Landlord World - Start with SSS talent-Chapter 53: Tiger Silence for Predator

Caleb furrowed his brows, his eyes filled with anger and irritation.

In the past, even when he had to exist among high-ranking lords, he lived safely thanks to his intelligence and ability to manipulate others.

More precisely, he knew how to parasitize high-rank lords.

That was also why no one dared to challenge or look down on him.

But today, he encountered Noan.

Noan not only provoked him and belittled him but also emanated a murderous aura as if he wanted to kill him.

Caleb clenched his fists tightly but could not let his anger consume his mind.

"Noan! Aren’t you afraid that everyone here will gang up on you? You should know that…"

Noan sneered and cut off Caleb’s words: "Like I said, you can try. If you can’t, then don’t waste your breath."

"You bastard!"

Suddenly, a young man shouted and stepped forward, grabbing Noan by the collar.

"You think I don’t dare to hit you?"

He raised his hand without hesitation and punched straight at Noan’s face.

However, the moment his arm swung up, it abruptly halted midair, trembling slightly but unable to move downward.

"What’s wrong?"

Noan smirked. "Can’t hit me?"

"You bastard! What the hell did you just do?"

The young man roared in fury. He felt something incredibly strange, like countless invisible threads bound his arm, suspending it in the air.

Seeing the young man unable to throw his punch, the crowd grew impatient and annoyed.

"Oy! Can you hit him or not? If you can’t, step aside and let me do it!"

"That’s right! What’s the point of acting tough? In the end, you’re just a coward. If you’re not going to do it, let me!"

"Damn it! I thought he would teach that bastard a lesson, but in the end, he’s just another spineless fool."

The crowd erupted in anger, shouting and cursing at the young man.

However, Caleb was different—he felt that something was off.

He furrowed his brows, staring at the young man’s arm, which remained suspended in midair, his eyes filled with confusion.

However, when Caleb looked at the young man’s face, he didn’t think the man was acting.

Then what exactly was happening?

"You bastard! You… you…"

The young man began to panic, but all he could do was curse at Noan because his hero had remained back at his domain.

That’s right. Whenever a gathering was held, everyone had to leave their heroes and soldiers behind at their domains.

This was a rule established by Hawke.

Even though Hawke possessed a Rank D hero, he did not want to risk facing an overwhelming army.

If the lords here ever united, Hawke would likely be crushed under the sheer number of troops and heroes.

Noan glanced at the young man, then slowly pried off the hand gripping his collar.

But even after that, the young man remained motionless, his body as rigid as stone.

Another man, upon seeing this, grew furious and approached him.

"Are you messing with me? You—AAA!!"

His scream abruptly rang out as the young man was suddenly lifted into the air.

That’s right—just as if an invisible hand had grabbed him, he was pulled upward and suspended in midair.

The crowd gasped in terror, instinctively retreating, their eyes filled with disbelief and fear.

Especially Caleb.

He stared horror at the young man, floating more than five meters above the ground.

’What the hell is happening? Is this magic?’

Caleb cursed inwardly.

’Impossible! He’s just a Rank F lord. How could he possibly have a hero capable of using magic?’

’If he did, my hero would have sensed it and warned me. But… my hero is silent, which means this isn’t magic.’

’Then… what the hell is going on?’

Noan paid no attention to what the others were thinking. He dusted off his clothes and then spoke.

"As I said, you can come to me if you want food supplies."

"But if you can’t defeat me… the consequences will be terrifying."

He finished speaking and then cast a provocative glance toward Hawke before turning away and leaving.

Noan had only intended to develop in silence. If no one attacked him, he wouldn’t attack anyone either.

He planned to wait until he had enough strength to defend himself against even high-rank lords or those of superior levels—only then would he begin to fight.

However, the tree wished for stillness, but the wind would not cease.

Caleb and Hawke refused to leave him in peace, constantly disturbing and testing his limits.

Before leaving, Noan left behind a final remark:

"Don’t think that just because the tiger doesn’t roar, the jungle has no master."

"It stays silent only because it is hunting. If it roars, the prey will flee."

With that, Noan disappeared into the distant fork in the road.

Thud!

A dull sound, like a sandbag hitting the ground.

Everyone turned their heads and saw the young man from before collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Amidst the crowd’s distraction, Caleb had already slipped away.

Hawke glanced at Caleb, then left his subordinates to continue organizing groups to search for food while he quietly followed behind him.

Inside the wooden house, Caleb sat motionless in his chair, his expression so dark and murderous that it sent shivers down Hawke’s spine.

"Boss!" Hawke finally spoke. "Do you want me to kill him?"

Caleb cast a cold, disdainful glance at Hawke.

"Is there nothing else in your head?"

"He holds a great secret. If we don’t extract that secret from him, his death is meaningless."

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"Besides, he still has two days of protection. What can you do besides hitting him? And if he chooses to hide in his domain indefinitely, what then?"

Hawke lowered his head, his jaw clenched, frustration boiling inside him.

However, he couldn’t direct that frustration at Caleb—his leader.

Instead, all his resentment turned toward Noan.

"Then in two days, we’ll bring our heroes, crush his domain, and turn him into our slave."

Caleb shook his head and sighed. "Are you stupid? What if he decides to fight to the death against us? Even if he dies, he might never reveal that secret, and in the end, we’d gain nothing."

"Then what should we do?" Hawke shouted in frustration. "Boss, are we just going to endure this? The other lords will think we’re nothing but cowards!"

"When that happens, they’ll unite to overthrow us. Boss, you don’t want that day to come, do you?"

Caleb nodded slightly. "You think I haven’t considered that possibility? But… are you certain that bastard is just a Rank F Lord?"

"Huh?!" Hawke looked puzzled at Caleb’s question. "Boss, why are you asking that? His entire territory is filled with Rank F Skeletons. That means he’s a Rank F Lord. There’s no mistake about it."

Indeed, the rank of a lord’s soldiers would always match the rank of the lord. A Rank F Lord could only summon Rank F monsters—no higher, no lower.

This was an unchangeable rule, which lords relied on to gauge each other’s rank.

Caleb frowned. "I just find it strange. His confidence is more like that of a high-rank lord. And besides… what he did earlier was bizarre."

"How did he suspend that kid in midair so easily?"

Hawke laughed. "Boss, you’re overthinking it. I bet he just staged the whole thing with someone helping him act."

"If not, maybe his hero was nearby, using magic to pull it off."

Caleb shook his head. "No! If any magic energy had been used, my hero would have sensed it and warned me."

"Boss, you’re worrying too much," Hawke chuckled. "If you trust me, then leave him to me."

"I promise, once his protection period expires, I’ll bring you his head—and his secret."

Caleb glanced at Hawke. He didn’t know where Hawke got such confidence, but he had no better plan.

In the end, he nodded. "Fine! I’ll leave this to you. Don’t disappoint me."

Hawke’s lips curled into a cruel smile. He bowed slightly, his voice brimming with certainty.

"Yes, Boss."