BUILDING MY OWN EMPIRE - My Journey from Nothing to Overwhelming Power-Chapter 67 – A Man Who Does Not Strike Women

"I told you," the girl cried in a spoiled tone, adding,

"we shouldn’t have joined this campaign. What if we run into a strong opponent?"

"What are we supposed to do? Stay in the capital forever? Everyone is trying to improve themselves except us," the other girl replied. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Both wore long white dresses.

One had blonde hair, a frail build, childish features, and stood no taller than a meter and a half.

The second was blonde as well, but her features were sharper, her body closer to that of a mature woman than a teenage girl.

The older one released the blue cube and began scanning the space. She was Second Rank.

The younger was First Rank.

The area they descended into resembled an open stretch of farmland.

The soil was reddish, fertile-looking—ideal for cultivation.

The two quickly realized they had landed in a flat agricultural zone, not yet inhabited.

"Do we move?" the younger asked.

"No," the older answered immediately. "The mission says we stay and protect the cubes until the restriction activates."

She sighed lightly, then added with a faint smile on her pink lips,

"This seems like a suitable situation for you, Julia."

The younger girl barely had time to respond—

When a gust of wind surged from afar.

A large black shadow approached at tremendous speed.

Both girls readied themselves.

The shadow arrived—

And a massive wolf’s howl thundered through the air.

A gigantic wolf with a three-meter horn.

From atop the beast, a man clad entirely in black leapt down lightly—yet heavily—wearing silver gloves.

"Damn it," the man muttered sharply. His imposing expression shifted into internal frustration.

"I shouldn’t have to face women," he cursed again.

Twenty meters ahead, the two girls stood frozen. Anxiety filled their faces. Their eyes remained fixed on the enormous wolf.

The younger leaned toward her sister and whispered softly,

"Is that really a Calamity Beast?"

The question wasn’t seeking an answer—it was disbelief. The truth was obvious.

Above the wolf’s head, a clear title appeared:

{ Minor Calamity Beast – Lightning Shadow Wolf }

For a Second-Rank Lord, facing a Minor Calamity Beast was difficult.

With proper preparation and suitable weapons, the fight could be managed.

But neither girl had been prepared for this.

Both had gone pale.

The black-clad fighter stepped forward and raised his hand.

The Calamity Wolf dissolved into red blood that flowed beneath his feet and vanished.

"My name is Soman," the fighter said.

"The question is... how are we going to resolve this?"

It sounded casual—accompanied by a smile.

But the sisters fell silent, tension mounting.

"Resolve what?" the older asked. The younger tried to speak, but the elder grabbed her hand to stop her.

"I... don’t like fighting women. But you are invaders. If you surrender, there won’t be a problem," Soman said.

"Are you the Lord here?" the words came out with difficulty.

"Haha, of course not. I’m far too weak to even be a deputy," Soman replied with a grin.

"But you two..." he paused briefly before continuing,

"look too weak to be Lords yourselves."

The sisters’ tension peaked at those words.

The older sister attempted to salvage the situation.

"Perhaps... we aren’t strong enough. But there are many powerful Lords in this space. It would be better for you to surrender."

"Yes, that’s right! Surrender and we won’t torture you!" the younger shouted.

The older shot her a sharp glare, silencing her.

Soman narrowed his eyes. The smile faded, replaced by faint mockery.

"That’s supposed to make me retreat, isn’t it?" he laughed loudly, then stopped.

"Unfortunately, it’s the opposite. Now I need to defeat you quickly and assist the others."

The sisters did not respond. They stepped back together.

The younger waved her hand.

Suddenly, blue smoke began pouring steadily from her palms.

"The conditions are complete," she whispered with a smile.

Beside her, the older lifted her chin arrogantly.

"Men... are so simple."

She unleashed her sealed energy.

From nothingness, a black double-ended whip appeared.

"The Tamer," she whispered.

"A specialized weapon infused with Calamity Serpent veins for doubled power."

She cracked it through the air as the blue smoke spread across the field.

"Blue Venom," the younger shouted from within the mist,

"A specialized weapon with the properties of a master-grade armament!"

"But... it requires several conditions to activate."

Soman did not move. He allowed the fog to engulf him.

He looked right and left.

The sisters vanished from sight as visibility dropped.

"Why are you explaining your weapon properties?" he asked calmly.

"To activate Blue Venom," one sister’s voice echoed,

"the opponent must know the weapon’s traits."

"What an interesting condition," Soman murmured.

He remained still, eyes scanning, hearing only voices.

Time passed.

No attack came.

A faint ache began spreading through his body.

He closed his eyes.

Then breathed again.

The pain vanished.

Time continued to pass.

Suddenly—

Swoosh—

Around his feet, the double-ended whip coiled like a serpent.

Numbness crept into his leg.

"My whip’s ability allows me to drain a Lord’s stamina and drown him in accumulated physical fatigue," the elder sister whispered.

The numbness intensified.

Yet—

It faded again.

Minutes passed.

The blue venom dust that had spread like powder began dissipating.

Then—

The air cleared.

The sisters reappeared before Soman.

"The venom," Soman murmured,

"an excellent exhaustion attack. But..."

He smiled faintly, glancing down at the whip still wrapped around his foot.

"What’s the use of draining a fixed amount from someone who can replenish that amount—and more?"

The sisters did not answer.

Failure was written plainly on their faces.

Soman had neither defended nor attacked—

Yet defeat already lingered bitterly in their mouths.

When the elder met Soman’s eyes, she saw the strength of the outside world.

The gap that prevented her from exploring freely.

She glanced at her younger sister and remembered everything they had lived through.

Fear crept in.

The world was vast.

Power paths were countless and rewarded those who pursued them.

The outside world encouraged exploration and adventure—

But it was not gentle.

Monsters, humans, demi-humans, spirits, and countless other beings all fought for rewards.

Julia and her older sister Marisa were merely daughters of a wealthy family.

They had never faced the world’s cruelty.

When they entered this new realm, luck favored them—they were adopted by someone influential.

They used their status as Lords to live comfortably.

One reached Second Rank with faction support.

Eventually, it became necessary to venture out.

They joined a sect, contributing just enough to maintain their luxury without real risk.

And now—

They found themselves invading another space.

The sisters looked at each other.

The younger covered her mouth.

"Should we withdraw?"

"What would we say? That we were utterly defeated by a subordinate? The leader would throw us into the streets!" the elder snapped.

"That’s better than dying," the younger whispered.

Her words struck deeply.

They continued arguing in hushed tones.

Then—

They glanced toward Soman.

For the first time, he moved.

He sat down.

While they debated, Soman had listened to every word.

Without them realizing what had happened during their failed assault—

Soman had summoned several small mosquitoes from the side.

They attached themselves to the sisters’ garments.

Strategic and reconnaissance tools.

Each mosquito functioned as an audio receiver—capturing nearby speech.

And as a tracking device—allowing Soman to always know their exact positions.

Soman placed his feet firmly on the ground and spoke aloud:

"Rest. I won’t fight you. But..."

His eyes shone with threat.

"If you attempt to attack again, I won’t hesitate to summon someone who has no issue eliminating you."

...

With steady, heavy steps, the second-rank Lord advanced—his long white beard swaying over a hunched back.

The wrinkles across his face revealed a dignified old man, clad in a loose white-and-gold robe.

Behind him loomed an unexplored black mountain of solid iron.

When he reached a certain point, he released the blue cube, took a few more steps forward, then stopped.

"Are you and your warriors my enemies, O warrior?" the old Lord asked in a solemn voice.

"Yes, venerable Lord," the massive stone man replied. He lowered his head respectfully and added, "I hope you will reconsider invading us, my Lord."

The leader of the Rock Fighters wore black leather armor adorned with streaks of silver.

His body looked larger and heavier than it had before training... and behind him,

the thirty warriors accompanying him appeared changed as well.

"I am an old man," the elder answered. "I have no choice but to advance. If I win, then I win. If I die, I have already lived long enough."

The old man raised his hand and drew out a thin white thread. "Forgive me," he murmured, then cast the thread into the air and continued:

"I am an old man... so pardon my deceptive methods."

In that instant—

The single thread burst into a thousand strands—

They shot toward the leader.

A yellow light enveloped the Rock Chief’s body—

The threads passed through it.

The thirty warriors raised their defenses—

The threads did not attack—

Instead... they attached.

The old man lifted his right hand—

Opened his palm high—

And within it—

The threads.

"My body—"

"What is happening?"

"Damn it!"

All the warriors shouted in fury.

The Rock Chief narrowed his eyes.

Before him—

His thirty warriors had been subdued in the blink of an eye.