BUILDING MY OWN EMPIRE - My Journey from Nothing to Overwhelming Power-Chapter 59 – Training Arc (Ali)
Chapter 59 – Training Arc (Ali)
Outside the training dimension...
"Daughter of the Moon," the Deception Beast whispered. "What tremendous potential."
My eyes shifted toward the other screens. All of them had reached round 40. Some had cleared it, others were still trying...
Their abilities had grown enormously. I suppose the time had come for me as well... but first—
"Are you finished?" I asked the Deception Beast.
"Yes..." the beast whispered from afar.
"You may now enter your training. You will receive the results later."
"Alright." I straightened up.
My turn had finally come.
A white thread of light appeared, paving the way for me. After following it, I arrived at my gate.
Upon entering, it was no different from the others’ spaces. The first door was lit, the rest were dark.
"My accumulation is full," I whispered...
Step after step, I entered the space. The scene before me changed.
A gentle breeze struck my body pleasantly, and the fragrant scent of scattered flowers quickly filled my nose.
What a feeling... honestly, it felt like a real space.
Aaah... I yawned.
Hehehe... well, no harm in a small nap after all that discussion and agreement with the Deception Beast.
I sat on the green grass, stretched my legs, and enjoyed the gentle breeze.
"What are you doing?" The voice came from afar.
"I thought you wouldn’t interfere," I said mockingly, and the Deception Beast replied quickly—
"Are you trying to sleep?"
"Why not? Time here moves very fast... I need to relax a little..."
The beast did not respond. Of course, it wouldn’t understand what I meant by relaxing.
This kind of air—not cold, not hot—on green land... a person doesn’t always find something like this. I should relax as much as possible.
...
{ Time Ended }
{ Mission Failed }
Ah... I really fell asleep.
Aaah... I stretched my arms and legs like a child waking up.
I rubbed my eyes, then stood up.
I headed toward the corner. There was food, water, and juices. I drank and ate a little. Then—
I did some cardio exercises and headed back toward the gate.
Aaah... the air still feels wonderful. But no.
I’ve rested enough.
I surveyed the place. Far ahead, hundreds of meters away... there was movement.
I focused my sight. I couldn’t tell what it was... but I knew—
That would be my destination.
I ran... lightly and comfortably.
My steps weren’t exhausting, and it wasn’t a walk. It was like a football player’s running drill.
Maybe I never told you... but I used to be a football player.
It wasn’t a big team, nor a small one. It was a neighborhood team. I played left wing—LW—with my left foot.
When I was young... I used to dribble past five or six players.
As I grew up, instead of improving... the number I could dribble past became less and less.
Until I struggled to dribble past even one player. It was truly frustrating.
Well... maybe if I were transferred to a football world where I’d be an unstoppable player... that would be amazing.
I finally stopped...
What was far away became clear—something moving.
{ Martial Arts Monkeys }
"What is this?" I whispered in surprise. "Is there really such a type of monkeys?"
"They are evolved beasts. Be careful," the beast’s voice echoed again.
"So they’re the ones who will help me master the Flame Art..." I whispered, then quickly—
I shifted my thoughts to activate the art.
Suddenly—
Aaah! I screamed.
Something like pain and stiffness struck my body.
"Your body is still not ready," the beast’s voice echoed.
Damn it...
Aaah...
The pain increased.
My body collapsed.
.
White light.
My eyes lifted upward.
It was a radiant ceiling.
"Where am I?" I whispered heavily.
I could barely move a step.
Aaah...
The pain returned—intense.
I was outside stage one.
In the outer hall.
"What happened?" I asked.
The voice didn’t delay. "You fainted," the Deception Beast answered.
Aaah... the pain came again.
My body felt like it had been hit by a truck.
What kind of weapon is this? Even the ancient sword didn’t have such an effect. This weapon—despite being a support weapon—did all this to my body...
After two days... I stood before the gate.
I entered again. The moment I entered—
I activated the art again.
Aaah...
The pain returned.
I opened my eyes outside.
Damn it... should I abandon it?
I truly don’t know what to do...
Fine.
I made my decision quickly.
After I recover again... ten times. If I don’t feel any improvement... I’ll continue without it.
Again... I stood inside the space and activated the art.
And again... I found myself outside.
Once... then again.
Until it was the eighth time.
I activated the art... then—
Pain. Muscle stiffness.
After moments... vision disappeared.
Awareness...
Then I opened my eyes outside.
"This time..." I whispered. It was different. I felt like I delayed fainting by one or two seconds.
Maybe it’s a false feeling... but hahaha—I won’t let it slip.
A human must always move forward.
If he fails, he tries again.
If he falls, he stands.
If he suffers, he endures.
What am I missing that would make me stop?
The era of withdrawal is over.
I am now the supreme leader of these fierce warriors.
Would I give in and choose the comfortable path?
I will not.
Step after step...
My determination... or my foolishness... or both—
Led me on.
I stopped counting the days... but they exceeded fifty.
Yes.
Fifty days trying to adapt to the Flame Art.
Fifty days of failure—
Finally crowned with the moment when I finally...
Did not faint.
Step after step... while activating the art, it felt extremely heavy and painful.
I felt as if my body was burning.
Twenty steps separated me from those martial monkeys.
They didn’t attack me even once.
They were waiting for me to attack.
Something inside me... maybe my own self that wanted to send me to destruction... whispered that the solution to releasing the art’s power was to put myself in danger.
16 steps.
Maybe what my inner voice says is right. Maybe it’s wrong.
But I will move forward regardless.
10 steps.
The monkeys’ screams grew louder.
But they weren’t more ferocious than my body’s screams.
6 steps.
I closed my eyes.
4 steps.
I opened them again.
I looked deeply at the monkeys.
I could actually smell them.
Two steps.
My breaths were facing them.
Then—
I summoned the Echo Shadow within me.
I embodied that great warrior’s persona.
Who else... would do the madness I was about to commit?
"Haaaaa!" I screamed violently.
Aaah...
I raised my hand—immense pain struck it.
Aaah...
I endured.
I brought my hand near one of their heads.
My body was burning from the inside—I felt it.
It was collapsing—
"Nooooo!" I screamed.
I planted my foot into the ground.
"I will not surrender to you!" I shouted at the pain.
Then—
Boom.
I struck the nearest monkey.
Zia zia zia zia—
The monkeys’ screams echoed violently.
They retreated quickly—
Ten meters in the blink of an eye.
My half-closed eyes barely caught their retreat—
Before—
They descended on top of my head.
Booooom.
Aaah! I screamed in pain.
A heavy strike crashed violently onto my right cheek.
I lifted my head—
Booooom.
Another strike shattered my stance and threw me away.
Damn it—
Booooom
Booooom
Booooom
Heavy strikes rained down.
Aaah...
I tried to move my hand. My leg.
Useless.
The inner pain had doubled with the pain of those damned monkeys’ blows.
Damn it...
I could no longer feel my body.
The sound of bones breaking—
I felt it crawling toward my mind.
Without pain.
The pain of breaking was no longer greater than my previous pain.
My eyes closed against my will—
Under the barrage of kicks.
Dozens of feet and fists fell upon my body consecutively.
I no longer possessed awareness.
Then—
The blue light came.
{ Time Ended }
{ Mission Failed }
I finally opened my eyes.
Aaah... my body was screaming in horrific pain.
I vomited blood immediately upon waking.
I tried to stand—
I screamed in pain and fell back.
Then I looked at the white ceiling.
Closed my eyes again.
Slept.
I opened my eyes.
The pain was less.
My lips screamed for water.
I tried to stand—
I couldn’t.
The pain was still greater than I could bear.
I forced myself.
Screamed in pain.
Crawled—
Toward the side.
After intense pain, I reached my destination.
I raised my hand—
Grabbed the water bottle and drank greedily.
Then another. And another.
I vomited.
My body rejected the water.
I curled around myself on the ground and closed my eyes.
After several days—
I drank water with difficulty, without vomiting.
I ate a bite of food.
Then sat up.
My body was gradually recovering thanks to the White Flower.
That gamble I made—
Was completely wrong.
I threw myself into destruction.
If there hadn’t been a time limit for the mission—
I would have undoubtedly died.
Well...
That doesn’t mean I’ll retreat.
But—
I’ll change the plan... hahaha.
