up to Valen.
"Valen, can you show the way to the fortress called 'Black Snow'? I need to complete the System's first mission."
Hearing Zeka's question, Valen smiled and replied, "Don't worry, the Black Snow fortress is very close—only about ten miles from here."
"For now, let's enjoy the party first. Afterward, the others and I will take you there."
Hearing this, Zeka felt relieved and didn't question Valen's words at all.
"Thank you, Valen. You're truly a good person," Zeka said with a smile.
"Hahahaha… Don't thank . We're all stuck in the sa situation—we should help each other, right?" Valen said with a hearty laugh.
Zeka nodded in agreent.
To him, Valen's words didn't seem strange in the slightest. After all, the Black Snow fortress was only about ten miles away. With his stamina, he could easily reach it in two hours.
Besides, he still had over twenty-two hours left to complete the mission, so he wasn't too worried.
Even if he took ti to eat and sleep, he would still have enough ti to finish the task.
But just as Zeka turned to leave and share the news with Violette, Valen's gaze followed him—now brimming with greed.
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