Landlord World - Start with SSS talent-Chapter 51: The Tax of the Weak

Noan looked around and noticed quite a few people perched on the high branches surrounding him. Their expressions held a hint of disdain mixed with arrogance.

If Noan wasn’t mistaken, those people were likely part of the same group as Hawke, and they were overseeing those present.

In this area, he could roughly count more than 120 Lords. While this number wasn’t overwhelmingly large, it wasn’t insignificant either.

Moreover, new Lords would appear every now and then, suggesting that the number of Lords in this region would only continue to grow.

"Line up!" Suddenly, a young man’s voice rang out.

GRAOO!!!

Along with the shout, a familiar roar echoed through the air.

Noan turned toward the source of the sound and immediately saw Hawke’s subordinates walking ahead. Hawke followed behind them, riding atop a monstrous creature resembling a rhinoceros, its single horn ablaze with fire.

Seated upon the beast, Hawke exuded an overwhelming arrogance, as if the entire world were mere dogs while he alone was the only human.

His gaze swept across the crowd before finally landing on Noan.

The moment Hawke’s eyes met his, even though it lasted only a second before Hawke looked away, it was enough to make Noan uncomfortable.

He knew what Hawke was likely thinking. However, today was different from yesterday.

Now, Noan had the strength and the beasts necessary to stand against Hawke. Even so, he wasn’t in a rush to make a move—he wanted to ensure a 100% chance of victory.

He didn’t want any mistakes or unexpected situations to arise.

In his previous life, back on Earth, Noan had read countless novels.

The protagonists in those stories were always full of pride, constantly challenging those far beyond their level despite their own weaknesses.

Of course, the protagonist always won—but the battles were always brutal. Even in victory, they paid a steep price.

After that, the protagonist would inevitably be hunted down by the survivors or encounter even greater troubles.

Noan, despite being isekai’d into this world, possessed an SSS-rank talent. He was, without a doubt, the protagonist of this world.

However, he was not an idiot, nor did he have an IQ in the negatives. Even a protagonist had to be cautious with every action—if one became too arrogant, not even God could save them.

Hawke, of course, did not stare at Noan for too long. His gaze shifted toward Raito, then to Caleb.

Standing amidst the crowd, Caleb looked worried and terrified, like a rabbit caught in the gaze of a wolf.

However, when he realized Hawke was looking at him, he slightly nodded.

Seeing Caleb nod, Hawke no longer paid him attention and ordered his subordinates, "Take roll. Check the numbers."

"Didn’t you hear what my Boss just said?" one of Hawke’s men barked. "Line up! Roll call starts now!"

"Hurry up! Do you want me to whip you?" Another subordinate waved a whip through the air as if searching for a target to lash.

The Lords present reacted with a mix of emotions.

Some were displeased, some were anxious, and others were outright terrified. Yet, the one thing they all had in common was that none dared to resist.

That was right—everyone here was an F-rank Lord, just like Noan, with only a few at F+.

Meanwhile, Hawke’s group consisted mostly of E-rank or E+ Lords.

If a battle truly broke out, just one of Hawke’s D-rank beasts would be enough to suppress many of the other Lords.

Moreover, fear had already taken root in their hearts, making them more submissive. The thought of resistance would gradually fade.

Noan did not dwell too much on this. He would endure and focus on developing his strength in silence.

Hawke frowned after the lineup and roll call and said, "Yesterday, there were 135 people. Today, five are missing. Now tell me—what happened?"

His voice rang out, carrying a murderous aura that sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

Especially his gaze—seated atop the massive rhinoceros-like beast, his eyes were as sharp as blades as if they were ready to pierce through the crowd at any moment.

The crowd fell silent, and some even lowered their heads to avoid Hawke’s gaze, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"Boss!" At that moment, a large man stood up.

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Noan recognized him—it was Raito. Naturally, Noan had no intention of stopping him. Instead, he was curious to see what kind of act Raito and Hawke were about to perform.

"Yesterday, a few Lords gathered and ventured into the forest. They were probably too hungry and just wanted to find some food."

"I can guarantee they will return. Please don’t be angry, Boss. If they don’t return, I will personally search for them."

Hearing this, Hawke’s eyes filled with fury, and his voice became even more threatening. However, he did not forget to glance briefly at Caleb.

The moment he saw Caleb, a flicker of concern appeared in his eyes. He hesitated momentarily before saying, "In two days, if they haven’t returned, you will go into the forest and find them. Understood?"

"If you fail to find them… you know the consequences, don’t you?"

Raito nodded, then sat back down.

Noan found the situation puzzling.

According to what Zhisse had told him, Raito and Hawke were in the same group.

Why would Hawke allow Raito to enter if the Gloomy Forest was truly dangerous? Furthermore, why did Raito volunteer so confidently?

’Could there be some kind of conflict between Raito and Hawke? Or are there deeper issues at play that I’m unaware of?’ Noan wondered.

"Listen up!" Hawke’s voice suddenly interrupted Noan’s thoughts. "I know you’re all starving. That’s why I’ll allow you to go to the nearby river and the safe zones of the forest."

"After all, we’re all in the same area—I don’t want to see you die."

The crowd reacted with disbelief, followed by overwhelming joy.

In the modern world, food is the easiest thing to come by.

People had access to it so effortlessly that they had forgotten its importance.

Now, in this new territory, they were faced with hunger—something they had never expected to endure in their lifetimes.

Hunger clouded their judgment, and their minds instantly shifted when Hawke mentioned food.

Instead of anger or resentment, the crowd’s emotions shifted into gratitude.

"However…" Hawke noticed their hopeful expressions and sneered internally. "I will divide you into groups so that you can take turns searching for food."

"Of course, no group can have more than five people. The entry fee for a group will be twice that of an individual."

"Additionally, you must pay a tax—half of the food you collect. Understood?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd became ecstatic and repeatedly thanked Hawke.

At that moment, Noan realized that Hawke had successfully taken control of the Lords’ mindset.

Yet, he did not feel particularly upset about Hawke’s methods. After all, this was a world without laws. Here, the strong dictated the rules.

The weak had no choice but to wait for the mercy of the powerful.

On the surface, Hawke seemed excessive. After all, resources in this area should be free for anyone to exploit.

But they were so weak that Hawke’s group wrapped them around their fingers, treating them like a pack of dogs to be toyed with.

After enduring constant oppression, even the smallest favor could make them feel grateful and relieved.

Noan noticed that a few individuals who had initially harbored rebellious intentions—those whose eyes had been filled with hostility—began to waver.

Their eyes flickered with hesitation as if they were unsure if resisting was the right choice.

Caleb’s gaze fixated on Noan through the sea of people, filled with confusion.

After all, no matter how strong someone’s mind is, they will still be affected by the "FOMO effect" to some degree.

But when Caleb saw Noan’s expression—completely devoid of emotion, with only a hint of skepticism—he finally realized that Noan was far from ordinary.

’Tsk!’ Caleb clicked his tongue inwardly. ’No matter how stable your mindset is, you’re still just an F-rank Lord.’