Me and My Overpowered Abilities

"It was nice doing business with you, Mr. Adam. I look forward to the anime and manga that will be born under your management," the Japanese man said with a respectful bow.

Adam returned the bow before taking the documents from the table. Without another word, he turned and walked out, Sam following closely behind.

As they exited the room, Adam handed the papers to Sam, who took them with an almost reverent expression.

"Today marks the day you officially own the entertainment industry," Sam said, flipping through the documents, and scanning over the final agreements.

Adam remained silent, his mind elsewhere. This was something he had planned for, something he worked tirelessly to achieve. With this deal, he had gained a monopoly over the industry, anime, manga, movies, and beyond, all under his control.

"How are things going?" Adam asked blankly. This was just a clone—his main body had more important matters to attend to.

"Everything is looking good," Sam replied with a satisfied nod. "DC and Marvel are being rebooted with the best storytellers working together. We've already mapped out the next four years of content, from movies and TV shows to comics."

Adam remained indifferent. He had no interest in seeing those plans himself—he wanted to experience them like a normal fan.

"What about manga, manhwa, and manhua?" Adam asked, keeping his tone flat. He wasn't just stopping at Western media; he wanted complete control over the global entertainment industry.

"Everything is on track," Sam assured him. "Though the manhua industry was a tough nut to crack. The Chinese were unwilling to sell at first, but somehow, you managed to make them cave. How exactly did you pull that off?"

"Money." Adam's response was simple, and before Sam could press further, his body dissipated into smoke. The clone had served its purpose—there was no reason to linger.

Sam let out a low whistle, shaking his head. Adam had been spending an absurd amount of money, throwing billions at anything he wanted under his control. For a time, he had been the richest man alive, worth over 500 billion dollars, but he had burned through his fortune without hesitation.

Yet, it was clear—Adam didn't care about the wealth itself. He wasn't hoarding money; he was reshaping the entertainment industry, rebuilding what had been lost in the chaos of the past few months.

Of course, Adam was still worth billions, though he no longer made billions a day now that the world had found a balance with the dungeons. His vision for the entertainment industry was simple—those with true creative genius and a story to tell would have complete freedom to write. If a story was compelling enough, it could be turned into a manga, comic, manhwa, or manhua, depending on the region.

From there, if it proved successful, it could be adapted into an anime, a movie, or even both. To ensure quality and avoid unnecessary filler, an anime could only be produced once its source material—whether manga, comic, manhwa, or manhua—had been fully completed.

Adam may have despised humanity, may have found little worth liking in people, but even he could acknowledge one undeniable truth—humans had the power to dream.

At this moment, back in the Hanging Tower of Babylon, Adam sat in his gym, his body drenched in sweat. Steam rose off his skin, the sheer heat of his body causing the sweat to evaporate almost instantly.

"Alright, this is in case I died in a dungeon… Well, if that's the case, I have nothing much to say. Just keep destroying those dungeons in my name."

Blessing's voice came through the phone, her tone surprisingly light, though Adam could hear the subtle weight beneath her words. It turned out she had been under immense stress leading up to the birth, no wonder she had insisted on him being there. She must have had a bad feeling all along.

"Okay, if you're still listening… then I must really be dead." She let out a small, nervous laugh before continuing. "There are two main ways this could have gone. If I died but the baby lived… then I'm sorry. You're going to have to be a father all on your own. I know that probably wasn't part of your plan, but I know you'll do your best." Her voice was tinged with sadness, an acceptance of fate she had likely made peace with long before recording this.

"If we both died… then I'm sorry I won't be there to hold you through it. But… I did think of something to help."

Adam, who had been catching his breath, suddenly froze as he listened.

"When my mom passed away, my dad tried to help me cope by getting me a dog. It actually worked... for a while. Until she got run over three days later." Blessing let out a short, dry chuckle. "That sight haunted me for weeks… Ahem. Anyway, my point is, it did help at first. So, I made arrangements. Around the same time you're hearing this, a dog should be delivered to you. Call it a distraction, call it a piece of me left behind, but… just take care of it, okay?"

Adam sat in silence, staring at the phone, his breathing slowing as her words settled deep within him.

"I wanted to give her a name, but in the end, I realized that should be your choice. Families come in all shapes and forms, Adam. I don't want you to lock yourself away. You don't live just once—every day you wake up is the start of a new life. You only die once, so live a life worth living." Blessing's voice carried a quiet determination, as if she were trying her best to sound motivational despite knowing she wouldn't be there to see him take her advice.

"Sir, you have a guest at the gates," the Hanging Tower of Babylon's automated voice announced.

Adam's eyes lingered on his phone for a moment before he exhaled and got up.

It had been a week since Blessing's death—a long, grueling week. Breaking the news to her father had been especially difficult. Telling him everything that had happened, watching the way he broke down when he realized he had outlived not only his wife but now his daughter… that was rough. Harder than Adam had expected.

And then, just a few minutes ago, this message arrived.

Hearing Blessing's voice again had been shocking at first, confusing even. But once he understood it was something she had prepared just in case, he forced himself to sit through the full thirty minutes of her rambling.

She talked about all the different ways she might have died, speculating with dark humor and occasional tangents. She joked that if Adam was listening to this message, it either meant she was dead… or she'd simply forgotten to delete it after surviving.

Adam got into his car and drove toward the gate entrance, which was a few blocks away. As he approached, he spotted a parked car on the side of the road and a young man standing beside it, holding a small puppy in his arms.

Adam's gaze lingered on the tiny creature, uncertainty creeping in. Did he really have what it took to care for another life? He had spent so much time isolated, focused solely on his own goals. Could he even be trusted to raise something as fragile as this?

"Adam?" The young man spoke up, drawing his attention. "I was instructed to deliver this little guy to you, along with this letter. There are also a few papers that would tell you everything should know about raising him." His tone was polite, and professional, as he extended the letter to Adam.

Adam opened the gate, took the letter, and unfolded it. His eyes scanned the familiar handwriting, and he sighed softly when he realized it was from Blessing.

Her words were direct. She called him an idiot for even considering locking himself away, drowning in grief. The letter went on to list the benefits of raising a dog, pointing out how much companionship it could offer—especially since he had no interest in making human friends.

"I don't have cash on me, so just take this," Adam said, pulling out a D-rank dungeon boss monster core and handing it to the young man before taking the puppy from him.

The young man's eyes nearly popped out of his skull at the sight of the monster core. He opened his mouth to protest, but his greed won out. A core of this value was far more than he could ever hope to earn in a single transaction. He quickly bowed in gratitude, murmuring a rushed thank you, but Adam had already turned away, ignoring him as he gathered the supplies brought for the puppy.

Settling into his car, Adam placed the tiny creature on his lap, watching as it curled up and drifted off to sleep.

"It's only two days old... how do I even feed this thing?" he thought, his gaze shifting to the papers containing care instructions.

His eyes narrowed as he scanned the information. "Puppy formula? That's a thing?" He had heard of baby formula, but this was new to him. Digging through the bag, he found a canister labeled Puppy Milk Replacer along with tiny bottles designed for feeding.

Adam sighed, glancing down at the fragile creature nestled against him. Such a small, helpless thing, its entire existence now dependent on him. One careless mistake, and it could die.

For the first time in a long time, Adam found himself responsible for something truly vulnerable—something that needed him.

And, against all odds, he was going to try.