Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 142

Chapter 142 TartKing’s Throte

Chapter 142 TartKing’s Throne

Perched on a thick tree branch, Riley let out a sudden, dry laugh at her own train of thought.

She shook her head and stuffed the journal back into her system inventory.

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“Get a grip, Riley,” she muttered to herself. “You might not even make it through the next five days, and you’re worried about old age?

‘In a hellhole like this, dying of natural causes is practically a privilege.”

Since there was no fighting whatever invisible force was running this show, the only option was to play by its rules-and become the strongest player on the board.

She took a steadying breath and pulled out the other two pieces of loot.

One was a hefty leather-bound book, the other a small cloth pouch that gave off a strangely sweet odor.

“Dungeon Item: Magical Beast Forest Bestiary (Lv.1)

“Description: Records the habits, weaknesses, and drops of some common magical beasts found in the outer stretches of the Magical Beast Forest. Consider it half a walkthrough-just don’t get too cocky. At Level 1, it only covers the basics. Encounter new beasts you haven’t seen before, and the book will level up alongside you.

“Special Item: Magical Beast Lure Pouch

“Description: Contains a blend of synthetic pheromones. Adjust the setting to release scents that mimic mating signals, territorial threats, or food sources-handy for drawing in specific types of magical beasts.”

“So that’s how it is,” Riley said, understanding dawning.

No wonder that “Stalker” had been so precise about using the Corrupted Mawbloom to take people out. He’d had this bestiary all along. He already knew how the flower camouflaged itself and its exact attack range.

And that pouch-probably what he’d used to make the bait meat irresistible.

Riley began flipping through the bestiary, page by page.

“Page 3: Mutated Crystal Orchid. Prefers shaded areas. Disguises itself as a translucent flower. Reacts aggressively to touch. Weakness: Root system is vulnerable to fire.

“Page 7: Ironhide Wild Boar. Travels in groups. Tough, thick hide. Meat is flavorful, but lighting fires in this dungeon is ill-advised. Recommended to kill and store via system inventory.

“Page 12: Camouflage: Strangler Vine.”

Riley turned to the entry for the monster she’d just taken down.

“Extremely dangerous. Typically masquerades as tree roots. Weakness: Sever the main stem. Drop: Low chance of yielding a sealing orb.”

“Guess I got lucky,” she murmured. “Stumbled on the weakness by pure accident.”

1/3

7:49 pm

Chapter 142 TartKing’s Thröte

She kept flipping.

Then, her finger paused on Page 18.

This page featured a sketch of a rather odd-looking monkey.

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It stood barely two feet tall, covered in golden fuzz, with vivid blood-red patches of fur around its neck and limbs. Its eyes were large, pupils a striking, almost feverish crimson.

“Red-Gold Ghost-Faced Monkey (Pack Magical Beast)

*Extreme pack behavior: These creatures are never encountered alone. A typical group numbers between 20 to 50.

“Strong territorial instincts: Inhabit dry zones rich in deadwood and tree hollows,

“Obsessive gluttons: Possess an intense craving for sugary foods (e.g., honey, sweet berries)

“Vengeful nature: Once provoked, they pursue fights to the death. Use agility and hollow-based ambush tactics.”

“Dead forest… tree hollows… sweets…”

Riley’s mind immediately jumped to what TartKing had described in the group chat earlier.

“The trees here aren’t huge, but they’re packed tight! Ground’s covered in dead leaves… and there are tons of dark, creepy hollows…”

“Oh, crap.”

Riley’s expression shifted.

What if TartKing had spawned right in the middle of these things’ nesting ground?

She quickly opened their “Hustle Crew” group chat.

“SpicyBurger: @TartKing!

“SpicyBurger: @TartKing!!

“SpicyBurger: Photo of the Red-Gold Ghost-Faced Monkey bestiary page)

୮

“SpicyBurger: TartKing! Your area belongs to these magical beasts! They travel in packs and are absolutely nuts about sweets! You okay over there? Do NOT pick a fight with them.”

The silence that followed felt painfully tong, each second letting Riley imagine a fresh nightmare scenario.

But then-

“Ding.”

The “Hustle Crew” chat buzzed.

“TartKing sent a picture.

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