BUILDING MY OWN EMPIRE - My Journey from Nothing to Overwhelming Power

Chapter 160 - 158 – The True Value

Two weeks had passed.

I couldn’t pinpoint when I had made a mistake.

I had completely suppressed my Rank Four energy. I hid my existence, concealed my abilities, and even inside Sunrise City I only appeared as a Rank Two Lord.

How had someone managed to track me?

Or even discover my true identity?

I still had no answer.

But this was dangerous.

Extremely dangerous.

Should I leave?

Perhaps that would be the wiser decision.

I lay on my bed, staring at the stone ceiling of the cave.

Thoughts kept crashing through my mind without pause.

I had already completed the deal for the Core Armor.

All that remained was receiving it.

But...

What about the tournament?

What about the private auction?

If I withdrew now...

It would be as if I had gained nothing at all.

No.

I couldn’t withdraw.

I was close.

Just two more matches...

And I would reach the auction.

Just two more matches...

So should I abandon everything because of a mysterious message?

I sighed slowly.

Then sat up.

"Damn it."

I grunted.

After that, I headed toward the bath.

The weather was warmer than usual today.

Perfect for relaxing beneath lukewarm water.

Water cascaded over my head.

I closed my eyes.

Tried to push away the thoughts.

But they returned again.

That voice...

Still echoed in my mind.

"My eyes will remain on you."

Who was she?

And why hadn’t she attacked me?

If she was capable of something like that...

Then killing me would have been easier than sending a warning.

And that was what made it even more unsettling.

An enemy who wants to kill you is understandable.

But someone who merely watches you...

Is far more dangerous.

Because you never know what they truly want.

The shower finally ended.

I got dressed.

Then moved toward the beast dimension.

The moment I entered...

The familiar sounds welcomed me.

Fresh air.

Endless grasslands.

And distant beast cries.

A small sense of peace settled over me.

No matter what problems existed outside...

This place was still my personal world.

The only place where I could truly think in peace.

Several days ago...

I had decided that the area containing the beast gates should become a dimension of its own as well.

But I wouldn’t place Catastrophe Beasts there or anything similar.

Instead...

I had the cave create an open world filled with forests, rivers, lakes, and hills.

Then I purchased every animal the cave recommended.

Hundreds of bird species.

Deer.

Panthers.

And many more.

The goal wasn’t utility.

It was relaxation.

I stretched my body.

Then took a brief nap beneath the spring breeze and the sounds of life.

Afterward...

My footsteps led me toward the first gate.

Then stopped.

No.

Not the Boulder Beast.

Not the Scorpion.

Not even the Fire Rhinoceros.

My eyes shifted toward the newest dimension.

Toward the Pale Lightning Deer’s territory.

I opened the gate.

The moment I stepped inside...

Cold winds rushed toward me.

Clouds filled the sky.

In fact, they surrounded me from every direction.

I stood atop one of the towering peaks.

Looking down.

Hundreds of meters below...

The Pale Lightning Deer leapt between clouds with astonishing grace.

Each jump left trails of white lightning behind it.

Meanwhile, small clouds detached from its back and merged into the surrounding sea of clouds.

"You’ve grown stronger."

I whispered.

The deer turned toward me.

Then let out a faint cry.

Before leaping again.

In a single moment...

It crossed dozens of meters.

I smiled.

"Fast."

I said.

Then stopped.

Fast...

That single word caused another image to appear in my mind.

The Lord of Seven Steps.

His disappearances.

His teleportation.

His speed.

Then...

The Wind Lord.

And his terrifying control.

Then the Ice Lord.

And his new armor.

I closed my eyes.

"Everyone is advancing."

I whispered.

"Everyone is finding their path."

I opened my eyes again.

And looked toward the deer.

"As for me..."

I paused.

Then continued.

"I’m still trying to figure out what my true path even is."

That was the real problem.

Not the mysterious woman.

Not the tournament.

Not the auction.

But the path itself.

Every powerful Lord I had met...

Possessed a clear path.

As for me?

I possessed dozens of tools.

Dozens of abilities.

Dozens of possibilities.

Yet I still couldn’t see the final destination.

The deer stood atop a cloud.

Watching me calmly.

As for me...

I kept staring at the sky.

And wondering.

Would the Core Armor...

Be the final piece I was searching for?

Or merely the beginning of an even greater problem?

I extended my hand.

Then pulled out a small blank tablet.

"The reward from my second victory in the auction tournament."

I whispered while examining its smooth white surface.

At first, I thought it was just an ordinary item.

But after careful thought, and the deeper I advanced into this world...

The more I began appreciating the value of information.

I raised the tablet.

And pointed it directly toward the Pale Lightning Deer.

Immediately—

The tablet floated into the air.

Thin black lines began appearing across its surface.

One line after another.

Stroke after stroke.

As though an invisible artist was painting at a speed impossible for the eye to follow.

Within moments...

The deer’s form emerged.

Its long antlers.

Its graceful body.

And the white lightning dancing around it.

Then—

The drawing was complete.

The tablet fell from the sky.

I reached out and caught it.

The moment my fingers touched its surface...

An enormous amount of information surged into my mind.

My eyes shut instinctively.

This was what a Rank Three item did.

(The Description Tablet.)

It didn’t grant knowledge directly.

Instead, it drew information from the world itself.

From the nature of the object depicted.

Its characteristics.

Its path.

That was why it was such a rare and sought-after item.

Information flooded my thoughts.

{ Pale Lightning Deer }

{ Great Catastrophe Creature }

{ Resides within the Land of Eternal Clouds }

{ Converts air into new clouds infused with Healing Waters }

My eyes paused.

Then continued reading.

{ Healing Waters }

{ Recovery resource used in numerous industries }

{ Increases a Lord’s accumulation recovery speed by 25%–60% }

{ Purple Healing Waters are considered the highest quality, red are medium quality, and sky-blue are the lowest }

My eyes slowly widened.

Then I lifted my head toward the deer.

"Healing Waters?"

I whispered.

The deer continued leaping between clouds without concern.

As for me...

I kept staring at it.

Previously, I thought this beast merely created clouds.

Or changed the weather.

But—

It seemed I had been mistaken.

I sat upon a nearby rock.

Then began reviewing the information.

Accumulation recovery...

Was one of the greatest problems Lords faced.

In fact, most important battles were decided by the amount of accumulation remaining.

That was why medicines.

Flowers.

And recovery resources.

Sold for absurd prices.

Yet these waters...

Directly increased recovery speed.

"Haa..."

I whispered, setting the tablet aside.

"No wonder it’s a Great Catastrophe Beast."

Only then...

Did I remember something.

The Fire Rhinoceros produced special flames.

The Vibration Dolphin produced belly fat.

The Accumulation Venom Scorpion produced poison.

And now...

The Lightning Deer produced Healing Waters.

I slowly raised my head.

Then my eyes widened slightly.

"Wait..."

I whispered.

A strange idea began forming inside my mind.

The Great Catastrophe Beasts I possessed...

Weren’t merely beasts for combat.

They were moving resources.

Perhaps even...

Entire production sources.

My heartbeat accelerated slightly.

Then I looked at the deer again.

"If it produces Healing Waters..."

I muttered.

"How much can it produce?"

I immediately stood up.

The first time with the Vibration Dolphin...

I hadn’t discovered the value of its resource until it was too late.

This time...

I wouldn’t make the same mistake.

My footsteps carried me toward the distant clouds.

Searching.

Watching.

Inspecting.

Because if this deer produced a new resource...

Then perhaps another treasure stood before me, one I had yet to discover.

I left my spot.

Then traveled toward the other beasts.

If the Pale Lightning Deer possessed value I hadn’t previously discovered...

Then perhaps I had been ignorant of the others as well.

After a short time...

I arrived at the Fire Rhinoceros dimension.

As always...

It enjoyed peace within its own world.

Black rubble stretched everywhere.

Dim flames danced through cracks in the earth.

As for the beast itself...

It rested atop a pile of scorched stone.

Like a king seated upon his throne.

It paid no attention to my arrival.

Merely opened one eye before closing it again.

I pulled out the Description Tablet.

Raised it toward the beast.

Immediately, black lines formed across the white surface.

Fine lines.

Then more details.

Until the complete image of the rhinoceros appeared.

Moments later...

The drawing was finished.

I picked up the tablet.

And closed my eyes.

Information immediately flowed into my mind.

{ Fire Rhinoceros }

{ Great Catastrophe Beast }

{ Creates Burnt Lands from forests and transforms them into blazing ruins }

{ The most abundant source of Volcanic Stone }

{ Requires a female Fire Rhinoceros for production }

I raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

I whispered.

Then continued reading.

{ Volcanic Stone }

{ Agricultural resource that helps transform desert lands into high-quality farmland }

{ The highest-quality Volcanic Stones allow rare plants to grow above them }

My eyes widened.

Then I looked toward the beast once more.

"This is incredible..."

I whispered.

Then sighed.

"But where am I supposed to find a female?"

The description made it sound simple.

Reality was another matter entirely.

Great Catastrophe Beasts weren’t rabbits that could be bought in a market.

Finding even one was difficult.

Finding a female of the same species...

Was like searching for a needle in the middle of an ocean.

I shook my head.

Then lowered the tablet.

"At least now I know what I’m looking for."

I stood up.

And gazed over the endless ruins surrounding the beast.

Previously, I saw nothing more than a suitable habitat.

But now...

I saw an entire future farm.

The more I learned about Great Catastrophe Beasts...

The more convinced I became that their true value wasn’t their combat strength.

But what they could produce.

And the resources they left behind.

I smiled softly.

Then turned toward the remaining gates.

I still had the Boulder Beast.

The Scorpion.

And the others.

And it seemed I would spend the rest of the day uncovering secrets that had been right before my eyes all along.